A Marxist Analysis of the Accra Mall

3rd December, 2012. Marxist analysis of the Accra Mall Marxist describes the power struggle between different social classes in society. Marxism is further explained by certain concepts, such as ideology and hegemony, base and superstructure and reification. Ideology is a set of ideas or viewpoints that one social class has of another which influences the way they behave towards each other while hegemony refers to the way people act based on the ideas or ideologies that they hold and act out regarding other classes.Base and superstructure refers to the system whereby the working class, which represents the majority of the people, is ruled by the few, the owners of the sources of production. Marxism in essence can be seen in all walks of life and in various parts of our society. The Accra mall in Greater Accra is one such place. The Accra Mall is more than just an avenue to shop. The Accra Mall is the place to see and be seen. It is strategically located at the very tip of the Spintex Road, at the Tetteh Quashie Roundabout, in close proximity to a number of hotels, high end residential apartments and corporate buildings.In essence the mall caters to a certain class of people; the affluent in the Ghanaian society. It contains about twenty or so shops with mostly overpriced goods. There is a food court located right in the middle of the shopping mall with a playground for children. The mall’s general ambience, of money, expensive food, high end clothing and a large parking lot, usually overcrowded with flashy and expensive cars gives one a good idea of what to expect in the mall.The air of spending is further heightened by the presence of the numerous automated teller machines (ATM) placed at one part the mall. The neighborhood and the mall in general gives a clear cut distinction of who they serve and who serves them- it caters for the rich and wealthy that are served by the working class or the poor. The large parking lot mentioned earlier, constantly has a greater ratio of flashy cars to a very small number of not so nice cars. Without a doubt, it is evident that the mall is frequented by the upper classmen, or those who can afford to drive them.The price tags does not encourage the lower class to frequent the place because the products or items sold at the mall are above the financial means of a person for instance, the price of a bottle of soda at Rhapsody’s, one of the restaurants is ludicrously expensive and hence caters to the high class or the middle class that can spend extravagantly. On the other hand a restaurant like Pizza Inn prices the goods somewhat moderately to cater to all the classes. Another case is of two supermarkets, Game and Shoprite. It is common to see people coming out Game with few items.In contrast, Shoprite prices their goods that most people could at least buy a cookie from their bakery or a little toy for their children or a plate of nicely decorated and somewhat tasty meals. The people in the m all fall into two categories, as society dictates; the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The proletariat is made up of the janitors, the shop attendants, security guards and basically people who are not likely to spend in the mall. The other group, mainly made up of the business men and women, doctors and lawyers are mainly the customers; the proletariat.The shop attendants, the janitors and security guards depend on the purchasing and patronized services of the customers, in this case the bourgeoisie, to spend at the mall, so that they can earn money. The bourgeoisie are catered to by the proletariat at the mall. They serve them at the mall and are the people who work â€Å"behind the scenes† to make things the way they are for the bourgeoisie to enjoy. The proletariats on the other hand are employed by the bourgeoisie and depend on them for their livelihood. At the Accra Mall, there is a general reaction by the shop owners and the other people, based on the way people look.P eople are profiled into either whether they are of high class or a low class, in other words, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The society has a way of classifying people by the way they dress. If your clothes appear trendy or fashionable enough then you must be in the upper class. The proletariats on the other hand are looked down upon immediately because they are judged to be the lower class based on their dressing and are hence treated as potential shoplifters or people up to no good. Marxism permeates all areas of our society; healthcare, in education and in a number of other aspects of life. The Accra Mall is one such place.People of all sorts can be identified here, and there in lie the groups of the bourgeoisie and proletariat. There is a constant, somewhat passive struggle for power. While the bourgeoisie (the rich, upper class, wealthy customers) continue to revel in their spending and high end lifestyle, the proletariat (the janitors, the security guards and staff in g eneral) work long hours to try to attain a respectful position in life, to become like the bourgeoisie. As long as the society continues to go on in this manner, Marxist theory of power struggle will continue to be relevant in explaining such conflict.

