Monday, September 30, 2019

Employee Handbook Essay

When employers are putting together the employee handbook, they need to include some legal issues that may apply when there are any disputes or how go along with some procedures. The handbook is used to familiarize the employees with the policies and procedures that are to be followed in the organization. Employers may include certain provisions that dictate how the employees may carry out certain activities without putting the employer’s business in jeopardy. The employers should ensure that they use the right language that will be later be interpreted by the employees in the right manner and that may not be violating employee organizational rights. Most employers ensure that the employee handbook has certain restrictions that prevent employees from sharing the employer’s confidential information with outsiders. Such information is not usually available to the public and if it happens that it is leaked out, it would cause some damages to their business. However, it is under the National Labor Relations act (NLRA) that the employees are free to discuss details about their compensation or conditions against which they have been employed with other people who are not part of the organization. The NLRB prohibits employers from giving policies of this nature. One of the Sections in the NLRA states that employees have a right to join or form unions or even be engaged in concerted activities. However another section states that there are unfair labor practices that may be faced by an employer if employees join or form these unions or engage in other concerted activities. There may be problematic employee organizational rights that are under the NRLA but the employers can draft them in such a way that they are lawful according to the Act. The employers may include some anti-union statements that may be used when employees engage in unfair labor practices. Whatever provisions are included in the handbook about legal considerations such as how the employer may violate the rights of the employees and generally how each party should conduct its activities without hurting each other. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS With many and different types of employees from different parts of a nation or even region, there is always a need for the employers to have certain considerations concerning the ethical culture of the organization. The ethical culture of an organization defines how the employees are to carry out all the operations in the organization. Employees are supposed to treat customers with much respect since they are the major source of profits for the organization. They are supposed to take care of the interests of the employers and at the same time take care of their own interests. These interests should not be in conflict since they depend on the employer and the employer also depends on their efforts. The ethical considerations may also involve how to pass information to their core workers or the line managers or even to the top management. They are supposed to use a certain communication channel that has been specified in the employee handbook. Communication is one of the important aspects in a business and therefore employers may consider this as one of the elements that determine the public image that they depict to the general public. Privacy is also a matter of ethical consideration whereby the employees are obligated to keep information about their employer to themselves and not discuss their terms and conditions of their employment. Each organization and employer will have their own considerations to include in the employee handbooks but they should conform to the Acts of the National Labor Relations Act. Roger K. G. , Bankovich, C. & Browning,J. (2005). What’s in Your Employee Handbook? Some Provisions May Be Harmful Rather Than Helpful Under the National Labor Relations Act. ASHHRA/IRI 24th Labor Activity Report. Papademetriou, L. (2003). Employee Handbook: We Scare Because We Care. London: Random House Publishers.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Effects of Globalization in Oman Essay

Many new international features are appeared in the world nowadays. Globalization, which is â€Å"The trend toward that increases connectedness across international borders,† as Frisch, M. (2002, P. 2) claims, is one of these features. It effects negatively on the social, economic and politic sides in Oman. To start with, the social side in Oman is affected negatively by the globalization. While communicating with people from all over the world, Omani people lose their identities. For instance, they change their customs and behaviours by imitating people from different cultures and acting like them and according to their strange religious ideas. Furthermore, globalization effects on Omani economic side badly. Statistics shows that Omani economy is in reduce in the farming and fishing parts. That happens because of the globalization which let people leave their simple jobs like fishing and farming and go to work in factories which are built by the big countries in the world that appear the globalization. Therefore, the vegetables and fish are reduced in Oman. Finally, politic side in Oman is affected negatively by the globalization. His Majesty (2002, P. ) said to people that did not let that new movement, globalization, to effect on their personalities because when it happened, it would be easy for the enemies to control their country. In another word, because of the imitation, people become useless and the country becomes which makes it easy to fall in the enemies’ hands. In conclusion, the effects of globalization in Oman are appeared in three sides, in the social, economic and in the politic side. By communicating with people from different countries, imitating and behaving like them, Omani people lose their identity and this leads later on to the weakness of the Omani society.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Ink Made from Teabags Essay

* 1. Background of the Study Tea is created by using the leaves of a plantknown as Camellis sinensis. This plant is native tomainland China, South and Southeast Asia, but it istoday cultivated across the world in tropical andsubtropical regions. It is an evergreen shrub orsmall tree that is usually trimmed to below 2 m(6.6 ft) when cultivated for its leaves. It has astrong taproot. The flowers are yellow-white, 2.5-4cm (0.98-1.6 in) in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals. * 2. Tea-drinking can be traced back to the 10thcentury BC in China before it was spread toKorea and Japan. Basically, this drink is madeby brewing tea leaves to create an extract. Dueto the chlorophylls and other pigments in theleaves, the extract commonly appears with abrown color. * 3. Objectives This research is being done to find out thepotency of the extract of the leaves from theplant Camellis sinensis as an ink. Nowadays,ink is a pigment in a liquid or paste form used ascolorants and dyes. Also, they are becomingmore and more expensive because of theirincreasing purposes. * 4. Our research aims to produce this ink as acheaper alternative to those commercial ones.Compared to the ink we are aiming to create,commercially produced inks are toxic and canbe hazardous to a person’s health once there isa inappropriate contact with it.To match with the color and consistency ofother inks, we will be adding other substances,specially vinegar and cornstarch, which arecommon and easy to find. * 5. Statement of the Problem Generally, this investigatory project aims to find out iftea bags can be used to create an ink. Specifically, it aimsto answer the following questions:1. Can vinegar strengthen the color of the product, ink?2. Can cornstarch contribute to achieving the rightconsistency of the ink?3. Are the processes boiling and straining efficient intaking the extract out of the tea bags? * 6. Hypothesis of the Study†¢ Extracts taken from tea bags have thepotential to be made into an ink. †¢ If vinegar and cornstarch are added to themixture, then the product would have astronger color and thicker consistency than toan ordinary ink. * 7. Significance of the Study This investigatory project will benefit us byproducing an alternative for other inks. Theseother manufactured inks nowadays come quiteexpensive prices, but since the materials to beused in our project are common and easy to find,you will be spending less money. Also, no harmfulchemicals will be used in making our ink.Therefore, it is non-toxic compared tocommercially sold inks which have the tendenciesof causing harm to one’s health and to theenvironment. * 8. Scope and Limitations Our research and experiments are onlylimited to making a simple ink as a colorant. Itdoes not include inks that are used in machinessuch as printers, copiers, etc. Also, our studyincludes the effects of vinegar and cornstarchon the product. To have accurate observations,we will be creating two set-ups: an ink withoutvinegar and cornstarch and one with vinegarand cornstarch. * 9. This history of Chinese inks can be traced back tothe 18th century BC, with the utilization of naturalplant dyes, animal, and mineral inks based on suchmaterials as graphite that were ground with water andapplied with ink brushes.The India ink used in ancient India since at least the4ath century BC was called masi, and was made ofburnt bones, tar, pitch, and other substances appliedwith sharp pointed needle.Saffron is well know as the source of a truly brilliant ifrather fugitive yellow and there is evidence of it’s use,both as a colorant and medicine, in the Greek andPersian civilizations of the same period. * 10. Indian skill in vegetable dyeing and painting reached ahigh point inthe two centuries from 1600 to 1800 AD, when the paintingand resist dyeing of cotton cloth known to us as Chintzbecame the basis of the largest trade in textiles that the worldhad ever seen. The Strasbourg manuscript of an earlier period, also describesthe use of a whole range of plants used in the manufacture ofinks and water-colours. Later we see developments invegetable block-printing inks in 17th and 18th century Japanwhere it is interesting to note that some colours were actuallyleached from previously dyed cloth.Early historical accounts of tea are unclear, for the Chinesecharacter for tea had not been standardized, and severalother Chinese characters appear in books referring very likelyto the same plant, Camellia Sinensis, what we now call tea. * 11. Tea dyeing is an easy way to mute fabrics or give theman older, antiqued look. Tea stains the fibers and gives asemi-permanent dull brown â€Å"dirty† tone to the wholepiece. It is used when you want to â€Å"antique† a craft textilesuch as a doll dress or small quilt.Griffiths uses the medium of tea and ink (sometimesgraphite, wodka, whiskey, and others) to create the pieces. Tea and ink as a medium has become a trademark for Griffiths in the art world. * 12. Set-Up AExperimental Set-up * 13. Materials:ââ€"  7 teanagsââ€"  1  ½ cups of waterââ€"  1 tablespoon of vinegarââ€"  Cornstarchââ€"  Strainer and forkââ€"  Bottle * 14. PROCEDURE ââ€"  Place the 7 teabags in 1  ½ cups of boilingwater. * 15. ââ€"  Create the tea for 6-8 minutes * 16. ââ€"  Remove the teabags from the boilingwater. Use a strainer and a fork to removeall the extracts. * 17. ââ€"  While stirring the tea, add a tablespoonof vinegar. * 18. ââ€"  Continue to stir it. Add as muchdissolved cornstarch as you need to haveyour desired consistency. * 19. ââ€"  Remove it from the heat and let itcool. When done, store in a bottle * 20. Set-Up BControlled Set-up * 21. Materials:ââ€"  7 teanagsââ€"  1  ½ cups of waterââ€"  1 tablespoon of vinegarââ€"  Cornstarchââ€"  Strainer and forkââ€"  Bottle * 22. PROCEDURE ââ€"  Place the 7 teabags in 1  ½ cups ofboiling water. * 23. ââ€"  Create the tea for 6-8 minutes * 24. ââ€"  Remove the teabags from the boilingwater. Use a strainer and a fork to removeall the extracts. * 25. ââ€"  Remove it from the heat and let it cool.When done, store in a bottle. * 26. FINDINGS During the procedure itself, we have observed theboiling is an effective process of extraction. Rightafter we have placed the teabags in the boiling water,the change of color is very noticeable. During thisstep the mixture had a very strong smell form the tea.While following the procedures for the set-up Awhich included the placing of vinegar, there was noimmediate change in color as we expected. Instead,the vinegar’s effect was seen when we tried to paintthe two Inks on paper. While applying the ink onpaper, it was harder to use Ink B because it’sconsistency was very watery. Thus it became runnyand scattered unlike ink A. * 27. After letting them dry, it was seen thatink A had darker color while ink Bswritings faded. * 28. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS Our hypothesis which states that teabags have thepotential to be made into an ink if vinegar andcornstarch is added is proven correct. We had twoset-ups which were Set-up A that has vinegar andSep-up B that has no vinegar. Vinegar is mainly adilute aqueous solution of acetic acid which is animportant reagent and industrial chemical, mainlyused in the production of cellulose acetate. * 29. A cellulose acetate is used as film base inphotography and a film base is a transparentsubstance which acts as a support medium for thephotosensitive emulsion that lies atop it, its basegenerally accounts for the vast majority of thethickness of any given film stock. The addition of vinegar and cornstarch in making anink can result to a thicker consistency and consistentcolor which is better for the usage of the ink. Ourobservation prove that adding vinegar to themixture can be made into an ink because withoutthe vinegar there would be no consistency on themixture and it will be less seen. * 30. SUMMARY There are many different kinds of ink. In ourexperiments we will use tea bags as the maincomponent of out ink. Having two different set-ups will provide the chance to compare the colorsand consistencies. Cornstarch is an efficientadditive to have the right consistency of theproduct. Also vinegar is also efficient, throughthere is no obvious change in color, it was seenthat it gave the ink a consistent color whetherwere dry. * 31. We therefore conclude the one can create animprovised ink using the extract from tea bags.This will be very convenient and cheapbecause the ingredients to be used arecommonly found around the house. Also, thesaid processes, boiling and straining, are canbe easily done. * 32. CONCLUSIONââ€"  Tea bags can be used to create an ink.ââ€"  Vinegar can strengthen the color of theproduct, ink.ââ€"  Cornstarch effectively contributes toachieving to the right consistency of the ink.ââ€"  The processes boiling and straining areefficient in taking the extract out of the teabags.

