Monday, September 30, 2019

Difference of Athens and Han China Essay

To the question how great were the differences of classical Athens and Han china? My interpretation is that there was a huge difference in these two empires. Like there form of government, art, geography, and population. In classical Greece (9th–6th centuries BCE) the form of government is a democracy which is ‘administration is in the hands of, not of a few, but of the whole people’ (Pericles). Where as in Han china (206 BCE – 220 CE) the form of government is a bureaucracy which is a body of non-elective government officials. ‘The emperor appointed governors to each district for his domain’. Also in classical Greece the art was different than Han china. In Han china the art was more focused on nature, and how nature is more important, and how we should be in harmony with nature. ‘Each separate being in the universe returns to the common source. Returning to the source is serenity.’(Lao-tzu ) where as in classical Greece the art was more focused on the ideal man. ‘The world is full of wonders but nothing is more wonderful than man.’(Sophocles). The geography was also completely different. In classical Greece the area was surrounded by water and the empire was smaller than the Han Empire . And the population was different where classical Greece had a total population 315,000 people. Han china had a total population 65,000,000 people. These are the reason that are why there was a huge difference in classical Greece and Han china.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

My Virtual Life Report Essay

Attachment is defined as the positive emotional bond that develops between a child and a particular individual. Of the four major patterns of attachment (secure, avoidant, ambivalent and disorganized-disoriented), I would consider Blair securely attached. Like other children who have a secure attachment pattern, Blair uses me, her mother, as a type of home base (Feldman, 2012). At 8 months Blair is cautious and shy in new situations. She has a typical fear of strangers but will eventually warm up somewhat to a new situation. Blair shows a strong preference for me over others. I am always talking and thinking about Blair. When my husband and I find time to go out, I find myself worrying and calling grandma to make sure she is doing all right. Set 2: 19 months-TEMPERAMENT Blair has a somewhat moderate activity level. She enjoys her quiet time activities, but she also loves climbing and exploring her environment. As far as sociability goes, I would say that Blair is more introverted. This means that she is less sociable (myvirtuallife. com, n. d. ). At 19 months she seemed to not like playing with the other kids at daycare and had a hard time warming up to anyone who she wasn’t super close to. I would consider Blair a slow-to-warm up child. She shows relatively calm reactions to her environment. She tends to be withdrawn from new situations, adapting slowly. Blair is pretty cooperative for the most part, but she sometimes resists me. She usually just whines and fusses and is not usually aggressive. Her self-control is very good, but one may say that she is somewhat emotional. When she gets upset it is sometimes hard for her to calm down. Blair has been fairly stable in terms of her temperament throughout the last 18 months. Blair’s goodness of fit is directly related to her temperament. When Blair was younger she was anxious with strangers. As parents, we are benefiting from the principle of goodness of fit by gradually introducing her to new people and situations (Feldman, 2012). Set 3: 30 months-PARENTING PHILOSOPHY â€Å"For cognitive development to occur, new information must be presented- by parents, teachers, or more skilled peers- within the zone of proximal development (Feldman 2012 p. 171). This, in other words, is when a child cannot completely perform a task independently but can do it with a bit of assistance from a more competent figure. This zone of proximal development is something I experience with Blair. At two years old she has got to pick out her tooth and hairbrush, but she still needs a bit of help with both operations. Another idea that Vygotsky believed in was the method of scaffolding. This is known as the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth (Feldman 2012). For example, sometimes Blair has a tough time communicating using her words.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Song of solomon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Song of solomon - Essay Example Thirdly, guitar is fatherless, motherless and homeless while milkman has both parents and is from a good home. Finally milkman is into women and partying while the guitar is into racial equality campaign and politics. Guitar is different from milkman in various ways not only in upbringing but also in his outlook of life. We see when milkman found guitar at the barbershop listening to a story about a black man trampled to death by the whites. Guitar is shaken and wants to protest while milkman is not bothered. Therefore, guitar having had a rough life of poverty and experienced racial discrimination at its worst is determined to speak up. Milkman starts drifting from guitar because their reasoning is changing since he wants to party with women instead of a campaigning. Moreover, milkman thinks about money and business and owning property, guitar thinks about bettering the lives of black people. Guitars life experiences have shaped him to be a more patient man with humility and empathy for his fellow brothers. His poverty has made him to want a better life for his fellow black people. He has no interest in partying and women while his brothers are being discriminated upon. He has no interest in owning property and mistreating his fellow brothers and not caring like his friend milkman. In page 153, guitar tells milkman, ‘†¦cards are stacked up against us†¦ stay alive and in the game, makes us do funny things†¦things that make us hurt one another†¦don’t carry it inside†¦try to understand†¦ just forget it†¦ keep yourself strong†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ((Morrison,153). Q2. What kind of person is Milkman at the beginning of the novel? What makes him tick? What are his attitudes? What evidence in the text do you see of such attitudes? In what ways does he differ from his father? Is he similar in any way? Milkman is a man who does not believe in class difference in the society that is why he befriends

Friday, September 27, 2019

Motivation at the workplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Motivation at the workplace - Assignment Example Motivation is more of psychological processes that lead to arousal, persistence and direction of one’s behavior. Intrinsic motivation is driven by enjoyment or interest in task itself and it exists within individual and not on any external pleasure (Alexander et al, 2000, p. 54). Extrinsic motivation is driven by activity performance that is focused on attaining an outcome, it rises from outside the person, and some of the forms of extrinsic motivations include threat of punishment, coercion, money and grades (Jelencic, 2011, p. 3). Competition is also a form of extrinsic motivation. In the workplace, work of manager entails getting work done by employees, for this to be achieved; managers have a role to motivate employees. Motivation entails both theory and practice and its one of the difficult subjects that touches various disciplines. In the workplace, motivation is approached by businesses in different ways as managers try their best to motivate employees to work hard, how ever, the fact is that no one can make one work where that person has no desire to work (Podroff, 2005, p. 40). Effective motivation requires the managers to shift workers mindset and understanding of employees creating the appropriate set of circumstances in the workplace. Podroff (2005, p. 40) has argued that motivation is not and cannot be coerced. Importance of workplace motivation According to Jex and Britt (2008, p. 234), motivation is central in determining intensity, duration, and direction of work-related behavior among employees, behavior here refers to activities that employees engage in at workplace. Intensity of motivation determines the energy and vigor that employees put in directing their work-related goals. In organizational psychology, common motivation dependent variables include employees’ choice, effort, and at times persistence. Motivation influences the performance and well-being of employees. Kondalkar (p.246) added that motivation reduces employeesâ⠂¬â„¢ turnover, enhances their ability to accept organizational change, and improves the image of the organization. Ways of enhancing workplace motivation Bruce (2006, p. 7) suggested various ways of motivating staff, one of them is to know their need for motivation, once the manager is able to answer the question, he/she is well placed in engaging the employees at work more effectively and influence their workplace behavior so that they can act more enthusiastically focusing on achieving the organizational goals. Managers must also recognize employees’ real motivation without relying on myths like financial incentives as the only motivator; this requires mangers to evaluate the factors that drive their employees’ motivation. Managers need to inspire employees to what is meaningful and important, for instance, they can inspire the staff to think like business entrepreneurs, to take risks and unleash their synergistic and limitless potential. Effective communication is also essential in enabling staff realize the reasons for doing what managers desire to be done, employees may not necessarily be motivated by managers reasons and objectives, they would wish to know what is in the objectives for themselves, managers therefore must communicate to them so as to evaluate their purposes and causes and connect them to organizational activities and goals. Latham (2007, p. 4) argued that motiv

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Recruitment and Retention of nurses Research Paper

