Roles Responsibilities And Relationships In Lifelong Learning Education Essay

This assignment aims to analyze my voluntary ESOL Tutor function, duties and boundaries following with facets of statute law, advancing equality and diverseness in womb-to-tomb acquisition. Review points of referral ; measure my duties in relation to other professionals and explicate how to advance behavior and regard. Gravells writes that the function of a instructor is varied. Aside from learning he or she may happen oneself training, reding, preparation, measuring, mentoring, promoting and back uping scholars as and when necessary ( Gravells 2010, 8 ) and besides recommend instructors the learning rhythm activities including: Identifying demands, Planning, Designing, Facilitating, Assessing, and Evaluating. Students, particularly grownups wo n't appreciate a hostile or nerve-racking environment ; they will go forth the class at the first java interruption! I will take attention to fix the acquisition environment safe, secure, gratifying and guaranting it is suited and accessible for all scholars, both physically and emotionally, adhering to the Health and Safety at Work Act ( 1974 ) . To maintain their attending, I need to happen the right balance between the function theoretical account and the authorization figure in a manner that they feel respected and so esteem me and â€Å" puting land regulations helps everyone cognize their bounds † ( Gravells 2008 ) . The instructor promotes to all scholars ethical and societal values, irrelevant of their coloring material, sex gender, nationality or cultural beginnings. When â€Å" acquisition is the procedure whereby cognition is created through the transmutation of experience † ( David A. Kolb, 1984 ) , successful accomplishmen ts are based on affecting and including scholars to show their point of position, collaborate and portion thoughts. Why are they making this class? What do they anticipate from it? What is their motive? â€Å" As a individual matures the motive to larn is internal † ( Knowles 1984:12 ) .Some grownups will make further surveies for a societal intent and others as a personal or professional development. The construct of motive based on demands was developed in 1943 by Abraham Maslow. His theory defines that † our endurance needs must be satisfied first † ( A.Maslow, 1943 ) . After that we are motivated to make our high degrees of demands. In Maslow ‘s hierarchy represented as a pyramid are included five ends: physiological demands, safety demands, love demands, esteem demands, and the demand for self-actualization. Using Maslow ‘s theoretical account when learning we approach and understand scholars ‘ demands. It is of import to place the scholar ‘s demands, so I can plan the class ( ESOL ) to reflect the single differences as: societal ( how the scholar ca n interact with others ) , physical ( how a scholar can entree larning holding cut down mobility ) , rational ( how a scholar addition new accomplishments ) , cultural ( might impact values and beliefs ) , emotional ( ability to concentrate ) . Once the demands of the scholars have been identified I would be after and plan the ESOL class stuffs and resources which meet the demands and the demands of the scholars, integrating a scope of relevant activities within the length of clip allocated to each Sessionss. Petty ( 2009 ) provinces, that scholar expect to be treated reasonably with no favoritism shown to any pupils. As a instructor I adhere to the Equality Act 2010 delivering or facilitating Sessionss to advance equality through inclusion of everyone, valuing diverseness utilizing distinction, avoid favoritism, and demo regard to all my scholars, whilst moving as a function theoretical account at all times. I will prosecute and actuate scholars, utilizing unfastened duologue to promote scholars to take part. I will be courageous and ambitious to make and develop effectual programs, clear purposes and aims and all records and paperwork up to day of the month and filled firmly, following with Data Protection Act ( 1998 ) . I will measure scholars reasonably utilizing multiple appraisals steps as: written trials, unwritten interview, category presentation, function drama, fill in the clean trial, multiple pick tests, observation and reexamine their advancement on an on-going footing, given them an accurate, concise feedback. This will assist me to find any single support required, to guarantee scholars development throughout the class. Their advancement and accomplishments can be recorded utilizing a scholar ILP or on a portfolio. After each session I would completeA a lesson rating ( study ) which includes: strengths of the session and countries for development and betterments. As a instructor I make certain that all press releases, lesson programs, presentations and any other authorship I use, is spellchecked as any spelling errors will reflect on the scholars! I understand that as a demand, I must guarantee to hold the cognition and attributes suited for the teaching place: being adaptative, effectual communicator, resourceful, empathic, compromising, confident, originative, dedicated, enthusiastic, flexible, patient, organised, professional, receptive, respectful, responsible, antiphonal, trusty, supportive and â€Å" the instructor ‘s ain uninterrupted professional development ( CPD ) † , ( Gravells 2010,8 ) . Teachers must move in a professional mode, understanding about learning and larning, keeping professional relationships ; adhere to the regulations, ordinance and statute law, codifications of pattern, respect pupil ‘s right to decline to unwrap sensitive information and maintain scholar ‘s personal information confidential. Other functions of a instructor are to intercede with external organic structures, mentioning scholars for reding and non at last to advance behavior and regard. Our purpose is to handle another with regard, portion our duties, moving as a function theoretical account, working alongside with the constabulary, local governments, and households to guarantee that good behavior and regard are promoted and everyone has the tools they need to stand against anti-social behavior.

Racism In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Racism is about control.   In southern literature this control is very prevalent.   In this essay the focus of racism in southern literature will be scrutinized, dissected, and analyzed.   Since racism is about control, the unfettering of such belligerence becomes didactic in the making of a novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird racism is ubiquitous with the young culture in the town.   Just as Atticus is a lawyer in the book, Scout the narrator and child depicts the scene of racism thusly, â€Å"My fists were clenched I was ready to make fly. Cecil Jacobs had announced the day before that Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers.† Though Scout continually defends Atticus on the playground and in other parts of town, the racism remarks do not stop.   Even Scout’s cousin Francis is overwhelmingly supplied with racist remarks, â€Å"At a safe distance her called, `He’s nothin’ but a nigger-lover’.†Ã‚   It is in racism, and the reality of that prejudice that the entire town’s lives are changed, and the political arena of the courtroom shows itself as discriminatory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell the story is thriving with racism.   Of course the novel takes place during the Civil War and this was the apex of the struggle for slave freedom.   In the novel it almost seems as though slavery is glorified because of the way they are depicted: as subservient, and loyal. Scarlett herself, in the novel, is ebullient with her way of life, she loves to be pampered and catered to by both men, and servants.   Slavery for her is ideal because she does not have to do anything for herself.   The analysis then, is that in order for her to become a dynamic and more than a flat character she must give up her antebellum Southern ways, and accept that in a free world her type of egoism is no longer warranted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the novel taking place during the Civil War it is to be expected that slavery is a crux by which the author writes.   Slavery in the South has always been an issue.   There lies deep-seeded resentfulness towards the history yet racism is still alive today.   The reason that southern literature still focuses its story line after such prejudice is to make readers aware of the sentiments in southern culture.   Just because the history of slavery is over with, doesn’t mean that racism isn’t a stigma still exercised in the South today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel, Fried Green Tomatoes by Fanny Flagg, the issues of bi-racial marriage and racism tear the town asunder while at once building an umbrage by which the main characters form a support for each other, and defend each other against such prejudices.   What racism in southern literature ultimately teaches is that even though decades have transpired, the issues of racism that were current during the Civil War and prior are still in societal conceptions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is through language use, and the continual torturing of blacks in each novel, and the prejudices that they suffer and their friends are exposed to that the authors of southern literature want their audience to realize happened, and is still happening.   In To Kill A Mockingbird Lee wants to represent how racism filters in through all facets of society. In Southern Literature it is not about how racism affects only the black population but how it affects the entire community, how demonic a person can become because they seek power and control over another person, and how that persuasion can emphasis the evil in humanity.   Southern black literature represents how racism destroys a person, how in each novel, characters either succumb to the power or it depicts how protagonists rise with subjective humanity and try to scotch the brutality that is racism. Racism is such a strong theme in each of these books because the characters in the books fight against a juggernaut force, and against odds, hopefully overcome the misconceptions that thrive in racism.   Southern black literature and especially in the aforementioned novels, needs to present racism in order for racism to be stopped, for only after the causes are found can the entire prejudice cease, that is the purpose of the novels. Bibliography Harper, L.   (1988).   To Kill a Mockingbird.   Grand Central Publishing, New York.

19th Century Rural New England Family Essay

19th Century rural New England family was a protrusion of slave-master relationship that affected all facets of American socio-cultural life. The narrative of Frederick Douglass describe that interracial relationships between a slave woman and male master were common but these relationships never got any social or religious sanctity. Douglass portrayal of his mother clearly indicates the relationship with her master provided no solace to him but rather aggravated her pathos and miseries. It further manifest that such relationships were not based on any mutual warmth but were a manifestation of ‘gratification of their (masters) wicked desires profitable as well as pleasurable†. (p. 166) The slave child, production of this relationship, was not entitled to any privileges or rights, socially or legally. So it was quite likely that â€Å"the children of slave women shall in all cases follow the conditions of their mothers† (p. 167) These slave children were also deprived of maternal affection as â€Å"it [was] a common custom, in the part of Maryland†¦, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. Frequently, before the child [had] reached its twelfth month, its mothers is taken from it, and hired out on some farm a considerable distance off†¦ (p. 165) The mother-children relations were cordial but they were not allowed to meet quite often as Douglass himself saw his mother five or six times during her lifetime. See more:  The 3 Types of Satire Essay The relationship never developed as there was very little communication between mothers and their children. These children were also kept ignorant of their birthdates and parentage. They were also shorn of basic necessities of life like clothing, lodging and nutrition. Furthermore, these slave-children were subjected to amplified hardship as compared with other slaves because they were â€Å"a constant offence to their mistress†. This also highlights that 19th century rural family of New England was not solely patriarchal but women had immense influence in the affair of household. For example, Douglass writes, â€Å"The master is frequently compelled to sell this class of his slaves, out of deference to the feeling of his white wife. †(p. 166) Similarly, relationship with other member of his parental family were used to be harsh and they were used to undergo harsh treatment and whipping by their white brothers quite frequently. There was no intimacy between slave brothers and sisters and their mutual relationship never developed due the absence of a central tie i. e. parentage. On the other hand, it is illustrated that the role of slave woman in the community were limited to heavy toil and labor at plantations, fulfillment of master’s lusts and sexual desires whenever needed. Their emotional, psychological and mental health was never taken into consideration. The relations of these slave girls and slave children to the community were totally utilitarian and totalitarian as they were used as tool to increase the agricultural production and to satisfy the savage desires and habitual formations of the masters respectively. These slaves were regarded as an entity that was included in their (master’s) property rights and were sanctioned by socio-legal system. So in the wide social perspective, slaves acted as economic instruments and this subordination was characterized not only by commercial necessities but also by psychological phenomenon i. e. to satisfy the human propensities by subjecting them harsh punishments.

