In what ways does Shakespeare create sympathy for Hamlet in the first two acts Essay Example

In what ways does Shakespeare create sympathy for Hamlet in the first two acts? Paper In what ways does Shakespeare create sympathy for Hamlet in the first two Acts? Hamlet is a revenge tragedy, typical of many plays written during the late Elizabethan era, such as Shakespeares Titus Andronicus and John Marstons Antonios Revenge. We thus expect the plot to follow a predetermined route, and although Hamlet initially appears to be the typical hero of an Aristotelian revenge tragedy, there are a variety of mostly unpredictable factors in the first two Acts which deviate the play from the norm in revenge tragedies, and consequently augment the sympathy which we have for the tragic hero- Hamlet. How is it that the clouds still hang on you? These seemingly caring words spoken by Claudius to Hamlet, when Hamlets character is first introduced in the play, bring to our knowledge the fact that Hamlet is troubled. Hamlet is grieving the death of his father, donning a nighted colour in both his mood and dressing, and as human beings who understand the pain of death, we pity him. We feel even greater compassion for him when we discover that he mourns his fathers death alone, for everyone else- including his mother Gertrude- appears to have ended their period of grieving. We will write a custom essay sample on In what ways does Shakespeare create sympathy for Hamlet in the first two acts? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on In what ways does Shakespeare create sympathy for Hamlet in the first two acts? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on In what ways does Shakespeare create sympathy for Hamlet in the first two acts? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is unusual how Gertrude seems to sweep over the subject of the death of his father, stating all that lives must die. Claudius negative attitude towards Hamlets grieving, using somewhat harsh and insulting adjectives like impious stubbornness, tis unmanly grief/ heart unfortified, a mind impatient evokes in us further feelings of pity towards Hamlet. Claudius makes Hamlets grief appear sinful, saying, Fie, tis a fault to heaven,/ A fault against the dead, a fault to nature. The repetition of fault and the alliteration in Fie, tis a fault places greater emphasis on how wrong Claudius interprets Hamlets actions to be. The use of lists of three also makes Hamlets wrongdoings seem endless, perhaps to make him feel guilty for grieving his father. Indeed it may have been a couple of months ago that King Hamlet died, and a seemingly lengthy time to wear black clothing in grief, but the idea that Hamlet has lost his father, is subject to Claudius ruthless words and is alone in his grieving makes us sympathise with him. Shakespeare creates even more sympathy for Hamlet in the audience through the worrying issue of his mothers marriage to Claudius. Hamlets father died merely two months ago, and Hamlet soliloquizes saying, ere those shoes were old/ With which she followed my poor fathers body/ Like Niobe married with my uncle Employing the image of shoes getting old and comparing his mother through a simile to Niobe (the mythical mother who wept for her slain fourteen children even after she was turned to stone), Hamlet emphasises how quickly things changed following the supposed intensity of his mothers grief. Hamlet, like other characters in the play, recognises the wicked speed with which the oerhasty marriage of his mother and uncle follows his fathers death. Horatio, later in the scene, confirms that they followed hard upon. It is also of further note that Gertrude does not get married to just anyone, but the brother of her dead husband. This could be regarded to an extent as incest and Hamlet refers to it with the image of incestuous sheets Hamlet is probably struggling to understand why his mother, who had loved his father so, would act in this manner. The situation results in his misogynist disposition, metaphorically saying, Frailty, thy name is woman and his consequent distrust of all women as can be interpreted from his treatment of Ophelia later in the play. The issue of succession to the throne of Denmark is also one which may arouse the suspicion of the audience on Hamlets behalf. Hamlets father was king of Denmark, and on his death, we would expect that Hamlet, as his son, would succeed him. On the contrary, Claudius is made king. Thus, not only do we share Hamlets sense of outrage at his fathers death, we are also pained that he does not wear the crown. However, it is important to note that the reason for Claudius succession is that Denmark, in fact, practised an elected monarchy rather than a hereditary one, and thus Claudius was elected as the next king. Roland Frye points out that this fact is kept from the audience by Shakespeare till the fifth act, so as to exploit dramatically an important point in official Elizabethan political doctrine- that armed resistance was unlawful in the case of a tyrannical hereditary monarchy, but not in an elected monarchy. Some critics argue that Claudius was elected by the people and deserving of the throne as he is an astute politician, shown by his sending of ambassadors Cornelius and Voltemand to resolve the conflict with Norway. Others argue, however, that Hamlet was absent during the elections for the next monarch following his fathers death, and thus was unfairly deprived of being crowned king. They believe had Hamlet been present he would have been elected King, as he was popular with the people, proven by Claudius statement later in Act 4 that Hamlet is loved of the distracted multitude.

Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Example

Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Example Letter from Birmingham Jail Paper Letter from Birmingham Jail Paper Essay Topic: Letter From Birmingham Jail Mr.. King uses many rhetorical situations and persuasive appeals. King writes this letter, In my opinion, to the audience of the American people. I feel the persuasive techniques, the structuring of sentence and the content expressed was Intended to force the American white middle class eyes open to the blatant disregard of the Supreme Courts decision of 1954 outlawing segregation In public schools. A short minded assessment of the letter may conclude that the deter was solely written as a response to a statement titled A Call for unity, made by eight white Alabama clergymen. Though his heartfelt vividly emotional accounts and the eloquent semblance of rhetoric Is addressed to My Dear Fellow Clergymen, It Is my opinion he composed the letter to be contemplated by a much larger audience. This paper will discuss the rhetorical triangle used by King In the form of ethos (ethics), pathos (emotional content) and logos (logic). Let us consider the ethos or ethical form of communicating to ones audience. Ethos Is fined as a rhetoric technique used to directly appeal to an authority in order to strengthen your argument. (Wisped. Org ). This form of written or verbal communication is used with ten Intention AT snowing ten reader Tanat ten speaker or writer NAS moral connecter. King uses ethos frequently in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. The reference that struck me the deepest was when King described the seemingly ethical use of written yet unjust laws by Adolph Hitler. King writes, We should never forget that everything Doll Hitler did in Germany was legal and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was illegal. It was illegal to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitters Germany. (King 4). This statement in Mr.. Kings letter serves to ask the eight clergymen to look into their own hearts and individually reflect on whether they are blind sheep following unjust laws directed toward the southern negro. I feel Kings ability to reference extreme ethical issues as a comparison to how the negro has been treated is a powerful tool to get his point across. Next lets discuss the logos or logical wedge of writing. Logos is defined as thought, speech, account, meaning, reasoning, proportion, principle, standard or logic. (Wisped. Org). Logic makes the writer or speaker seem prepared or knowledgeable. Logic is hard to manipulate; therefore it is more difficult to argue against. Logos is used throughout Kings letter although never more affective than in this statement, Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes Ana censures in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts f the case. ( King 1 ). Mr.. King pins his readers down with this statement like the pinning off wrestler to the mat tapping out for mercy because submission is the only recourse. His words are non- refutable, and the emotions attached to his statement are easily experienced by the reader. Pathos or the emotional content is the final but most effective method of communication. Pathos is the band-wagon ( wisped. Org ) approach to manipulating your reading to act in a certain fashion. The author attempts to have you Jump on his band-wagon thus joining the Ritter in the belief that this is a commonly held conviction. Pathos is used further along in a letter, story or article. I look at Pathos as the hook that is dug deep into your heart after the writers credibility has been established and your ethical emotional door has been opened ever so slightly. This next reference is by far the most effective rhetorical tool used by King, But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers mothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old gaunter winy she cant go to the public amusement park that has Just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Function is closed to colored children . This is only part of the emotional assault that King uses in an attempt to sway the reader to his side of the thinking fence. I think you would agree it is effective.

CASE STUDY ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

CASE STUDY ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM - Essay Example The initial observations showed. The patient was very cold, tachycardia with a pulse rate 100-105beats/minute, respiration 24-30/min, in respiratory distress and cyanosed. On auscultation had wheeze on both sides 4liters of oxygen was given. BP Systolic 84-80mmHg, dystolic65-62mmHg. He was complaining of back pain left side but no chest pain. The GP had been in to see him and thought it was abdominal pain and prescribed cocodamol. The patient was cachexic and pale. The working diagnosis for the ambulance crew was Dysphonic. ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTIMENT:- On arival vital signs 35 degree centrgrade,pulse122/min,respiration2/min, BP120/81mmHg. Blood sugar20.3mmol/L saturating oxygen 97%. On examination femoral pulse was absent. Rectal examination bowel was soft. The chest x-ray showed no focal mass. ECG showed ischemic changes of the heart. Blood gas was within normal. Abdominal x-ray showed partial gas with mega colon. Full blood count, urea and electrolyte and coagulation study were done. Urinalysis showed protein presence. NaCl 0.9% was given for low blood pressure. Morphine 10mg IV was given stat CT scan abdomen showed ruptured aortic and vascular atherosclerosis. Diagnosis of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm was made. The patient was explained the findings, consent obtained for surgery and he was prepared for Theatre. A preoperative check list was done and he was taken to theatre with all the documents. OPERATING THEATRE:-The surgeon inserted stent graft, which is a tube of conventional graft fabric containing two stent. Because the aneurysm was ruptured the patient received 470mls cell saver blood, 11units RCC, 1000mls gelofusine, 3000mls 0.9%normal saline, 1000mls20%mannitol, 1unit platelet. OPEN AND CLOSE SURGERY ANDVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES Abdominal aortic aneurysm is the swelling of the aorta. Aorta is the body's largest artery (the blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood). This artery extends from the heart down through the chest and abdominal region, where it divides into a blood vessel that supplies each leg. Although an aneurysm can develop anywhere along the aorta, most occur in the section running through the abdomen (abdominal aneurysms). Abdominal Aortic Aorta (AAA) can be treated by means of open surgery and the close or endovascular surgery. Open surgery The most common and widely used treatment for aneurysm is the open surgery. This includes the replacement of the swollen part of the aorta with artificial graft. The graft is made of material that does not wear out. It is sawn in place with a permanent suture material. The open surgery is done by making an incision depending on the location of the aneurysm. If the aneurysm is confined to the abdomen, then an incision either in the abdomen or on the side or flank may be used. The open surgery may cause a severe blood loss, greater trauma to the aorta and patient must stay in the intensive care for a longer time. This procedure is not recommended to patients who have high risk of complications. The surgery must be determined by the medical team before proceeding into the operation. Endovascular surgery or closed surgery In recent years, a treatment has been developed to repair an aneurysm without major surgery or an

