How effectively has Charles Dickens Essay

This piece of course work is going to focus on Charles Dickens and one of his most famous works, the novel ‘A Christmas Carol. ‘ Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in the year 1812, his family was very poor; infact so poor that when Charles was merely 12 his father was imprisoned for debt. This caused Charles a lot of shame, embarrassment and humiliation which was made even worse, when, due to his family’s lack of money he was forced to work in a blacking factory, in pretty poor conditions for an even poorer pay. Infact this probably influenced his attitude to child labour in later life and inspired him to write ‘A Christmas Carol’. As Charles grew older he went on to work as an office boy and then finally he became a reporter of debates in the House of Commons for the Morning Chronicle, he also began to write sketches for a variety of journals. Dickens then went on to write a number of a famous novels: Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby and The Old Curiosity Shop were all completed, but it was in the year 1843 that Charles Dickens began to write one of his most famous novels ‘A Christmas Carol’. Dickens wrote ‘A Christmas Carol’ when London’s poor were living at their worst. Poverty, filth and disease wrecked the livelihoods of the poor living in London and there was very little that could be done about it. Many children died very young and shocking statistics show that in 1839 almost half of the funerals in London were for children under the age of ten. Families were big, the parents hoping that the more children there were the more money the family could earn but this often wasn’t the case as the cost of bringing up children was quite expensive. Parents gained money from working around the clock for six days a week this meant a lot more than 12 hour working days for the poor and often mistreat from their employers, but it gained a little money and kept the families alive. However the amount of time spent at work would obviously take a toll and family life would deteriorate so Sundays were kept very special as a time to chill once a week and just to spend time with family and friends. This was a day of freedom until the law made going to church compulsory every Sunday ‘ Sabbatarianism’. This really affected the lives of the poor as they could not spend quality time with their families and had no freedom. This was something Dickens really empathised with and he really understood the poors’ views and wanted to do all he could to change it. Most children grew up facing a life following in their parent’s footsteps which meant a life of no education or money. The only option left was to be part of the ‘ Ragged Schools’, schools run through a charity which gave children a basic education and some religious lessons. Dickens himself was very interested in this charity although he did not agree with the compulsory religious education. The lives of the poor were indeed very terrible and Dickens was determined to do something about it, he realised that people would take much more notice of the horrific living conditions for the poor if he wrote about them in a story. So through his characters in Christmas Carol he really reflected the truth about life for the poor, how even when their lives were the most terrible you could imagine, they spread love to others around them and they stuck together through the worst. How they weren’t lazy just not well enough paid. This really changed many of the rich peoples( or Scrooges) ideas about the poor and ended up changing many of the lives of the people living in London. Dickens then went on to write a number of books that are still just as famous and widely read today. He was still writing in 1870 when he died suddenly leaving his final novel ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ incomplete. Dickens tells the story ‘A Christmas Carol’ almost like a song; each chapter is called a stave which means a verse. There are five staves; each one represents a different thing that happens to the main character Scrooge. The first stave starts off with the Scrooge before the visits from the four ghosts; ‘He was a tight fisted hand at the grind stone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner’. It is then a little later on in the first stave that the first ghost is introduced, Scrooge is visited by his long dead best friend the ghost of Jacob Marley. Marley tells Scrooge the coming plot of the story how he will be introduced to 3 different ghosts all with the same message ‘Change your ways’. The second stave is the visit of the first spirit, the ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’. Then the third and forth staves are separated into the visits of the second and third spirits, the ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’ and the ‘Ghost of Christmas Future’. They tell of Scrooges life and how if he doesn’t change he will come to a very bitter end. The fifth and final stave is how Scrooge has reformed his character he is a completely different person and he helps to change the lives of everyone who knows him. Dickens uses many skills and techniques to portray contrasting views on Christmas through his characters. This way he managed to open the eyes of so many people living in London, he convinced them that the poor were not lazy but good, hardworking, honest people who deserved a lot more than they got. In his novel he displayed two main, contrasting views on Christmas. One came from Scrooge, the typical rich man who did not see any reason to be jolly at Christmas as it was a time when you paid bills but had no money. ‘ What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money, a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer. ‘ The other contrasting view comes from the poorer people, whom Dickens always displays in a good light. There are two main characters in the novel that come from poorer backgrounds, one is Scrooges clerk, the hardworking, honest Bob Cratchitt, the other is Scrooges very own nephew. He is very set against Scrooges point of view on Christmas. ‘A good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time†¦ ‘ This is a very effective and clever technique that Dickens has used because he is emphasizing the fact that Scrooge is the miserly old man that doesn’t really care about anyone but himself and making money; this puts the poor in the good light, they are displayed as warm, kind hearted loving people who care and look out for each other. This is exactly what Dickens has intended to do; it has instantly made the reader aware that the poor people are the good. Another example of a contrasting view on Christmas is also in the conversation that Scrooge has with his nephew. It once again emphasises on the fact that Scrooge only cares about money; Scrooge says ‘ Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough. ‘ The nephew then replies: ‘Come then†¦ What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough. ‘ Scrooge is saying here that his nephew has no reason to be merry at Christmas time as he is too poor; with which the nephew retaliates that in that case Scrooge has no right to be unhappy at Christmas time as he is very rich.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 10

10. Unlikely Knights THE EMPEROR They called it Wine Country. What it was, in fact, was an area south of Market Street, adjacent to the Tenderloin, where liquor stores sold a high volume, yet small variety, of fortified wines like Thunderbird, Richard's Wild Irish Rose, and MD 20-20 (known in the wine world as Mad Dog, for the propensity of its drinkers to urinate publicly and turn around three times before passing out on the sidewalk). While Wine Country was technically the SOMA, or the â€Å"fashionable† South of Market Street neighborhood, it had yet to draw the young professional crowd that sprayed everything with a shiny coat of latte and money, as had its waterfront neighbor. No, Wine Country consisted mainly of run-down apartments, sleazy residence hotels, deeply skeezy porn theaters, and old industrial buildings, which now housed mini-storage units. Oh, and a huge Federal Building that looked like it was being molested by a giant steel pterodactyl, but evidently that was just the government trying to get away from their standard bomb shelter architecture to something more aesthetically appealing, especially if you liked Godzilla porn. It was in the shadow of that architectural abomination that the Emperor had taken his search for the alpha vampire cat. He and the men didn't spend much time in Wine Country, as he had lost a decade in a bottle somewhere and had since forsworn the grape. But it was his city, and he knew it like the cat-scratch scars on Bummer's muzzle. â€Å"Steadfast, gents, steadfast,† said the Emperor, throwing his shoulder against a Dumpster behind a hundred-year-old brick building. Bummer and Lazarus had commenced low, rumbling growls since they'd come into the alley, as if there were tiny semi-trucks idling in their chests. They were close. The Dumpster rolled aside on rusty wheels, revealing a basement window with a sheet of plywood loosely fitted into it. The building had once housed a brewery, but had long since been refitted for storage, except for the basement, half of which had been bricked off from the inside. But this window had been forgotten, and it led to an underground chamber completely unknown to the police, where William, and other people who succumbed to the Wine Country's charms, would seek shelter from the rain or the cold. Of course, you had to be drunk to think it was a good place to stay. Except for the spot by the window, the basement was completely dark, as well as damp, rat infested, and reeking of urine. As he pulled away the plywood, the Emperor heard a high sizzling sound, and the smell of burning hair came streaming out the window. Bummer barked. The Emperor turned away and coughed, fanned the smoke away from his face, and then peered into the basement. All over the visible parts of the floor, cat cadavers were smoldering, burning, and reducing to ash as the sun hit them. There were scores of them, and those were just the ones the Emperor could see from the window light. â€Å"This appears to be the place, gents,† he said, patting Lazarus's side. Bummer snorted, tossed his head, and ruffed three times fast, which translated to, â€Å"I thought I would enjoy the smell of burning cats more, but strangely, no.† The Emperor got on his hands and knees, then backed through the window. His overcoat caught on the window sill and actually helped him in lowering his great bulk to the floor. Lazarus stuck his head in the window and whimpered, which translated to, â€Å"I'm a little uneasy about you being in there by yourself.† He measured the distance from the window to the basement floor and pranced, preparing himself to leap into the abyss. â€Å"No, you stay, good Lazarus,† said the Emperor. â€Å"I fear I wouldn't be able to lift you out once you are down here.† With the ashes of burned cats crunching under his shoes the Emperor made his way across the room until he reached the end of the direct light that lay across the floor like a dingy gray carpet. To move farther he'd have to step on the bodies of the sleeping-well, dead-cats, as even in the shadows, he could see that the floor was covered with feline corpses. The Emperor shuddered and fought the urge to bolt to the window. He was not a particularly brave man, but had an overly developed sense of duty to his city, and putting himself in harm's way to protect her was something he was compelled to do, despite the acute case of the willies that was crawling up his spine like an enormous centipede. â€Å"There must be another entrance,† the Emperor said, more to calm himself than to actually impart information. â€Å"Perhaps not large enough for a man, or I would have known.