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Development of Models for a Multimedia Presentation Assignment

The Development of Models for a Multimedia Presentation - Assignment Example Despite the fact that the car is the only car, its effect can be easily distinguished without application of a lot of expert interpretation or read its label. The reference materials have been exploited as much as possible. They include the rocky texture of the ground and the green watery plants common in cool places mostly inhibited by snails, the smoke below and past the car signifying the speed of the car, and many other observable references. It is also worth acknowledging the presence of various anatomical errors, used intentionally to express that the snail is frightened. These include references like the teeth and mouth of the snail, which are not present in the real-life appearance of a snail, as expressed in Figure 2 below. On the other hand, it is evident from the actual appearance of the car represented in Figure 3 below, that some details are not very accurately represented. For instance, this is a low clearance vehicle, which cannot rise as high as it is represented on the picture created. The objects captured in the created in the outcome (represented in Figure 1 above) involved the application of box modeling, and further subdivision and extradition of the objects to attain the right shapes. Figure 4 below is a collection of images representing the process of coming up with the snail’s shell. It began with a box, then adding lines to mark the edge flow, edges and vertices moved to shape. Thereafter, the subdivision of was done was applicable to attain better specifics, through chamfering or connecting edges. Occasionally pulling parts nearby with the Magnet/Tweak tools to acquire the shape of the snail, and the final appearance of the snail is represented in Figure 5 below. It is worth noting that sequence of modeling followed the highly advocated for steps as highlighted in the subsequent sentence.  

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Group project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Group project - Essay Example On the other hand, marketing is seeking to scoop profits after taking some selling actions. There are many ways in which companies or even and individual could use publicity for the good and profitability of their product. For instance sponsoring an event is a common practice among many companies whereby a company will ensure that in a particular event, its products are introduced. All the people attending the event are introduced to the product, and in some cases, the company could make some sales (Sako, p.22). In this case, Choco-pop could decide to be involved in an event especially one that has adults who aged between 30-49 and those that have no complaints about peanuts. An additional method would be staging a debate where people from all walks of life would throng avenue and participate. During this event, one of the company’s representatives could take some time to explain to the audience about a product. (Burnley p.108) noted that if publicity is done in the right manner on the appropriate audience, it could increase the sales volume. That is to say, a company has to be conscious of the target before publicizing. In the case of this product, it pretty obvious young people love these products as well as debating. Hence, by pairing the two, this would be a fantastic opportunity to make Choco-pop known. Offering incentives is another sure way of publicizing a product, which is never as expensive as the real advertising especially through that media. The essence of encouraging publicity is making people talk about a product as much as possible. Mostly, the reason a company struggles with marketing a product is the tendency to overlook the power of publicity (Burnley p.109). During these events aforementioned, the company will be offering some incentives to some members of the public with an aim to encourage promotion. Having elaborated ways, which the firm could

Starting Cookie Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Starting Cookie Business - Assignment Example Debbi’s cookies were hugely popular amongst her relatives, friends and Randy’s clients and therefore could easily start a cookie business. Randy, as an economist was able to calculate the start-up cost and could contribute to the management of the business. Hence their skills were complimentary which was hugely beneficial for their future business. It was the popularity of Debbi’s cookies amongst Randy’s clients that gave birth to the idea of starting a cookie business. Her cookies were in great demand and Debbie believed that she could exploit her expertise in making cookies. Debbi’s goals were to bake great cookies and provide customers with a unique experience. Ensuring customer satisfaction through quality goods and caring and make them feel special was important for Debbi. Randy’s goals for the business was to make it successful by using technology to enhance information flow for effective decision making regarding operational efficiency, administration, and management of its various stores. He primarily believed that mechanistic work should be delegated to machines and people should use their creativity and skills to augment business productivity through direct input like interacting with customers directly. Debbi faced a huge dilemma while opening her second store of Mrs. Fields’ Cookies because she believed to be proactive in business and loved baking cookies and serving to customers. She believed that she should be involved in the business and with the second store, she would not be able to be in two places at the same time. She was not comfortable with delegation as she preferred to being hands-on! Her management style fundamentally relied on developing unique customer relationship based on trust and caring.  Thus providing customers with quality cookies and making them feel important were key ingredients.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Influence Of The Mongol Rule On Russia In The 13-15th Centuries Essay - 1

The Influence Of The Mongol Rule On Russia In The 13-15th Centuries - Essay Example While there existed 15 quasi-independent principalities in the Russian lands of the mid-12th century, their numbers swelled to more than 50 on the eve of Mongol invasion (Vernadsky, 1973). The largest of these principalities included the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal that dominated the North-East Rus, the mercantile Republic of Novgorod that was practically independent from the Riurikid dynasty due to its custom of electing its princes, and the Principality of Halych in the South-West that became a basis for Dual Principality of Halych-Volyn’ after the unification of Halych and Volyn’ under Volynian prince Roman Rostislavich (ruled 1189-1205) in 1199 (Martin, 2003, pp.97). The other principalities, including Ryazan, Smolensk, Chernigov, and Polotsk, were generally weak and dependent on their larger neighbors. The political fragmentation of Kievan Rus was accompanied by bitter infighting between various principal cliques for the domination over Kiev, which, while havin g lost its previous political and economic importance, still remained a lucrative prize for an ambitious prince. The most important feudal wars in the 12th to 13th century included the warfare between princely clans of Monomashichi and Ol’govichi in 1146-1154, the raid of north-eastern princes led by Andrey Bogolubsky against Kiev in 1169, and the war between Roman of Volyn’ and Suzdalian Grand Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest (ruled in 1154-1212) in 1202-1203 (Martin 2003; Vernadsky 1973). While the separation of Rus’ lands into distinct polities allowed rapid economic development at the local level and facilitated the formation of cultural centers independent from Kiev, it undermined the potential for a joint struggle of different principalities against the Great Steppe nomads.  

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Litigation, Censures, and Fines Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Litigation, Censures, and Fines - Term Paper Example In recent years auditors are using unqualified comments to warn the companies to take good care of their bookkeeping process but the latter entities are not following the recommendations. The situation got worst with the passage of time and due to this reason public started to challenge the practices of national accounting organizations. Government responded to these challenges by tightening the regulations and ordered the auditors to give qualified objections upon repeated incidents of non-compliance from the companies. Nevertheless the public’s knowledge grew with the help of internet and other modern day technologies that resulted in a significant growth in the number of lawsuits against accounting firms. Recently internet and other technologies compensated for the producer-customer knowledge gap and therefore the organizations cannot fool general public by not following matching principle (Persons, 2011). It is suggested that organizations focus on enhancing their effectiv eness and efficiency. But the major question arises that why do litigations happen against the accounting firms? The answer lies within the inability of accounting companies to uphold the accuracy of the financial statements. They only care about upholding and applying the Accepted Accounting Practices and fail to see their application for the sake of disguising the information. Accounting firms play a significant role in false overvaluation of the stocks and when people purchase the shares those corporate companies do not pay dividends. Thus the abovementioned condition is creating anger and hatred against the accounting companies in the general public. On the other side accounting firms’ credibility suffer significantly in reaction to the stockpiling of lawsuits against them in every nation’s major justice centers. Now this paper turns its focus towards analyzing the basic and fundamental needs for which the art and science of accounting and financial management were conceptualized in the first place. The elementary reason for developing accounting practices was to create and foster confidence and trust in the shareholders but apparently the financial management firms have forgotten the basic lesson and therefore they are working to save the skins of their employers in order to make some extra bucks so that they can fight semi-permanent global recession. In reality nonetheless they are not true to their profession that is causing them to face embarrassment in court of law. A recent case occurred when Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers were sued by Simon Marketing, an offshoot of the Simon Worldwide. The lawsuit stated that the featured financial firms did not record and report the costs of distributing promotional games designed to promote McDonald’s worldwide. Previously, the food chain launched the games named ‘Monopoly’ and ‘Who-Wants-to-Be-a-Millionaire’, for promotional purposes. But the Simon Marketing’s management reacted severely to say the least because firstly Ernst & Young have never worked for them while KPMG stated that they were never informed of games questionable legitimacy and finally PricewaterhouseCoopers affirmed its resignation from the position of chief auditor. Given the aforementioned condition the management is trying to cover up something big because dragging previous auditing partners into a lawsuit is not such a good idea. Yet, it can be presumed that

Monday, September 23, 2019

Prevention of Chronic Diseases in the USA Research Paper

Prevention of Chronic Diseases in the USA - Research Paper Example The provision on clinical and community preventative services is one of the main provisions of this act that is critical in the prevention of chronic diseases. The professional nurses have an important role in implementing this provision. Prevention of Chronic Diseases Introduction According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2013), the American nation spends 75 percent of its health care budget to treat chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are the nation’s leading causes of disability and death. The conditions of chronic diseases leave in their wake compromised life quality, deaths that could have been prevented, as well as burgeoning costs of health care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that President Obama signed into law in March 2010, is a comprehensive health reform that makes preventive care more affordable and accessible for majority of Americans. The Affordable Care Act has numerous provisions that are aimed at making preventive ca re more affordable and accessible for majority of Americans (Fortin et al, 2013). This paper will focus on the specific provision of clinical and community preventive services and the role of professional nurses in implementing this provision. The recommended core set of clinical and community preventative services are largely based on gender and age (Slonim et al, 2013). This provision calls for the joining or linking clinical organizations and public or community health organizations in improving clinical preventive services. It is characterized by their trust, time commitment, and resource exchange and sharing, as well as sharing of responsibilities and risks aimed at improving delivery, quality, and access to preventive services. Clinical and community preventive services also increase public and particular patients’ access to comprehensive and medical care services. Community organizations’ clients lacking regular primary care can be treated and evaluated by clini cians for chronic and acute conditions. Patients of primary care practices significantly benefit from referrals to health organizations at community level, which tend on focusing on social health determinants such as food needs, employment, or housing (Feldman, 2011). The provision of clinical and community preventative services in the Affordable Care Act is fundamental in the prevention of chronic diseases. This provision seeks to enhance the delivery of preventive services in the following areas: physical activity, nutrition, tobacco use, and obesity. The provision also focuses on the broader aspects of prevention of chronic diseases such as health promotion, health professional capacity building and disease prevention (Fortin et al, 2013).