Health Benefits of Yoga Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Benefits of Yoga - Essay Example Regular practice of Yoga helps cool the soul and is a way of relaxing the mind. People wonder how an exercise which is simple enough might help in modifying the breath of those who are under stress. The stress that a person accounts in his daily life makes him feel uneasy for the rest of the day or may be a few days. However Yoga can lessen feeling which is felt by a person when he is under stress. Thus it needs to be clarified at this point that Yoga is not a cure for stress, but is a way of lessening the feeling which makes a person feel uncomfortable. The basic exercise which is suitable for beginners as well as advanced students is called Nadi Shodhana, in other words sweet breath, which is a form of alternate nostril breathing. This exercise can be done before the start of Yoga or even when a person feels stressed out. This way of modified breathing is a useful way of relieving stress. The reduction of stress by diet, exercise and spiritual reorientation in life are achieved by doing Yoga. The main advice on the issue of diet given to a Yogic is that less intake of fat and spicy foods and high fiber is advised. The main benefits that can be ascertained are that due to a low fat diet there is a lesser chance of a heart disease. Further high fiber diets has its own benefits that is there is a lower chance of the development a diabetes mellitus and if a Yogic does have diabetes then a better sugar control would be present. As far as the spiritual reorientation in life is considered it has been said that a person who regularly does Yoga knows that it is more than exercise or in other words is a way of life and this recognition helps him in being compassionate to other human beings and it has been proved my modern research that such feelings are a key to achieve better health. It has also been proved that yoga decrease the muscle tone and allows a person to relax.Many surveys have pointed out to the fact that people who practice Yoga are less stressed and there fore has allowed them to live a life which is without breakdowns or anxiety. Therefore for quite a few people it has turned out to be a pleasant experience. Furthermore Yoga has proved to be beneficial in reducing the risk of many medical conditions which may occur otherwise. Some of the common problems are "hypertension, coronary atherosclerosis (heart disease), chronic neck and back pain, migraine, insomnia and depression"(Finger 14). The exercises done in Yoga help one to massage the internal organs so that they can function appropriately. The organs are developed after doing Yoga in such a way that they provide the body with such an environment that the person is able to relax. It not only develops the physique of a person but also makes the individuals possesses a stronger immune system. Not only this, research has also shown that diseases such chronic as diabetes mellitus can have a reduced effect because of doing the act of Yoga (Toth). The mental health of a person can also be stabilized after doing the practice of Yoga. Mental health through Yoga is stabilized by reducing the tension one has to go through and restoring the mental agility one possesses (Yoga-for-life). Meditation forms an important part of Yoga and this can be defined as "the process of attaining total awareness through the cessation of thought" (Budilovsky and Adamson 36). With the help

Town Quay development at Southampton Waterfront Assignment

Town Quay development at Southampton Waterfront - Assignment Example The area is considered as a prime location because of its panoramic view of the sea and the volume of business activity surrounding the area. Although it is currently being used as a car park, the business potential of the area is quite considerable. There is a need to comprehensively and meticulously plan how the development project will operate to avoid any problems that may make the venture a failure. One must always take into consideration that a comprehensive evaluation of local and government planning policies and guidelines should be undertaken to ensure that the project is harmonious with them. The main goal is that the development actually complements and benefits the surrounding area and addresses the needs of the community. In short, the project is to be undertaken with full regards to the community as a whole. It has long been recognized that this strategy is one determining factor in the financial viability and sustainability of the venture. In the development appraisal portion, an analysis is provided on the following: planning constraints, observable constraints, uncertain matters to be investigated, access and egress, neighbours and any other matters that are likely to influence the success of the development. A development plan is then provided that shows the layout for building massing, use and phasing, suggested storey heights, parking, landscaping, access and egress. We make use of an ordinance survey map to illustrate the scheme. Following this is an evaluation of how the development plans and the site appraisal fares with the aspirations of the local planning authority. It is also in this section where an analysis of how the scheme will fit in with the established property market, ABP's dock estate and the surrounding buildings. After all this, a residual valuation that analyzes the commercial viability is presented along with the provision of 3 options showing how ABP may obtain a return from the site. Section 1 - Appraisal of the Site Planning Constraints Local and government planning policies should be evaluated when planning for any development. Any project that fails to do this has a greater chance of failure as local laws are sufficient grounds for non-continuance of the project. In any case, we are developing the area for the local population and we don't want them to be alienated. In evaluating, there is a need to determine what construction practices and parameters are allowed on the area. For example, vertical structures may only have a

