Prelude to Foundation Chapter 3 University

STREELING UNIVERSITY-†¦ An institution of higher learning in the Streeling Sector of ancient Trantor†¦ Despite all these claims to fame in the fields of the humanities and sciences alike, it is not for those that the University looms large in today's consciousness. It would probably have come as a total surprise to the generations of scholars at the University to know that in later times Streeling University would be most remembered because a certain Hari Seldon, during the period of The Flight, had been in residence there for a short time. Encyclopedia Galactica 11. Hari Seldon remained uncomfortably silent for a while after Hummin's quiet statement. He shrank within himself in sudden recognition of his own deficiencies. He had invented a new science: psychohistory. He had extended the laws of probability in a very subtle manner to take into account new complexities and uncertainties and had ended up with elegant equations in innumerable unknowns. Possibly an infinite number; he couldn't tell. But it was a mathematical game and nothing more. He had psychohistory-or at least the basis of psychohistory but only as a mathematical curiosity. Where was the historical knowledge that could perhaps give some meaning to the empty equations? He had none. He had never been interested in history. He knew the outline of Heliconian history. Courses in that small fragment of the human story had, of course, been compulsory in the Heliconian schools. But what was there beyond that? Surely what else he had picked up was merely the bare skeletons that everyone gathered-half legend, the other half surely distorted. Still, how could one say that the Galactic Empire was dying? It had existed for ten thousand years as an accepted Empire and even before that, Trantor, as the capital of the dominating kingdom, had held what was a virtual empire for two thousand years. The Empire had survived the early centuries when whole sections of the Galaxy would now and then refuse to accept the end of their local independence. It had survived the vicissitudes that went with the occasional rebellions, the dynastic wars, some serious periods of breakdown. Most worlds had scarcely been troubled by such things and Trantor itself had grown steadily un til it was the worldwide human habitation that now called itself the Eternal World. To be sure, in the last four centuries, turmoil had increased somehow and there had been a rash of Imperial assassinations and takeovers. But even that was calming down and right now the Galaxy was as quiet as it had ever been. Under Cleon I and before him under his father, Stanel VI, the worlds were prosperous-and Cleon himself was not considered a tyrant. Even those who disliked the Imperium as an institution rarely had anything truly bad to say about Cleon, much as they might inveigh against Eto Demerzel. Why, then, should Hummin say that the Galactic Empire was dying-and with such conviction? Hummin was a journalist. He probably knew Galactic history in some detail and he had to understand the current situation in great detail. Was it this that supplied him with the knowledge that lay behind his statement? In that case, just what was the knowledge? Several times Seldon was on the point of asking, of demanding an answer, but there was something in Hummin's solemn face that stopped him. And there was something in his own ingrained belief that the Galactic Empire was a given, an axiom, the foundation stone on which all argument rested that prevented him too. After all, if that was wrong, he didn't want to know. No, he couldn't believe that he was wrong. The Galactic Empire could no more come to an end than the Universe itself could. Or, if the Universe did end, then-and only then-would the Empire end. Seldon closed his eyes, attempting to sleep but, of course, he could not. Would he have to study the history of the Universe in order to advance his theory of psychohistory? How could he? Twenty-five million worlds existed, each with its own endlessly complex history. How could he study all that? There were book-films in many volumes, he knew, that dealt with Galactic history. He had even skimmed one once for some now-forgotten reason and had found it too dull to view even halfway through. The book-films had dealt with important worlds. With some, it dealt through all or almost all their history; with others, only as they gained importance for a time and only till they faded away. He remembered having looked up Helicon in the index and having found only one citation. He had punched the keys that would turn up that citation and found Helicon included in a listing of worlds which, on one occasion, had temporarily lined up behind a certain claimant to the Imperial throne who had failed to make good his claim. Helicon had escaped retribution on that occasion, probably because it was not even sufficiently important to be punished. What good was such a history? Surely, psychohistory would have to take into account the actions and reactions and interactions of each world-each and every world. How could one study the history of twenty-five million worlds and consider all their possible interactions? It would surely be an impossible task and this was just one more reinforcement of the general conclusion that psychohistory was of theoretical interest but could never be put to any practical use. Seldon felt a gentle push forward and decided that the air-taxi must be decelerating. â€Å"What's up?† he asked. â€Å"I think we've come far enough,† said Hummin, â€Å"to risk a small stopover for a bite to eat, a glass of something or other, and a visit to a washroom.† And, in the course of the next fifteen minutes, during which the air-taxi slowed steadily, they came to a lighted recess. The taxi swerved inward and found a parking spot among five or six other vehicles. 12. Hummin's practiced eye seemed to take in the recess, the other taxis, the diner, the walkways, and the men and women all at a glance. Seldon, trying to look inconspicuous and again not knowing how, watched him, trying not to do so too intently. When they sat down at a small table and punched in their orders, Seldon, attempting to sound indifferent, said, â€Å"Everything okay?† â€Å"Seems so,† said Hummin. â€Å"How can you tell?† Hummin let his dark eyes rest on Seldon for a moment. â€Å"Instinct,† he said. â€Å"Years of news gathering. You look and know, ‘No news here.' â€Å" Seldon nodded and felt relieved. Hummin might have said it sardonically, but there must be a certain amount of truth to it. His satisfaction did not last through the first bite of his sandwich. He looked up at Hummin with his mouth full and with a look of hurt surprise on his face. Hummin said, â€Å"This is a wayside diner, my friend. Cheap, fast, and not very good. The food's homegrown and has an infusion of rather sharp yeast. Trantorian palates are used to it.† Seldon swallowed with difficulty. â€Å"But back in the hotel-â€Å" â€Å"You were in the Imperial Sector, Seldon. Food is imported there and where microfood is used it is high-quality. It is also expensive.† Seldon wondered whether to take another bite. â€Å"You mean that as long as I stay on Trantor-â€Å" Hummin made a hushing motion with his lips. â€Å"Don't give anyone the impression that you're used to better. There are places on Trantor where to be identified as an aristocrat is worse than being identified as an Outworlder. The food won't be so bad everywhere, I assure you. These wayside places have a reputation for low quality. If you can stomach that sandwich, you'll be able to eat anywhere on Trantor. And it won't hurt you. It's not decayed or bad or anything like that. It just has a harsh, strong taste and, honestly, you may grow accustomed to it. I've met Trantorians who spit out honest food and say it lacks that homegrown tang.† â€Å"Do they grow much food on Trantor?† asked Seldon. A quick side glance showed him there was no one seated in the immediate vicinity and he spoke quietly. â€Å"I've always heard it takes twenty surrounding worlds to supply the hundreds of freight ships required to feed Trantor every day.† â€Å"I know. And hundreds to carry off the load of wastes. And if you want to make the story really good, you say that the same freight ships carry food one way and waste the other. It's true that we import considerable quantities of food, but that's mostly luxury items. And we export considerable waste, carefully treated into inoffensiveness, as important organic fertilizer-every bit as important to other worlds as the food is to us. But that's only a small fraction of the whole.† â€Å"It is?† â€Å"Yes. In addition to fish in the sea, there are gardens and truck farms everywhere. And fruit trees and poultry and rabbits and vast microorganism farms-usually called yeast farms, though the yeast makes up a minority of the growths. And our wastes are mostly used right here at home to maintain all that growth. In fact, in many ways Trantor is very much like an enormous and overgrown space settlement. Have you ever visited one of those?† â€Å"Indeed I have.† â€Å"Space settlements are essentially enclosed cities, with everything artificially cycled, with artificial ventilation, artificial day and night, and so on. Trantor is different only in that even the largest space settlement has a population of only ten million and Trantor has four thousand times that. Of course, we have real gravity. And no space settlement can match us in our microfoods. We have yeast vats, fungal vats, and algae ponds vast beyond the imagination. And we are strong on artificial flavoring, added with no light hand. That's what gives the taste to what you're eating.† Seldon had gotten through most of his sandwich and found it not as offensive as the first bite had been. â€Å"And it won't affect me?† â€Å"It does hit the intestinal flora and every once in a while it afflicts some poor Outworlder with diarrhea, but that's rare, and you harden even to that quickly. Still, drink your milkshake, which you probably won't like. It contains an antidiarrhetic that should keep you safe, even if you tend to be sensitive to such things.† Seldon said querulously, â€Å"Don't talk about it, Hummin. A person can be suggestible to such things.† â€Å"Finish the milkshake and forget the suggestibility.† They finished the rest of their meal in silence and soon were on their way again. 13. They were now racing rapidly through the tunnel once more. Seldon decided to give voice to the question that had been nagging at him for the last hour or so. â€Å"Why do you say the Galactic Empire is dying?† Hummin turned to look at Seldon again. â€Å"As a journalist, I have statistics poured into me from all sides till they're squeezing out of my ears. And I'm allowed to publish very little of it. Trantor's population is decreasing. Twenty-five years ago, it stood at almost forty-five billion. â€Å"Partly, this decrease is because of a decline in the birthrate. To be sure, Trantor never has had a high birthrate. If you'll look about you when you're traveling on Trantor, you won't encounter very many children, considering the enormous population. But just the same it's declining. Then too there is emigration. People are leaving Trantor in greater numbers than are arriving.† â€Å"Considering its large population,† said Seldon, â€Å"that's not surprising.† â€Å"But it's unusual just the same because it hasn't happened before. Again, all over the Galaxy trade is stagnating. People think that because there are no rebellions at the moment and because things are quiet that all is well and that the difficulties of the past few centuries are over. However, political infighting, rebellions, and unrest are all signs of a certain vitality too. But now there's a general weariness. It's quiet, not because people are satisfied and prosperous, but because they're tired and have given up.† â€Å"Oh, I don't know,† said Seldon dubiously. â€Å"I do. And the antigrav phenomenon we've talked about is another case in point. We have a few gravitic lifts in operation, but new ones aren't being constructed. It's an unprofitable venture and there seems no interest in trying to make it profitable. The rate of technological advance has been slowing for centuries and is down to a crawl now. In some cases, it has stopped altogether. Isn't this something you've noticed? After all, you're a mathematician.† â€Å"I can't say I've given the matter any thought.† â€Å"No one does. It's accepted. Scientists are very good these days at saying that things are impossible, impractical, useless. They condemn any speculation at once. You, for instance-What do you think of psychohistory? It is theoretically interesting, but it is useless in any practical sense. Am I right?† â€Å"Yes and no,† said Seldon, annoyed. â€Å"It is useless in any practical sense, but not because my sense of adventure has decayed, I assure you. It really it useless.† â€Å"That, at least,† said Hummin with a trace of sarcasm, â€Å"is your impression in this atmosphere of decay in which all the Empire lives.† â€Å"This atmosphere of decay,† said Seldon angrily, â€Å"is your impression. Is it possible that you are wrong?† Hummin stopped and for a moment appeared thoughtful. Then he said, â€Å"Yes, I might be wrong. I am speaking only from intuition, from guesses. What I need is a working technique of psychohistory.† Seldon shrugged and did not take the bait. He said, â€Å"I don't have such a technique to give you.-But suppose you're right. Suppose the Empire it running down and will eventually stop and fall apart. The human species will still exist.† â€Å"Under what conditions, man? For nearly twelve thousand years, Trantor, under strong rulers, has largely kept the peace. There've been interruptions to that-rebellions, localized civil wars, tragedy in plenty-but, on the whole and over large areas, there has been peace. Why is Helicon so pro-Imperium? Your world, I mean. Because it is small and would be devoured by its neighbors were it not that the Empire keeps it secure.† â€Å"Are you predicting universal war and anarchy if the Empire fails?† â€Å"Of course. I'm not fond of the Emperor or of the Imperial institutions in general, but I don't have any substitute for it. I don't know what else will keep the peace and I'm not ready to let go until I have something else in hand.† Seldon said, â€Å"You talk as though you are in control of the Galaxy. You are not ready to let go? You must have something else in hand? Who are you to talk so?† â€Å"I'm speaking generally, figuratively,† said Hummin. â€Å"I'm not worried about Chetter Hummin personally. It might be said that the Empire will last my time; it might even show signs of improvement in my time. Declines don't follow a straight-line path. It may be a thousand years before the final crash and you might well imagine I would be dead then and, certainly, I will leave no descendants. As far as women are concerned, I have nothing but the occasional casual attachment and I have no children and intend to have none. I have given no hostages to fortune.-I looked you up after your talk, Seldon. You have no children either.† â€Å"I have parents and two brothers, but no children.