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Sports Injuries Essay Example for Free

Sports Injuries Essay I have researched this particular assignment with a strong desire to help in preventing sports injuries. As a sport instructor, I would not allow anyone to play that did not know the rules of the game and had knowledge of the consequences of breaking the rules of the game. In my research, I found that knee injuries were ranked among the second highest most injured body site. Knee injuries are often very costly and involve procedures that require extensive and expensive post surgery rehabilitation and can increase risk of early onset osteoarthritis. Without effective interventions, the burden of knee surgeries and rehabilitation will continue to grow as the number of high school athletes continues to grow. I also learned that illegal sports activity is a much over-looked risk factor for sports related injury. I would punish behaviors that involved illegal activity on the field or at practices. The game would go on, and the player that did whatever it took to win using risky play would not be allowed to participate. As an educator of sports, I have the knowledge and the authority to help these athletes prevent risks to their bodies that may later on foster a sedentary lifestyle which is more harmful to them than playing the game that an injury may occur even if you do not play illegally. I most certainly would not ever put someone on the field knowing the were going to play and break the rules of the game just to WIN. I would enforce the rules and target education about the dangers of illegal activity that lead to many sports injuries. As an instructor, if you dont warm up, understand the rules of the game, engage in team sportsmanship, and follow my requirements;you simply will not play. You can also risk other players when you play in a way that breaks the rules that have been set forth by the sports, referees, and coaches. My philosophy is do it the way you are taught and told to do, or just dont do it at all.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Bleeding and Clotting Time in Different Blood Groups

Bleeding and Clotting Time in Different Blood Groups Comparison of Bleeding Time and Clotting Time in different Blood Groups among Medical students Nadera Yasmeen Assistant professor,Department of Physiology, KBNIMS Gulbarga-585104, Karnataka, India Abstract Background and objectives Blood grouping, Bleeding time and clotting time are clinically useful tests, extensively used during blood transfusion, platelet disorders and a variety of forms of treatment in hospitals. The objective of our study is to find out if there is any relationship between the blood groups with the bleeding time and clotting time in 1st year medical students. Materials and methods The study was performed in 172 apparently healthy 1st year MBBS students in the age group of 17-20 years, of the department of physiology at KBNIMS, Gulbarga. Bleeding time and clotting time were estimated by Duke Method and capillary tube method respectively. Blood grouping was done with standard antisera. Finally bleeding time and clotting time of different blood groups were compared and statistical analysis was done. Results and conclusion The study showed that O group was found in more number of cases (39.5%) than A, B AB blood group. Clotting time was increased in blood group B than A which was statistically highly significant. (p 0.05). Keywords: Blood Group, Bleeding Time, Clotting Time. INTRODUCTION Blood grouping is very essential as it plays an important role in blood transfusion, genetics forensic pathology and it may have some association with diseases like duodenal ulcer, diabetes mellitus, urinary tract infections, feto-maternal incompatibility leading to haemolytic disease of newborn.1-3 Earlier it has been reported that blood group O was over represented in Caucasian patients admitted with epistaxis compared with the general Caucasian population.4 It is also seen that there is an association between ABO blood group status and levels of vWF. Blood group O is associated with lower expression of Von Willebrand factor causing a relative bleeding tendency 5, 6 ,7 but other workers 8 could not find out any association between the level of vWF and bleeding time. The objective of this study is to find out if there is a relationship between the ABO blood groups with the bleeding time and clotting time in our population. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study included 172 apparently healthy 1st year MBBS students in the age group of 17-20 years of the department of Physiology at KBNIMS, Gulbarga, Karnataka, India. Blood groups were determined by mixing the samples of blood with the antisera A, B and D and looking for clumping of RBC’s under the microscope. Bleeding time was estimated by Duke Method and clotting time by Capillary tube method respectively9. Prior to the study ethical committee approval was taken from college authorities. RESULTS Statistical analysis was done using SPSS package version 19.0. During the study it was found that most of the students belonged to O group [39.5%] than A [25.5%], B [28.4%] and AB [6.3%] and Clotting time was statistically significant in all the blood groups. Bleeding time remained non-significant. [Table 1]. Table 1: Distribution of blood groups (n = 172) *P Graph 1. Comparison of clotting time Graph 2. Comparison of bleeding time in different blood groups in different blood groups DISCUSSION Considerable research has been carried out all over the world regarding diseases and their correlation with blood group. Reddy et al 4 found in their study that among Caucasian epistaxis patients 50.4% of patients were blood group O but among control groups, this was 45.10%. Another study performed by Daniel et al 8 pointed out that admission for epistaxis was more common among Caucasian than Asian people. Morant AE 5 showed in their study the prevalence of blood group O was more among Caucasians than Asians. (Caucasians 46 versus Asian 31%.) It is seen that persons having any other blood group except O are at more risk of venous thromboembolism. Non O group individuals have higher levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and factor VIII (FVIII) 10, 11. In our study population also, O group was prevalent in more number (39.5%) of cases than other blood group (B- 28.4, A- 25.5, AB- 6.3%). Clotting time was increased in blood group B than A which was statistically highly significant. (p Conclusion Our study suggests that O blood group is prevalent in more number of students. Clotting time is more in all the blood groups which was statistically significant. Bleeding time did not show any statistically significant change. Further larger study is needed to verify the above mentioned findings. Further study needs to find out if there is any association of this finding in cases of epistaxis in our population. REFERENCES 1. Akhtar MN, Tayyib A, Tasneem T, Butt AR. ABO blood group in patients with peptic ulcer disease : Association with secretor status . Ann King Edward Med Coll 2003; 9: 238-40. 2. Qureshi MA, Bhatti R. Frequency of ABO blood groups among the diabetes mellitus type 2 patients. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2003; 13: 453-5. 3. Ziegler T, Jacobsohn N, Fà ¼nfstà ¼ck R. Correlation between blood group phenotype and virulence properties of Escherichia coli in patients with chronic urinary tract infection Int. J Antimicrob Agents. 2004; 24 Suppl 1:570-5. 4. Reddy, V.M., M Daniel, E. Bright, S.R. Broad and A.A. Moir, 2008. Is there an association between blood group O and epistaxis ? J. Laryngol. Otol., 122: 366-368. DOI: 10.1017/S0022215107008560 5. Mourant, A.E., 1983. Blood Relations: Blood Groups and Anthropology. Oxford University Press, New York, pp : 146. 6. Favaloro, E.J., S. Soltani, J. McDonald, E. Grezchnik, I.. Easton and J. W. Favaloro, 2005. Reassessment of ABO blood group, sex and age on laboratory parameters used to diagnose Von Willebrand disorder: Potential influence on the diagnosis Vs the potential association with risk of thrombosis. Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 124: 910-917. 7. Gill, J.C., E.J. Brooks, P.J. Bauer, W.J. Marks Jr and R.R. Montgomery, 1987. The effect of ABO blood group on the diagnosis of Von Willebrand disease. Blood, 69 : 1691-1695 8. Daniel, M., M.C.Jaberoo, R.E. Stead, V.M. Reddy and A.A. Moir, 2006. Is admission for epistaxis more common in Caucasian than in Asian people? Preliminary study. Clin. Otolaryngol. 31: 386-389. 9. Ghai, C.L., 1999. A Text book of Practical Physiology. 5th Edn. Jaypee Brothers, New Delhi, Haematology, pp: 84-101. 10. Jenkins PV, O’Donnell JS. ABO blood group determines plasma von Willebrand factor levels; a biologic function after all? Transfusion. 2006; 46 (10):1836-1844. 11. Kamphuisen PW, Elkenboom JCI, Bertina RM. Elevated Factor VIII levels and the risk of Thrombosis. Arterioscler Thromb vasc Biol. 2001; 21 (5):731-738.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Terri Schiavo :: essays research papers

The end of life is inevitable. For most it is for seen and understood what ones final wishes are. Living wills provide those issues in question with answers. What if an individual does not have a living will? Who would be in charge in making final decisions for someone who cannot physically make those decisions? The story of Terri Schiavo brings about many questions that represents moral, ethical, and legal issues. Terri Schiavo collapsed in her home on February 25, 1990. She suffered cardiac arrest and anoxic brain damage. The lack of oxygen to the brain caused major brain damage. The cerebral cortex had been completely destroyed and replaced by cerebrospinal fluid. Her upper brain was estimated to be about 80 percent destroyed. However her brainstem, which is responsible for breathing and heartbeat, was still functioning properly. This allowed Schiavo to survive with the assistance of a feeding tube. Terri Schiavo was diagnosed to be in a Persistent Vegetative State (P.V.S). At the time of Terri Schiavo’s collapse, she was married to Michael Schiavo. Under Florida law, this made Michael Terri’s legal guardian. Terri also had the support of her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler. Michael Schiavo believed that his wife Terri would have never wanted to live life as a vegetable. Since Terri never had a living will, wishing to refuse medical treatment. Michael Schiavo is drawing his conclusion on conversations with his wife before the accident. After three years of ineffective therapy. Michael Schiavo petitioned to discontinue the life support for Terri. Her parents did not agree with Schiavo’s wishes. Bob and Mary Schindler have been battling with Michael Schiavo for over 10 years.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Internet Penetration :: Computer Science