Recruitment and Retention of nurses - Research Paper Example The nursing profession is an important department in the development of every nation. The profession of nursing is even more important to the United States because the government more particular about the good health care of the citizenry. It is therefore not surprising that the Obama Government has devoted so much into health-care. â€Å"The Obama campaign estimates his health care reform plan will cost between $50 and $65 billion a year when fully phased in† (Laszewski, 2008). THE PROBLEM DEFINED Owning to the importance of the nursing profession and the inevitable situation of employee turnover and retirement, there is the urgent need for research and review into the recruitment of nurses to find workable means of making the recruitment of nurses successful, meaningful and mission-oriented. Closely related to the recruitment of nurses is also the issue of retention of nurses. This is because research has shown that one important factor for ensuring employee retention is thr ough positive and well organized employee recruitment (Fertile Ground Detroit, 2008). To this effect, this write-up is committed to researching and reviewing the shortfalls of recruitment processes and exercises that take place in various nursing organizations and institutions. What is more, the write-up shall critically analyze the failures of recruitment and placement exercises that have been going on in the nursing fraternity in times past. Much attention shall be placed on the duties of human resource managers in various organizations since they form the nucleus of employee recruitment processes in various organizations. Again in this write-up, the researcher shall relate the positive impacts of effective employee recruitment on employee retention. What is more, the employee shall give out personal suggestions on how recruitment of nurses can be made effective. PROBLEM ANALYSIS The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, CIPD (2011) explains that â€Å"recruitment is the process of having the right person, in the right place, at the right time.† From this definition, it is clear that there are certain processes and guidelines that should be followed in recruitment exercises in various nursing organizations. To this end, the major problem that has been linked to poor recruitment is wrong approach towards the recruitment exercise. Wrong approach to Advertisement Firstly, most organizations take the wrong approach in the advertisement and publicity of recruitment vacancies. This is because most often than not, organizations looking for nurses restrict their advertisement to nursing schools and few community newspapers with the view of attracting fewer candidates in order to save money. However, this limits the number of potentially capable candidates for the vacancy. Constitution of Recruitment Team Another problem has to do with the constitution of recruitment team. In some organizations, the recruitment process is left in the hands very few people. This however reduces efficiency because the work becomes tedious for the few people. Inefficiencies are seen when the people have to spend much time undertaking manual processes when those tasks could be

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Learning jounal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Learning jounal - Essay Example Team working also facilitates people with further learning related to professionalism. In professional lives, team working is very significant, as people are required to be in teams. Team working also deals with communication. Communication is a skill that accommodates people to deal with one another. With the help of communication, people learn about living and working in group and teams. With the help of communication, we are able to get information and knowledge about people’s thinking, ideas and skills. Communication is a two way process in which the speaker and listener both have to communicate in a business setting in order to facilitate further communication. Leadership’s significance cannot be devalued as it is the leader who is able to keep people in teams and who facilitates them to follow him/her as a torch bearer (Renesch 1994). A leader is one who keeps people motivated towards tasks’ performance. In organizations and companies, leadership is very persuasive aspect, as it is only because of leaders that employees accompany each other towards a single motive and objective. Therefore, while working in a team, I learnt about team working, communication and leadership, all of which are very fundamental in professional life. All of these skills are interlinked to each other. Group effectiveness is very crucial in obtainment of jobs done. For every task or performance that is to be done by a group, there are some factors that are necessary to make the group productive and effective. The key factors that influence the effectiveness of a group are the characteristics of group members such as relevant professional skills, interpersonal skills, balanced diversity and time frame, member role, group size, norms, cohesiveness, development, adjourning and virtual communication (Devine, et. al 1999). Team working is all about cooperation and collaborative working because people are not working as individuals but

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

WLAN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

WLAN - Essay Example It is also known as â€Å"Wireless-N".(Rathbone, 2012) It is the latest 802.11 amendment that offers the high speed data transfer rate with improved signal ranges than the previous amendments. As a matter of fact, the verified speeds for 802.11n devices are 7 times faster than 802.11g while communicating at 300 Mbps or more in real world scenario. Evidences proved it as the first Wi-Fi 802.11 amendment that has challenged the 100 Mbps wired Ethernet architectures. 802.11n supporting devices are designed for better performance at long distances, which means that if a portable device is 300 feet away from the Wi-Fi access point it will still retain its actual data rate. Distinguishing it from older versions of 802.11, where data rate and communication with the access points tend to be weakened when a portable device is that far. As we know that 802.11n has been standardized and groups in wireless industry such as the Wi-Fi Alliance have been forcing for backward compatibility among 802.11n and its previous version supporting devices – has reduced the risk of buying devices that may not communicate with each other or with older hardware. Studies showed that cross technology interference can be main issue for almost all the 802.11 amendments. A research based study in 2010 by giants like Miercom, BandSpeed and Farpoint Group showed that these huge interferers like microwave and cordless phones can be responsible for complete connectivity loss for 802.11n connectivity. The reason behind this is, some of these devices transmit frequency in band that is as wide as 802.11, while each one of these give out power that is equivalent or sometimes higher than 802.11 device. As we know that 802.11n inherent the MIMO technology. (Madisetti, 2010, p. 27-28) One solution can make it possible if we use a 3Ãâ€"3 802.11n transmitter. It will help in a way that all the interferences can disturb one stream while still two parallel streams are present for its receiver. The suggested

Monday, September 23, 2019

Foundations of Reading Assessment and Intervention Research Paper Term

Foundations of Reading Assessment and Intervention Research - Term Paper Example The key purpose of informal assessments is to match the reader to text. This purpose characterizes the second criterion of the 2010 edition of the International Reading Association Standards for Reading Professional (Gambrell, Morrow, & Pressley, 2007). A broad array of literary works ranging from conventional print, computerized, to online sources define this criterion. Informal assessments seek to make students have the essential reading, writing, and intellectual skills for complicated books. Secondly, informal assessments present an opportunity for teachers to offer responses to their class individually (Reutzel & Cooter, 2011). This opportunity comes about by acquiring information on students’ learning progress. A third purpose of informal assessment is to drive guidelines by removing guesswork and enabling teachers to target precise shortages instead of teaching a whole lesson or unit once again. The perception of print. Teachers sit with students individually, request them to read a print text, and later answer questions about it (DeVries, 2011). The posed questions should follow formats recommended by the informal assessment model or reading criteria. The purpose of formal assessments is to determine the volume of knowledge students have grasped from previous lessons (DeVries, 2011). Formal assessments can present a method of comparing one student to the rest of the class. Teachers can expand this method to comparing their student individually outside the class. The difference between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments is that norm-referenced assessments aim to weigh the amount of knowledge retained by a test subject while criterion-referenced assessments determines the knowledge a test subject knew prior to and after completing a task (Reutzel & Cooter, 2011). One should interpret data reports by comparing the data acquired with the question design and not try to change the data to fit the question

Sunday, September 22, 2019

1.3&1.4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1.3.4 - Essay Example In as much as every medical personnel has some insight on these effects, different professionals have varying levels of competence (understanding) in each field as a result of various specializations. This network of assistance is evidenced, for instance, when an occupational therapist decides that it is essential for the patient to communicate over the phone with their child, say in Melbourne. This is however difficult because the stroke suffered by the client has left them with a wanting arm’s motions range and scapulohumeral rhythm. In this case, a speech therapist is needed to ascertain whether the patient is able to use the mouth muscles in talking with the child while a physiotherapist ensures the patient utilize the arms and shoulders well by putting them through certain exercise regimes such as the range of motion exercises. In the example above, the consenting patient gets the best health care provision and therapy from the sound collaboration of these three medical professionals. Effective communication strategies between the three fields of healthcare ensure that all the relevant data and outcomes concerning the client are shared. This results in the best possible delivery of health care. Different health care workers have various beneficial views on healthcare that may stand in good stead for a particular client condition. Collaborative approach to healthcare instills confidence in the family of the patient and ensures that the families do not see the need to unnecessarily shift the patient from one doctor to another of different view or from one hospital to the next. There is thus continuity and progress in provision of care. The central theme of communication amongst medical workers became evident during the handover, in the movie, between the two nurses. In the first case between the two nurses, the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

