Read the instruction (Different hobbies) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Read the instruction (Different hobbies) - Essay Example I enjoyed purchasing a parrot and then setting it free from the cage. As I grew up, I developed a hobby of planting trees. This was also a good hobby. I planted at least one tree every week in my surroundings. Another very good hobby that I have is reading books. I love reading books of all genres including fiction stories, poetry, novels, and dramas. I like reading children’s literature as well as adult literature. I believe that reading a variety of literature diversifies the reader’s opinion and broadens his vision. One bad hobby that I have had for a long time is playing video games. I have spent a lot of time aimlessly playing computer games. Undoubtedly, it might be a good idea if played for a short while, but not when one spends hours playing them. As I gained more education, I developed a hobby of teaching. I fancy the idea of being a teacher because it is one of the most respectable professions. A pedagogue teaches hundreds of students every year, which serves as a way to broaden his social network. The teacher remains updated on the latest discoveries in knowledge, and knowledge is power. Through this reflection, I have reached the conclusion that most of my hobbies are good and only a few can be classified as

Fundamentals of molecular beam epitaxy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Fundamentals of molecular beam epitaxy - Essay Example Molecular beam epitaxy is a process to produce device grade epitaxial films and mutilayers. This is a very advanced and sophisticated process an have evolved gaining clear edge over competing processes like Liquid Phase Epitaxy, Vapor Phase Epitaxy (VPE) etc. This paper provides basic description of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) process. Different theoretical concepts of this process and essential ingredients of a MBE system are also briefly discussed. Epitaxial growth refers to the situation in which the depositing layer extends the existing crystalline order of the substrate i.e. growth of the new layer does not cause any crystalline discontinuity on the interface between the substrate and the film. This occurs even during industrial processes like welding and cladding; where the initial mode of solidification is planer mode and the growth layer is essentially epitaxial growth of the existing grains. However, there are many grains on which this growth occurs an also this very soon d egenerates into cellular and cellular dendritic growth and thus disrupting the crystalline order of the substrate. However, it is the planer mode of solidification coupled with solute partitioning between liquid and solid phase which form the basic underlying principle of Liquid Phase Epitaxy (LPE) [1- 3]. Similarly, epitaxial films can be grown by placing a substrate in a chamber filled with vapors of constituent atoms / molecules through a process known as Vapor Phase Epitaxy (VPE) [4 – 6]. ... Many thin film technologies such as LPE, VPE, Sputtering, vacuum deposition etc. were developed for producing high quality epitaxial thin films. However, the films produced by these techniques were structurally different from the substrate and hence not useful for device making. Differential vapor pressure of different constituents atoms / molecules was the main problem associated with VPE. GaAs is one such useful film for device making. IN this case vapor pressures of Ga and As differ by two orders of magnitude at about 600 oC. Therefore, these sources will have to be heated at different temperatures to achieve equal vapor pressure and the temperature will have to be controlled very accurately, which is very difficult. [7]. Attempts were made to use different temperatures for different sources [8] and by exploiting angular distribution of the atomic / molecular fluxes [9] for maintaining desired ratio of atomic fluxes. In 1960s it was not possible to perform online monitoring and ch aracterization of the film growth process and the film itself. Even the characterization of the substrate surface condition and vacuum quality level was also not possible. One had to rely on post deposition characterization of the deposited film for the feedback for the subsequent deposition experiments; which was indeed a very slow, laborious and tiring procedure. Development of small mass spectrometers, auger electron spectroscopy and compact electron diffraction instruments made it possible to characterize the films in-situ while it was getting deposited and Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) was discovered as a result of developing a process for surface characterization [10].In-situ characterization of MBE

Popular World Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Popular World Music - Essay Example This is because the camera angles are shot from above viewing the cleavage of a woman, females bending in front of the cameras, and the camera looking up from below which is forbidden in numerous cultures as it is similar to looking up a dress. In addition, according to xStephhhXx, (1), numerous music videos are filled with images having shots where bodies of the females are showered with money, indicating that the women’s bodies can be controlled and bought by men. This is mostly common in the hip-hop music videos and the pornographic images in the videos form a cultural environment that inspires ferocious behavior by a number of men towards women. The images are not innocent, but the narratives they tell are firmly implicated in the power and gender relations of our culture. Knowing that the media is an influential tool that has so much power to influence how individuals behave and think in the society, and how we describe others and ourselves. Watching such music videos is not a simple thing to sit through, since music videos are a collection of numerous troubling clips displaying the extreme insolence given to women in the domain of music