Internet Penetration Identify the different levels of household penetration by the World Wide Web in each of the following continents – Asia , Africa , North America , South America and Australia . Explore the reasons for this variation. The countries with the highest internet penetration are predominately those Western economies with strong economies and high levels of affluence. Out of the top 10 countries, European countries feature 6 times, with Sweden having the highest penetration at 73.6% of the population have the internet. Other high ranking countries include Hong Kong (70.7%), The United States of America (USA) (68.5%), Australia (67.2%), Canada (63.8%), Korea (63.3%), Japan (60.9%), Taiwan (60.5%), Singapore (60.2%) and New Zealand (56.8%). The United Kingdom compares well at 60%. (Appendix 2 Internet world stats, 2005) World wide, these 25 countries dominate over 64% of their total population; the internet penetration in the rest of the world is just 7.8% of the remaining population. However, percentages can be misleading; whilst they give a good indication of levels of literacy, affluence and behaviour, the percentage of penetration would not give an indication of size of possible market; the USA has the largest market at 202,888,307; the next largest being Japan at 78,050,000 and then the UK and German markets at 35,807,929 and 47,127,725 respectively. Whilst we have seen then that internet penetration is very strong in these affluent societies, there are some interesting developments in the emerging economies. Those countries in Asia that have traditionally had under developed economies, such as China and India , have very different levels of internet penetration; despite both countries attempting to develop their economic wealth. China , with a population of 1,306,313,812 has 94 million internet users (Appendix 1); this however translates to only 7.2% of the population. The Chinese middle class is only 4% of the population i.e. those who have household incomes of more than $20,000 but that translates into a market or 50 million people (Khanna, T) – a huge market for prospective investors in the country. This compares very favourably with internet penetration in India – where the population is very similar to China 's - 1,080,264,388.00 but there are only 18, 481,000 internet users, a penetration of 1.71% of the population. This may be due to Government intervention in China ; in a recent report ‘it has been found that China has nurtured and directed the economy ( Khanna, T 2005). In addition there is a difference in the GDP per capita – in China , the GDP per capita is $5,600, whereas in India it is only $3,100. However, in both countries there is a huge gap between the wealthiest and poorest people, both in

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Spanish Inquistition Essay -- essays research papers fc

Ferdinand and Isabella used the Inquisition to eliminate opposition in Spain. Their thoughts were that by eliminating the Jews, Muslims, and New Christians in Spain they would gain unity, wealth, and power. They wanted to make a Christian and only a Christian Spain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since Ferdinand and Isabella were married they strived to make Spain a whole. With Ferdinand ruling Aragon and Isabella ruling Castile they united Spain as one. Soon Ferdinand and Isabella had the regions of Granada and Portugal as part of Spain. But Ferdinand and Isabella wanted to increase their authority over their kingdom through religion as well. Ferdinand new that the church controlled large amounts of land and also served significant roles in the political system, he took these very important things into major consideration. Isabella on the other hand, â€Å"†¦had a genuine concern for religious reform and believed in their responsibility for the spiritual life of their subjects and people.†(Ovid 3). Ferdinand and Isabella didn’t think of using the Inquisition to purify Spain until a priest named Tomas de Torquemada brought it to their attention. Torquemada was Isabella’s confessor or spiritual leader. Torquemada convinced Ferdinan d and Isabella that once the Inquisition was in place they could eliminate all non-Catholic believers. He bribed them with the thought that they,â€Å"†¦could use it to solidify the supremacy of Catholicism in Spanish life†¦the inquisition would promise them con...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Personal statement on family medicine Essay

Growing up in a family of physicians has immensely sprung up my desire of taking medicine. During those years of spending moments with my parents in their medical activities, my decision of pursuing medicine was firmly shaped. For all those times, I realized that being a doctor is not merely the joy of being called a medical practitioner. Neither does ends the career of healing the sick and saving patients on the brink of death. Being a doctor offers more rewards that are intangible and worth more than gold and silver. By helping one person revert back to his normal life is alleviating the burden of a group of people. In putting a smile to a tormented person brings forth semblance of hope. Moreover, the profession gives a chance of becoming part of one’s life during his stage of recuperation and survival. In addition, it provides an opportunity for medical practitioners to expand their knowledge by every case they deal with in everyday of their lives. Most importantly, being a doctor provides sense of worth of being a human and being part of the society. Furthermore, I consider the practice of medicine as the most independent and zealous way of affording service to the masses. These were more than fascinating factors that drove me to spend my life in practicing medicine. In fulfilment of my desire to practice medicine, I bravely braced the barriers of my insurmountable dream. After graduating from medical school, I took every chance to applying my earned knowledge in actual life. I first applied my knowledge in my hometown, particularly in Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital. In there, I spent a period of one year giving assistance and taking the chance to learn from all departments of the hospital. Another year was well spent as intern in the Institute on Mental Health in Hyderabad. Due to my aspiration to further expand my knowledge and pursue Family Medicine, I moved to US and took my Masters in Clinical Nutrition. In US, I grabbed every chance to explore more the real world of medicine. I finished externship in several hospitals in Kentucky which includes University of Louisville School of Medicine, Norton Hospital, Western Maryland Health Systems, and even in Christos St. John Hospital in Texas. My duties then include participating in case discussion, formulating diagnosis, taking history, and general physical examination, among others. During my externship, I had also been into clinical research. Within those periods, I came to understand really the life of a physician. From there I further conclude that time of a physician is owned by the call of duty. For a moment of exposure, my determination was put to test. Working in a fast phasing and demanding environment was time consuming and exhausting. There are also cases when personal life cannot be inserted in the daily schedule. In addition, some patients tend to sip all the strength of physician because of their inquisitiveness, naughtiness, or crankiness. However, through patience, perseverance, good time management, and teamwork, the loads in a physician’s life would be eased. Despite of those hardships, I successfully finished my externship and from there, I earned more courage to face the barriers on my path to practice Family Medicine. After my studies, I intend to spend my medical life in Family Medicine. I choose Family Medicine because it encompasses the total health care of an individual and of the whole family. It is a specialty that is not limited to only one aspect but rather involves behavioural, biological, and clinical science. Significantly, it specializes in preventing the spread of disease instead of curing it. As a medical student, I believe that it is more rewarding to prevent the occurrence of disease rather than exerting efforts to heal the disease. Moreover, I want to pursue residency in Family Medicine because I want to dedicate my time attending to the needs of patients, especially during time of emergency. Likewise, I want to utilize my life understanding and alleviating the suffering of my fellowmen. From the very starting point of my journey to medical profession, I never came to a point of regretting or backing out. Instead, my eagerness and my desire to finish my studies and get my license grew even more. From those struggles I successfully won, I have built a strong backbone that I shall use in the future. But then, those efforts would not be of sense unless I would finish Family Medicine Residency program.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Assisted Suicide

