Digitalis Toxicity Report

The accounts of digitalis toxicity due to overdose in 1985 specify 1,015 cases including 584 patients that are below 6 years old and 56 patients aging 6-17 years old. The greater part of these documented toxicity cases (83%) come about without the purpose of overdosing (Kwon, 2006). The prevalence of digitalis toxicity had a rising trend for some time until it was acknowledged in the early 1990’s that reduction in toxicity cases was observed. Among the studies that concluded the decreased cases of digitalis toxicity was the research conducted by Haynes et al.In there study, it was noted that the cases of digitalis toxicity in United States and United Kingdom manifested a decreasing trend in the past two decades. Hospitalizations in relation to digitalis toxicity were notably reduced in United States whereas in United Kingdom the cases of ambulatory digitalis toxicity also lessened. The decreased incidence of digitalis toxicity in the U. S. is correlated to the diminished admin istration of this drug. The dilemma due to digitalis toxicity has significantly reduced in the two above mentioned countries (Haynes, et al, 2008).Though incidence of digitalis toxicity is turning to the decreasing side it is no reason to disregard the threats of toxicity that consumers of this substance are exposed to. Digitalis is drug extracted from the leaves of the plant called Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). The utilization of foxglove as a medicinal plant already exists for centuries. But the popularity of this plant was not that intense until an English botanist and physician named William Withering in the 1700’s pioneered the establishing of digitalis as a cardiac drug.This doctor conducted a detailed study of digitalis. Withering was also responsible for the determination of the most effective preparation of the drug as well as the correct dosages for various heart ailments. This English physician was also responsible for the setting up the standards of when to abort the therapy using digitalis because of its toxic effects (NetIndustries, 2008). The mode of action of digitoxin involves the inhibition of the Na-K ATPase in myocytes to increase heart muscles contractility.The drug attach to the binding sites situated in the extra cytoplasm of the sodium- and potassium-activated adenosine triphosphate (Na-K ATPase) pump preventing the active transfer of Na and K across the cell membranes. The resulting high concentrations of sodium and calcium as well as the low amounts of potassium in the intracellular part of the muscle cell promotes the fourth stage myocardial action potential creating a decreased conduction velocity and amplification of ectopic activity.The end result boost in the contractility of heart muscles due to the action of digitalis is beneficial to various heart ailments (Kwon, 2006). This is utilized as a drug therapy for heart problems. This substance is specifically indicated in cases of persistent systolic heart failure symptoms despite the administration of diuretics, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and beta blocker; and, cases of congestive heart failure with atrial fibrillation.The objective of the therapy using digitoxin ranges from 0.5 to 1. 0 ng/mL. The administration of digitoxin is contraindicated in patients that are receiving primary therapy for acute decompensated heart failure stabilization and during cases of sinus or atrioventricular (AV) except for cases of prior pacemaker treatment applied (Kwon, 2006). Medicine administered within the range of its therapeutic dose rarely produce toxicity. The established daily therapeutic dose of digitoxin varies from 0. 0005 mg/kg (for young infants) to 0. 75 mg/kg (for mature individuals).This drug in tablet preparations has the estimated absorption of 70-80% and a bioavailability of 95%. In oral administrations (per os / PO), the action onset of digitoxin transpires after 30-120 minutes whereas in intravenous route action onset to occur requires onl y 5-30 minutes. The threshold of the effect of this drug after oral and intravenous routes is 2-6 hrs and 5-30 minutes respectively. An estimate of 60-80% of the digitoxin intake is excreted by the kidney without structure and properties change(Kwon, 2006). The lethal dose of this drug varies with the age of the patients.Doses above 10 mg per individual even in healthy adults will cause death but doses lower than 5 mg infrequently produces problems such as toxicity. In children, the intake of doses above 0. 3 mg/kg or 4 mg per individual often causes fatality (Kwon, 2006). The population which is highly at risked with the development of digitoxin toxicity are the infants and the old people. The threats of digitalis toxicity include intake of medicines like digitoxin and digoxin; and, digitalis interaction with other drugs like verapamil, amiodarone, and quinidine.Having below normal levels of potassium in the body such as the patients medicated with potassium losing diuretics is als o at risk of the toxic effects of digitalis. People with kidney damage and having little amounts of magnesium are also prone to digitalis toxicity. Caution should be observed in administering digitalis as well as other medicines to patients with kidney damage because the capacity of the body to excrete any drug taken is also diminished along with the kidney problem. Thus, the drug has the tendency to accumulate in the kidney and increasing the possibility of toxicity (â€Å"Digitalis Toxicity†).Occurrence of digitalis toxicity can be due to two mechanisms: the above therapeutic amounts of digitalis in the patient’s body, and the lowering of the patient’s digitalis tolerance. The toxicity can be caused by either or both of the mechanisms. The toxicity of this drug can happen with one exposure to the drug as well as the gradual toxicity. Some patients suffer the effects of digitalis toxicity despite the normal blood levels of this drug because of the existence of other digitalis toxicity risk factors (â€Å"Digitalis Toxicity†).Other disease and metabolic conditions that serve as risk factors of the toxic effects of this drug are: hypoxemia, hypothyroidism, and alkalosis (Kwon, 2006). The mortality rates due to digitalis toxicity vary with the details of the population. The direct consequence of cardiac toxicity in digitalis toxicity result to 3-21% mortality rate. Male individuals are more prone to this drug’s toxicity compared to the females. The young and old people have increased risks to digitalis toxicity than the other age brackets.Ingestion of digitalis medicines of their grandparents is the primary cause of toxicity among children (Kwon, 2006). The symptoms of toxicity due to digitalis include strange changes in vision like color perception problems, blurring of vision, having visual blind spots, and having visual bright light spots; nausea; vomiting; pulse irregularities; appetite loss; palpitations; confusion; genera l swelling; lower urine volume; lowered consciousness; and, breathing difficulty during lying down (â€Å"Digitalis Toxicity†).The treatment regimen for digitalis toxicities comprise of specific, symptomatic, and supportive therapy phases. The supportive therapy phase for this toxicity case consists of electrolyte imbalance correction, dehydration treatment using IV fluids, and oxygen support equipped with ventilation. It is frequently prescribed by medical practitioners to supplement potassium in cases wherein the patient has potassium levels lower than 4 mmol/L.The recommendation of diuresis induction is not approved due to the tendency to aggravate the electrolyte imbalances and the renal excretion of the drug is not enhanced by this process (Kwon, 2006). The specific therapy phase involves the administration of digoxin-specific Fab antibody fragments that are noted to be of significant success in treating severe acute digitalis toxicity. This drug is sort of the antidote for digitalis toxicities as well as other complications in relation to digitalis.Immediate administration of digoxin-specific Fab antibody is recommended upon deducing digitalis toxicity. The prompt treatment digoxin immune fab will decrease the morbidity and mortality rates of digitalis toxicities. To contradict arrhythmias that might occur in digitalis toxicity treatment with phynetoin is advised (Kwon, 2006). The recommended method for gastrointestinal cleansing is the utilization of multiple-dose activated charcoal (1gram/kilogram weight of patient/day). Administration of ipecac syrup to induce emesis is contraindicated due to the activation of the vagal tones.Other possible methodologies of eliminating the toxic amounts of digitalis in a patient’s body are gastric lavage, whole-bowel irrigations, and steroid binding resins like colestipol and cholestyramine. These three aforementioned therapeutic regimens though have constraints like the vagal effects and the lack of sub stantial data to support their efficacy in these toxicity cases (Kwon, 2006). Even if the incidence of digitalis toxicity cases have plunged the vigilance regarding this condition should not stop.The drug prescriptions of digitalis for heart problems should be ensured by the medical practitioners to be under the therapeutic dosages. The availability of this drug to children should also be eliminated to prevent the accidental ingestion of this drug. Since digitalis in an important cardiac drug various researches has been conducted involving this medicinal substance. The medical industry should not stop there though; further studies can still be done to improve the value of digitalis as a therapeutic agent without compromising the patient’s safety.