The Marketing Of Haier In Europe

The Marketing Of Haier In Europe Abstract In todays business world filled with kinds of opportunities, competitions and challenges, marketing is playing a more and more important role. Correspondingly, marketing strategy and marketing mix are also more and more crucial for a company to enter a certain market and to sell products, no matter it is a domestic or transnational one; meantime, they are also beneficial to take market share if used effectively. The Haier Group, with Haier Europe is a classic example that makes full use of the marketing strategy and marketing mix to achieve its marketing goals. The focus of this dissertation lay in the exploration of the marketing strategy and marketing mix of Haier Europe, of solutions to its current difficulties in launching their product portfolios there and of the implementation of its tactics in Europe. Section One Introduction As a professional tool used to analyze the market, understand customers, and present a product or a service to the potential benefits of customers thus persuading them to accept and buy it (Steinberg, 2005, p1), marketing is by no means common. In the right hands, it can be unlimited-powerful. This dissertation purposed to explore the marketing strategy and marketing mix of Haier Europe. On the base of datas collected, Haier is still struggling with many difficulties in launching their product portfolios there. In addition, it has entered the crucial strategic periodGlobal Branding. How to cope with current problems and to establish its tactics in Europe? The dissertation also aims to seek appropriate solutions to this pending issue. In terms, Haier, as a famous Chinese company incorporating in 1984 and a domestic who dare to go abroad, Haier performs remarkably in the respect of marketing. Since the 1990s, it has differentiated into related white, black and beige goods (Bell, 2008, p157). As Chinas ambassador to appliance stores worldwide, now Haier is the worlds 2nd largest white goods manufacturer making appliances under more than 90 product categories. Today, Haier is exporting its goods and selling them in more than 160 countries and regions such as North America, Europe and the Middle East etc.. After its first entering through Germany, now Haier is well-known in Europe, including United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden, where it obtained revenues of US ¼Ã¢â‚¬Å¾136m. In Europe, Haier target at the high-end market, and carried out its trilogyseeding, rooting and harvesting to create the localization of Haier brand (CRI online, 2004). The products Haier sells in Europe are refrigerators, freezers, top-load washing machines, home air conditioners, water heaters, microwave ovens, dishwashers, television sets, computers and cell phones (Haier Official Website, 2010). Even more important, having advanced through the Brand Building, Diversification and Internationalization stages, Haier has embarked on its fourth stageGlobal Branding. It makes meaningful sense to study its marketing strategy. This paper encompasses three sections with section II consisting of three sub-sections. In this paper, after some theories about marketing explained firstly, the current situation of European retail electrical equipment market will be identified, followed by a analysis about both the internal and external environmental factors facing Haier; then it will demonstrate the marketing strategy and marketing mix of Haier Europe; finally, from the perspective of a real-world business, some rational recommendations for Haier Europe will also be made. Section Two Literature Review Baker et al(1998) concluded that marketing is both a concept and a practice having important implications for the adoption and implementation of market thinking, and also an approach to exchange relations which drives and informs the strategies of every organization. Here some marketing theories, including the PEST, the Porters Five, the SWOT, the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix should provide a sound conceptual basis. There would be a lot of unexpected risks and challenges if it is carried out without a full understanding of the market. So firstly, comprehensive insights into the present condition, even the medium-to-long developing trends of an industry, say three to ten years ahead, is needed. To review and exploit the broader environment, it can draw support form a PEST analysis and the Five-Force Model. PEST typically refer to by its acronym, for the types of elements it involves: political, economic, sociocultural and technological, all of which are likely to have large or small effects on the organizations ability to achieve competitive advantages at some stage over the next few years (Sargeant and Jay, 2004, p175). This framework can be useful to forecast the changes that may have environmental influences on a firm. Some examples of changes the four subenvironments will lead to are given in Figure 2.1. However, the PEST analysis should be combined with the Five-Force Model, which analyses t he structure of an industry or market segment, from the viewpoint of its attractiveness to a player already in the industry (Faulkner and Bowman, 1995, p37). Porter(1980) depicted the five competitive forces operating in an industry and together affecting the extent of competition or the potential profitability of that industry as follows: à ¢- Competitive rivalry amongst existing firmsrepresents the competitive behaviors, which can be done using price cuts, product design, promotional campaigns or other weapons between established companies making similar products or selling them in the same market (Hill and Jones, 2009, p46). à ¢- The barriers to new entrantswhen bringing additional capacity, new firms must compete with those existing ones to hold a foothold or to gain a market share, especially when demand for the industrys products does not rise to match the increased capacity that entry has caused. à ¢- The bargaining power of buyersthey may enhance their bargaining power no matter powerful or weak (Peng, 2008, p42). à ¢- The bargaining power of suppliersto raise prices or reduce the quality of their inputs (Peng, 2008, p41). à ¢- The threat from substitute products or servicesplaying the same or the similar function as an industrys products by different means, and the threat it conceal may be downstream or indirect (Porter, 2008, 17). Political GATT Monopolies legislation Environmental protection laws Taxation policy (Foreign) trade regulations Employment law Government stability European integrationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Economic Business (or trade) cycle GNP trends Interest rates Money supply Inflation Unemployment Disposable income Energy availability and costà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Socio-cultural Population demographics Income distribution Social mobility Lifestyle changes Attitudes to work and leisure Consumerism Levels of educationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Technological Government spending on research Government and industry focus of technological effort New discoveries Speed of technology transfer Rates of obsolescerceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Figure 2.1 The PEST factors Source: Faulkner, D. and Bowman, C. (1995). Competitive Strategy. Pp.61 Another model here must be noted is the SWOT analysis, however, it has many overlapping points with the Porters Five. SWOT is a planning exercise in which managers recognize a organizations strengths(S), weaknesses(W), opportunities(O) and threats(T) to select the corporate-, business-, functional-level strategies to best position the organization (Jones and George, 2004, p151). Strengths are skills and capabilities that enable, while weaknesses hinder an organization to conceive of or implement its strengths, yet both of which it has some control over; opportunities are areas that may generate higher performance, while threats increase difficulties, and both of them are beyond the organizations control (Griffin, 2007, p67-68). Then Ansoff Matrix, a version in which strategies are often shown, is used to formulate basic product and market growth strategies,. Ansoff defines two key factors for marketingwhat is being sold and what it is sold to (Stone, 2001, p50-51). What can be inferred is that a businesss attempts to grow rely on whether it is marketing new or existing products in new or existing market (Fasnacht, 2009, p19). It gives a company four alternative actions when launching marketing (reference to Figure 2.2):. Same product, new market Market Extension Same product, same market Marketing Penetration New product, new market Diversification New product, same market Product Development Ma Figure 2.2 The Ansoff Matrix: risks increase with movement away from cuccent activities. Source: Faulkner, D. and Bowman, C. (1995). Competitive Strategy. Pp.80 à ¢- Marketing Penetration is referred to selling a existing product or increasing its existing share in the existing market to facilitate further growth; à ¢- Market Extension is a strategy to seek to extend an existing product into a new market; à ¢- Product Development aims to offer new products or modifying existing products into the existing market; à ¢- Diversification means to enter an existing market with related or unrelated products that are totally unconnected with the market, that is to say, to enter a new market (Stone, 2001, p50-51). Last, Marketing Mix to be worked out. It indicated all the parts which will be emphasized in an organizations promotional message, traditionally this has been defined in commercial marketing by the 4Ps Model (Products, Price, Promotion and Place) (Bush and Bell, 2002, p249). The Product is comprised of decisions about the products design, brand name, package and the like. The Price is concerned with both base price and various discount (Pride et al, 2009, p348). The Promotion focus on plans and programmes that drive demands, interests and actions and communicate to customers or potential ones. The Place should portray the productss intended movement to the end customers and avoid any latent conflicts or confusions (Haines, 2008, p403-404). A firm can vary its marketing mix by changing one or more of elements, for example, it may use one marketing mix to reach a particular target market and different mix to reach another, anyway, the most principle is to keep a balance across and betw een all marketing mix elements. Section Three Analysis and Discussion 3.1 Haier and European Retail Electrical Equipment Market Unlike in the US, where Haier America is in charge of all functions and sells full products portfolio under one roof. In Europe, Haier had established a bunch of different sales offices: Haier Europe Trading, based in Italy, sell Haier white goods into Europe; Haier Electronic Europe is responsible for Haier audio-video and mobile phones; Haier A/C Europe trade Haier air conditioners through separate subsidiaries located in Spain, Italy and UK (Bell, 2008, p183). Undoubtedly, this makes Haier Europes operations relatively dispersed, which scattered consumerss holistic and unified impression on it. At the same time, owing to European markets global marketing segmentation, the presence of more than 100 competitors making the appliance industry in the market is highly fragmented and highly competitive (Keegan, 2001, p191). Haier has to face the threats not only from those famous such as U.S. brands General Electric, Whirlpool and Asian Sony and Samsung etc., but also from the domestic m anufacturers like Changhong and Hisense, particularly the U.S. brands. European remains the largest buyer of American-made electrical machinery and parts (Black Enterprise, 1989, 172). However, there rarely exist comparison behaviors among the European electrical equipment consumers; in the case of some German middle-class families, they just enjoy the televisions, model and style of which are both common. So their custom that do not chase fashion form the unique features of European home appliances market (Sina, 2005). 3.1.1 External Environment Factors of Haier in Europe PEST analysis can help to develop a view of the external opportunities and threats(OT) facing Haier Europe (Henry, 2008, p61). Firstly, the political influence. No matter how multinational corporations is transnational, it can not really step over the country-of-origin issue. As far as Europeans are concerned, Haier Europe is still a Chinese company. With a series of overseas mergers and acquisitions, Haier is going toward to the internationalization, but it suffers interference from the host countries, who use government power to intervene in the foreign businesss mergers and acquisitions to domestic enterprises, or setting a variety of political obstacles to ensure the foreign players do not obtain a dominant position or abuse their market share thus protecting domestic enterprises, political and economic security (Arup, 2002, p75). For instance, both the bank and government would intervene to protect German firms from foreign takeovers (Safarian, 1993, p326). Haiers increasingly e xpanded M A make European countries shocked even panic, and they throw great difficulties in the achievement of Haiers internationalization. Secondly, as the most direct as well as the strongest category, economic affect the costs of the operation and the purchases of potential customers (Waters, 2006, p208). With uncertainty about employment prospect, many customers postponed purchasing decisions, or cut out some types of spending. Even though Kahn, the president of the IMF once said, European economy began to pick up at the end of 2009 and its economic recession will not last too long; in 2009 the global economy is expected to grow at an average rate of 3% , and the European economy at 0.2% (European Economic Rebound and Industry Raise Input, 2009). The economic slump may continue for some time, which is also a not small test to Haier. However, ongoing gratifying economic globalization and liberalization created more marketing opportunities, encouraging Haier to reap the benefits of emerging markets to achieve globalization and internationalization (Kumar, 2006, p38-39), and Haier Europe has started to increase investme nt. Meantime, the socio-cultural influence. Today every customer is driven by both the trends in society and the need to comply with the norms of various social groups to which they belong. With the advocacy of low-carbon economy in recent years, energy-saving and environmental-friendly have become important criterion to select home appliances. There have been more and more people, who are not necessarily deep green willing to allow this to influence their decision-making when buying an appliance, especially Europeans who has perceived the environmental protection as a public issue long ago and made environmental protections roots in varied areas (Wenk, 2005, p9-10), they look more favorably on green home appliances. This also urged Haier Europe to be green to meet their green demand, which become a selling point in the European market. Last but not the least, the impact of technology to home appliance industry is tremendous. Adopting new technologies or automaton for improving productivity and cost effectiveness is regarded as opportunities (Kumar, 2006, p38-39). For Haier, to defeat those competitors, a crucial is to keep up with the pace of science and grasp the most updated technology to create the most advanced products. 