† He tentatively nudged a dead cat aside with his toe, cringing as he did it. The vision of the vampire cats engulfing the samurai swordsman filled his head and he had to shake it off before taking another step. â€Å"A flashlight might have been a good idea,† he said. He didn't have a flashlight, however. What he had were five books of matches and a cheap, serrated-edged chef's knife that he'd found in a trash can. This would be the weapon he'd use to dispatch the vampire cat, Chet. In his younger, naà ¯ve days, last month, he'd carried a wooden sword, thinking to stake the vampires in the heart, movie style, but he'd seen the old vampire nearly torn apart by explosions, gunfire, and spear guns by the Animals when they'd destroyed his yacht, and none of it seemed as effective as had the little swordsman he'd seen in the SOMA. Still, a flashlight would have been nice. He lit a match and held it before him as he moved into the dark, working his foot between cat bodies with each step. When the match burned his fingers, he lit another. Bummer barked, the sharp report echoed through the basement. The Emperor turned and realized that he'd somehow made his way around a corner and the window was no longer visible. He reached inside his great overcoat and felt for the handle of the chef's knife, which was stuck in his belt at the small of his back. He pushed on, moving into another room, a large one as far as he could tell, but still, to the edge of the match light, the bodies of cats littered the floor, most of them lying on their sides as if they'd just dropped over, or in awkward piles, as if they'd been in the middle playing, or fighting, or mating when something suddenly switched them off like a light switch. Another distant bark from Bummer, then a deeper one from Lazarus. â€Å"I'm fine, men, I'll be finished with this and back out in no time.† Well into his third book of matches, the Emperor saw a steel door, partly ajar. He made his way to it; the dead cats thinned out and then there was a bit of a clearing in the carnage, although only for a foot or two, as if a path had been cleared, but a narrow one. He stood and caught his breath. He heard men's voices, but coming from back by the window, amid them more barking and now snarling from the men. â€Å"I'm in here!† the Emperor called. â€Å"I'm in here. The men are with me!† Then a distant voice. â€Å"Mo-fuckas need to cover this up. The City see it they brick this bitch up, then where we go when it rain?† There was a thump, then a grating noise, a rusty creaking, and the Emperor realized it was the sound of the plywood being fit back into the window and the heavy Dumpster pushed into place before it. â€Å"Block them wheels,† said the voice. â€Å"I'm here! I'm here!† called the Emperor. He gritted his teeth, preparing to run across the deep carpet of cat corpses to the window, but he hesitated, the match burned his fingers, and darkness fell upon him. THE ANIMALS â€Å"I'm pretty sure it's the Apocalypse,† said Clint, not even looking up from his red-letter King James Bible. The Animals were spread out in various positions around the basketball court, playing HORSE. Clint, Troy Lee, and Drew sat with their backs to the chain-link fence. Troy Lee was trying to read over Clint's shoulder, Drew was packing pot into the bowl of a purple carbon-fiber sports bong. Cavuto and Rivera made their way around the outside of the court. â€Å"What's up my niggas!† came a scratchy, wizened voice-totally out of place for the surroundings-like someone smacking a fiery fart out of a tiny dragon with a badminton racket. Rivera stopped and turned toward a small figure who stood at the foul line dressed in enormous sneakers and an Oakland Raiders hoody big enough for a pro offensive tackle. Except for the cat-rim glasses, it looked like Gangsta Yoda, only not so green. â€Å"That's Troy Lee's grandma,† said the tall kid, Jeff. â€Å"You have to give her a pound or she's going to keep saying it.† Indeed, she had a fist in the air, waiting for a pound. â€Å"You go ahead,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You're ethnic.† Rivera made his way to the tiny woman and despite feeling completely embarrassed about it, bumped fists with her. â€Å"Troot,† said Grandma. â€Å"Truth,† said Rivera. He looked to Lash, who had been the ad hoc leader of the Animals after Tommy Flood was turned vampire. â€Å"You okay with this?† Lash shrugged. â€Å"What are you gonna do? Besides, it's prolly the Apocalypse. No time to roll all politically correct up in this bitch when the world is ending.† â€Å"It's not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"It's definitely not the Apocalypse.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure it is,† said Troy Lee, looking over Clint's shoulder at Revelation. They all gathered around the seated Animals. Rivera took out his notebook, then shrugged and put it back in his pocket. This wasn't going to be in any report. Drew sparked up the bong, bubbled a long hit, then handed it to Barry, the balding scuba diver, who inhaled the extra off the top. â€Å"We're cops, you know?† said Cavuto, not sounding that sure of it himself. Drew shrugged and exhaled a skunky blast. â€Å"S'okay, it's medical.† â€Å"What medical? You have a card? What's your condition?† Drew produced a blue card from his shirt pocket and held it up. â€Å"I'm anxious.† â€Å"That's not a condition,† said Cavuto, snapping the card out of Drew's hand. â€Å"And this is a library card.† † Reading makes him anxious,† said Lash. â€Å"It's a condition,† said Jeff, trying to look somber. â€Å"It's for arthritis,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"He doesn't have arthritis. It's not a thing.† Cavuto was pulling handcuffs out of the pouch on his belt. â€Å"She does,† said Troy Lee, pointing to his grandmother. The old woman grinned, held up her card, flashed an arthritic â€Å"West Coast† gang sign, and said, â€Å"What's up, my nigga?† â€Å"I'm not giving her a pound,† said Cavuto. â€Å"She's like ninety. You must. It is our way,† said Troy Lee in his mysterious ancient Chinese secret voice. From his sitting position, he bowed a little at the end for effect. Cavuto had to bend down to give the old woman a pound. â€Å"You know you'll never escape the killer cats in those giant shoes,† he said. â€Å"She doesn't understand,† said Barry. â€Å"No comprende English,† said Gustavo. â€Å"Cats?† said Rivera. â€Å"Your message.† â€Å"Yeah, you said to call if anything weird happened,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Actually, we said not to call us,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Really? Whatever. Anyway, the Emperor came banging on the store windows last night all freaked out about vampire cats.† â€Å"Did you see them?† â€Å"Yeah, there were shitloads. And I don't know how you're going to take them down. That's why it's pretty obvious that it's the Apocalypse.† Clint, the born-again, now looked up. â€Å"I figure that the number of the beast is a number of how many. So, there were like six hundred sixty-six at least.† â€Å"Although it was hard to count,† said Drew. â€Å"They were in a cloud.† Rivera looked to Troy Lee for explanation. â€Å"It was like they'd all gone to vapor, like we saw the old vampire trying to do that night we blew up his yacht. Except they were all merged into one, big-ass vampire cloud.† â€Å"Yeah, it started coming into the store, even with the door locked,† said Jeff, now at the foul line, sinking his fourth swish in a row. â€Å"How'd you stop it?† Cavuto asked. â€Å"Wet towel under the door,† said Barry. â€Å"It's what you do when you're smoking weed in a hotel and you don't want everyone calling security. You're always supposed to have a towel. I read about it in a guide for hitchhiking through the galaxy.† â€Å"Skills,† said Drew, a little glassy-eyed now. â€Å"But, if not for the wet towel, it was the Apocalypse,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Clint is looking in the book of Revelation for the part about the towel now.† â€Å"I hope it's like Thunder Dome Apocalypse,† said Jeff. â€Å"Not zombies trying to eat your brain Apocalypse.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure it's going to be, city-wiped-out-by-vampire-cats Apocalypse,† said Barry. â€Å"You know, just going on what we know.† â€Å"It's not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"So, what happened?† Rivera asked. â€Å"The cloud just went away?† â€Å"Yeah, it sort of distilled to a big herd of cats and they went running every which way. But what do we do tonight if it comes back? The Emperor led it right to us.† â€Å"Where is the Emperor?† â€Å"He went off this morning with his dogs. Said he thought he knew where the prime vampire cat might be and that he and the men would dispatch it and save his city.† â€Å"And you let him?† â€Å"He's the Emperor, Inspector. You can't tell him shit.† Rivera looked at Cavuto. â€Å"Call dispatch to post a bulletin to call us if anyone sees the Emperor.† â€Å"We're not getting off work today, are we?† said Cavuto. â€Å"Take an Apocalypse day,† said Barry. â€Å"Woo-hoo! Apocalypse day!† Troy Lee's grandma fired off a barrage of Cantonese to her grandson, who replied with the same. The old woman shrugged and looked up at Cavuto and Rivera and spoke for about thirty seconds, then went and took the ball from Jeff, then shot a complete air ball, at which everyone cheered. â€Å"What? What?† said Cavuto. â€Å"She wanted to know what Barry was woo-hooing about, so I told her.† â€Å"What did she say?† â€Å"She said no big deal. They had vampire cats in Beijing when she was a girl. She said their shit is weak.† â€Å"She said that?† â€Å"The idiom is different, but basically, yeah.† â€Å"Oh good,† said Cavuto, â€Å"I feel better.† â€Å"We need to find the Emperor,† Rivera said. Cavuto pulled the car keys out of his jacket. â€Å"And pick up our Apocalypse jackets.† â€Å"What about us?† asked Lash. Rivera didn't even look back when he said, â€Å"You guys have more experience fighting vampires than anyone on the planet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We do, don't we?† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Oh, we are so fucked,† said Lash. â€Å"That's sad,† said Drew, repacking the bowl of the bong. â€Å"Really sad.† THE EMPEROR Darkness. He waited a moment, listening to his pulse beat in his ears before striking another match. â€Å"Courage,† he whispered to himself, a mantra, an affirmation, a sound to keep him from jumping out of his own skin at every creak or rustle in the dark. He lit the match, held it aloft. He pulled at the big steel door, throwing his weight, and it moved a few inches. Perhaps this was the other way out. It was clear that all these cats hadn't come in through the window, not with the plywood blocking it. He elbowed the door aside, feeling the resistance of a drift of dormant vampire cats piled up against it. When the opening was wide enough to squeeze through, he put his shoulder inside, then paused as the match went out from the movement. He was inside, and the floor seemed clear at his feet, although it felt as if he was standing on powder. As he lit the next match he hoped to see a stairway, a hallway, perhaps another boarded-up window, but in fact what he saw was that he was in a small storeroom fitted with wide metal shelves. The floor was indeed covered with a thick layer of dust, and among it, rumpled clothing. Ragged overcoats, jeans, and work boots, but also brightly colored satin garments, hot pants, and halter tops, tall platform shoes in fluorescent colors, dingy under the dust and darkness. These had been people. Homeless people and hookers. The fiends had actually dragged people down here and fed on them-sucked them to dust, as the little Goth girl had termed it. But how? No matter how strong or ravenous, the cats were still just housecats before they had turned. And they hadn't seemed cooperative. He couldn't imagine a pack of twenty vampire cats dragging a fully grown person down here. It didn't make sense. The match burned his finger and he tossed it aside, then pulled the knife from his belt before lighting the next. When the next match flared, he saw something on one of the high shelves at the far side of the room. Something quite a bit larger than a housecat. Perhaps it was one of their victims who had survived. He adjusted his grip on the knife and moved forward, trying not to cringe as the dusty clothing clung to his feet and ankles. No, not a cat. At least not a housecat. But it had fur. And a tail. But it was the size of an eight-year-old child, and it was snuggled up against something even larger. The Emperor raised the knife and stepped forward, then stopped. â€Å"Well, you don't see that every day,† he said. The cat thing was spooning the naked form of Tommy Flood.