Harmful Effects of Anti-Shia Discrimination Assignment

Harmful Effects of Anti-Shia Discrimination - Assignment Example Discrimination against the Shi’a has led to their inability to practice their religion, which has caused resentment towards their Sunni counterparts, as they are denied their right to worship. For example, Chehab in Sunni vs. Shia: All You Need to Know claims that â€Å"Jordanian tribes have banned Shi’as from paying homage at the historical grave site of a prominent Shi’a imam† (13). ...This led to protests in which over fifty Shi’a members either were killed or went missing. The Shi’a Muslims are also disallowed to access religious centers such as mosques, forcing them to perform their prayers on Friday in their houses (Chehab 13). This means that Shi’a Muslims, despite being part of the broader Islam family, are second-class religious citizens in most Muslim dominated countries. They are treated no differently than Christians, who are discriminated against in the same way and might as well be without religion. This has all the hallm arks of an irreversible religious war if unchecked. In addition, all able-bodied Muslims are required to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime, which is one of Islam’s five pillars, to perform the Hajj. Although this event is supposed to count as one of the most intense religious times in the Muslim calendar, a group of Shi’as who were on a pilgrimage was arrested in 2009 by the Saudi religious police. This was part of Sunni Muslims,’ particularly the Wahhabi sect’s, aim to â€Å"purify Islam of any innovations or practices that deviate from the seventh-century teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions† (Giritlioglu 1). The incident resulted in one of the pilgrims, a fifteen-year-old boy, being shot in the head and chest, while a Shi’a sheik was knifed by an unknown person in the back for being what he termed as a rejectionist. Allowed to continue, such actions can only lead to reprisal attacks in Shi’a majority count ries, resulting in a never-ending cycle of violence.

Procter and Gamble research report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Procter and Gamble research report - Term Paper Example The company management has responded to investors worry on costly structure and slow top line growth rate by through a cost saving plan worth $10 billion. This is expected to reduce the headcount that will enable the company achieve its earning per share growth rate forecast to 8% and 10% in free up funds that can be reinvested. Third quarter results shows that the organic sales have increased by 3% from its previous quarter but the operating profit decreased by 11%. The management of the company lowered the earning per share to $3.82-$3.88 from the previous earning of $3.93-$4.08 as a result of the lowering operating profit. This means that Procter and Gambler 2012 fiscal year earning per share is expected to remain flat as compared to previous fiscal EPS of $3.87. The company gross margin has decreased by 150 bases to 49% on higher inputs and negative sales while it has increased by 32.9% on restructuring charges and overhead costs. The firm is supposed to restructure if it expects to gain full potential in its future growth. This is to be achieved by mean of calibrating its pricing by either adopting initial price or by promotion. Also, the company should invest more in the developing markets where it remains under penetrating where all other firms in packaged goods are moving. Business summary Procter & Gamble Company has famous line up of packaged brands which are sold and distributed through three global business units in over 180 countries world wide. The company brands include Tide laundry detergent, Pantene shampoo, Cover Girl cosmetics and lams pet food which means the company trades in household and personal products industry. The company is rated as an AAA credit worth company by Morningstar credit rating agency in the consumer product industry. The company strength and sustainability compared to other industry player has being rated wide by Morningstar which means its competitive advantage remains high. The competitors of the company are L’Oreal SA, Reckitt Benckiser Group and Kimberly-Clark Corporation which have market capitalization of $72,309, $47720, $42799 and $30972 millions respectively compared to Procter $ Gamble CO. market capitalization of $176134 millions. This shows that Procter & Gamble Company is more capitalized than its closest rival compa nies. Also, the sales revenue of its competitors are $26745.83, $15196.91 and $20,846 respectively compared to Procter $ Gamble sales revenue of $85374. Total sales revenue in the industry from the above sales revenues amounts to $148162.74. Procter & Gamble Co. thus, it contributes 57.62% of the total sales revenue. From the above findings, Procter $ Gamble Company stands as the most valued company compared to its competitors. Historical performance of the company shows that the performance of the company has being on a decline path from year 2009 to date. Financial forecasting of the company is that the share value is to be raised from the current price of $72 to $75 if the $10 billion saving plan is implemented together with Pringles divesture. This implies that in 2013, ratios of

Journal Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Journal Article Review - Essay Example This indicates that she is well qualified in the academic field which is the subject of this paper, and has experience of living and working in the United States, This is an empirical study which explores how editors of online news perceive their role, especially in terms of an assumed â€Å"gatekeeper† (p. 265) function which entails sifting the available information and packaging it for readers. It considers in particular the question of how editors view the democratizing impact of the internet, which allows anyone and everyone to publish news-related material, and whether this has influenced the way that editors perceive their role. An extensive literature is conducted, covering such themes as the difficulty of defining interactivity in online news offerings and the concept of an active audience which is enabled to co-construct the news that is published. The case of politicians is cited as an example of informed users turning the potential of the internet towards traditional purposes, such as â€Å"to exercise message control† (p. 267) rather than to develop new ones which utilize all the capabilities of the internet. There are three research questions, exploring 1) what editors affiliated with newspaper-affiliated Websites saw as their goals and their major achievements covering the 2004 political campaign; 2) the extent to which these editors relinquished their gatekeeping role by allowing users to provide or personalize content and 3) whether these editors had changed their views since the year 2000. The methodology aims to replicate the data and sampling techniques of an earlier 2000 study, using a purposive sample which is suitable for especially informative cases (p. 269). An email survey using both open and closed questions was circulated, resulting in forty seven replies, which equates to a response rate of 61 per cent (p. 269). Both

The Case of Enron and Arthur Andersen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Case of Enron and Arthur Andersen - Essay Example The greed that was evident did not benefit any one party at all. When the company shares lost ground in trading, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy and the US congress were on hand to instigate reforms that had the aim of ensuring that occurrences like those at Enron could not occur again. Arthur Andersen, the auditor at Enron, could be said to have received what it deserved in terms of being forced out of the market place due to bankruptcy. Additionally, the audit firm became a template of negative audit firms. The US federal government crafted regulatory legislation that is being taken up by other countries to prevent such occurrences in the future. For example, Mexico adopted those regulations in 2006 popularly referred to as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Discussion Enron as a corporate entity was not guilty of any major crimes that were blatantly obvious. On the most part, the company was indicted for misleading the outside forces charged with consulting for it and also misrepresented its financial situation1. These misrepresentations and falsehoods cannot entirely be considered as crimes. On the contrary, fraud can be considered as a crime but the very act of proving a criminal intent to defraud is very difficult. On the other hand, Arthur Andersen was convicted of a repeated single crime which entailed the obstruction of justice. This was largely due to the destruction of Enron documents that the audit firm continuously did. The shredding of those documents, which the accounting firm was well aware could be used in an SEC investigation, was in itself a crime. The case of Enron led to a number of individuals that were charged with different tasks to be charged with serious crimes with some of them pleading guilty to some. Mostly, many pleaded guilty with conspiracy to mislead that they did by presenting unfair reports on the company finances. Both Enron and Andersen had total disregard for any ethical conduc t that was expected of them. There is no need for detailed presentation of the breaches in ethics as they were pretty blatant. This discussion is not focused on ethics despite the fact that legal ethics, financial analysis ethics and banking ethics were totally disregarded. Since the breach of ethics is not a crime, it is not pertinent to dwell on it. Enron is clearly in violation of the guidelines that are laid out in the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)2. There are three instances of the breach of GAAP that are notable in the conduct of Enron. The first is that the Special Purpose Entities? (SPEs) accounts were incorrect. The equity method of accounting was selectively utilized in the SPE accounting as well as the failure of consolidation and failure of the elimination of the impacts associated with the transactions carried among the entities. The second is that there was partial disclosure of accounts and the last is that the financial reporting was not fair. In do ing the above, Enron and Andersen can be thought of having viewed GAAP as being merely rules and not regulations. They also leaned towards the interpretation of GAAP in a more aggressive manner than normally envisaged. Additionally, they disregarded the fairness principle that is central to GAAP and in doing this, they ignored the fact that fairness is emphasized more that rules as well as accounting that focuses on the economic

