International Marketing Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

International Marketing Proctor & Gamble originated in 1837, when William Proctor and James Gamble formed a partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio. The partnership flourished making the company a gaining name as principled manufacturer of high quality consumer goods sold at competitive prices. By 1992 Proctor & Gamble was a multinational company with annual sales of almost $30 billion profits exceeding $1.8 billion, and a reputation for quality products, high integrity, strong marketing, and conservative management. When P&G grew they became more and more interested in foreign markets. In 1992 they had sold their products in more than 140 countries around the world. In 1991 P&G after being satisfied with their success with Charmin Bounty and Puffs they decided they wanted to expand their business to foreign lands. They decided that Canada was the best and most logical choice to make that first step because of its location and free trade between Canada and the U.S. In 1991 P&G found that Canadian Pacific Product Company, a large paper company was prepared to see Facelle Paper Products, it’s tissue division. Facelle was a medium sized manufacturer and marketer of tissue, towel and sanitary products. So for 185 million P&G bought the Facelle Co. Proctor & Gamble had to consider many things when entering the market in Canada. Tissue products were inexpensive, widely used and were frequently purchased (on average once every two weeks.) Brand swi...

Economic Analyses – Netherlands

Netherlands National Economy: 2008-2012 Compulsory Assignment April 24 2012 Spur: MM 2nd Sem. Subject: Descriptive Economics Table of contents _ Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 GDP†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 Unemployment Rate†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦ 6 Inflation Rate†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Introduction _ This report is written for the purpose of the completion of a compulsory assignment that was allotted to the second semester students of the Marketing and Management spur. The theory and data that is described herein is related to the subject of descriptive of economics which is a branch of macroeconomic studies.The specifics of the assignment are, according to my understanding, to find a national economy of our choice; analyze the nation’s recent economic growth rate known as GDP (Gross Domestic Product); analyze the inflation rate; analyze the unemployment rate; presen t visual data to support the written information; explain in advance what GDP, inflation and unemployment is from the definitive perspective. The national economy that I have chosen to analyze is that of the Netherlands. The reason that I have specifically chosen this economy is twofold.Firstly, the Dutch economy it is one of many economies within the European Union that is having difficulties recovering from the global financial crisis of 2008/9 and the current crisis that is further evolving in the European Union, more specific insight to this developing may prove beneficial in the post-graduation period when exploring possible job opportunities. Secondly, the NGO Spark that is channeling capital into International Business College Mitrovica is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands; therefore it is interesting to know what economic environment the organization is surrounded by. Dutch EconomyThe Netherlands have a long history of trading with other countries in the world and have throu ghout time become very dependent on trade. The Dutch economy is based on a free market economy system with the government’s main purpose being to set regulations and taxations in the economy. Furthermore, the Netherlands are part of the European Union and have closely bound their economy to the EU by joining the European Monetary Union, that is to say the euro. The Dutch are advocators of free international trade and the reduction and removal of tariffs since it is obvious that they would benefit from more free trade.Past expansions of the Dutch economy were mainly due to an emphasis being put on increasing foreign trade, consumer spending and investment. When compare to other economies the Netherlands rank as the fifth largest economy in Europe with relatively stable industrial relations. When it comes to industrial activities, Netherlands are primarily occupied with food processing. The country is highly technologically advanced when it comes to agricultural development and uses a relatively small labor force to regulate agricultural cultivation. Currently it holds an estimated population of 17 million people.Average unemployment rate in the country is 4. 77 percent; average inflation rate is 2. 08 percent; average GDP growth rate is 0. 61 percent per quarter. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) GDP is the sum in market value of all goods and services (products) that a country has produced in a given span of time, i. e. a year or a quarter of a year multiplied by four. It is a statistical measurement expressed in monetary value. In order to get a comprehensive value of goods and services the prices of those products are added together to get the GDP value.This is only relative to final products and not intermediates such as components that are used to produce the final good or service with the exception of those products that are produced and then stored in inventory; those have momentary or short GDP value. The term â€Å"all goods and services† appl ies only to the country’s output that is legitimate and legal excluding all products derived from illegal activity and those products that are produced and consumed in a household, i. e. homegrown vegetables used only for personal consumption.Other products that are not included into the GDP are those that are not newly produced and sold, this applies to used goods such as cars or machinery. GDP is not concerned with nationality, e. g. if an individual of American nationality opens a company in the Netherlands producing a particular product and sells it in the Netherlands, that is also counted into Netherlands GDP. There is a clear line between GDP and a GDP growth rate. The GDP growth rate is expressed as a percentage and it uses the Real GDP (GDP or Nominal GDP minus inflation or increases in price).It shows by what rate (percentage) the economy as a whole has expanded or contracted from one period to another period (Mankiw 2008). GDP Netherlands: January 2008 – Janu ary 2012 When analyzing the Dutch economy at the peak of the global financial crisis (2009) it is apparent that the Netherlands were affected very deeply (illustrated in the graph above and on the next page). The economy was in a heavy recessive state meaning that the national economy was experiencing a contraction in economic growth or simply put, the national economy was shrinking.The recession or negative growth started in 2008 for the Netherlands dropping from a positive economic growth rate of 0. 5 percent in the first quarter to -0. 4 percent in the second quarter of the year. This recession was by far the worse that the Dutch economy has ever experienced reaching a record low of -2. 2 percent at the end of the first quarter in 2009. The recession was in effect up to mid-2009 with the economy starting to experience positive growth again in the third quarter (0. 8 percent) of the same year.From that point Netherlands GDP was subject to fluctuation in growth rate, however stayin g well on the positive side of growth all the way up to mid-2011 where the economy experienced another plunge and fell to -0. 4 and -0. 