English Mamet Miller Essay Example for Free

English Mamet Miller Essay Crucial to the dramatic impact of any stage play are the entrances and exits of the characters, as well as the motivations which drive these entrances and exits.   In both Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman and David Mamets Glengarry Glen Roos, pivotal events and sequences of events are set in motion by the entrances of exits of the plays characters. The   entrances and exits of the characters and, most importantly, the entrances and exits of the plays main characters, are keyed to the thematic impulses of the plays. In Death of a Salesman it is the very existence of an exit for Willie Loman that drives the plays message regarding classicism and the American Dream.  Ã‚   In Glengarry Glen Ross, the action of the play is framed almost entirely by the entrances and exits of the players on or off of an unchanging set than from various set-changes which set mood and pace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Millers Death of a Salesman offers one of the most famous and memorable exits of a plays main character in American theater. Mamets Glengarry Glen Ross offers ironic and darkly comical entrances and exits by its main character Shelly Levine. The most prominent impact of a characters entrances and exits on stage to an audience is to signal to the audience that the character or characters in question will either be apart from the ensuing action, or be initiated into it. For audiences the arrivals end exits of a plays main character are poignant and obvious symbols of a change in the direction of the plot, pace, and mood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Millers Death of a Salesman exemplifies how the entrance and exit of a plays main character can frame the entire action of a play. The plays first dramatic action, other than the revelation of the non-realistic and semitransparent set, is the entrance of Willie Loman who comes onstage carrying two large sample-cases. (Miller).   The image of a man, past sixty, striding onto an unrealistic set with two suitcases transmits a considerable amount of information to the audience in a   single dramatic gesture. Loman, merely by entering the stage, can be obviously determined to be a middle-aged man, lost in hazy memories of the past, facing an uncertain future, carrying a heavy load, and ready to travel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These qualities are precisely those which drive the plays dramatic plot and its themes. The plot involves Willie Lomans battle to make a home and living world for his family, to find meaning in his existence, and to salvage dignity from an undignified station in life. The theme of the play, which deals with economic disparity and the dissolution of the average working person, is clearly articulated purely by the image of Willie Lomans initial entrance onto the hazy, dreamlike set.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lomans exit, which closes the play, is similarly concise in dramatic impact and vision. Before making his famous exit to his own death Loman turns to emphatically address the audience. He says, Theres all kinds of important people in the stands; and the first thing you know. This direct appeal to the audience, spoken just before Lomans final exit from the stage, invites the audience to identify even more deeply with Loman and his plight just prior to his death. The breaking of the invisible fourth wall (or at least the bending of it) invests Loman with humanity and realism, bringing the audience as close to him as he possibly can, before throwing himself to his fate.   (Miller)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this way, the dialogue spoken by characters as the enter or exit the stage can be rightly considered a part of the exit or entrance itself and is, in a well-made drama, keyed compositionally into the thematic purpose of the entrance or exit. When Loman speaks his last word to the audience Shhh! the audience knows, even before his exit, that he is about to do something extremely important,. perhaps more dramatic and more important than any action up to that point in the play.   The dialogue is, itself, signaling both his exit and the plays climax. Lomans physical exit from the stage is accompanied not only by spoken dialogue, but it is immediately followed by an off-stage cacophony which directly contradicts Lomans Shhh!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This abrupt shift, from a call to silence, to a roaring crash, which modulates to a single cello note, wraps the play together thematically as well as granting the complex plot a suitable denouement.   The swift transformation from impelled silence to the off-stage crash takes the audience through a grand dramatic arc in the space of a few moments and encapsulates the plays essential message about the sanctity of the individual. By framing the entirety of the play with Lomans exceedingly well-composed and envisioned entrance, Miller conveys the essence of his theme through two dramatic gestures, each of which incites the reader or audience to identify more closely and more intensely with Lomans plight and fate and in so doing, embrace to the same degree the plays thematic message.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mamets Glengarry Glen Ross offers a similar thematic impulse as Death of a Salesman, in that it explores the dissolution and degradation of a little man in American society. However, Mamet, rather than opting for warm, empathetic audience identification, seeks to lead his audience to his thematic message by way of a study in ambition and moral ambiguity. Shelly Levine aspires to be a thief and a selfish and materialistic person.   The impact of his selfishness and materialism is conveyed, often ironically, through his entrance sand exits in the play. An example of this is in Act Two when Levine bursts onto the (ransacked) office-set with tremendous glee and confidence. He says:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Get the chalk.   Get the chalkget   the chalk!   I closed em!   I closedthe cocksucker.   Get the chalk and put me on the board.   Im going to Hawaii!   Put me on the Cadillac board, Williamson!   Pick up the fuckin chalk.   Eight units. Mountain View   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meanwhile, it is clear to the audience by the mere fact of the office being in shambles, that Levines victorious tone is   completely inappropriate. This is an ironic gesture, created by Mamet from the dissonance created by Levines up-beat entrance and the shambled state of the set he enters on. The irony generated in this gesture is central to the plays themes of selfish dissolution and culpability.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like Miller, Mamet incorporates important dialogue into the entrances   and exits of the characters and, like Miller, he utilizes audience expectation and the sudden change of the plays pace and mood to transmit important thematic information tot he audience. In this, both playwrights partake of musical composition where the various entrances and exists of melodic themes and passages indicate a shift in mood and thematic direction for the listener.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Similarly, Aaronows exit into the side-office in the same scene discussed above indicates a pending plot complication. His line We had a robbery. which comes just before he moves from the office-space to the inner-room indicates a shift in the plot. The line indicates that the motion of leaving the main office is somehow tied to the fact of the robbery. And at this point, the audience feels intensely, the ironic impact of Levines enthusiastic entrance earlier in the scene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The energy of the scene is tied directly to the plays themes and, in fact, encapsulates them for the audience. Levines initial excitement and dialogue are indicative of the ambition which drives him; Aaronows line and subsequent stage-movement   indicates both the moral ambiguity of Levines ambition and the potential repercussions for this naked ambition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Both Miller and Mamet decline to give their main characters entrances and exits of noble stature or consequence (as one might expect from a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy). Instead, the players entrances and exits are ironic, chaotic, elegiac, or fragmented. For miller the lack of grand entrances and exists invested with nobility symbolized the fragmentation and degradation of an individuals mind, body,m and spirit. For Mamet, the rather hectic and ominous entrances and exits of the characters in Glengarry Glen Ross   symbolize the disorder and fragmentation of modern society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As important to the dramatic impact of the play as dialogue or plot, the entrances and exits of a plays charters produce a dynamic relationship with the plays sets and situations. As noted above, Mamets construction of a pivotal scene in Act 2 is structured around an ironic entrance by the plays protagonist.   Millers unforgettable climax is structured around the tragic exit of Willie Loman; the plays Requiem in effect becoming an extension of this last exit, for it is the absence (the exit) of Loman which provides the impetus and motion of all that concludes beyond his leaving the stage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When Shelly Levine is guided meekly away in handcuffs by detectives at the close of Glengarry Glen Ross, the audience is left with the impression of tragedy, but also with a sense of ironic justice. The meekness of Levine, in contrast to the ambition which has propelled him through the events of the play and given rise to the plays complications is reduced, at last, to helpless culpability.   Ã‚   This resonance drives Mamets theme of social disintegration for it is not merely a moral failing on Levines part which incites the plays final, ironic tragedy, but the hopelessness of ambition and competition in an economically driven society, which values money over human relationships or moral fortitude.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By staking so much dramatic impact on the entrances and exits of their characters, both Miller and Mamet, create a sense of constant motion, excitement, change and energy, giving a sense of the ephemerality of an individuals existence. In effect the entrances and exits of Loman and Levine demonstrate the ineffectuality of the individual in an impersonal society, but they also manage to convey (usually by irony) a sense of the injustice which accompanies their characters ignoble entrances and exits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For Miler, the sanctity and nobility of the individual was more important even than death for Mamet the destruction of the individual through submission to material ambition was viewed as thoroughly corrupting, so much that his protagonist perceived victory only at the moment of his actual defeat. For Loman, some form of self-reclamation took place in his final, tragic exit form the stage; for Levine, self-reclamation is left as an ambiguous and unlikely possibility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Rooss depend on important entrances and exits by their main (and minor) characters to shape the flow and pace of the plays scenes, plots, and character development but also to transmit through gesture, word, and motion the thematic meaning, or message of the work. In each case, the use of dialogue, set-changes, and dramatic irony accompany the entrances and exits of their characters as a method for inverting (or subverting)the traditional, flourished and noble entrances of classically tragic characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Miller and Mamet each chose to articulate the story of little men. In keeping with these portrayals, they necessarily constructed entrances and exits for these characters and the characters the interacted with in order to present the theme of the individual in modern society, with a vie toward examining the moral implications of materialism, ambition, and classicism in American society. the entrances and exits of their characters proved to be crucial technical elements for transmitting these important themes.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Salinity Responsiveness in Finger Millet Analysis