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Dell Computers - Case Study Example According to Technical Business Research (TBR) Quarter 2, 2007 Corporate IT Buying Behavior & Customer Satisfaction Study: x86-based Servers, Dell rank first in customer satisfaction for standards based servers, beating even HP and IBM. According to TBR, "Dell's overall weighted score improved 1.1 percent sequentially, while HP and IBM declined by 1.5 and 0.8 percent, respectively. Dell was the only systems provider to show an improvement in TBR's latest study, with customer satisfaction scores increasing in eight of the nine attributes measured, including server management, phone support, delivery time, value and ease of doing business." (Dell Named No. 1 in Server Customer Satisfaction 2007). Literature Review Customer contentment and Dell: Customers are the ultimate judges and creators of success or failure of a company. They are the veritable force behind flourishing enterprises. In the area of selling computer and related products, they exert importance in areas of quality and service of product lines. Dell is a company which produces good quality products for millions of customers all over the world. In the words of the founder of Dell, Michael Dell - "Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships." (Michael Dell quotes 2009). From the beginning he had a bright view about the customers' needs. He kept the price of the products to an affordable range and started giving choices to select the product parts of their interest. Customer contentment is always related to the quality of the product and the affordability. In case of consumer electronic goods, especially in computer and related products, support and after-sales service is of huge importance. It is indeed a challenging... This paper describes the history of creating the Dell computer and the use of it in UK. First and foremost, â€Å"Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell on a simple concept: by selling computer systems directly to customers, we could best understand their needs and efficiently provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs.† Michael started his company when he was a student in University of Texas at Austin with a capital of $1,000. At that time he named his Company as PC’s Limited. He dropped out of school in order to concentrate fulltime on his business. During 1985, his company developed a personal computer with its own design. It was termed as Turbo PC and it was sold for less than $800.The company started providing custom assembled ordered units on the customers’ selection with lower prices than of the other branded PCs. Dell, Inc. has a strong market share in UK.. All the ranges of their products are sold in the UK market. Main products sold in UK are PCs, Laptops, Servers, Network Equipments and other peripheral devices. From the starting of Dell in UK, it gave wide publicity to its products in media. Affordability is the leading aspect it implements in marketing. All the customers are well educated and hence, the technical details are mentioned in the classifieds. As UK is a developed country, the customers have special interests in high end technology and design. As the time goes, the customers’ attention goes more towards the quality and performance, rather than its price.

Capstone Experience (Strategy and Alignment) 1 Assignment

Capstone Experience (Strategy and Alignment) 1 - Assignment Example ot given the authority nor the responsibility to address customers’ complaints, the process of resolving these issues would be delayed and would cause dissatisfaction. In the current process, whenever there are customers who complain, the issue is elevated to the supervisor or manager for the needed decision. The structural misalignment using the RAEW tool is responsibility without authority (Strategy and Alignment, 2014). As emphasized in the RAEW tool, the â€Å"technique is intended to clarify to people the part they play in performing a specific business function within the enterprise† (YouSigma, 2008, p. 1). Thus, it identified the role and responsibilities of the customer service representative and those tasks outside of their jurisdiction. The misalignment could be fixed with clearer policies and procedures regarding addressing customers’ complaints. The organization could determine the usual complaints encountered in their work setting and determine the appropriate ways to address these. Thus, routine complaints could be addressed directly by the customer service representatives without referring the matter to their supervisors. In this regard, resolution to customers’ complaints would be immediate and

Contemporary Employment Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contemporary Employment Relationship - Essay Example 5). In the past, trade unions functioned by acting as a platform for collective bargaining whereby workers would congregate to find a solution to some of the challenges they faced at the workplace. Contrarily, trade unions do not appeal to most modern day workers because of commitments in various job descriptions (Farnham & Giles, 1995, p. 5). Little differences exist between trade unions and Human Resource Management practices. The diversification of human resource practices within organisations has rendered the activities of trade unions unimportant. For instance, employees in the modern day organisation find it easy to air their grievances through the human resource department instead of following external paths offered by trade unions. Based on the recent trends, workers are rejecting trade unions representation, but they want a voice in representation at the workplace. Additionally, workers view the activities of trade unions as going against work ethics; hence, they opt to stick with the internal processes (Sherk, 2012, para 2). Consequently, trade unions have been effectively substituted with HRM units as platforms for representing the worker’s interests. Therefore, it is evident that the increase in human resource management practices has led to the decline in activities of trade unions (Sherk, 2012, Para 2 ). The following report will highlight how workers and organisations, in general, co-exist without trade unions. Additionally, it will focus on how the human resource management practices are taking up the activities of trade unions are a means of addressing the issues employees face. The decline in the popularity of trade unions is a feature in many countries. In the last 30 years, the United Kingdom has mostly been affected by this trend. In the 1970s, nearly 60% of the workers were members of respective trade unions that set the terms of employment, such as wage limits, benefits and retirement packages.