ECON200 PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ECON200 PAPER - Essay Example In this regard, the article shows the existence of a barter economy or the existence of an exchange economy. The article represents the P.O.W economy as an alternative for the Robinson Crusoe economy. In the article, cigarettes are chosen to be the medium of exchange. In other words, cigarettes perform the function of metallic currency in the P.O.W economy. The importance of the article lies in the fact that the standard of living of an individual can be enhanced through a mode of exchange. (Radford)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article â€Å"The Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines’ by Radford’ lays emphasis on the existence of barter system and the importance of an exchange economy in enhancing the welfare of the economy. The barter system provides the base of exchange. In earlier days when money was not invented, people would still trade among themselves using a standard form of currency as a substitute of money. Rice used to be a medium of exchange. For example, if anyone were in need of milk, then he would obtain one liter of milk from another person in exchange of rice. That is the person who needed milk, would give one quintal of rice to the person from whom he would obtain milk. In this way, trade used to take place in earlier days. However, there was a problem with this system. The problem is regarding the mode of exchange. In the above example, the person who was in need of milk may not always find a person who wo uld be ready to give milk in exchange of rice from him. In such a situation, the concept of using a commodity, say, rice, wheat, milk etc. as a medium of exchange fails. These problems soon lead to the invention of money. Thus, the process of exchange became faster and easier and enhanced the living standards of people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trade is beneficial because of comparative advantages in production. David Ricardo proposed the theory of comparative advantage. The theory states that an economy should produce

Asia Pacific Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Asia Pacific Business - Assignment Example Rationalization involves the adoption of techniques that can lead to efficient production of the capital goods. Japan has a tradition of a high savings rate, and a low consumption rate. During the periods of growth, the Japanese government used these savings for purposes of constructing roads, and infrastructures (Lye, 2010). In 1990s, this surplus savings became a structural impediment to the growth of Japan (Asher, Newman and Snyder, 2002). There was a severe slump in its demand, causing the Japanese economy to stagnate. The support of various interest groups by LDP made it fail to implement various measures aimed at improving the economy. This includes, failing to implement reforms that could tackle non-performing loans (Lye, 2010). Lack of good leadership led to development of ineffective policies such as the consumption tax of 1997. These taxes led to an increase in prices of commodities, leading to stagnation in growth (Menkhoff, 2010). The Japanese complex economic structure led to its economic stagnation. The symbiotic relationships between the ministry of finance and other cooperation’s between its jurisdictions have contributed to the stagnation of its economy (Lye, 2010). There is also little transparency in the economic affairs of the state. It is possible to use technology in agricultural development (Rowley, 2007). It will enable farmers improve their produce, hence feeding the nation. For example, the use of green houses to produce fruits, and vegetables. Technology helps in the creation of jobs. This is mainly because the government will employ new people in the vacancies brought forth by these technologies. For example, technological innovations in the mobile phone industry will create jobs in the

Online Direct Competition Essay Example for Free

Online Direct Competition Essay The online airline ticket market is rife with cut-throat competition from a number of sources, including travel agencies, wholesalers and Internet travel agents such as Microsofts Expedia.com and CNNs BizTravel.com.  US-Airlines set competition for Priceline.com Six of the key US-Aircarriers have agreed to step up to the competition set by Priceline.com in the segment of consumer-self-pricing. United Airlines, American Airlines, Northwest, Continental, America West and US Airways will be selling their free allotments under www. hotwire.com.  Similar to Priceline.com, travellers will be quoting the rate at which they wish to travel and according to availability can be granted their requested price.  Increasing Competition  Priceline.com, which has patented several of its business models, faces increasing competition on multiple fronts. While companies like Budget Rent A Car have licensed one of priceline.coms business models, Microsoft has launched a name-your-price service for hotel rooms on its Expedia site. Priceline.com has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft.  In addition to worrying about protecting its business model, the consolidation of the online travel market could lead to increased competition for priceline.com. The upcoming merger of Preview Travel and Travelocity.com will create an online travel powerhouse, whose allies include America Online and Yahoo!. Both industry giants will have a stake in the new venture.  