Matthew Donnelly was a man who had loved life, but Matthew Donnelly became a man that wanted to die. For the past thirty years, Matthew had conducted research on the use of X-rays. Now, skin cancer was consuming his tortured body. He had lost his nose, his left hand, two fingers on his right hand, and part of his jaw. He was left blind and was slowly deteriorating. The pain was unrelenting. Doctors estimated that he had a year to live. Lying in bed with teeth clenched from the excruciating pain, he pleaded to be put out of his misery. His pleas, however, went unanswered because of existing law in the state of Texas. One day, Matthew's brother Harold, who could no longer ignore Matthew's repeated cry for mercy, removed a . 30 caliber pistol from his dresser drawer, walked into the hospital and shot and killed his brother. Harold was tried for murder. (Santa Clara University article) Had assisted suicide been legal in Texas, as it is in Oregon, Harold would not be in the position he is in today. Oregon was the first State to pass the law. In 1997 the Death with Dignity Act was implemented. This piece of legislation enables a competent adult who desires to end their life access to a lethal dose of medication which they administer themselves. In order for a person to qualify for assisted suicide in Oregon, they must be a legal adult and be capable of understanding the consequences of their decision. They must also have a prognosis of six months or less to live due to a terminal illness and have the backing of a registered physician (Volker, 2007). We have a moral obligation to relieve the suffering of our fellow human beings and to respect their right to die with dignity. Throughout most of our country today, terminally ill patients lie with incurable diseases and without the means to end their own suffering because the government tells them they can’t. These patients can only look forward to lives filled with yet more suffering and degradation. When such people beg for a merciful end to their pain and indignity, it is cruel and inhumane to refuse their will. Compassion demands that we give these people the choice they currently don’t have. Despite the clear need for a national death with dignity law, assisted suicide remains a controversial topic in today’s society. Opponents of the right to die act have many arguments against euthanasia as the right of all citizens. Some argue that only God is the true owner of when a person should come to their natural end. Others make the case that someone in seat of a terminally ill patient would not have the capacity to make a rational decision and could be negatively influenced by an immoral or poor physician. In response to the critics, I say this. We live in the land of the free and nobody should be able to violate an individual’s freedom by forcing their personal beliefs or spiritual beliefs on others (just as it is written in the Constitution! . Furthermore, as a proponent for assisted suicide I would argue that it is well within an individual’s rights to decide when and how they want to die. Why I understand the concern for patients being taken advantage of, I consider this a problem to be solved as opposed to an impassable wall. Let us come together to create a system, like Oregon, that protects terminally ill patients from being taken advantage of when they are most vulnerable while preserving the rights of those same citizens to choose in what manner they will meet their end. Harold’s story has proved that making it illegal to die when you choose to can lead to desperate acts by either the patient themselves or in this instance, a close family member. We should have the freedom to choose how we live our lives. Whether or not we want to end our lives early or let an illness take its course and let us die naturally are highly personal decisions and an instance where individual opinions are not welcome as law. People deserve to leave this earth with their dignity intact. How that is accomplished should be a personal choice, not subject to public opinion.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Ideal Leaders In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Ralph, Jack and Piggy all possess unique qualities. Are any of them ideal leaders? What important qualities do each of them possess (and lack) as regards leadership? Who is the natural leader in Lord of the Flies? This is the question that Golding is making us consider. There is no right or wrong answer, as all of the boys possess unique leadership qualities. This essay will explore what qualities of leadership Ralph, Piggy and Jack possess (and lack), and eventually come to a conclusion (if one can be found) as to which boy is the natural leader of the band of boys on the island. A leader is somebody who guides a group in whatever they do. They make policies, rules and, if necessary, decisions for the group that they lead, which the group should then follow. Ralph has a number of ideal leadership qualities. He is fair, maybe sometimes too fair, and believes in the idea of everyone having a chance to have their say (â€Å"‘I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking†¦And he won’t be interrupted. Except by me.'† [31]) However, the rule of freedom of speech is overturned by Jack (â€Å"Jack was the first to make himself heard. He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules, but nobody minded.† [94]) and Ralph does not do anything about it. This is one of the qualities that Ralph lacks. He makes rules, but is not willing to enforce them because he fears that they may be ignored (â€Å"‘You got to be tough now, make ’em do what you want.’ ‘If I blow the conch and they don’t come back, then we’ve had it'† [99]) unless something happens to spur him to action, such as when Jack let the fire out (â€Å"So Ralph asserted his chieftainship and could not have chosen a better way if he had thought for days. Against this weapon, so indefinable and so effective, Jack was powerless and raged without knowing why† [77]) Ralph believes in everyone having responsibility and everyone working together and helping each other to build a successful community. He offers the groups long term solutions such as shelters and a signal fire so that they would be rescued, however, he does not do enough to make these ideas attractive, and as a result he ends up doing most of the work while the hunters and littluns disappear to have fun (â€Å"And they keep running off. You remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?†, â€Å"When the meeting was over they’d work for five minutes then wander off or go hunting.† [51]) This lack of acceptance of responsibility annoys him and makes him hostile (â€Å"As they danced, they sang. Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in. Ralph watched them, envious and resentful.† [79]) towards Jack and the hunters. As a result, he is not as tolerant of them as he should have been and eventually insults that part of the group (â€Å"‘What above my hunters?’ ‘Boys armed with sticks.'† [137]) This makes Jack angry enough to attempt to rebel against Ralph’s leadership, and straight after he leaves to start a tribe of his own. He is very good at communication. He says what he thinks rather than trying to hide his own opinions and feelings (â€Å"‘Better Piggy than Fatty,’ Ralph said with the directness of genuine leadership.†, â€Å"I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts-then you go off hunting and let out the fire-† [21/22]) This is essential, because if you do not let others know your feelings, then they will not understand why you are acting the way you are, or your reasons for making decisions, and might think you are being unreasonable. He can make his speeches simple for the littluns to understand, yet powerful by using repetition and explanation (â€Å"He had learnt as a practical business that fundamental statements likes this had to be said at least twice, before everyone understood them†¦His mind was searching for simple words so that even the littluns would understand what the assembly was about.† [84]) However, as events spiral out of his control, his speeches become less and less inspiring as he loses confidence in himself and his abilities, and eventually his followers desert him and he is left on his own, running for his life. Though Ralph is a natural leader (â€Å"There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out†¦and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that†¦was set apart† [19]), able to reassure and offer comfort (â€Å"The assembly was lifted towards safety by his words. They liked and now respected him.† [36]), the values and goals that he presents as part of his leadership do not offer the security that the group needs when their morale is low as a result of fear of the beast. As a result, he is only able to lead when times are good. He clings to the same ideals that he had when he first came to the island: the idea of rescue, keeping civilisation intact and having rules, and is unable to adapt to the changing feelings on the island about those ideals when they are overtaken by more immediate and attractive offers (â€Å"‘Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!’ ‘Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat-!'† [99]) Piggy supports Ralph in his leadership, but does not have the popularity to be a leader himself. He possesses a number of leadership qualities, but because of his unpopularity, he is often ignored (â€Å"There had grown up tacitly among the biguns the opinion that Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labour.† [68]) Because of this, when important matters needing his input occur, his valuable ideas are often disregarded (â€Å"‘We ought to be more careful. I’m scared-‘ ‘You’re always scared. Yah – Fatty!'† [45]) He is intelligent, and most of the sensible, good ideas come from him (â€Å"what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [18/19] â€Å"Ralph! We can use this [the conch] to call the others. Have a meeting.† [12] â€Å"Piggy moved among the crowd, asking names and frowning to remember them.† [14] â€Å"We haven’t made a fire what’s any use. We couldn’t keep a fire like that going if we tried.† [41] â€Å"The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down on the beach.† [45]) He is also a very good judge of character, though he seems blind when it comes to seeing that the others, Ralph included, do not like him (â€Å"He hates me [Jack]. I dunno why. If he could do what he wanted – you’re all right, he respects you†¦I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph†¦He can’t hurt you, but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next thing. And that’s me.† [100/101) However, his pessimism (â€Å"They’re all dead an’ this is an island. Nobody don’t know we’re here. Your dad don’t know, nobody don’t know – We may stay here till we die.† [9]), his complaining and his dislike of manual labour leads to the other boys regarding him as being no use to the group, so they shout him down whenever he tries to speak (â€Å"His voice lifted into the whine of virtuous recrimination. The others stirred and began to shout him down.† [43]) If Piggy and Ralph had worked together right at the beginning, with Ralph listening to Piggy’s ideas instead of regarding him as an irritation (â€Å"Piggy was a bore; his fat, his ass-mar and his matter-of-fact ideas were dull: but there was always a little pleasure to be got out of pulling his leg, even if one did it by accident.† [68]), then Piggy’s intelligence and Ralph’s popularity and dedication to work would have combined to make an excellent joint leadership which most of the group would have accepted.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Predict human behaviour Essay

Dissonance theory accepts that we have these inconsistencies and basically says as humans we strive to smooth out any inconsistencies. This theory is best explained with an example; Jenny works everyday but today her sister is going shopping and has asked Jenny if she would like to come. Jenny should go to work and does. Jenny’s knowledge that she is missing out on the shopping trip is known as a dissonant cognition, whereas the knowledge that she has come to work and is earning some money is a consonant cognition. Her dissonance will increase even more if the trip is to an out-of-town shopping complex as opposed to the small local centre. Individuals do not want to have dissonant cognition therefore try to reduce it. Jenny can do this in a number of ways; firstly, she can keep telling herself about the extra money she is earning and perhaps convince herself that she had a pleasurable day at work. She could also reduce the dissonant cognition by telling herself she would have only spent money on things she cannot afford and doesn’t really need. Consonant cognitions justify a persons chosen action and the greater the benefit of something, the greater the justification and the lower the state of dissonance. If however the benefit of the consonant cognition is only small then the dissonance will increase. Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) tested this theory by getting subjects to perform really dull tasks for an hour then asked them to tell the next subjects that the tasks were rather interesting. Subjects were offered either $20 or $1 for lying. Festinger and Carlsmith were interested in how the subjects felt after telling the lie. According to dissonance theory their feelings should depend on the amount of money they were paid. Subjects receiving $20 should feel little dissonance because the larger amount of money justifies lying. The subjects who received $1 should feel greater dissonance because the money didn’t justify lying and these subjects would try and convince themselves the task was in fact quite enjoyable, in order to reduce dissonance. Festinger and Carlsmith found subjects in the $1 condition reported a more favourable attitude towards the task, which is consistent with the original predictions. Bem (1967) suggested that a person’s behaviour is what shapes their attitude, for example (to quote Bem) ‘since I eat brown bread then I must like brown bread’. This logic could be linked with Festinger and Carlsmith’s study because if the second lot of subjects were told the tasks were interesting then they would take this opinion on board and actually find the tasks interesting. Assimilation-Contrast Theory (Sherif and Hovland, 1961), this suggests we people favour their own attitudes and if a person comes across another person with an attitude relatively close to their own then they perceive it to resemble their own attitude more than it actually does (this is the ‘assimilation’ part of the theory) and they will evaluate it in a more positive way by seeing it as fair. Basically this suggests people are biased when it comes to their attitudes because people will accept anything that resembles a similar attitude to their own. Attitudes which had less in common with their attitudes would be rejected and seen as unfair (this is the ‘contrast’ part of the theory). This is mainly because assimilating attitudes is much easier than trying to accommodate new attitudes. The theory of reasoned behaviour (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) suggests that subjective norms (which are beliefs about what is appropriate behaviour in a situation) and attitude towards the behaviour (based on expectancies and values) suggest a behavioural intention which then predicts behaviour. The definition of attitude and intention in this context is very similar and doesn’t define in strong enough terms exactly what the intentions derived are. All this evidence shows varying approaches towards the attitude-behaviour link, some in support of attitude predicting behaviour and some against it. To say that attitude has three main parts which are highly correlated draws up too many contradictions to conclude it as the best theory, the single model provides more scope to address these contradictions but dissonance theory which suggest we will have inconsistencies and will just strive to balance them is a much more realistic proposal of how attitude links with and predicts behaviour. The evidence shows that there is a link between attitude and how it can predict behaviour but it is not to the extent that you can say it predicts a person’s behaviour every time in all situations. References * McDougall, W. (1960) an introduction to social psychology 23rd ed. London New York. Methuen, Barnes & Noble. * Mills, J. (1969) experimental social psychology. New York London. MacMillan, Collier-Macmillan * Ajzen, I. (1980) Does understanding a persons attitude help us to predict their behaviour?

Friday, September 13, 2019

Description And Comparison Of Two Companies (Part III) Research Paper

Description And Comparison Of Two Companies (Part III) - Research Paper Example The company is a part of automotive industry that manufactures some of the best automobiles, motorcycles as well as engines in the world. With the BMW Group owning three of the world’s best automobile brands- BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce and a total revenue of â‚ ¬76.84 billion in2012, BMW Group has become one of the leading premium brands in the world. The company is well known for its innovation, technology and quality. Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier commonly referred to as LV, headquartered in Paris, is a French company founded in 1854. The company is a part of the retail industry that manufactures and sells a variety of products-shoes, watches, sunglasses, luxury trunks, accessories, jewelry and many other items. LV is one of the leading premium luxury fashion brands in the world. The company earned revenue of â‚ ¬3.2 billion in 2012. Target market BMW The BMW has a very strict target market. It only targets the luxury sector and avoids the entanglement in the ma ss production of average cars. BMW targets the elite and affluent class of the world for its real BMW. However, the company moved to target the upper middle-class with its new Mini and the 1 series. Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton has a very limited target market of very wealthy people with high disposable incomes around the world. Nonetheless, the company targets both genders and a varying age from 16 to 80. Competitors BMW Mercedes-Benz and Audi are two of the most pertinent competitors of BMW. These three are referred to as the ‘German Big 3’ and are the leading premium automaker brands in the world. Louis Vuitton Hermes, Chanel and Gucci are some of the strong direct competitors to Louis Vuitton. These brands, along with LV, have remained the top ranked premium brands for the last few years. (Zelesny, 2011) Business Risks BMW BMW terms the volatility in the environment, the high debt levels and the uncertainty in the relevant industry as some of the most important busin ess risks to the company. (Annual Report, 2012) Currently, the ongoing strikes in South Africa will cost the company extra 25 percent of the regular cost to import the cars into the lucrative African market. (Furlonger, 2013) Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton referred to the slowdown in the renewed growth of the world economy as well as the Euro crisis as risks hindering the growth of the company. It also referred to the foreign exchange risk culmination due to the weakening of the Euro. (Annual Report, 2012) The sudden surge for the Louis Vuitton’s logo bags caused a gap in the supply, which converted into a business risk as it hindered the continuous supply of the brands in the market. (Financial Times, 2013)The maturing of the taste in one of the largest markets – China has resulted in the Louis Vuitton logo fatigue. This will cause the Chinese consumers to move to alternate cheap brands. (Roberts, 2012) Fiscal Year BMW BMW Group’s financial year ends on 31st Decem ber. (Annual Report, 2012) Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton’s financial year ends on 31st December. (Annual Report, 2012) Stock Exchange BMW BMW is listed on the Frankfurt Xetra stock exchange in Germany. Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton is listed on the EN Paris stock exchange. Financial Principles BMW The notes to the BMW financial statements 2012 strictly signify that the company-followed uniform accounting policies and principles in accordance with IAS 20, IAS 27, IAS 33, IFRS 2 and others. This company follows international accounting principles. (Annual Report,