† He smiled rather weakly. â€Å"I was very attached to a woman at one time, but it seemed to her that I was attached more to my mathematics.† â€Å"Were you?† â€Å"It didn't seem so to me, but it seemed so to her. So she left.† â€Å"And you have had no one since?† â€Å"No. I remember the pain too clearly as yet.† â€Å"Well then, it might seem we could both wait out the matter and leave it to other people, well after our time, to suffer. I might have been willing to accept that earlier, but no longer. For now I have a tool; I am in command.† â€Å"What's your tool?† asked Seldon, already knowing the answer. â€Å"You!† said Hummin. And because Seldon had known what Hummin would say, he wasted no time in being shocked or astonished. He simply shook his head and said, â€Å"You are quite wrong. I am no tool fit for use.† â€Å"Why not?† Seldon sighed. â€Å"How often must I repeat it? Psychohistory is not a practical study. The difficulty is fundamental. All the space and time of the Universe would not suffice to work out the necessary problems.† â€Å"Are you certain of that?† â€Å"Unfortunately, yes.† â€Å"There's no question of your working out the entire future of the Galactic Empire, you know. You needn't trace out in detail the workings of every human being or even of every world. There are merely terrain questions you must answer: Will the Galactic Empire crash and, if so, when? What will be the condition of humanity afterward? Can anything be done to prevent the crash or to ameliorate conditions afterward? These are comparatively simple questions, it seems to me.† Seldon shook his head and smiled sadly. â€Å"The history of mathematics is full of simple questions that had only the most complicated of answers-or none at all.† â€Å"Is there nothing to be done? I can see that the Empire is falling, but I can't prove it. All my conclusions are subjective and I cannot show that I am not mistaken. Because the view is a seriously unsettling one, people would prefer not to believe my subjective conclusion and nothing will be done to prevent the Fall or even to cushion it. You could prove the coming Fall or, for that matter, disprove it.† â€Å"But that is exactly what I cannot do. I can't find you proof where none exists. I can't make a mathematical system practical when it isn't. I can't find you two even numbers that will yield an odd number as a sum, no matter how vitally your all the Galaxy-may need that odd number.† Hummin said, â€Å"Well then, you're part of the decay. You're ready to accept failure.† â€Å"What choice have I?† â€Å"Can't you try? However useless the effort may seem to you to be, have you anything better to do with your life? Have you some worthier goal? Have you a purpose that will justify you in your own eyes to some greater extent?† Seldon's eyes blinked rapidly. â€Å"Millions of worlds. Billions of cultures. Quadrillions of people. Decillions of interrelationships.-And you want me to reduce it to order.† â€Å"No, I want you to try. For the sake of those millions of worlds, billions of cultures, and quadrillions of people. Not for the Emperor. Not for Demerzel. For humanity.† â€Å"I will fail,† said Seldon. â€Å"Then we will be no worse off. Will you try?† And against his will and not knowing why, Seldon heard himself say, â€Å"I will try.† And the course of his life was set. 14. The journey came to its end and the air-taxi moved into a much larger lot than the one at which they had eaten. (Seldon still remembered the taste of the sandwich and made a wry face.) Hummin turned in his taxi and came back, placing his credit slip in a small pocket on the inner surface of his shirt. He said, â€Å"You're completely safe here from anything outright and open. This is the Streeling Sector.† â€Å"Streeling?† â€Å"It's named for someone who first opened up the area to settlement, I imagine. Most of the sectors are named for someone or other, which means that most of the names are ugly and some are hard to pronounce. Just the same, if you try to have the inhabitants here change Streeling to Sweetsmell or something like that, you'll have a fight on your hands.† â€Å"Of course,† said Seldon, sniffing loudly, â€Å"it isn't exactly Sweetsmell.† â€Å"Hardly anywhere in Trantor is, but you'll get used to it.† â€Å"I'm glad we're here,† said Seldon. â€Å"Not that I like it, but I got quite tired sitting in the taxi. Getting around Trantor must be a horror. Back on Helicon, we can get from any one place to any other by air, in far less time than it took us to travel less than two thousand kilometers here.† â€Å"We have air-jets too.† â€Å"But in that case-â€Å" â€Å"I could arrange an air-taxi ride more or less anonymously. It would have been much more difficult with an air-jet. And regardless of how safe it is here, I'd feel better if Demerzel didn't know exactly where you were.-As a matter of fact, we're not done yet. We're going to take the Expressway for the final stage.† Seldon knew the expression. â€Å"One of those open monorails moving on an electromagnetic field, right?† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"We don't have them on Helicon. Actually, we don't need them there. I rode on an Expressway the first day I was on Trantor. It took me from the airport to the hotel. It was rather a novelty, but if I were to use it all the time, I imagine the noise and crowds would become overpowering.† Hummin looked amused. â€Å"Did you get lost?† â€Å"No, the signs were useful. There was trouble getting on and off, but I was helped. Everyone could tell I was an Outworlder by my clothes, I now realize. They seemed eager to help, though; I guess because it was amusing to watching me hesitate and stumble.† â€Å"As an expert in Expressway travel by now, you will neither hesitate nor stumble.† Hummin said it pleasantly enough, though there was a slight twitch to the corners of his mouth. â€Å"Come on, then.† They sauntered leisurely along the walkway, which was lit to the extent one might expect of an overcast day and that brightened now and then as though the sun occasionally broke through the clouds. Automatically, Seldon looked upward to see if that were indeed the case, but the â€Å"sky† above was blankly luminous. Hummin saw this and said, â€Å"This change in brightness seems too suit the human psyche. There are days when the street seems to be in bright sunlight and days when it is rather darker than it is now.† â€Å"But no rain or snow?† â€Å"Or hail or sleet. No. Nor high humidity nor bitter cold. Trantor has its points, Seldon, even now.† There were people walking in both directions and there were a considerable number of young people and also some children accompanying the adults, despite what Hummin had said about the birthrate. All seemed reasonably prosperous and reputable. The two sexes were equally represented and the clothing was distinctly more subdued than it had been in the Imperial Sector. His own costume, as chosen by Hummin, fit right in. Very few were wearing hats and Seldon thankfully removed his own and swung it at his side. There was no deep abyss separating the two sides of the walkway and as Hummin had predicted in the Imperial Sector, they were walking at what seemed to be ground level. There were no vehicles either and Seldon pointed this out to Hummin. Hummin said, â€Å"There are quite a number of them in the Imperial Sector because they're used by officials. Elsewhere, private vehicles are rare and those that are used have separate tunnels reserved for them. Their use is not really necessary, since we have Expressways and, for shorter distances, moving corridors. For still shorter distances, we have walkways and we can use our legs.† Seldon heard occasional muted sighs and creaks and saw, some distance off, the endless passing of Expressway cars. â€Å"There it is,† he said, pointing. â€Å"I know, but let us move on to a boarding station. There are more cars there and it is easier to get on.† Once they were safely ensconced in an Expressway car, Seldon turned to Hummin and said, â€Å"What amazes me is how quiet the Expressways are. I realize that they are mass-propelled by an electromagnetic field, but it seems quiet even for that.† He listened to the occasional metallic groan as the car they were on shifted against its neighbors. â€Å"Yes, it's a marvelous network,† said Hummin, â€Å"but you don't see it at its peak. When I was younger, it was quieter than it is now and there are those who say that there wasn't as much as a whisper fifty years ago-though I suppose we might make allowance for the idealization of nostalgia.† â€Å"Why isn't it that way now?† â€Å"Because it isn't maintained properly. I told you about decay.† Seldon frowned. â€Å"Surely, people don't sit around and say, ‘We're decaying. Let's let the Expressways fall apart.' â€Å" â€Å"No, they don't. It's not a purposeful thing. Bad spots are patched, decrepit coaches refurbished, magnets replaced. However, it's done in more slapdash fashion, more carelessly, and at greater intervals. There just aren't enough credits available.† â€Å"Where have the credits gone?† â€Å"Into other things. We've had centuries of unrest. The navy is much larger and many times more expensive than it once was. The armed forces are much better-paid, in order to keep them quiet. Unrest, revolts, and minor blazes of civil war all take their toll.† â€Å"But it's been quiet under Cleon. And we've had fifty years of peace.† â€Å"Yes, but soldiers who are well-paid would resent having that pay reduced just because there is peace. Admirals resist mothballing ships and having themselves reduced in rank simply because there is less for them to do. So the credits still go-unproductively-to the armed forces and vital areas of the social good are allowed to deteriorate. That's what I call decay. Don't you? Don't you think that eventually you would fit that sort of view into your psychohistorical notions?† Seldon stirred uneasily. Then he said, â€Å"Where are we going, by the way?† â€Å"Streeling University.† â€Å"Ah, that's why the sector's name was familiar. I've heard of the University.† â€Å"I'm not surprised. Trantor has nearly a hundred thousand institutions of higher learning and Streeling is one of the thousand or so at the top of the heap.† â€Å"Will I be staying there?† â€Å"For a while. University campuses are unbreathable sanctuaries, by and large. You will be safe there.† â€Å"But will I be welcome there?† â€Å"Why not? It's hard to find a good mathematician these days. They might be able to use you. And you might be able to use them too-and for more than just a hiding place.† â€Å"You mean, it will be a place where I can develop my notions.† â€Å"You have promised,† said Hummin gravely. â€Å"I have promised to try, † said Seldon and thought to himself that it was about like promising to try to make a rope out of sand. 15. Conversation had run out after that and Seldon watched the structures of the Streeling Sector as they passed. Some were quite low, while some seemed to brush the â€Å"sky.† Wide crosspassages broke the progression and frequent alleys could be seen. At one point, it struck him that though the buildings rose upward they also swept downward and that perhaps they were deeper than they were high. As soon as the thought occurred to him, he was convinced it was true. Occasionally, he saw patches of green in the background, farther back from the Expressway, and even small trees. He watched for quite a while and then became aware that the light was growing dimmer. He squinted about and turned to Hummin, who guessed the question. â€Å"The afternoon is waning,† he said, â€Å"and night is coming on.† Seldon's eyebrows raised and the corners of his mouth turned downward. â€Å"That's impressive. I have a picture of the entire planet darkening and then, some hours from now, lighting up again.† Hummin smiled his small, careful smile. â€Å"Not quite, Seldon. The planet is never turned off altogether-or turned on either. The shadow of twilight sweeps across the planet gradually, followed half a day later by the slow brightening of dawn. In fact, the effect follows the actual day and night above the domes quite closely, so that in higher altitudes day and night change length with the seasons.† Seldon shook his head, â€Å"But why close in the planet and then mimic what would be in the open?† â€Å"I presume because people like it better that way. Trantorians like the advantages of being enclosed, but they don't like to be reminded of it unduly, just the same. You know very little about Trantorian psychology, Seldon.† Seldon flushed slightly. He was only a Heliconian and he knew very little about the millions of worlds outside Helicon. His ignorance was not confined to Trantor. How, then, could he hope to come up with any practical applications for his theory of psychohistory? How could any number of people-all together-know enough? It reminded Seldon of a puzzle that had been presented to him when he was young: Can you have a relatively small piece of platinum, with handholds affixed, that could not be lifted by the bare, unaided strength of any number of people, no matter how many? The answer was yes. A cubic meter of platinum weighs 22,420 kilograms under standard gravitational pull. If it is assumed that each person could heave 120 kilograms up from the ground, then 188 people would suffice to lift the platinum.-But you could not squeeze 188 people around the cubic meter so that each one could get a grip on it. You could perhaps not squeeze more than 9 people around it. And levers or other such devices were not allowed. It had to be â€Å"bare, unaided strength.† In the same way, it could be that there was no way of getting enough people to handle the total amount of knowledge required for psychohistory, even if the facts were stored in computers rather than in individual human brains. Only so many people could gather round the knowledge, so to speak, and communicate it. Hummin said, â€Å"You seem to be in a brown study, Seldon.† â€Å"I'm considering my own ignorance.† â€Å"A useful task. Quadrillions could profitably join you.-But it's time to get off.† Seldon looked up. â€Å"How can you tell?† â€Å"Just as you could tell when you were on the Expressway your first day on Trantor. I go by the signs.† Seldon caught one just as it went by: STREELING UNIVERSITY-3 MINUTES. â€Å"We get off at the next boarding station. Watch your step.† Seldon followed Hummin off the coach, noting that the sky was deep purple now and that the walkways and corridors and buildings were all lighting up, suffused with a yellow glow. It might have been the gathering of a Heliconian night. Had he been placed here blindfolded and had the blindfold been removed, he might have been convinced that he was in some particularly well-built-up inner region of one of Helicon's larger cities. â€Å"How long do you suppose I will remain at Streeling University, Hummin?† he asked. Hummin said in his usual calm fashion, â€Å"That would be hard to say, Seldon. Perhaps your whole life.† â€Å"What!† â€Å"Perhaps not. But your life stopped being your own once you gave that paper on psychohistory. The Emperor and Demerzel recognized your importance at once. So did I. For all I know, so did many others. You see, that means you don't belong to yourself anymore.†