Intended as a comeback directed at its competitors, Priceline.com is focusing upon licensing its business models to other companies in other industries. For example, Alliance Mortgage will license the name-your-price business model and team up with priceline.com to launch an online mortgage service known as PricelineMortgage. The chart below shows the sites that customers visit both before and after visiting Priceline.com  All sorts of competing sites figure in the before and after surfing list above. These range from specific airline websites like www.delta.com to competing full-service travel sites like www.orbitz.com and www.expedia.com. A competitive site to note is www.hotwire.com as it figures prominently in both lists and is a site that drives customers to Priceline.com. Although it is compelling to see how competitors figure in the pre and post site visit categories, it is even more interesting to look at a typical Path that visitors take through Priceline.coms site. This path includes visits to off-site destinations. The figure below shows a typical path a visitor takes through the site and the sites they visit that are off-site  According to this path analysis, a visitor visits priceline.com, leaves the site and returns to the site to either continue surfing or make a purchase. Note the abundance of competing sites that visitors travel to: www.skyauction.com, www.expedia.com, www.orbitz.com, www.hotwire.com and also to banks perhaps to verify their account balances before booking their vacation. Legal issues: With the Name Your Own Price services, priceline.com and pricelinemortgage are the leaders in the field of electronic commerce and true innovators in the way people buy the things they need. They are very adamant about keeping customers privacy online. This is represented in their clearly displayed privacy policy and privacy promise.5 The information collected and stored by Priceline.com includes names, addresses, credit card numbers and other personally-identifying information of customers of the Site who make purchase requests. This information is saved in a secure environment and is kept in records to make it easier for customers to use the services on return visits. Priceline.com use cookies technology. Cookies are small bits of code, usually stored on a users computer hard drive, which enable a Web site to personalize itself for each user. They use cookies to reduce the time it takes for customers to submit purchase requests. No third party has access to the information they collect this way. Priceline.com also have a disable cookies button which will turn them off. Information collected by priceline.com or pricelinemortgage is stored in a single, secure database, accessible only by priceline.com and pricelinemortgage. Names, addresss, credit card numbers or any other personally-identifying information are not revealed to any participating seller, manufacturer, retailer, or sponsor of priceline.com. These are collectively referred to as Providers, unless a customer affirmatively respond to the Providers offer and/or the Provider agrees to provide the product or service the customer requested at a specified price.  From time to time, priceline.com or pricelinemortgage also contact customers to request feedback on their experience using the Site, to assist Priceline in improving the Site, or to offer special savings or promotions to customers. Priceline.com also offer an opt-out option on receiving these notices. Customers are also able to access and change any personal information kept by Priceline. To protect customers privacy and security, they verify your identity before granting access or making changes to your personally-identifying information. If you have registered your profile on any of the services available on their Site from priceline.com or pricelinemortgage, your e-mail address and password are required in order to access your profile information. Trade marks A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods. In short, a trademark is a brand name.  Pricelines patent covers its marketing system as embodied in a computer. The claims, which define what the patent covers, recite a method for using a computer to facilitate a transaction between a buyer and seller. The buyer inputs a conditional purchase offer into the computer and a payment identifier, such as a credit card number. The computer outputs the purchase offer to sellers. A seller can then input an acceptance, at which time the payment is made using the payment identifier. There are also claims for an apparatus that can perform the same functions. At a first pass, it appears that much of electronic commerce could fit within Pricelines patent. If so, Priceline could extract a royalty for use of its patent on all commerce over the Internet or over any other computer system including proprietary systems. This patent could severely limit the use of electronic commerce.  Priceline (www.priceline.com) filed its application in 1996, as electronic commerce was just starting to grow. Now, when electronic commerce is more firmly entrenched, the patent is granted, and that award threatens to thwart the growth of electronic commerce.  There are many issues yet to be explored with respect to Pricelines patent. To appreciate them, it helps to understand how the Patent Office could issue a patent on a system that is little more than business relationships communicated using a computer. Until recently such a patent would have been rejected. Priceline.com has had a hard time defending itself within this type of market against possible threats of infringement on there patents or trademarks.  An example of this is major dot-com, Pannell-Christ Inc., an Indiana-based provider of consulting and training services to facing accusations of hijacking intellectual property. Sued by Priceline.com the firm that provides name your own price services for hotels, car-hire and airline tickets. According to the, Pannell-Christ is disputing Pricelines use of the phrases Name Your Price and Name Your Own Price.  Pannell-Christ maintains it used the Name Your Price! trademark as far back as 1997. However, the company had not filed for a trademark on the phrase until several months after priceline.com had begun using the slogan in 1998. The U.S. Trademark Office granted Pannell-Christ federal registration of the mark on February 1, 2000.