Against Anti †Social Activities Essay

Antisocial behaviour: the construction of a crime Now the New Labour government has revealed its ‘respect’ agenda, the problem of ‘antisocial behaviour’ has moved to the forefront of political debate. But what is it? by Stuart Waiton ‘Antisocial: opposed to the principles on which society is constituted.’ (Oxford English Dictionary, 1885). ‘Antisocial: contrary to the laws and customs of society; causing annoyance and disapproval in others: children’s antisocial behaviour.’ (Oxford English Dictionary, 1989). ‘Antisocial behaviour’ is used as a catch-all term to describe anything from noisy neighbours and graffiti to kids hanging out on the street. Indeed, it appears that almost any kind of unpleasant behaviour is now categorised as antisocial, with the behaviour of children and young people most often labelled as such (1). This expresses a growing perception that the ‘laws and customs of society’ are being undermined by rowdy youngsters. Yet the term ‘antisocial behaviour’ was rarely used until the 1990s. Throughout the 1980s a couple of articles a year were printed in the UK discussing antisocial behaviour, whereas in January 2004 alone ther e were over 1,000 such articles (2). Not even the most pessimistic social critic would suggest a parallel increase in problem behaviour. Indeed, in recent years there has been a slight fall in actual vandalism, for example, against a dramatic increase in newspaper mentions of antisocial behaviour (3). When looking at the issue of antisocial behaviour, the starting point for most commentators is to accept that the problem exists and to then work out why people are more antisocial today. The ‘collapse of communities’ is often seen as a key influence in the rise of antisocial behaviour, with young people growing up without positive role models and a framework within which to develop into sociable adults. This idea of the loss of a sense of community – or indeed of ‘society’ – rings true. We are indeed more atomised and individuated today, and there are fewer common bonds that hold people together and give them a ‘social identity’. It is less clear, however, that this necessarily means people are increasingly out of control, antisocial and on the road to criminality. Alternatively you could argue that this fragmentation of communities and of social values has helped foment a ‘culture of fear’ (4) – a culture that elevates what were previously understood as petty problems into socially significant ones. This essay examines the construction of the social problem of antisocial behaviour, by focusing, not on the behaviour of young people, but on the role of the political elite. It may be understandable for a tenants’ association or local councillor to be engaged by the issue of noisy neighbours and rowdy children – but for the prime minister to prioritise this issue as one of his main concerns for the future of the nation seems rather strange. What is it that has put ‘antisocial behaviour’ so high up on the political agenda? Constructing crime as a social problem When introducing laws against antisocial behaviour, curfews, and new crime initiatives, the New Labour government invariably asserts that these are in response to the concerns of the public. While there is undoubtedly a high level of public anxiety about crime and about the various problems and irritations now described as antisocial behaviour, this anxiety is clearly shaped by the concerns of the political elite. It is also worth noting that when the government highlights particular ‘social problems’ as being significant for society, it puts other issues and outlooks on the back burner. The elevation of crime and, more recently, antisocial behaviour, into a political issue has helped both to reinforce the significance given to this kind of behaviour and to frame the way social problems are understood. By defining antisocial behaviour as a major social problem, the political elite has, over the past decade, helped to generate a spiralling preoccupation with the petty behaviour of young people. At no time in history has the issue of crime as a social problem in and of itself been so central to all of the political parties in the UK – and yet, there has been a significant statistical fall in crime itself. The key difference between the moral panics over crime and social disorder in the past and anxiety about crime and disorder today is that this anxiety has now been institutionalised by the political elite. Up until the 1970s the political elite, as distinct from individual politicians and the media, generally challenged or dismissed the panics associated with youth crime and subsequently held in check the effects they had. In opposing certain calls for more laws and regulations on society, more reactionary ways of understanding these problems were often rejected and the insti tutionalisation of measures that help create new norms were equally opposed. For example, while the moral panic that arose in the media around the Mods and Rockers in the 1960s has been widely discussed thanks to Stanley Cohen’s famous study Folk Devils and Moral Panics, first published in 1972 (5), these concerns were marginal to politicians, and never became an organising principle of political life. More recently, however, the political elite has panicked and legislated on the strength of extreme one-off events, like for example the Dunblane shootings in 1996, which resulted in the banning of handguns, or the killing of Victoria Climbie in 2000, which led to legislation requiring schools to organise around child protection. An important consequence of the institutionalisation of anxiety is that in contrast to the intermittent moral panics of the past, panics are now an almost permanent feature of society. And whereas moral panics – particularly before the 1990s – were generated within a traditional conservative moral framework, today i t is the new ‘amoral’ absolute of safety within which they tend to develop. Politicising crime The politicisation of crime can be dated back to the 1970s, with the 1970 Conservative government being the first to identify itself explicitly as the party of law and order. As crime developed as a political issue through the 1970s, however, it was fiercely contested. When Conservatives shouted ‘law and order’, the left would reject the idea that crime was increasing or was a social problem in and of itself, pointing instead to the social problems thought to underlie it. Significant sections of the left, influenced in part by radical criminologists in the USA, challenged the ‘panics’ – as they saw them – promoted by the so-called New Right. They questioned the official statistics on crime, challenging the ‘labelling’ of deviants by ‘agents of social control’, and attacked the moral and political basis of these panics (6). Thus, the idea that crime was a broader ‘social problem’ remained contested. Crime b ecame a political issue at a time when there was an increase in serious political and social conflicts, following the more consensual political framework of the postwar period. Unemployment and strikes increased, as did the number of political demonstrations, and the conflict in Ireland erupted. In contrast to the current concern about crime and antisocial behaviour, which emerged in the 1990s, the New Right under Margaret Thatcher promoted crime as a problem very much within a traditional ideological framework. In 1988, Alan Phipps described the Tory approach to crime like this: ‘Firstly, it became conflated with a number of other issues whose connection was continually reinforced in the public mind – permissiveness, youth cultures, demonstrations, public disorders, black immigration, student unrest, and trade union militancy. Secondly, crime – by now a metaphorical term invoking the decline of social stability and decent values – was presented as only one aspect of a bitter harvest for which Labour’s brand of social democracy and welfarism was responsible.’ (7) As part of a political challenge to Labourism in the 1970s and 80s, Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher developed an authoritarian approach to the ‘enemy with in’, which attributed greater political significance to criminality than its effects on victims. Despite an increase in the financial support to the Victim Support schemes in the late 1980s, victims of crime were themselves often used politically, ‘paraded’ by Conservative politicians and by sections of the media as symbols of disorder, not as the central focus of law and order policy or rhetoric itself. Sociologist Joel Best describes a process of typification, whereby an often extreme example of crime is used to define a more general perceived problem (8). The ‘typical’ criminals of the 1970s and 1980s were the violent trade union militant and the young black mugger. Traditional British values and individual freedoms were contrasted to the collectivist, promiscuous values of the ‘enemy within’ (9). Even burglars were understood as being part of the ‘something for nothing society’. Here the ‘criminal’, whether the trade union member, the mugger or the burglar, far from being a victim of circumstance, was an enemy of the state, and, importantly, the damage being done was not primarily to the victim of crime but to the moral values of society as a whole. ‘Social control’ and ‘public order’ were promoted within both a political and moral framework in which the deviant in question was likewise understood to have certain political or moral traits that needed to be confronted. Where the petty criminal acts of children were mentioned, the target was not simply this behaviour itself, nor the impact it had on individuals, but rather the ‘soft liberal’ moral values – held by teachers and social workers – that it was argued were undermining British Victorian values of discipline and hard work. In keeping with this, Thatcher saw the responsibility for cutting crime not simply as that of the government or police, but also of the public, who, it was argued, should take action to defend themselves. Go directly to jail ‘The demand for law and order, which at first sight appears to attempt a restoration of moral standards, actually acknowledges and acquiesces in their collapse. Law and order comes to be seen as the only effective deterrent in a society that no longer knows the difference between right and wrong.’ (Christopher Lasch, Haven in a Heartless World, 1977.) American sociologist Christopher Lasch identified key developments in the USA in the 1970s. In the UK, while an increasing emphasis on law and order reflected a certain weakening of the political elite’s grip on society, crime had been understood in largely ideological and political terms. Thatcher used the issue of crime in the battle against Labourism and welfarism. By the early 1990s, however, things were changing fast. John Major’s desperate and ultimately failed attempt to revitalise the political dynamic of the Conservatives with his ‘Back to Basics’ campaign in 1993 demonstrated the Toriesà ¢â‚¬â„¢ inability to develop a political direction that engaged both the elite and the electorate, and it was at this point that the politics of crime took on a new, less ideological, but even more authoritarian character. The issue of ‘persistent young offenders’ became a political issue and a recognised ‘social problem’ in 1992 and exploded as an issue of concern in 1993. The ‘violent trade union militant’ was now replaced by this ‘persistent young offender’ as the ‘typical’ criminal, and, as then home secretary Michael Howard explained, ‘self-centred†¦young hoodlums’ would ‘no longer be able to use age’ as a way of hiding from the law (10). It is important to note that under Thatcher, despite the ‘most consistent, vitriolic and vindictive affront to justice and welfare’ in general, the criminal justice approach to young people developed under principles that resulted in ‘diversion, decriminalisation and decarceration in policy and practice with children in trouble’ (11). Despite the tough rhetoric with regard to adult crime, the Thatcher administration maintained a pragmatic and even progressive policy towards young offenders. Under John Major this all changed. The enemy within became ‘minors