Festival: Chinese New Year and Tangy Pineapple Tart Essay

Malaysia is a land known of its multicultural and the diversity of religions. As this country is made up of different races, the people of Malaysia inevitably celebrates a variety of festivals. To the Chinese, the most important festival is the Chinese New Year, which usually falls on the month of January or February. Before the festival, throngs of shoppers head for shops in search of mandarin oranges, new year tit bits, new clothes, plants like bamboos, money plants or little kumquat trees that bear the prosperous meaning. Some families even get together to bake and prepare the new year delicacies like the yummy and tangy pineapple tart, almond cookies and so on. The Chinese also make it a point to settle all debts before the new year begins as it symbolizes bad luck to bring forward debts from the past. On the eve of the new year, family members get together for a special reunion dinner. Younger unmarried members of the families receive red packets containing money when they go around visiting friends and relatives. The Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Puasa which marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting. The festival begins with prayers at the mosque early in the morning. Some people visit the cemetery to pray for family members who have departed. After that, there are visits to relative’s house and feasts. The most popular dish during this time will be the ketupat which is made from rice, chicken or beef rendang, a dish that is cooked with a lot of coconut milk. Green packets containing money will also be distributed during this festival. Deepavali or the festival of lights is celebrated by the Hindus. Homes of Hindus are decorated with little colorful lamps which symbolize the victory of good over evil. On this auspicious day, Hindus dress in new clothes will go to the temple in the morning to pray. Then, they either visit their friends or invite friends over to their homes for feast. These festivals of different races have opened up chances for Malaysians to know and understand the cultures of others. This situation will definitely build up the spirit of unity among the people in this fortunate land.

Planning to Live Your Life Your Way Essay

Goal setting is a formal process for personal planning. By setting goals on a routine basis you decide what you want to achieve, and then move step by-step towards the achievement of these goals. The process of setting goals and targets allows you to choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know what you have to concentrate on to do it. You also know what is merely a distraction. Goal setting is a standard technique used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. It gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organize your resources. By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set. The process of achieving goals and seeing this achievement gives you confidence that you will be able to achieve higher and more difficult goals. Goals are set on a number of different levels: First you decide what you want to do with your life and what large-scale goals you want to achieve. Second, you break these down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit so that you reach your lifetime goals. Finally, once you have your plan, you start working towards achieving it. Starting to Set Personal Goals This section explains how to set personal goals. It starts with your lifetime goals, and then works through a series of lower level plans culminating in a daily to-do list. By setting up this structure of plans you can break even the biggest life goal down into a number of small tasks that you need to do each day to reach the lifetime goals. Your Lifetime Goals The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your lifetime, as setting Lifetime goals gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making. How to Start to Achieve Your LifetimeGoals Once you have set your lifetime goals, set a 25 year plan of smaller goals that you should complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Then set a 5 year plan, 1 year plan, 6 month plan, and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan. Finally set a daily to-do list of things that you should do today to work towards your lifetime goals. At an early stage these goals may be to read books and gather information on the achievement of your goals. This will help you to improve the quality and realism of your goal setting. Finally review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life.