A Case Study of Change Management from External Forces: Dell Computers

A Case Study of Change Management from External Forces: Dell Computers Two things characterize the business environment today; they are competition and change. Therefore, todays environment puts a premium on effective leadership. In fast- changing, team- oriented environment, managers need effective leadership skills so they can motivate knowledge workers, build self-managing teams, and lead transformation. In 1994, Dell was a struggling, the company ordered its components in advance and manufactured to inventory. Change was needed and was triggered by factors outside the company. The new business model that Dell implemented converted its operations to a build-to-order process, eliminated its inventories through a just-in-time system, and sold its products directly to consumers putting these new supply chain capabilities at the core of its strategy. Dell developed a supply chain mastery that went far beyond the simple pursuit of efficiency and asset productivity. However, the company had to make a series of very difficult strategic tradeoffs to bring its functional activities into alignment with its new business model. (Copacino, 1999). James Burns who wrote a book about called Leadership says changes like these require the guidance of transformational leaders who bring out change, innovation, and entrepreneurship. They are responsible for leading a corporate transformation that recognizes the need for revitalization, creates a new vision, and institutionalizes change. Transformational leaders inspire their followers to want to make the change and attempt to raise the needs of followers by promoting dramatic change in individuals, groups and organizations. Such leaders also encourage and obtain performance beyond expectation by formulating visions and then inspiring subordinates to pursue them. They focus on accomplishing the task at hand and maintaining good working relationship. It is common for the transformational leader to passionately communicate a future idealistic organization that can be shared. He or she uses visionary explanations to illustrate what the employee work group can accomplish in order to motiv ate the employees to achieve these organizational aims. Therefore, a transformational leader could make the company more successful by valuing its associates. One such example is Dell CEO Michael Dell who did it installing one of the worlds most sophisticated direct- sales operations; eliminating resellers markups and the need for large inventories, and keeping a viselike grip on cost. Dells mission statement is be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the customer service experience in markets we serve. With their markets changing so fast Chairman Michael Dell had to constantly focus his companys and employees attention on the companys mission. He has been quoted saying that looking for value shifts in the companys mission companys customer base is the most important leadership responsibility. In other words, Michael Dell had to constantly monitor what Dells customers want in terms of value. He had to stay in close contact with customers, and make sure that everything Dell does, Dell is addressing the customer needs. How do you build such a company? For Dell computers, the answer meant using technology and information to blur the traditional boundaries in the value chain among suppliers, manufacturers, and the end users; it basically meant that there are no intermediaries like wholesalers or retailers to come between Dell and its customers and suppliers; thus, Dell can be much faster-moving company that it might otherwise be. For most computer companies, the manufacturing process is like a relay race; components come in from suppliers, these components are assembled into computers, and the computers are then handed off to be distributed through wholesalers and retailers to the ultimate customers. Dells system changed all that. Dell interacts with and sells to customers directly, so it eliminates the activities of the wholesalers and retailers in the traditional distribution chain. The current economical crises are having a tremendous impact on how companies do business. Even one of the worlds biggest computer companies, like Dell has experienced this recession and had to make critical and dangerous decisions of lowering down the cost of expenses and tightening their belts. Today, Dell Inc. is cutting costs to weather a soft PC sales market, and even founder and CEO Michael Dell is feeling the pinch. The company disclosed proxy information that showed his total compensation declined by more than $200,000 in the latest fiscal year, to $2.1 million. The decline came mainly in the value of option awards, which were higher the previous year. Michael Dell received $931,731 in salary, stock options the company valued at $16,766 and personal security services valued at $1.1 million. Because Dell Inc.s bonuses for senior executives are tied to company performance, Michael Dell did not receive a bonus in the latest year, just as he has not the past three years. (Ladendo rf, 2009). Meanwhile, to cut operational costs and to save funds, the company has shut down factories and outsourced hardware manufacturing. Also, the company has laid off 1,900 employees and shifted its European PC manufacturing operation from Ireland to Poland. Like many companies, Dell has also