Demand and price elasticity of demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Demand and price elasticity of demand - Essay Example In the case of Bordeaux, the consumers had proposed a low wine price. This implies that reducing the price of the wine will make the commodity be more affordable to the consumers (Sheffrin, B. 2003). This would increase the demand of the product thus increasing its supply. Increase in the supply of Bordeaux wine would increase the number of sales. Price elasticity of a commodities demand involves a measure that is used in economies in showing the elasticity responsiveness of the quantity of the product that is demanded towards a change in the product’s price. In this respect, it provides the percentage change of the quantity of the product that is demanded to follow a response to a change in the price. Price elasticity can be considered to be negative despite the fact that analysis would always ignore the negative sign leading to ambiguity (Peters, K. 2006). A positive price elasticity of demand occurs in a case where the products do not satisfy the law of demand. In this resp ect, the demand of the wine would be said to be inelastic when the price elasticity of demand (PED) is below one. This implies that the price changes have a significantly smaller effect on the amount of wine that is demanded. On the other hand, the demand of Bordeaux wine would be said to be elastic whenever the price elasticity of is more than one. This means that the changes in the commodities price would greatly influence the amount of the wine that is demanded. In the case of Bordeaux wine, the demand of the product could be said to be elastic. This is so because the demand of this wine is strongly affected by changes in price. Therefore, increasing the price of the product would reduce the demand of the product where as reducing the price of the product would have an effect of increasing demand of the product (Knugman, R. 2005). It is for this reason that the merchants who were contacted through The Times argue that they could only accept the wine when the price of the wine is reduced to about ?95 in 2008 for the best brands compared with the ?318 in 2007 vintage (Sage, A. & Pavia, W. 2009). These investors argue out that when the price of wine is higher than the proposed one, there would be no customers. This is a clear indication that the demand of Bordeaux wine was elastic. Part B. The amount of the wine demanded is normally a strong component of its price. A case study done to find out the quantity of the wine demanded at various price levels with all the other factors kept constant, would result into the table 1. Table 1. Demand schedule. year price Average price quantity 2002 95 95 170 133 700 2003 192 192 253 223 500 2004 141 145 190 159 600 2005 472 480 622 523 300 2006 450 450 622 536 200 2007 318 318 466 392 400 Graph 1. The graph represents the quantity of the wine that is demanded as the variable that is Independent (x-axis) and the price as the variable that is dependent (y-axis). According to the law of demand the quantity of the product tha t is demanded will always move towards the opposite price direction. This is observed in the graph above through the downward demand curve slope. When one moves along the curve, a change in the price of the wine would result into a change in the quantity that is demanded. Whenever there exists a change in the influencing factor besides price there could be a shift in the demand curve either towards the right or the left,

Ethics, values, and morals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics, values, and morals - Essay Example For Rand’s line of reasoning, if one is to follow his or her hierarchy of values, then there would be no chance to lose one’s self-esteem by saving anything of lesser value or helping one’s neighbor. Even love was merely defined as à ¤ validation of loving one’s self as â€Å"an expression and assertion of self-esteem, a response to ones own values in the person of another†. For Rand, charity does not exist because one should only act in accordance to one’s self-interest which personally thinks to be wrong. In fact, true benevolence or act of charity or goodwill is being destroyed by altruism because it indoctrinated men that to value another which is just a license to sacrifice oneself and that love, respect or esteem held for other people is not a source of one’s enjoyment. Rand did not differentiate altruism whether it is ideal or reciprocal. For Rand, altruism by itself makes the doer suffer the consequence of lack of self-esteem and lack of respect for others. To quote Rand on this, she elaborated that â€Å"Many well-meaning, reasonable men do not know how to identify or conceptualize the moral principles that motivate their love, affection or good will, and can find no guidance in the field of ethics, which is dominated by the stale platitudes of altruism.† In effect, Rand is implying man cannot distinguish what really altruism because its platitudes are unrecognizable. Rather, she made a sweeping generalization that altruism whether ideal or reciprocal reduces man to a beggar and that the giver in fact lacks self-esteem. She describes altruism as an act of betrayal of one’s values because it demands the surrender of a greater value for the sake of lesser or non-value which is not consistent to the ideal actuation of acting according to the hierarchy of one’s values, that is, never to sacrifice a greater value to a lesser value. This hierarchy of values is

Essential Functions of a Project Manager Essay Example for Free

Essential Functions of a Project Manager Essay The Essential Functions of a Project Manager A project manager (PM) is a facilitator. The ideal project manager does whatever it takes to ensure that the members of the project team can do their work. This means working with management to ensure they provide the resources and support required as well as dealing with team issues that are negatively impacting a teams productivity. The project manager must possess a combination of skills including the ability to ask penetrating questions, identify unstated assumptions, and resolve personnel conflicts along with more systematic management skills. This person is responsible for initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing a project. The actions of a project manager should be almost unnoticeable and when a project is moving along smoothly people are sometimes tempted to question the need for a project manager. However, when you take the skilled project manager out of the mix, the project is much more likely to miss deadlines and exceed budgets. The project manager is the one who is responsible for making decisions in such a way that risk is controlled and uncertainty minimized. Every decision made by the project manager should ideally be directly benefit the project. A successful PM must simultaneously manage the four basic elements of a project: resources (people, equipment, material), time (task duration, dependencies, critical path), money (costs, contingencies, profits), and most importantly, scope (project size, goals, profit). All these elements are interrelated. Each must be managed effectively. All must be managed together if the project, and the project manager, is to be a success. The Scope element of a project is the most important and it is the first and last task for a successful project manager. First and foremost you have to manage the project scope. The project scope is the definition of what the project is supposed to accomplish and the budget (of time and money) that has been created to achieve these objectives. It is absolutely imperative that any change to the scope of the project have a matching change in budget, either time or resources. If the project scope is to build a building to house three widgets with a budget of $100,000 the project manager is expected to do that. However, if the scope is changed to a building for four widgets, the project manager must obtain an appropriate change in budgeted resources. If the budget is not adjusted, the smart project manager will avoid the change in scope. Usually, scope changes occur in the form of scope creep. Scope creep is the piling up of small changes that by themselves are manageable, but in aggregate are significant. It is necessary to make sure any requested change, no matter how small, is accompanied by approval for a change in budget or schedule or both. A PM cannot effectively manage the resources, time and money in a project unless you actively manage the project scope. When the project scope is clearly identified and associated to the timeline and budget, the PM can begin to manage the project resources. These include the people, equipment, and material needed to complete the project. A successful PM must effectively manage the Resources assigned to the project. This includes the labor hours of the designers, the builders, the testers and the inspectors on the project team. It also includes managing any labor subcontracts. However, managing project resources frequently involves more than people management. The project manager must also manage the equipment used for the project and the material needed by the people and equipment assigned to the project. Managing the people resources means having the right people, with the right skills and the proper tools, in the right quantity at the right time. It also means ensuring that they know what needs to be done, when, and how. And it means motivating them to take ownership in the project too. Managing direct employees normally means managing the senior person in each group of employees assigned to your project. These employees also have a line manager to whom they report and from whom the usually take technical direction. In a matrix management situation, like a project team, the PM’s job is to provide project direction to them. Managing labor subcontracts usually means managing the team lead for the subcontracted workers, who in turn manages the workers. The equipment a PM has to manage as part of the project depends on the nature of the project. A project to construct a frozen food warehouse would need earth moving equipment, cranes, and cement trucks. For a project to release a new version of a computer game, the equipment would include computers, test equipment, and duplication and packaging machinery. The project management key for equipment is much like for people resources. They have to make sure workers have the right equipment in the right place at the right time and that it has the supplies it needs to operate properly. Most projects involve the purchase of material. For a frozen food arehouse, this would be freezers, the building HVAC machinery and the material handling equipment. For a project to release a music CD by a hot new artist, it would include the CD blanks, artwork for the jewel case, and press releases to be sent to deejays. The project management issue with supplies is to make sure the right supplies arrive at the right time. All the skill in managing resources wont help, however, unless the PM can stic k to the project schedule. Time management is critical in successful project management. Time management is a critically important skill for any successful project manager. Project managers who succeed in meeting their project schedule have a good chance of staying within their project budget. The most common cause of blown project budgets is lack of schedule management. Fortunately there is a lot of software on the market today to help manage project schedule or timeline. Any project can be broken down into a number of tasks that have to be performed. To prepare the project schedule, the project manager has to figure out what the tasks are, how long they will take, what resources they require, and in what order they should be done. Each of these elements has a direct bearing on the schedule. If a task is omitted, the project wont be completed. If the length of time or the amount of resources required for the task is underestimated, the schedule will be missed. The schedule can also be blown if a mistake in the sequencing of the tasks is made. The PM needs to build the project schedule by listing, in order, all the tasks that need to be completed. Assign duration to each task. Allocate the required resources. Determine predecessors (what tasks must be completed before) and successors (tasks that cant start until after) each task. The difficulty in managing a project schedule is that there are seldom enough resources and enough time to complete the tasks sequentially. Therefore, tasks have to be overlapped so several happen at the same time. Project management software greatly simplifies the task of creating and managing the project schedule by handling the iterations in the schedule logic. When all tasks have been listed, resourced, and sequenced, it is noticeable that some tasks have a little flexibility in their required start and finish date. This is called float. A line through all the tasks with zero float is called the critical path. All tasks on this path, and there can be multiple, parallel paths, must be completed on time if the project is to be completed on time. The Project Managers key time management task is to manage the critical path. Be aware, that items can be added to or removed from the critical path as circumstances change during the execution of the project. Installation of security cameras may not be on the critical path, but if the shipment is delayed, it may become part of the critical path. Conversely, pouring the concrete foundation may be on the critical path, but if the project manager obtains an addition crew and the pour is completed early it could come off the critical path (or reduce the length of the critical path). Regardless of how well you manage the schedule and the resources, there is one more critical element called managing the budget. Often a PM is evaluated on his or her ability to complete a project within Budget. If the project resources and project schedule is managed effectively, this should not be a problem. It is, however, a task that requires the project managers careful attention. Each project task will have a cost whether it is the cost of the labor hours of a computer programmer or the purchase price of a cubic yard of concrete. In preparing the project budget, each of these costs is estimated and then totaled. Some of these estimates will be more accurate than others. A company knows what it will charge each of its projects for different classifications of labor. Commodities like concrete are priced in a very competitive market so prices are fairly predictable. Other estimates are less accurate. For instance, the cost of a conveyor system with higher performance specifications that normal can be estimated to be more expensive, but it is hard to determine whether it will be 10% more or 15% more. For an expensive item, that can be a significant amount. When the estimated cost of an item is uncertain, the project budget often includes a design allowance. This is money that is set-aside in the budget just in case the actual cost of the item is wildly different than the estimate. Unusual weather or problems with suppliers are always a possibility on large projects. Companies usually include a contingency amount in the project budget to cover these kinds of things. So a project budget is composed of the estimated cost, plus the contingency and design allowance, plus any profit. The project managers job is to keep the actual cost at or below the estimated cost, to use as little of the design allowance and contingency as possible, and to maximize the profit the company earns on the project. To maximize the chances of meeting the project udget, the PM must meet the project schedule. The most common cause of blown budgets is blown schedules. Meeting the project schedule wont guarantee the project budget is met, but it significantly increases the chances. And above all, management of the project scope is detrimental. PM should not allow the project scope to creep upward without getting budget and/or schedule adjustments to match. Successful project management is an art and a science that takes practice. The ideas presented above can give a basic understanding of project management, but consider it is only the beginning. In order to have a successful career in project managements, it is necessary to talk to successful project managers, read, and practice to acquired experience and confidence.