Leadership and Teamwork in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Leadership and Teamwork in Management - Essay Example Notably important, over the past year, I have also noticed that there exists a significant variation in the value systems of people from different cultures. To illustrate, I noticed the existence of difference in attitudes among my team members, more so in towards teamwork, achievement orientation, and hierarchy. Through these differences, I learnt how culture can effectively influence a group of people can work together achieving a common goal. Equally important, due to the cultural diversity and different locational backgrounds among members of our groups, there existed various differences in terms of communication, technology involvement, time management approaches, preconceptions and stereotyping among others. As a result of these occurrences, I learnt several factors that could help the team to solidify and work together regardless of the differences. For instance, I learnt not to make instant judgments or assumptions about my colleagues or their different styles they used to ca rry out tasks. I also tried to learn their foreign cultures so as to know what they expected. It is worth noting that doing this enabled me to create a close relationship with my colleagues thus largely eliminating our cultural differences. Besides, my communication skills were also greatly enhanced since I learnt that I should think how information would be received by the other parties before communicating. For instance, communication through text messages and emails can at times greatly be misunderstood and would thus be inappropriate modes in delivering stressful and sensitive messages. It is beyond doubt that this inquiry has a lot to offer in terms of improving and developing my skills. As such, throughout this inquiry, I intend to intensely improve on skills such as time management, team management, communication and social interaction.

Identification of the Probable Causes of ER Conflict Term Paper

Identification of the Probable Causes of ER Conflict - Term Paper Example Since the company has been operating for 15 years, it means the company has grown wide in the 15 years span. Much growth comes from opportunities to discover creative solutions to conflicts in organizations (Hannaway, 2003). Conflicts in organizations could come up for different reasons. However, conflict provides additional ways of thinking about their sources and opens up the possibility of improving a relationship. Some of the main causes of conflict in the organization include organizational change. In most organizations, there is tension between opposing forces for stability or to maintain the status quo and change. If the management of the organization wants to shift, more health care costs onto workers tension may arise. If the organization has to attain much stability, it may lose its competitive position in the market (Farnhan, 2002). With too much change, the mission blurs and the employees develop anxiety, which in turn causes employee relations conflict. The conflict coul d also be caused by ineffective communication. It is a significant cause of conflict, especially personal conflict. It occurs if messages do not pass through the required message filters. It is often evident in a work setting where different people work closely together. It is always a challenge to achieve an effective two-way communication; thus, always triggering conflict. Values and culture clashes are also a vital source of conflict that is evident in many organizations. These conflicts arise from the presence of different value priorities amongst the employees (Hannaway, 2003). Today’s diverse workforce reflects a kaleidoscope of cultures each with its own unique qualities. The individual’s bearers of these different cultural traditions could easily come into conflict with one another. Generational influences are the most powerful forces that shape values in the modern workforce.  

Evidence for (or against) water on Mars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evidence for (or against) water on Mars - Essay Example ncluding volcanic activities, presence of polar ice caps and presence of chemical compounds on the Martian surface rocks are all evidences revealing the presence of water in the Mars planet. The planet Mars consists of water, which is in the form of ice. Mars planet has two polar ice caps, which are permanent. During the winter seasons, the Martian pole lies in constant darkness making the surface chill. This contributes to approximately 30 percent of the atmosphere, which is in the form of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice). However, when the sun strikes the poles, the carbon dioxide ice sublimes through sublimation process; thus forming winds that sweep the poles away at a speed of 400km/h (Murdin, 2009). Sublimation is a process of transforming solid substances into the gaseous state without passing through liquid stage. This is because most chemical compounds at normal pressures possess varied temperatures. Most solid substances that contain vapor pressure can sublime at certain temperatures such as water ice, which is below 0Â °C. Ice and snow undergoes sublimation process although at a slow process but below the melting point. This is seen when a wet cloth, which is hu ng outside in a freezing weather and later removed when it is dry. The freezing to drying of the material dehydrates from freezing; thus allowing water to sublime under low pressure. Murdin (2009) argue that water exist on Mars in the form of ice. The Martian surface rocks occur in high latitude areas and are known as permafrost, which is in a freezing state below the 0Â °C. Most permafrost areas are located in high latitudes, and ice is not always present, but they occur due to hydraulic saturation of the bedrock materials. Water vapor is always presented in the ambiance but the permafrost lack liquid water. The present condition of the surface of many planets does no longer support the existence of water in liquid form for a longer period. This is because the atmospheric temperature is too low; thus

Opening the West to New Horizons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Opening the West to New Horizons - Essay Example To receive a better understanding of the difference between Carl and David, it is essential to go through and compare the two geographers and their way of thinking. Carl was a more open minded sort who felt as if cultures should be respected and studied in depth to understand how various people used their surroundings to flesh themselves out. He believed that past societies developed their cultures according to what was available to them. Take for instance a culture built near an ocean. Carl would believe that most certainly the ocean and seafaring would certainly play roles in the development of the societies religion and moral codes. Water could be considered sacred to such a society. Then there is the other end of the spectrum, where David Livingstone comes in. Although he still respected many other cultures, he almost felt they were inferior to the modern ideals of Christianity. He believed that through Christ, many cultures across the world could open themselves to Western culture and commerce, and that it would benefit them more than their own cultures. He felt a need to spread the word of God to these various other societies without regarding their own cultures as nearly important as the will of God. He believed that no matter what conditions the society was in, by following God and Christ, they could reform and better themselves in every aspect of life, no matter what, and made it his lifes mission to accomplish this.

Management Practices in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management Practices in the Workplace - Essay Example entrusted with five functions namely: planning, leading, organizing, staffing and controlling which must be done efficiently and effectively to achieve organizational success. These will be the subject of this paper especially their implementation in a practical situation. This is one of the critical functions of management. According to Block (2011 p. 16) is the capacity to initiate a future distinct from the past. This can only be achieved through practices that foster high employee engagement. DuBrin (2008) and Reilly et al (2011) view planning as a process of setting goals and deciding on how to achieve them. Organizations unlike in the past whereby they used to have crisis management whereby decisions are made when problems arise; make long-term plans to guide the future of the organization. The manager must develop a vision and mission for the organization to guide all its activities. Plans can be strategic, tactical or operational depending on their use. Strategic plans are long-term and determine the future of the business. They are developed by high levels of management and form the basis for lower level tactical and operational plans. Tactical plans are developed for functional areas of the organization or business unit in a global company. These tactical plans according to DuBrin (2008) are for implementation of strategic plans through division into specific goals. They are also formulated by middle level managers. Operational plans on the other hand, are concerned with specific procedures and actions involved in running day-to-day activities or daily performance targets (Reilly et al. 2011). However, tactical and operational plans should be aligned with strategic plan. The operation plans in this case ensure efficiency (doing things right) while strategic plans ensure effectiveness (doing the right things) (DuBrin, 2008, p. 135; Reilly et al. 2011). For exa mple at Tripac, the most important decisions such as increasing market share or to do with

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India Research Paper

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India - Research Paper Example This has been the principle reason behind the rapidly expanding offshore outsourcing of international trade in a number of service activities which had been considered non tradable even few years back. The popular idea which has emerged in this context is that â€Å"anything that one can send over the wire is up for grabs!† (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.39). The project seeks to identify the typical reasons for outsourcing by organizations. The major emphasis would be on India which has proved to be one of the most popular destinations for outsourcing by US firms. The relative advantages of outsourcing in India, as against nations like China, Europe and Philippines would be explored in the project. Advantages of Outsourcing From the point of view of an economy, global outsourcing from the developed to the develop nations would be inevitable for creating a large number of while collar jobs in the latter. This would be the inescapable outcome of allocation of resources to their m ore productive uses following international trade. This has been the principle motivating reason for outsourcing. ... Thus outsourcing would necessarily mean to bring about benefits to the society even though certain transitional costs would be associated with it (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). There has been extensive research works that have indicated that both the developing and the industrialized nations would reap significant gains from the outsourcing of services. This would necessarily lead to efficiency gains for the industrial nations through the opportunity of developing their expertise in areas of their competencies. A per the McKinsey Global Institute (2003), for each US $1 worth of outsourcing, the nation gains $1.12 while the outsourced nation gains approximately $0.33. The above fact reveals the extent of static gains that companies can reap through outsourcing. Most of the multinational organizations have begun to outsource their service activities on a routine basis. This is because it is felt that if they don’t outsource while their competitors continue to do so aggressive ly, they would be losing on the local and global market to the foreign rivals. This would result in stagnating profits which would reduce the rate of creation of capital and investments in domestic technologies. The cost saving advantage from outsourcing has evolved as the most popular source of value to the US organizations in particular (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). Global outsourcing has been significantly effective in reaping benefits for the developing nations in the world. This has been possible through the opening up of new exports, employment opportunities, growth in the numerous tradable service activities. While considering a more dynamic picture, the increase in income levels brought about by trade would also lead to the creation of favorable feedback effects for many of the other

Wk 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk 5 - Essay Example One’s own composite model for change management is as follows: (1) establish the need for change; (2) communicate the proposed change; (3) solicit participation and feedback from those to be affected by the change process; (4) develop the implementation plan; (5) monitor the change process through regular feedback; (6) incorporate significant inputs in the change process, as required; (7) institutionalize the change. These sequences of change were deemed essential because it initially provided the rationale or the need for change, which is seen as the crucial step in justifying change within the organization. Then, after communicating, the management team must enjoin participation of those to be affected by the change process to solicit inputs and minimize resistance. The rest of the steps would focus on the development of strategies for initiating and implementing change. Finally, monitoring and incorporating any significant changes within the outlined process must be include d before finally institutionalizing the change process within the organizational setting. The management skills that must be ingrained within the change management process are enforcing the functions of planning, organizing, directing and controlling these various steps. The strongest skills require addressing resistance to change by enjoining the participation of people affected by the change process. The weakest would be failure to communicate the crucial information required. Through one’s experience of organizational change, the steps identified to be crucial and best handled was communicating the need for change by providing the rationale and justifying its urgency. Apparently, the change that was proposed did not solicit inputs from the personnel and therefore forms of resistance were eminent. The management team therefore had to