been looking down the road and plans on spending $70 billion on computer parts from China between 2007-2009. Thats a lot of cash, but this could also save the company in a recession when people do not have much money and want much cheaper computers. Dell also cut 10% in global jobs last year, and announced further job cuts at its Ireland sites earlier this year. But what I found most interesting is the acquisition of David Johnson the former top IBM Corp. in early June. Although IBM still is pursuing a lawsuit against Johnson, saying his move to Dell Inc. violated a noncompet agreement; recent court rulings have freed him to take an active role guiding Dells acquisition strategies. Johnsons hiring cou ld be a signal that Dell intends to buy other companies, a growth strategy it has used less often than many of its industry peers. CEO Michael Dell also is expected to talk about the companys growth prospects, both from existing operations and from any companies that it might buy. Analysts are split on whether Dell will try to do big, transformational deals that would change the makeup of the company, or smaller, less risky acquisitions. A.M. Toni Sacconaghi with Bernstein Research said he expects Dell to make smaller deals as it tries to bolster its corporate-oriented service and product offerings. He quoted Brian Gladden, Dells chief financial officer, as saying the company is unlikely to do big deals and that it viewed its $1.4 billion acquisition of EqualLogic last year as the sweet spot. EqualLogic, which sells data storage systems, is Dells largest acquisition to date. Sacconaghi concluded that for Dell, smaller deals make sense because no obvious transformational targets exist, the odds of successful integration of the acquired company are better with smaller deals, and large acquisitions could distract top executives from the their two-year campaign to turn the company around integration of the acquired company are better with smaller deals, and large acquisitions could distract top executives from the their two-year campaign to turn the company around. (Ladendorf, 2009). One Wall Street analysts who follows Dell Inc. say theyve been impressed by the companys ability to cut costs and generate cash flow in the face of a steep industry downturn. Forward-looking businesses are using IT to target unnecessary cost and complexity, Dell said. Dell Inc. will continue to tap into IT for innovation and efficiency, and doing so now Dell Inc. will set itself apart as the global economy inevitably improves Dell identified three keys to smart IT: Increased standardization and virtualization; Better resource management that reduces IT maintenance; Greener computing that not only reduces carbon emissions but saves on energy costs. Dell itself has reaped the benefits of such IT improvements: facility improvements and a global power-management initiative that switches off computers when not in use is saving the company about $3 million a year and reducing its carbon footprint by some 20,000 tones. (Greenbang, 2009). Today the Dell machine is firing on all cylinders. In addition to being a PC juggernaut, Dell is moving fast into the $10 billion network server business. In notebook PCs, Dell has become the sixth-largest seller in the $40 billion market. Now, Dell is working on ways to combine its PC knowhow with better networking service. Through a partnership with network equipment maker 3Com Corp., Dell is trying to slash the 60 to 90 days required to test computer and networking configurations to just two weeks. Instead of each running independent tests of the same gear, Dell will deliver to 3Com each new computer so that 3Com can test compatibility with its networking devices (Business week). Leading and organizational change can be treacherous; there are no silver bullets or single- shot method of changing organizations successfully. (Ashford University). Single shot rarely hit a challenging target. Usually, many issues need simultaneous attention and any single, small change will be absorbed by the prevailing culture and disappear the change may require the cooperation of dozens of managers and resistance may be considerable. However, whether the required change is simple or complex, technological or structural or the basic organizational change process remains basically the sameà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦executives must ask themselves three basic questions. What are the forces acting upon them? What should we change? And how should we change it? According to Hesselbein and Cohen (1999), organizations that take the time to teach leadership are far ahead of the competition. By becoming familiar with the transformational leadership approach and combining the four Is, (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration), managers should be able to handle the unforeseen change more effectively. Transformational leadership strategy must also make sense in terms of the business overall competitive strategy. Today, leaders have to be able to transform their company fast. Socio Economic Inequalities: Health Socio Economic Inequalities: Health Research on health inequalities is grounded in social epidemiology, which explains how peoples social circumstances affect their health (Graham, H 2007:5). Explanatory frameworks have been presented and theories proposed in order to explain the variations in health across social class (Asthana, S