BUS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BUS - Essay Example d direct communication between different ranks within the restaurant hierarchy, the staff was aware of restaurant’s vision, and everyone saw all the achievements and failures of colleagues. Nevertheless, the main weakness of this construct in the reality was that the personality of manager did not fit this role. In my case, these meetings turned to suffering. Every day, we were bored listening how the most experienced waiters discussed their achievements with manager, while the others we blamed for their mistakes. In addition, the vision of restaurant melted in the details our manager noticed. Thus, it is crucial to maintain fragile balance within the quality management not to destroy its effectiveness. This situation showed that quality management is not only about boring daily meetings. On the contrary, it is about the way the leader understands his mission in providing the highest quality services to customers. If he is incapable to comprehend it, quality management does not work

Development Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Development Strategy - Essay Example and growth of specialized stores the competitive landscape became much more diversified. 'Boots operates in an extremely competitive environment where the pace of decision-making and speed of implementation is integral to success," said Boots' chief executive Richard Baker.' (WWD, Jan 23, 2004, p.13). In response to the changes of the environmental factors Boots Group has undertaken a number of measures. Among them are launch of the customer loyalty programmes, sale of non-core business branches, plans for merger etc. One of the examples is the loyalty programme that has been commenced early in the year. 'Customers earn four points for every 1 [pounds sterling] spent. They can buy goods with points, each point advantage card earned being worth a penny. Customers can also collect points on the Boots website, boots.com, but can't spend them on the site.' (Grocer, Feb 19, 2005 p45) The possibility to unite the efforts and capabilities with one more strong market player is for Boots Group another way of addressing the struggle for profits in a competitive environment. In October 2005 the company announced that 'it has been in talks for about six months regarding a merger with rival Alliance UniChem. The transaction was approved by both companies' respective executive boards and shareholders and is expected to be finalized in April, 2006.' (Hoovers 2005) The America's Intelligence Wire, Oct 3, 2005 noted that 'the merger comes after Boots. . .refused to reiterate profit guidance for the year amid slowing U.K. consumer spending and competition with Britain's top retailer, Tesco PLC'. Taken into account that the shareholders and potential investors are two more integral parts of the company's business environment, the rumours about possible merger that have been circulating for six months had significant influence on the stock performance. The ambiguity of the future outcome has partially caused the decline in the stock price earlier in the year followed by the increase after the announcement of merger has been made. (Reuters Quote 2005). The goal of the merger is to create 'an international, pharmacy-led company with a combined turnover of L13.0 billion ($23.11 billion), to operate under the name Alliance Boots. However, their proposal might yet be scuppered as several private-equity firms are reported to be looking at making a bid for Boots following the news that it is up for sale. Among these are KKR, Permira and Apax'. (Pharma Marketletter, Oct 10, 2005 p0) Another environmental aspect that becomes more and more important with the course of Boots expansion into the US market is the economic, social and political factors and the specifics of this market. The groups plan to gain strength in the US retail market in the upcoming few years: The firm is boosting its beauty product presence in U.S. retail partners CVS and Target, and by this fall, Boots beauty items will be offered in 130 stores, up from 32, which will give it entry into the key markets of Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Dallas, Minneapolis and suburban New York and Boston. This effort will also help the retailer gather data on how to successfully expand here nationwide in 2006 within these retailers. (Moore 2005, p.1) Organizational Audit The internal environment of the Boots Company is built upon a strong notion of

ATPase Site Architecture and Helicase Mechanism Essay

ATPase Site Architecture and Helicase Mechanism - Essay Example Studies have also indicated that a means of communication takes place between the N-terminal and the C-terminal region of archaeal MCM complexes, aiding in the overall high level of conservation possessed by the complex. The beta-7 and beta-8 regions of the N-terminal are composed of highly conservative amino acid similarities, which additionally accounts for the conservative nature of the MCM protein. Although it has been mentioned that MCM proteins are largely responsible for DNA replication and helicase activity, studies indicate as well that the MCM proteins are what not only â€Å"unzip† dsDNA prior to replication but also maintain a separation between the two strands once bound together, in order to efficiently perform DNA replication and synthesis without ssDNA sticking to one another. An equally important structure, similar to MCM proteins and relavant to this topic is the GINS complex. It is necessary to touch on the function of the GINS complex when examining functions and structure of the MCM complex. The GINS complex is composed of 4 protein subunits known as paralogues. Like the MCM complex, the GINS complex is integral in DNA replication initiation and synthesis. The GINS complex works in partnership with Cdc45 (cell division control 45) in regulating the process of recruitment of DNA polymerase (pol and ) to the site of initiation and elongation. The GINS complex is also fundamental in genome duplication as shown in most vertebrates. Additional studies have indicated that the GINS complex, along with MCM proteins and Cdc45 (as well as check point factors) are all involved at replisome at paused DNA replication forks. This indicates that the human GINS complex is an equally important part of DNA replication and synthesis, to the MCM protein complex. Even more recent studies indicate that the GINS complex is present with MCM proteins 2-7 at the progressing replication fork. At this time,

British Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Airways - Essay Example The concept of organizations developing to global citizenship has been developed in the recent past to ensure that organizations have an input on the societies they are in. Usually, the main purpose of why an organization exists is to make profit for the shareholders. However, this is not all, organizations are obliged to take care of the people that sustain it in different aspects ion order to have a corporate social responsibility. Therefore, according to the World Economic Forum, corporate global citizenship refers to the adoption of real and lasting contributions by a corporate body to societies apart from making profits for the shareholders. The organization should be able to take care of the stakeholders at all levels, these includes the customers, the suppliers, the community in which they operate, aid organizations and governments. It is becoming clear that the act of corporate global citizenship is becoming a corporate norm. The organizations have been under intense pressure to comply with the community expectations ad at the same time remain profitable, the pressure may not be direct but it is evident. This concept has in the recent years shifted from the acts of philanthropy, public relations or legal compliance to become more of a corporate strategy with an aim of creating a corporate name for the organization driven by values. It is therefore necessary for companies to adhere to these provisions in order to maintain not only a corporate image but also a social image that demonstrates to the world that the organization has an input. A company that is a good global citizen should be capable of participating in community development as well as supporting the government through developments. (Nelson, 2005).. Such a company should be able to devote its resources in developing the community around them; this ca n be majorly done through initiation of projects and programs that facilitate development. Global Citizenship Policy of British Airways The airline has reached the community in several different ways. Firstly, they have developed a charitable affiliation called Flying Start that is a joint initiative with Comic Relief. The main purpose of the aid organization is to help children undergoing through hard times across the world. The organization has left a big mark in the lives of many children and their families all around the globe. The second initiative is the establishment of a Community Learning Centre, which was opened around 1999 and has seen more than seventy eight thousand people get training (British Airways 2012). The centre has focused on training the community on information and communication technology, environmental education, language trainings, and customer service among others. The airline has also been on the forefront in supporting charitable organizations both loca lly and internationally, so far they have reached out in support for over forty organizations. One major and recurring impact has been through Dream Flight, which takes seriously ill children and disabled from the United Kingdom for a vacation to Orlando, United States. There is support accorded to street children through a program called Railway Children, several children found in the streets and especially those who live on railway platforms in the United Kingdom have benefited. The airline goes beyond to take care of the wild life through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust that takes care of orphaned wildlife in Kenya; the initiative has played a critical role in the conservation of elephants (British Airways 2012). British Airways has developed a number of partnerships with the community where they have an input in the development both within the United Kingdom and within other countries. The major areas that the airline has focused on include, in education and youth development , colleague engagements, conservation and emergencies. The staff is very instrumental in providing