International Business Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Business Decision Making - Essay Example One or two decisions makers are however given the decision taking authority but limited with number of decisions to be taken. Because of this most of the decisions are delayed and memos seeking claims are passed slowly gathering signatures on the way. This slow process is however adversely affecting the airlines in today's competitive environment, where decisions are to be taken fast. In the air transport sector, there is lots of uncertainty which largely depends on consumer behavior. The logics used for estimations of operations and environments are not very clear. Under this sector, many important decisions like the supply of services etc. are based on these estimates and therefore a clear decision has to be taken. The carrier's supply decision making process is investigated, first when the demand function is obtained through classical methods then when it is given by a fuzzy function. (Charfeddine 2005, P.8). However, there are different interesting equipments set up by Airlines for convenience of their customers, while waiting for the flight arrival, and if there is a long gap between flights and have to stay at airport for quite a long time for uncanny reasons. Few of them are given below: The American Airlines Admirals Club at DFW has a kid's room with computer games and cartoons. O'Hare got a play zone under Terminal Two operated by the Chicago Children's Museum. San Francisco has Kids' Spot in Terminal 3. Vancouver's international terminal has a man-made stream that leads to an aquarium filled with 850 sea creatures and 1000 jellyfish tank. Singapore's Airport was named best airport in world for past 2 decades by Business Traveler magazine. It contains exotic gardens, two house tour nearby Singapore, napping rooms as also a movie theatre. All these facilities can attract the customers and are made in the interest of customers who have to wait for long hours for their flights to arrive and have nothing to do, can take advantage of all these beautiful arrangements. There are online travels shopping services available by airline through which you can track airline ticket pricing for leisure as well as business travels; the website helps the travelers easily compare the flight options and airfares. (The inside on how airlines set fares and make decisions. 2007). "Airline transport is a quite booming industry with an expected yearly growth rate of 6% for the 5 coming years. But airline transport is also a difficult industry, particularly for old European companies with heavy management structures, unionized personnel, and poor flexibility." The to and fro operations of the company takes place from Brussels airport. Here there are different options of operating more lines and with high efficient aircrafts, both in Europe and intercontinental, as additional traffic is generated by transfer passengers flying between their origin and

Comparative Study of Personal Financial Planning Essay Example for Free

Comparative Study of Personal Financial Planning Essay It is generally seen that people have a misconception that financial planning is about saving more and spending less but that is not the case, it is more about saving the right amount so that future goals can be met. The objective of financial planning is * To ensure that the right amount of money is available in right hands at right point of time in the future to achieve the desired goals and objectives. It * Provides direction and meaning to your financial decisions. * It allows you to understand how each financial decision you make affects other areas of your finances. Financial planning and investments can be undertaken by anyone with a clear assessment of ones inflow of funds and the goals that need to be achieved from time to time. Keywords: Financial planning, wealth management, investment instruments, real estate Introduction Financial planning is achieving your financial goals in the most efficient manner. The broad areas of financial planning include Investment planning  -Your wealth will only grow over time if you have invested it in assets. Investment planning  deals with the kind of investments an individual should invest in to get the best out of his wealth. In this the risk and return profiling of an individual is done based on his life stage, spending requirements with respect to his income and wealth, time horizon and liquidity requirements and various individual specific constraints. Investment Planning is important because it helps you to derive the maximum benefit from your investments. | Cash flow planning   In simple terms, cash flow refers to the inflow and outflow of money. It is a record of your income and expenses. Though this sounds simple, very few people actually take time out to find out what comes in and what goes out of their hands each month. Cash flow planning refers to the process of identifying the major expenditures in future (both short-term and long-term) and making planned investments so that the required amount is accumulated within the required time frame. Cash flow planning is the first thing that should be done prior to starting an investment exercise, because only then will you be in a position to know how your finances look like, and what is it that you can invest without causing a strain on yourself. It will also enable you to understand if a particular investment matches with your flow requirement| | | 3. Retirement planning   Retirement planning means making sure you will have enough money to live on after retiring from work. Retirement should be the best period of your life, when you can literally sit back and relax or enjoy your life by reaping benefits of what you earn in so many years of hard work. But it is easier said than done. To achieve a hassle-free retired life, you need to make prudent invest ment decisions during your working life, thus putting your hard-earned money to work for you in future. Planning for retirement is as important as planning your career and marriage. Life takes its own course and from the poorest to the wealthiest, no one gets spared. We get older every day, without realizing. However, we assume that old age is never going to touch us. The future depends to a great extent on the choices you make today. Right decisions with the help of proper financial planning, taken at the right time will assure smile and success at the time of retirement. Retirement Planning acquires added importance because of the fact that though longevity has increased, the number of working years havent.Tax planning   Tax evasion is illegal but tax minimization is legal. Thus you can reduce your tax liability by planning effectively. With proper tax planning you can increase your after tax income. |   | 5. | Children future planning- It is essential to plan for the future of your children. The purpose of Childrens Future Planning is to create a corpus for foreseeable expenditures such as those on higher education and wedding and to provide for an adequa te security cover during their growing years. Savings alone is no longer enough.