Albert Camus the Plague Essay Example for Free

Albert Camus the Plague Essay Can God possibly exist in a world full of madness and injustice? Albert Camus and Samuel Beckett address these questions in The Plague and Waiting for Godot. Though their thinking follows the ideals of existentialism, their conclusions are different. Camus did not believe in God, nor did he agree with the vast majority of the historical beliefs of the Christian religion. His stance on Christianity is summed up most simply by his remark that in its essence, Christianity (and this is its paradoxical greatness) is a doctrine of injustice. It is founded on the sacrifice of the innocent and the acceptance of this sacrifice (Bree 49). Camus felt that Jesus Christ was an innocent man who was unjustly killed. This does conflicts with all of Camus values. However, Camus did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Camus inability to accept Christian theology is voiced in The Plague by Riex and juxtaposed against the beliefs preached by Father Paneloux (Rhein 42). Panelouxs attitude toward the plague contrasts sharply with Rieuxs. In his first sermon, he preaches that the plague is divine in origin and punitive in its purpose. He attempts to put aside his desires for a rational explanation and simply accepts Gods will. In this way he is not revolting and therefore falls victim to the plague. Father Panelouxs belief that there are no innocent victims is shaken as he watches a young boy die of the plague. Camus purposefully describes a long, painful death to achieve the greatest effect on Paneloux: When the spasms had passed, utterly exhausted, tensing his thin legs and arms, on which, within forty-eight hours, the flesh had wasted to the bone, the child lay flat, in a grotesque parody of crucifixion (215). Paneloux cannot deny that the child was an innocent victim and is forced to rethink his ideas. During his second sermon, a change is seen in Father Paneloux. He now uses the pronoun we instead of you, and he has adopted a new policy in which he tells people to believe all or nothing (224). Father Paneloux, as a Christian, is faced with a decision: either he accepts that God is the ultimate ruler and brings goodness out of the evil that afflicts men, or he sides with Rieux and denies God. The conclusion formed by Camus is that because this is a world in which innocent people are tortured, there is no God. Samuel Beckett does not necessarily deny the existence of God in Waiting for Godot. If God does exist, then He contributes to the chaos by remaining silent. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal noted the arbitrariness of life and that the universe works based on percentages. He advocated using such arbitrariness to ones advantage, including believing in God. If He does not exist, nobody would care in the end, but if He does, a believer is on the safe side all along, so one cannot lose. In this play, either God does not exist, or He does not care. Whichever is the case, chance and arbitrariness determine human life in the absence of a divine power. This ties in with the two tramps chances for salvation. As one critic observes, For just as man cannot live by bread alone, he now realizes that he cannot live by mere thinking or hanging on in vain to a thread of salvation which does not seem to exist (Lumley 203). This explains Vladimir and Estragons contemplation of suicide after Godot remains absent for yet another day. One could also argue, in the absurd sense, that each man has a fifty-fifty chance of salvation. One of the two prisoners who were crucified with Jesus was given salvation. This element of chance for salvation can also be extended to Pozzo and Lucky in Waiting for Godot. When they come across the two tramps, Pozzo is on his way to sell Lucky because he claims that Lucky has grown old and only hinders him. In this way Pozzo is trying to draw that fifty-fifty chance of salvation for himself. One of the ways in which Lucky hinders him is that Lucky could be the one to be redeemed, leaving Pozzo to be damned. Even Luckys speech is concerned with salvation: Given the existence of a personal God outside time without who from the heights of divine apathia divide athambia divide apaia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown and suffers with those who for reasons unknown are plunged in torment. (28) After removing all of Luckys nonsensical meanderings, the gist of his speech is that God does not communicate with humans and condemns them for unknown reasons. His silence causes the real hopelessness, and this is what makes Waiting for Godot a tragedy

Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease Impact

Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease Impact Introduction Medical innovations and rapidly evolving technology has led to a decrease in the rate of mortality from diseases. However, the fast and constantly changing hectic lifestyle of today has led to the introduction of new diseases, unhealthy lifestyle and early, premature deaths. Todays technology has provided us with the benefits of early detection and preventive treatments and answers to some of the previously incurable diseases. But it has brought in increased stress and unhealthy eating and other habits that have in some ways caused more harm than benefit. This report titled Smoking: The Heart Breaker is a look at the current situation of coronary heart diseases caused by smoking, relevant legislations, policies and practices, strategies to deal with the situation and future of the disease at local, national and global levels. The report will start by discussing the smoking and coronary heart disease as a public health issue and the reasons for concern. It will provide a background to help better understand the present situation along with an epidemiology of the disease and its causes, with special reference to smoking. It will then go on to report about the legislative policies and strategies that are being currently undertaken in the region of Burnley, East Lancashire to counter this particular health issue. The report will also discuss the policies and initiatives and the status of the health issue at national and global level, so as to provide a complete and holistic picture of the seriousness of the health issue. Finally the report will discuss the current strategies being employed by the government as well as non-government agencies to tackle the health issue. Recommendations will also be made to help make an improvement in the current situation. Public Health Issue: Coronary Heart Disease due to Smoking The term Coronary heart disease is used to describe a condition of blockage or interruption of blood supply to the heart due to build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries (NHS, 2009). This build-up (called atheroma) can lead to insufficient supply of blood to the heart causing pain in the chest known as angina. A completely blocked artery can lead to a heart attack (called myocardial infarction) (NHS, 2009). There are various mild to critical impacts of this condition that even result in death. According to the British Heart Foundation Statistics (2009), diseases related to the heart and circulatory issues are the biggest cause of deaths in the UK, resulting in over 90,000 deaths in the UK in a year. This has resulted in not only raised concerns about the disease but also growing efforts to increase the awareness about the disease, its causes, and preventive as well as precautionary measures that can help to avoid the disease. The situation isn t any brighter in other par ts of the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the majority of countries around the world are affected by coronary heart disease and the disease is a major killer, especially in developing and transitional countries of the world. In a WHO report, cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease is considered to be the leading cause of death and is projected to increase from 17.1 million in 2004 to 23.4 million in 2030 (WHO, 2004). Among the various causes of coronary heart disease, smoking is regarded to be one of the primary causes. According to the WHO report, tobacco-related deaths are expected to rise from 5.4 million in 2004 to 8.3 million in 2030, representing 10% of all global deaths; and smoking has been associated to cardiovascular diseases and subsequent deaths (WHO, 2004). According to a study conducted in 2008, smoking is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease (Bullen, 2008). Though increasing age has been thought as a cau se of coronary heart disease, two studies have found that improper lifestyle, stress, etc are increasing the mortality rates due to coronary heart disease among the young population in the UK, USA and Australia (Nemetz, Roger Ransom, 2008) (Ford Capewell, 2007). Therefore, the growing concern for this disease and its preventable yet common cause is the choice of topic for this report. Background and Epidemiology Cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease have been found to be an unbiased killer that can create havoc in any society irrespective of its economic, political, cultural, religious, regional or racial identity. Similarly, tobacco smoking (either active or passive) is known to be a major cause of many diseases including the coronary heart disease. Given the stressful lifestyle in today s world, many people take up smoking to tackle the stress levels and in the process get addicted. They not only harm themselves but also people around them. The region of Burnley in East Lancashire, is no exception to this trend. Being witness to many friends and family members taking up smoking in the name of relieving stress and then getting addicted and finally ending up suffering from diseases, especially coronary heart disease inspired the choice of topic for this report. There are several causes that can result in coronary heart disease. The NHS lists smoking as the major cause of the disease (NHS, 2009). The various other causes of coronary heart disease have been listed as high blood pressure, high level of cholesterol in blood, presence of thrombosis and / or diabetes unhealthy lifestyle with no regular exercise, obesity and a family history of angina and / or heart attack (which are hereditary) (Nemetz et al, 2008). The risk factors associated with coronary heart diseases which cannot be treated, modified or changed include age, gender and heredity (or race). Increasing age increases the risks of coronary heart disease and fatality from it. Men are found to be at a greater risk of suffering from coronary heart disease in comparison to women (Wells, 1999). Heredity of coronary disease or its causes such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol are also known to create risks of coronary heart conditions. The causes such as smoking, high le vel of cholesterol in blood, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, being overweight and / or obesity and diabetes (diabetes mellitus) are some of the risk factors of coronary heart disease that can be modified, changed and controlled by taking medication and / or by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Other risk factors and causes of the disease include stress and alcohol addiction and can in certain circumstances prove to be fatal causes of the coronary heart disease (Ewles Simnet, 2003). Comparative data of the effects of coronary heart disease in different countries do not provide a very positive picture (see appendix 1). According to a World Health Organisation survey report, the mortality from cardiovascular diseases in 2002 for the developed nations like the United Kingdom and the United States was higher than many other developing nations like China, India, even Nigeria (WHO, 2002). It is clear from the data, that developing countries have a much higher mortality rate from cardiovascular and consequently coronary heart diseases in the developed countries like UK, USA, Germany; and an important fact to notice is that the death rate is higher in the European region in comparison to other regions of the