Salinity Responsiveness in Finger Millet Analysis Introduction Salinity represents a strong limitation for agricultural production worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid and restricts efficient utilization of available land resources. It is estimated that about 7% of world agricultural land that nearly one half of the total area of irrigated land could be adversely affected by salinization (Kosova 2013). Most of the cereal crops are sensitive to salinity and have limited amount of genetic variation for salinity tolerance in their germplasm. Hence genetic improvement of crops for their tolerance against salinity will be helpful in achieving targeted food production to meet the demands of growing population. Conventional plant breeding approaches have resulted in limited success in developing salt tolerant crop varieties due to multigenic nature of salt tolerance mechanisms and presence of low genetic variation in major crops. Another problem associated with conventional breeding is that if the gene is present in a wild relative of the crop, there is difficulty in transferring it to the domesticated cultivar, due to reproductive barriers and linkage drag. Recently, substantial progress in elucidation of salt tolerance mechanisms, especially salt ion signaling and transport, has been achieved due to utilization of modern genetic approaches and high-throughput methods of functional genomics. Genetic engineering has been demonstrated to be successful in developing salt tolerant crop plants (Zhang et al. 2001; Su and Wu 2004; Zhang et al. 2001). Genetic engineering strategies targeting various metabolic pathways viz., accumulation of osmolytes, antioxidant enzymes and up regulation of genes involved in stress responses like ion transporters, ion channels, transcriptional factors and various signaling pathway components have resulted in production of genetically modified crop plants exhibiting improved level of salinity tolerance (Turan et al. 2012). Identifying novel genes, analyzing their expression patterns in response to salt stress and determination of their potential functions in salt stress adaptation will provide the basis for effective genetic engineering strategies to enhance tolerance against salt stress (Cushman and Bohnert 2000). Responses against salinity stress involve many molecular processes such as ion homeostasis (membrane proteins involved in ionic transport), osmotic adjustment and water regime regulation (osmolytes) and scavenging of toxic compounds (Munns and Tester 2008). During recent years, considerable attention has been given towards elucidating the molecular basis of salt tolerance in crop plants. Several important pathways involved in salinity tolerance have been identified in model plants like Arabidopsis and rice (Zhu 2003; Walia et al. 2005; Cotsaftis et al. 2011). It is hypothesized that exploitation of halophytes or distantly related crops or wild progenitors of cereal food crops exhibiting superior levels of salinity tolerance may lead to identification of novel metabolic pathways/mechanisms/genes involved in modulating salinity stress tolerance in crop plants. Several research groups are working on understanding mechanisms of salinity tolerance in Pennisetum glaucum (Mishra et al. 2007), Avecinnia marina (Mehta et al. 2005), Porteresia coarctata (Garg et al. 2014) with a view to identify novel genes for genetic engineering of salinity tolerance in crop plants. But much more concerted efforts are needed to identify and exploit diverse crop species exhibiting superior level of salinity tolerance which will help in identifying novel genes associated with salinity tolerance. Finger millet (Eleusine coracanaL.) is an important minor cereal crop widely grown in Africa and Asia, known for its high degree of tolerance against drought, salinity and blast disease (Shailaja and Thirumeni 2007; Agarwal et al. 2011). Investigating the mechanisms and pathways involved in salt-tolerance of finger millet could facilitate better understanding of the molecular basis of salt tolerance and therefore enable the effective use of genetic and genomic approaches to improve salt tolerance in major cultivated crops. Although a wide range of significant physiological mechanisms and genetic adaptations to salinity stress has been observed, the underlying mechanisms of salt-tolerance in plants are still poorly understood. The best possible approach to explore tolerance mechanisms is to compare the components involved in stress response in tolerant as compared to sensitive plants. The other alternative to overcome this limitation would be to pick up some selected conserved genes w hich may be used to perform limited transcriptome analysis among the diverse genotypes. With this background, we planned to understand the physiological and molecular basis of salinity responsiveness in finger millet in comparison to the major cereal food crop, rice. Comparative physiological studies were conducted with a view to prove the superiority of finger millet genotypes over rice in terms of salinity tolerance. Two contrasting finger millet genotypes were used for physiological studies and expression analysis of already identified salinity responsive genes was done. This is the first study conducted to compare molecular basis of salinity tolerance in finger millet with rice. Material and Method Genetic Materials Used Seeds of two contrasting genotypes of rice (Oryza sativa) {FL478 (tolerant), White Ponni (Susceptible)} and finger millet (Eleusine coracona) {Trichy 1 (tolerant), CO12 (Susceptible)} in terms of salinity tolerance were evaluated for their responses against salinity stress under greenhouse conditions. Nucleus seeds of rice genotypes were obtained from Paddy Breeding Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India and finger millet genotypes were obtained from Millet Breeding Station of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India. Effect of salinity stress during germination Contrasting genotypes of rice {FL478 (tolerant), White Ponni (Susceptible)} and finger millet {Trichy 1 (tolerant), CO12 (Susceptible)} genotypes were assessed for their ability to germinate under salinity stress. Twenty seeds of both rice and finger millet genotypes were allowed for germination under different concentrations of NaCl solutions (0 mM, 50 mM, 100 mM, 200 mM NaCl solution) in petri-dishes with adequate replications. Germination percentage was calculated based on the number of seeds successfully germinated and vigor index was calculated based on the shoot length and root length on 10th day of germination. Effect of salinity stress during vegetative stage Imposition of salinity stress Contrasting genotypes of rice and finger millet genotypes (three seedlings per pot) were grown in perforated pots of 15 cm diameter and 20 cm height (having 3–5 mm holes on the side walls and bottom) filled with 2 kg of field soil mixed with required amount of fertilizer [1.25 g of (NH4)2SO4, 0.08 g Muriate of potash (KCl), and 0.08 g single superphosphate (SSP)]. Three pots were placed inside a large tray containing irrigation water and grown up to 20 days under greenhouse conditions. Plants were grown during June–August when air temperature ranged from 26 to 34  °C during the day and from 20 to 27  °C during the night and relative humidity ranged from 60 to 80 %. Salinity stress was imposed on 21st day when plant has reached to 5 leaf stage by adding desired concentrations of NaCl viz. 150 mM and 300 mM along with suitable control pots irrigated with normal water. Progression of salinity stress was monitored by periodically measuring the electrical conductivity (E C) of soil (from pot) and water (collected from tray) samples collected from both control and salinity stressed trays. Physiological and biochemical responses of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes under salinity stress Contrasting genotypes of rice viz., FL478 (tolerant) and White Ponni (susceptible) and finger millet viz., CO 12 (susceptible) and Trichy 1 (tolerant) were evaluated for their physiological and biochemical responses viz., osmotic tolerance ability, salt accumulation pattern and sugar accumulation pattern during salinity stress. Measurement of Osmotic tolerance ability For assessing the osmotic tolerance ability of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes, freshly emerged leaf (5-6cm) was marked and increase in leaf length was measured at every 24hrs interval during the initial 6 days of salinity stress along with control plants. Terminal leaf elongation rate per day (24 h) was calculated based on the observations recorded. Salt accumulation pattern Salt (Na+ and K+) uptake, transport and accumulation pattern of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes was assessed by determining the (Na+ and K+) contents in shoots and top 3 leaves collected under normal and salinity stress conditions. Tissue samples collected at 21 DAS (days after stress) were washed with de-ionized water, dried in a hot air oven (70  °C) and then ground into fine powder. Ground samples were digested with triple acid mixture (sulfuric acid, perchloric acid and nitric acid in the ratio 9:2:1 v/v). Na+ and K+) concentrations in the triple acid digested extract were estimated using Flame Photometer (Elico, CL378). Determination of total soluble sugar content Total soluble sugar (TSS) content in the top three leaves of control and salinity stressed plants (21 days after stress) of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes was determined using anthrone reagent method (Yemm and Willis 1954). Fresh leaf sample (100 mg) was ground in liquid nitrogen and pigments were removed using acetone extraction. TSSs were extracted in 80 % ethanol and were estimated by the anthrone reagent method using glucose as the standard. Other physiological responses of contrasting finger millet genotypes to salinity stress Gas exchange parameters were recorded in the third leaf (from top) of control and salinity stressed plants of rice and finger millet genotypes between 1000 hours and 1200 noon at 11 DAS (days after stress) using LI-COR 6400-XT photosynthesis system (LI-COR Biosciences, Nebraska, USA). The instrument was set with the following conditions: photo-synthetically active radiation 1,500  µmol of photon m−2s−1; ambient levels of CO2 and temperature; leaf area 3 cm2 and flow rate of 500  µmol s−1. RNA isolation, Northern blotting and hybridization Expression analysis of already reported salinity responsive candidate genes in response to salinity stress in the leaves of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes were studied by northern blotting. Top 3 leaves of both rice and finger millet genotypes were collected and frozen immediately in liquid nitrogen from both control and stressed plant (300mM NaCl) when susceptible rice variety viz. White Ponni has shown salinity symptoms i.e., 11 days after salinity stress. Total RNA was isolated from stressed and control leaf samples using One Step RNA Reagent (Biobasic Inc., Canada) as per manufacturer’s protocol. The integrity of RNA was assessed by formaldehyde agarose gel electrophoresis. Total RNA was quantified using Nanodrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Wilmington, DE, USA). 20ug of RNA mixed with RNA loading dye (1:1) was denatured at 75à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 10mins and separated on denaturing agarose gel as described by Streit et al. (2008). The gel was stained with ethidium bromide and photographed. Gel was processed and RNAs were transferred to positively charged nylon membrane (Pal Corporation) using 20XSSC buffer. After capillary transfer to the membrane, RNAs were fixed by exposing the membrane to UV cross linker (Hoeffer, Piscataway). DNA fragment of candidate genes to be used as probe were isolated from rice cloned in pTZ57R TA cloning vector and confirmed by sequencing. Double-stranded probes were radioactively labelled with (ÃŽ ±-32P) dCTP using DecaLabel DNA Labeling kit (Fermentas) and probes were purified using Sephadex G-50 spin column (GE Healthcare). Radiolabelled probes were denatured on boiling water bath snap cooled on ice and used for hybridization as described by Streit et al. (2008). RNA blots were pre-hybridized in ULTRAhyb ® at 45à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 4–8 h. The blots were hybridized with 32P-labelled denatured probes at 45à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °Cfor 20 h in the same but fresh buffer. The blots were initially w ashed at room temperature with 2XSSC and 0.1% SDS followed by twice wash with 1XSSC and 0.1%SDS at 45à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 20 min each. The blots were initially washed at room temperature with 2XSSC and 0.1% SDS for 30 min and then washed with different stringencies for different probes to decrease background. Hybridized membrane were dried on blotting paper and exposed to Kodak XAE-5 film with cassette having Kodak intensifying screen for 1–6 d. The resulting radiograms were scanned in an LKB 2201 densitometric scanner. Results Effect of salinity stress on rice and finger millet genotypes during germination stage Screening of contrasting genotypes of both rice and finger millet against salinity stress at germination stage revealed the superiority of finger millet over rice in terms of salinity tolerance at germination stage. At lower concentration of salinity stress (i.e 50mM NaCl) the susceptible genotypes of both finger millet (CO12) and rice (White ponni) has shown better germination percentage and vigor index as compared to tolerant genotypes. Tolerant rice genotype FL478 was found to possess better germination percentage (35 ±2.9%) and vigor index (128.2 ±10.6) in comparison to susceptible White Ponni where germination percent and vigor index was found to be 16.7 ±1.7% and 70.9 ±7.1 respectively. Both finger millet genotypes i.e. CO12 and Trichy1 has shown almost similar germination percent and vigor index at 100mM of NaCl stress. Both rice genotypes (viz. FL476 and White Ponni) did not show any germination beyond 100 mM NaCl stress (Table 1); whereas both susceptible (CO12) and tolerant (Trichy 1) finger millet genotypes were able to germinate even at 300 mM NaCl stress (Table 1). At 300 mM NaCl stress Trichy 1 has shown better germination percent (40.0 ±1.6) and vigor index (32.0 ±1.3) as compared to CO 12 germination percent (24.4 ±0.9) and vigor index 24.4 ±0.9.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Capital Punishment Essay: Death Penalty Maintains Justice