Thursday, September 12, 2019

HIV does not cause AIDS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HIV does not cause AIDS - Essay Example Based on this aspect, the study evaluates the articles of both authors and describes their viewpoints regarding the basis of AIDS. The first point is that HIV fails to satisfy the postulates of Koch and Henle. Koch and Henle have designed four principles in order to develop a link between virus and disease. The first principle is that in order to link any disease with a particular virus, the virus must be detected in every organism suffering from the disease, but should not be present in healthy organism (Koch, 1910). However, with respect to AIDS, it is not possible to detect free virus, provirus or viral RNA. The second point of Duesberg is the violation of second principle of Koch and Henle regarding virus and disease. Koch and Henle have stated that in any virus caused disease, the particular virus must be isolated and developed in a clean culture. Culture in this context is the procedure of cell growth in precise circumstances, primarily outside of their usual atmosphere (Koch, 1910). However, with respect to HIV, it cannot be isolated in most of the cases of AIDS. Furthermore, the isolation of HIV is indirect and subjected to activation of inactive provirus from the oppressive immune system of the host. The third point of Duesberg is violation of third principle of Koch and Henle. They have stated that in order to establish relationship, the developed virus should cause disease while it is injected in a healthy organism (Koch, 1910). Concerning AIDS, pure HIV does not replicate AIDS when vaccinated into healthy organisms. With respect to the fourth point, Duesberg stated that in contradiction of every pathogenic virus which causes progressive diseases, HIV is not biochemically active in the AIDS syndrome. It actively infects only few portion (i.e. 1 in 104) T cells. Thus, HIV cannot be regarded as the damage of T cells, the symbol of AIDS, rather HIV’s holder ascribes to

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Gangnam style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gangnam style - Essay Example It is famous for its wealthy inhabitants. During the last half century, the town has proliferated to become a hub of the wealthiest upper class in South Korea. The Gangnam style in the song is denoting this elite wealth culture and the lifestyle that has sprung around that area. Gangnam Style, was done by Park Jae-sang, commonly known as PJS, and went viral on YouTube and other media. In his music Gangnam dancing style, PJS talks about people’s behavior in reference to the Gangnam area. â€Å"The people of the Gangnam are so good looking as they can afford to have plastic surgery and have a luxurious lifestyle." Money is not a problem in the Gangnam estate. The video brings out a contrast to the lifestyle that is found in the city. Park Jae-sang refers himself as Gangnam that is a contrast to the lifestyle that the residents live. The meaning rather mocks the culture and attitude of such people who live in Gangnam do not talk about their lives much, only those who dreams to be in such a lifestyle keep talking about it in the streets. The wannabe and posers put take a resemblance of the Gangnam style. The dance had hit billboards in major countries through the social media and has much influence on the culture of the world in the year 2012. The song topped in the song billboard in a couple of countries namely, USA, Italy, Japan, Australia, China to mention but a few. The sensational song has managed to receive the world recognition through You Tube among other social media. In the first day of release got over-whelming 500,000 views that made it You Tube most popular song in the world. â€Å"Gangnam Style, this little video has received close to a billion times view and is now rated as the most viewed and liked YouTube Viral video ever. It might not seem like something important fact to many who are unaware of the bigger and wider trend that

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Critical Appraisal of the International Accounting Standard Dissertation

Critical Appraisal of the International Accounting Standard - Dissertation Example The comparison focusing on the latter group is a means to identify whether there would be an increase in the degree of accounting quality that a firm has after utilizing and applying IAS 40 in their policies and processes. In that light, the researcher aims to determine the prospect of improvement of a firm's accounting quality and financial reporting with the use of International Accounting Standards on Investment Property. One of the key objectives of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is to formulate a singular guideline that would establish accounting standards of high quality that must be comprehensible, as well as practical and practicable for the sake of public interest. Such guideline would encompass the accounting framework across the globe, which mandates transparent and analogous data of financial statements dedicated to a universal rationale (IASB) (Ashbaugh & Pincus 2001). With that philosophy in mind, the IASB has made the necessary measures to eliminate permissible accounting practices and policies that would serve as alternatives (Leuz et al 2003; Tarca 2004). In addition, the board has necessitated that the accounting measures enforced in IAS mirror the performance of a firm based on its economic position (Street & Gray 2001; Tarca 2004; Hung & Subramanyam 2004). With these two premises in mind, one can note that the application of IAS is directed towards the development of accounting quality among firms. A firm's accounting quality poses the probability to improve provided that alternatives are eliminated and the perusal of developing the degree to which the concept of accounting measurements aim to echo the limit of a firm's economic position, which would then be based on the prerogative of the management in reporting accounting amounts that pose an inferior representation of a firm's economic performance, such as the process of managing earnings (Bartov, Goldberg & Kim 2004; Daske 2006; Leuz 2003). With that concept in mind, the researcher aims to identify whether accounting amounts that have been identified with the help of IAS present higher quality, as opposed to those determined by GAAP (Leuz 2003).  

Overcoming Terrorist Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Overcoming Terrorist Issues - Essay Example Thousands of people could have been affected and even killed if the terrorists had carried out their plan. The terrorists do not plan on only using physical weapons in public places. They have also decided to use biological terrorism by sending viruses into public areas. An example comes from the office of Tom Daschle, when the noted Anthrax virus was sent out in the mail. While nobody at the office was affected by this, it does help to underline the fear of a biological agent being released into society. Biological agents have been a known means of warfare and have been in existence for some time. For example, when the Cold War was in effect, both the United States and the Soviet Union had developed means of biological warfare. One that is currently largely feared to be used by the terrorists is the concept of botulism. Botulism, which is a very harsh form of food poisoning, could be spread among the agriculture of the United States and could thus cause widespread sickness and panic in the country (Medicine, n.d.). The terrorists could easily use both large scale and small scale concepts to spread this disease if they choose to. It has been widely admitted by the United States and many doctors that work in America that the country is not prepared for any large scale attack of biological warfare (Yungher, 2008). ... Since botulism is such an ardent fear and such a horrible disease, the only way to overcome it and to avoid a widespread panic would be to develop vaccinations against it (Center for Disease Control, n.d.). Furthermore, the vaccinations would have to be readily available and inexpensive for individuals to afford. Therefore, the government will have to put up its own money in order to invest in the wellness of its people. This will be important for assisting and protecting the Americans against any kind of biological attack, or biological warfare. Botulism is one of the most marked fears when it comes to biological terrorism, but other diseases are also causes for concern. Therefore, the government should fund a program that will focus on finding remedies for agents that might be used in a case of biological warfare. This department should also make sure that enough medicine is available if a wide crisis does ensue. Preparation for this kind of panic is one of the best ways to counter -act it. If the United States does not begin to prepare, it could have a very severe issue on its hands, and its population could be easily decimated and destroyed by sickness. 2. From a Jihad perspective, justify the choice of joining the cause. Explain your reasoning for supporting it. Why would one who was a Muslim wish to join the Jihad on America What would be the reasons for joining the cause There are several reasons why this concept is attractive to many people in Islamic countries. First, the concept of Jihad fits into the perspective of the Islamic religion. While most sects of Islam that take Jihad in its full seriousness are considered radicals, it can be

Monday, September 9, 2019

Discussion Mentor Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Mentor - Assignment Example Much of the mentoring has occurred in informal settings, where the nurses only provide guidelines in seeking to ensure that I undertake various nursing activities accurately. They have become an integral part of my career advancement Many of the nurses are experienced and capable of assisting novice individuals with many of their requirements. The knowledge and skills they possess plays a fundamental role in ensuring that they provide the required support (Jill & Bally, 2007). Despite sometimes facing difficulties themselves, they are capable of undergoing extreme conditions, which are also critical in encouraging other nurses (Wilkes, 2006). The efficiency with which they perform their responsibilities is an element that makes them admirable mentors. Despite the inexplicable mentorship skills they possess, the nurses are sometimes affected by some numerous issues, which make them naà ¯ve and susceptible to external pressure. When faced with some challenging situations, it is common for inefficiency to become imminent and sometimes, they have to seek direction and guidance

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Decisions in Paradise, Part I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decisions in Paradise, Part I - Essay Example Surely, what lacks in Kava that would discourage the giant coffeehouse company from setting its subsidiary in the island? Like it is reflected in the mission statement of the company, Starbucks main drive to establish a presence in Kava is to ensure profitable operation of the company and to contribute to the betterment of social and economic welfare of the islanders (Kava population). Behind every attractive business opportunity, there are numerous business risks. Therefore, it is imperative to critically examine the probable risks that Starbuck is likely to encounter prior to making a crucial decision of establishing its presence in Kava. Initiating business on an island that is an epitome of an area under constant wrath of natural disasters is quite a huge gamble to take. Kava is in a mess and people are obviously exited with the tragedy they have been experiencing, which poses a great challenge for new business set up in the area. To begin with, one of the most apparent challenge s that the company will encounter when trying to establish its presence in Kava is prevalent disaster threats. Kava is known to be under constant threat of tidal waves, typhoons, tornadoes, floods, fires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, HIV/AIDS, avian flu, terrorism and petroleum spill. These would most likely affect the company’s operation processes. As such, it would be crucial for the company to employ effective research team to study and recommend a location which exhibits minimal exposure to natural disasters. The company should also establish an effective medical team to ensure that cases of avian flu and HIV/AIDS risks are well taken care of. Another possible problem that is likely to affect the company concerns human resources. Over 50 percent of the population of Kava constitutes young individuals below 15 years of age. As such, the company faces a huge challenge concerning recruitment. To counter this problem, the company will develop part-time employment initiati ves for those who are under 16 years of age. Ethical business practice is another key challenge that the company will have to reckon with. First, greater percentage of the island’s population is below 15 years of age. This poses a big challenge on employee engagement. The company will have to ensure that it does not violate the minimum age requirement when recruiting workers. The majority of the country’s population is under 15 years, which exposes the company to numerous suits for using child labor. Another consideration that the company will have to make is upholding ethical production practices. In the contemporary world, many companies are establishing their presence in both domestic and international markets by preaching â€Å"going green† gospel (Mullerat, 2010). According to Horrigan (2010), the going green concept is politically oriented compelling organizations to exhibit their social corporate responsibility by showing their green credentials demonstra ting their positive contribution towards sustainability and community development. Starbuck has principles that drive its mission, which is in line with social corporate responsibility requirements. â€Å"Our coffee† principle emphasizes on quality while â€Å"our partners† principles concentrates on respect and dignity in its operations. The company ensures perfect human connection in dealing with its customers and models its stores