rather than the miners’ (12). With the end of the contestation between right and left, and the resulting decline in the ideological politicisation of crime, the direct control and regulation of the population substantially increased, and between 1993 and 1995 there was a 25 per cent increase in the number of people imprisoned (13). Politically-based authoritarianism was replaced by a more reactive ‘apolitical’ authoritarianism which was directed less at the politics and moral values of the organised labour movement and other enemies within, than at the more psychologically-framed behaviour of individuals. ‘Antisocial behaviour’ now began to be recognised as a significant ‘social problem’ around which new laws and institutional practices could be developed. Following Lasch, it appears that by 1993 law and order had come to be seen as the only effective resource for a political elite that no longer knew the difference between right and wrong. Rather than using the fight against crime in an effort to shape the moral and political outlook of adults in society, the Conservative government increasingly opted simply to lock people up, thus acknowledging and acquiescing in its own political and moral collapse. Cultures of crime As part of the growing preoccupation with the ‘underclass’, the floundering Major government also attacked what he described as a ‘yob culture’. This identification of an alien, criminal culture had developed in the late 1980s, as crime panics began to move away from concerns with the organised working class and shifted on to the behaviour of ‘hooligans’ and ‘lager louts’. The criminalisation of the working class, by the early 1990s, was framed not in political terms, but increasingly as an attack on the imagined ‘cultures’ of alien groups. These aliens were no longer black outsiders or militants, but white, working class, and young, who could be found not on demonstrations but in pubs and estates across the UK. The door was now open for an attack on the personal behaviour and habits of anyone seen to be acting in an ‘antisocial’ manner. The idea of there being alternative ‘cultures’, expressed by conservative thinkers at this time, implied that significant sections of the public were no longer open to civilising influences. However, and somewhat ironically, within criminological theory, this idea of impenetrable cultures had developed from radicals themselves back in the 1970s. Stanley Cohen and the cultural studies groups of the Birmingham Centre had been the first to identify youth cultures and deviant subcultures as specific types of people existing within a ‘different life-world’. At a time of greater political radicalism, these groups were credited with positive ‘difference’. With the decline of radical thought these imagined cultures were rediscovered in the 1990s, but this time were seen as increasingly problematic (14). In reality, the growing preoccupation with ‘cultures’ – for example the discovery of a ‘knife culture’ in 1992 – was a reflection of a loss of belief in politics as a way of understanding and resolving wider social problems. With the loss of ideologically based politics on the right and the left, reflected in the r ise of New Labour, the problem of crime became increasingly understood as a problem of and for individuals. New Labour, New Social Problems ‘What my constituents see as politics has changed out of all recognition during the 20 years or so since I first became their Member of Parliament. From a traditional fare of social security complaints, housing transfers, unfair dismissals, as well as job losses, constituents now more often than not ask what can be done to stop their lives being made a misery by the unacceptable behaviour of some neighbours, or more commonly, their neighbours’ children. The Labour MP Frank Field, in his book Neighbours from Hell: The Politics of Behaviour (2003), explained how politics had become a matter of regulating behaviour. Field neglected to ask himself whether poor housing and a lack of opportunities are no longer problems, or whether his constituents have simply lost faith in politicians’ ability to do anything about them. Similarly, Field ignored the role the Labour Party itself played in reducing politics to questions of noisy neighbours and rowdy youngsters, and the wa y in which New Labour in the 1990s helped to repose ‘traditional’ social concerns around issues of crime and disorder. A more fragmented and atomised public was undoubtedly subject to a ‘culture of fear’, but the role of New Labour was central to the promotion of concerns related to antisocial behaviour. Under Tony Blair, crime became a central issue for the Labour Party, especially after Blair’s celebrated ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ speech in 1994. This ended any major political opposition to the recently reposed ‘social problem’ of crime. A key ‘right’ for New Labour now became the ‘right’ to be, and to feel, safe. By 1997 the New Labour manifesto was strikingly confrontational around the issues of crime and antisocial behaviour. As the Guardian newspaper noted in April of that year: ‘There are areas where Neil Kinnock’s manifesto barely ventured. In 1992, crime, for instance, rated five paragraphs and mainly concentrated on improving street lighting. Now law and order rates two pages with the n ow familiar â€Å"zero tolerance† strategies and child curfews fighting for room next to pledges to early legislation for a post-Dunblane ban on all handguns. Such policies seemed unthinkable five years ago. However, in this case, Blair’s â€Å"radicalism† – with its social authoritarian tinge – may play better with the centre rather than the Left.’ Freed from the politics of welfarism and the labour movement, New Labour in the early 1990s reoriented its approach to the politics of crime, not only accepting that crime was a key social problem in and of itself, but also in expanding it to include the non-criminal antisocial behaviour of ‘neighbours from hell’ and ‘antisocial youth’. With the prioritisation of crime and antisocial behaviour came a focus upon the emotional reaction of victims, reflected in the concern with the fear of crime. ‘Tackling the epidemic of crime and disorder’ was now a ‘top priority for Labour in government’ and ‘securing people’s physical security and freeing them from the fear of crime and disorder’ was described as the ‘greatest liberty government c an guarantee’ (15). Liberty was transformed from the active freedom of individuals, to the protection given to them by government and the police. In contrast to the social and economic framework within which crime had been largely understood by the ‘active’ labour movement in the 1980s, New Labour now addressed the problems of crime and disorder with reference to a more passive, disorganised and fragmented public. As the government took a more direct approach to tackling crime in its own terms, so the issue expanded to consume problems that previously had been understood in more political terms. Accordingly, social, economic and political solutions were replaced by attempts to regulate the behaviour of both criminals and antisocial neighbours and children. Imprisonment, antisocial behaviour orders and more intense forms of behaviour management of parents and children increasingly became the political solution offered by New Labour to these problems. Engaged by safety The term ‘community safety’ did not exist until the late 1980s, but has subsequently become a core strategic category around which local authorities and national government have developed community-based policies. Community safety is not about crime as such, but is more broadly about the fear of crime and of petty antisocial acts, especially committed by young people, and thought to undermine communities’ sense of security. Here the loss of ‘community’ that has been generated by such major social shifts as the defeat of the old Labour movement and the weakening of the postwar institutional welfare framework has been reinterpreted as a problem of mischievous children creating fear across society. An important watershed in the organisation of society around the issues of safety was then shadow home secretary Jack Straw’s notorious attack in 1995 on the ‘aggressive begging of winos, addicts and squeegee merchants’ (16). Only a year ea rlier, Straw had accused John Major of ‘climbing into the gutter alongside the unfortunate beggars’ when the prime minister had made seemingly similar comments (17). There was an important difference, however. Major and his chancellor Kenneth Clarke had attacked beggars as dole scroungers – ‘beggars in designer jeans’ who receive benefits and ‘think it is perfectly acceptable to add to their income by begging’. Still understanding crime through the political prism of welfarism, Clarke saw begging as a criminal act that defrauded the benefit system. In his later attack on beggars, Jack Straw redefined the issue. For Straw the problem was not the crime of begging or the political or economic problem of benefit fraud, but the disorderly and intimidating behaviour of the aggressive beggar, which was understood to increase the fear of crime and help to undermine society’s sense of wellbeing (18). Jack Straw believed that the Tories had failed to understand the significance of street disorder as a cause of the fear of crime, the ‘loutish behaviour and incivility’ that made the streets ‘uncomfor table, especially for women and black and Asian people’ (19). The issue for New Labour was not the political question of benefit fraud, but the emotional sense of security of a newly discovered vulnerable public. By the time the election year of 1997 came around the soon to be prime minister, Tony Blair, had elaborated on the typical beggar. This was not a man quietly scrounging money off the public, but the often drunken ‘in your face’ lout who would, ‘push people against a wall and demand money effectively with menace’ (20). No figures for the rise in bullying beggars were given, but Tony Blair noted that he himself sometimes felt frightened when he dropped his children off at King’s Cross in London – a notorious area for ‘winos’, prostitutes and ‘aggressive beggars’. Straw, using a well-worn feminist slogan, demanded that we ‘reclaim the streets’ – streets that had been ‘brutalised’ by beggars and graffiti vandals. The radical creation of victimhood Because much of this rhetoric of intimidation, abuse and the collapse of communities has its origins in the radical school of criminology, Labour politicians felt able to employ it without embarrassment. In the late 1980s, left-wing and feminist criminologists had a significant influence on Labour-run inner-city councils, carrying out victim surveys, and sitting on a number of council boards particularly within the Greater London Council. Developing out of the radical framework of the early 1970s, a number of such criminologists had become disillusioned with the fight for political and social change and, rather than challenging the focus on crime as an expression of class prejudice as they once might have, increasingly identified crime as a major issue, particularly for the poor, women and blacks who were now conceived of as ‘victims’ of crime. Instead of identifying with and engaging its constituency in terms of politics and public matters, the left sought a new relatio nship with the poor and oppressed based on their private fears and their sense of powerlessness. Identifying fear as a major factor in the disaggregation of these communities, the so-called ‘left realists’ noted that it was not only crime but the non-criminal harassment of women and petty antisocial behaviour of young people that was the main cause of this fear among victimised groups (21). The identification of harassed victims of antisocial behaviour rose proportionately with the declining belief in the possibility of radical social change. As the ‘active’ potential of the working class to ‘do’ something about the New Right declined, Jock Young and other realists uncovered the vulnerable ‘done to’ poor. Discussing the shift in Labour councils from radicalism to realism, Young noted that: ‘The recent history of radical criminology in Britain has involved a rising influence of feminist and anti-racist ideas and an encasement of left-wing Labour administrations in the majority of the inner-city Town Halls. An initial ultra -leftism has been tempered and often transformed by a prevalent realism in the wake of the third consecutive defeat of the Labour Party on the national level and severe defeats with regards to â€Å"rate capping† in terms of local politics. The need to encompass issues which had a widespread support among the electorate, rather than indulge in marginal or â€Å"gesture† politics included the attempt to recapture the issue of law and order from the right.’ (22) Indeed, crime and the fear of it became so central to Young’s understanding of the conditions of the working class that, on finding that young men’s fear of crime was low – despite their being the main victims of crime – he argued that they had a false consciousness. Rather than trying to allay women’s fears about the slim chance of serious crime happening to them, Young asked whether it ‘would not be more advisable to attempt to raise the fear of crime of young men rather than to lower that of other parts of the public?’. For the first time, it was safety that began to frame the relationship between the local authority and the public, expressing a shift from a social welfare model of that relationship to one of protection. The significance of the left realists and feminists at this time is that they were the first people systematically to redefine large sections of the working class as ‘victims’, and thus helped to reorient Labour local authorities towards a relationship of protection to the public at the expense of the newly targeted antisocial youth. It is this sense of the public as fundamentally vulnerable, coupled with the disengagement of the Labour Party from its once active constituency within the working class and the subsequent sense of society being out of control, that has informed the development of New Labour’s antisocial behaviour initiatives. Issues related to inner-city menace, crime and what was now labelled antisocial behaviour, which had been identified as social problems by conservative thinkers periodically for over a century, now engaged the Labour Party. Increasingly for New Labour, having abandoned extensive socioeconomic intervention, the problem of the disaggregation of communities and the subsequent culture of fear that grew out of the 1980s was identified as a problem of crime, disorder and more particularly the antisocial behaviour of young people. The Hamilton Curfew and the politics of fear The development of the politics of antisocial behaviour was accelerated in 1997 when the first ‘curfew’ in the UK was set up in a number of housing estates in Hamilton in the west of Scotland. Introduced by a Labour council, this was a multi-agency initiative involving the notoriously ‘zero tolerance’ Strathclyde Police and the council’s social work department. The curfew that followed was officially called the Child Safety Initiative. This community safety approach reflected a number of the trends identified above. Rather than tackling crime as such, the initiative was supposed to tackle the broader, non-criminal problem of antisocial behaviour, in order to keep the community free from crime and also, significantly, free from the fear of crime (23). The rights of people in the community promoted by this initiative were not understood in terms of a libertarian notion of individual freedoms, nor within a welfarist conception of the right to jobs and se rvices. Rather it was ‘the right to be safe’ and the ‘right to a quiet life’ that Labour councillors promoted. Without a collective framework within which to address social problems, and concomitantly without a more robust sense of the active individual, a relationship of protection was posited between the local authority and the communities in question. Talk of ‘rights and responsibilities’ implied the right of vulnerable individuals to be and feel safe, not by being active in their own community but rather by either keeping their children off the streets, or by phoning the police whenever they felt insecure. Advocates of the Child Safety Initiative identified all sections of the community as being at risk – children were at risk simply by being unsupervised; adults were at risk from teenagers who hung about the streets; and young people were at risk from their peers, who could, by involving one another in drink, drugs and crime, ‘set patterns’ for the rest of their lives, as the head of the social work department argued. Even those teenagers involved in anti social and criminal activities were understood as an ‘at risk’ group – the ‘juvenile delinquents’ of the past were thus recast as ‘vulnerable teenagers’ who needed protection from each other. The centrality of the concern with victims of crime, which has developed since the Hamilton curfew was first introduced, is reflected within the curfew itself. In effect all sections of the public were understood to be either victims or vulnerable, potential victims of their neighbours and of local young people. The legitimacy of the police and the local authority was based not on a wider ideological, political or moral platform, but simply on their ability to protect these victims. The politics of antisocial behaviour lacks any clear ideological or moral framework, and therefore it has no obvious constituency. In fact, the basis of the Child Safety Initiative was the weakness of community. Rather than being derived from a politically engaged public, the authority of the council and the police was assumed, or ‘borrowed’, from that public in the guise of individual victims. Accordingly, the police in Hamilton constantly felt under pressure to show that the potential victi ms they were protecting – especially the young people who were subject to the curfew – supported what they were doing. Of course, nobody has a monopoly on borrowed authority. A number of children’s charities similarly took it upon themselves to speak for the children, arguing that the curfew infringed their ‘rights’ and coming up with alternative surveys showing that young people opposed the use of curfews. There was little effort to make a substantial political case against the curfew, however. In fact, ‘child-friendly’ groups and individuals tended to endorse the presentation of young people and children as fundamentally vulnerable potential victims, and some opposed the curfew only on the basis that children would be forced back into the home where they were even more likely to be abused. Just as Blair was put on the defensive over his attack on aggressive begging by charities campaigning for the rights of the victimised homeless, so the curfew exposed the authorities to charges of ‘harassing’ or ‘bullying’ young people. Since the curfew w as justified precisely on the basis of protecting young people from these things, the charge was all the more damaging. This was more than a tricky PR issue: it demonstrated a fundamental problem with the politics of antisocial behaviour. In presenting the public as vulnerable and in need of protection, the state transformed the basis of its own authority from democratic representation to a more precarious quasi-paternalism; in effect it became a victim protection agency. The very social atomisation and lack of political cohesion that underlies the politics of antisocial behaviour means that the authority of the state is constantly in question, despite the fact that its assumptions about the vulnerability of the public are widely shared. As such, the Hamilton curfew gave concrete expression to the attempt to re-engage a fragmented public around the issue of safety, and the difficulties this throws up. Criminalising mischief In contrast to the pragmatic approach of past political elites to the issue of crime and occasional panics about delinquent youth, the current elite has come to see crime, the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour as major ‘social problems’. With the emergence of New Labour in the 1990s any major political opposition to the issue of crime as a key social problem has disappeared and its centrality to political debate and public discourse was established. Under New Labour, however, the concerns being addressed and the ‘social problems’ being defined are less to do with crime and criminals than with annoying children and noisy neighbours. These petty irritations of everyday life have been relabelled ‘antisocial behaviour’, something which is understood to be undermining both individuals’ and society’s sense of well being. At its most ridiculous extreme what we are witnessing is the criminalisation of mischief (24). Basil Curley, Manc hester council’s housing executive, told the Guardian: ‘Yes, we used to bang on doors when we were young. But there used to be badger-baiting once, too. It’s different now, isn’t it? Things are moving on; people want to live differently.’ (25) This casual comparison of children playing ‘knocky door neighbour’ with the brutality of badger-baiting tells us nothing about young people, but indicates that what has changed is the adult world with an inflated sense of vulnerability driving all antisocial behaviour initiatives. For New Labour the problem of the disaggregation of communities and the subsequent culture of fear that grew out of the 1980s was located within politics as a problem of crime and disorder. Devoid of a sense of social progress, in the 1990s it was the political elites – both right and left – who became the driving force for reinterpreting social problems within a framework of community safety. Lacking any coherent political direction, the government has both reacted to and reinforced panics about crime and disorder, institutionalising practices and initiatives based upon society’s sense of fear and anxiety. In an attempt both to regulate society and to reengage the public, over the past eight years New Labour has subsequently encouraged communities to participate in and organise around a raft of safety initiatives. Despite the fall in the official crime statistics society’s sense of insecurity has remained endemic and no ‘sense of community’ has been re-established, much to the government’s frustration. However, rather than recognising that constructing a society around the issue of safety has only helped to further the public’s sense of insecurity, New Labour is becoming ever more reactive and developing more and more policies to regulate a growing range of ‘antisocial’ activities and forms of behaviour. By thrashing around for solutions to the ‘politics of behaviour’ in this way, the government is helping to fuel the spiral of fear and alienation across society. Rather than validating the more robust active side of our character, validation is given to the most passive self-doubting aspects of our personality. Communities and a society that is more at ease with itself would expect men and women of character to resolve problems of everyday life themselves, and would equally condemn those who constantly deferred to the authorities as being antisocial. Today, however, we are all being encouraged to act in an antisocial manner and demand antisocial behaviour orders on our neighbours and their children. Rather than looking someone in the eye and resolving the incivilities we often face, we can increasingly rely on the CCTV cameras to do this, or alternatively look to the community wardens, the neighbourhood police and the antisocial task force to resolve these problems for us. We are told to act responsibly, but are expected to call on others to be responsible for dealing with noisy neighbours or rowdy children. As this approach develops a new public mood is being created, a mood based on the notion of ‘safety first’ where an increasing number of people and problems become the concern of the police and local authorities. This weakened sense of individuals is a reflection of the political elite itself, which lacks the moral force and political direction that could help develop a sense of community. Ultimately, it is the crisis of politics that is the basis for the preoccupation with curtain-twitching issues – the product of an antisocial elite, which is ultimately creating a society in its own image.