Hewlett-Packard, Inc Essay

Hewlett-Packard, Inc. has been one of the leading IT Company competing with DELL. Throughout the company history, Hewlett-Packard’s top management team has always sought to ensure that the company stays ahead of its competitors. Though this has been the case, strategic decisions made by the company’s past and present CEOs, especially, Carleton S. Fiorina and Mark V. Hurd may differ as much as they may be similar in some ways. During Carleton S. Fiorina’s tenure, the main focus was on the future and all strategic decisions and investments were made for future growth and stability. This kind of investment was at the expense of any decisions that would ensure growth at the time. Fiorina was the HP CEO from 1999 to 2005 and during her tenure the main causes of loss of revenue and market share were due to the fact that she not only focuses on the future rather than current growth but she made investments that seemed costly to the company at the time but which she believed could bring greater revenue growth in the future. Great opposition from managers and some board members, coupled with the scandal on leaked company information saw the company image delve into the negative causing financial damage to the company. According to Evans-Correia (2005), â€Å"Broderick said HP still faces numerous problems. It continues to lose market share to Dell Inc. and its corporate-computing unit, which includes storage, software and server computers, has remained weak and unable to fend off competition from IBM and EMC Corp. â€Å"The company has good technologies, but their to-market strategy has not been effective. †Ã¢â‚¬  Though the merger with Compaq brought increased revenue growth in the future, at the moment the merger was given a go ahead and completed, HP encountered its share of losses that were a little higher than it may have predicted initially and announced publicly. The then CEO, Fiorina, was questioned about these losses and the apparent in-disclosure of these information to the public and board of directors. In his article, Intense Grilling Flusters Fiorina, one of the writers, Burt (2002) reported that â€Å"Just as he had done yesterday, Hewlett attorney Stephen Neal repeatedly grilled the chief executive about internal financial reports that predicted larger revenue losses for 2003 than HP projected in publicly issued statements. † Increasing counterfeit products could also be seen as one of the setbacks that cost HP its revenue, image as well as market share. While the merger with Compaq brought H-P an added competitive edge in the computer hardware manufacture, the acquisition of EDS, an HP Company will now see H-P attain a competitive edge in the IT Services sector. This means that both ventures are almost equally important to H-P in maintaining leadership in the IT industry. The Compaq merger/acquisition was aimed at gaining HP footing in the computer hardware industry while the acquisition of EDS was strategically targeted at giving the company the competitive edge in IT services and customer care. While HP was mainly focused on the sale of printers, expansion to the computer hardware would prove strategic at the time the merger with Compaq was initiated. The moment EDS came on board, expansion and enhancement of the HP outsourcing service delivery was realized. During ex-CEO Fiorina’s tenure, the main strategic choices that were made were aimed at cost cutting and investment in the future with new ventures. While Fiorina focused on new ventures and expansion of the business part of the company, Hurd focused on expansion, growth and retention of employees and enhancement of customer service and support. Fiorina was more focused on sales, high profits and numbers at all costs while Hurd focused on the company tradition of focusing on the employees as well as growth and expansion. While Fiorina went to on to cut jobs so as to cut on costs, Hurd took on a new stand by focusing mainly on all that could be done to maintain the best workers and staff retention as well as customer satisfaction. As stated by Hurd and Lesjak in the HP Annual Report (2008), â€Å"The addition of EDS further expands HP’s comprehensive, strategically assembled portfolio that provides unparalleled capabilities for delivering end-to-end solutions. More importantly, EDS adds a world-class, globally scaled services capability to HP’s established leadership in hardware and management software. † Since inception, the company has proven to be a greater competitor and leading in innovation and customer satisfaction.