Interventions Against Burnout in Mental Health Nursing

Interventions Against Burnout in Mental Health Nursing Are educational interventions effective in reducing the incidence of burnout among mental health nurses? A critical review of the literature Abstract Background There is much evidence to link burnout with mental health nursing, but limited empirical evidence that examines the impact of educational interventions on the incidence of burnout in mental health nurses. Aim The aim of this literature review was to critically evaluate the literature relating to educational interventions associated with burnout in mental health nursing using selective and comparative analysis Method The search strategy involved the use of several electronic databases, and a library search to access relevant journals. Search terms and inclusion/ exclusion criteria are identified. Evaluative criteria (Price 2003) were applied to a critical analysis of the literature. Findings There is limited empirical research in this area; some of it is predictive rather than evaluative. Conclusions Despite the paucity of information, there are some strong arguments for the use of educational interventions to reduce the incidence of burnout in mental health nurses. There are implications for further research to be carried out in this area. Background Burnout is defined as a state of emotional exhaustion, accompanied by a sense of low self- worth (Peveler et al 2000), lack of motivation and a physical as well as emotional, sense of ill- health (Malach-Pines 2005). It tends to involve an insidious process of cumulative stress (Morrisette 2002a). Burnout is most often associated with human- service (helping) professions (Ekstedt and Fagerberg 2005) and frequently, it is those who have a high level of commitment to their work, who are most at risk (van Dierendonck D et al 2005). There is much evidence within the literature that links mental health nursing with burnout ( Barling 2001; Coffey 1999; Duquette et al 1994; Edwards et al 2000; Fagin et al 1995; Happell et al 2003; Harper and Minghella 1997; Kipping 2000; Prosser et al 1999a; Onyett 1997; Wykes et al 1997). Although burnout is associated with different types of nursing (Nolan and Smojkis 2003); mental health nurses in particular, are reported to be at high risk (Nolan et al 1999; Thomsen et al 1999a). Suggested reasons for this high level of vulnerability to stress and burnout are that the profession attracts people who have a predisposition to mental health difficulties themselves (Guppy and Gutteridge 1991) and that working with people with severe mental illness is so stressful that a degree of transference can occur between the patient and health professional (particularly if the latter is inexperienced) (McLeod 1997). The stressors associated with mental health nursing are further compounded if certain factors are present, such as low self- esteem; conflicting demands of home- life, inadequate coping mechanisms (Thomsen et al 1999b) and a lack of job satisfaction, which is especially associated with hospital, rather than community nurses (Prosser et al 1999b). Many sources propose that burnout is preventable (Burnard P 1999; Figley C 2002; Jones 2003 ; Morrisette 2002b; Taormina and Law 2000). It is important therefore, to raise awareness of prevention strategies. It is possible that these could be incorporated into educational programmes and it is suggested that failure to do so can result in informally learned negative behaviours leading to maladaptive coping strategies (Thompson 2003). Aim The aim of this literature review is to critically evaluate the literature relating to educational interventions associated with burnout in mental health nursing using selective and comparative analysis. Method The search strategy involved the use of the Athens Access Management System in order to access such databases as The British Nursing Index, CINAHL, the Cochrane library, Evidence- based medicine (EBM) reviews, Embase psychiatry, internurse.com, Medline, Ovid, PsycINFO, Pubmed, ScienceDirect and TRIP database. The University library was also used in order to conduct a hand search of such relevant journals as The Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing; The International Journal of Mental Health Nursing; Mental Health Nursing; Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, Journal of Advanced Nursing; International Journal of Nursing Studies; Nurse Researcher and Nursing Research. The search terms and keywords used were: ‘burnout’ and ‘stress’ in combination with ‘mental health nursing’; ‘mental health nurses’; ‘nurses’ ‘education’; ‘nurse education’; ‘training’ (as it was found that this word was used quite a lot within the literature) and ‘prevention’. The search process highlighted the search terms that were most effective in accessing the relevant information using trial and error; otherwise referred to as a process of screening (Fink 2005a) The inclusion criteria were: papers dating back to 1990, the rationale being that a lot of work on burnout was conducted during the 1990’s; some of it in relation to mental health nursing, which is still being cited by published authors; research articles addressing the concepts of ‘stress’ and ‘burnout’ as they relate to ‘mental health nursing’; research articles linking ‘burnout’ with ‘nursing’, ‘prevention’ and ‘education’ as there is limited specific information on educational interventions to prevent burnout in mental health nursing, therefore some transferable principles were applied. For the same reason (shortage of specific information) research articles from other countries were not excluded. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were included. Exclusion criteria were any papers published before 1990; any articles not written in the English language; any articles not specifically addressing stress and burnout and articles about stress and burnout that are not related to nursing. Evaluative criteria adapted from the framework developed by Price (2003) were broadly applied to a critical analysis of the literature. These criteria are: Do the papers address my question? Is the content accessible and comprehensible? Are the research results valid, reliable and authentic? Are there any gaps within the literature and Are there any competing perspectives/ contradictions within the literature? These criteria were supplemented by selective reference to sampling techniques used, strengths and weaknesses of the research designs, methods of data collection and analysis, ethical aspects and presentation issues (Fink 2005b). Findings A recurring theme that emerged from the literature in relation to burnout within the helping professions is the concept of emotional labour, and that education and training can help to make people more aware of this phenomenon and to develop strategies to manage it. Emotional labour is a form of dissonance when the practitioner feels under pressure not to display the emotions which are engendered by the nature of their work (Brotheridge and Grandey 2002). There are two levels of emotional labour; surface or deep acting (Ashkanasy et al 2006). Surface acting is when the practitioner adopts a behaviour that belies their true emotions whereas deep acting is when they struggle to feel the emotion that is expected of them. Mann and Cowburn (2005) conducted a study that aimed to increase understanding about the links between components of emotional labour and stress in mental health nursing. 35 mental health nurses completed questionnaires which yielded information relating to 122 nurse- patient interactions. Three different published research instruments were integrated into the questionnaire; the Emotional Labour Scale, the Emotional Labour Inventory (both of which related more directly to nurse- patient interactions) and the Daily Stress inventory which addressed more general areas of stress. The use of tried- and- tested research instruments helps to ensure validity and reliability of the findings. Published research tools have often been refined several times, with the need to have excellent reliability and validity (Giles 2002). The data was analysed by using Pearsons correlations and multiple regression techniques. The researchers concluded that emotional labour is positively correlated with both the stress that arises from interactions with patients, as well as other sources of stress; that the impact of emotional labour is dependent upon the intensity of the interaction and the range of emotions experienced throughout the interaction, and that surface acting is a more important predictor of emotional labour than deep acting. Only one psychiatric unit was involved in the study with a relatively low response rate of 29%; low response rates can introduce bias and uncertainty into a study (Smeeth 2002). What constitutes a satisfactory response rate varies according to the nature of the research, however a 60% response rate might be considered to be ‘good’, and a 50% response rate to be adequate (Sim and Wright 2000); although many researchers accept that any response rate over 40% can yield meaningful results. The authors acknowledge that generalisability of the results is limited. Interestingly it was the non- cooperation of the unit in general that adversely af fected the response rate because of a lack of flexibility regarding access to respondents which influenced the methodology, in that it was not possible to obtain qualitative data relating to the lived experiences of mental health nurses in relation to emotional labour which might have been more meaningful, and an unwillingness to allow the researchers to follow- up non- responders. There is an implication here for nurses to become more research aware and for healthcare organisations to promote and support research- mindedness. The discussion and conclusion are interesting and relevant to the link between education and burnout in relation to mental health nursing. While acknowledging the limitations of the study, the authors do however stress that the findings have important implications for nurse education in that skills training for performing emotional work should be given a higher priority; that an increased focus be placed on facilitating self- awareness skills to enable mental health nurses to become more introspective about their feelings, so that they can develop effective techniques for dealing with them. However this study does not have the scope to be able to empirically demonstrate that educational interventions are effective in preventing burnout. The value of developing new educational strategies in relation to addressing emotional labour (in addition to other issues) for student mental health nurses was more clearly demonstrated by Turner et al (2004). The purpose of the study was to evaluate a pilot client attachment scheme for student mental health nurses. The rationale for client attachment is that it enables students to form therapeutic relationships with individual clients. This type of educational experience differs from the more traditional route of progressing through different placements. The methodology involved the use of semi- structured interviews to gain the perspectives of students (12), their supervisors (22) and clients (2). Although this is a small sample, the design was qualitative and a depth of meaningful information was obtainable, particularly from the students and the supervisors. The data was organised using thematic analysis, although this was not possible with the client data as there were only two clients and although they gave very positive feedback, the amount of information was very limited. Service user involvement in mental health research is a relatively new and developing concept (Telford and Faulkner 2004). This study is relevant to the discussion because it highlighted that different educational approaches can more effectively promote reflective skills among mental health nurses, which in turn can provide a tool for dealing with emotional labour. The researcher’s literature review revealed that many mental health student nurses report sources of stress as including not feeling part of a team, and dealing with distressing incidents involving clients. These factors lead to emotional containment, causing reduced motivation and increased stress. The client attachment scheme goes some way to addressing these issues by providing more continuity and increased supervision for mental health student nurses. Although the scope and generalisability of this study is limit ed, it flags up important indicators for changes to be made to the student nurse curriculum that will provide students with the skills to recognise and deal with, emotional labour, which should impact upon more effective stress management and prevention of burnout. Another study which concludes that changes should be made to the mental health student nurse curriculum in relation to stress management was conducted by Kilfedder et al (2001). They contend that previous studies on burnout in nursing contain several methodological inadequacies, and so set out to design a more theoretical study. The study sample was drawn from nurses employed in a Scottish National Health Service (NHS) Trust which provided both acute and continuing care mental health services in both hospital and community settings. 