6 percent in the third and fourth quarter of the year. The reasons for the recession in 2008 and 2009 are not of an ambiguous nature. The world as a whole had entered a recession primarily driven by the financial disaster created by the banks in the United States. People all over the world had stopped spending money which led to companies reducing trade and production.These developments had a negative impact on the Dutch economy which receives a large portion of its GDP from trading with other national economies. In addition to the negative turn in trade during the recession the Netherlands also experienced a reduction in traffic in its harbors which serve as a center for European transport and contraction to internal spending form companies and households. When examining the more recent recession beginning in 2011 a number of factors were uncovered in relation to the cause of contraction in economic growth.Again the external environment has had a tremendous effect on the Dutch economy this time sparked by the financial crisis that has been unfolding in the European Union. Starting with ongoing financial and economic breakdown of Greece and more recently Spain and Ireland, the Netherlands have been greatly affected by those countries inability to pay off their debts. This has led to a reduction in trade again for the Dutch primarily because the risk that is now associated with the European Union and its lack in competency in regulating the financial crisis.Further on, internal demand and expenditure has again decreased from households and companies. As to why households have stop spending money there is no single answer. One reason can be the rise of unemployment which will be discussed later. Another reason may be people’s uncertainty as to the future value of their currency because of the financial crisis making them unwilling to spend and more eager to save thus withdrawing their money from the circular flow of the economy.In regards to why companies have stopped spending in the Netherlands it can be explained by emphasizing the interconnectedness between households and companies in a nation’s economy. Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between households and companies. If there is austerity in spending form households there is a negative effect on the companies’ willingness to produce goods and services, thus aggregate supply is reduced which also reduces the companies’ expenditure on factors for production.Lastly, the Dutch government has also cut back its spending from 2011 and made adjustments to the national budget which means that there was reduction of injections into the economy. Overall it can be deducted that the four primary factors which drive the GDP growth rate (investment, government expenditure, consumption, exports) have taken a beating due to the ongoin g financial crisis and the physiological effect that it had on Dutch citizens causing the negative impact on the circular flow between households and firms in the national economy (Kaidusch, P. & Ott, C. 2012).Unemployment Rate When speaking about the unemployment rate of a nation it is important to understand how such a rate is derived. There are two essential components needed to calculate the unemployment rate, the first being the number of people that comprise the labor force. Labor force is the number of those people in the country that are employed, either in someone else’s business or their own business, plus the number of those people that are unemployed excluding fulltime students, retirees, homemakers and those incapable of working due to disability or health issues.The labor force is divided by the number of those unemployed and then converted into percentage equaling the unemployment rate (Mankiw 2008). Netherlands Unemployment Rate: January 2008 – January 2012 When looking above at unemployment chart for the Netherlands covering the same period as the GDP it appears that following the start of the recession in 2008 the unemployment rate went upwards (negative increase) starting to slowly rise in the second half of 2008 and shooting up from 3. 6 percent in January 2009 up to 4. in the first quarter of the same year. If we refer back to the GDP chart we can see that exactly at this point of time the Dutch economy experienced its first serious plunge in the GDP rate going from 0 percent down to 1. 1 percent. When further following the trend of the unemployment rate it is relatively easy to spot that it is closely related to the GDP rate in 2009. Basically, with the contraction in the GDP it is the natural order of things that unemployment rises since as explained before companies are spending less for factors of production, i. . less workers are needed. However, if we compare the general unemployment rates for the entire euro area (see chart on the next page) we can see that the Netherlands are actually a lot better off than a large portion of the other European countries that share the same currency with general unemployment rate being above 7. 2 percent since 2008 and reaching 10. 4 percent at the end of 2011. Through this we can deduct that the rises in the unemployment rate in the Dutch economy have been of slighter significance if compared on a larger scale.The question maybe posted as to why the Netherlands employment rate suffered much less than other euro area countries. There are a number of answers but only a few deemed essential will be stated in this report. First, when the financial crisis reached the Dutch economy in 2008 a lot of companies collected and kept their workforce fearing a future shortage; however this was only possible at the price of productivity due to the law of diminishing returns on factors of production. This means that the companies were overstaffed leading to a lot of workers bei ng less productive yet still employed.Second, government expenditure was relatively large with high employment in the public sector up to 2011, when the Dutch austerity measure came into effect. Third, in 2009 the government took certain measures to extenuate the damage of the financial crisis on the unemployment rate by introducing relief programs and subsidies. Lastly, what contributed to the unemployment rate stabilizing sooner than expected in the first recession is that there was and still is a rising number of self-employed individuals in professional services, arts, and creative industries.These people adjusted their prices to the fall in demand easier than large scale businesses and managed to stay in business proving how important SME (Small-medium enterprises) are to the economy. However, now it can be observed that the unemployment rate is rising again due to a new recession that started in 2011. Companies in the Netherlands are adjusting their workforce to the demand in the economy leading to higher unemployment supporting the economic theory all factors of production are variable in the long-run.Government expenditure has decreased cutting jobs in the public sector also causing higher unemployment. It would appear that exactly those things that have contributed to the Dutch economy staying under the general euro area unemployment rate have been cut and reduced in the pursuit of creating a more efficient and effective economy (Janssen 2011). Inflation Rate _ Inflation in macroeconomic terms is the general rise in price of good and services in a given economy and is closely related to the value of money.Inflation occurs when there is an access of money being pumped into the economy usually causing a rise in demand and subsequently a rise in price. The inflation rate in a country is the percentage of monetary value by which prices have risen in general. It is measured from one year to the next. Inflation causes the purchasing power of money to decrea se meaning that that consumers can purchase less goods and services with the same particular sum