3.1.2 Internal Environment Factors of Haier in Europe Haiers internal strengths and weaknesses(SW) can be clarified by following the Five Force Model (Henry, 2008, p61). Haier has hard-won scale strengths (Harvard Business Review on Emerging Markets, 2008, p77), which is by no means just confined to sight and sound (Jinsheng Yi and Xian Ye, 2003, 8). They are mainly reflected in the following aspects: à ¢- Brand Strength After several decades of efforts, the reputation of Haier brand has increased significantly. In 2009, the value of Haier brand was as high as 81.2 billion (Lead, 2009). For most European consumers, Haier is their most trusted brands, which is the strongest strength of Haier. Meanwhile, its brand tend to reduce rivalry since they emphasize differentiation, and establish at least psychological switching costs for the consumers if they are to move to a different brand (Faulkner and Bowman, 1995, p42). à ¢- Products Strength Haier accounted its corporate strength in customer-tailored product and innovation speed, which will enhance its performance in future (Bell, 2008, p157). Among its various products, Haiers refrigerators and washing machines are world-class. In Europe, where quality and feature are top priorities among consumers, Haier is committed to manufacturing specific products and its tag line is Haier and Higher (McNally, 2007, p90). Haier strictly pay attention to manufacturing skills, technical progress and product quality all the time. à ¢- Service Strength Haier sets the benchmark of from in-store services to after-sales service. It is known that uniformed personnel of Haier offering on-site service will show up in less than 24 hours after a customer require services, with all necessary tools including a pair of socks not to dirty the ground of customers (Hexter et al, 2007, p137). It is Haiers intimate service that contribute to its success, which is also one of its core competitiveness. Haier has always adhere to the creed of users first and believes that brand is created, promoted, maintained and developed by high-quality service. à ¢- Channel Strength Haier was acknowledged to have the best and the most strict distribution system and sales force (Williamson, 2004, p47). Haier adopt personalized marketing according to the characteristics of different consumers. According to different channels, Haier Europe work out targeted policies and provide different support. However, Haier also has been fully aware of its weakness from early days, which can be analyzed with the Porters Five. à ¢- Competitive rivalry amongst existing firms Porter(1980) listed the the slow growth of or declining demand will create further intensification of competitiveness. It is true that the weedy recession and economic hardships the financial crisis swept inevitably overshadow European consumers attitudes, as well as their ability and willingness to consume. While the original competition in European home appliance industry has already made the rivalry intense. It can not be denied that the high-end market in Europe are still occupied by those real international brands such as Whirlpool, Panasonic etc., although Haier has always targeted at the high-end market, factly it still lack the appeal, the influence and the persuasion at local. The competition Haier face is unprecedented fierce and volatile. à ¢- The barriers to new entrants As counterparts learns more through technology, they are able to reduce costs, make better products, get more flexibility or expand their product range to suit different kinds of customers. So over time competition within the industry is likely to increase, as more entries are attracted to rush. They may try to outmanoeuvre the existing ones by cutting down prices or offering value-added features or quality or service, thus it also probably lower the overall level of profitability in the existing industry (Asch and Wolfe, 2001, p44). à ¢- The bargaining power of buyers According to Campbell(2002), the bargaining power of buyers will be accordingly more considerable if fewer they are. Now with many Europeanss consumer confidence declining, they have been more willing to buy cost-effective products but willingness to pay extra cost for a brand greatly reduced, which weakened the market competitiveness of Haier as a brand. Moreover, even though Haier Europes products are manufactured and sold in local market, most of their design work is still done in China, which may also affect the Europeans perceptions of Haiers products to a certain extent (Temporal, 2006, p89). à ¢- The bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers of Haier are those who provide inputs such as capital, material, special manpower, services and so on. Now Haier still remain highly dependent on foreign key components and technologies, such as high-performance electronic-motors, compressors, controllers and so on (Bell, 2008, p171). Lacking its own core technology, Haier is forced to rely on those suppliers offering technology and result in its bad situation. à ¢- The threat from substitute products or services Haier is a comprehensive home appliance manufacture making a wide range of products, and energy need to be put in each category, whether it is small or huge. So compared with those who specializes in just one aspect, Haiers specialization would be unavoidably challenged. What is equally important, Crum and Goldberg(1998) suggest that the threats to a focal company may derive from not only the firms giving customers equivalent alternatives, but also those applying new technology, new materials or even new methods of running a business. Despite of increasing R ¼Ã¢â‚¬  D efforts, Haiers lack of technological patent in developed markets is still serious (Bell, 2008, p171). 3.2 Marketing Strategy of Haier in Europe Haiers marketing strategy in Europe, known as a pivotal part of its internationalization strategy, aims at positioning the company as a local brand there (Wankel, 2009, p325). In the procedure of its Global Brand, Haier experienced a magnificent practice, which was also forward-looking and transformative. Any industry has its fixed period, so does the household appliances industry. After full development of competition, the space to further grow decreased sharply and the market has fell fall into a state of relative saturation. What is worse, due to currently existing homogenization among household appliances enterprises, senseless rounds of price wars overwhelmed, declining the expected profits. Now one most pressing problem facing Haier is determined by its overall strategic positioningwhether to hope the future value space of home appliances industry can slowly grow and continue to dedicate energies on it, or to further extend its industry chain to create a multi-products enterprises to avoid the natural-cycle issue of the appliance industry. This is a process that need prudent decisions-making. Combining with the Ansoff Matrix, Haiers risks and corresponding actions are discussed. As can be seen from the Figure 2.2, the lowest risk option is to continue to sell the same products into the existing market, or to attempt to grow by internal development. Unsatisfactory, the household appliance industry market has been saturated and the demand of the product obsolescent or at least decline, such a strategy may not realize acceptable results for Haier Europe. Then next options to be considered are to supply a new product to the current market, or to market the present product to a new market (Faulkner and Bowman, 1995, p80). Of course, the risk to bear will also ascend to a certain extent. In general, the above three options are most common and relatively insurance for Haier Europe. Only in few exceptional contexts should the option to market an unfamiliar product to an unfamiliar market be thought over. As the business is moving into a market which it has little even no experience in, the potential risks are excessively high. Having weighing the affordable risks an d the effects of each strategy, Haier Europe draw up the following-described marketing actions: à ¢- to penetrate the marketas the core strategy, Haier make greater marketing efforts to increase the makret share of its existing products. In accordance with the sequence from low to high, brand divided into the cheap brand, the economy brand, the standard brand, the high-performance brand, the high-quality brand and the luxury one (China Marketing, 2008, p96-98). When first entering Europe, Haier has declared its goal as to occupy the high-end market, meaning that it has abandoned the cheap and the economy brand. However, compared to the luxury goods, the appliance has no obvious features and group properties, so it still belong to the general category of consumer products; and lack particularity and competitive advantages. So for Haier who position its core business in the home appliance industry, the luxury market is not its target. Therefore, Haier has taken efforts to become a dominance in the standard, high-performance and high-qualtiy market, which is profitable enough. To root even to further consolidate and develop, on the one hand, Haier Europe sold more or increased share of its products; on the other hand, i t vigorously push the internationalization of its product design forward in Europe. Besides, whenever it is up-swing of a business cycle or recession, Haier has always focused on its core product, around which it form the products cluster; and according to the consumption power of consumers and their demands about the function, the costs etc. to modify its products. Even though having developed diversified products and began to regulate its industrial chain, Haier Europes focal product is always the refrigerator. With key energy put on this item, Haier succeed to enhance the level of product quality, reduce production costs and improve technical design standards, making up its product line gap, squeezing more market share of competitors and becoming the leader in refrigerator category in European market. à ¢- to extend market, that is, Haier try to enter all of European potential markets for its present principal line and also extend present products or service that could extend present line in present Europeans market (Reed et al, 2007, p21). When Haier began to launch its seeding stage in Europe in the end 1990s, it attempted to extend its existing products like refrigerators into this new market. To enter new international markets, unlike other Chinese companies who usually use mergers and acquisitions as a way or corporate with local well-known enterprises to access the market and the technology, Haier followed the model to extend market by building factories or sales channels (Advantage, 2010, p45). Yet Haier Europe does not blindly built its factory or channels, only after its target market fully developed, then it would consider to construct the plants. Furthermore, Haier has always been seeking to penetrate into the high-end market in Europe, trying to find more potential emerging markets to obtain more source of profits or opportunities. Haiers water heater is such a successful example. Having get cumulative advantage in European low-end market, in 2009, Haier introduced a new water heater, which effectively integ rated a number of leading technique and more concerned with the fashion and technology, marking its water heater taking the offensive to enter the European high-end market. What paid off is that its Cheong enjoy series win the 2009 Germany industry IF Awards and has become the first Chinas electric water heater to receive this award among similar products (SourceJuice, 2009). Undoubtedly, this success assure Haier to get a broader developing space and broke the unfavorable situation that Chinese household appliance business can only hold European low-end market. Apart from all these, Haiers products in Europe did not copy the design of domestic ready-made ones, but are tailored in the light of the European consumers characteristics. In 2007, Haier introduced a group of TV having various types and white shell, which was specially designed for the Europeans and in line with their sense of beauty (Sina, 2007). à ¢- to develop product, new products have been a source of fascination and excitement of a corporation as the age of mass production has began (Clark, 1991, preface), and this is true to Haier, too. When promoting the harvesting phase, on the basis of gradual maturation of European market and finished establishment of its own local sales and R ¼Ã¢â‚¬  D facilities, Haier offer new differentiated products to open up new markets. Moreover, when Haier has developed to a certain accuracy and depth in the household appliance field, its inevitable choice is to use product mix as an important tool to steady itself. It is just under this circumstance that Haier produce other home appliances such as computers and mobile phones in Europe. Unfortunately, the main source of its profit still generated from refrigerators and washing machines, but the market share of its computer and cell phone was poor for a long time. Their meager profits seriously impair Haiers competitiveness as a brand. Soon after then, Haier has turned to products improvement, products innovation and costs reduction to rise their competitiveness. à ¢- to diversify, which is contented to stabilize Haiers earnings and diversified its development. Haier has been conscious that the profit todays household appliance industry itself can get is so little that it is not sufficient to support Haier to earn extra benefits of marketing and service. So since the 1990s, Haier started to formulate a systematic and multi-dimensional industrial portfolio, which aims to expanding its business portfolio and avoiding the single cycle of appliance industry through reasonable combination of industry. Now Haier is mainly engaged in home appliances, concurrently involves a wide range of other industry like the information, the bio-pharmaceutical, the finance, the real estate and so on. In short, the trinity of local design, local production and local sales is the ultimate goal of Haiers internationalization strategy. In Europe, its emphasis lay in promoting differentiated high-end products of Haier and establishing its image as a local brand, then promoting the selling of its full line of products. 3.3 Marketing Mix of Haier in Europe Haiers marketing mix is known as the Haier Model, a model that committed to building standard international branding, which is characterized by unified and standard elements in all the marketing mix elements, in addition to all the necessary tactical adjustments (Kee, 2009, 357). To sum up, its marketing mix is distinctive. à ¢- Product Ingredientsalways being the most significant element in Haier Europes development. Haiers development objective is to create Chinas world-famous brand. In its Global Building phase, Haier has always concentrated on high-end technology, attempting to open up the European market with its high-tech products. Haiers refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and other products are all the forerunners to adopt the most advanced technology, having created one after another number one and uniqueness. With its high-tech products being introduced continuously, Haier does not only bring about new concept of fashion and consumption, but also lead a new trend of market consumption. What is more, the products philosophy that Haier always pursue is the goal to innovative is to create valuable orders. So Haier Europe has always firmly grasped product innovationthe lifeline of enterprise development and established a market-oriented product innovation, that is a Ring Product Development Mechanism, requesting product