510 nurses returned questionnaires (a response rate of 48.8%). A total of 12 published measures were used, together with one purpose- designed measure which related to non- occupational stressors. The others related to such aspects as social support, occupational stress, burnout and coping strategies. As previously highlighted, the use of published measures can enhance reliability and validity. A range of statistical tests were used to analyse the data. H igh levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and burnout were reported and low levels of personal accomplishment. The researchers concluded that not only should a core part of the nursing curriculum be devoted to stress management and coping skills, but also that management training should incorporate leadership skills that facilitate stress management and that all nurses should be provided with training that equips them to develop coping mechanisms. Education is very much seen by the researchers as an essential part of a comprehensive approach to prevention, which should be emphasised more than the current tendency towards ‘picking up the pieces’ after the event. This study is quite complex which tends to affect its accessibility, however its findings have important implications for stress management in mental health nurses. Sharkey and Sharples (2003) evaluated a learning pack on risk management, developed for use with clinical mental health teams with emphasis on the impact the pack had on team members’ stress. The learning pack was made up of six sections, each one corresponding with a facilitator- led workshop. Participants were expected to carry out some reading and learning activities between workshops. Interestingly the authors identify two aspects of risk management that are potential stressors; the potential risks of the job such as dealing with violence and having to get to grips with the concept of risk management as a relatively new concept, and the systems involved. The researchers adopted a quasi- experimental approach, using pre and post measures, taken eight weeks before and after the learning intervention, in order to be able to measure any change in relation to work- related stress among the participants, as a result of following the educational programme. The researchers highlig hted difficulties with not being able to conduct a controlled experiment which might have affected the outcome, as it was not possible to be certain that any change was attributable to the educational intervention, as opposed to other factors. Sampling was self- selective which might also have affected the findings, as having volunteered; the participants indicated a level of motivation which could have impacted on the effectiveness of the learning programme. The sample (42) was drawn from two mental health locality teams, which included mental health nurses. The pre and post measures used were the Occupational Stress Indicator and the Healthcare- related Work Pressure Scale. Again, these are tried and tested published instruments, the use of which should contribute to the validity and reliability of the findings. These yield quantitative data which was analysed using descriptive statistics, the paired t -test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Once again, it might have been of valu e to combine qualitative with quantitative measures, in order to gain an understanding of the participants’ experience of stress; qualitative methods allow researchers to overcome the assumptions inherent in fixed- choice questionnaires, although these also have their value for example, in relation to information about prevalence (Cummings and Galambos 2004). All 42 participants completed the pre measures( although only 32 started the programme and 27 completed it) together with the post measures. It would have been interesting to identify why almost half of the original sample did not complete the programme; whether workload and/ or stress issues contributed to this level of attrition. However it was suggested that quite intensive time commitment was required to complete the programme which might have been an inhibitory factor and there could be implications for redesigning the programme so that it can be accessed more flexibly by participants. Responses were not broken down into professional groups- this also might have yielded some important differences. In relation to the Occupational Stress Indicator, comparing pre and post scores indicated that there was a general decrease in many sources of stress. Interestingly lower means at post measures were observed for the ‘job satisfaction’ subscale which indicated reduced satisfaction. The researchers suggest that this could be due to increased knowledge and expectations as a result of the learning intervention; whether this development could be a source of stress in itself is not speculated upon even though different studies have reported a relationship between stress and reduced job satisfaction (Koslowsky 1998). Scores for the Healthcare- related work pressure scale all show a lowering of item means at post measure. Overall the researchers concluded that the learning intervention brought about positive changes in relation to the work- related stress of the participants; in some cases the i mpact was significant. It is suggested that the ways in which educational interventions can bring about change is by enabling participants to gain knowledge and skills within the ‘safe’ environment of the classroom. A positive outcome of this study is that the learning pack has been modified, following feedback from the pre and post measures together with evaluations from the participants, and is now in use. Ewers et al (2002) evaluated the effect of Psychosocial Intervention Training (PSI), using a controlled experiment, in reducing burnout rates in mental health nurses working in secure units, having identified that this group is particularly at risk of developing clinical burnout syndrome. The hypothesis was that if nurses gained a better understanding of clients’ illnesses and develop more skills to be able to help clients, then they would experience lower levels of burnout within their clinical roles. A self- selecting sample of 20 volunteered to do the PSI course, but these met pre- set inclusion criteria and represented all grades of staff and all wards. 10 subjects were allocated to the experimental PSI group and 10 to the waiting list control group. Baseline measures of knowledge were taken, using a 30- item multiple choice questionnaire which had been used in previous studies; of attitudes, using a measure developed by one of the researchers and of burnout, using the Mas lach Burnout Inventory. It was not clarified whether the attitude measure had been tested for reliability and validity, whereas the other two measures are tried and tested. The experimental group received 20 days of PSI training. On completion of the course all subjects were asked to complete the measure of knowledge, attitudes and burnout. The facilitator had previously received advanced training in PSIs. The course includes both practical and theoretical assessment components and a minimum attendance of 80% was required. The data was analysed using Fisher Exact tests and t tests. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the knowledge scores for each group, with an increase in the knowledge of the experimental group. The same applied to the measurement of attitudes, which it is assumed (although not made clear by the authors) refers to an increase in positive attitudes for the experimental group. Again, the same applied to the burnout measure; this time the res ults are expressed more clearly in that the experimental group had moved in a positive direction along the subscales measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The limitations of this study are that the results might not be generalisable to other units; as only one unit was involved in the study wherein specific factors might exist that contribute to the development of burnout. As with the previous study, the self- selecting nature of the participants might indicate that they were more highly motivated and more responsive to change. However, while acknowledging the methodological weaknesses, the researchers conclude that the significantly positive changes in knowledge, attitudes and burnout measures of participants within the experimental group are indicative of the value of educational interventions in reducing the incidence of burnout among mental health nurses working within secure units. Ho (2007) describes a study which explored the value and meaning of a psychodynamic work discussion for mental health nurses, which is described as a method of working, learning and development in professional practice. A work discussion group can enable psychological and emotional containment for mental health nurses which can impact upon the prevention of burnout. While the work discussion group is a means of learning in itself, education about the psychodynamic processes involved is also necessary in order to unlock the potential of the group. A qualitative design was used in order to be able to explore the feelings, experiences and perceptions of the participants, which seems highly appropriate within a study of this kind. Data was collected from a focus group of 6 mental health nurses ranging from staff nurse to ward manager level. This is quite a small sample, however this is often more acceptable within qualitative research as depth rather than breadth of information is being sought. It is generally considered that the ideal composition of a focus group is between 6-12 people, however when the nature of the subject could be emotionally charged or sensitive, it is preferable to limit the size of the group to 5 or 6 (Polit and Beck 2004). The data was analysed using Bulmer’s framework, a technique derived from grounded theory in order to define meaning through focus groups. This article is quite complex but comprehension has been facilitated by the presentation, in tables and boxes, of the categories and themes within which the discussion was structured. The purpose of the focus group (which was not immediately made clear) was not to act as a work discussion group but to explore the potential for its value with mental health nurses, and the group appeared to be generally responsive to the concept. The author concludes that mental health nurses could benefit from this approach, but would need encouragement and education and that the use of the work d iscussion group could be integrated into nurse education. The researcher acknowledges that the potential use of this approach needs to be explored further, with larger samples from a wider area. Lee (2005) evaluated the effectiveness of a stress management training intervention for care assistants working in a residential home for the elderly; many of whom had dementia, having cited research which links caring for people with dementia with work- related stress. The study took place within one residential home. The training consisted of a three- day programme that aimed to create and maintain an effective work environment by managing stress and stressful situations. The researcher provides an outline of the course content but does not state how many participants there were or how she measured the effectiveness of the programme, despite including sections headed ‘methods’ and ‘findings’. She reports that the stress management training reduced the care assistants’ levels of stress and improved their ability to cope with potentially stressful situations. She also concluded that the age or experience of the care assistants did not have an impact o n their stress levels or coping ability, which did not concur with the findings of a different study. This is a poorly written research article; the lack of detail reduces its value. However given the paucity of research related to educational interventions for mental health workers, it still adds to the existing body of knowledge. An interesting development is that the researcher subsequently contacted 21 residential homes and found that only 3 provided training interventions related to stress management. Conclusions An extensive review of the literature has revealed that there are gaps in the literature relating to educational interventions to reduce the incidence of burnout in mental health nurses; this finding is supported in a review by Edwards and Burnard (2003), who concluded that while there is evidence that stress is a problem for mental health nurses, research on interventions to address this, is insufficient. Many articles on this subject are literature reviews, drawing on broad- based research in related areas, with a definite lack of empirical studies, and these reviews have not been included here. It has been necessary to include studies which predict that educational interventions will reduce the incidence of burnout in mental health nurses as well as those which evaluate existing interventions (which are very few). There are implications for further research into this important area. However there are some interesting and valuable conclusions that can be drawn from the existing lit erature. A synthesis of this review of the literature yields the following outcomes: There is a link between emotional labour and burnout, and adopting strategies (including educational) to enable mental health nurses to recognise and deal with emotional labour (including self- awareness and reflective skills) should impact upon the prevention of burnout. Educational interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of burnout should take place both within pre registration programmes and as part of continuing professional development (CPD). Educational interventions are an important part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the incidence of burnout among mental health nurses. As well as focussing on stress management, educational interventions can also be used to enhance knowledge and skills (relating to for example, risk management and helping skills) which in turn, positively impact upon stress levels and coping skills. A range of educational approaches should be explored in relation to stress management, allowing for innovation and flexibility, to facilitate access for mental health nurses, who may feel inhibited by such factors as shift patterns, workload or lack of resources References Ashkanasy N, Zerbe W and Hartel E. Emotions in the Work Place: Research, Theory, and Practice. Quorum/ Greenwood. 2000. p. 16 Barling J. Drowning not waving: burnout and mental health nursing. Contemporary Nurse. 11(2-3) 2001 pp. 247-59. Brotheridge C and Grandey Emotional Labour and Burnout: comparing two perspectives of ‘people work’. Journal of Vocational Behaviour. 60 pp. 17-39. Burnard P Practical counselling and helping. Routledge. 1999. p. 115 Coffey M . Stress and burnout in forensic community mental health nurses: an investigation of its causes and effects. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 6(6) 1999. p. 433 Cummings S and Galambos C. Diversity and Aging in the Social Environment. Haworth press. 2004. p. 157. Duquette A, Kerouac S, Sandhu BK, Beaudet L. Factors related to nursing burnout: a review of empirical knowledge. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 15(4) 1994 pp.337-58. Ewers P, Bradshaw T, McGovern J and Ewers B. Does training in psychosocial interventions reduce burnout rates in forensic nurses? Journal of Advanced Nursing 2002 37(5) pp. 470-476. Malach-Pines A. The Burnout Measure, Short Version. International Journal of Stress Management. Volume 12(1) 2005. pp. 78-88 Mann S and Cowburn J. Emotional labour and stress within mental health nursing. Journal of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. 12(2) 2000 pp.154-162, Nolan P, Dallender J, Soares J, Thomsen S and Arnetz B. Violence in mental health care: the experiences of mental health nurses and psychiatrists. Journal of Advanced Nursing 30(4) 1999. p. 934 Nolan P and Smojkis M. The mental health of Nurses in the UK. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 9. 2003. pp. 374-379. Prosser D, Johnson S, Kuipers E, Dunn G, Szmukler G, Reid Y, Bebbington P and Thornicroft G Mental health, burnout and job satisfaction in a longitudinal study of mental health staff. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 34 (6). 1999. pp. 295-300. Sharkey S and Sharples A. The impact on work-related stress of mental health teams following team-based learning on clinical risk management. Journal of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. 2003 10(1) pp. 73-81 Sim J and Wright C. Research in Health Care: Concepts, Designs and Methods. Nelson Thornes 2000. p. 359. Smeeth L. Improving the response rates to questionnaires. BMJ 324 2002 pp. 1168-1169 Taormina R and Law C. Approaches to preventing burnout: the effects of personal stress management and organizational socialization. Journal of Nursing Management 8(2) 2000, pp. 89-99 Telford R and Faulkner A. Learning about service user involvement in mental health research. Journal of Mental Health. 13(6) pp. 549- 559. Thompson T. Handbook of health communication. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2003. p. 356. Thomsen S, Soares, J, Nolan P, Dallender J and Arnetz B. Feelings of Professional Fulfilment and Exhaustion in Mental Health Personnel: The Importance of Organisational and Individual Factors. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 68 1999 pp.157-164 Turner L, Callaghan P, Eales S and Park A. Evaluating the introduction of a pilot clien