Death Penalty Maintains Justice It is no triumph that death sentences are routinely carried out, or even that such a device is necessary within our society. Yet the fact remains that society does require a death penalty, and to believe that the topic is one-sided or easily answered would be a fatal mistake. It is best to note the absolutes of the death penalty - first, that once it is carried out, there is no reversing the outcome. It seems an obvious point, but it is worth remembering, as it warns us that state-sanctioned executions must never be taken lightly. Just as firm is the fact that in most cases, the death penalty is a matter of justice and equality. With most crimes, the purposes of the punishment are to rehabilitate the convict and to send a warning to others who would commit similar crimes. In contrast, the death penalty intends neither to rehabilitate nor dissuade others from capital crimes. Certainly, the threat of the ultimate penalty may give pause to a small percentage, but most capital cases involve a defendant who is far from rational enough to weigh the costs and benefits of his action. Still, this misconception of the death penalty as a deterrent is one limp argument constantly trotted out against capital punishment. Many people ask, "If the death penalty is working, why isn't the murder rate falling?" The answer is that the death penalty is a matter of justice and societal preservation. Some crimes so abhorrent, the convict does not deserve to continue living. We do not live completely in the days of Hammurabi's "eye for an eye," but neither have we come close to a crime-free utopia which would allow the end of the death penalty. Instead, we compromise, reserving execution for the m... ...ild, or a merciless killer? Speaking relatively, of which the secular left is so fond, those right-wing zealots do seem to have reason and logic on their side. The fetal child we know is innocent; conversely, we can be certain that death row convicts have done something to get themselves into their current situation. Therefore, if someone has to die, it would seem that we would choose the guiltiest person. While no advocate of the death penalty enjoys the idea or triumphs in the latest execution, simply shrugging at the horror of some crimes makes a mockery of equal protection under the law, and more importantly, the primacy of justice within our community. The death penalty enjoys such strong support - 66 percent even after the recent stumbles in some states (www.gallup.com/poll/indicators/inddeath_pen.asp) - because most people recognize its important role.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Alexander the Great Essay -- essays research papers

Alexander was born in July 356 B.C. to Philip II and his third wife, Olympias. The parents were far from a happy couple, and Alexander was raised primarily under the influence of his mother. At the age of thirteen, he was sent to study with Aristotle—an education that was for the most part formal. Aristotle promoted the belief that non-Greeks were naturally slaves, thus encouraging the prince's thirst for conquest. Ultimately, however, Alexander would reject this belief, at least implicitly, as he attempted to cooperate with the Persians even as he subjugated them. Returning to Macedonia after three years, Alexander soon had the opportunity to prove his strength in battle, as he subdued rebellions and contributed to his father's famous victory over Athens and Thebes at Chaeronea. But when Philip divorced Olympias and married Cleopatra, Alexander began to fear that his father was looking for a new heir, and the father and son had a falling out. Their dispute was shortly resolved, but both remained suspicious of the other. Indeed, Philip was soon assassinated by a guard who presumably had a personal grievance, though Alexander and his mother are traditionally thought to have played some kind of role in Philip's death. Alexander thus succeeded to the throne and began the inevitable dynastic purging of enemies. At the same time, he had to force the other Greek city-states to acknowledge his authority as Hegemon of the Hellenic League, which Philip had established. In doing so,...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Ken Kesey Research Paper