Income and Population Age Structure Essay -- Economics Income GNP Essa

Income and Population Age Structure A) Relationship between per capita GNP and population growth GNP is the value of all final goods and services produced in an economy over a period of one year. Thus per capita GNP is the division of value of goods and services available to each person in a country, i.e. it is the per head income in a country. And population growth is the rate, by which population grows in an economy. From the above drawn diagrams it can be said that the higher the population growth rate the lower the per capita GNP and vice versa. This is due to the fact that if the population increases at a faster rate the GNP will spread over a large number of people thus reducing the value of the Gross National Product per head. Similarly if the population grows at a slower rate the GNP is spread over fewer numbers of people thus increasing the value of the Gross National Product per head. To further illustrate this we can take into consideration countries like Jordan which has a relatively high population growth rate of a 4.9 and a per capita GNP of onl... Income and Population Age Structure Essay -- Economics Income GNP Essa Income and Population Age Structure A) Relationship between per capita GNP and population growth GNP is the value of all final goods and services produced in an economy over a period of one year. Thus per capita GNP is the division of value of goods and services available to each person in a country, i.e. it is the per head income in a country. And population growth is the rate, by which population grows in an economy. From the above drawn diagrams it can be said that the higher the population growth rate the lower the per capita GNP and vice versa. This is due to the fact that if the population increases at a faster rate the GNP will spread over a large number of people thus reducing the value of the Gross National Product per head. Similarly if the population grows at a slower rate the GNP is spread over fewer numbers of people thus increasing the value of the Gross National Product per head. To further illustrate this we can take into consideration countries like Jordan which has a relatively high population growth rate of a 4.9 and a per capita GNP of onl...