Beauty Therapy for Wellness | Business Plan

Beauty Therapy for Wellness | Business Plan Part 2 The Business My Background: The idea for this business has been getting planned out in my mind since I first began studying Beauty Therapy at James Watt College. My years of customer service experience, that I gained previous to starting college, in hospitality both in a managerial role and a team member will serve me well and can be adapted to suit the beauty and complementary therapies industry. When I started I knew my end goal was to set up a small business of my own using the qualifications I was to gain, I did not, however realise at the time that I would go on to pursue complementary therapies. During the 3 years I have been studying I went from beauty, to spa route and then onto Complementary Therapies, I have been a devoted student throughout this time and always took on any challenge given to me. I have worked hard throughout this time and as a consequence to the hard work I have done I was offered a job in the 5 star Blythswood Square Spa where I had done my placement, I have been there for almost 2 years now where I have developed my skill and knowledge base, this had allowed me to work with many different people and get a taste of the work I want to do. I have also had the opportunity to witness first hand many excellent working practices, which has given me plenty of ideas of how I can see my business and treatments running. As well as my time in college and the spa I also do work from home with clients I have met through close friends and family members. This has let me build a small client base with whom I can fall back on at quieter times in the beginning of my new venture. I have added a copy of my CV in Appendix 2. The Idea: The idea for my business will be a room in the local health centre in which I will offer complementary therapies. Massage will be the main focus, I will offer limited aromatherapy using pre-blended oils which have been pre-blended and labelled before I get them. The main treatments I will offer will be Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports/remedial massage, Indian head massage, aromatherapy (using pre-blended oils) and facials. I will be working closely with the healthcare professionals in the centre in which the business is based and will take referrals from them to try and aid the patients in their healthcare needs. The business will be different from anywhere in the area as there are only salons around, all of which are much more focused on beauty treatment and nails as opposed to massage and complementary therapies. Business Name: My business name will be A Tranquil Touch, tranquil means quiet, calm or peaceful and this is how I intend my business to be. I will aim to always have a tranquil atmosphere, calm staff should I need to expand or get help and always leave my clients feeling tranquil and relaxed. The touch part refers to the massage treatments I will offer. Position to Date: All of my initial research has been fully compiled and as soon as I have purchased the products and equipment needed and register that I am self-employed to HMRC I will be in a position to open. Mission Statement: A Tranquil Touch will be a place of calm and tranquillity, as the name suggests. I will provide the best possible service to my clients through hard work, excellent customer service, high standards and professionalism. I will aim to provide a place and treatment list for which my clients will wish to return time and time again to receive the complementary therapies they need in order to feel their best. Short term objectives: Over the next 12 months I aim to achieve regular visits from existing clients from the health centre and of my own, alongside new faces through recommendations and with successful advertising through Facebook, through promotion, packages and pricelists. Posters will be on display in the health centre, town halls, schools and other public buildings in town, price lists will be available in various locations throughout the various locations as well. To ensure a profitable business in the future and establish a healthy clientele I will advertise as much as I can before opening and in the 1st year updating and drumming up new business through promotions and advertising as and when is necessary. Long term objectives: My aim for the future is to expand the business into an wellness centre, where clients can come to relax, unwind, fine tune their minds and bodies and enhance any medical they are receiving from the NHS. I would hope to have a successful business and employ staff to run a room each in any given day. I would also like to include a beauty room as part of the business to help clients look as good as they feel, trends are fast moving however and while I will strive to continue my own learning and that of my staff, I would take over as a managing role providing treatments as and when possible. I will always be 100% involved in my business, supportive to employees, always looking at things through the customers eyes while providing the best possible client journey for all. Industry Analysis Distribution Chanel: A Tranquil Touch, based within Port Glasgow Health Centre, is a holistic salon with a friendly and relaxed ethos in which provides a high standard of massage services. The method of distribution is direct distribution as the service is coming directly from myself to my clients and they come to the premises. Competition: For A Tranquil Touch I want to set myself apart from other salons in the area that offer a similar type of service. After researching I discovered that there are 4 salons in the surrounding area of Port Glasgow Health Centre, who are my direct competitors. There is a gap in the area for a service which concentrates on complementary therapies, specialising in massage and which is not focused on beauty treatments but looks to improve the health and wellbeing of its clients. After having sent out a questionnaire (included in appendix 3) and speaking to my own clients I have gained through mobile services, I found out that they want a business they can feel confident will provide them with services and treatments to complement and enhance the health care they are receiving from the NHS. Most people seem to be unaware of the added benefits of massage or do not think that beauty salons are the best place to receive these treatments (some examples of the returned questionnaires are included in appendix 4). Direct Competitors Tres Mar: 5 Church Street, Port Glasgow, PA14 5EH are the salon in my area I consider to be my strongest competitors. They offer aromatherapy, reflexology and chiropody as well as massage, facials and sports massage. At the moment they are often fully booked but this mostly with nails, waxing and the other beauty treatments they offer. As long as I keep my prices low I should be able to target my clientele and keep them. I will also offer different opening hours keeping my room open late when they are not in order to target clients after working hours (I have included a copy of the treatment price list in appendix 5). Amethyst Hair and Beauty: King Street, Port Glasgow are the closest salon to the health centre where I will be based, at the moment they do offer facials but have no body massage treatments on their treatment menu as they offer more superficial treatments such as nails, lashes, waxing and hair dressing. This should be of great benefit to me. I may also try and make a link with the salon where we can offer referrals to our clients (I have included a copy of the treatment price list in appendix 5). The other 2 salons in the area are the Relaxation Room and Brown Street Hair and Beauty. Both of these salons are relatively new and also offer mainly beauty treatments, as they are not yet well established within the area and have not done much in the way of advertising I do not see them as a major threat, as long as my advertising is done well I am positive I can establish my business in the area without too much bother in the way of competition. Operational Plan Services: I plan to offer different types of massage which will be Swedish, Aromatherapy (using pre-blended oils), deep tissue, sports/remedial, Indian head, bamboo, hot stones and facials to begin with. I will offer full body and have many options for part body which will be back, neck and shoulders, facial, scalp neck and shoulders, legs and feet, hand and arm, abdominal and chest, neck and shoulders. All massages will be customised to meet the needs of the client and will therefore be bespoke, this is something completely different from that which is offered in any of the surrounding salons and will be my main selling point. Cost: The rent for the room for the 1st 2 months will cost me  £600. The room is in walk in condition and needs no decorating, due to the specialised nature of the business I will need very little equipment which is massage bed at approx  £350, hot stone heater and stones  £100, a hot towel cabinet  £150 and a selection of towels (large and small), face cloths and mitts on which I estimate I will need to spend  £100 to begin with. My other costs will be products and consumables such as couch roll, spatulas, bowls, first aid kit, grapeseed oil, pre-blended aromatherapy oil, cleanser, toner, mask, exfoliator, cotton pads, tissues, massage cream and moisturisers all of which I can get for an approximate cost of  £200 to get me started. I can get all of this from beauty express which will keep my shipping costs to a minimum. As I plan on paying my insurance with my own money I estimate I will need an approximate total of  £1500 to get me started. Legal Entity: The legal entity I will be trading under will be as a sole trader as I will be working for myself, renting a room and solely responsible for starting it up. Therefore, there are no particular legal formalities to adhere to and no planning permission is needed as the business is already established. However, I will contact the HMRC to inform them that I will be self-employed and when I intend to start my business. Health and safety legislations: There is a great deal of legislations which protects both the clients and myself. I must ensure as well as the manager at Twisted Sister salon, to follow the legislations efficiently according to the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974). Health and Safety at Work Act (1974): This forms the basis of health and safety regulations in the UK, this act explains the minimum standards required for health, safety, and welfare in the workplace. This makes sure that all work premises are safe to use. How this applies to me? I work in a specific work area carrying out treatments on clients. Therefore, I am responsible for maintaining my work area throughout each treatment and making sure that it is safe and hygienic enough for my clients and myself. I will check my work area thoroughly such as the cleanliness of the work surfaces and trolleys. I ensure there are no lose wires, spillages and blockages of any of the pathways and that there are no hazards causing risk to any of the employees or customers. The workplace (Health, safety and welfare) regulations 1992: This is to make sure that all those working, maintain the high safety standards of the environment. This includes equipment, ventilation, working temperature, lighting and cleanliness, avoidance of falling objects, safe floors, windows and doors. How this applies to me? I am responsible for my clients comfort and safety. Therefore, it is important for me to check all aspects of the treatment and treatment area. I ensure that the temperature is at the correct working level along with accurate lighting, the light bright enough for me to carry out the treatment safely yet low enough to create a relaxing ambiance. Also, ensure that the area is thoroughly cleaned with disinfectant to reduce the chance of cross-infection, in which can be passed on from person to person, or coming into contact with a contaminated work surface or tool. All tools and equipment which I use is sterilised and disinfected appropriately. All bedding is freshly laundered and changed after each client. Methods of sterilisation and disinfection UV cabinet: These are highly recommended for equipment sterilisation. Tools and equipment can be placed in the cabinet for effective sterilisation. Disinfectants: Ammonia compound disinfectants (e.g. Barbicide) can be used for metal and plastic items such as tweezers and scissors. Follow manufacturers instructions for correct use. Control of substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002): This is commonly referred to as COSHH Regulations. These regulations are very important as it is a legal obligation to assess any risks associated with hazardous substances used in the workplace to eliminate or control risks. How this applies to me? To prevent personal harm from hazardous substances e.g. skin irritation, respiratory disease, a COSHH risk assessment is required for such substances as cleaning chemicals. All cosmetic products used in salons must comply with the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2004, which are enforced by Trading Standards Officers. During the treatments I handle products with care and only use and store them following the manufacturers instructions throughout. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989: These ensure that all equipment and sockets have been checked by a professional electrician. It is important to ensure that any employee uses their own initiative to check the appliances they are using. For example, spotting any worn or exposed wires. How this applies to me? Before my treatment I ensure that the electrical equipment I am using are all checked and maintained in accordance of the manufacturers instructions and recommendations. I ensure that no wires are twisted, worn or frayed and that the plug is not cracked or loose. Once the treatment is over I store the equipment away safely with all the wires fixed securely in its place. Data Protection Act: The client is asked very personal questions during a consultation through specific consultation techniques. Therefore, it is important to ensure that any information given is kept confidential and secure. How this applies to me? I conduct a consultation with my clients before a treatment depending on what they are having to determine contra-indications and to ensure it is safe and suitable for the client. I therefore, ensure that all information that is given remain confidential and protected. I keep all documents and answers from others and are not kept longer than necessary. Amy GrayHNC Complementary Therapiespg. 1