When writing a story, an author uses themes and elements which are related to his life. Many of Kenneth Elton Kesey’s novels including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest sustain messages which can be interpreted by discovering his life events. Ken Elton Kesey was born 1935 in La Junta, Colorado and lived with his parents Frederick Kesey and Geneva Smith. Ken moved to Springfield, Oregon where he spent his early years hunting, fishing, and swimming. In his teenage years, Ken spent his time wrestling in both high school and college. In 1956, while attending college at the University of Oregon Kesey fell in love with his high-school sweetheart, Norma Faye Haxby, whom he had met in seventh grade. Ken and Norma then had three children: Jed, Zane, and Shannon. Later, Kesey had another child named Sunshine with a woman named Carolyn Adams. Kesey attended the University of Oregon's School of Journalism, where he received a degree in speech and communication in 1957. He was awarded a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship in 1958 to enroll in the creative writing program at Stanford University, which he did the following year. While at Stanford, he studied under Wallace Stegner and begun his project which would later be known as One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In 1959, Kesey volunteered to take part in a CIA-financed study. The project studied the effects of psychoactive drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, cocaine, AMT, and DMT, on people. This most likely influenced Kesey to write about a psychiatric environment in his story One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Also inspiring to Kesey’s works were his night shifts at the Menlo Park Veteran’s Hospital. There, Kesey often spent time talking to patients which were under the control of hallucinogenic drugs. Kesey believed that â€Å"the patients were not insane rather that society had pushed them out because they did not fit conventional ideas of how people were supposed to act and behave. † (Cliffsnotes Art. 2) Kesey proves how just because someone may seem different than the rest of the crowd, society dumps them into a ward. Furthermore, Kesey introduces a normal person (Mcmurphy) into the ward, so he can challenge the authority of the nurses and can inspire the patients to believe they are just like any other human beings and their abilities to live a normal life should not be restrained by a nurse. In 1963, when the novel was published, it became an immediate success. Kesey was not only an author, but a playwright director. Many of his ideas were Shakespearean as well as real life themes which were inputted into his novels. Some reoccurring themes in Kesey’s novels include the fight for sexual freedom, and rebellion through the introduction of a leader. â€Å"Harding shuts off the buffer, and leaves it in the hall and goes and pulls him a chair up alongside Mcmurphy and sits down and lights a cigarette too. ‘Mr. Harding! You return to your scheduled duties! ’ Then Cheswick goes and gets him a chair, and then Billy Bibbit goes, and then Scanlon and then Fredrickson and Sefelt, and then we all put down our mops and brooms and scouring tags and we all go and pull chairs up. You men-Stop this. Stop! ’† (Cuckoo’s Nest 144) One of the many examples of rebellion through a leader is seen through this passage. This is Kesey’s way of freeing the patients under the conformity of the hospital when Kesey took part in the financed study. Many of Kesey’s famous novels and playwrights include: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Sometimes a Great Notion, Demon Box, Caverns, The Further Inquiry, Sailor Song, Last Go Round, and Twister. Some of Kesey’s most popular genres also include mystery and realistic fiction. In 1965 Kesey was arrested for possession of marijuana. Interestingly, he moved to Mexico and faked a suicide. When he returned back to the states, he served a five-month sentence in the San Mateo County Jail. After he got out, he bought a farm house in Pleasant Hill, Oregon and settled down with his wife to raise his children. He was going through major complications later in his life at this time as he had surgery on his liver to remove a tumor. He never recovered from the operation and died of difficulties on November 10, 2001, aged 66.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Vioxx Recall