Babe Ruth - Farewell to Baseball Address

Babe Ruth Address to Fans on Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium delivered 27 April 1947, Yankee Stadium, New York Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. You know how bad my voice soundswell it feels just as bad. You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth. That means the boys. And after youre a boy and grow up to know how to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing themselves today in your national pastime, the only real gameI thinkin the world, baseball. As a rule, some people think if you give them a football, or a baseball, or something like thatnaturally theyre athletes right away. But you cant do that in baseball. Youve gotta start from way down [at] the bottom, when youre six or seven years of age. You cant wait until youre fifteen or sixteen. You gotta let it grow up with you. And if youre successful, and you try hard enough, youre bound to come out on topjust like these boys have come to the top now. Theres been so many lovely things said about me, and Im glad that Ive had the opportunity to thank everybody. Thank you. Also in this database: Babe Ruths Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Address And also: Cal Ripken, Jr: Farewell to Baseball Address Also also: Lou Gehrig Farewell to Baseball Address

Experience with application of theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Experience with application of theory - Essay Example Indeed, it is known in psychology that most people believe in their own personal experience so much that they ignore findings of research, even if the underlying scientific evidence is very compelling (Knapp 1999, p.ix). But after all, this is not always a bad thing that we channel all events in our lives through our personal psychological filters, if we can use this term. What is important, though, that we do not lose the ability to see connections between our experiences and the strict psychological theories that attempt to structure and categorize different elements of our everyday goings-on. In this light, I will try to see how a real-life communication event that I have experienced can be interpreted and analyzed using such aspects of communication theory pertaining to interpersonal communication as the cognitive processing and mechanisms related to the psychological influence. The event that I am about to deal with is the story of friendship between me and my boyfriend Greg, and our friends Andrea and Dany, who have been themselves a couple. In fact, before we met with Greg, Dany had been his good friend, and I, in my turn, had been friends with Andrea. Perhaps it was not really surprising that after I and Greg started going out with each other, it was not long before Andrea and Dany also got acquainted. Soon, they became a couple too, and our friendship obtained a kind of a social symmetry, and perhaps due to that fact grew so that we were spending more time together that we had used to before. As I can clearly see now, by that moment our perception of each other changed and I stopped thinking of Andrea and Dany as of friends who were not completely fitting the lifestyle of me and Greg, for example because before I tended to be worried to let Greg and Dany go out together to some parties because I knew that Dany could be provoking Greg for, well, some ba chelor deeds. On the other hand, I suspect that when I wanted to spend some time with Andrea Greg could be a bit jealous that he was not always able to share the interest in topics which were of concern to us. Now, it does not mean that the mentioned factors completely disappeared after the relationship between Andrea and Dany started. But since that time I began to perceive Dany as a responsible person, and Greg, in his turn, became apparently much more easy about the time that I was spending without him with Andrea. The mentioned changes in attitudes that occurred in me, in my boyfriend, and in our friends already testify to the validity of one of the psychological mechanisms that acts during interpersonal communication and is described by the psychological approach termed constructivism. In general, constructivism belongs to the realm of study of cognitive processing that in psychology investigates information processing as a phenomenon underlying our psychological mechanisms and functions. In its turn, constructivism advances some concepts about the way people learn something and internalize new knowledge on basis of their experiences. One of the plausible mechanisms of learning is enabled by accommodation and assimilation. Assimilation takes place in situations when experiences of people coincide with their internal perception of the world, and therefore new experiences fit into our existing world views. Accommodation happens when there