Validity and Reliability of the Job Content Questionnaire

52 SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6 Validity and reliability of the job content questionnaire in formal and informal jobs in Brazil by Tania Maria de Araujo, PhD,1 Robert Karasek, PhD 2 de Araujo TM, Karasek R. Validity and reliability of the job content questionnaire in formal and informal jobs in Brazil. SJWEH Suppl. 2008;(6):52–59. Objectives This study evaluated the job content questionnaire (JCQ) in measuring work psychology aspects with respect to formal and informal jobs in Brazilian occupational groups.Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in a random sample of 1311 ? 15-year-old residents in the urban area of the city of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. The Portuguese JCQ version included the recommended 49-item of the original version. The JCQ performance evaluation included descriptive analysis, discriminant analysis, internal consistency, and construct validity. Results Averages of the JCQ scales were similar for the formal and informal workers, except for decision authority (formal job: c=31. ; informal jobs: c=34. 5). The averages of the Portuguese JCQ scales did not differ substantially from those obtained in other European, North American, and Japanese studies, albeit they were slightly lower in the Brazilian case. In general, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients revealed performance similar to other large-sample studies, showing acceptable internal consistency. The coefficients were relatively similar for formal and informal jobs. Factor analysis revealed high consistency with the theoretical model.Conclusions This is the first study to evaluate JCQ performance comparing formal and informal jobs in a developing country. The job content questionnaire presented a good global performance, and it did not differ substantially from those observed in other studies. These findings suggest that the job content questionnaire can be used in studies carried out in developing countries and in situations in which informal jobs are common. Key terms de cision latitude; demand–control model; occupational stress; psychological demand; psychological distress. Health Department, State University of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. 2 Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. Reprint requests to: Dr TM de Araujo, KM 03, BR 116 Campus Universitario, Feira de Santana, BA, Brazil, 40110 180. [E-mail: araujo. [email  protected] br ] There is a significant amount of scientific literature on the psychosocial aspects of work in developed countries. However, research addressing the measurement of these aspects in developing countries is recent and scarce.In developing countries, work organization aspects are usually considered to be a less relevant problem than other crucial problems, such as unemployment, accidents, and other occupational hazards that threaten life and put worker’s physical health at risk. Moreover, there is an assumption that instruments used t o measure psychosocial aspects in developed countries are not applicable in developing countries because of different cultural contexts. However, these arguments have been criticized because f, at least, the following three factors: (i) the globalization process—many multinational companies have been operating in developing countries under job standards and technologies that are similar to those used in developed countries (1), (ii) social and economic structural heterogeneity in developing societies—which include, in the same region, areas with a high level of development (industrialized areas) and very poor areas, and (iii) the increasing rates of occupational diseases and disabilities related to work organization conditions shown by some developing countries.These three processes, acting together, reveal that psychosocial aspects at work are a relevant problem in different social and economic contexts. The impacts on mental and physical health are already visible in developing contexts (2, 3), and they indicate the importance of investigating work psychology aspects in both developed and developing countries. Some models have aimed at evaluating psychosocial characteristics at work and their effects on worker health.The demand–control model has worldwide use and is a strong influence on this research field (4, 5). It focuses on two crucial work dimensions, decision latitude and psychological demands. Decision latitude SJWEH Suppl 2008;(6):52–59 SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6 53 de Araujo & Karasek refers to the ability to make decisions about one’s work and the possibility of being creative and using or developing new skills. It includes two dimensions, skill discretion (opportunity to use skills) and decision authority (opportunity to make decisions).Psychological demand refers to workload, mental requirements, organizational constraints put on the worker, and conflicting demands. The job content questionnaire (JCQ) is a standard ized instrument proposed to measure the dimensions of the demand–control model (6). In the last two decades, the job content questionnaire has been intensively used in developed countries, and its performance has been tested in populations from these countries (7–15). However, performance on the job content questionnaire in developing countries remains a less studied issue.In our literature review we identified only three studies conducted in â€Å"developing† countries to evaluate performance on the job content questionnaire, carried out in Mexico (16), Taiwan (17) and China (18). Specific occupational groups were studied: in Taiwan, workers from four companies, including men and women; in Mexico only women from two maquiladora microelectronic plants; in China, male and female health care workers. In Brazil, the Swedish version of the job content questionnaire (17 questions) was tested in a sample of the technical and administrative staff of a Brazilian univers ity.The global performance of the scales for decision latitude, psychological demand, and social support was good (3). The main objective of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the job content questionnaire in measuring work psychosocial characteristics for workers in formal and informal jobs in Brazil. Study population and methods Study design A cross-sectional study was carried out in a random sample of workers 15 years or older from the city of Feira de Santana in 2002.It is the second largest city in the State of Bahia, in the northeast region of Brazil, with around half a million inhabitants. Definition of formal and informal jobs In Brazil, the Labor Ministry has adopted an instrument to define formal and informal jobs: the Job Card (â€Å"Carteira de Trabalho†). This card establishes the job contract between employees and employers. It is regulated by national laws and provides all kinds of benefits, including placing the worker in a social securit y system. The job card establishes a formal job for the worker.Informal jobs are not regulated by law; there is no social security system, nor any other kind of social or economic rights. Among different kinds of informal jobs, selling products in the street is the most common type. Another type that has increased, as a result of the unemployment situation, is the family store (stores that are constructed in the living room of a person’s own home). Study population The study areas were selected using random procedures, based on population data from the national census.The sampling procedures were conducted using the following steps: (i) selection of the sectors within each subdistrict, by a random procedure, (ii) random selection of streets within each selected sector, (iii) visitation of all houses on the selected streets, and (iv) interview of all people 15 years or older by well-trained interviewers using standard procedures. The use of a field manual helped to standardize procedures in the interview and avoid biases in the data collection. Up to three visits were made to a person’s residence, in an effort to perform an interview.We visited 1479 residences and interviewed 3190 people. To evaluate JCQ performance, we analyzed information only from people who were working at the time of the interview. Altogether 1311 workers were included in this study. Sixty-six percent of the target population worked in an informal job. The percentage of formal and informal jobs was similar according to gender (49. 1% for the women and 50. 4% for the men). No relevant differences were found across the age groups in the informal jobs.However, in the formal jobs, the proportion of workers increased from the beginning of worklife to the middle of it, but it decreased sharply after 40 years of age (from 46. 7% among the workers 26–34 years of age to 25. 5% among the workers ? 41 years of age). The workers in formal jobs had a higher education than those in informal jobs. Workers at the graduate level were 3. 1 times more likely to be in formal jobs than in informal jobs. Commercial activity (retail sales) employed the highest number of workers (38. 8%), followed by services in general (27. %), private household services (11. 2%), education (6. 9%), manufacturing (6. 6%), transportation (4. 3%), and construction (4. 1%). The composition according to formal and informal jobs showed clear job insecurity in some specific sectors. Among the workers employed in the construction sector, 87. 0% had an informal job; for private household services the proportion was 86. 5%; and it was 70% for commercial activity, 64. 2% for transportation workers, and 62% for the workers in general services. On the other hand, 67. % of the people working in education and 57. 1% of those in manufacturing had formal jobs. 54 SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6 Job content questionnaire in jobs in Brazil Considering the place where people worked, we observed more variety for i nformal jobs. The highest proportion of informal workers was found for working on the street (23. 6%), followed by company (22. 8%), another person’s home (20. 8%), and in their own house (18. 3%). Among the formal workers, 66. 8% worked in companies (private enterprise), and 21. 9% were employed in public buildings.Portuguese translation process for the job content questionnaire The translation process took into account aspects like conceptual equivalence, item equivalence, semantic equivalence, operational equivalence, measurement equivalence, and functional equivalence (19) . The recommended procedures to build a cross-cultural translation of the job content questionnaire were followed. First, the questionnaire was translated independently into Portuguese by two Brazilian translators. Specific instructions were clarified to guide the translation process.According to these instructions, the emphasis in the translation was given to the meaning of the terms rather than to lit eral translation, reinforcing the item meaning in the Brazilian occupational context. The translation, produced in this first step, was discussed in meetings with the research team and translators until a consensual version was drawn up. This consensual Portuguese version was translated back into English (back translation) by two other translators, who were native English speakers and also fluent in Portuguese. The Portuguese version of the job content questionnaire and the back translation ere sent to the JCQ Center to be evaluated by the Center researchers. After this evaluation, some modifications were suggested for the first translation, and they were promptly accounted for. A pretest was conducted to test the clarity of question formulation, problems found in answering specific questions, and conceptual equivalence between both languages (English and Portuguese). Based on the pretest results, a new version was clarified (including a new back translation). The JCQ Center approve d the final version in December 2001. Scales and subscales of the job content questionnaireThe Portuguese version of the job content questionnaire included the following recommended format (6): 49 questions (scales of decision latitude—skill discretion and decision authority, psychological demand, physical demand, social support—supervisor and coworker support, and job insecurity). In order to build indicators, for each scale of the questionnaire, a sum of the weighted item score was calculated according to the user’s guide of the job content questionnaire (6). Statistical analysis All of the analyses were conducted separately for the formal and informal workers.Mean values and standard deviations were calculated for each scale and subscale. The performance analysis included a discriminant analysis, internal consistency (reliability indicators), and construct validity (factor analysis). Discriminant analysis. This study included workers from different job sector s. Discriminant validity was analyzed by comparing the means of the scales and subscales of the job content questionnaires gathered from workers in each sector. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare the observed differences. Internal consistency.Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated to assess the internal consistency or homogeneity of the questions aimed at measuring the same construct. Alpha values above 0. 65 were considered acceptable (12, 14). Construct validity (factor analysis). The analysis was developed in three steps. First, an exploratory analysis using a correlation matrix for all of the variables was computed. In the second step, a principal component method was used to extract the factors (eigenvalues ? 1 criterion). A rotation varimax (orthogonal) was conducted to make the factors more interpretable (20).Factors loading values of >40 were considered indicators of significant factorial contribution (10). Measurement of mental health outco me. To evaluate performance on the job content questionnaire in identifying work conditions involving a risk to mental health, we evaluated the prevalence of psychological distress according to the demand–control model. The self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20), a structured instrument designed by the World Health Organization to measure psychological distress in developing countries, was used. The scales for decision latitude and psychological demand were dichotomized.The mean values were used to dichotomize both scales. Based on the combination between the levels of demand and control, four categories were established for the demand–control model. A multiple logistic regression was performed to adjust for potential confounders. Results The means and standard deviations of the scales of the job content questionnaire were similar for the formal and SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6 55 de Araujo & Karasek informal jobs (table 1). The most important difference was observed for â₠¬Å"decision authority† in that there was a higher mean for informal jobs (34. 6) than for formal jobs (31. 99). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were relatively similar for the formal and informal jobs, even though the coefficients were higher for the formal jobs—the coefficients ranged from 0. 65 to 0. 79. The internal consistency for psychological demand was low for the informal jobs (0. 55). The subscale â€Å"conflicting demands† presented poor consistency with the other subscales; its correlation coefficient was lower than 0. 10. For skill discretion, the internal consistency was also relatively low for informal jobs (0. 6029).The subscale â€Å"variety† showed low consistency with the other subscales, the correlation coefficient with the other items being 0. 19. For the job insecurity scale, the performance was poor for both types of jobs (but better for informal jobs). The analysis of the means of the scales of the job content questionnaire according to sector of activity showed some significant differences. Table 2 shows the subscale means of the questionnaire according to sectors. The mean for skill discretion was lower for private household services (formal jobs: c=29. 18; informal jobs: c=32. 12) than for education (formal jobs: c=35. 3; informal jobs: c=34. 08). Similar differences were observed for decision authority (note the high means for education for both formal and informal jobs). Psychological demand revealed a similar pattern across all of the sectors. The means for physical demand were higher for construction (formal jobs: c=12. 50; informal jobs: c=14. 30) and manufacturing (formal jobs: c=13. 45; informal jobs: c=12. 66) and lower for education (formal jobs: c=11. 84; informal jobs: c=11. 71), as expected. The highest job insecurity means were observed for the construction sector (formal jobs: c=7. 0; informal jobs: c=9. 78). Correlation coefficient by sector No correlation was found between decision l atitude and psychological demand (formal workers: 0. 057; informal workers: 0. 010). This finding supports the hypothesis of relative independence between these two factors, as theoretically postulated. For almost all of the scales of the job content questionnaire, the correlation coefficients showed a similar pattern for the sectors. The pattern was similar by sector with respect to the formal and informal jobs, following the predicted direction, as proposed by Karasek’s demand–control model.Some small differences were observed in the coefficient magnitude, but not in the direction of the coefficients. However, a substantial difference was observed between the two dimensions of decision latitude. In the sectors of education, manufacturing, private household services, construction, and general services, a positive correlation between skill discretion (SD) and decision authority (DA) was observed—as expected. For the sectors of commercial activity and transportat ion, we observed no correlation between skill discretion and decision authority, 0. 068 and 0. 077, respectively.Construct validity The factor analysis loaded eight factors for formal and informal jobs (tables 3 and 4). Similar patterns were observed for both types of jobs. There was high Table 1. Means, standard deviations (SD), and Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients for the scales and subscales of the job content questionnaire according to formal and informal jobs. Scales Range Formal jobs Informal jobs Mean SD a Mean SD a Decision latitude 24–96 64. 76 8. 44 0. 6576 65. 91 7. 84 0. 6211 Skill discretion 12–48 32. 76 4. 25 0. 6500 31. 39 4. 06 0. 6029 Decision authority 12–48 31. 9 6. 20 0. 6869 34. 46 6. 01 0. 7194 Psychological demand 12–48 30. 07 3. 63 0. 6627 29. 89 3. 29 0. 5588 Social support 8–32 23. 07 2. 09 0. 7103 23. 20 2. 01 0. 6588 Coworker support 4–16 11. 75 1. 16 0. 6901 11. 97 1. 25 0. 7009 Supervisory suppor t 4–16 11. 28 1. 47 0. 7900 11. 38 1. 30 0. 6515 Physical demand 5–20 12. 30 2. 14 0. 7584 12. 53 2. 25 0. 7615 Job insecurity a 3–12 5. 25 1. 15 0. 3613 5. 90 1. 83 0. 5540 Age 15–82 33. 93 11. 59 – 34. 94 13. 93 – a Means for job insecurity (4 items): formal jobs: 6. 47 (SD 1. 44); informal jobs: 7. 44 (SD 2. 47). Table 2.Means of the subscales of the job content questionnaire according to sector of activity for the formal and informal jobs. (SD = skill discretion, DA = decision authority, DL = decision latitude, PD = psychological demand, PhyD = physical demand, JI = job insecurity) Sector SD DA DL PD PhyD JI Formal jobs Construction 31. 67 33. 84 65. 71 28. 67 12. 50 7. 00 Manufacturing 33. 09 31. 91 65. 07 31. 45 13. 45 6. 32 Commerce (retail activity) 32. 80 31. 54 64. 28 30. 47 12. 45 6. 23 Transportation 31. 78 29. 68 61. 33 29. 28 12. 74 6. 20 Education 35. 06 35. 33 70. 56 30. 02 11. 4 4. 87 General services 32. 13 32. 44 64. 79 30 . 11 12. 29 5. 44 Private household services 30. 47 29. 18 59. 65 29. 50 12. 13 5. 50 Informal jobs Construction 31. 40 32. 41 63. 95 30. 78 14. 30 9. 78 Manufacturing 33. 10 33. 25 66. 26 31. 03 12. 66 7. 61 Commerce (retail activity) 31. 40 35. 66 67. 13 30. 01 12. 36 7. 00 Transportation 30. 94 36. 25 67. 25 31. 03 13. 35 6. 38 Education 35. 28 34. 08 69. 36 29. 44 11. 71 6. 30 General Services 31. 94 34. 60 66. 64 29. 66 12. 50 7. 07 Private household services 29. 12 32. 12 61. 34 28. 98 12. 07 6. 58 56 SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6Job content questionnaire in jobs in Brazil consistency with the theoretical model for the scales for supervisory support, coworker support, skill discretion, decision authority, and physical demand. The subscales related to psychological demand loaded on different factors. The subscale â€Å"conflicting demands† did not load on the psychological demand scale, as expected. For both the formal and informal jobs, it loaded on one separate factor (factor 8). For the skill discretion scale, the subscale â€Å"variety† loaded on the factor related to the psychological demand Table 4.Factor (F) analysis using the principal component extraction method and varimax rotation with the informal jobs. Scale Informal job (N=780) F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 Skill discretion Learn new things  ·  ·  · 0. 