world. This most probably can be attributed to the excessive use of tobacco, alcohol, improper lifestyle that increases stress levels, improper eating habits that leads to blood sugar and cholesterol in the blood. The tobacco usage in different countries around the world also points towards the grimness and enormity of the situation, through which one can appreciate the risk of tobacco causing further deaths due to coronary heart disease (WHO, 2008). The WHO report on tobacco consumption in different countries show that despite government initiatives and regulations, the tobacco consumption has mostly increased and has led to increased mortality especially in the age groups between 25-45 years. Though coronary heart disease is of global nature without any kind of boundary, various specific groups of people are in greater risk of having the disease in comparison to others. The affinity to having coronary heart disease is dependent on factors such as geography, heredity, age and gender. Men are at an increased risk of suffering from coronary heart conditions as compared to women (Wells, 1999). Increase in age increases the chances of suffering from coronary heart disease (DoH, 2004). Coronary heart conditions are also known to be prevalent among Mexican Americans, some Asian Americans, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians (American Heart Association, 2010). England is one of the most vulnerable nations in Europe when it comes to coronary heart diseases (NHS, 2009). Populations in developing and underdeveloped nations of the world too are at a higher risk of suffering from coronary heart disease and related fatalities (American Heart Association, 2010). Smokers, obese people and people with high blood cholesterol are also included in the high risk group for coronary heart disease. Female smokers are more susceptible to the disease especially with increased age since females are more susceptible to the dangers of smoking in comparison to men (WHO, 2002). With increased impact of aggressive and unhealthy lifestyle and stress, the young population across the developed nations of the world too are increasingly coming under the risk of coronary heart disease (NHS, 2008). Therefore, these risk factors result in the coronary heart disease taking on a pandemic nature if certain precautionary and preventive measures are not taken to control the risk factors that can be influenced. Strategies, Policies and Initiatives Given the growing concern about coronary heart diseases, deaths due to the disease and the impact on the younger population, government agencies around the world are taking steps to combat the growing menace. Non-governmental and private agencies too are joining the efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle and awareness about preventive techniques that can help to bring down the risks associated with the disease and the rising cases of fatalities. This section of the report looks at the strategies, agenda, policies, that are being undertaken at the local (NHS East Lancashire, 2010), national and global levels to combat coronary heart disease. Local Public Health In East Lancashire, several workshops and other programmes have been undertaken to increase awareness, educate and help the residents of the area give up smoking and adopt a healthy lifestyle that will help prevent and fight coronary heart disease. The MPs in the region are encouraging antismoking legislations and policies being adopted by the authorities. The NHS has introduced the concept of smoke free zones. The SMYL programme is promoting healthy lifestyle and eating habits (NHS East Lancashire, 2010). Another campaign called Could it be you was also started in 2008 to help people fight coronary heart disease and adopt healthy and preventive lifestyle (Chime Communications Plc, 2008). The authorities in East Lancashire have also collaborated with different agencies to start networks that can promote anti tobacco campaign and raise awareness on coronary heart disease (NHS Networks, 2010). This involvement of the government as well as non-government agencies in the area, one can b e hopeful that headway will be made into the matter. However, it is important that the public realise the criticality of the situation and take advantages of the programmes being undertaken to have a long, healthy and disease free life. Implications at the National Level The National Heart Forum (2006) indicated that heart diseases cost the UK around  £29 billion per year and was termed as economic burden . There are several programmes that have been taken up by the health care authorities and the government in collaboration with non-government agencies to promote anti smoking habits in the country. Several regional programmes such as Bolsover Teenage Smoking Programme, Corby Smoking Cessation Programme, Halton Smoke-Free Programme, London Borough of Tower Hamlets Tobacco Control Alliance, Pendle Smoke-free Council, Heartbeat Awards, the GO Smokefree Campaign, etc have been launched in an earnest to curb the growing effect of smoking in the country (IDeA, 2009). Several governmental legislations have also been put into place (IDeA, 2007). The Department of Health has also started programmes such as Start4Life, 5 A Day, National Support Teams and Let s Get Moving to promote healthy lifestyle that can help to prevent coronary heart disease (DoH, 201 0). Therefore the various government and nongovernment agencies in UK are making effort to control smoking habit and improve lifestyle of the citizens of the country thereby ensuring a brighter future free from smoking and coronary heart disease. Global Health The fight against smoking and coronary heart disease has taken enormous proportions with the growing realisation that these are two of the most important killers in the world today. Especially, the understanding that smoking causes diseases such as the coronary heart disease not only in the smoker but also in non-smokers who have been in the presence of smokers, has led major organisations and developed nations of the world to taking a stand against smoking. The Work with Heart project by WHO is helping to spread the message of preventive actions that can help in prohibiting coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases (WHO, 2010a). WHO has also taken up research and global partnership initiatives to help the developing countries of the world fight cardiovascular diseases (WHO, 2010b). Furthermore, WHO has aligned with several countries in the world to promote regional activities under the global strategy to counter cardiovascular diseases which includes America, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, South-East Asia, European region and Western Pacific (WHO, 2010c). To help fight the smoking addiction growing among countries, WHO has set up the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS) (WHO, 2010d) and is also collaborating with different international organisations such as the United Nations and the governments of various countries to help campaign against sale and use of tobacco among different nations (WHO, 2010e). Recommendations and Conclusion Upon analysing the current situation on a local, national and global basis, the following recommendations can be made: Initiatives to prevent coronary heart disease and promote anti smoking habits need to be undertaken at the grass root level, i.e. at local level. This will make the initiatives and campaigns more effective. The developing nations such as India, Brazil and China need to be targeted with confidence. Further researches into preventive and curative medicines and technologies for coronary heart diseases need to be promoted. Healthy lifestyle needs to be promoted at every level since preventive practices are more beneficial than curative ones. It is important to realise that despite several initiatives being taken by local, national and global agencies and governments, smoking trends are increasing around the world and has started to affect the young population. Coronary heart disease too has started to take its toll on the population around the world due to the hectic and unhealthy lifestyles that have come to permeate people s lives. It is highly essential that for the success of the initiatives and programmes, people must be involved in them and everyone across the globe has to realise that simple changes to their lifestyle, eating habits and anti smoking measures will help to fight and prevent coronary heart disease. The changes in lifestyle will also bring down coronary heart disease caused due to other factors such as stress, alcohol, blood sugar and cholesterol. To conclude, it can be stated that prevention is better than cure and quitting smoking and leading a healthy lifestyle can protect everyone from the silent killer, the coronary heart disease (Ewles Simnet, 2003). References American Heart Association (2010) Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4726 ASH (2009) Ash facts at a glance: Implementation of the Smoke-free Law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_594.pdf Ash (2007) Ash facts at a glance: Smoking and Diseases [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_94.pdf Ash (2010) Ash facts at a glance: Smoking Statistics [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_93.pdf Ash (2010) Ash facts at a glance: Tobacco Economics [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_95.pdf Ash (2009) Ash facts at a glance: Tobacco Regulations [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_96.pdf British Heart Foundation Statistics Website (2009) Mortality [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.heartstats.org/topic.asp?id=17 Bullen, C. (July, 2008). Impact of Tobacco Smoking and Smoking Cessation on Cardiovascular Risk and Disease. Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, Vol. 6, No. 6, pp. 883-895. Chime Communications Plc (2008) East Lancashire PCT Enlists BMT to Develop a Campaign to Tackle the Region s Biggest Killer [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.chime.plc.uk/press-releases/bmt-launches-east-lancashire-pct-campaign-could-it-be-you Department of Health (DoH) (2010) Public Health [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/index.htm Department of Health (DoH) (2004) The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease: Wining the War on Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4077154 Ewles L, Simnett I. (2003). Promoting Health: A Practical Guide. London: Balliere Tindall. Ford, E. S. Capewell, S. (2007) Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Among Young Adults in the U.S. from 1980 Through 2002. Concealed Levelling of Mortality Rates Journal of the American College of Cardiology Vol. 50, pp. 2128-2132. Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) (2009) Smoking [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5889940 Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) (2007) Smoke-free Legislation [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=6166044 National Health Service (NHS) (2009) Health A-Z: Coronary Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Coronary-heart-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx National Health Service (NHS) (2008) Rates of Heart Disease in the Young [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.nhs.uk/news/2007/January08/Pages/Ratesofheartdiseaseintheyoung.asp National Heart Forum (2006) Economic Cost of Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.heartforum.org.uk/AboutCHD_Economicburden.aspx Nemetz, P. N., Roger, V. L., Ransom, J. E., Bailer, K. R., Edwards, W. D., Leibson, C. L. (2008) Recent Trends in the Prevalence of Coronary Disease: A Population-Based Autopsy Study of Non-natural Deaths Archival of Internal Medicine Vol. 168, No. 3, pp. 264-270. NHS East Lancashire (2010) SMYL If you want to live longer [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.smyl.eastlancspct.nhs.uk/welcome/ NHS Networks (2010) East Lancashire Public Health Network [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.networks.nhs.uk/networks.php?pid=727 Smoke Free (2007) Smoke-free Legislation Compliance Data [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/files/dhs01_03-smokefree_report_final.pdf Wells, A. J. (1999) Passive Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease New England Journal of Medicine Vol. 341, No. 9, pp.697-698. World Health Organisation (WHO) (2004) Causes of Death (part 2). The Global Burden of Disease: 2004 Update [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_part2.pdf World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010a) Cardiovascular Diseases: Key messages to protect heart health [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO) (2002) Global Burden of Disease in 2002: Data Sources, Methods and Results [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at https://apps.who.int/infobase/compare.aspx?dm=10countries=818%2c250%2c414%2c484%2c554%2c566%2c643%2c710%2c826%2c840year=2002sf1=mo.cg.059sex=all World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010d) Global Information System on Tobacco Control [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/tobacco/global_data/en/index.html World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010e) Global Network [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/tobacco/global_interaction/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010c) Regional Activities to the Global CVD Strategy [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/region/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010b) Research and Global Partnership Initiatives [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/research/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO) (2008) Tobacco Use: Infobase [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at https://apps.who.int/infobase/report.aspx?rid=116dm=8 Bibliography American Heart Association (2010) Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4726 Ash (2007) Ash facts at a glance: Smoking and Diseases [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_94.pdf ASH (2009) Ash facts at a glance: Implementation of the Smoke-free Law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_594.pdf Ash (2009) Ash facts at a glance: Tobacco Regulations [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_96.pdf Ash (2010) Ash facts at a glance: Smoking Statistics [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_93.pdf Ash (2010) Ash facts at a glance: Tobacco Economics [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_95.pdf British Heart Foundation Statistics Website (2009) Mortality [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.heartstats.org/topic.asp?id=17 Bullen, C. (July, 2008). Impact of Tobacco Smoking and Smoking Cessation on Cardiovascular Risk and Disease. Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, Vol. 6, No. 6, pp. 883-895. Chime Communications Plc (2008) East Lancashire PCT Enlists BMT to Develop a Campaign to Tackle the Region s Biggest Killer [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.chime.plc.uk/press-releases/bmt-launches-east-lancashire-pct-campaign-could-it-be-you Department of Health (DoH) (2004) The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease: Wining the War on Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4077154 Department of Health (DoH) (2010) Public Health [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/index.htm Ewles L, Simnett I. (2003). Promoting Health: A Practical Guide. London: Balliere Tindall. Ford, E. S. Capewell, S. (2007) Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Among Young Adults in the U.S. from 1980 Through 2002. Concealed Levelling of Mortality Rates Journal of the American College of Cardiology Vol. 50, pp. 2128-2132. Hill, S. Blakely, T., Kawachi, I., Woodward, A. (2004) Mortality Among Never Smokers Living with Smokers: Two Cohort Studies British Medical Journal Vol. 328, No. 7446, pp. 988-989. Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) (2007) Smoke-free Legislation [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=6166044 Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) (2009) Smoking [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5889940 Jiang, H.E., Vupputuri, S., Allen, K., Prerost, M. R., Hughes, J., Whelton, P. K. (1999) Passive Smoking and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease A Meta Analysis of Epidemiological Studies New England Journal of Medicine Vol. 340, No. 12, pp. 920-926. Kaur, S., Cohen, A., Dolor, R., Coffman, C.J., Bastian, L.A. (2004) The Impact of Environmental Tobacco Smoke on Women s Risk of Dying from Heart Disease: A Meta Analysis Journal of Women s Health Vol. 13, No. 8, pp. 888-897. National Health Service (NHS) (2008) Rates of Heart Disease in the Young [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.nhs.uk/news/2007/January08/Pages/Ratesofheartdiseaseintheyoung.asp National Health Service (NHS) (2009) Health A-Z: Coronary Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Coronary-heart-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx National Heart Forum (2006) Economic Cost of Heart Disease [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.heartforum.org.uk/AboutCHD_Economicburden.aspx Nemetz, P. N., Roger, V. L., Ransom, J. E., Bailer, K. R., Edwards, W. D., Leibson, C. L. (2008) Recent Trends in the Prevalence of Coronary Disease: A Population-Based Autopsy Study of Non-natural Deaths Archival of Internal Medicine Vol. 168, No. 3, pp. 264-270. NHS East Lancashire (2010) SMYL If you want to live longer [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.smyl.eastlancspct.nhs.uk/welcome/ NHS Networks (2010) East Lancashire Public Health Network [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.networks.nhs.uk/networks.php?pid=727 Smoke Free (2007) Smoke-free Legislation Compliance Data [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/files/dhs01_03-smokefree_report_final.pdf Wells, A. J. (1999) Passive Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease New England Journal of Medicine Vol. 341, No. 9, pp.697-698. Whincup, P. H., Gilg, J. A., Emberson, J. R., Jarvis, M. J., Feyerabend, C., Bryant, A., Wakler, M., Cook, D. G. ( 2004) Passive Smoking and Risk of Coronary Disease and Stroke: Prospective Study with Cotinine Measurement British Medical Journal Vol. 329, No. 7459, pp. 200-205. World Health Organisation (WHO) (2002) Global Burden of Disease in 2002: Data Sources, Methods and Results [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at https://apps.who.int/infobase/compare.aspx?dm=10countries=818%2c250%2c414%2c484%2c554%2c566%2c643%2c710%2c826%2c840year=2002sf1=mo.cg.059sex=all World Health Organisation (WHO) (2004) Causes of Death (part 2). The Global Burden of Disease: 2004 Update [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_part2.pdf World Health Organisation (WHO) (2008)Tobacco Use: Infobase [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at https://apps.who.int/infobase/report.aspx?rid=116dm=8 World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010a) Cardiovascular Diseases: Key messages to protect heart health [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010b) Research and Global Partnership Initiatives [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/research/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010c) Regional Activities to the Global CVD Strategy [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/region/en/ World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010d) Global Information System on Tobacco Control [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/tobacco/global_data/en/index.html World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010e) Global Network [Online] last accessed 2nd December 2009 at http://www.who.int/tobacco/global_interaction/en/ Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease Impact Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease Impact Introduction Medical innovations and rapidly evolving technology has led to a decrease in the rate of mortality from diseases. However, the fast and constantly changing hectic lifestyle of today has led to the introduction of new diseases, unhealthy lifestyle and early, premature deaths. Todays technology has provided us with the benefits of early detection and preventive treatments and answers to some of the previously incurable diseases. But it has brought in increased stress and unhealthy eating and other habits that have in some ways caused more harm than benefit. This report titled Smoking: The Heart Breaker is a look at the current situation of coronary heart diseases caused by smoking, relevant legislations, policies and practices, strategies to deal with the situation and future of the disease at local, national and global levels. The report will start by discussing the smoking and coronary heart disease as a public health issue and the reasons for concern. It will provide a background to help better understand the present situation along with an epidemiology of the disease and its causes, with special reference to smoking. It will then go on to report about the legislative policies and strategies that are being currently undertaken in the region of Burnley, East Lancashire to counter this particular health issue. The report will also discuss the policies and initiatives and the status of the health issue at national and global level, so as to provide a complete and holistic picture of the seriousness of the health issue. Finally the report will discuss the current strategies being employed by the government as well as non-government agencies to tackle the health issue. Recommendations will also be made to help make an improvement in the current situation. Public Health Issue: Coronary Heart Disease due to Smoking The term Coronary heart disease is used to describe a condition of blockage or interruption of blood supply to the heart due to build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries (NHS, 2009). This build-up (called atheroma) can lead to insufficient supply of blood to the heart causing pain in the chest known as angina. A completely blocked artery can lead to a heart attack (called myocardial infarction) (NHS, 2009). There are various mild to critical impacts of this condition that even result in death. According to the British Heart Foundation Statistics (2009), diseases related to the heart and circulatory issues are the biggest cause of deaths in the UK, resulting in over 90,000 deaths in the UK in a year. This has resulted in not only raised concerns about the disease but also growing efforts to increase the awareness about the disease, its causes, and preventive as well as precautionary measures that can help to avoid the disease. The situation isn t any brighter in other par ts of the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the majority of countries around the world are affected by coronary heart disease and the disease is a major killer, especially in developing and transitional countries of the world. In a WHO report, cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease is considered to be the leading cause of death and is projected to increase from 17.1 million in 2004 to 23.4 million in 2030 (WHO, 2004). Among the various causes of coronary heart disease, smoking is regarded to be one of the primary causes. According to the WHO report, tobacco-related deaths are expected to rise from 5.4 million in 2004 to 8.3 million in 2030, representing 10% of all global deaths; and smoking has been associated to cardiovascular diseases and subsequent deaths (WHO, 2004). According to a study conducted in 2008, smoking is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease (Bullen, 2008). Though increasing age has been thought as a cau se of coronary heart disease, two studies have found that improper lifestyle, stress, etc are increasing the mortality rates due to coronary heart disease among the young population in the UK, USA and Australia (Nemetz, Roger Ransom, 2008) (Ford Capewell, 2007). Therefore, the growing concern for this disease and its preventable yet