Sports Facility Improvement Essay Example for Free

Sports Facility Improvement Essay The need for a clear and prioritised framework for future investment in sports facility provision is particularly critical given the likely need for additional provision as a result of population growth in the District, and specifically in the St Neots area, and the need for ongoing investment in the existing infrastructure. Given the nature of the District, which is a combination of the four main towns of Huntingdon, Ramsey, St Neots and St Ives, smaller villages and more rural areas there is also a need to ensure that sports facilities are accessible throughout the District. The development of the sports facilities strategy also provides the opportunity to assess the condition of existing provision, and whether it is appropriate to meet local needs and demand and to ensure that potential new provision helps to address any current deficiencies – quantitative or qualitative. In addition, there is a need to ensure that the appropriate quantity and quality of facilities are provided to facilitate increased participation (Government agenda), and improve the health of the local community. There are two main factors which are particularly relevant to the future provision of sports facilities; these are the future implementation of the Building Schools for the Future Programme (BSF) in the District, and the significant area of population growth around St Neots. This strategy will be used to guide and inform the nature and extent of resources, financial and operational, which are needed to ensure that Huntingdonshire has up to date, fit for purpose, accessible and welcoming sports facilities for the existing community, people working in, or visiting the District, and any new residents in the District. The Sports Facilities Strategy for Huntingdonshire ‘fits’ within the strategic framework for planning for future provision as follows: Creating Active Places (Regional Framework) Cambridgeshire County Sports Facilities Strategy (County Framework) Huntingdonshire Sports Facilities Strategy (local priorities responding to local needs and issues) Strategy Scope The focus of this strategy is indoor sports facilities (swimming pools, sports halls, health and fitness facilities, indoor bowls), and Artificial Turf Pitches (ATPs). The Strategy considers existing and planned facilities incorporating: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Local authority leisure centres Voluntary sector sports clubs Private sector facilities Secondary schools that will be re-built or re-furbished under PFI or the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme It is important to stress that this strategy focuses on community sports facility provision and the needs for provision both now and into the future. The District also has a significant sporting infrastructure which includes provision for activities such as golf, sailing etc, and a large number of individual sports clubs. These are very important to facilitate increased participation, and encourage people to become involved in activity on a regular basis. Strategy Drivers The key drivers for the Strategy are: †¢ †¢ The need to plan strategically and ensure sustainability of future provision The Local Development Framework (LDF), and Supplementary Planning Documents setting out expectations for S106 contributions from developers towards current and future sports facility provision i Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The priorities and objectives for the Sustainable Community Strategy The need to identify what provision is needed in St Neots given the significant population increases planned for this area of the District The need to identify how best to provide for those living in rural areas, where accessibility to sports facilities is more limited The need to increase participation at local level Opportunities for partnerships – Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Schools, National Governing Bodies (NGBs), Sports Clubs etc. N. B The feedback from NGBs reflects that gained in the development of ‘Creating Active Places’ and the Cambridgeshire County Strategy. This approach to the future strategic planning of sports facilities will continue to be important for the District given a number of significant factors at local level, such as: PARTICIPATION LEVELS †¢ The current high levels of participation in sport and physical activity in the District over 50% of all Huntingdonshire residents aged 16+ participate in physical activity (participation is higher in Huntingdonshire than in England) †¢ The Hinchingbrooke School Sports Partnership is now established, and working towards the targets set for the provision of 2 hours of PE for children under 16 plus 2/3 hours of participation in after school sports and physical activity HEALTH CHALLENGES †¢ Relatively high incidences of cancer †¢ Growing incidence of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) †¢ Relatively high numbers of people smoking (1 in 5) †¢ The rate of admissions to hospital with alcohol specific conditions is less than the England average †¢ The need to ensure that obesity, especially amongst young people, reduces †¢ The opportunity to harness the social aspects of sport and physical activity to address issues f social isolation †¢ The opportunity for active participation to contribute to maintaining higher life expectancy for the District’s population than the England average PLANNING ISSUES †¢ The need to ensure investment in future provision of sports facilities, and the potential to achieve this through identification of priorities which inform the Local Development Framework (LDF) POPULATION GROWTH †¢ Significant growth in population in and around St Neots, to the south of the District †¢ The need to develop Local Standards of provision to inform and guide future S106 contributions from developers District Profile Hunti ngdonshire is a rural area with four main settlements. Although no more than 12 miles apart in terms of distance, the nature of the district means that accessibility to community provision, including sports facilities, is a challenge. Current sports facility provision is situated in each of the main settlements to overcome this issue. There is a need to consider how those living in the rural areas can best be provided with participative opportunities. Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The District is relatively affluent, but has small pockets of deprivation. There are high levels of employment and average wages are higher than other parts of the county, although some younger people lack formal qualifications. Life expectancy is high, and compared to some of the other more rural and urban areas, there are fewer serious health issues, with the exception of a growing incidence of CHD, and relatively high rates of cancer, experienced by the population. The District has a large younger population, and a high proportion of 30-44 year olds; this profile is important for sports provision, as individuals tend to be more active when younger. Based on the Active People Survey (Sport England December 2006), adult (ie those aged over 16 years) participation rates in sport and physical activity are higher than the rates at national level. The level of participation relates to taking part in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week. Sports facility provision in the District is well thought of (comment in Huntingdonshire Cultural Strategy 2007), but there is a continuing need for capital investment just to maintain the Council’s existing five leisure centres. There are potential partnership opportunities for new provision through the education sector, and also linked to the growth agenda. Current and Future Demand Supply and Demand Analysis It is important to stress that this assessment is based on national models which identify the level of provision needed for a current and future level of population ie what level and type of sports facility provision is needed to provide adequately for a specific number of people. To make this more relevant at local level, the modeling then identifies the actual level of accessible sports facility provision ie that which is available on a pay and play basis; this highlights the fact that there are built facilities in the District that are not fully accessible for community use. This situation, which is common across the UK would suggest that the way forward is about a combination of opening up existing sports facilities to ensure there is greater community access, and developing new facilities where appropriate, but particularly to address the District’s growth agenda eg in the St Neot’s area. Current Demand Table 1 Supply and Demand Analysis 2008 Facility Type Swimming Pools Sports Halls (4 badminton court size) Required Level of Supply (based on 2007 population of 168,200 (2004 based population Government Actuary Department data, published October 2007) 1756. 67 sq m Current Level of Provision Current Level of Accessible Provision (based on accessibility for pay and play usage) 688 sq m Surplus (+)/Deficit (_) of accessible provision (based on 212 sq m being 1 x 4 lane x 25m pool) -1068. 67 sq m (equivalent to 5. 1 x 4 lane x 25m pools) 32. 3 (equivalent to 8 x 4 badminton court sports halls) N. B 3 court halls at Sawtry and Ramsey Leisure Centres not included in above figure) 223 stations +5 -3 938 sq m (of 25m x 4 lane pools and above) 35 courts (4 badminton court halls and above) 48. 26 badminton courts 16 badminton courts (4 + courts) Fitness Stations Indoor Bowls All weather turf pitches (ATPs) 433 stations (based on 12% participation rate (FIA)) 9. 28 rinks 7 (based on 1 ATP :25,000 population) 561 14 rinks 4 210 stations 14 4 Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Impact of Increased Population and Participation Table 1 above illustrates the current supply and demand analysis for Huntingdonshire. In terms of strategic planning for future provision of sports facilities, it is important to consider the impact of both an increased population, and increased participation (modeled at a 13 %overall increase, ie ! % per annum, over the life of the strategy). Table 2 overleaf models the impact of both increased population and increased participation on demand for facility provision. Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Table 2 Increased Population (to 2021) and Participation Impact Facility Type Required Level of Supply by 2021 (based on 2021 population of 188,400 (2004 based population Government Actuary Department data, published October 2007)) 2,066. 02 sq m (9. 7 x 4 lane x 25m pools (212 sq m)) 56. 5 badminton courts (14. 1 x 4 badminton court sports halls) 678 stations 10. 4 8 Current Level of Provision (2007) Current Level of Accessible Provision (based on accessibility for pay and play usage) 688 sq m (of 25m x 4 lane pools and above) 16 badminton courts (4 + courts) Impact of 13 % increase in Participation over the life of the strategy i. e. to 2021, (based on 2007 population) in terms of facility requirements 2,211. 63 sq m (10. 43 x 4 lane x 25m pools (212 sq m)) 60. 75 badminton courts (equivalent to 15. 2 sports halls of 4 badminton court size) 468 (based on a 0. 5% increase year on year, which is the current trend) +4 rinks 7. 7 Swimming Pools Sports Halls (4 badminton court size) Fitness Stations Indoor Bowls ATPs 938 sq m (of 25m x 4 lane pools and above) 35 courts (4 badminton court halls and above) 561 14 rinks 4 210 stations 14 4 Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Analysis of Supply and Demand Swimming Pools It is clear that in relation to current demand for sports facilities, there is an existing deficiency in provision of swimming pools, sports halls, fitness stations, and ATPs when supply and demand modeling is based on accessibility of facilities. However, the overall deficit in terms of current ie 2008 swimming pool provision (-1,068. 67 sq m/5. x 4 lane x 25m pools) is not actually a true reflection of the existing swimming provision in Huntingdonshire District, given that 2 of the main public pools are excluded from the SFC modelling on the basis that they are not 25m in length. The pools at Sawtry Leisure Centre and Ramsey Leisure C entres are only 20m in length. In addition, the learner pool at St Neots Leisure Centre is only 20m long. The impact of including this water space in the supply and demand assessment reduces the deficit to 578. 67 sq m (2. 7 4 lane x 25m pools) in 2008, and 858. 19 sq m (4. 