Early Literacy Instruction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Early Literacy Instruction - Research Paper Example The kind of teaching that is done and the time that teaching is done also affects the rate and quality of learning or literacy acquisition that will take place. Reading acquisition is one of the most important literacy components that take place in people. As far reading instructions are concerned, it has been argued that the acquisition process becomes more effective and efficient when it is done at the very early stages of a child’s learning career. It has also been said that the type of learning intervention that is used by trainees or teachers in teaching reading instructions is also very instrumental in determining the success rate of the learning process. Because these assertions are generalized, the present research paper is dedicated to critically analyzing; by comparing and combing existing works of research to draw valid conclusions on the acquisition of early reading instructions with focus on phonemic awareness. The meta-analysis shall be done using eight existing recent research based studies. The contents of these research works shall be put together in four major themes as discussed below. The use of Scaffolding as a teaching Intervention Two of the research based literatures were thematically captioned to touch on the use of scaffolding as an intervention to teach phonetic awareness. These were research works from Lea et al (2009) and Shayne et al (2010). Whereas Lea et al (2009) sees scaffolding as a teacher-based approach to teaching phonetic awareness, Shayne et al (2010) sees scaffolding as a student based approach. Both researchers however agree that scaffolding is used in such a way that the teaching of phonetic awareness is taken from the student’s perspective whereby the teacher undertakes the teaching process from a point where student lacks the acquisition of a particular phonetic skill. The actual scaffolding takes place in the form of provision of series of guidance to students in developing the phonetic awareness of a particular sound (Lea, 2009). The intervention is thus called scaffolding because the teacher unfolds the learning process through a series of steps or processes (Shayne, 2010). In the various researches, it was found that one of the commonest ways in which kindergarten children learned phonetics was to isolate the sounds in a word, especially the first sound. It was therefore necessary that teachers taught phonemic awareness through the teaching of individual sounds of letters rather than combining them at a very early stage of language acquisition. Effect of phonetic awareness on English reading in non-English children Two other researchers found in their research works that the basis of English reading acquisition was phonetic awareness (Yeung et al, 2012 and Ryder et al, 2007). This means that for children to effectively acquire English reading skills, they needed to have a very good basis in phonemic awareness. According to Yeung et al (2012), phonemic awareness is the single m ost effective way to attempt to pronounce or spell any new English word. Consequently, Ryder et al (2010) hold the opinion that for effective reading to take place among new readers, it is important that the learner gets an idea about as many phonetic sounds of letters as possible. This way, the pronunciation of new words will be attempted by the sounds and pronunciation of already known letters. Consequently, the researchers lay emphasis on learning from the known to the unknown using phonemic awareness. Indeed, the researcher were quick to criticize other

Camparison of three psychological disorders Essay

Camparison of three psychological disorders - Essay Example This also affects the cognitive and the behavioral aspect of the human activity and thus impacts his everyday life. These symptoms can be controlled through awareness, training and medication under the supervision and care of an experienced medical practitioner. There is tremendous role of counseling in the management and understanding of these symptoms which can have debilitating affect on the life of individual suffering from these mental diseases. Non-melancholic depression is the most 'common' type of depression seen by general practitioners. In this case the depression is not melancholic, or, put simply, not primarily biological. The term depression is sometimes used to describe the normal sadness orlow mood people feel if they've had to cope with a stressful event or problem, such as the death of a loved one or a relationship break-up. Depression is also the name for anillness that is more severe than normal sadness, lasts longer than two weeks, and interferes with other parts of your life, such as work, school or relationships. (Seligman, Walker, & Rosenhan) Instead, it has to do with psychological causes, and is very often linked to stressful events in a person's life, alone, or in conjunction with the individual's personality style. Non-melancholic depression is the most common of the three types of depression. People with non-melancholic depression experience: a depressed mood for more than two weeks Social impairment (for example, difficulty in dealing with work or relationships).It is also referred to as 'major depression', 'clinical depression', and 'mixed anxiety and depression' and is characterized by depressed mood for more than two weeks. Individuals with non-melancholic depression tend to exhibit key features such as a decline in self-esteem, self-criticism, a depressed mood, as well as non-specific features, such as a change in appetite, fatigue or sleep disturbance. People with non-melancholic depression do not have the marked psychomotor disturbance seen in melancholic depression and are less likely to report major problems with memory or concentration. Non-melancholic depression has a high rate of spontaneous remission because it is often linked to stressful events in a person's life. Non-melancholic depression responds well to different sorts of treatments (such as psychotherapies, antidepressants and counselling), but the treatment selected should respect the cause (e.g. stress, personality style). However, the challenge faced by general practitioners in treating this group, is the high rate of 'spontaneous remission'; hence, accurate assessment of treatment can be difficult (Wolfe,Erickson & Sharkansky ). Counseling can provide a platform for venting out the fears and overpowering memories related the disease and thus give a person a fresh perspective to deal with the issue which leads to depressive symptoms. The limitation in this approach is it is dependant upon the cooperation from the individual. Anxiety is normal reaction to stress and can have major or minor physiological impact on the person experiencing this symptom. In the state of anxiety the individual undergoes physiological changes which affect his cognitive, somatic emotional and behavioral aspects of life. These factors combined result in feelings of apprehension, fear

Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Discussion Question - Essay Example This is in the light of capital constraints, where each of the affiliates to the company provides a suitable ground for shareholder value maximization. Shifting capital in this case would be informed by the performance of each affiliate prior to capital shifting and the extent of value maximization required. Capital should be shifted from relatively low performing affiliates to relatively high performing ones, allowing for diversification of shareholder value maximization. Managing working capital is critical to the daily operations undertaken by the company (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010). This is more so in line with the relationship between working capital and inventory portfolio. Increase in inventory costs restrains the production capacity of the firm. As a result, working capital becomes directly involved due to the fact that inventories are dealt with every single day. Production needs to flow, and the production capacity should improve as opposed to deteriorating. In this regard, the financial manager of the company should devote more time in managing working capital in such a way that mainstreams the inventory

The difference between the firm's operating cycle and its cash Essay

The difference between the firm's operating cycle and its cash conversion cycle - Essay Example It would only include time for the initial payment of cash by the company and the receipt of cash from the customers. Operating cycles are either short or long and both of these have serious implications for the company. An operating cycle which is short would mean that the company`s return on investment is rapid. A longer operating cycle, on the other hand, means that the company is not getting a quick return on investment and this probably affect the company in the long run. Operating cycles also differ according to the nature of the economy. If there is an economic downturn, then the operating cycle of a company would probably last longer than the one during a period of an economic growth. The operating cycle of a company is also helps in the estimation of the amount of the working capital required by the company to maintain its growth. There are a number of factors influencing the duration or the time period of the operating cycle and these include the payment terms extended to t he company by its suppliers. Also, a higher order fulfillment policy would increase the duration of the operating cycle. The credit terms and payment policies of the company also affect the time period of the operating cycle. Therefore, operating cycles of a company are often affected the policies and decisions of a company as well as the policies of other companies towards the said company. The cash conversion cycle of a company is the time period required for a company to convert its resources cash flows. This cycle shows the time, in days, which a company takes to sell inventory, collect its receivables as well as pay all its bills. This process of cash conversion shows the financial position of the company during a certain period of time. The cash conversion ratio is calculated through the collection of three ratios which are related to the inventory turnover which is the accounts receivable. This cycle shows how long an investment is in the production stage before being turned into cash. This cash conversion cycle is also known as the net operating cycle of a company. A company`s cash conversion cycle lengthens when it takes a longer time in collecting its accrued payments. For small businesses especially, longer cash conversion cycles show the difference between its profits and bankruptcy as these companies highly rely on cash from such sales of inventories. One of the major differences between an operating and a cash conversion cycle is the difference in the calculation of both of these. In order to calculate the operating cycle, the duration of each component of the operating cycle needs to be determined and this includes raw materials, finished goods, work in progress etc. the operating cycle is found out by summing these individual components. The requirement for working capital would be higher if the operating cycle is longer. On the other hand, cash conversion cycle is calculated using the days payable outstanding ratio as well as those elements us ed in the operating cycle calculation. The days payable outstanding is the average time taken by a company to pay its suppliers. The formula for cash conversion is days inventory outstanding + days sales outstanding – days payable outstanding. All of these activity ratios are expressed in days and show the cash conversion cycle of the company. Both operating cycles and cash conversion cycles are really important for an owner as well as the company as the whole. The cash conversion cycle is extremely important for the financial analysis being done by the owner. This is because it shows the factors related to cash which is really important

Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small Business - Essay Example The major advantages are that a franchisee is able to establish and operate a well established business in a new area where the whole marketing system inputs and guidelines are provided by the franchisor on a continuous basis. The franchisee is able to start business with a relatively small initial investment that has prospects of good return with immediate effects. The recurrent training and proven marketing strategies provided by the franchisor boost the confidence of the franchisee and help him to expand his business significantly. The main limitations are the loss of independence in running the business as one wants and restriction in the operational area comprising mainly of the goods and services that can be sold in specific areas. Other conditions like the restrictions on resale of franchisee rights and the individual advertising efforts are hurdles that restrict further scope for the franchisee. The main advantages of franchisor are that they are able to expand their business and spread them in wider areas of operation in a relatively short time and with reduced capital cost. By facilitating goods and services to the franchisee, the franchisor is relieved of the pressures of day today operation and therefore is better able to focus on his core business and developing network activities and franchisee support programs and strategies. The major aspect is that he is able to control the appearance and operation of the franchisee outlets as per his standards, thereby help maintain the credibility and high standard of his brands. The limitations of the potential franchisor are that it needs to keep updated with the training and strategies for its franchisee to meet the emerging challenges of the advancing technologies. Though the profit margins are considerably reduced but the widening network of franchisee, selected judiciously, help increase the overall profit with considerably less stress. Another major limitation is that expanding in foreign

American Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Politics - Essay Example They act as spotlights when they highlight a particular issue that is being advocated by different political parties and their members. Lastly, they perform the role of talent scouts as they publicize the private as well as the public lives of politicians. The most commonly and overplayed function of media is the role of being spotlights as they tend to highlight different issues in order to gain public attention. This can be both good and bad for the American government and the political system. This role becomes challenging for the government because due to this role, the public gains awareness about different issues and some of these issues might not have been made public or the government may want those issues to remain hidden from the public. Since issues are spotlighted by the media, certain fractions of the government try to gain public backing for these issues in order to force the government to tackle these issues. For example: the issue of gay marriage has been highly highlighted by the media and this has provided certain political fractions and public members to gain support from the public for the acceptance of gay marriages as a legal form of

United arab emirates stand agaisnt ISIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

United arab emirates stand agaisnt ISIS - Essay Example The nation registered a strong condemnation for the terrorist acts and gross human rights violations committed by ISIS (Khaleej Times 1). This included a range of heinous crimes against humanity committed by ISIS like the beheading and killing of Western hostages, genocide of ethnic and religious minorities, violation of political and human rights by ISIS in the territories under its domain and its overall ideology of violence, intolerance and radicalization of Islam. In multiple official communiquà ©s made by the UAE, both to the regional and global media, the Emirate officially labelled and categorized ISIS to be a threat to humanity, a big challenge to regional peace and stability, and a cause of concern that warrants collective international action and commitment (Khaleej Times 1). The UAE also made proactive efforts to muster and influence the international community against the grave threat posed by ISIS, by sponsoring a range of regional meets and opinion making efforts. This included hosting International Centre of Excellence against Violent Extremism and organizing a â€Å"Muslim Council of Elders â€Å"comprising of reputed scholars from many Muslim nations, with the objective of combating the ideological sway commanded by ISIS in the region for the time (Khaleej Times 1). In addition, the UAE pledged an unconditional and committed support to the Western efforts to fight ISIS. UAE is amongst the group of Middle East nations including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan who are actively participating in the airstrikes against ISIS, led by the US and other Western powers (Khan 1). The UAE also expressed a strong support for the UN Security Council Resolution 2170 aimed at galvanizing international efforts against the war on ISIS (Khaleej Times 1). In addition the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking to it that

Discipline of Teams Essay Example for Free

Discipline of Teams Essay What differentiates effective teams which enhances performance of a set objective? An effective team is a small group of individuals with complementary skills, having a clear objective and with a common purpose. Each individual in the team is accountable for the overall performance of the team and works for its best interest. There is a basic discipline that makes teams work. A team is more than the sum of its parts; its performance includes both individual results and a collective work product which reflects the joint real contributions from team members. Most teams shape their purposes in response to the needs of the organization, there needs to be an element of winning, revolutionizing or being the cutting edge so that each member of the team is equally motivated and is pushed to contribute effectively. The sense of purpose brings about a passion to deliver and hence builds the need for clear communication and constructive conflicts. To build teams performance we need to build a sense of urgency to accomplish the purpose, select members to match the skill potential required, set clear behavioral rules, challenge the group regularly, spend lots of time together to bond effectively and exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition and reward. In a team we need people with technical and functional expertise as well as people who are good at problem solving and decision making. We need each member, including the team leader to contribute in concrete ways and more importantly each member should hold themselves accountable. Effective teams find the experience of working together to solve a need highly energizing and motivating. Every company faces specific performance challenges for which teams are the most practical and powerful mobilizer at the top managements disposal.