of money then before inflation has happened, in simple terms inflation causes money to lose it value (Mankiw 2008).The main reason as to why inflation is negative for the economy is because it can have the effect of frightening people from spending money and herd their saving in banks and even worse out of banks causing a complete withdraw of their capital from the economy. Netherlands Inflation Rates: January 2008 – January 2012 When examining the inflation chart for the Netherlands for the period between 2008 to the start of 2012 it can be observed that the inflation rate decreased just about when the global recession hit the Dutch economy.Throughout the recessive period the inflation rate continued to decrease with very little fluctuation up to the point in 2009 when the economy was recovering from the recession. From that point there was a steady rise again in the inflation ra te until the new recession took place in mid-2011 with a declining trend passing over into 2012. Reasons as to why the Netherlands were experiencing a decrease in the inflation rate can be explained as follows. A very base explanation is that there was less money circulating in the Dutch economy which brought about the increase of value in the available oney supply, however there is more to the story. Since the Netherlands are part of the European Union it is not the responsibility of the Dutch Central Bank to regulate policies regarding inflation but that of The European Central Bank. Following the global meltdown of the financial system on a global scale in 2008, the European Central Bank under the presidency of Jean-Claude Trichet did not follow the action of the Federal Reserve in the United States and the Bank of England in the UK by cutting its interest rates which have a definitive impact on inflation.What happens is that when interest rates are cut people tend to borrow more money which results in more money circulating in the economy. â€Å"Inflation is an autonomous occurrence that is impacted by money supply in an economy. Central governments use the interest rate to control money supply and, consequently, the inflation rate. When interest rates are high, it becomes more expensive to borrow money and savings become attractive. When interest rates are low, banks are able to lend more, resulting in an increased supply of money. –Economy Watch 2010 This is a viable explanation as to why Inflation rates started to decrease during the recession in the Netherlands who followed a very similar inflation rate trend as all the countries in the euro area during that period, as illustrated in the chart below. As the Dutch government took measures to reduce the damage to the unemployment rate by giving subsidies and relief programs the money supply in the economy started going up again, people started spending more and the inflation rate began to steadil y rise again as shown on the chart for the Netherlands inflation rate, see previous page.By following this logic it is easy to deduce why inflation rates are now rising again, due to the austerity program that the government brought into effect in 2011 cuts have been made to the spending budget once omre reducing the money supply in the economy. The Relation between Unemployment and Inflation Up to this point in the report we have observed that there is a connection between GDP and the unemployment rate. When GDP is down overall productivity and demand is down in the economy which causes less demand for work force that is a direct factor of production.Thus we could follow what was happening in the Dutch economy when the recession (negative GDP for two quarters of a year) took effect and why unemployment did rise. Further on, the relation between unemployment and inflation will be examined. In the long-run it can be observed that unemployment and inflation are not connected since the y have different determents in the long-run. For the unemployment rate some long-run determinants are minimum wage laws, power of labor unions, and how effective job searching is. The main factor that determines the inflation rate in the long-run is the growth in the money supply (Mankiw 2008).However, in the short-run the two are relevant to each other and to policy makers in the government. In the short-run there is an economic trade-off between inflation and unemployment putting governments in difficult positions. Do they pump subsidies and other monetary aid into the economy and through this increase the aggregate demand in the economy subsequently increasing inflation and decreasing the unemployment rate, or, do they make cuts in spending contracting aggregate demand and thus contribute to the increase to the unemployment rate yet keeping the inflation rate down.The best way to illustrate this trade of is through the Philips curve shown below. A lot could be said on the topic o f the Philips curve and its application in macroeconomic theory on the relationship between unemployment and inflation and for this it is recommended that the works of George Akerlof and the research done by Samuelson and Solow should be further referred to. Getting back to the Netherlands it is obvious that Dutch policy makers were faced with exactly this dilemma even more so during the recession of 2008 and 2009.As the government subsidized and lend aid in the economy the unemployment rate seemed to stay at a reasonable unemployment level further aided by the European Central Bank’s inaction in decreasing the interest rates as mentioned earlier in the report. However, as the government starting making cuts and companies readjusted their work force inflation rates contracted unemployment rates rose for the year of 2011.Conclusion When it comes to the GDP growth of the Netherlands it can be concluded that it’s going to take some extensive time for the economy to recove r from the damage done by the financial crisis. Of course there is much more that could have been said on the topic of GDP however those issues will be left as the topic of another report of a deeper analytical nature.As to the unemployment rates in the Netherlands even though they have been relatively low in comparison to other countries they are on the rise and forecasts by the Dutch treasury agency have been negative describing that the Dutch government has a hefty challenge ahead of itself in the next couple of years stabilizing the lasting effects of the recession, past and present. In regards to the inflation rates they are currently on the decline and may very well stay that way for the upcoming year since another shallow recession is forecasted for the first two quarters of 2012.In the course of this report it was made evident to me as to how interrelated GDP, unemployment, and inflation are in reality. Furthermore, now there is a clear understanding of what kind of difficul t issues policymakers are faced with in the process of regulating this phenomenon called economy. Bibliography 1. Business Dictionary. com (2012), Law of diminishing returns, available at: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/law-of-diminishing-returns. html (accessed on April 29, 2012) 2.Countries of the World (2012), Netherlands Economy 2012, available at: http://www. theodora. com/wfbcurrent/netherlands/netherlands_economy. html (accessed on April 28, 2012) 3. Dutch State Treasury (2011) Ministry of finance: Outlook, available at: http://www. dsta. nl/dsresource? objectid=7528&type=org (accessed on April 29, 2012) 4. Economy watch (2010) Inflation And Interest Rate, available at: http://www. economywatch. com/inflation/economy/interest-rates. html (accessed on April 29, 2012) 5.Encyclopedia of Nations (2012), The Netherlands – Overview of economy, available at: http://www. nationsencyclopedia. com/economies/Europe/The-Netherlands-OVERVIEW-OF-ECONOMY. html (access ed on April 28, 2012) 6. Kaidusch, P. & Ott, C. (2012), Recession in the Netherlands: is the core turning to periphery? , available at: http://cib. natixis. com/flushdoc. aspx? id=62676 (accessed on April 28, 2012) 7. Mankiw, G. (2008), Principles of Macroeconomics, 6th edition, Ohio: SW Cengage Learning 8. Mike Moffatt