1 4 lane x 25m pools) by 2021. Despite the fact that the three pools above are less than 20m in length, they provide very important and well-used facilities for the local community, and therefore should be adequately reflected in assessing current supply of swimming pools. The reduction in deficit is also important as this facilitates consideration of the extensive commercial pool provision in the District, which, while not being accessible to many of the population because there is a requirement to pay a membership fee, quite obviously does provide for a percentage of the local community, who can, or who choose to, afford this membership fee. Therefore in relation to the current level of provision, it is considered that the deficit of 5. 1 4 lane x 25m pools (which equates to 2. 5 8 lane x 25m pools) is adequately addressed by other local provision of water space. This is through the commercial facilities, and also swimming pools at three other local schools – Godmanchester, Hinchingbrooke, and Kimbolton. It is also important to stress that the existing HDC pools do not currently operate at full capacity; this is due to a number of factors including accessibility, quality and condition. Whilst dual-use facilities provide significant potential for effective operational management because they are used for both curriculum delivery and community use, access is restricted during the day to the community. This means that potential users may choose to access other provision they know is open, or they may not swim at all. A further factor is that dual-use facilities have intensive use because they are used for curriculum delivery and community use and therefore over time this can impact on their quality and condition. Although there are significant pockets of deprivation in the District, Huntingdonshire is a relatively affluent area which is reflected by the level of commercial sports facility provision in the towns; given the possible perceived accessibility issues with HDC facilities local residents may be choosing to swim at these facilities, or elsewhere, rather than in HDC facilities. Having examined the possible reasons for the fact that HDC swimming pools do not currently operate at full capacity, it is critical to stress that this current position does not provide a reason not to provide the level of water space required in the District in the future. In terms of future deficits in water space, it is predominantly the growth in population, and specifically that around the St Neots area, that increases demand, and therefore demonstrates a deficit. If the same argument is applied as above, the actual deficit in future supply of water space is (6. 5 4 lane x 25m pool – 5. 1 4 lane x 25m pool), which equates to 1. 4 of a 4 lane x 25m pool. On this basis, it is suggested that there will be a need to provide 1 additional 6 lane x 25m pool, possibly on the site of the new secondary school to be developed in St Neots, to cater for the growth in population. It is important to state that the supply and demand modelling above is based on a level of supply to provide for a number of people; whilst adult participation rates are high in the District existing pools are ot always full to capacity, which indicates that people take part in a range of activities other than swimming. However, the assessment of supply and demand clearly shows t hat pay and play accessibility is an issue in relation to quality water space in the District, and this is likely to be exacerbated by the growth in population. Demand for swimming will increase, and there will be a need for additional provision in St Neots by 2021. Given the specific location of the majority of the District’s future growth ie east of the railway line in St Neot’s, there is potential to consider the provision of a new swimming pool alongside other community facilities. Given the scale of the residential development, it is likely that there will be a new secondary school in this area and co-location (not dual-use) of a swimming facility on the same site may provide a practical option for future provision. Co-location is suggested to address some of the previously identified factors associated with accessibility to dual-use provision. Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sports Halls There is almost sufficient actual sports hall in the District at the present time; the issue is that all existing facilities are not available on a pay and play basis (only 16 of the total existing 49 courts (all courts in the District) are available for pay and play access). Opening up community pay and play access at existing facilities is a priority, before any additional facilities are built. In 2008, there would be no deficit in sports hall provision if if accessibility is improved at those facilities where community access is currently limited, and all existing courts were available for pay and play access.. By 2021, this sufficiency has decreased to 7. 75 courts ie nearly 2 x 4 badminton court sports hall, if it is again assumed that existing hall accessibility is improved, and all courts in the District are accessible for pay and play usage. The provision of two additional sports halls, one, potentially at St Neots, would be required to address this deficit. Given the comments from the clubs in relation to ccessing existing public sports hall provision, and the existing deficit in accessible provision, there is a need to retain existing levels of sports hall in the District, and indeed seek to open up additional facilities. The proposals to extend fitness suites at Huntingdon and St Neots Leisure Centres will actually reduce existing accessible pay and play sports hall provision, and therefore increase the identified deficit moving forward. Health and Fitness In terms of fitness stations, there are currently sufficient fitness stations in the District, across all providers to meet community demand; the same is true by 2021. It is the accessibility to this provision that is the critical issue, given that a significant level of existing facilities is operated commercially. However, there are also public facilities operated by HDC and other facilities available on Kimbolton and Hinchingbrooke Schools; the challenge is to ensure that these facilities operate pricing policies which are inclusive, whilst reflecting the need to levy a membership fee to facilitate health and safety controls in terms of access. Only members who have passed an induction are allowed to use fitness facilities. Indoor Bowls There is sufficient current supply of indoor bowls rinks to meet both current and future need (to 2021). Current provision is located centrally in Huntingdon and in St Neots and is within 20-30 minutes drivetime of the rest of the District. ATPs There is a need to provide additional ATPs to meet both current and future demand. additional facilities are required in the District now, which should be full size, floodlit, and be either sand based (principally for hockey, given that there is a general lack of such surfaces on the outskirts of Cambridge, which means the City is inundated with demand for hockey, which it currently struggles to accommodate), or if demand for additional football can be demonstrated, 3G. By 2021 there is a need for 4 additional ATP facilities. Given that there are three planned developments of new ATP facilities in the next 12 months in the District, in reality there will be a deficit of just one ATP by 2021. In developing new ATP provision, it will be important to address the current spatial deficiencies of this type of facility in the north of the District. The implementation of BSF may provide the opportunity to address this deficit in eg Sawtry. Key Issues and Challenges Based on the analysis of current provision, and the district context, there are a number of emerging key issues and challenges to be considered in developing the Huntingdonshire Sports Facilities Strategy. These include: †¢ †¢ Current deficits in provision, which will only increase as the local population increases; increasing participation will also have an impact on the demand for supply of swimming, sports hall and fitness station provision which is already insufficient, due to both quantitative and accessibility deficiencies. Facility condition ongoing investment in the existing HDC facilities to maintain and improve provision. Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Facility Design – the design of some existing facilities could be improved to meet the needs of the local population, and specifically the needs of users with a disability. It is also important to consider alternative forms of provision, or perhaps less traditional type facilities, particularly to appeal to younger participants, where participation rates are lower in the District. Population Growth – this rapid growth over the next few years will increase the demand levels for sports facilities, particularly in and around St Neots. Drive to increase participation given the current Government targets for increasing participation in sport and physical activity, and the existing high activity rates in the District, the continued provision of accessible, fit for purpose and quality sports facilities is a clear priority for HDC and its stakeholder partners Increasing Participation amongst Younger People ie 16-34 years – given that this group has low levels of active participation in sport and physical activity, it is important to ensure that future provision reflects, and responds to, their needs Accessibility eg school facilities, daytime pools, sports halls; it is outside the control of HDC to open up school sites for community use. This approach needs to be undertaken in partnership with the County Council. Commercial sector provision – there is a significant level of commercial health and fitness provision in the District, some of which is of a better quality than the public sector facilities, however, it is not always accessible to those more deprived communities due to the cost of membership fees Strategic Recommendations Based on the analysis and findings of the sports facility strategy, the following recommendations are made in terms of future sports facility provision in the District: Recommendation 1 The priorities for future sports facility provision are accepted as: Current Needs †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The theoretical deficiency in accessible water space; this can be addressed by increasing access to existing pool facilities on education sites and those operated commercially The deficiency in accessible sports hall provision; this could be addressed by opening up and extending community pay and play access to existing facilities, predominantly on school sites. The future implementation of BSF may also be an important factor in this in the future. The need to retain, not lose existing sports hall space operated through the public sector. The need to ensure fitness provision is accessible ie affordable, through appropriate partnerships with the commercial sector, pricing and programming policies The provision of additional ATPs (3 planned) and specifically the deficit of this type of facility in the north of the District. Future Needs †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The theoretical deficiency in accessible water space; this can be addressed by increasing access to existing pool facilities on education sites and those operated commercially The deficiency in accessible sports hall provision; this could be addressed by opening up and extending community pay and play access to existing facilities, predominantly on school sites. The future implementation of BSF may also be an important factor in this in the future. The need to ensure fitness provision is accessible ie affordable, through appropriate partnerships with the commercial sector, pricing and programming policies The provision of 1 additional ATP and specifically the deficit of this type of facility in the north of the District. The need for 1 additional swimming pool in the St Neots area as a result of significant population growth. Facility condition ongoing investment in the existing HDC facilities to maintain and improve provision. Facility Design – the design of some existing facilities could be improved to meet the needs of the local population, and specifically the needs of disability users. Population Growth – this rapid growth over the next few years will increase the demand levels for sports facilities, particularly in and around St Neots. There are a number of options to consider in addressing the need for new sports facilities in St Neots including their co-location with other community provision eg a new secondary school. viii Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY †¢ †¢ †¢ Drive to increase participation given the current Government targets for increasing participation in sport and physical activity, and the existing high inactivity rates in the District, the continued provision of accessible, fit for purpose and quality sports facilities is a clear priority for HDC and its stakeholder partners Accessibility eg school facilities, daytime pools, sports halls Commercial sector provision – there is a significant level of commercial health and fitness provision in the District, some of which is of a better quality than the public sector facilities, however, it is not always accessible to those more deprived communities due to cost Recommendation 2 Increasing Access Given that there are actually sufficient sports hall facilities in the District to meet demand, but they are not all accessible, the option of negotiating increased community access should also be considered as a priority. Recommendation 3 BSF Given the identified deficiencies in pay and play accessible sports facility provision across the District it is recommended that opportunities for partnership with BSF, FE/HE and other strategic partners are supported by HDC to maximise participation opportunities for the Huntingdonshire community. The opportunities through BSF are particularly important for the north of the District. Recommendation 4 Local Standards The following Local Standards for future core community sports facility provision are adopted by HDC: Quantity Table 3 Local Standards of Provision FACILITY TYPE Sports Hall (4 badminton Court) Swimming Pool (4 lane x 25m) Fitness Stations(20+ gym) Indoor Bowls ATPs Local Standards of Provision per 1000 population 51. 