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Gender relations after WWII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender relations after WWII - Essay Example In the World War Two, women started doing more industrial jobs and even participated in the military actions in the front line. Before the war, men were considered as the breadwinners who need to work outside the homes, while the women’s role was ‘contained’ within the confines of the house. However, â€Å"as some sixteen million males were enlisted or were drafted into the military, employer’s recruited women to fill the roles on the assembly lines of what were referred to, as essential industry opportunities.† (Bryant 2009). During the war, there was also the need for heightened production from the industries to support the war efforts, and with only minimal men available to fill the vacancies, women were recruited in large numbers and were encouraged to play larger roles outside their homes. Even various propagandas were carried out thorough mediums including print, radio, films, etc., to entice women to join the workforce. However, there was a ca tch and that mainly led to some opposition, resulting in the changing of gender relations after the War. That is, â€Å"women's employment was only encouraged as long as the war was on. Once the war was over, federal and civilian policies replaced women workers with men. (PBS). With the plan of handing over the jobs to the returning men, the women were restricted from continuing in their jobs and importantly encouraged to take over their family roles. That is, after the war, there was a strong reassertion of long-established gender roles, with the working women asked to return to their homes, so they can rebuild and stabilize their families, as many families suffered some form of disruption due to the war. â€Å"Motherhood lay at the centre of post-war constructions of femininity, bolstered by theories of the damage suffered by children deprived of 'mothering', while men were constructed as breadwinners.† (Pears). Although sizable number of working women left their jobs and returned to their traditional roles inside their homes after the war, other sections of the women wanted to continue in their jobs. They felt liberated and also socially as well as financially independent because of the jobs, and wanted to continue in the same path. Thus, the women who were supposed to give back the jobs to the men started resisting because of their new found positive status. This led to gender confrontation, as the returning soldiers faced a lot of difficulties in finding jobs in post war societies in European countries and United States of America. After serving the country, the men expected jobs and comfort in their homes. However, with women wanting to continue in their jobs, they faced difficulties in both the fronts. This led to confrontation between the genders in both at the home and at the workplace. Due to the growing influence of the women, men felt threatened and they responded with harassment and discrimination against the women. â€Å"The independence given to women during the war and its removal with the advent of the returning men, had a definitive effect on gender relations† (Study World). This scenario also laid the ‘seeds’ for the raise of Women rights movements in various countries. With working women being confined to their homes, the women

Friday, September 6, 2019

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road Essay Example for Free

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road Essay Life can be cruel.   In most cases, it squeezes the hell out of us.   Nevertheless, the challenge is to come out unscathed.   But do we always achieve this?   And if so, what do we get out of every excruciating pain we have to endure?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The road to recovery has so many twists and turns.   It is a test of strength but more so of faith.   It is about believing in something we do not even see.   The kind of person we become out of life’s most ultimate test defines who we are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How many of us could actually say that living life is a breeze?   Who have not known pain?   Who can claim that life was pure pleasure?   Who has never cried a tear?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of us have been tested by time at one time or the other.   We have been bitten by its pangs a couple of times over.   We have been bloodied at countless instances.   We have cried a pail full of tears.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yet, we continue to breathe.   The sun sets and rises every single day of our lives.   We battle it out today for tomorrow has a challenge of its own.   We have to gain as much strength as we have lost or if possible, much greater.   This is all because pain will not die at the end of day.   Most probably, it will wake up the same morning we open our eyes from sleep. Throughout the course of our life’s struggle we do not usually travel alone.   Someone keeps us company.   Even just for a while, we journey life’s path with a companion.   It makes the burden a lot easier and even more meaningful.   We are reminded that life after all is about building relationships that sees us through the most trying of times. Life gives us people to guide and accompany us as we thread down the road.   Sometimes they live long enough to witness our feat.   But usually they do not.   Nevertheless, they serve their purpose. They provide comfort whenever we are afraid.   They wipe our tears dry and lull us to sleep to regain lost strength.   They give us hope in the most miserable of circumstances.   They teach us to see another day as a chance to turn things around.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When every one else have left, who do we turn to?   When the material wealth we have is none, how can we move on?   When fate turns against us, what is the chance for survival?   When it seems to be the world versus one man, is success hiding beneath the clouds of doubt? Whenever life robs us of our possessions, may we find comfort in knowing that we have not lost it all.   Our family will remain to be the wealth exclusively our own.   Neither fate nor circumstance can take it away from us.   It is something ours, and ours alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A father’s love can be the only thing that can make us possibly walk another mile.   It could ease the pain in our hearts knowing that someone is guiding us through.   Whenever doubt seems to restrict every movement we make, let us be reminded that our father’s strength runs through our veins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story about a father and a son is not uncommon for many of us.   Universal as a literary theme is its message.   It transcends age, culture, race and tradition.   It speaks a language known by all.   It is something that lives and outlives generations and beyond.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A father and son’s story is about strength.   It is about keeping tears from falling even if you just wanted to succumb and cry.   It is about learning to be a man as fate continues to challenge his ability to remain brave and undefeated. Nothing can be more painful than seeing death happen right through our very eyes.   Nothing can be more frightening than the thought that the next victim could possibly be me.   Nothing can be more frustrating than realizing that tomorrow will just be like any other day of violence and death.   Nothing can be much harder than believing that things happen for a reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How can we possibly live when life on earth seems to be empty, both literally and figuratively?   We all know that it would not always be a bed of roses.   But why does it seem to be usually a bed of thorns?   How much pain can a man endure?   What is the real essence of suffering?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cormac McCarthy’s novel entitled The Road, is dedicated to his son, John Francis McCarthy. The novel a finalist of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction and a recipient of both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Pulitzer Price for fiction unfolds the journey of a man and a boy across a post – apocalyptic panorama.   The background signifies what was left after a great cataclysm made existence on this earth almost unheard of (McCarthy, 2006). Whoever said that life must go on may not know of a lot about surviving death.   Whenever we witness death, it feels like a part of us has also stopped breathing.   It leaves us numb and unaware that the world around us continues to run its course. Life must go on indeed.   This statement must be true after all.   No matter how hard and how unimaginable it may seem we are all compelled to do it just the same.   We cannot pause for a moment and recollect our lost selves before anything else.   Time passes by and once lost, it can never be regained.   Sometimes, we just got to keep on moving no matter what.   Move on and go on and trust that life may lead us to rest right when we need it the most. Death should remind us that life is lived just once.   We may not be able to control what lies on the bend of the road, but we still have to thread it, nevertheless.   Death reminds us that we have to give meaning to our existence.   This is the challenge we all have to face. In the dark tunnel of death, life is the light at the end of it.   It may be seen as a symbol of a cycle.   Every end can be the start of something new.   For every chapter of life that has been told precedes another story yet to unfold. This is but the cycle of life.   It is a never ending story about life and death.   More importantly, it is a challenge of living a life of worth to make death as important.   For death could mean something only if the life lost left a void. There may be times when giving up is all too tempting.   Enduring the most painful events of life is really too exhausting.   These are the moments when we beg of death.   These are the times when life appears to be worthless.   We are sometimes too consumed by pain that we seem to believe that life is hell on earth. Life does not come without pain.   Every once in a while or sometimes a little too often pain is thrown on our way.   Whenever it does, it reminds us that we are very much alive.   It makes us feel so human.   It makes things so real.   The sweetness of pain lies on our ability to bear its bitterness. Even so, life may not really be all about pain and suffering.   We can surely get some sweetness from it when we squeeze it dry.   There is some kind of balance in the world we live in.   Goodness surely lies on some corner.   It may take time and a lot of effort in between, but it is there as it has always been. The most challenging of all circumstances teaches a lesson or two.   Things happen not to make man resolve into thinking that life is a crazy game of pessimism.   While there is ruthlessness, there is goodness. Goodness comes in the most unexpected of packages.   It comes during the most unanticipated of times.   It comes when we have almost given up.   It comes at just the right moment to remind us that it was worth it to hold on. Holding on is oftentimes the only thing left to do.   It may not be the most logical but it could possibly be the most practical.   Some people come into our lives and quietly go but they leave us a message that speaks so clear and sound.   It is from strangers that we gain the wisdom we would not have otherwise known. And this could be the beauty of life.   That after all the pain, we may be able to smile again.   Just when we thought that we can never know life to be kind, someone teaches us the value of optimism.   When gravity seems to pull us down while trying to hold on with all our might, a helping hand extends for the taking. Just when we get so near the end of our rope, let us find comfort that someone is at the other end to take over.     Ã‚  They pull us through when we might have lost all the strength that is left.   They are once a stranger we crossed paths with.   But before the road takes us to yet another bend, each other are no more strangers.   For that walk we shared has left some of the most important lessons we can never forget. Life is hard but we are tougher.   It can take away everything but we can always leave some bit of hope deep inside our hearts.   We may not have anymore tears left to cry.   We may be left with broken bones and battered ego.   But if we continue to struggle along the road and combat every imaginable obstacle there is, we can still be hailed victors of the finest kind. May we not lose hope on the promise of yet another sunrise no matter how painful life has made known itself to man.   Life takes on a whole new meaning when it is lived not for thy self.   A life lived in this way is noble in all the ways that matter. References BBC.co.uk. (2007, April 17). Novelist McCarthy wins Pulitzer. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6563291.stm Chabon, M. The New York Review of Books. (2007, February 15). After the Apocalypse. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19856. Conlon, M. Reuters. (2007, June 5). Writer Cormac McCarthy confides in Oprah Winfrey. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN0526436120070605?pageNumber=1. Empire. (2007, April 2). John Hillcoat Hits The Road An adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=20573. Guardian.co.uk. (2007, October 30). Civilisation ends with a shutdown of human concern.   Are we there already? Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2201594,00.html. Jones, M. (2006). On the Lost Highway. Newsweek. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://services.newsweek.com//search.aspx?offset=0pageSize=10sortField=pu bdatetimesortDirection=descendingmode=summaryq=on+the+lost+highway site-search-submit.x=33site-search-submit.y=7 Keller, J. (2007). Oprah’s selection a real shocker; Winfrey, McCarthy strange bookfellows. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1246151131.html?dids=12461 51131:1246151131FMT=ABSFMTS=ABS:FTtype=currentdate=Mar+29 %2C+2007author=Julia+Kellerpub=Chicago+Tribuneedition=startpage=1 desc=Oprah%27s+selection+a+real+shocker+. Kennedy, W. (2001). Left Behind. The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/books/review/Kennedy.t.html?ex=1189396800en=6d113b5a5cbaf19bei=5070 McCarthy, C. (2006). The Road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. National Book Critics Circle. (2006). NBCC Awards Finalists. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.bookcritics.org/?go=finalists