IntroductionMerck, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical markets, had enjoyed a long reputation as one of drug companies that prioritize ‘ethical and socially responsible’ as their company’s main core values. They once had been recognized as â€Å"most admired company† for unbelievably seven successive years by Fortune magazine and also persistently listed as one of best companies to work for. With their flawless and honorable reputation, no wonder Merck ranked fourth in sales, fifth in assets and market values, and first in profits; where they earned $7.33 billion in 2005 (Lawrence, 2006).However, no one would have thought that someday, this company’s stability will be in questioned. That’s what happened in 2004. The company’s best-selling prescription painkiller, Vioxx turned out from a â€Å"blockbuster drug† to â€Å"blockbuster disaster† when it is believed that it increased the risk of heart attacks and st rokes. Consequently, Merck had to deal with many challenges; the plunge in the stock’s price, lawsuits, investigations and others. Until, in September 2004, Merck had to pull Vioxx off the market to focus on taking responsibilities for every trouble they have caused. This report will discuss in summary about what had happened; the behavior of  Merck towards risk associated with Vioxx, safety measures that should have been taken, the recall of Vioxx and some recommendations; which all will be explained further later on.Socially Responsible and Ethical MannerThis section will focus on the action of Merck; whether they have acted ethical and socially responsible with regard to Vioxx, and these actions will be addressed in terms of drug development and testing, marketing and advertising, relationships with government regulators and policy makers, and the handling of the recall. Also, this section will provide a few suggestions; what could or should Merck have done differently, if anything. George W. Merck, the company’s long-time CEO once said that, â€Å"We try never to forget that medicine is for the people, not for the profits. As long as we remembered that, the profits will follow; they never fail to appear†. This statement then decided to be set as their priority and guidance for every of their actions. However, did they really have acted ethical and socially responsible towards this value? No, they’re not. Why?Drug Development and TestingLet’s take a look at the situation first. Back in the old days; before the drug was approved, there are some doubt on the safety of prescribing Vioxx. Although it is still in the early stage, research made by Merck scientist suggests that there are high cardiovascular risks associated with the prescription of Vioxx. This was confirmed as stated in an e-mail by Dr. Alise Reicin (one of the Merck scientists), according to The Wall Street Journal. In the e-mail, she expressed her concerns in the possibility of cardiovascular events prior to prescribing Vioxx.She also had planned to communicate those results to her senior management; however, nothing’s happened. In 2000 (when Vioxx already in market), a research financed by Merck was conducted. This study; code-named VIGOR was designed to study gastrointestinal side effects by comparing it with the effects of taking naproxen (Aleve). The results of VIGOR later suggest that although Vioxx are easier on the stomach compared to naproxen, it also contribute to risks of suffering heart-attacks fives time higher.However, they denied the risks inherent in Vioxx by simply stating that the findings were in favor of the  heart-protective effect in naproxen. In 9 March 2000, Dr. Edward Scolnick; the company’s research director finally admitted the presence of cardiovascular risks inherent in Vioxx. Then, they considering to reformulate Vioxx by adding an agent to prevent blood clots (in the meantime, might reduce c ardiovascular risk), but somehow, they dropped the project. Analyzing from the situation above, clearly that Merck have not acted ethical and socially responsible in the Vioxx’s development and testing.Why? Here are the reasons. At first, if Merck already knew about Vioxx’s dangers and defects, especially in the development phase, they should never ever try to even put the drug in the market for prescription. Instead, they should finance and urge their research or scientist team to try reformulating the drug so that the harmful side effects can be removed, or at the very least, minimized. As for the results of VIGOR; where Vioxx was already there in the market, they should not denied whatever test or research that have been made and was proven to be true. Alternatively, Merck should have taken the drug off the market right then and explored other options to improve the drug. 2.2 Marketing and advertisingAs a fact, the advertising technique used by Merck and other drug companies at that time was Direct-to-Consumer (DTC). Granted by the FDA in 1997, this technique allows companies to directly advertise their prescriptions to respective target customers. To seize the opportunities, Merck then employed tens of thousands of sales representatives; mostly attractive young men and women. These people will then go to promote the drugs; often around the doctors’ offices where they will talk about the drugs and give out free sample.Aside of that, Merck also snatch the occasion by placing numerous ads on television, magazines and newspapers. One example of famous ad for Vioxx will be the ad featuring Olympic figure skating champion, Dorothy Hamill. In the ad, she slither elegantly across an outdoor ice rink, and later telling the commercial viewers that she would not let arthritis stop her. By all means, Merck did not act in an ethical manner in this term too. Why? Firstly, it does not communicate the full aspects of the products well enough; no messa ge regarding the safety precaution. This is illustrated in the Dorothy’s commercial, where the ad did not convey their message strong enough about it safety.It is afraid might exposed patients to prescribe  without having knowledge about the medicines, whether it is safe or not. Thus, what Merck could do differently is that, they should disseminate the full features about the drug, especially if the drug does inherent some risk in prescribing it. In addition; they can also convey the message simply by labeling or tag the bottle of the drug with some safety and precaution measures. In terms of DTC advertising, they should not put pressures on the doctors, because this might forced these doctors to recommend drugs that might not suitable for the patients. One way to deal with this approach is to forbid companies from giving gift or other forms of briberies in attempt to persuade doctors to bring their drugs to the attention of patients; since this is what Merck do behind the door.Relationships with government regulators and policymakersBack in the United States, the main body that regulate and conduct clinical trials to measure the safety and effectiveness’s of a drug before it can be sold to the public was the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To relate with this context, one of the reason why Merck became the leader in pharmaceutical industries is because it’s strong influence â€Å"at the top†. By lobbying, Merck and other drug companies consistently donate large sums of money to political parties, and this benefits them in terms of influence they had over some superiors, even at the FDA.The unethical actions of Merck were demonstrated during the â€Å"one-by-one† discovery of Vioxx’s bad side effects; where Merck keeps ignore the findings over and over again with various excuses. It is undisputable that such actions might be simply because those influences they thought they had over the regulators. If analyzed ca refully, their actions in handling the controversy might be influenced by the notion of â€Å"bribe† they have done over the past years; where they donate money to political parties. Thus, the act of so-called â€Å"donation† should be prohibited (fortunately, it was banned in 2003).Handling of the recallThough Merck consistently irresponsible socially and ethically in the way they dealt with the Vioxx situation, the handling of Vioxx recall from the pharmaceutical market seems to be managed appropriately and in a professional manner by Merck. On September 30, 2004, Vioxx was officially withdrawn from market associated with Merck press conference. In addition, Merck also revealed that the Vioxx issue was being investigated by the US  Justice Department, the Securities Exchange Commission and the US Congress. In this context, the only thing that Merck should have done differently is that whenever they found out any risk associated with their drugs, they shouldnâ€℠¢t wait any longer, even for one week, to withdraw their drugs out of the market.Rate of stakeholdersIn this section, the focus will be converged on the best ways to protect consumers of prescription medicines. This section also will outline what are the specific roles of stakeholders available in assuring the safety and effectiveness of prescription medicines. And by the term ‘stakeholders available’, explanation of the roles will be viewed from four perspectives of pharmaceutical companies, government regulators and policymakers, patients and their physicians and the court system.Pharmaceutical companiesNot just Merck, other pharmaceutical companies also should realize that they have a huge responsibility to ensure the safety of their respective customers, so that it can benefits themselves in return. As for Merck, who having â€Å"try to never to forget that medicine is for the people, not for the profits† as their touchstone of core values, they should have b een a better pharmaceutical companies in protecting their consumers. How? There are various ways to do so.First and foremost, and the most basic one is to remember the idea that medicines is for people, not for the profit. As long as they put people first, it is possible that customers will keep their loyalty with the company. Aside of that, companies also should realize that they are accountable to conduct more research and testing on their drugs before it can be placed in a market; so that nothing bad happened to their customers in the future. In addition, if their drugs do possess some risks in consuming it, at least put some warning or safety labels so that patients aware of that risk before prescribing it. 3.2 Government regulators and policymakersThis might be harsh, but the fact that all the problems occurred in the case of Merck and Vioxx are not just because of them alone, but the FDA too. If  FDA pays more attention, awareness and inspect on the safety of Vioxx more rigo rously, Vioxx may not be in the market at all, and thus might save people’s life. As a lesson, the following recommendations might help government to not let the same thing happened.First, drug-area regulators should ensure all new drugs that are going to be released to the public have been tested long enough and proven to be safe. In addition, all government regulators and policymakers in the field of pharmaceutical industries also should bear in mind that they have a huge responsibility in protecting the public against any harmful and risky drugs, so that they will not go easy on the companies that do not abide the law.Patients and their physiciansAside of government and pharmaceutical companies, consumers also should know their responsibility in protecting themselves against various harmful and risks associated with prescription medicines. One way to ensure the effectiveness and safety of a drug before prescribes it, is by looking for extra information about the prescripti on medicines. Consumers can do that by asking for opinion from their physicians and other experts, or even by accessing Internet. This way, patients will have the knowledge whether the drugs is harmful or not. On the other hand, physicians should be more aware against any types of bribes and kept in mind to avoid it no matter what, and be more honest to their patients to guide them about the safety of prescription medicines.The court systemTo protect consumers of prescription medicines, what the court system can do is to be more strict in the jurisdiction against any company that do not abide the law in assuring the safety of drugs, and zero tolerance with those who attempt to involve in briberies.Suggestion for ImprovementsPrior to this case study, it can be said that the main reasons why there are so many risky and harmful drugs in market are because the pressures put on the FDA to approve new drugs faster by consumers and drug companies alike. This led the FDA to sometimes overlo ok the risk and safety of certain drugs because of the pressure to meet the demands for these medicines. In this context, one of the changes that can be made is the FDA should extend the  time of approval of new drugs so that any necessary research can be made. This thus led to a better knowledge about the safety of the drugs before it can be sold into a market.Aside of that, DTC advertising system also need to be monitored continuously so that any acts of bribe such as gift, donation, etc. can be avoided. Lastly, it is suggested that all present system that regulates the law and policy of pharmaceutical industries to put some restrictions and even punishment for those companies that simply do not comply with the standards set.ConclusionThrough the case study, it can be said that Merck was indeed a successful company in their time. Although their low-point period was kept â€Å"in the eye of the storm† more than whatever success, honors, and recognition they did achieved be fore, Merck should be more appreciated for whatever great things that they have done in the past years. If only Merck do patience a little bit and not to rush with the introduction of Vioxx; instead they spent a longer time in minimizing the risks inherent in Vioxx to a much more safer, it is possible that Merck might continue to be one of the most successful company in today’s world.Unfortunately, the past cannot be changed. What was left for Merck now is to build back their image, but it’s all depends on the company itself. Should or shouldn’t they? Of course they should. Everybody deserved a second chance. Yes, Merck did not act socially and in ethical manner before, but if they do get back to do what they were used to do; of course, without all those illegal and immoral behavior, comeback sure to follow.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Cultural Baggage Essay

In the essay, â€Å"Cultural Baggage† by Barbara Ehrenreich believed that you do not have to be the religion or culture you were raised with. Ehrenreich believed that everyone was their own person and could be who they want to be. She was apart of her own culture called â€Å"nothing† culture, that meant she didn’t follow any of the cultural acts that her family would. She believe she could do whatever she wanted even if it wasn’t like her culture. I think she was right with everything she said in this essay. I believe everyone should have their own beliefs and do things the way they want to do them. Because in life once you 18, you are able to do whatever you want without your parents permission. Her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother referred to the family as â€Å"nothing†. Her mother always told her to try new things because they all ate different kinds of foods and did what other ethnicities did. She didn’t believe in a certain type of culture. Close to the end of the essay, she asked her children if they felt any ethnic or religious identity. The children said ‘none† which made her very proud to hear that her children picked up on their own tradition to think for themselves and hoped for them to carry it on. The author believes that people today have a problem.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Annotated Bibliography on Teen Pregnancy