20 sq m 10. 96 sq m 3. 6 stations 0. 05 rink 0. 04 ATPs (based on 1 pitch (100m x 64m per 25,000 population) Quality The future standard of provision for new facilities should be: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The sports facilities are to be designed to a minimum playing standard of ‘fit for purpose’ depending on the terminology of the various national governing sporting bodies and Sport England Guidance. External elevations to utilise high quality, low maintenance finishes, and be sympathetic to the surrounding environment. Finishes being robust and suitable for location and use. Building fabric and services to be cost effective with low maintenance. First major maintenance to structure to be 50 years. Life expectancy of materials used to external elevations to be 25 years minimum (excluding routine maintenance). Sustainable, being responsible to environmental issues in terms of the use of energy and non-sustainable resources and the control of pollution. Use of environmentally friendly and sustainable building services and building materials to be maximised. Materials to be recyclable where possible. Services to be essentially economic and environmentally friendly, which allow cost in use to be minimised. The use of natural ventilation to be maximised. Full life cycle cost analysis will be required when considering the building fabric and services Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 ix EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Accessibility †¢ New sports facility provision should be located within a 20 minute walk time of its immediate catchment area, and where possible, should be linked to existing community provision eg education site All sports facility provision should be within a 20 minute drive time of its surrounding catchment area, and where possible and appropriate, depending on the nature of provision, should be located adjacent to other community provision, to facilitate access and reduce the overall need for travel around the District Recommendation 5 Retention of Sports Hall Space Given the lack of accessible sports hall provision in the District, it is recommended that careful consideration be given to reducing the available pay and play space further, unless other arrangements are made to increase access at other existing facilities. Recommendation 6 Partnership It is recommended that HDC seek to work in partnership wherever possible to address the identified deficiencies in sports facility provision. Key partners at local level will be education, local sports clubs, health services, NGBs and programmes such as BSF. This approach reflects HDC’s role as an enabler at local level. Recommendation 7 St Neots Area The opportunities and options for delivering new sports facilities in the growth area around St Neots need to be carefully considered, to ensure new facilities complement and do not compete with, existing HDC provision. HDC should seek to work in partnership, particularly with education, in the development of new sports facilities to facilitate co-located provision at the heart of the new community. Funding options to deliver the new facilities include growth area funding, S106, HDC capital, a private sector partnership and potentially external grant support. Recommendation 8 Participation in Sport and Physical Activity The provision of opportunities for participation in sport and physical activity across the District should be supported as a key priority given its potential to contribute positively to improved health, reduced obesity and social inclusion. Given the increasing issue of CHD, youth obesity, and the high level of smoking in the District, the role that active participation can play in improving health is critical. Appropriate resources should continue to be made available to improve awareness of provision, increase accessibility and deliver sport development programmes to increase and retain participation. Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Executive Summary March 2008 x SECTION I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Introduction 1. Strategic Leisure Limited (Strategic Leisure) was appointed by Sport England East in June 07 to develop a County Sports Facility Strategy for Cambridgeshire, covering Peterborough City Cou ncil, Huntingdonshire District (parts of) and Fenland District. SLL was asked to develop this work given the research and analysis undertaken to prepare the regional Sports Facilities Strategy (‘Creating Active Places’), which has informed this strategy. This draft strategy covers the analysis and findings relating to Huntingdonshire District sports facility provision. This strategy will be incorporated into the final County Sports Facility Strategy, together with the analysis for Peterborough and Fenland, and the update of the Cambridgeshire Horizons Report (2006) (Major Sports Facilities Strategy). 1. 2 1. 3 Rationale for the Huntingdonshire Sports Facilities Strategy 1. Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) identified the need for a sports facility strategy to assist in guiding the future provision of a range of sports facilities in the District. The need for a clear and prioritised framework for future investment in sports facility provision is particularly critical given the likely need for additional provision as a result of population growth in the District, and specifically in the St Neots area, and the need for ongoing investment in the existing infrastructure. The development of the sports facilities strategy also provides the opportunity to assess the condition of existing provision, and whether it is appropriate to meet local needs and demand and to ensure that potential new provision helps to address any current deficiencies – quantitative or qualitative. In addition, there is a need to ensure that the appropriate quantity and quality of facilities are provided to facilitate increased participation (Government agenda), and improve the health of the local community. It is important to stress that this strategy focuses on community sports facility provision and the needs for provision both now and into the future. The District also has a significant sporting infrastructure which includes provision for activities such as golf, sailing etc, and a large number of individual sports clubs. These are very important to facilitate increased participation, and encourage people to become involved in activity on a regular basis. Given the nature of the District, which is a combination of the four main towns of Huntingdon, Ramsey, St Neots and St Ives, smaller villages and more rural areas there is also a need to ensure that sports facilities are accessible throughout the District. There are two main factors which are particularly relevant to the future provision of sports facilities; these are the future implementation of the Building Schools for the Future Programme (BSF) in the District, and the significant area of population growth around St Neots. This strategy will be used to guide and inform the nature and extent of resources, financial and operational, which are needed to ensure that Huntingdonshire has up to date, fit for purpose, accessible and welcoming sports facilities for the existing community, people working in, or visiting the District, and any new residents in the District. 1. 5 1. 1. 7 1. 8 1. 9 1. 10 Strategy Scope 1. 11 1. 12 The focus of this strategy is indoor sports facilities (swimmin g pools, sports halls, health and fitness facilities, indoor bowls), and Artificial Turf Pitches (ATPs). . The Strategy considers existing and planned facilities incorporating: †¢ †¢ †¢ Local authority leisure centres Voluntary sector sports clubs Private sector facilities Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 1 SECTION I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND †¢ Secondary schools that will be/are being re-built or re-furbished under PFI or the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme Strategy Drivers 1. 3 The key drivers for the Strategy are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The need to plan strategically and ensure sustainability of future provision The Local Development Framework (LDF), and Supplementary Planning Documents setting out expectations for S106 contributions from developers towards current and future sports facility provision The priorities and objectives for the Sustainable Community Strategy The need to identify what provision is needed in St Neots given the significant population increases planne d for this area of the District The need to identify how best to provide for those living in rural areas, where accessibility to sports facilities is more limited The need to increase participation at local level Opportunities for partnerships – Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Schools, National Governing Bodies (NGBs), Sports Clubs etc. N. B The feedback from NGBs reflects that gained in the development of ‘Creating Active Places’ and the Cambridgeshire County Strategy. 1. 4 This approach to the future strategic planning of sports facilities will continue to be important for the District given a number of significant factors at local level, such as: PARTICIPATION LEVELS †¢ The current high levels of participation in sport and physical activity in the District over 50% of all Huntingdonshire residents aged 16+ participate in physical activity (participation is higher in Huntingdonshire than in England) †¢ The Hinchingbrooke School Sports Partnership is now established, and worki ng towards the targets set for the provision of 2 hours of PE for children under 16 plus 2/3 hours of participation in after school sports and physical activity HEALTH CHALLENGES †¢ Relatively high incidences of cancer †¢ Growing incidence of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) †¢ Relatively high numbers of people smoking (1 in 5) †¢ The rate of admissions to hospital with alcohol specific conditions is less than the England average †¢ The need to ensure hat obesity, especially amongst young people, reduces †¢ The opportunity to harness the social aspects of sport and physical activity to address issues of social isolation †¢ The opportunity for active participation to contribute to maintaining higher life expectancy for the District’s population than the England average POPULATION GROWTH †¢ Significant growth in population in and around St Neots, to the south of the District Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 2 SECTION I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND PLANNING ISSUES †¢ The need to ensure investment in future provision of sports facilities, and the potential to achieve this through identification of priorities which inform the Local Development Framework (LDF) The need to develop Local Standards of provision to inform and guide future S106 contributions from developers Huntingdonshire District – A Profile 1. 