common cause is the choice of topic for this report. Background and Epidemiology Cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease have been found to be an unbiased killer that can create havoc in any society irrespective of its economic, political, cultural, religious, regional or racial identity. Similarly, tobacco smoking (either active or passive) is known to be a major cause of many diseases including the coronary heart disease. Given the stressful lifestyle in today s world, many people take up smoking to tackle the stress levels and in the process get addicted. They not only harm themselves but also people around them. The region of Burnley in East Lancashire, is no exception to this trend. Being witness to many friends and family members taking up smoking in the name of relieving stress and then getting addicted and finally ending up suffering from diseases, especially coronary heart disease inspired the choice of topic for this report. There are several causes that can result in coronary heart disease. The NHS lists smoking as the major cause of the disease (NHS, 2009). The various other causes of coronary heart disease have been listed as high blood pressure, high level of cholesterol in blood, presence of thrombosis and / or diabetes unhealthy lifestyle with no regular exercise, obesity and a family history of angina and / or heart attack (which are hereditary) (Nemetz et al, 2008). The risk factors associated with coronary heart diseases which cannot be treated, modified or changed include age, gender and heredity (or race). Increasing age increases the risks of coronary heart disease and fatality from it. Men are found to be at a greater risk of suffering from coronary heart disease in comparison to women (Wells, 1999). Heredity of coronary disease or its causes such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol are also known to create risks of coronary heart conditions. The causes such as smoking, high le vel of cholesterol in blood, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, being overweight and / or obesity and diabetes (diabetes mellitus) are some of the risk factors of coronary heart disease that can be modified, changed and controlled by taking medication and / or by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Other risk factors and causes of the disease include stress and alcohol addiction and can in certain circumstances prove to be fatal causes of the coronary heart disease (Ewles Simnet, 2003). Comparative data of the effects of coronary heart disease in different countries do not provide a very positive picture (see appendix 1). According to a World Health Organisation survey report, the mortality from cardiovascular diseases in 2002 for the developed nations like the United Kingdom and the United States was higher than many other developing nations like China, India, even Nigeria (WHO, 2002). It is clear from the data, that developing countries have a much higher mortality rate from cardiovascular and consequently coronary heart diseases in the developed countries like UK, USA, Germany; and an important fact to notice is that the death rate is higher in the European region in comparison to other regions of the world. This most probably can be attributed to the excessive use of tobacco, alcohol, improper lifestyle that increases stress levels, improper eating habits that leads to blood sugar and cholesterol in the blood. The tobacco usage in different countries around the world also points towards the grimness and enormity of the situation, through which one can appreciate the risk of tobacco causing further deaths due to coronary heart disease (WHO, 2008). The WHO report on tobacco consumption in different countries show that despite government initiatives and regulations, the tobacco consumption has mostly increased and has led to increased mortality especially in the age groups between 25-45 years. Though coronary heart disease is of global nature without any kind of boundary, various specific groups of people are in greater risk of having the disease in comparison to others. The affinity to having coronary heart disease is dependent on factors such as geography, heredity, age and gender. Men are at an increased risk of suffering from coronary heart conditions as compared to women (Wells, 1999). Increase in age increases the chances of suffering from coronary heart disease (DoH, 2004). Coronary heart conditions are also known to be prevalent among Mexican Americans, some Asian Americans, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians (American Heart Association, 2010). England is one of the most vulnerable nations in Europe when it comes to coronary heart diseases (NHS, 2009). Populations in developing and underdeveloped nations of the world too are at a higher risk of suffering from coronary heart disease and related fatalities (American Heart Association, 2010). Smokers, obese people and people with high blood cholesterol are also included in the high risk group for coronary heart disease. Female smokers are more susceptible to the disease especially with increased age since females are more susceptible to the dangers of smoking in comparison to men (WHO, 2002). With increased impact of aggressive and unhealthy lifestyle and stress, the young population across the developed nations of the world too are increasingly coming under the risk of coronary heart disease (NHS, 2008). Therefore, these risk factors result in the coronary heart disease taking on a pandemic nature if certain precautionary and preventive measures are not taken to control the risk factors that can be influenced. Strategies, Policies and Initiatives Given the growing concern about coronary heart diseases, deaths due to the disease and the impact on the younger population, government agencies around the world are taking steps to combat the growing menace. Non-governmental and private agencies too are joining the efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle and awareness about preventive techniques that can help to bring down the risks associated with the disease and the rising cases of fatalities. This section of the report looks at the strategies, agenda, policies, that are being undertaken at the local (NHS East Lancashire, 2010), national and global levels to combat coronary heart disease. Local Public Health In East Lancashire, several workshops and other programmes have been undertaken to increase awareness, educate and help the residents of the area give up smoking and adopt a healthy lifestyle that will help prevent and fight coronary heart disease. The MPs in the region are encouraging antismoking legislations and policies being adopted by the authorities. The NHS has introduced the concept of smoke free zones. The SMYL programme is promoting healthy lifestyle and eating habits (NHS East Lancashire, 2010). Another campaign called Could it be you was also started in 2008 to help people fight coronary heart disease and adopt healthy and preventive lifestyle (Chime Communications Plc, 2008). The authorities in East Lancashire have also collaborated with different agencies to start networks that can promote anti tobacco campaign and raise awareness on coronary heart disease (NHS Networks, 2010). This involvement of the government as well as non-government agencies in the area, one can b e hopeful that headway will be made into the matter. However, it is important that the public realise the criticality of the situation and take advantages of the programmes being undertaken to have a long, healthy and disease free life. Implications at the National Level The National Heart Forum (2006) indicated that heart diseases cost the UK around  £29 billion per year and was termed as economic burden . There are several programmes that have been taken up by the health care authorities and the government in collaboration with non-government agencies to promote anti smoking habits in the country. Several regional programmes such as Bolsover Teenage Smoking Programme, Corby Smoking Cessation Programme, Halton Smoke-Free Programme, London Borough of Tower Hamlets Tobacco Control Alliance, Pendle Smoke-free Council, Heartbeat Awards, the GO Smokefree Campaign, etc have been launched in an earnest to curb the growing effect of smoking in the country (IDeA, 2009). Several governmental legislations have also been put into place (IDeA, 2007). The Department of Health has also started programmes such as Start4Life, 5 A Day, National Support Teams and Let s Get Moving to promote healthy lifestyle that can help to prevent coronary heart disease (DoH, 201 0). Therefore the various government and nongovernment agencies in UK are making effort to control smoking habit and improve lifestyle of the citizens of the country thereby ensuring a brighter future free from smoking and coronary heart disease. Global Health The fight against smoking and coronary heart disease has taken enormous proportions with the growing realisation that these are two of the most important killers in the world today. Especially, the understanding that smoking causes diseases such as the coronary heart disease not only in the smoker but also in non-smokers who have been in the presence of smokers, has led major organisations and developed nations of the world to taking a stand against smoking. The Work with Heart project by WHO is helping to spread the message of preventive actions that can help in prohibiting coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases (WHO, 2010a). WHO has also taken up research and global partnership initiatives to help the developing countries of the world fight cardiovascular diseases (WHO, 2010b). Furthermore, WHO has aligned with several countries in the world to promote regional activities under the global strategy to counter cardiovascular diseases which includes America, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, South-East Asia, European region and Western Pacific (WHO, 2010c). To help fight the smoking addiction growing among countries, WHO has set up the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS) (WHO, 2010d) and is also collaborating with different international organisations such as the United Nations and the governments of various countries to help campaign against sale and use of tobacco among different nations (WHO, 2010e). Recommendations and Conclusion Upon analysing the current situation on a local, national and global basis, the following recommendations can be made: Initiatives to prevent coronary heart disease and promote anti smoking habits need to be undertaken at the grass root level, i.e. at local level. This will make the initiatives and campaigns more effective. The developing nations such as India, Brazil and China need to be targeted with confidence. Further researches into preventive and curative medicines and technologies for coronary heart diseases need to be promoted. Healthy lifestyle needs to be promoted at every level since preventive practices are more beneficial than curative ones. It is important to realise that despite several initiatives being taken by local, national and global agencies and governments, smoking trends are increasing around the world and has started to affect the young population. Coronary heart disease too has started to take its toll on the population around the world due to the hectic and unhealthy lifestyles that have come to permeate people s lives. It is highly essential that for the success of the initiatives and programmes, people must be involved in them and everyone across the globe has to realise that simple changes to their lifestyle, eating habits and anti smoking measures will help to fight and prevent coronary heart disease. The changes in lifestyle will also bring down coronary heart disease caused due to other factors such as stress, alcohol, blood sugar and cholesterol. To conclude, it can be stated that prevention is better than cure and quitting smoking and leading a healthy lifestyle can protect everyone from the silent killer, the coronary heart disease (Ewles Simnet, 2003). 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