661  ·  ·  ·  · Repetitive work a  ·  ·  · 0. 480  ·  ·  ·  · Requires creativity  ·  ·  · 0. 587  ·  ·  ·  · High skill level  ·  ·  · 0. 644  ·  ·  ·  · Variety  ·  ·  · b 0. 502 Develop own abilities 0. 724  ·  ·  ·  · Decision authority Allows own decisions  ·  · 0. 809  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Little decision freedom a  ·  · 0. 822  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Opinions influential  ·  · 0. 690  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Psychological demand Work fast  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 430  ·  ·Work hard  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 479  ·  · Excessive work a  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 686  ·  · Insufficient time a  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 599  ·  · Conflicting demands a  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 774 Social support Supervisor is concerned  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 760  ·  ·  · Supervisor pays attention  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 718  ·  ·  · Helpful supervisor  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 417  ·  ·  · Supervisor good organizer  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 774  ·  ·  · Coworker support Coworkers competent 0. 722  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Coworker interest in me 0. 710  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Friendly coworkers 0. 652  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Coworkers helpful 0. 714  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Physical demand Much physical effort  · 0. 706  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Lift heavy loads  · 0. 59  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Rapid physical activity  · 0. 756  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Awkward body position  · b  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 874  · Awkward arm–head p osition  · b  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 855  · Variance explained (after rotation) (%) 12. 3 10. 3 7. 39 7. 06 6. 17 4. 90 4. 23 3. 89 Total variance explained (%) 56. 3  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · a Item formulated in a negative direction; the score was reversed before the factor analysis. b Item loaded on a different factor. Table 3. Factor (F) analysis using the principal component extraction method and varimax rotation with the formal jobs. Scale Formal job (N=403) F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 Skill discretionLearn new things  ·  · 0. 639  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Repetitive work a  ·  · b –0. 481 Requires creativity  ·  · 0. 687  ·  ·  ·  ·  · High skill level  ·  · 0. 650  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Variety  · 0. 577 b  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Develop own abilities 0. 653  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Decision authority Allows own decisions  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 780 Little decision freedom a  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 674 Opinions i nfluential  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 737 Psychological demand Work fast  · 0. 477  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Work hard  · 0. 687  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Excessive work a  · 0. 614  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Insufficient time a  · 0. 673  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Conflicting demands a  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 802 Social support Supervisor is concerned 0. 16  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Supervisor pays attention 0. 674  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Helpful supervisor 0. 744  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Supervisor good organizer 0. 717  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · Coworker support Coworkers competent  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 432  ·  ·  · Coworker interest in me  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 757  ·  ·  · Friendly coworkers  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 746  ·  ·  · Coworkers helpful  ·  ·  ·  · 0. 730  ·  ·  · Physical demand Much physical effort  ·  ·  · 0. 747  ·  ·  ·  · Lift heavy loads  ·  ·  · 0. 482  ·  ·  ·  · Rapid physical activity  ·  ·  · 0. 837  ·  ·  ·  · Awkward body position  ·  ·  · b  · 0. 891  ·  · Awkward arm–head position  ·  ·  · b  · 0. 881  ·  · Variance explained (after rotation)(%) 8. 43 8. 19 7. 1 7. 79 7. 54 6. 96 6. 37 4. 48 Total variance explained (%) 62. 4  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · a Item formulated in a negative direction; the score was reversed before the factor analysis. b Item loaded on a different factor. SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6 57 de Araujo & Karasek scale, and it was not related to the scale for skill discretion, as expected. Physical demand loaded on two different factors, revealing two different types of physical workloads, type 1 including â€Å"much physical effort†, â€Å"lift heavy loads†, and â€Å"rapid physical activity† and type 2 including â€Å"awkward body position† and â€Å"awkward arm and head positions†.Capability of the job content questionnaire to identify different work situations as risks to mental health Relevant differences in the prevalence of psychological distress were observed according to the job strain quadrants. The high-strain quadrant had the highest psychological distress prevalence (table 5). Similar results were found for the formal and informal jobs. The low-strain situation had the lowest psychological distress prevalence. A difference was found in the quadrants of diagonal B (passive and active). In formal jobs, the prevalence of psychological distress was higher for the active job quadrant.For the informal jobs, the prevalence of psychological distress was higher in the passive job quadrant (1. 4 higher than in the low-strain situation). Discussion This is the first study to evaluate performance of the job content questionnaire by comparing formal and informal jobs in a developing country. Performance of the questionnaire was tested in a poor region of northeast Brazil, where general living conditions are precarious and the educational level is low; the worker’s qualification levels were, in general, very low. Despite the cultural nd economic differences from developed country contexts, the job content questionnaire has good global performance. Our means and standard deviations were similar to results from the job stress absenteeism and coronary heart disease European cooperative study (the JACE study) (9), including eight samples from five European countries. Some differences occurred as expected, such as higher means for physical demand and job insecurity in our study (formal and informal jobs) and higher decision latitude for the JACE study. It is notable that, for decision authority, the means for the informal jobs and the JACE study were similar.This similarity indicates a significant freedom for the workers to decide how to do their own work in informal jobs but also pointed out that, among these workers, the possibility to make decis ions was not combined with the use or development of skills. For example, in the sectors of commercial activity and transportation, the workers seemed to be free to decide how to do their work, but the same did not apply to the development of new skills and abilities. The means for decision authority were higher than the means for skill discretion in these sectors.Within these sectors, the proportion of people working on the streets was high, a fact that could partially explain this result In general, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients revealed a performance similar to that found with other large-sample studies, conducted in developed countries, even though they were slightly lower in our study. The estimated coefficients indicated acceptable levels of internal consistency for almost all of the scales of the job content questionnaire. The psychological demand scale, with five questions, showed poor internal consistency.The reliability was acceptable for the formal jobs but low for the informal jobs. This finding has been observed also in other studies. For example, in the JACE study, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was relatively low for the men (Netherlands 0. 57, Canada–Quebec 0. 59, Japan 0. 61) and for the women (Netherlands 0. 51 and US–QES 0. 62). These results revealed a general imprecision of the job content questionnaire in measuring psychological demand. Karasek et al (9) have argued that different meanings of psychological demand by population groups could explain part of these results.These differences in meaning are related to the actual stage of area development. Until now, there has been no agreement about the exact meaning of psychological Table 5. Prevalence rates for psychological distress—the prevalence ratio (PR) and the respective confidence intervals (95% CI) according to the job strain model for formal and informal jobs adjusted for age, educational level, gender, social support, time in this position ( results from the multiple logistic regression analysis). Job strain model a Prevalence PR b 95% CI (%) Formal jobs Low strain (^ decision latitude v psychological demand) 11. 5 – –Passive job (v decision latitude v psychological demand) 15. 5 1. 35 0. 64–2. 84 Active job (^ decision latitude ^ psychological demand) 23. 8 2. 07 1. 05–4. 08 High strain (^ decision latitude ^ psychological demand) 26. 7 2. 32 1. 18–4. 56 Informal jobs Low strain (^ decision latitude v psychological demand) 20. 0 – Passive job (v decision latitude v psychological demand) 24. 5 1. 23 0. 91–1. 66 Active job (^ decision latitude ^ psychological demand) 24. 1 1. 20 0. 90–1. 61 High strain (v decision latitude ^ psychological demand) 33. 1 1. 65 1. 26–2. 18 a Reference group: decision latitude and psychological demand. The delta method was used to convert odds ratios to prevalence ratios. 58 SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6 Job content questionnaire in job s in Brazil demand in our social and cultural contexts. It remains an important question for future studies. In addition, to make this concept and correspondent scale more reliable, a clear distinction between â€Å"qualitative† and â€Å"quantitative† psychological demands has been proposed. Suggestions to include emotional demand as a job dimension has also been noted in the literature (21). High internal consistency was observed for decision authority among the formal and informal workers.The items used to evaluate the measure of worker opportunity to make decisions in both highly structured and unstructured settings performed well, as indicated by Cronbach’s alpha. It is important to note that, when these two job-control subscales are taken as a single scale—decision latitude—the reliability is acceptable for both formal and informal jobs. The subscales for coworker support and supervisory support showed the highest consistency with the demandà ¢â‚¬â€œcontrol model theory. The high consistency of these scales had been observed earlier in other studies of the validity and reliability of the job content questionnaire (14, 17) .The physical demand scale also showed good reliability for groups in formal and informal jobs. This scale has also been observed to perform well in other studies (9, 12). The factor analysis showed a structure that is consistent with the theoretical presumptions of the job strain model. Our study produced eight factors, almost all of them in an expected way. The scales for decision authority, supervisory support, coworker support, physical demand, and skill discretion were consistent with the proposed scales of the job content questionnaire, as observed in other studies (22).However, some findings of our study need to be more carefully analyzed. For example, aspects related to the physical demand scale loaded on two types of factors, showing that the job content questionnaire measured two different phy sical workloads. Although the questionnaire establishes only a scale for physical demand, Karasek & Theorell (23) assumed that two specific types of physical demand were involved in job tasks (physical exertion and physical isometric load). In fact, it is acceptable that the questionnaire includes at least two different kinds of physical demands, as observed in our study.Indeed, this result reinforces the ability of the questionnaire to measure and identify specific characteristics of the work environment. With this perspective, future improvements in the questionnaire should consider the evaluation of these two dimensions separately, instead of only one, as currently suggested. One item of the skill discretion scale was also critical. The subscale â€Å"variety† (â€Å"I get to do a variety of different things in my job†), in both the formal and informal groups, was more related to psychological demand aspects than to the skill discretion scale, as expected.The data s uggested that doing different things was not related to job enrichment in the studied population in Brazil. In fact, it represents an increase in workload. Moreover, translation difficulties could be considered a potential explanation for these specific results (cultural differences). One item related to psychological demand, â€Å"conflicting demands†, loaded on a separate factor for both the formal and informal jobs. It revealed a low correlation of this subscale with other subscales related to psychological demand, which duplicated rather precisely a problem found in studies in other countries (8, 9, 12) for this question.Our results also showed relevant problems with this subscale, reinforcing the hypothesis that changes in this item structure are needed to improve the performance of the psychological demand measurement. For the formal jobs, the item â€Å"repetitive work† did not load on the skill discretion factor, as expected. Similar results were found in studi es in other countries (7, 12, 24, 25). The low consistency of this item with the skill discretion subscale could be related to a nonnormal distribution of this aspect. Usually, repetitive work is much more frequent for the lowest skill (9) . The Portuguese version of the job content questionnaire howed a high capability to identify risk to mental health. As predicted by the control–demand model, work with high strain consistently has the highest negative effect on mental health for both formal and informal jobs, albeit more strongly for formal jobs. It supports an association between psychological distress and job strain, as pointed out in other studies on mental health (25). In conclusion, the validity and reliability of the Portuguese version of the job content questionnaire is good, and it is performed similarly among workers with formal or informal jobs in Brazil. Future research should address a detailed evaluation f the decision-latitude dimensions in informal jobs, esp ecially in relation to skill discretion, which performed regularly among informal workers and in new investigations of psychological demand indicators and their performance. Gender differences form another important aspect to be explored in future studies. Acknowledgments This study was funded by CAPES—Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Brazil, and partially supported by grant D43TW005749, â€Å"Work and Health in Brazil and Mexico† from the John E Fogarty Internationl Center of the US National Institutes of Health.SJWEH Suppl 2008, no 6 59 de Araujo & Karasek References 1. Siqueira E. Depend convergence—the struggle to control petrochemical hazards in Brazil and the United States. New York (NY): Baywood; 2003. 2. Araujo TM, Aquino E, Menezes G, Santos CO, Aguiar L. Work psychosocial aspects and psychological distress among nurses Rev Saude Publica. 2003;37:424–33. 3. Alves MGM, Chor D, Faerstein E, Lopes CS, Werneck GL. Short version of the â€Å"Job Stress Scale: Portuguese-language adaptation. Rev Saude Publica. 2004;38:164–71. 4. Karasek R. Job demand, job decision latitude, and mental strain: implications for job redesign.Adm Sci Q. 1979;24:285–308. 5. Rick J, Briner RB, Daniels K, Perryman S, Guppy A. A critical review of psychological hazard measures. Sudbury (United Kingdom): HSE Books; 2001. Contract research report 356. 6. Karasek RA. Job Content Questionnaire and User’s Guide. Lowell (MA): University of Massachusetts; 1985. 7. Kawakami N, Kobayashi F, Araki S, Haratani T, Furui H. Assessment of job stress dimensions based on the job demands- control model of employees of telecommunication and electric power companies in Japan: reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire. Int J Behav Med. 995;2:358–75. 8. Kawakami N, Fujigaki Y. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire: replication and ex tension in computer company employees. Ind Health. 1996;34:295–306. 9. Karasek RA, Kawakami N, Brisson C, Houtman I, Bongers P, Amick B. The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ): an instrument for internationally comparative assessment of psychosocial job characteristics. J Occup Health Psychol. 1998;3:322–55. 10. Brisson B, Blanchette C, Guimont C, Dion G, Moisan J, Vezina M. Reliability and validity of the French version of the 18-item Karasek Job Content Questionnaire.Work Stress. 1998;12:322–36. 11. Ostry AS, Marion SA, Demers PA, Hershler R, Kelly S, Teschke K, Hertzman C. Measuring psychosocial job strain with the Job Content Questionnaire using experienced job evaluators. American J Ind Med 2001; 39: 397–401. 12. Niedhammer I. Psychometric properties of the French version of the Karasek Job Content Questionnaire: a study of the scales of decision latitude, psychological demands, social support, and physical demands in the GAZEL cohort. Int Arch Occup En viron Health. 2002,75:129–44. 13. Landsbergis P, Schnall PL, Pickering TG, Schwartz JE.Validity and reliability of a work history questionnaire derived from the Job Content Questionnaire. J Occup Environ Med. 2002;44:1037–47. 14. Pelfrene E, Clays E, Moreau M, Mak R, Vlerick P, Kornitzer M, et al. The Job Content Questionnaire: methodological considerations and challenges for future research. Arch Public Health. 2003;61:53–74. 15. Ferrario M, Fornari C, Borchini R, Merluzzi F, Cesana G. Job stress in the service industry—evaluation of the Italian version of the Job Content Questionnaire. Med Lav. 2005;96:191–9. 16. Cedillo BL.Psychosocial risk factors among women workers in the maquiladora industry in Mexico. Lowell (MA): University of Massachusetts; 1999. 17. Cheng Y, Luh W-M, Guo Y-L. Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Job Content Questionnaire in Taiwanese workers. Int J Behav Med. 2003;10:15–30. 18. Li J, Yang W, Liu O, Xu Z, Cho SI. Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese (mainland) version of the Job Content Questionnaire: a study in university hospitals. Ind Health. 2004;42:260–7. 19. Herdman M, Fox-Rushby J, Badia X. A model of equivalence in the cultural adaptation of he HRQol instruments: the universalist approach.Qual Life Res. 1998;7:323–35. 20. Kline P. An easy guide to factors analysis. London, New York (NY): Routledge: Taylor and Francis; 1994. 21. Soderfeldt B, Soderfeldt M, Jones K, O’Campo P, Muntaner C, Ohlson C, et al. Does organization matter? : a multilevel analysis of the Demand-Control Model applied to human services. Soc Sci Med. 1997,44:527–34. 22. Pelfrene E, Vlerick P, Mak RP, Smets P, Kornitzer M, Backer G. Scale reliability of the Karasek’ Job Demand-Control-Support model in the Belstress. Work Stress. 2001;15(4):297–313. 23. Karasek RA, Theorell T.Healthy work-stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. New Yor k (NY): Basic Books; 1990. 24. Schreurs PJG, Taris TW. Construct validity of the demand-control: a double cross-validation approach. Work Stress. 1998;12:66–84. 25. De Jonge J, Reuvers MM, Houtman I, Bongers PM, Kompier MAJ. A critical examination of the demand-control-support model from a work psychological perspective. Int J Stress Manag. 1977;4:235–58. 26. Van der Doef M, Maes S. The Job Demand-Control (-Support) Model and psychological well-being: a review of 20 years of empirical research. Work Stress. 1999;13:87–114.