Drinking And Smoking In Students

Drinking And Smoking In Students This chapter reviews the literature in relation to drinking and smoking behaviour. It also looks at the concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco within student life. For the purpose of this study the author had two research objectives, which were, to explore the reasons students consume alcohol and smoke tobacco and to investigate the relationship between both. Numerous studies have shown an association between cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. The National Institute of Health (2010) found that even small amounts of alcohol boost the pleasurable effects of nicotine, inducing people to smoke more when drinking alcoholic beverages. Medical profession have highlighted that the alcohol dose dependent effect increases the urge to smoke. Data from epidemiological studies have shown that people who drink alcohol are more likely to smoke and the heavier the drinking pattern, the heavier the smoking. (King, 2005) (Page number) Findings from Kings study (2005) indicate that smoking urge is higher after consuming four alcohol drinks in comparison to the lower urges after consuming two alcohol drinks, and increases were not observed after consuming a placebo beverage In other words, The greater the alcohol consumption, the greater the urge to smoke (Page Number) Research has indicated that links to alcohol addiction may be heredity. Findings from the Granada study believe that heredity may be responsible for almost 50% of the likelihood that a person will become addicted to alcohol. Alcoholism and Drug Addiction group whom carried out the study at the University of Granada revealed that the lack of beta-endorphins, which is hereditary, marks a genetic weakness to alcoholism. The studies findings indicate that an individuals brain with low beta-endorphin levels becomes accustomed to the presence of an external surplus, diminishing its own supply and triggering dependence on the external source -in this case, alcohol. Beta-endorphin is a kind of morphine released by the brain in response to several situations, such as pain. In this way, beta-endorphins can be considered an endogenous pain reliever to numb or dull pains. According to Josà © Rico Irles (Year and page number) head of research at the university, although alcohol consumption does not affect all people in the same way, differences in beta-endorphin levels make some subjects more vulnerable to alcohol. Therefore, they are more likely to become alcohol dependent. 1.2 Alcohol Behaviour According to Alcohol Action Ireland (2010), over one in four accident and emergency cases have alcoholà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœrelated injuries. Alcohol is also a factor in one in four traumatic brain injuries. Research carried out by Alcohol Action Ireland found that alcohol related deaths increased between 1995 and 2004. Ethanol (found in beer, wine and spirits) is the most commonly used alcohol consumed by humans. (International Centre for Alcohol Policies) According to Gossop two thirds of the US population drink alcohol. The average American spends more than 5% of their annual budget on alcohol, consuming 2.6 gallons of spirits, 2.2 gallons of wine, and 26.6 gallons of beer every year. Almost half of the UKs population over the age of 16 drink alcohol. (Gossop, 2007). An Irish survey carried out by CLAN indicates high-risk alcohol use is prevalent among college students, to the extent that profound binge drinking is seen as the norm of college life. The results from this survey demonstrate that this drinking culture is promoted in college, often with heavy drinkers being praised as die-hard revellers instead of being critiqued. The CLAN goes on to state that Irish third-level students spend more money a month on alcohol than they do on food and it clarifies speculation that regular binge drinking can wreck havoc on academic performance, as well as on social relationships. Controversially although Ireland has the highest rate of non-drinkers in Europe, (20%, in comparison to Germanys 5%) it also has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption, at present topping the poll for binge-drinking statistics. (Alcohol-statistics-in-europe.com) According to Hope, Dring and Dring (2003) there were both positive and negative reasons as to why students drink. Positive reasons such as sociability relaxation and enjoyment occupy the dominant number of reasons people drink. One in four students reported having a drink with there meals, of which more females than males reported such a practice. However one in ten students used alcohol to forget worries and one in twenty used alcohol when they were anxious or depressed. More males than females said they drank just to be polite. Hope et al (2003) 1.3 Tobacco Behaviour The World Health Organisation (2010) states that tobacco is one of the greatest causes of preventable and premature deaths in human history and that it kills up to half of its users. The annual death toll of more than five million could rise to more than eight million by 2030 unless urgent action is taken to control the tobacco epidemic. According to the WHO, smoking is estimated to be the cause of approximately 7000 deaths in Ireland each year, chiefly by illness such as lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and emphysema. Smoking can also cause gum disease, bad breath, poor skin and yellow teeth. (WHO, 2010) According to Chick Cantwell, (2001) evidence suggests that smoking is mainly initiated originally by teenagers. The onset is usually the result of one or many of the following factors; curiosity, assertion