15 Huntingdonshire is a rural area o f nearly 350 sq miles and is located within the County of Cambridgeshire. Historically it was a county in its own right. The population is around 168,200 with half living in the four market towns of Huntingdon (population 19,910), St Neots (population 26,230), St Ives (population 15,860) and Ramsey (population 6,070), with the remaining residents distributed within key settlements and rural villages. The District has two rivers running through it, the River Great Ouse through the market towns (except Ramsey) and the River Nene to the north. The Districts market towns and villages reflect the areas history associated with both Roman and Anglo Saxon settlements. The District has excellent transport links to the A1 and A14, which in turn links to the M1, M11, and M6. The District has a high level of out-commuting at around 35%. The council along with other districts, county council, EEDA and GO East is part of the local ‘infrastructure partnership’ to deliver the Government’s sustainable communities plan in the Cambridge sub region. Huntingdonshire’s current strategies look at addressing the negative effects of isolation ensuring that all residents, irrespective of their location, can access culture and cultural services. The majority of housing and economic growth has been, and will continue to be, located within the district’s largest towns of Huntingdon and St Neots, although HDC has also planned development in other market towns such as St Ives and Ramsey. 1. 16 1. 17 1. 18 1. 19 1. 20 Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 3 SECTION I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1. 21 The map below shows the District and its main population settlements: Summary 1. 22 Huntingdonshire is a rural area with four main settlements. Although no more than 12 miles apart in terms of distance, the nature of the district means that accessibility to community provision, including sports facilities, is a challenge. Current sports facility provision is situated in each of the main settlements to overcome this issue. There is a need to consider how those living in the rural areas can best be provided with participative opportunities. Sports facility provision in the District is well thought of (comment in Huntingdonshire Cultural Strategy 2007), but there is a continuing need for capital investment just to maintain the Council’s existing five leisure centres. There are potential partnership opportunities for new provision through the education sector, and also linked to the growth agenda. 4 1. 23 Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 SECTION II –STRATEGIC CONTEXT National Context 2. The national context which informs the overall need for a strategic approach to the future planning of sports facilities at local level is summarised in Table 1, Appendix 3; this demonstrates the Government priorities in relation to health, physical activity and increa sing participation. Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 5 SECTION II –STRATEGIC CONTEXT Local Context Review of Strategic Documents 2. 2 The local context for the development of the sports facility strategy is summarised below. Given the clear focus on improving health and overall quality of life in the District, there is potential for provision of sport and physical activity to play a key role in contributing to the achievement of these local objectives. Local Authority Huntingdonshire District Council Strategic Document Huntingdonshireâ€Å"Growing successCorporate Plan 2007/8† Vision / Main Aim(s): The Council’s Vision is for Huntingdonshire to become a place where future generations have a good quality of life and enjoy: †¢ Continued economic success †¢ Opportunities for all †¢ An environment that is protected and improved The Council’s aims for the community are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ A clean, green and attractive place Housing that meets the local need Safe, vibrant and inclusive communities Healthy living Access to services and transport A strong diverse economy Key Priorities Priorities stemming from these aims: Community: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Enable provision of affordable housing Achieve low level of homelessness Lower carbon emissions Improve access to Council services Promote healthy lifestyle choice Promote development opportu nities in and around market towns Enhance public, community and specialist transport into and around the market towns Other Relevant Info Council: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Make performance management more effective and transparent Re-balance saving and spending to ensure resources are available to achieve council priorities Reduce number of car journeys to work by employees Build new operations centre and headquarters Be an employer people want to work for. The Council’s Corporate Aims are: †¢ Improve systems and practices †¢ Learn and develop †¢ Maintain sound finances Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 6 SECTION II –STRATEGIC CONTEXT Local Authority Huntingdonshire District Council Strategic Document Open Space, Sport Recreation Needs Assessment Audit (August 2006) Vision / Main Aim(s): Section 7 – Outdoor Sports Key Priorities Overview of findings:†¢ Overall, the most common travel method for visiting outdoor sports facilities is walking (50. 1%), followed by car 38. 8%. The most frequent travel time to the facility was between five and ten minutes (37%), followed by between 11 and 14 minutes (29%). Consultation highlights that there is a relatively even distribution of outdoor sports facilities across the district, with a large proportion owned and managed by Parish Councils. The majority of use of the outdoor sports facilities within Huntingdonshire District is by formal clubs, and there is relatively little casual use of pitches. Provision of tennis and bowls within Huntingdonshire is predominately focused around the club structure, with most facilities in club ownership or leased to clubs. Consultation suggests that access to training facilities is a key issues, with only limited slots available at synthetic pitches for clubs wishing to train midweek. Other Relevant Info The Cambridge sub-region is the fastest growing area in the country. This significant increase in population will have far reaching consequences and will place demands on infrastructure and capacity of local services e. g. health services, transport and leisure facilities. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Section 8 – Playing Pitch Strategy The key areas of this part of the study included:†¢ Analysing the current level of pitch Overall, the research methods outlined identified 237 playing pitches in the District (all known public, private, school and other pitches). They compromise: †¢ 88 adult football pitches Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 7 SECTION II –STRATEGIC CONTEXT Local Authority Strategic Document Vision / Main Aim(s): provision within the District †¢ Assisting the Council in meeting playing pitch requirements †¢ Providing information for decision-making and future development proposals All calculations covered the following sports – association football, rugby, cricket, and hockey Key Priorities †¢ 54 junior football pitches †¢ 14 mini soccer pitches †¢ 43 cricket pitches †¢ 7 adult rugby pitches †¢ 7 junior rugby pitches †¢ 1 junior rugby league pitch †¢ 7 adult grass hockey pitches †¢ 19 synthetic turf pitches Research showed that Huntingdonshire has a good number of football, cricket and hockey pitches for formal adult use in comparison to the national average. Huntingdonshire Cultural Strategy 2007 2010 To enhance the quality of life and ensure that all of Huntingdonshire’s residents have the opportunity to pursue a wide range of highquality, sustainable cultural activities that fully reflect the diverse needs of the district THEME 1 Improve access to culture and leisure opportunities THEME 2 Develop and improve life-long learning THEME 3 Develop vibrant communities which are safer, healthier, cohesive and economically sustainable Other Relevant Info Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 8 SECTION II –STRATEGIC CONTEXT Local Demographic Profile 2. 2 A review of local demographics is important to: †¢ †¢ †¢ 2. 3 Assess whether local facilities, often built some time ago, are located in the right place in relation to key population settlements Identify where there is likely to be population growth and additional demand for facilities Review the local population profile to identify particular inequalities e. g. health within Huntingdonshire It is also important to consider the demographic make up of the District as key demographic and socio-economic characteristics are known to influence demand characteristics. For example certain age-groups are known to register higher participation rates in a number of sport and leisure activities; deprived communities often experience issues relating to access to services and opportunities; cultural backgrounds may result in some passive and active recreation pursuits being favoured over others; car ownership levels can impact on the range of facilities that can be accessed. A brief review of the key demographics (Source Census 2001 data) for the area shows that: Overall population: According to 2004 based population data (Government Actuary Department (GAD)) published in October 2007, the 2007 population for the District is 168,200, increasing to 188,400 by 2021. The GAD figures have been used as the basis for supply and demand modelling to inform the sports facilities strategy. The age structure of Huntingdonshire’s population is very similar to the averages for England in terms of the proportion of the population aged between 20 and 50 years. Huntingdonshire has a higher proportion of children, teenagers and adults aged 0-14, and 30-54 and a lower proportion of those aged 54 and over. 24. 4% of the population are aged between 30-44. Ethnicity. Huntingdonshire’s ethnic mix is the same as the national average with some 97% describing themselves as white. The next largest ethnic group (2. 8%) in Huntingdonshire is from black and minority ethnic groups (BME). Deprivation Indices. Huntingdonshire District is a predominantly prosperous area, benefiting from higher than average earnings, low unemployment and crime. However, the 2007 Indices of Deprivation show that of the 20% most deprived wards in Cambridgeshire, 11 are now in Huntingdonshire. These are Super Output Areas of which the most severe area of deprivation is Huntingdon North ward. The population density in Huntingdonshire is lower than the England average of 3. 87 (Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for 2005). This reflects the rural aspect of the area. 2. 4 2. 5 2. 6 2. 7 2. 8 2. 9 2. 10 Car Ownership –4% more households in the District have access to 2 or more cars than the England average. This very high rate reflects the rural nature of the District. Education Despite the District’s relative prosperity, in 2004 15% of school leavers left education with no qualifications; 25% of 16-74 year olds in the District have no formal qualifications. Department of Health – Local Authority Profile 2. 11 Local authority health profiles are designed to show the health of people in each local authority area, and include comparisons with other similar populations. Profiles are produced by Public Health Observatories and are updated annually. With other local information e. g. Community Plans, Local Area Agreements, these profiles demonstrate where action can be taken to improve people’s health and reduce inequalities. Key points extracted from the 2007 profiles covering Cambridgeshire include: Huntingdonshire †¢ †¢ It is estimated that in Huntingdonshire 1 adult in 4 eats healthily and 1 in 6 binge drinks. Although estimated smoking rates are below average, 1 adult in 5 still smokes Life expectancy for both men and women is higher than the England average 2. 12 Huntingdonshire District Sports Facility Strategy Draft Report March 2008 9 SECTION II –STRATEGIC CONTEXT †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Rates of early deaths from cancer are similar to those in England but have shown no improvement in trends over the last 4 years The rate of admission to hospital with alcohol specific conditions is lower than the England average CHD is a growing problem in the District Obesity levels, particularly amongst young people are also a growing issue Summary 2. 3 Huntingdonshire District is relatively affluent, but has small pockets of deprivation. There are high levels of employment and average wages are higher than other parts of the county, although some younger people lack formal qualifications. Life expectancy is high, and compared to some of the other more rural and urban areas, there are fewer serious health issues, with the exception of a growing incidence of CHD, and relatively high rates of cancer, experienced by the population. The District has a large younger population, and a high proportion of 30-44 year olds; this profile is important for sports provision, as individuals tend to be more active when younger.