Cold War - Arms Race Between US and USSR Which Lead to the Fall of Research Paper

Cold War - Arms Race Between US and USSR Which Lead to the Fall of USSR - Research Paper Example Both sides directed huge sum of money to the military budget with each side trying to outdo the other. History of the cold war The relations gap between United States and Soviet Union were widened up by differences in economic and political ideologies. As a result, each country started suspecting the other as fears of attacks rose to greater heights. These differences prevented them from coming into a mutual understanding an aspect that could have reduced the rivalry. Some of the key policies that widened this rivalry were for example, the case of Cuban missile crisis. In addition, immediately after World War II United States had monopolized knowledge concerning the raw materials that were required to develop nuclear weapons. United States thought that owning nuclear weapons would draw concessions and fear from USSR but, this was not the case. Soviet Union started by trying to match the weapons through working on the atomic bomb silently. A steady supply of uranium from Eastern Europ e provided hope to the Soviet Union. Although the project was so expensive for the country, they succeeded in making an atomic bomb. In mid 1950’s, Soviet Union detonated the first bomb in 1949 an aspect that caught the world unaware (Phillips, 2010). Arms race Decision by United States to drop nuclear bombs in Japan in 1945 signalled the starting of the cold war. This move also triggered main aspects of the cold war. A tense moment followed with both superpower being silent to each other in terms of arms up to 1949 when USSR tested its nuclear bomb that was known as ‘Joe one’. The weapon matched ‘Fat man’ which was dropped by United States in Japan. Once each country realized that their weapon power matched, they started funding research that was directed towards making stronger nuclear weapons that were of mass destruction. This resulted to increased quantities and quality of nuclear arsenals. The move saw both countries starting to develop a hydro gen bomb. United States was the first to detonate a hydrogen bomb in 1952. Following this move, Soviet Union intensified their effort to develop a more powerful nuclear bomb. In august 1953, the Soviet Union surprised the whole world by detonating a thermonuclear device despite not being a hydrogen bomb as many were expecting. Furthermore, in 1955, the Soviet Union exploded a hydrogen bomb an aspect that ended speculation that the country was working on hydrogen bomb (Ringer, 2005, p.67). The next major development followed in 1957 when USSR launched the first satellite that was called ‘sputnik’. This was the largest satellite that the world had seen before. In addition, it developed long range inter- continental ballistic missiles. These missiles were regarded as more advanced platform of nuclear weapons and that they were more effective system to deliver in comparison to strategic bombers that was initially used at the starting of the cold war. The soviet union were t herefore, able to proof to the world that they had the ability to launch a missile to any part of the world after they launched Sputnik in earth orbit. Following this incident, each country started concentrating on advancing the level of technology that was used to develop nuclear weapons. Although United States was developing missiles, it kept it a secret up to 1958 when it announced that it possesses missiles. This was after a public outcry that the country must rapidly build up its block of ICBM’

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Summary - Assignment Example Consent, for them, is not real consent. For other patients, having the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial was empowering. At the end of her study, Dr. Corrigan reflects that she will reconsider her own methods which are mainstream regarding informed consent. She believes her practice will improve because of this. Doctors clearly need to take into full account the ethical dimensions of their patients choices and consent. I found this to be a very interesting article. It was topical. I was especially interested in what Dr. Corrigan wrote in relation to pharmaceutical trials and companies. These days there is a lot of controversy over the political, medical, and cultural influence of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical companies. Because this is now a big business, people are concerned that certain ethical standards may be being replaced by a nasty business sense. There have been some accusations of influence on doctors and other health professionals through drug representatives and salespeople, including the giving of gifts to doctors, paying for and sponsoring conferences, for example. Doctors are often hired and paid to sit on the boards of various pharmaceutical companies thus providing an appearance of medical credibility to a company or product that may not independently possess it. The pharmaceutical industry also has thousands of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., that lobby Congress and try protec t their own interests and weaken laws that might limit their profit or make it more expensive and difficult to sale drugs. We need doctors to stand up and be ethical and to inform their patients about their involvement. Dr. Corrigan writes that when doctors request that patients participate in studies of a research nature, patients can feel manipulated or betrayed (781). This is a very negative consequence with ethical implications that must be considered from both the point of view of the patient and of the

The tribes of Sami and Kawelka Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The tribes of Sami and Kawelka - Essay Example It involves the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola region of modern Russia. Their main economic activities were hunting, fishing, and trapping. The Sami people language is a Finno-Ugric language that is closely related to the Finnish, Estonian, Livonian, and Votic languages. In Folklore traditions, the Sami people believed in spirits, which they related to different places and with their ancestors. As with many other different religions, the Sami people had different believes in myths and legends who were concerned with the underworld. The religion of the Sami people made them believe that the humans and inanimate being had a soul. They had a priest known as noaidi who acted as the intermediary between the material world and their spiritual world. His role involved consulting the dead through a trance-induced tradition of beating magic drums and a special kind of chanting popularly known as juoigan. The Sami people have different rites of passage. The Sami people have mostly avoided the ritual of baptism. Instead, their culture requires them not to have surnames and therefore they name their children after recently deceased elders or infants. The Sami people way of relationships has been outstanding. The Sami are known for their courtesy and hospitality. They consider the knowledge of the Sami language as the most important way of identifying someone as their fellow Sami. The Sami people are traditionally reindeer herding community. They maintained more than one permanent dwelling but mostly lived in tents. Their permanent homes were either frame buildings or sod huts. They commonly know their tents as Lavvos. Their tents and huts were arranged around a central fire. The family life of the Sami people was mostly done by living in groups of families known as siida. Traditionally it was the role of the Sami men to engage in herding, hunting, making boats, sleds, and tools while the women

Globalization human rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Globalization human rights - Essay Example (Speed, 2007) In a sense, through this movement and its reflection in international solidarity, the Mayan indigenous voice was heard as a critique to modern neo-liberalism for the first time, and in a way that was constructive to the development of economic and social policy internationally. (Speed, 2007) This occurred locally through organizations that were internationalized on the basis of humanitarianism and the human rights frameworks as advocated by the UN. These HR frameworks included a historical dialog between the recognition of the rights of developing nations economically and could also be addressed in the critique by pointing out the inherent hypocrisy and double standards in application by hegemonic powers. Awareness of this could also lead to change in local politics internationally and reform of policy in institutions as a larger number of individuals and groups understood the issues of the indigenous peoples themselves.

The Personalisation Agenda Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

The Personalisation Agenda - Dissertation Example In the same year, a concordat was issued between central government, local government and the social care sector. The document is entitled â€Å"Putting People First: A Shared Vision and Commitment to the Transformation of Adult Social Care (2007)† and through it the idea of a personalised adult social care system was first introduced. The plan called for affording people maximum choice and control over the health care and services they receive. The plan dovetails a more broad-based government strategy that included the notion of â€Å"place-shaping† and other concepts contained in the local government white paper â€Å"Strong and Prosperous Communities† (2006). In the 2008 Carers’ Strategy, the New Deal has advanced the initiatives of integrated and personalised services. Carers called for recognition of their work and expertise, better service coordination and information, improved collaboration between staff and agencies, and health and social care. The Carers’ Strategy was arrived at after a wide consultation and with the cooperation and agreement of various government departments. Many of the themes articulated in recent developments in the personalisation agenda are not new, having been contained in the community care reforms under the National Health Service and Community Care Act of 1990. These reforms aimed to develop a needs-led approach wherein new arrangements for assessment and health care management would include individuals receiving tailored packages of care rather than block-contracted services. The practical advantage in the development of individual or personal budgets is the direct payments scheme, initially made available to disabled adults of working age, but since then has been extended to other groups. The success of the scheme covered some 54,000 individuals as of March 2007, including parents who cared for disabled children and young carers, who used direct payments. The use of direct payments actuall y came about as an initiative championed by disabled people. Among the driving forces behind direct payments were the service user movement, the mental health survivor movement, and the social model of disability, which originally took root in the 1970s when people first lobbied for change. Throughout the development of personalisation, key concepts included independent living, participation, control, choice and empowerment. 2.2 The Social Model of Disability The social model of disability was developed in the 1970s by progressive members of the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS), and given academic validity by the works of Finkelstein (1981), Barnes (1991) and Oliver (1996) (cited in Shakespeare & Watson, 2002). The model is now described as the â€Å"ideological litmus test of disability politics in Britain† (Shakespeare & Watson, 2002). It is relied upon when distinguishing among organisations, policies, legislations and concepts regarding the pro gressive view of disability. The core definition of the British social model was first articulated in the UPIAS document â€Å"Fundamental Principles of Disability.† An edited version that was reprinted in Oliver (1996) and Shakespeare and Watson (2002) is reproduced here, for purposes of elucidation, as follows: â€Å"†¦In our view, it is society which disables physically impaired people. Disability is something imposed on top of our