of independence, rebelliousness, stress, and perhaps more than any other factor by peer pressure (Chick Cantwell, 2001). The CLAN surveys research findings show that everyone knows smoking is bad for your health, but there seems to be many harmful effects to which many smokers all around the world are still oblivious. For example; a survey in china found that only 68 percent of current smokers in China believe that smoking leads to lung cancer and only 36 percent believe that smoking causes coronary heart disease (Hope, et al. 2003). Another survey carried out in Britain showed that a shocking 99% of woman surveyed were unaware of the direct link between smoking and cervical cancer. (Gossop, 2007) 1.4 Alcohol and tobacco go hand in hand Mckee, Hinson, Rounsaville, Petrelli (2004) state that although research has shown that many young people dabble with substances such as alcohol and tobacco from as young as 13, substance use in relation to tobacco and alcohol has been reported to peak in early adulthood. The college years appear to be a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and movement into regular patterns of use. College smokers are more likely to be non-daily smokers, also known as party smokers. Alcohol and tobacco are known to be strongly related behaviours and the association between both substances seems to get stronger with the heavier use of either substances. Recent studies have found that smoking urges increase rapidly following heavy drinking, even among light smokers (King Epstein, 2005) Nichter, Nicthter, Carkoglu and Lloyd-Richardson (2010) suggests that virtually every college event and social occasion revolves around drinking and there is a significant distinction between party time and normal time, According to Nichter, et al (2010) (page number) parties were viewed as places to kick back, relax and chill and where everyday rules for behaviour didnt apply. The majority of party smokers believed that smoking while drinking was not really smoking and was therefore socially acceptable. This research highlights the commonality of smoking cigarettes as a behaviour that goes along with drinking. They found that some party smokers described drinking and smoking as going together like peanut butter and jelly or like milk and cookies. Nitcher explains at college parties and particularly in your freshman years, focus is on creating an image, getting noticed and also trying to fit in and be cool. For college males, smoking while having a drink helped a guy look really manly and gave off a bad boy image. Among females there is a powerful focus on being liked and a need to engage in similar behaviours to ones friends (Nichter et al., 2010). There are numerous functions of smoking and drinking described by Nitcher et al. (2010). One of which is Social Facilitation. A key reason for having a cigarette with a drink at parties is because smoking is usually done outside. Having a cigarette provides a reason to go outdoors with an individual or a group, therefore, the co-consumption of alcohol and tobacco aids social interaction. Alcohol diminishes ones level of willpower giving an individual the confidence to do things they would not normally do. The best crack at parties is usually outdoors so when individuals go outside to socialise with peers, instead of doing nothing, they are faced with the opportunity to join in with the rest of the crowd. Nichter et al. (2010) observed that when males were drinking with females it was sometimes difficult to maintain a conversation, but smoking a cigarette with a female, who was also smoking, seemed to smoothen out the conversation. One male interviewee noted: Its just easier to talk when Ive been drinking and smoking. A cigarette honestly just gives you a buzz and boosts your self confidence. It also gives you a minute to get your thoughts straight. Several party smokers described how the urge to smoke just comes when drinking. Nitcher et al. (2010) found that for novice smokers, after a couple of drinks, smoking cigarettes became physically easier to do. They tended to suffer less from throat irritation and coughed less. Drinking and smoking together also washed away the cigarettes bad taste. This research also found that another useful function of the concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco is the physical sensations experienced. Alcohol and smoking together create a buzz that is unattainable when either substance is taken separately. However, having a cigarette, while drinking, can also help an individual feel calmer, relaxed and more sober. Research has shown that despite the amount of social smoking party smokers might be involved in most party smokers did not want to become regular or real smokers. In fact, they believed that they were at little risk of dependency upon alcohol and tobacco. As one woman in a focus group commented People like me and my friends dont get addicted to either substance (Nichter et al., 2010) Given this naÃÆ' ¯ve belief among students, that they were not at risk for transitioning from social smoking to more regular patterns of use, it seems critical to educate students about the possibility of addiction, even if smoking at low levels. 1.5 Conclusion The above research indicates that there is a correlation between student drinking and smoking and it would appear that alcohol consumption can often lead to students use of tobacco. This is a prevalent health concern which the proposed research aims to explore. Research availability concerning levels and concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco is limited in an Irish context. The proposed research aims to highlight this relationship and