Terrorist Attacks Causes and Effects

Terrorist Attacks Causes and Effects Introduction In recent years, terrorist attacks have increased enormously. According to Paul Wilkinson in his book â€Å"Terrorism Versus Democracy: The Liberal State Response† (2011), terrorism still remains a serious problem for the international community; during the years 2006 to 2009 over 60% of the countries in the world experienced terrorist attacks. Defining terrorism has been an intimidating task to do, over hundreds of definitions were made across a number of academic fields, and still there has been no progress in providing an internationally accepted definition. Terrorism can be defined as the threat or usage of violence for political, religious or ethical purposes that influence the attitudes and behavior of a certain group of people to accomplish their objectives (Rapoport and Alexander, eds.1982). This definition was generated by David Rapoport and Yonah Alexander in their book â€Å"The Rationalization of Terrorism† which was published in the year 1982 as a simple definition of terrorism. Throughout the years, terrorism has been a highly complex phenomenon that is constantly changing, and that is affected by many factors, as the word itself is a very broad topic which is associated with a wide variety of groups, and I believe that this is the reason why the international community was unable to come up with a com bined definition. Wilkinson (2011) writes that some people ban the word terrorism and would rather call people who use terrorism as a weapon as â€Å"freedom fighters†, â€Å"holy warriors† or â€Å"revolutionaries†, depending on the cause they are fighting for. Even according to the Scholar Dr.Dipak Gupta, terrorism is nearly impossible to define. In this literature review, I will first present an overview of the existing literature on the topic of causes of terrorist attacks, underlining the main positions and sources of disagreement. Building on this, I will then identify gaps in the literature on the topic in order to see how my future research could have an added value. Finally, after narrowing down the topic, I will present specific research questions that I believe would be fruitful to explore further. Overview of research by key scholars I aim to investigate and analyze the root and trigger causes of terrorism, by providing an overview of the main literature on this topic, and based on this literature review, a comprehensive list of concrete factors is presented to demonstrate the causes of terrorism. It is always a necessity to search for the causes and causality in every social science, because of the need to understand a particular phenomenon. Moreover, when we deal with undesirable occurrences and incidents, we usually seek to understand the why and how questions in order to develop appropriate measures and variables. In this section, I will try to differentiate between root causes and trigger causes, which according to Martha Crenshaw (1981) root causes (or preconditions) are the factors that occur over the long run, and trigger causes (or precipitants) are factors that occur immediately in a specific event. Terrorism is a study that has extended across several fields including political science, sociology, crim inology, psychology and history, and what researchers have tried to do is to build our awareness to further develop our understanding of this phenomena. Unfortunately, the only outcome of this awareness was to raise more questions than to provide answers. The root causes of terrorism Although studies of this phenomenon have been taking place since the 1960’s, the number of publications that directly talk about the root causes or the preconditions are very limited. In his book â€Å"Terrorists, Victims and Society: Psychological Perspectives on Terrorism and its Consequences† (2003), Andrew Silke states that although there have been numerous publications about terrorism, its research has not reflected any improvements in quality, and despite proliferation of academic studies in the field, there have been no improvement or progress in this area. Andrew Silke (2001) also pointed out that although there has been recent research on terrorism, only 20% of the published articles provide new knowledge on the subject, while the rest of the published articles are repeating and reworking old data. It is said that countries with intermediate range of political freedom are usually more prone to terrorism than countries that have high levels of political freedom (Alberto Abadie, 2004). Many geographic factors also affect and are important to endure terrorist activities. According to Abadie’s dataset on terrorist risk and attacks worldwide, it has been estimated that political freedom has a non-monotonic effect on terrorism. He therefore observed that there is an increase in terrorism for countries in transition from authoritarian regimes to democracies (Alberto Abadie, 2004:11). One of the most cited publications on the causes of terrorism is the article written by Martha Crenshaw under the title of â€Å"The causes of terrorism† (1981), highlighting the difficulties of finding general explanations for terrorism and distinguishing different types of variables. Crenshaw distinguishes and separates the variables into 3 groups: strategic, structural and psychological, and she emphasizes that the main idea of terrorism is an invention of rational political choice. According to Crenshaw, terrorism is the result of a decision made by an organization to oppose a government; it is seen as a logical way to fulfill desires (Crenshaw, 1981: 385). Despite the fact that Crenshaw’s article offers a lot of ideas to further research, and that her article was cited by others, only few scholars have been challenged to bring our main understanding of the causes of terrorism to a more advanced and higher level. Twelve years after Crenshaw’s article, Jeffrey Ian Ross wrote another influential article under the name: â€Å"Structural Causes of Oppositional Political Terrorism: Towards a Causal Model† (1993), he also identified three variables that causes terrorism similar to the ones of Crenshaw, namely structural and psychological causes, and rational choice. Another scholar, Dipak Gupta (2005), has tried to understand and research why people engage in terrorist actions in the name of groups that represent a certain ethnicity, ideology, religion or nationalism. His arguments are basically rooted in economic and socio-psychological dimensions of human motivations, where he states that the link between economic factors and socio-political factors such as poverty†¦etc and terrorism is weak. Gupta also states that â€Å"political violence takes place when a leader gives voice to the frustration by formulating a well-defined social construction of collective identity and paints in vivid colour the image of ‘us’ and ‘them’† (2005:19). This means in other words that the political, economic and religious frustration are not alone the causes that lead to terrorism, there must have been root causes that remain hidden until a trigger mechanism is activated, which then leads to outbreak of violence and terrorist attacks. We have seen that scholars have expanded the research on root causes to terrorism, building on what Crenshaw has found, but yet not produced any new approaches towards terrorism, but expanded the elements of socio-economic causation and other factors, especially Gupta. After giving an overview for some of the scholars about theoretical approaches, I will be listing here some of the concrete root causes of terrorism. The list that I am about to present is not an inclusive list of the root causes, and is not to represent a comprehensive set of the root causes, but to identify the multiplicity of causal factors that usually contribute to terrorism. The causes are derived from the publication by Randy Borum (2003) under the title Psychology of Terrorism. First cause could be that lack of democracy, rule of law and civil liberties are conditions for many forms of domestic terrorism. We therefore identify that the most democratic states and societies have the lowest level of oppositional violence. As Crenshaw states â€Å"Democracy and terrorism are not polar opposites: saying yes to democracy, unfortunately, does not mean saying no to terrorism† (Club de Madrid, 2005: 14) Second cause is rapid modernization and urbanization in the form of high economic growth has also been found to correlate strongly with the emergence of ideological terrorism, but not with the ethno-nationalist terrorism. An example of this cause given by Borum is when a country faces sudden wealth, e.g. from oil, and they experience changes from tribal to high-tech societies during one generation or even less sometimes (Borum, 2003:5). Third cause is historical antecedents of political violence, revolutions, civil wars, dictatorships or even occupation may lower the threshold for acceptance of political violence and terrorism and obstruct the development of non-violent norms among all the segments of the society.an example of this could be, when children are brought up in a society that believes in and celebrates martyrdom, revenge and hatred of other ethnic groups, then it is likely to increase their willingness to commit or support a terrorist act when they grow up (Borum, 2003:5). Fourth cause is the repression by foreign occupation or by colonial powers; this has given rise to many national liberation movements that have pursued recourse in terrorist strategies and other political means (Borum, 2003:5). Last but not least, the fifth cause is the experience of discriminating people on the basis of their ethnic origins or religious backgrounds, is the chief root cause of ethno-nationalist terrorism. When minority people are being deprived from their basic social and economic rights, such as not allowing them to use their language or practice their religion, this can make them commit terrorism and other forms of violence. Psychological research on the causes of terrorism Many scholars have tried to identify different causes of terrorist attacks by focusing on the psychological factor of each individual or the groups itself. A researcher named Jerrold Post was one of the few who analysed the psycho-logic thinking of the individuals who were involved in terrorist attacks, in his article under the title â€Å"The Radical Group in Context: 1. An integrated framework for the analysis of group risk of terrorism† (2002). Post was able to criticize those who think of terrorism as a course of action, and he also argued that the political terrorists commit terrorist crimes or acts of violence because of psychological factors, and that their psycho-logic is created to justify acts they commit psychologically (1990:25). The scholar Marc Sagemen also contributes to the research on psychological causes in his book â€Å"Understanding terror networks† (2004). Sagemen contests the conventional causes often given to explain why a person participates in terrorism, such as poverty, trauma and ignorance, and highlights the importance of social bonds and networks in inspiring individuals’ terrorist activities. His research is unique as such as it is based on personal meetings with Islamic fundamentalists and it therefore brings some new understanding to the field. If we want to talk about empirical analyses of the causes of terrorism, we can refer to a very interesting study by Alan Krueger and Jitka Maleckova under the title â€Å"Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is there a Causal Connection?† (2003). Based on their article, Krueger and Maleckova disprove the presence of a causal link between poverty or low education and terrorism in Israel/Palestine and in Lebanon. They also state that although the rational choice of participating in a terrorist attack can produce valuable insights, it does not produce a clear answer to the question whether more education and higher income would reduce participating in terrorist attacks (2003:120), their results that were tentative and exploratory, suggest that neither poverty nor education has a direct, causal impact on terrorism. Moreover, the study shows that the level of education of the individuals involved in terrorist attacks is higher than average, those who are wealthier and more educated ma y generate such feelings more intensely. Additionally, the background of the suicide terrorists covers all socio-economic layers of society, further reiterating that â€Å"economic theory is unlikely to give a very convincing answer one way or the other as to whether poverty or low education are important root causes of terrorism† (2003:123). The Trigger Causes of Terrorism We spoke earlier about the root causes of terrorism; in this section we will discuss the trigger causes of terrorism. The very first condition that could be considered as a direct cause of terrorism is the existence of concrete grievances among an identifiable subgroup of a larger population, example is ethnic minority discriminated against by the majority. Second cause terrorism is the lack of opportunity for being engaged politically (Borum, 2003:41). The trigger causes are usually unpredictable; it is usually due to certain government actions that a common pattern emerges for terrorism. Terrorist revenges can thus occur as a result of unexpected use of force by the government, a so-called â€Å"action-reaction syndrome† (Crenshaw 1981: 385). Generally speaking, some provocative events that call for revenge or action may trigger terrorist action, such as contested elections, peace talks, and police violence. The root and trigger causes I have mentioned above are just the most relevant causes that were based on scholarly literature, and with what we mentioned have been ranked from the most general or broad aspects to more specific factors. Gaps in literature on the topic In this section, I will try to identify some gaps that scholars have failed to discuss or identify, and that was missing in the past research on terrorism. One of the main and most important gaps to start with is the definition of the word terrorism, as I mentioned in the introduction, scholars have failed up to this date to come up with an international definition of terrorism, failure to develop a universally acceptable definition. I believe that if scholars fail to have a definition used by all, this will cause other scholars and countries to define terrorism according to the acts and violence attacks they experience. One other unsolved dilemma is whether the concept of political violence should be reserved for destructive harm intended to influence politics, or whether the concept should include any violence that has a political impact.