Whats Love Got to Do With It. Professor Ramos Blog

Whats Love Got to Do With It. On December 13 1989 the body of Richard Mallory was found in a wooded area of Florida. The victim had been shot 4 times with a .22 caliber gun. Unfortunately unbeknown to the residence of Florida Mr. Mallory was just the tip of the iceberg. Within just over a year span 6 additional bodies were discovered shot dead in rural areas of Florida. 43 year old David Spears’ body was found on June 1st 1990. â€Å"The critical lead came in July when witness saw two women crash a Pontiac Sunbird through a fence†(Kunes). The car belonged to Peter Siems. His body was never found. Troy Bures 50 body was found August 4th 1990 shot twice. Charles Humphrey’s 56 was next. His body was found in the woods on September 12th 1990. On November 19th 1990 the string of murders ended with Walter Antonio’s 62 body being found after he had been shot four times. The victim’s families and Florida police set out to find what kind of Monster committed such heinous acts. On January 9TH 1991 police arrested a suspect for the murders. Aileen Wuornos then 34 was arrested at the properly named â€Å"Last Resort† bar in Daytona Florida. After Aileen’s arrest the Nation was left to contemplate what drove Aileen to commit these crimes. When Aileen confessed she declared â€Å"All I wanted to do was get my money for sex, if I could do it clean no problem, if there was a problem that’s when the incident happened†(Kunes). In Cohen’s Monster Theory he states â€Å"the monster prevents mobility, delimiting the social spaces through which private bodies may move. To step outside the official geography is to risk attack by some monstrous border patrol†(Cohen). Aileen’s victims we ignorant to the reality of who they were dealing with. Since the murders many individuals have tried to find the causes of the murders. By compiling years of research along with interviews from Aileen, I will contend there is no one reason for Ailee n’s actions but rather the whole is greater than the sum of the parts . In Cohen’s theory he states â€Å" the monster signifies something other than itself: it’s always a displacement, always inhabits the gap between the time of upheaval that created it and the moment into which it was received†(4). From birth Aileen was brought into chaos. Aileen Wuornos was born February 29th 1956. According to a documentary that interviews Aileen a few years before she was to be executed, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, Her teen parents Dianne and father Leo had already divorced. In an interview Dianne recalls Aileen was born Frank Breech meaning buttock first through the vaginal canal. Her mom told Broomfield she though â€Å"Aileen might have got brain damage from the birth†(Broomfield). When Aileen was 6 months old Dianne abandoned her and her brother Keith 11 months older than Aileen with Dianne’s roommate. According to Serial Murders and the Case of Aileen Wuornos: Attachment Theory, Psychopathy, and Predatory Aggres sion a child’s specifically infant bond with it’s mother is monumental in setting a tone on how an individual will view relationships later in life. Bowlby stated â€Å"the young child’s hunger for his mother’s love is as great as his hunger for food, and without her the young child succumbs to a powerful sense of loss and anger†(Arrigo). On top of Aileens lack of a relationship with her mother she would never meet her biological father Leo. â€Å"Leo Pitman was convicted of kidnapping and brutally raping a seven year old girl. He committed suicide while serving a life sentence†(Arrigo). Although there are many theories that speculate why Aileen might have committed the murders, Arrigo argues that it shouldn’t be overlooked that Aileen’s violent temper described by those who knew her best as â€Å"explosive† mimics those of her biological father who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. â€Å"Given Leo’s violent beha vior one can conclude that while the primary focus is on the environmental component as shaping one’s personality the biological components of psychopathy cannot be overlooked. Indeed, Aileen’s fits of rage, along with her lack of concern for others, reflect those of her biological father†(387). While we may never know why Aileen committed the murders many who studied Aileen argue that it might have been biological. After Aileen’s mother abandoned her and her brother, Aileen’s maternal grandparents adopted the pair. Aileen and Keith were under the impression their grandparents were their parents and referred to them as such. Her grandfather Lauri Wuornos ruled with an iron fist. In one of Aileen’s interviews she â€Å"described sadistic abuse committed by her grandfather. She recounted numerous beating with a leather strap on her bare buttock†¦Aileen spoke of being beaten on consecutive days while her skin was still raw from prior assaults†(Arrigo). In Broomfield’s documentary one of Aileen’s childhood friend Michelle remembered Lauri taking Aileen over his knee after the pair were caught ditching school. Michelle stated that she watched Aileen get beat and was mesmerized by the beating†¦ Michelle continued by saying that was just an common example of the abuse she observed at the hands of Aileen’s Grandfather†(Life and Death of A Serial Killer). Her Grandmother Britta â€Å"was an alcoholic and it would later claim Britta’s life when Aileen was 15†(Arrigo). Bowlby who studied Aileen thought that â€Å"as a result of early attachment experiences, a child accumulates knowledge and develops a set of expectations about self, significant other, and the larger social world†(Arrigo). From birth the odds were stacked against Aileen. She was passed around from absent parent to abusive grandparents. In 1980 Aileen moved to Florida. In Aileens own words I became a lesbian and all of it would get me in trouble(Broomfield).   Mike Reynolds who wrote the book Dead Ends about Aileen he gave insight to her time in Florida. She didnt have much of a commodity out there, she was overweight, beery, never dressed as a prostitute, never wore make up she wore cut offs , sneakers, and camo shirts towards the end she was running out of options(Broomfield). Cohen states â€Å"The too precise laws of nature as set forth by science are gleefully violate in the freakish compilation of the monsters body. A mixed category, the monster resists any classification built on hierarchy or a merely binary opposition, demanding instead a â€Å"system† allowing polyphony mixed response†(7). In 1986 Aileen meet Tyria Moore at a bar and the two began a five year intimate relationship. Tyria would ultimately be our monster’s demise. According to Broomfield â€Å"Tyria Moore represented t he most stable relationship in Aileen’s life†(Selling of A Serial Killer). The issue was because of Aileen’s upbringing she was unable to maintain healthy relationships. Arrigo argues â€Å"drug abuse, prostitution, violence, transience, and crimes were the coping mechanism employed by Aileen when confronted with Ty’s sociability toward and interests in others. Aileen had no mental representation of how to love someone and be loved in a healthy, unconditional way.†(Serial Murders and the Case of Aileen Wuornos: Attachment Theory, Psychopathy, and Predatory Aggression). Aileen states that the trouble started when all of her regulars went to train for Desert Storm. â€Å"Tyria told me I should go out and meet strangers like I did in the beginning†(Broomfield). Aileen claimed Ty knew about her crimes. When Seims’ car was crashed there were two females existing the vehicle. The day after Aileen was arrested Tyria was apprehended at her sis ter’s house in Ohio. Although she had victims personal effects on her person she was never charged in connection with the crimes. Instead she offered immunity and made a state’s witness in exchange for her cooperation with police. Unbeknown to Aileen at the time of her trial her jailhouse conversations with Ty were being taped by police. Those tapes would prove to be the most damning evidence against Aileen. In the documentary Aileen: Selling of a Serial Killer Broomfield documented Aileen’s murder trial for victim Richard Mallory. Aileen was the sole witness to testify for the defense. Although Aileen did confess to the killing the men she said it was self defense. When Aileen took the stand she testified that Richard Mallory told her youre going to do everything I tell you to do and if you dont Ill kill you just like all the other sluts(Broomfield). Aileen contended that Richard Mallory had tried to rape her. Kris Jenkins her public defender was criticized for failing to bring to the courts attention that Malloy had served 10 years for attempted rape(Broomfield). May believe it was Richard Mallorys attempted rape of Aileen that was the straw that broke the camels back. According to Aileen Wuornos: Killer Who Preyed on Truck Drivers, due to Floridas William Rule evidence relating to other crimes was allowed to help to show a pattern information regarding the other killings was pr esented to the jury. Wuornos claims of having killed in self defense would have been a lot more believable had the jury only know of Mallory(MacLeod). Cohen stated in Monster theory The refusal to participate in the classificatory order of things is true of monsters generally: they are disturbing hybrids who externally incoherent bodies resist attempts to include them in any system structuration. And so the monster is dangerous, a form suspended between forms that threated to smash distinctions(6). The jury didnt take long to convict Aileen of Mallorys murder. After all was said and done Aileen was eventually convicted of six counts murder and sentence to death by the state of Florida. From the day she was born Aileen Wuornos never had a working model of what it was to be a constructive member of society. She was kicked to the curb by the people who should have loved her the most, and was never truly accepted in adulthood. Although it’s true not everybody with a turbulent childhood kills, that’s where Aileen’s journey took her. In Aileen’s final interview before she was set to be executed she had this to say about her life â€Å"To me this world is full of nothing but evil, and all of us are full of evil one way or another, in whatever we do. My evil just happened to come from the circumstances of what I was doing hitchhikin, hookin, on the road†(Broomfield). Although some may think that’s no excuse for what she did, it’s ultimately her story. Aileen paid the price for her crimes and was executed on October 9, 2002. Annotated Bibliography Aileen Wuornos: Killer who Preyed on Truck Drivers, Marlee McLeod, 200http://members.chello.nl/w.kuijpers3/literature/Wuornos.pdf1 This article is about Aileen Wuornos life. Its more scholarly researcher about her case. I will use this article to go into detail about her trial.I give this article a 10 on reliability because I got it from a scholarly source. â€Å"Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer†, Netflix, Nick Broomfield Joan Churchill, 2003 This documentary is directed by Nick Broomfield. This takes place after Aileen was found guilty of all 7 murders. Nick interviews those around Aileen as well as Aileen just days before she was executed. I will use this as a look into Aileen’s mindset about her life. Although this is a popular source, I will give the reliability a 10. â€Å"Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer†, Netflix, Nick Broomfield Joan Churchill, 1993 This documentary is directed by Nick Broomfield. It takes place after Aileen’s arrest for the murder of Rodney Mallory while Aileen’s waiting to be tried for her other six murders. I will use this as evidence as to who Aileen was and her mind frame. Although this is a popular source it’s reliable because of the interview of those closest to Aileen. I give this article a 10 out of 10. Arrigo, Bruce A., Ayyanna Griffin. â€Å"Serial Murders and the Case of Aileen Wuornos: Attachment Theory, Psychopathy, and predatory Aggression.† Behavioral Science the Law, vol 22, no 3, May 2004, pp 375-393. http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5sid=a0ec9ad2-3150-4dcf-895f-f9b65507366e%40sessionmgr4007 This article is a scholarly journal that takes research on attachment theory and Aileen’s biological makeup. The article addresses how the sum of the whole might have influenced Aileen’s life. I will use this article to try connect what researchers say to what those around Aileen knew about her. I give this article a 10 out of 10 because it’s a scholarly source and was written about Aileen specifically. Cohen Jeffrey, Monster Culture (Seven Theses) This article gives multiple views on Monsters and who they are. Cohen compiled research from all over to understand what makes a monster a monster. I will use this article to cement that Aileen is viewed as a monster by society. This article will like scholarly research to the documentaries. I give this article a 10 for reliability. Kunes J.S M. Grant â€Å"Florida Cops Say Seven Men Met Death on the Highway When They Picked Up Accused Serial Killer..† People Vol. 35, no 7, 25 February 1991, p 44http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2sid=a0ec9ad2-3150-4dcf-895f-f9b65507366e%40sessionmgr4007bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=9103042610db=a9h This article is a news story on Aileen Wuornos and Tyria Moore it gives details of the murders. This article also talks about how the police didn’t think Tyria Moore had anything to do with the murders. I will use this article because it’s a snapshot of how Aileen was caught and her mind frame freshly after the arrest. It’s an important article because it gives another point of view besides those in Aileen’s circle. I give this article a 10 because it is on a scholarly website.