National Bank Essay Example for Free

National Bank Essay A research program is very important essential for acquiring experience through learning and spreading the scope of Knowledge. I have done my research program in National Bank Limited, Foreign Exchange Branch. This research report is aimed at providing a comprehensive picture to the areas of Foreign Exchange operation of National Bank Limited. The report has been divided into twelve parts. These are- Introduction, Brief History of Banking Sector of Bangladesh, Corporate review of NBL, Foreign Exchange, Documents Used in Foreign Exchange Business, Letter of Credit (L/C), Import, Export, Foreign Remittance, Findings and Analysis, References. National Bank Limited is one of the largest commercial Bank of Bangladesh. The main objective of the Bank is to provide all of banking services at the doorsteps of the people. The Bank also participates in various social and development programs and takes part in implementation of various policies and promises made by the Government. National Bank Limited plays a pioneering role in handling foreign trade and foreign exchange transactions. With wide network of branches at home and a large number of correspondent banks worldwide, it is handling the largest volume of export-import business including homebound remittances. For this reason, Foreign Exchange of the Bank is very much essential. But now a day’s banking sector of Bangladesh is suffering the disease of default culture which is the consequence or result of bad performance of most banks. There are three types of modes of foreign exchange market, which are- Export Financing, Import Financing and Foreign Remittance. Foreign Exchange Branch does these foreign exchange activities vastly. In this report, I mention the overall operating procedure of foreign exchange transaction of National Bank Limited. I also mention the findings of my report and describe the recommendation to overcome the limitation. I have taken all the reasonable care to ensure the accuracy and quality to make the report standard. And I believe that it has included all the necessary information to be relevant. INTRODUCTIOIN ORIGIN OF THE REPORT As a mandatory part the BBA Program, all the students of the faculty of  Business Studies, Premier University, Chittagong have to undergo a three month long research program with an objective of gaining practical knowledge about current business world. After this research program each and every students have to submit a research report mentioning their activities during the research program. I’ve started my research at the National Bank Limited, Foreign Exchange Branch. At the end of the research program I am submitting my research report focusing on the contribution of Foreign Exchange operation to the overall performance of bank especially on profitability perspective under the supervision of Tasnim Uddin Chowdhury, Lecturer, Department of Finance, in Premier University, Chittagong. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The general objective of the study is to gather practical knowledge regarding banking system and operation. The research gives us a chance to relate the four year long theoretical learning of BBA Program with the reserch experience. This consists the following: To get an overall idea about the Foreign exchange Business of National Bank Limited. To apply theoretical knowledge in the practical field. To describe the organizational structure, management, background, functions and objectives of the bank and its contribution to the national economy. To achieve overall understanding of National Bank Limited. To analyze the financing systems of the bank to find out any contributing field. To examine the profitability and productivity of the bank. To acquire knowledge about the everyday banking operation of National Bank Limited. To evaluate the effect of world recession on foreign exchange income of NBL, Foreign Exchange Branch. To understand the real management situation and try to recommend for improving existing problems. SCOPE OF THE STUDY This study provides those scopes of knowing are the following: History and performance of National Bank Limited. Terms used in foreign exchange operations Foreign exchange operations of National Bank Limited Literature review. Total concept of Foreign Exchange Operation. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY The report is prepared on the basic of foreign Exchange of National Bank Limited. To conduct the overall study, at first I explored the sources of Primary and Secondary information and data. Different files of the department and statement prepared by FED helped me to prepare this report. To present numerical data, I used the Annual Report of 2008 and monthly statement of January to October 2009 of National Bank Limited, Foreign Exchange Branch. For preparing this report I have used some graphical representation to find out different types of analytical and interpretation. SOURCES OF DATA As mentioned earlier, mainly primary and secondary data has been used. Sometimes the customers gave some important information regarding the services of the Bank: PRIMARY DATA Official records of National Bank Limited (NBL).. Expert opinion. SECONDARY DATA Monthly Statement of NBL. Annual Report of NBL. Official Files. Selected books. Other manual information. Websites. Various publications on the Bangladesh Bank. Newspaper reports in this concern. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Both quantitative and qualitative analysis will be performed on the findings. The quantitative analysis will be done on the trend of export- import, growth pattern of export-import, pre and post facilities provided for easing the export-import operations. Qualitative analyses will be based on the macroeconomic variables and foreign exchange policy provided by Bangladesh bank, the central bank of Bangladesh. Different statistical tools will be used for the analysis of the findings. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY To provide current information and to make the report read-worthy, support from various sources is essential. In spite of having my wholehearted effort, I could not collect some information required at the time of the study. So this study is not free from the following limitation: Due to unavailability of latest annual report (Annual report 2009), I have to prepare the report on the basis of annual report 2008. As a result, analysis, presentation of data may not show the existing position/present condition of National Bank Limited. For the whole research I had only 90 days, out of which I get 61 days because of late commencement of research program, which were totally insufficient. So I faced time shortage extremely. Lack of previous experience to prepare this type of report and it is totally new to me as an intern. Foreign exchange division follows Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCPDC), but within this short period, I was totally stunned to understand. Learning all the banking functions within just two months was really difficult. Sometimes the officers of National Bank Limited were very busy. For this reason the personal did not co-operate me. National Bank Limited did not give me any kind of monetary support for this research program Most of the working days in NBL, I have to work in cash department to help in IPO subscription collection, so I get limited time work in other departments to have practical knowledge Another limitation of  this report is Bank’s policy of not disclosing some data and information for obvious reason, which could be very much helpful. BRIEF HITORY OF BANKING SECTOR OF BD EVOLUTION OF THE WORD ‘BANK’ The word bank originated from Italian word â€Å"Banca†. Banca means long tool. In ancient time Italian Jews merchant used to do business of lending money by sitting on the tools. It is assumed that the word â€Å"bank† derived from the word Banca. To meet the expense of war of 1171 one type credit certificate was launched in Italy at an interest rate of 5% it was called as Monte in Italian language and Bank in German language then German language was widely used in Italy. As a result the word Bank gradually changed to the word Banca from which the word Bank originated. THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN BANKING The linguistics and etymologists suggests an interesting story about banking origins. Both the old French word â€Å"Banque† and the Italian word Banca were used centuries ago to mean a bench or moneychangers table. This describes quite well what historians have observed concerning the first bankers, who lived more than 2000 years ago. They were money changers, situated usually at table or in a small shop in the commercial district, aiding travelers who came to town by exchanging foreign coins for local money or discounting commercial notes for a fee in order to supply merchants with working capital. The first bankers probably used their own capital to fund their activities, but it was not long before the idea of attracting deposit and securing temporary loans from wealthy customers became a source of bank funding. Loans were then made to merchant’s shippers and landowners at rates of interests low as 6 percent per annum to as high as 48 percent a month for the riskiest ventures. Most of the early bank was Greek in origin. The banking industry gradually spread outward from the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome into northern and western Europe. The early bank in Europe was places for safe keeping of valuable items (such as gold and  silver bullion) as people came to fear loss of their asset due to war, theft, or expropriation by government. When colonies were established in North and South America, old world banking practice were transferred . DEVELOPMENT OF BANKING IN BANGLADESH Since early British rule, the history of banking in Bangladesh territory shows that the traditional trade-networks developed before the banks invaded rural areas. And the banking services have slowly flourished in Bangladesh territory. Even today, in many places, moneylenders provide credit services. Small shopkeepers and businessman use informal credit at high interest rate. Traditional mahjong’s money lending business gradually declined due to expansion of bank and the micro credit programs of NGOs, cooperative banks and government agencies. PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS During the liberation war in 1971, the economic, political, and social system including the banking system was severally damaged. At that time, all big and medium financial institutions except two small banks had their head office in the West Pakistan. The non-beagle owners and managers of the financial establishments that operated in East Pakistan had abandoned them. After independence in 1971, the new government had to take over management and ownership of all such institutions. The banks Nationalization Order 1972 was issued to nationalize banks and financial institutions (except those incorporated abroad) in order to control chaos in the field of ownership, party bureaucracy, the intelligentsia, and pressure group. By several orders the government of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh created- Six nationalized commercial banks (NCBs): 1. Sonali Bank 2. Agrani Bank 3. Janata Bank 4. Rupali Bank 5. Pubali Bank 6. Uttra Bank One industrial bank (BSB) One agricultural bank (BKB) One industrial development financial institution (BSRS) The bank and financial institutions which originated during the Pakistan period and were merged, and renamed and functioning after independence of Bangladesh. In the year 1983, the government allowed private sector to participate in the banking business. The Publi Bank and the Uttara Bank were denationalized in 1985, due to non profitability. This action reduced the number of NCBs to four. Such restructuring of public sector banks was in order to play their role in industry, agriculture, export, self –employment etc. PRIVATE COMMERCIAL BANKS Taking advantage of the liberalization policy of the government regarding participation of private sector in the banking business, a number of private banks were established in –and –after 1983. With the emergence of private banks in Bangladesh, a competitive situation in the sector has been created. Now there are 48 commercial banks in Bangladesh which are enlisted with Bangladesh Bank, among them four (4) are NCBs, five (5) are specialized banks, twenty nine (29) are private commercial banks and ten (10) are foreign commercial banks. The emergence of private banks has added a new dimension to the banking system in Bangladesh. The private commercial banks show a steady growth in terms of number of branches, deposit and advances. CORPORATE REVIEW OF NATIONAL BANK History of National Bank Limited National Bank Limited has its prosperous past, glorious present, prospective future and under processing projects and activities. Established as the first private sector Bank fully owned by Bangladeshi entrepreneurs, NBL has been flourishing as the largest private sector bank with the passage of time after facing many stress and strain. The member of the board of directors is creative businessman and international economist. For rendering all modern  services, NBL, as a financial institution automated all it’s branches with computer network in accordance with the competitive commercial demand of time. Moreover, considering it’s forth- coming future the infrastructure of the Bank has been much more to NBL. Keeping the target in mind NBL has taken preparation branches by the wear 2000-2001. The emergence of National Bank Limited in the private sector is an important event in the banking area of Bangladesh. When the national was in the grip of severe recession, Govt. too k the farsighted decision to allow in the private sector to revive the economy of the country. Several dynamic entrepreneurs came forward for establishing a bank with a motto to revitalize the economy of the country. National Bank Limited was born as the first hundred percent Bangladesh owned Bank in the private sector. From the very inception it is the firm determination of National Bank Limited to play a vital role in the national economy. We are determined to bring back the long forgotten taste of banking services and flavors. We want to serve each one promptly and with a sense of dedication and dignity. The President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Justice Ahsanuddin Chowdhury inaugurated the bank formally on March 28, 1983 but the first branch at 48, Dilkusha Commercial Area, Dhaka started functioning on March 23, 1983. The 2nd Branch was opened on 11th May 1983 at Khatungonj, Chittagong. Today we have total 103 Branches all over Bangladesh. A representative office was established in Yangon, Myanmar in October, 1996 by our bank and obtained permission from t he government of Bangladesh to handle border trade with Myanmar .opportunities is being explored for further business avenues there. Now NBL is on line to establish trade and communication with the prime international banking companies of the world. As a result NBL will be able to build a strong root in international banking horizon .Bank has been drawing arrangement with well conversant money transfer service agency â€Å"Western union†. It has full time arrangement for speedy transfer of money all over the world. Banking is not only a profit – oriented commercial institution but it has a public bas and social commitment admitting this true NBL is going on with its diversified banking activities NBL introduced monthly Savings Scheme, special Deposit Scheme, and Consumers. Credit Scheme and savings Insurance scheme etc. To combine the people of lower and middle income group. A team of highly qualified and experiment professional headed by the managing Director of the  bank who has vast banking experience operates bank and at the top three is an efficient Board of Directors for making policies. Vision of National Bank Limited Establishing as a top grade efficient bank through best application of modern information technology and business activities, offering high standard client services and Proper coordination of foreign trade business in the core of their vision. Mission of national bank Limited With a view to achieving commercial objective of the bank, their sincere and all out efforts stay put unabated. Respected client and shareholders are attracted to us for our transparency, accountability, social communities, and high quality of clientele services. Objective of national Bank Limited Bring modern banking facilities to the doorsteps of general public through diversification of services, thereby arousing saving propensity among the people. Foreign a cordial, deep rooted and farm banker customer relationship by dispensing prompt and improved clientele services. Taking part in the development of the national economy through productive development of the banks resources as well as patronizing different social activities. Connecting clients to modern banking practices by the best application of improved information technology, so that they get encouraged to continue and feel proud of banking with NBL. Responding to the need of the time by participating in the syndicated large loan financing with like-minded banks of the country, thereby expanding the area of investment Elevating the image of the bank at home and abroad by sustained expansion of its activities. Strategies of National Bank Limited To manage and operate the bank in the most efficient manner to enhance financial performance and to control cost of fund. To strive for customer satisfaction through quality control and delivery of timely services. To identify customer credit and other banking needs and monitor their perception towards our performance in meeting those and update requirement. To review and update policies procedures and practices to enhance the ability to extend better services to customer. To train and develop all employs and provide them adequate resources so that customer needs can responsibility addressed. To promote organizational effectiveness by openly communicating company plans, policies, practices and procedures to all employers in a timely fashion To cultivate a working environment that fosters positive motivation for improved performance To diversify portfolio both in the retail and whole sale market. To increase direct contact with customer in order o cultivate a closer relationship Busin ess Goal To patronize, sponsor and encouraged games and sports, entertainment and other socio-economic activities alongside providing the best services to the client. The Future thrust Full duplex on-line Banking Introducing more innovative products and services Opening new branches Expansion of business network at home and abroad SMS Banking Introduction of new liability / Asset products Corporate Culture Employees of NBL share certain common values, which helps to create a NBL culture. The client comes first Search for professional excellence Openness to new ideas new methods to encourage creativity Quick decision making Flexibility and prompt response A sense of professional ethics Growth and Development of NBL The NBL carries out all traditional functions, which a commercial bank performs such as mobilization of the deposit, investment of funds, financing export and import business, trade and commerce and industry. The banking sector in the country faced different problems thought the year. Even through the board and management never stopped its effort to maximize wealth, which is reflected by 143.97percent profit growth in 2007, highest ever in the last 15 years. The bank earned the 676.45 core revenue in 2007 as interest, income from investment and commission exchange earning, which who Tk. 530:69 corer in the provision year. As a result the total operating profit rode to Tk. 221.51 corer in 2007 from Tk.114.68 corer in the previous year. Branches of NBL NBL, which was started at Dilkusha Branch on March 23rd, 1983, was the first major commercial Bank. In Bangladesh operating throughout the country as well as the age of the bank is only 25 years .During this period it has established total 112 branches over the country and made smooth network inside the country as well as thought the world. The number of branches as well as territory wise is mentioned in the table.