Insecure Attachment

Unfortunately, as many as 30% of children develop insecure attachment relationships with their parents. Toby and Hugo are two of them, they are both 18 months old and they were classified as the insecurely attached babies. Attachment theory research tells us that infants will likely experience one of three types of insecure attachment if they do not get responsive, nurturing, consistent care in the early weeks and months of their lives. The first type of insecure attachment is called Resistant/Ambivalent Attachment. The characteristic of this attachment is that babies will show exaggerated expressions of attachment needs.They are reluctant to explore new environment and preoccupied with getting the attention of their parents. When parents depart, babies become extremely distressed. When the parents return, they have difficulty settling down and do not respond well to their parent's soothing. This occurs when parents are inconsistent – sometimes answering infant’s needs quickly and responsively, and sometimes just ignore them or respond them slowly. This may also occur if parents respond only to the physical needs, i. e. feeding, changing, etc. , but ignore the infant's need for human interaction and connection.The second type of insecure attachment is called Avoidant Attachment. The characteristic of this attachment is that babies seem not to care whether their parent is present or absent. When their parent is present, babies will explore their environment without interest in their parent's whereabouts. Also, when their parent departs, they are minimally distressed. At reunion, they do not move toward their parents or show their pleasure to see the parents again. In fact, they often ignore or avoid their parents. This occurs when parents are unresponsive to baby’s needs – both physical and emotional.This is called neglect, and happens often in families where there is alcoholism and/or drug addiction, or in families who do not underst and what their babies need. The third type of insecure attachment is called Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment. The characteristic of this attachment is that they are lack of organized pattern to their behaviors, when they stressed, in the presence of their parents, these babies appear disorganized or disoriented, displaying unusual behaviors such as trance-like freezing, or strange postures. These behaviors are as evidence of fear or confusion with respect to their parents.This occurs when there is domestic violence in the family, or abuse of the babies. It is also involving reorganization of the family such as family moves or the birth of another baby may also temporarily disorganize their attachment patterns. Nowadays most of parents in Hong Kong, they are working parents (both father and mother) and they are working outside of the home and their working hours is quite long. So they can only spend a little time with their babies and they usually rely on their relative and domest ic helper to take care of their baby.The followings are some thoughts to help parents to build a secure attachment with their babies:- 1. Babies are quite smart and sensitive in their very early stage, therefore parents keep expressing and sharing their pleasure when every moment they are together with their baby will help the baby to internalize a sense of security and a feeling of being loved and appreciated. This is very important for those working parents as they can only spend limited time daily to their baby, so every moment with their baby is treasure and they shouldn’t waste it and should be happy with them.2. Secure attachment research tells that a secure attachment is built upon sensitive and responsive caregiving, therefore parents are able to observe and pay attention to their baby’s subtle cues (a smile or a voice) for attention, exploration and comfort can help their baby to feel being respected and understood. Being responsive to baby’s needs actu ally promotes a greater sense of self-confidence, self-reliance, and independence as baby grows into childhood. 3. Create a consistent routines during daily care will help baby to feel secure, as baby can predict what will be happen.For example: baby will be taking bath after finished their dinner everyday. Since they can predict that when they will go to take shower, therefore they will not be scared to this once they get used to this routine. Also for working parents, if they can keep the consistent time for leaving home for work and come back home for dinner everyday. It may also help to ease their baby’s separation anxiety. 4. Provide baby a freedom to explore new environment will help them to develop a sense of competence and efficacy.While allow freedom to them, parents still need to stay close with their baby and offer encouragement and reassurance when needed. Since baby may not have confidence when they are just starting to explore new things and they will need to ch eck with you for reassurance, security and encouragement. Therefore parents give baby encouragement and support will help to develop the secure attachment to them. 5. For those working parents, their relatives and/or domestic helper will usually become the prime caregiver to take care of their baby. Parents may worry that this may impact their relationship with their baby.Therefore developing a positive, collaborative relationship with their baby’s caregiver is necessary, parent may also need to let their baby’s caregiver to know that the concept of secure attachment and baby’s social emotional development that they apply to their baby, and ask them to follow it. This will ensure that their baby will receive a consistent care and there is a continual communication around your baby’s changing needs. It will also help your baby feel supported by a loving, caring community of adults Lastly, I believe that if parents are happy, baby will be happy too.If paren ts have a bad emotion, it will only affect their baby’s emotional development badly. Therefore, beside to provide a good care for the baby, it is also important for parents to find time to rest and relax for a brief moment, so that they can recharge their body both physically and mentally, and maintain a good mood to ensure that they are able to take care of baby properly. Feeling secure doesn’t come from doing everything right; it comes from knowing that when you experience difficult feelings or challenges, you have the self-confidence and the support you need to forge ahead.Insecure Attachment Unfortunately, as many as 30% of children develop insecure attachment relationships with their parents. Toby and Hugo are two of them, they are both 18 months old and they were classified as the insecurely attached babies. Attachment theory research tells us that infants will likely experience one of three types of insecure attachment if they do not get responsive, nurturing, c onsistent care in the early weeks and months of their lives. The first type of insecure attachment is called Resistant/Ambivalent attachment.The characteristic of this attachment is that babies will show exaggerated expressions of attachment needs. They are reluctant to explore new environment and preoccupied with getting the attention of their parents. When parents depart, babies become extremely distressed. When the parents return, they have difficulty settling down and do not respond well to their parent's soothing. This occurs when