Thursday, September 5, 2019

The Influence of Police Culture

The Influence of Police Culture In order to appropriately address the topic of discussion, firstly, it is important to understand what is meant by the concept police culture. After establishing its definition, it then becomes a task to assess whether police culture does indeed have a negative influence on the way the police work as an institution or whether it merely ensures that a certain level of consistency in achieved in terms of the way officers conduct themselves in their daily working environment. The term police culture has in itself been a topic of some discussion with sociologists being divided over what the definition should and should not include as there isnt an established, concrete definition of the concept. For example one contributor who has attempted to rectify this problem is Reiner (1992) who describes it as the values, norms, perspectives and craft rules which inform police conduct (Reiner 1992 quoted in Loftus 2009: 3). Whereas another definition comes from Manning (1989) who defines it as accepted practices, rules, and principles of conduct that are situationally applied, and generalised rationales and beliefs (Manning 1989 quoted in Loftus 2009: 3). Although these definitions dont appear too different at first glance, there is in fact a clear distinction between the two that should and must be made mainly the fact that Manning stresses that such principles of conduct are situationally applied, which of course suggests that police culture is not always necessa rily influential to an officers conduct. Some officers can and do hold a certain level of professionalism when taking to the streets and any values which may corrupt such professionalism remains behind closed doors in the company of their colleagues only. Yet Reiners provided definition suggests that the police culture remains with the police officer when they take to the streets and he/she then enforces the informal rules which have been established with their fellow colleagues, which generalises that all police officers act in accordance to the police culture . However what must be taken from both definitions is that there is reason to suggest that there is a network of a shared set of norms and values within police forces which could potentially have an effect on how they operate in a working environment. What also must be stressed is that there is also a distinction between the terms police culture or cop culture (as its otherwise known) and canteen culture which is another concept which crops up time and time again in countless criminology texts. Canteen culture, as mentioned by Waddington (1999), is understood to be the norms and values held by police officers whilst off-duty, whereas police culture is the norms and values which are expressed during the course of their occupational lives (Waddington 1999 cited by Crank 2004: 16-17) Newburn (2007) also makes this a key point by explaining that there is a common tendency to assume that what police choose to say and how they choose to act when off-duty is not only indicative of how police officers think, but also how they act in public. (Newburn 2007: 216) Yet Waddington has a problem with such assumptions, as he claims that this is not the case all of the time. The way officers act and the views they hold whilst off-duty, whether in the pub with friends or work colleagues is but a safety valve to release the pressures of the realities of life as a police officer (Waddington quoted by Newburn 2007: 618) Such an argument claims that in experiencing somewhat controversial views outside of the working sphere, a person is opened up to new perspectives which sociologists such as Waddington would argue helps to avoid them from being over-exposed to a particular ideology which could then influence the way in which they carry out their duties. But what also must be considered is just how valid Waddingtons argument actually is. Yes, of course in some instances exposure to different attitudes and values can be beneficial to an officer in terms of becoming more aware of the possibility of potential new threats, but there are also some officers who would then, due to any extreme views which they may have been subjected to, may target an individual or a group of people because of the stereotypes attached to such persons and not because of genuine suspicion. Police culture, it is claimed by Reiner (1992) has many characteristics in which it can be identified with, with suspicion being just one of them. Suspicion is an absolute necessity in the police force as it is suspicion that helps the police prevent crimes from occurring and therefore everyday working experiences encourage officers to generalise people into particular labels, whether or not this is a legitimate way to suspect possible offenders (Reiner cited by Newburn 2007: 618). Unfortunately there is a strong link between suspicion and ethnicity, with ethnic minorities suspected to engage in criminal activity more than people of white ethnic origin. The 2005/2006 Home Office statistics relating to police searches provide a great example for this. In interpreting the results of stop and search practices, 15.4% of the entire UK Black community were stopped under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE Code A) in comparison to only 1.6% of the entire white population. This d iscrimination however doesnt just end with the police; it branches out into other areas of the criminal justice system such as the prison service. Genders Player in (1989) claimed that prison officers sometimes use active stereotypes and labels to help order their working environments by predicting inmate behaviour in order to maintain authority at all times. Prisoners within the ethnic minority demographic were perceived as having a chip on their shoulder, as they felt they were being victims of racial persecution and thus the officers paid more attention to monitoring their behaviour. Arguably the most problematic characteristic of a police culture in terms of the impact it has on police and community relations is the element of racial prejudice. One of the most notable examples of racial prejudices derives within the Macpherson Report (1999), arguably the most notable report in criminology, which followed the death of black teenager Stephen Lawrence. The report found that the police were institutionally racist after discovering that police were ignoring crucial evidence to the investigation and were displaying discrimination in the interviewing process of suspects suggesting that it was black on black crime, despite Lawrences friend (an eye witness) being adamant that it was a racially motivated murder. Despite the findings of the report and the provisions set out to try and avoid the recurrence of racial controversy within the police, there is evidence to claim minority ethnic recruitment still remains low and there are still continuing problems in terms of pol ice relations with ethnic minorities (Croall 2011: 221-222). The aftermath of the Macphereson Report proved that institutional racism was still rife in police recruitment centres, as four years onwards a BBC documentary titled Secret Policeman was aired which centred on the police recruitment centre, Bruche which was located just outside of Warrington. Consequently after the footage of the documentary went public, the centre was forced to close so as to not further damage the reputation of the police. New police training systems were also introduced nationwide to try and expel racism from the police force as a result of the documentary. (The Observer 2004) How officers are socialised is of another great significance. The next characteristic of a police culture is the degree of solidarity, and it is this element which although is reinforced in numerous police forces, it is an aspect which is initially developed between candidates during the recruitment stages. Due to the intense nature of the job including the long hours which officers are required to work, the intensity of some of the work and the expectation of being the ones to prevent social decline, officers are encouraged to bond strongly and they learn to rely on one another, and as such tend to develop an us-against-them attitude. This resulting mentality, in some situations, leads to not officers making pacts with one another in which they agree not to grass on fellow officers for any discrepancies that they might have witnessed whilst on duty. This is more commonly known as The Blue Code of Silence. Just like any other subculture, in order to ensure cooperation and commitment to the Blue Code, a tribal value system is implemented which makes police culture sort of like a family structure in which members of the system will receive emotional support and security from the other officers upon requirement. Several police departments worldwide have been found to have followed the Blue Code, probably most notably was a New York police department which the Mollen Commission reported were to be covering up infringements of their officers. In such case where an officer was to break the Code, then his/her reputation and essentially his career too would be ruined as he/she would then be ostracised and labelled a whistleblower and thus it is the threat of this tarnished reputation that encourages the officer to obey the unwritten rules. (Loftus 2009: 14) Accusations of excessive force by members of the police force are far from uncommon, particularly in America. And it is the use of excessive for which Manning (1970) claims is a perfect example of police culture and how it can have a negative influence on the way officers carry out their duties. (Manning 1970 cited by Crank 2004: 107) However, excessive force is not detected in all cases. Victims of police brutality may feel that the odds are stacked against them in filing a complaint to an officers superiors and are thus reluctant to do so and may feel that even if a complaint is acknowledged and results in a court case, the judge and jury would overlook excessive force as the perceived perspective would be that the victim shouldnt have gotten his/herself in a position in which the use of force was needed in the first place and thus the consequences of their anti-social behaviour was deserved. Yet with that said, there are of course examples where the victim of police brutality are non-deserving of such treatment and thus the police force as a whole have come under criticism despite it being a minority of officers that participate in such excessive violence. For example a British police constable, PC Simon Harwood, was charged with the manslaughter of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests in 2009. Tomlinson was finding another route home after his usual route was blocked by the protests when he was struck by PC Harwood with a baton and then pushed to the ground Tomlinson fatally collapsed and an autopsy revealed the cause of death was a heart attack, which the actions of PC Harwood where no doubt a triggering factor. PC Harwood was acquitted of manslaughter, which only strengthens the argument mentioned previously that the courts are sympathetic to the police when the question of reasonable/excessive force is raised. However, it must be stressed that many police forces do have provisions in place to deal with any complaints of unacceptable behaviour regarding their employees in which inquiries will be carried out and, if found guilty, the officer in question may be reprimanded, suspended or permanently dismissed depending on the circumstances. Also, as in the case of PC Harwood they may also, if necessary, face criminal prosecution or at the very least face a civil hearing if the victim wishes to sue for damages caused by the officers ill-considered actions. But how are the police able to get away with these kinds of infringements? Again, it all relates back The Blue Code of Silence. As already mentioned earlier in the essay, officers of some police forces claim ignorance of any wrongdoings of their work partners and in some cases, they testily which is typically an American slang term for when an officer gives false testimony in court. Relating back to the tribal values, not participating in activities such as testilying would lead to an officer being shunned and sometimes even harassed to the point of retirement as they arent assisting their family members, in effect betraying their own kind. In 1994, the Mollen Commission found that some officers within the NYPD fabricated crucial documents such as arrest reports and warrants and some officers were found to have falsified witness statements for the purposes of manipulating the jury as they felt that an accused individual deserved it. This is particularly common in cases of bad character in which an accused has had a history of offences but has escaped punishment. Although corrupt as it is, testilying is merely seen as another way of getting the job done.   In conclusion, there is a huge interest towards police culture due to the impact it can and sometimes does have on society. if it is to have an influence on the way the police go about their work. The police hold a massively important role to society as they are a visible symbol of law and order and are granted various powers such as those which enable them to arrest members of the public who they feel prove a threat to the rest of society. Although most officers do operate in a reasonable manner, it is generally the actions of the minority which enable the public to misconceive that all officers are bigoted and aggressive. Such generalisations lead to a mass distrust of the police and tensions then begin to occur between the police and their publics. You only need to look at the summer riots of 2011 (which were reported to have been sparked by an officers seemingly unauthorised use of deadly force on a suspect) to see just how damaging poor police-community relations can be to the p olices image as a social institution.