Marketing Challenges: Woolworths

Marketing Challenges: Woolworths Woolworth is one of the successful U.S companies, the history of the Woolworth Retail Company is more than one century. According to the Telegraph.co.uk (2009) the history of the organization can be traced back to a chain of five and dime stores founded by Frank Woolworth in 1879 in Watertown, New York. It was only a short period of time before the company opened its first UK facility in Liverpool in 1909. It was not long until the retailer had become a major fixture on most high streets across the nation and the retail model that most people recognize had emerged. They sold childrens clothing, toys and stationary at beginning, this was the born of British shopping institution. By 2008 there were 807 stores and around 25,000 employs working in the store chain of Woolworth. It was the first chain to make brand items with its own name. In 1960s when chain was at its peak with more than 1,000 shops across the UK Woolworth declared I believe that a good penny and sixpence store, run by a lively Yankee, would go down a storm in England. (Tom Geoghegan, 2008) Woolworths Group plc is one of the UKs best knows oldest group, they are general merchandise retailer, entertainment wholesaler and publisher. They had two broad lines of business Retail and Entertainment wholesale. Woolworths, Streets Online Limited, Flogistics Limited and WMS Card Services Limited are within Retail, with Entertainment UK Limited, 2entertain Limited and Disc Distribution Limited being part of Entertainment wholesale and Publisher. They brought everything under one roof the home, family and entertainment. Woolworths key products include toys, confectionary, electronic media, childrens clothes and small household and entertainment items. Their outlets allocated in small towns and city suburbs targeting the basic shopping requirements, and big stores located in larger cities on shopping streets and centers. (Graham Charlton, 2008) The name of Woolworths evokes memories of some Britons childhood but the future of Woolworths in United Kingdom doesnt look promising at present and its really hard for them to get their original niche back in market. Woolworth is the most high profile UK High Street causality of the economic down turn and ran into trouble this year after struggling under the weight of its debt. The recession has taken out Woolworth a tragically mistimed management. (Tom Geoghegan, 2008) Woolworths have gone into administration in 2009 with debts of  £385m and had to close down all Woolies store. Woolworths relaunched by Shop Direct Group on 25th June 2009 as an online retail company Woolworths.co.uk and offering half of the million products and they also launched an Easter Egg website called Woolies Wonderland for Easter of 2009. Methodology: We have taken valuable inputs from our module instructor during our semester various stages which helps us to form a frame work of our assignments. We have met regularly during the course to complete the task and conclude that Is there a future of Woolworths particularly in the region of UK as Woolworths has closed operation and stores in the UK, the reasons of their failure we had to investigate and it was quite hard objective to achieve. To find out about the company who is no more operating was not that easy task but we have found so many reasons and conclude with some recommendations in this report. Data Collection: For the research we have used Inductive method and approach, and collected data from different resources available online about Woolworths which includes case studies and the information provided in different discussion forums, through news articles, journals, research papers and secondary data was collected. Information relating to history and growth were resource mainly from BBC.news official website. The directions of the company in the recent times 1) Market Penetration: (Wall Worth) established its website which focuses to serve all the categories of the family. Wall Worth in its marketing strategy considered that it would make it easier for consumers to see the specifications and offers of goods quickly and at low cost, then it chose to make a lot of shown goods digital , and this is what the company focuses on (books, songs, electronic games, I Pod, movies). In terms of advertising , it worked to market their products through the brothers (Brooklyn) to develop the brand and logo and this was not traditional advertising, but by the Ads-mail mail for the storage of its goods and put as nearly half a million products on its website. the company also made a combination of competitive pricing strategies and the promotion for its sales and ad through Web sites as it is found in the Home page (example: if a customer bought more than 30 pounds ,you would receive goods free of charge). After this big transformation in the entering of Woolworths as a retail store by Internet ,it was ranked among the 50 brands that are searched by customers through the Internet in the United Kingdom on the (Wutscher)site. More than one million visitors accessed the company site when it opened on the Internet in the first week in February 2009. The company achieved this success through a combination of products with a great value and great offers and discounts. On the other hand, demand increased for discount Tesco coupons by 5% from the last year and 49% of people say that they use the Internet to buy their products by the Tesco website for retail sells. Woolworths also had a new marketing strategy to sell all its products under one roof by its website .So it has three shops for selling on its website including main store to sell electronics, store for entertainment, store for clothes and fashion. When developing a marketing plan, Woolworths found that the strongest area of its business is concentrated in computer games (such as Nintendo), and there was an increase in demand in 2007_2008 and this is what led it to sell them on its website at the beginning of 2009 to the e-games and DVDs . it did this to reach operational low costs and the minimum number of employees after seeing that consumers prefer to buy this type of merchandise through the Internet . First of all , by designing products in line with the wishes and needs of t consumer with different aspirations , and on the other hand. to retain the current consumers and attract potential consumers 2 Developing the market: Woolworths had got new and different sales channels from traditional stores such as portals as a new market places for industry / consumers , e-mail, and also Facebook, from these channels (I U k) company .In early 2008 , Wall worth started a new experience in selling digital products for this reason the total sales rose to 23.5% and this equals 240 million pounds through this joint project. 3 Developing the Product: Woolworths considered after the entry of foreign competitors to the UK market specifically in the area of food , and found that it needed to new strategies for keeping of their competition trend : innovation, uniqueness and quality and it continues in this until now by innovating and developing new products and developing modified products to increase sales. So it kept developing its products by products concern Christmas trees and decorations. In 2008, the company produced a total of 2200 products . the company aims in this marketing strategy to increase sales. In this time, Tesco entered on the line of Christmas products which is focused by Woolworths , so Tesco contracted with Cadbury Chocolate company to buy millions of units at a cheaper price than Woolworths and this was a great challenge to it in their direction to increase sales, while Tesco tries to reduce the unit value and enhanced service to its customers. The company also had got exclusive partnerships for some global products in a move to introduce new products and monopoly them as well. 4 Diversification of new products in new markets: Woolworths has new buying lines and adds new products such as televisions, mobile phones and (I Pod) devices directed at consumers, particularly young people. Multi-services to all members of the family , the tendency is to make the price competitive, but not the cheapest in the market. Wall Worth entered the field of clothing for children by using shopping and direct distribution on the internet. It aims to provide better customer service than its competitors. Tesco company did this too , but with less costs in the market. In conclusion, Woolworths put all the strategies that make it succeed in the coming years according to their capabilities .It is an important step to know what its customers need and what they are looking for, so Its current focus is on the non-food products, and this will be achieved entirely by its website. Relate the issues to appropriate concepts introduced in the Module There are few strategies and concepts within marketing that can be relate to the Woolworths strategies and method they used. Woolworths mission and strategy was to deliver to customers the right shopping experience each and every time, vision to provide quality products and services to customers through price strategies, human resource strategies and fresh food strategies. To achieve this they integrated and execute several strategies which include low prices strategy, project refresh strategy. The Woolworths strategy was purely and completely on the basis of price and they implement every-day low prices strategy to offer customers lower prices through reductions on all products but there was no brand status. This was a very good strategy for many years and it made Woolworths fortune and achieved the goals. Woolworths experienced great success through innovative, tactful and profitable strategies their organizational structure, staff leadership and stakeholders all played an importan t role in executing these strategies. It is really important for any company to understand the marketing environment and customer needs/wants to target the correct costumer for the product sales. Woolworths was successful all over the world and in UK also they enjoyed a time as a leading and dominant company capturing the most market shares and there was no threat for Woolworths till 1960s. Woolworths business also had an important part to market their products in the people with understanding of products and result in increased in sales and customer interest. They succeeded to change their new customers into retain and loyal customer and Woolworth understand and targeted the customer values, reliability, credibility, accessibility and provide them with satisfaction of shopping at their stores and build their trusts. Macro environment was in the favor of Woolworths from the start as there was no political and technological awareness in early 1900, factors and forces that affects the Woolworths capability to operate effec tively was not there. Woolworths destabilized by the combination of supermarkets, cheap discount stores and online buying stores offering products at lower prices. Thus the market becomes more competitive since the internet and globalization have made international foundation as reality. There was no spending on frills having relied exclusive on prices with no position in market. Their stores were old fashioned and unappetizing because they dont use to spent money on stores to catch the attention. There lack of property portfolio also discourages government to rescue them and creditors start claiming and suppliers asking for cash for the goods. BCG Growth/Share Matrix: We can analyze Woolworths through BCG growth/share boxes as David Jobber (2007). Hence, Woolworths was at their peak in 1960s and they were the leading company having big chains of stores in retail industry. Woolworths completed century and prove to be the star of the industry. Market and business growth rate graph was on its peak in 1990s, market share was even very high and the stars of the past was proving to be the cash cows and company having the high turnover and revenue. Their market position was indefinite with no competitors in the industry. But, today Woolworths is being a problem child with negative growth and their shops are closed leaving 25,000 people unemployed and in 2009 they completely closed down retail operations in UK. Woolworths is creating new solutions and have come into business with new strategy to open few new shops with different ideas and they have gone into administration with re-launching of the company as an online retailer with new product lines which better meets customer needs and they can easily access the market. David Jobber (2007) Discuss the Customers Perspective The purpose of this essay is to discuss the topic issue of whether or not there is a future for Woolworths from the perspective of the customer. It will provide a prediction for the outlook of the organization from the perspective of customers. Whilst the organization was known as the Woolworths Group Plc the company according to BBC News (2009) the company closed all 807 if its retail stores and the company was ultimately liquidated in February 2009 and for purposes of this paper the focus will be on the online retail operations of the company. This has made a huge impact on the way the company deals with customer and what customers can expect from Woolworth. According to the Laurence writing for the Dailymail (2008) the company had experienced years of poor performance. In the wake of increased competition and a global economic downturn it was the case that the holding company for the organization decided to liquidate all physical assets and focus on online retail operations. According to an interview with Gordon Brown in the Telegraph, the Prime Minister stated that the government had considered bailing out the organization but had decided that the business model was financially unviable (Prince, 2009). Upon examination of the company website (2009), when speaking in relative terms, the company has product offerings that closely mirror that of what was on offer in the former retail outlets. Furthermore, there has been a modernization of the entertainment offerings over the previously employed retail model (Company entertainment website, 2009). That said, from a customers perspective Woolworth now offers very little that cannot be purchased at other online retail outlets such as Amazon or EBay. Furthermore, these companies are much more experienced and economically healthy than Woolworth, and therefore have a much larger market share. This is unlikely to change. From the perspective of the average consumer it is unlikely in the near future there will be a return to Woolworths traditional business model. It is simply the case that the environment is far more saturated with traditional and specialty retailers. According to TNS World Pannel (2008) it is the case that a number of already established grocery retailers are offering clothing, house wares, gifts, and electronics which is a market traditionally dominated by Woolworths. Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the continued success of the organization using the current online retail business model will continue indefinitely, the initial success is certainly promising. According to an article by Marketing Week (2009) it is the case that 68.7% consumers are planning on doing more of their Christmas shopping online this year which represents a huge growth opportunity for the Woolworths if they can capitalize on this growing market. This is supported by an article by Huber (2009) the parent company to Woolworths launched a massive advertising campaign to help promote the services offered in an effort to boost consumer confidence to one of the busiest retail spending times of the year. An additional problem to consider, however, is that Woolworths target demographic has traditionally been older shoppers. Because such shoppers are less Internet savvy than younger shoppers, Woolworth will have to work hard to reach out to its traditional base. Traditional customers might be tempted to simply continue shopping at places where they can pick up and look at the goods they are interested in. Some do not even have credit cards. Woolworth must work hard to differentiate itself in an online marketplace dominated by big, experienced retailers. If it does not do so, it will go the way of the dodo bird. In conclusion, any return to the previously employed retail business model as employed by Woolworths is unlikely. That is not to say that people will not continue to enjoy the level of service and product offerings that the company had offered but this must be done so by new means. Assess the Perspective of Competitors There was the time when there was a demand for Woolworths in the Market, but after a certain period of time we witnessed that the Woolworths was off the market in a few years. The sudden debacle of Woolworths from the market can be because of various aspects. With the increase in the numbers of its competitors and the woolsworth unable to compete with them accordingly and improper strategies and not updating with the technology as well as with the change in the needs and the demands of the consumers. Woolworths Competitors The loss of Woolworth in Shirley was echoed in about 800 High Streets across UK, breaking the record of 99 years in the history of the British towns and cities. The main cause can be named as recession as with the impact of recession many of the stores were closed and increment in the number of charity shops. The streets were having now the three times more the charity and the discount shops. These great losses in the business were due to the recession, the rise of the supermarkets and the increasing popularity of the weekly shops. The debacle of Woolworths had a few other aspects and they were its competitors. The major competitors of Woolworths were the Tesco and the Wall-mats. The main reasons which led to the downfall of the Woolworths are Fewer womens clothes shop One in every five womens as well as childrens clothes shops were closed in UK. This was one of the most important and discretionary area were there were a lot of money was spend so when there were locks on such doors people then decided or rather started going to the discount outlets and were fully satisfied and were satisfied in a cheap price. Next is a diagram representing the actual diagram representing a proper data showing the approximate loss of the market in according to the closure of the shops of Woolworths. This data is been taken from a local data company which is depicting the % of loss of a business dealing in a particular product. And as we go throw the data we can see that there has been a major loss to the woolsworth in the near future and compare with its near competitors. Shops mostly empty The shops became empty because of increment of the competitors and effect of the recession that led to the downfall of major businesses. Woolworths have so many competitors. The competition was basically amongst the super markets specially Tesco, as they started selling more and more household products as well as toys and electronic goods and many such other products that can be considered as gift items. Woolworths on the other hand was not looking over the aspects that other large markets were giving them a stiff challenge. The first ever store of Woolworths was opened in Liverpool in 1909. And it was selling almost all the products right from the tools to clothes, it was selling cheaps of things and none other stores were such big. The greatest of Woolworths was from its main rivals probably individuals stores themselves, the consumers were going regularly to the Woolworths because the specialist stores were not having appropriate stuff that the consumer were demanding but with the increase in the number of super markets there were more stuff along with the relevant information so consumer started going towards those who were new but were very promising namely Tesco the competitor of Woolworths Tesco was founded in 1929 by J. Cohen. The company was not on the London stock exchange till 1947, unlike the Woolworth and the Wall-Mart as their primary focus was on the groceries right from the beginning was struggling at the time in 1970, it only expanded when it introduced the club cards and entered the European and the Asian markets expanded into non food banking and telecom products. Tesco that reportedly having half of its sales in the UK at present. According to Tesco inflation had dropped substantially since three month till September. They keep on launching cut-price ranges and by these aspects they were attracting almost 300,000 more customers every week and they witnessed strong improvement in their sales volume. Tesco is due to complete the purchase the remaining of the 50% stake of Tesco Personal Finance from the Royal Bank of Scotland in a very near future. The group has also said that they will put brakes over their expansion in the US and will only focus on the hitt ing the key areas. Tesco being the greatest threat to the Woolworths is implementing the strategies to take over it in every aspect. Tesco has also confirmed that they are surely interested in buying the Woolsworth as the chain has almost collapsed just after they were not able to stabilise their company with major threats from the markets. Woolworths kept its regional focus on the other hand was concentrated on the supermarkets in the future might focus on the food products as recently bought the 10% shares of New Zealand based The Warehouse Group. They copied high success retailing fuel strategies from the Tesco which has been largest retailer of petrol since 1991. Tesco on the other hand developed 4 main formats to suit different locations. Also used the supermarket in selling the liquor which became major threat to the Woolworths.