parents are inconsistent – sometimes answering infants' needs quickly and responsively, and sometimes just ignore them or respond them slowly.This may also occur if parents respond only to the physical needs, i. e. feeding, changing, etc, but ignore the infant's need for human interaction and connection. Parents with the above behavior, their babies learn that the world and their ability to have an impact on it is basically inconsistent  œ sometimes things happen, sometimes they don't – sometimes all their needs are met, and sometimes only some of them are. Infants learn that others are not dependable or consistent. They often also do not learn or understand emotions – their own or others.The second type of insecure attachment is called Avoidant Attachment. The characteristic of this attachment is that babies seem not to care whether their parent is present or absent. When their parent is present, babies will explore their environment without interest in their parent's whereabouts. Also, when their parent departs, they are minimally distressed. At reunion, they do not move toward their parents or show their pleasure to see their parents again. In fact, they often ignore or avoid their parents. This occurs when parents are unresponsive to babies needs – both physical and emotional.This is called neglect, and happens often in families where there is alcoholism and/or drug addiction, or in families who do not understand what their babies need. This happened in eastern European countries with babies in orphanages. These infants were kept contained in their cribs for the majority of each day, being taken out only to be fed or changed, and even those tasks were performed with little or no engagement with the infant. In this environment, babies learn that they have no ability to impact their world, or to engage others.The world is indeed a cold and scary place in which no one really cares. In worst case scenarios these infants may become developmentally delayed, passive, may develop full-blown reactive attachment disorder. Human beings can actually die from lack of human contact, characterized by the worst-case scenario of avoidant insecure attachment. Avoidant attachment has been associated with a pattern of care in which the caregiver does not provide adequate comfort when the infant is emotionally upset, ill, or hurt.The third type of insecure attachment is called Disorganized /disoriented attachment. This group of babies does not fit into the previous two categories. The characteristic of this attachment is that they are lack of organized pattern to their behaviors, when they stressed, in the presence of their parents, these babies appear disorganized or disoriented, displaying unusual behaviors such as trance-like freezing, or strange postures. These behaviors are as evidence of fear or confusion with respect to their parents.This occurs when there is domestic violence in the family, or abuse of the babies. It is also involving reorganization of the family such as family moves or the birth of another baby may also temporarily disorganize their attachment patterns. The human brain is hard-wired to seek comfort from primary caregivers when hurt or afraid, and another part of the brain is hardwired to run or fight (fight-flight) when danger is perceived. For infants with a caregiver who hurts them, or who creates chaos in their environment, a dual response is set up in the infants' brain.This response looks like ‘I am hurt – I need comfort from you – you are the one who hurts me so I can't go to you'. The infant has no way to make sense of this. This type of attachment is called disorganized, and is often characterized by a disassociative response, wherein infants have NO response, and in fact, are emotionally absent. Nowadays most of parents in Hong Kong, they are working parents (both father and mother) and both parents are working outside of the home and their working hours is quite long.So they can only spend a little time with their babies and they usually rely on their relative and domestic helper to take care of their baby. Therefore, the role of caregiver is being changed. The followings are some thoughts to help parents to build a secure attachment with their babies:- 6. Babies are quite smart and sensitive in their very early stage, therefore parents keep expressing and sharing their pleasure when every moment they are together with their baby will help the baby to internalize a sense of security and a feeling of being loved and appreciated.This is very important for those working parents as they can only spend limited time daily to their baby, so every moment with their baby is treasure and don’t waste it and be happy with them. 7. Secure attachment research tells that a secure attachment is built upon sensitive and responsive caregiving, therefore parents are able to observe and pay attention to their baby’s subtle cues (a smile or a voice) for attention, exploration and comfort can help their baby to feel being respected and understood. Being responsive to baby’s needs actually promotesa greater sense of self-confidence, self-reliance, and independence as baby grows into childhood. 8. Create a consistent routines during daily care will help baby to feel secure, as baby can predict what will be happen. For example: baby will be taking bath after finished thei r dinner everyday. Since baby get used to this routines and they can predict that they will go to take shower, therefore they will not be scared that. Also for working parents, if they can keep the consistence time for leaving home for work and come back home for dinner.It may also help to ease some of their separation anxiety. 9. Provide baby a freedom to explore new environment will help them to develop a sense of competence and efficacy. While allow freedom to them, parents still need to stay close with them and offer encouragement and reassurance when needed. Since baby may not have confidence when they are just starting to explore new things and they will need check with you for reassurance, security and encouragement. Therefore parents give baby encouragement and support will help to develop the secure attachment to them. 10.Choose a childcare provider who values relationships. This should be someone who understands the importance of your baby’s social and emotional dev elopment. The reality for many families is that either one or both parents are working outside of the home. In these situations, parents often need to place their baby in the care of a relative or childcare provider. Parents may worry that this may impact their relationship with their baby. Find a childcare provider who works to promote secure attachments with the children in her care and supports your infant’s social and emotional development.This can provide valuable support to you and your family when you return to work. If you already have a provider, you may want to talk with him or her about how infant attachment and social-emotional development is supported within the childcare program. In addition, developing a positive, collaborative relationship with your baby’s childcare provider will ensure that there is continual communication around your baby’s changing needs. It will also help your baby feel supported by a loving, caring community of adults. 