Halliday, J 2006:45). This essay will discuss and analyze the sociological theory necessary to understand social class inequalities in health within the UK. Implications for health policy and practice will also be discussed. Discussion: Socio-economic inequalities in health: demographic, mortality and morbidity information: Reports outlined since the 1980s the extent of which ill-health and death are unequally distributed among UK: The Black Report (1980), Health Divide (1988), The Acheson Report (1998), The Solid Facts, WHO (2003), The Marmot review (2010). These documents identified a social gradient in health: socio-economic status (SES) influences health, whereby higher position equates to better health (Caspi, A Poulton, R 2003). From here, sociology found a correlation between mortality against social position. Britton et al (1990), Rosato, M et al (1998), Reid, A Harding, S (2000a)(2000b) Asthana, S. et al (2004) Marmot Wilkinson, (2005) Barry Yuill, (2008) Health Survey for England (HSE) provide information on mortality and morbidity by social class: people in class I have longest life expectancy while people in Class IV have the shortest life span; mortality is greater in Wales, Scotland, N. Ireland and N. England than in S. England; same patterns appear for IHD, stroke and cancer mortality in between social classes, but is less evident for accidents and suicide; risk of developing chronic illness in adult life is high for people with low SES; childhood mortality is more prevalent in socially disadvantaged groups; Sociological theory: The cultural / behavioral explanation: In this argument primary responsibility for the differential between social position and health is placed within the individual, rather than the larger society {a culture of poverty approach}(Matcha, D.A 2003:90). Explanations focus on the way individuals from different social groups lead their lives (Clarke, A 2003:122). Smoking, alcohol, diet and exercise are chosen for detailed enquiry, as they are thought to be voluntary choices (Blaxter, M 1990:113). Social epidemiologists identified a hard and a soft version of cultural/behavioral explanation. Both versions start by observing that health-damaging behaviors are more prevalent among the poor than the socially disadvantaged (Asthana, S Halliday, J 2006). The hard version implies that behaviors are voluntary, the result of individual decisions (Blaxter, M 1990) thus, the fact that people adopt unhealthy behaviors is due to ignorance, recklessness or fatalism (Asthana, S Halliday, J 2006:26). The soft version suggests that rather that seeing health-related behaviors as a cause of health inequalities, they should be seen as outcome or consequences of differences in the material circumstances between socio-economic groups {behavior as a result of culture} (Asthana, S Halliday, J 2006:27). For example, in Britain smoking displays a clear class-gradient: the less advantage social class, the more likely is the individual will smoke (Bartley, M. 2004:65). Townsend, in 1995 shows that 70% of single parents on low income, social housing, manual occupations, with few educational qualifications, are regular smokers. Also, in 1998, The Office for National Statistics showed that levels of smoking for men were 12% for class I and 41% in class V. However, in sociological research focus exists on behavior rather than culture (Woodward et al, 1992; Lynch, Kaplan and Salonon, 1997b) because reckless behavior is not accepted as a definition of culture (Bartley, M. 2004:68). Bosma, Von Mheen and Mackenbach, (1999a) (cited in Bartley, M 2004:66) suggest a direct behavioral model in which people with low status and income are less endowed with intelligence and coping skills which make them unable to grasp the long-term health consequences of things that give them short-term pleasure (e.g. smoking, drinking, etc). Regarding education and behavior Blaxter, 1990; Gran, (1995), Hoeymans et al., 1996 (cited in Bartley, M. 2004) find that education is correlated with health behavior: educated people have a better understanding of health. They also make better use of preventive health measures such as contraception, screening services or immunization. For example, a survey published in 2007 by Health Survey for England (HSE) Healthy lifestyles: knowledge, attitudes and behavior 30% men and 24% women agreed with the statement I get confused over whats supposed to be healthy and what isnt(p. 108). Marmot et al (1981 ) that individuals from class V have high incidence of CHD due to diet being higher in sugar content than in fiber. National Food Survey (1985) shows that low-income groups purchase less vegetables, fruits or whole meal bred. Behavioral explanations view consumption patterns as a reflection of cultural differences in the way people live their lives. Lifestyles are thought to be shaped by traditional views and socially accepted patterns of behavior. The fact that low income may constrain food choice is ignored or rejected (Clarke, A 2001: 123) Critique and weaknesses of the cultural/ behavioral explanation The problem with this explanation is that it separates behavior from the social context in which it takes place and effectively blames the victim of health inequality for the poor health that they experience (Asthana, S Halliday, J 2006:26). Instead, individual decisionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmaking should be seen in the context of the social structure and of the constraints that impede the behaviors of people. In support to this, Dobson et al 1994(cited in Barry Yuill 2006) researched forty-eight households to observe food purchasing and attitudes toward eating. They found a pattern of life under constant economic restrictions. Also, in 1991, the national Childrens Homes survey on nutrition and poverty finds that 1 child in 10 and 1 adult in 5 skip meals because of costs. Thus, it is not people failing to practice good health habits but their choice is affected by limited funds (Barry Yuill 2006:108). Also, in an HSE survey (2007) 22% men and 20% women agree, it costs too much[to eat healthy] (p. 108). In 2010, The Marmot Review emphasized that insufficient funds to lead a healthy life is a significant cause of health inequalities (p. 29) Although health-damaging behaviors are more common among low groups, these groups also lack: adequate income, decent housing and secure employment. Therefore it is hard to separate behavioral explanation (Gatrell, C.A 2003: 113) from structural/material explanation (poor housing Ġº unhealthy life) and social selection explanation (poor health for low classĠº unhealthy life) Health policy response to inequalities in health linked to social class: Advocating healthy public policies is the most important strategy we can use to act on the determinants of health. (CPHA Action Statement on Health Promotion 1996) Up to date health policies include: The New NHS (1997); A First Class Service (1998); Choosing Health (2004); The Wanless Report (2004) Tackling Health Inequalities (2008); Darzi Report (2008); The Marmot Review (2010) The Marmot review: Policy objectives A-F:  · Give every child the best start in life  · Enable all children, young people and adults to maximize their capabilities and have control over their lives  · Create fair employment and good work for all  · Ensure a healthy standard living for all  · Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities  · Strengthen the role and impact of ill-health prevention. (UCL Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, 2010) Implications for health care practice: Important documents: Choosing health: making healthy choices easier (2004) and Health Challenge England (2006) people need convenience and choice in advice available to prevent ill health. Health care practice can contribute to reducing health inequalities through:  · Assessment / use of evidence: accurate assessment of peoples health promotion needs; linking evidence of practice outcomes to broader changes  · Strategy: population specific health care strategies; getting the promotion/prevention/treatment balance right  · Communication Collaboration: 1.collaboration with people: involving and engaging most excluded; 2.collaboration with MDT: assessing / implementing / evaluating / updating  · Training: improving training and professional development, particularly in relation to work with most disadvantaged  · Service development: being well informed about health inequality trends, impacts and intervention effectiveness  · Service access: reducing financial barriers to health care  · Resource allocation: making conscious, informed choices about priorities. (Wiseman, J 2007) (Choosing Health 2004) The time for action on health and health inequalities Health in the consumer society Children and young people starting on the right path Local communities leading for health Health as a way of life A health-promoting NHS Making it happen national and local delivery Consultation making it happen Assessment suitable assessment of local needs (collaborative therefore patient and public involvement / use of evidence) Strategy Communication appropriateness (methods and means) Service Needs (recruitment, training) Resources (access, materials, skills mix {MDT?, suitable tools and interventions) References: Asthana, S., Gibson, A., Moon, G., Brigham, P. and Dicker, J. (2004) The demographic and social class basis of inequality in self reported morbidity: an exploration using the Health Survey for England. Epidemiology and Community Health, 58, (4), 303-307 Blaxter, M. (1990) Health and Lifestyles, London: Tavistock Payne J, Coy J, Milner P, et al. 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Presentation at the 1st Business Meeting of the EU Project Closing the Gap on 27/28 October 2004, Cologne. Lynch, J.W., G.A and Salonen, J.T (1997b) why do poor people behave poorly? Variations in adult health behaviors and psychosocial characteristics by stages of the socio-economic life course; Soc Sci Med 44, 809-19. Marmot M Wilkinson RG (2005). Social Determinants of Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2nd edition). Williams, A. Cooke, H. May, C (1998) Sociology, Nursing and Health, Elsevier Health Sciences: London Woodward, M., Shewry, M.C., Smith, W.C.S and Tunstall-Pedoe, H. (1992), Social status and coronary heart disease, Preventive medicine 21, 136-48. Mackenbach JP Bakker M (2002). Reducing Health Inequalities: a European Perspective. London: Routledge. Williams, A. Cooke, H. 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Submission to the Marmot Review http://www.ucl.ac.uk/gheg/marmotreview/consultation/Priority_public_health_conditions_summary Wiseman, J. Health Inequalities: Key Trends and Implications for Health Care, Presentation to Primary and Community Health, March 2n 2007