11. I believe that if parents are happy, baby will be happy too.If parents have a bad emotion, it will only affect their baby’s emotion badly. Therefore, beside to provide a good care for the baby, it is also important for parents to find time to rest and relax for a brief moment, so that they can recharge their body and maintain a good mood to ensure that they are able to take care of baby properly. Feeling secure doesn’t come from doing everything right; it comes from knowing that when you experience difficult feelings or challenges, you have the self-confidence and the support you need to forge ahead.Disorganized/disoriented attachment There is a group of infants (15-20%) who do not fit into Ainsworth’s original three-category scheme. Mary Main, another influential attachment researcher, added a fourth category to include these infants. Whereas infants in the 3 primary attachment groups have organized strategies for dealing with arousal, infants with disorganized attachment relationships either lack an organized pattern to their behavior or have strategies that repeatedly break down.When stressed, in the presence of their caregiver, these infants appear disorganized or disoriented, displaying unusual behaviors such as approaching the caregiver with their head averted, trance-like freezing, or strange postures. These behaviors have been interpreted as evidence of fear or confusion with respect to the caregiver. Disorganized attachment is considered an extreme form of insecure attachment. Many infants who fall into the disorganized category have experienced some form of maltreatment or have a caregiver who has been traumatized by severe loss or abuse.Other stressful situations involving reorganization of the family such as family moves or the birth of another child may also temporarily disorganize attachment patterns in an infant-caregiver relationship. Whether infants have secure attachment or one of the types of insecure attachment, is pivot al to their growth and functioning in the world. It impacts whether they can form meaningful, connected relationships with other people, and affects how they see the world and their place in it, as they grow.Unfortunately, as many as 30% of children develop insecure attachment relationships with their parents. Insecure attachment may take the form of avoidant, distant behavior or anxious clinging behavior. When children have insecure attachments with their parents, any number of negative consequences can follow, such as depression, anxiety, a lowered ability to cope with stress, and poor relationships with others. A disruption in the development of secure attachment could occur due to parental illness, parental unavailability because of other life commitments, or the serious illness of the child.Children who move from foster home to foster home or spend the early years of their lives in orphanages can experience long-term attachment difficulties. In addition, children sometimes have inborn temperaments or disabilities that can impede the attachment process. Finally, children who are abused or neglected or otherwise traumatized will often show signs of impaired attachment. Avoidant attachment O these infants are reluctant to explore their environment and preoccupied with getting the attention of their caregiver.When a caregiver departs, infants with resistant attachment become extremely distressed. When the caregiver returns, they both seek and resist contact. When they do seek contact they have difficulty settling down and do not respond well to their caregiver's attempts at soothing. Resistant attachment has been associated with a pattern of care in which the caregiver inconsistently responds to his or her infant's signals of distress. Disorganized/disoriented attachment There is a group of infants (15-20%) who do not fit into Ainsworth's original three-category scheme.Mary Main, another influential attachment researcher, added a fourth category to include th ese infants. Whereas infants in the 3 primary attachment groups have organized strategies for dealing with arousal, infants with disorganized attachment relationships either lack an organized pattern to their behavior or have strategies that repeatedly break down. When stressed, in the presence of their caregiver, these infants appear disorganized or disoriented, displaying unusual behaviors such as approaching the caregiver with their head averted, trance-like freezing, or strange postures.These behaviors have been interpreted as evidence of fear or confusion with respect to the caregiver. Disorganized attachment is considered an extreme form of insecure attachment. Many infants who fall into the disorganized category have experienced some form of maltreatment or have a caregiver who has been traumatized by severe loss or abuse. Other stressful situations involving reorganization of the family such as family moves or the birth of another child may also temporarily disorganize attac hment patterns in an infant-caregiver relationship.The meaning of attachment behaviors An infant's attachment pattern is strategically determined and based on his or her understanding of the caregiver's reliability as a source of comfort and security. From the earliest stages of development an infant is learning about the caregiver's reliability as a secure base. Caregivers of infant's with secureattachment are consistently sensitive, receptive and accepting of their infant's signals of distress. Thus, infants in secure attachment relationships learn that they can be confident in their protection.Their behavior in the Strange Situation reflects this confidence as they freely explore their environment, openly express their needs and accept comfort from their caregivers. Infants with insecure attachment in contrast are not confident about the caregiver as a secure base. This insecurity dramatically impacts an infant's behavior and quality of emotional expression. Consider the apparent independence and precociousness of an infant in an avoidant attachment relationship.Such an infant seems not to care whether a caregiver is present or absent and is likely to snub the caregiver upon reunion. But in fact for every infant personal security is instinctively of critical importance. Infants with avoidant attachment patterns have repeatedly felt rejected by primary caregivers during times of illness, injury or distress. As a result these infants learn that they cannot count on the caregiver to meet their attachment needs. To avoid further rejection, the infant in an avoidant attachment relationship limits his or her emotional expressions.Seen in this context, the apparent indifference of the infant's involved in an avoidant attachment relationship begins to make sense as an effective strategy for maintaining contact with a caregiver who is unable to provide comfort but does provide other kinds of care and protection. Caregivers of infants with resistant attachment have r esponded inconsistently to their infant's attachment needs. The best strategy for infants of inconsistent parents is to devote a lot of energy to soliciting help.This explains these infant's prolonged and exaggerated expressions of their needs and preoccupation with attracting their caregiver's attention during the Strange Situation paradigm. The organized strategies of infant's with avoidant and resistant attachment illustrate the infant's adaptive response to perceived threats to security. When confidence in protection wavers, behavior and emotional expression change in an attempt to secure contact with caregivers. The unusual behavior of the infant with disorganized attachment is more difficult to understand even when considered from the infant's perspective.Many infant's with disorganized attachment patterns have been subjected to highly stressful, chaotic, and frightening environments. As an example, disorganized attachment sometimes occurs following extreme loss or trauma on t he part of a caregiver. Researchers speculate that caregivers who are unable to recover from tragic losses, for example the death of their own parent, or abuse by a parent, subtly communicate a sense of anxiety, fearfulness, and/or hostility toward their infant. This situation is highly disorganizing to the infant because the person who is supposed to be a source of comfort is also a source of threat or fear.Faced with this impossible situation, the infant's attempts at an organized strategy breaks down. In general, an infant's sense of security can be thought of as being on a continuum. With a strong sense of security, an infant feels free to explore and venture out into the world. If confidence in protection falters, the infant's world begins to contract as the freedom to explore is overshadowed by a sense of doubt and apprehension. An infant's basic pattern of attachment develops during the first year of life.Although thought to be relatively resistant to change, changes in life circumstances can alter attachment patterns as infants develop and mature. In Part III of our series, we will look at attachment throughout the life span. Attachment in older children, teens, and adults will be discussed along with the implications of attachment patterns for emotional and social development. Benoit D. Attachment and parent-infant relationships†¦ a review of attachment theory and research. Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies Journal. 2000;44(1):13-23. Goldberg S. Attachment and Development.Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press; 2000. Goldberg S, Muir R, Kerr J, eds. Attachment Theory. Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press; 1995. Karen R. Becoming Attached. New York: Warner Books; 1994. The Infant Mental Health Promotion Project and the Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children. A Simple Gift: Comforting Your Baby. Toronto: The Hospital for Sick Children; 1998. Used by permission. You and your baby have within you the building blocks for develo ping a healthy, secure attachment. That doesn't mean you will know how do to everything instinctively.That's especially true if you had some challenges in your early attachment relationships. That can â€Å"color† how you interact with your own baby. Here are some tips to help you build a secure attachment with your baby: Enjoy and take pleasure in your relationship with your baby. All babies are born with the capacity and desire to experience joy with their caregivers. So expressing and sharing in the delight of the relationship you share with your infant helps your baby to internalize a sense of security and a feeling of being loved and appreciated.Follow your baby's lead. A secure attachment is built upon sensitive and responsive caregiving. Observe and pay attention to your baby's subtle cues for attention, exploration, and comfort. This helps your baby to feel understood and valued. Provide consistency and predictability in your care routines. Routines will help your bab y to feel secure. Predictable support and nurturance helps your baby internalize a feeling of being cared for. This allows a secure attachment to develop. Don't worry about â€Å"spoiling† your baby.There is no such thing as spoiling an infant, despite what you may hear from well-meaning friends and relatives! Being responsive to your baby's needs actually promotes a greater sense of self-confidence, self-reliance, and independence as your baby grows into childhood. Use nonverbal communication to bond with your baby. Babies are not able to understand or use verbal communication. Nonverbal communication can help you to feel connected to your baby and strengthen your attachment relationship. Make eye contact, touch, smile, and move rhythmically such as by rocking orswaying. These are all effective ways of conveying love, warmth, and acceptance to your baby. Your baby may not comprehend your words right away. But he does recognize and respond to your tone of voice, even when you are not talking to him. If you are stressed, angry, or frustrated, your baby will often respond by becoming distressed. Talking in a gentle, soothing voice, even if the words are not yet understood, can help your baby to feel reassured, loved, and secure. Provide a holding environment for your baby. For your baby, touch is as important as sleep or food.Holding your baby provides a sense of warmth, love, and reassurance. Holding your baby when she's distressed helps her to organize her feelings and to feel calm and safe. Even if your baby continues to fuss, remember that your calm, gentle, physical presence conveys a sense of connection and safety. Take care of yourself. To provide optimal care for your children, you must also attend to your own needs. Are you nurturing and respecting yourself? Although incredibly rewarding, parenting can also be exhausting and demanding.Finding time to sleep, eat, and even relax for a brief moment is extremely important. Use the support around you – your friends, family, community – so that you may find ways to replenish yourself. By taking care of your own needs, you are helping to ensure that you are able to take care of your baby's needs. Choose a childcare provider who values relationships. This should be someone who understands the importance of your baby's social and emotional development. The reality for many families is that either one or both parents are working outside of the home.In these situations, parents often need to place their baby in the care of a relative or childcare provider. Parents may worry that this may impact their relationship with their baby. Find a childcare provider who works to promote secure attachments with the children in her care and supports your infant's social and emotional development. This can provide valuable support to you and your family when you return to work. If you already have a provider, you may want to talk with him or her about how infant attachment and social- emotional developmentis supported within the childcare program. In addition, developing a positive, collaborative relationship with your baby's childcare provider will ensure that there is continual communication around your baby's changing needs. It will also help your baby feel supported by a loving, caring community of adults. Provide your toddler with freedom and space to safely explore new environments. Do this while staying close and offering reassurance when needed. Your young toddler will benefit from your support when he is able and ready to explore his world.Remember that during this time, your toddler will need to â€Å"check in† often with you for reassurance, security, and encouragement. The secure attachment that was developed during infancy will provide your toddler with a sense of competence and efficacy and an assurance that his caregivers will give him love and support when this is needed. Remember that you do not need to be a perfect parent. Many days, pare nting may seem like a series of blunders, mistakes, and missteps. The good news is that you don't need to strive for perfection in parenting.And although it may not always seem this way, your mistakes can be seen as â€Å"gifts. † They enable you to learn about yourself and your children. Mistakes help your children to learn that we all stumble, get back up, and keep trying. Feeling secure doesn't come from doing everything right; it comes from knowing that when you experience difficult feelings or challenges, you have the self-confidence and the support you need to forge ahead. Links & Resources  » References: Bowlby, John (1956) â€Å"The growth of independence in the young child.†Royal Society of Health Journal, 76, 587-591. Bowlby, John (1988) A Secure Base: Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development. London: Routledge. Lieberman, Alicia (1993) The Emotional Life of the Toddler. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc. Unfortunately, as many as 30% of childr en develop insecure attachment relationships with their parents. Toby and Hugo are two of them, they are both 18months old and they were classified as the insecurely attached babies. Children with insecure attachment may take the form of avoidant, distant behavior or anxious clinging behavior.When children have insecure attachments with their parents, any number of negative consequences can follow, such as depression, anxiety, a lowered ability to cope with stress, and poor relationships with others. A disruption in the development of secure attachment could occur due to parental illness, parental unavailability because of other life commitments, or the serious illness of the child. Children who move from foster home to foster home or spend the early years of their lives in orphanages can experience long-term attachment difficulties.In addition, children sometimes have inborn temperaments or disabilities that can impede the attachment process. Finally, children who are abused or neg lected or otherwise traumatized will often show signs of impaired attachment. The first type of insecure attachment is called Avoidant attachment About 20-25% of infants demonstrate avoidant attachment patterns with their caregiver. Children in avoidant attachment relationships seem not to care whether a caregiver is present or absent.In the presence of the caregiver, avoidant children will explore their environment without interest in the caregiver's whereabouts. Upon departure infantsw with avoidant attachment are minimally distressed. At reunion, they do not move toward the caregiver or try to initiate contact. In fact, they often ignore or avoid the caregiver. Despite this apparent lack of concern, infants with avoidant attachment patterns show as much, if not more, physiological arousal than other infants, suggesting that they have learned to contain their distress.Avoidant attachment has been associated with a pattern of care in which the caregiver does not provide adequate co mfort when the infant is emotionally upset, ill, or hurt. The second type of insecure attachment is called Resistant/ambivalent attachment About 10-15% of infants demonstrate resistant attachment patterns with their caregiver. Resistant attachment relationships are characterized by exaggerated expressions of attachment needs. In the presence of their caregiver these infants are reluctant to explore their environment and preoccupied with getting the attention of their caregiver.When a caregiver departs, infants with resistant attachment become extremely distressed. When the caregiver returns, they both seek and resist contact. When they do seek contact they have difficulty settling down and do not respond well to their caregiver's attempts at soothing. Resistant attachment has been associated with a pattern of care in which the caregiver inconsistently responds to his or her infant's signals of distress. Nowadays most of parents in Hong Kong, they are working parents (both father and mother) and their working hours is quite long.So they are usually rely on their relative and domestic helper to take care of their baby. Therefore, the role of caregiver is being changed. The followings are some thoughts to help parents to build a secure attachment with their babies:- Babies are quite smart and sensitive in their very early stage, therefore parents keep expressing and sharing in the delight of the relationship that they share with their infant helps their baby to internalize a sense of security and a feeling of being loved and appreciatedSecure attachment research tells that a secure attachment is built upon sensitive and responsive caregiving, therefore parents observe and pay attention to their baby's subtle cues (a smile or a voice) for attention, exploration and comfort can help their baby to feel being respected and understood. Being responsive to baby's needs actually promotes a greater sense of self-confidence, self-reliance, and independence as baby grows i nto childhood. Create a consistent routines during daily care will help baby to feel secure, as baby can predictable what will be happen.For example: baby will be taking bath after finished their dinner everyday. Since baby get used to this routines and they can predict that they will go to take shower, therefore they will not be scared that. Use nonverbal communication to bond with your baby. Babies are not able to understand or use verbal communication. Nonverbal communication can help you to feel connected to your baby and strengthen your attachment relationship. Make eye contact, touch, smile, and move rhythmically such as by rocking or swaying.These are all effective ways of conveying love, warmth, and acceptance to your baby. Your baby may not comprehend your words right away. But he does recognize and respond to your tone of voice, even when you are not talking to him. If you are stressed, angry, or frustrated, your baby will often respond by becoming distressed. Talking in a gentle, soothing voice, even if the words are not yet understood, can help your baby to feel reassured, loved, and secure. Take care of yourself. To provide optimal care for your children, you must also attend to your own needs.Are you nurturing and respecting yourself? Although incredibly rewarding, parenting can also be exhausting and demanding. Finding time to sleep, eat, and even relax for a brief moment is extremely important. Use the support around you – your friends, family, community – so that you may find ways to replenish yourself. By taking care of your own needs, you are helping to ensure that you are able to take care of your baby's needs. Choose a childcare provider who values relationships. This should be someone who understands the importance of your baby's social and emotional development.The reality for many families is that either one or both parents are working outside of the home. In these situations, parents often need to place their baby in the care of a relative or childcare provider. Parents may worry that this may impact their relationship with their baby. Find a childcare provider who works to promote secure attachments with the children in her care and supports your infant's social and emotional development. This can provide valuable support to you and your family when you return to work.If you already have a provider, you may want to talk with him or her about how infant attachment and social-emotional development is supported within the childcare program. In addition, developing a positive, collaborative relationship with your baby's childcare provider will ensure that there is continual communication around your baby's changing needs. It will also help your baby feel supported by a loving, caring community of adults. Provide baby a freedom to explore new environment will help them to develop a sense of competence and efficacy.While doing this but parents still need to stay close with them and offer encouragement an d reassurance when needed. Since baby may not have confidence when they are just starting to explore new things, and they will need check with you for reassurance, security and encouragement. Therefore parents give baby love and support will help to develop the secure attachment. Feeling secure doesn't come from doing everything right; it comes from knowing that when you experience difficult feelings or challenges, you have the self-confidence and the support you need to forge ahead.While only the most poorly nurtured infants actually may develop attachment disorder (those who have lived in extremely neglectful environments), many others may still have attachment issues. Looking at baby, touching, singing, talking about what we are doing, etc is very important for infants' emotional development. Without this, babies do not ‘feel felt', an expression coined by Dan Siegel in his book ‘Parenting From the Inside Out'. It can become very difficult for these babies to develop the qualities of compassion and empathy.