Annotated Bibliography on Teen Pregnancy B. T HCS/465 October 23, 2011 Annotated Bibliography on Teen Pregnancy Clinical Digest. (2009). Aggression is a predictor of rapid repeat teen pregnancy: pubertal onset age and conflict management key considerations in prevention strategies. Nursing Standard, 23(24), [16]. Retrieved from http://www. cinahl. com/cgi-bin/refsvc? jid= 530&accno=2010217733 This article provides data from actual interviews with teens that have has rapid repeat pregnancies within 24 months of the last pregnancy experienced and those individuals who did not. The study shows significant differences in aggression behaviors and how recognizing these behaviors early on could help prevent teen rapid repeat pregnancies in the future. This is a peer-reviewed article and was researched by clicking the peer-review box during the search process. Kelly, L. , Sheeder, J. , & Stevens-Simon, C. (2004). Teen Home Pregnancy Test Takers: more Worried or more wishful? Pediatrics, 113(3 Part 1), 581-584. Retrieved from http:// www. cinahl. com/cgi-bin/refsvc? jid=783&accno=2005077833 This article provides insight from a study of teens that used home pregnancy Tests. Were these individuals more concerned with contraception mishaps? or the affects that child rearing would have on their futures? The study included 340 individuals who were racially and ethnically diverse who were sought out because of visiting three different teen clinics for various reasons. The reasons included pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted disease testing, obtaining contraceptives and general health visits. This is a peer-reviewed article and was researched by clicking the peer-review box during the search process. McKay, A. , & Barrett, M. 2010). Trends in teen pregnancy rates from 1996-2006: a comparison of Canada, Sweden, U. S. A. , and England/Wales. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 19(1-2), 43-52. Retrieved from http://www. cinahl. com/cgi-bin/refsvc? jid=1558&accno= 2010691048 This article provides statistical data concerning teen pregnancy and abortion rates covering a ten year time period. Research concerning teen pregnancy and abortion is important t o understanding socioeconomic factors and trends in teen sexual and reproductive health. Trends have decreased in teen pregnancy meaning ither a stronger support system for teens to encourage control over sexual activity is available or there is an increase in contraceptive usage. This is a peer- reviewed article and was found by clicking the peer-review box during the search process. Medoff, M. (2010). The Impact of State Abortion Policies on Teen Pregnancy Rates. Social Indicators Research, 97(2), 177-189. Retrieved from http://dx. doi. org. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/10. 1007/s11205-009-9495-9 This article provides research from state-level data for the years of 1982, 1992, nd 2000 concerning teen pregnancy rates, abortion rates, and new laws and policies affecting the pricing of abortions and how these new laws and policies are deterring unwanted pregnancies. This is a peer-reviewed article and was found by clicking the peer-review box during the search process. Monahan, D. J. (2002). Teen pregnancy prevention outcomes: Implications for social work practice. Families in Society, 83(4), 431-431-439. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/230165951? accountid=35812 This article provides detailed information concerning study group demographics, nowledge and dating behaviors, and adolescent attitudes and how these details affect teen pregnancy and intervention programs. Are prevention programs helping decrease the amount of teen pregnancy seen each year? What are these programs offering teens to help them make more beneficial life choices? This is a peer-reviewed article and was found by clicking the peer-review box during the search process. Sen, B. (2003). Can Beer Taxes Affect Teen Pregnancy? Evidence Based on Teen Abortion Rates and Birth Rates. Southern Economic Journal, 70(2), 328-343. Retrieved from http://www. utc. du/Outreach/SouthernEconomicAssociation/southern-economic- journal. html Data from the years of 1985, 1988, 1992, and 1996 we re used in this interesting article on beer taxes and teen pregnancy and how they are related. The article provided statistical data showing that higher tax rates on beer have shown to negatively affect teen pregnancy and abortion rates. This is a peer-reviewed article and was found by clicking the peer-review box during the search process. Witte, K. (1997). Preventing teen pregnancy through persuasive communications: Realities, Myths and the hard-fact truths. Journal of Community Health, 22(2), 137-137-54. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/224047307? accountid=35812 This article provides interesting data concerning the use of pregnancy prevention campaigns and what they communicate to teens and adolescents. Campaigns according to the study should provide more negative and hard-fact truths to communicate teen pregnancy, sexual activity, and abortion in order to help combat future teen pregnancy and abortion rates. This is a peer-reviewed article and was found by clicking the peer-review box during the search process.

10 Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty Essay

Innocence and the Death Penalty The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty, 139 men and women have been released from death row nationally. The High Cost of the Death Penalty It costs far more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for life. Death Penalty Can Prolong Suffering for Victims’ Families Many family members who have lost love ones to murder feel that the death penalty will not heal their wounds nor will it end their pain; the extended legal process prior to executions can prolong the agony experienced by the victims’ families. International Views on the Death Penalty The vast majority of countries in Western Europe, North America and South America – more than 139 nations worldwide – have abandoned capital punishment in law or in practice. Inadequate Legal Representation Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether a defendant will receive the death penalty is the quality of the representation he or she is provided. Deterrence Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crime anymore than long prison sentences. Arbitrariness in the Application of the Death Penalty Politics, quality of legal counsel and the jurisdiction where a crime is committed are more often the determining factors in a death penalty case than the facts of the crime itself. Religious Perspectives on the Death Penalty Although isolated passages of religious scripture have been quoted in support of the death penalty, almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral. Racial Disparities The race of the victim and the race of the defendant in capital cases are major factors in determining who is sentenced to die in this country. In 1990 a report from the General Accounting Office concluded that â€Å"in 82 percent of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e. those who murdered whites were more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks.† Alternatives to the Death Penalty In every state that retains the death penalty, jurors have the option of sentencing convicted capital murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentence is cheaper to tax-payers and keeps violent offenders off the streets for good.

Friday, September 13, 2019

ECON DB2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ECON DB2 - Essay Example Cap and trade allows for tradable pollution permits. A tradable permit policy sets specific targets on total emissions and allows reallocation or auctioning of pollution permit allowances to industry polluters to meet their objectives. Companies that are able to limit their emissions more cost-effectively have the incentive to avoid purchasing more permit allowances and even sell their permit allowances in excess to polluters with higher demand of compliance. Under this type of approach, emission are set by the cap, however, the overall costs for compliance may be uncertain. With regards to Cap and Tax, a regulatory system is set that provides incentives for polluter companies to find cost-effective mechanisms for controlling their emissions. Firms will therefore pay taxes for their emissions if at all it is cheaper or reduce their emissions to avoid the imposition of tax for their damages to the environment. In cases of taxes to regulate emissions, the cost of compliance is known, but the levels of emission may be rather uncertain. A command and control approach sets fourth Emissions standards that are generally more stable as compared to carbon market controls. It is undeniable fact that trading markets, more so for carbon emissions can be unpredictable. Profiteering requires stability with a fairly of a secure investment decisions. With preset Emissions standards, companies can plan and diversify their investments into more energy efficient technologies that results into emission of emit less carbon. A key benefit of market mechanism is that it gives incentives for innovative continuous emissions reduction. In cases of inflation, market mechanisms are advantageous because they allow automatic adjustments to new prices and as such no legislative action is needed. An externality refers to a cost or a benefit of activities

Thursday, September 12, 2019

If there are deep differences in the moral standards of different Essay

If there are deep differences in the moral standards of different cultures, what implications would this have for the nature of morality - Essay Example In this light, all persons are entitled to decide what is right for them. Thus, an act becomes true for one person if he or she believes it to be so. Moral relativism is a widely held position in a post-modern world, especially in places where people use it to excuse or allow certain actions. Furthermore, moral relativism comes in several forms: utilitarianism, evolutionism, existentialism, ‘emotivism’, and ‘situationism’. All of these variations of moral relativism share a single unifying theme, as highlighted in Moral Relativism – Neutral Thinking?, that rightness or wrongness is a product of human preference, which highly depends on cultural and historical circumstances. According to another online article entitled Book Review: Morality Matters, there are four essential consequences of moral relativism to human societies: cross-cultural criticism, intra-cultural criticism, intra-cultural conflict, and moral degradation. Firstly, cross-cultural conflict points at the difficulty of judging morally objectionable acts of one culture, such as murder and terrorism. Although such acts are inherently and naturally abhorred by human nature, these acts are deemed to be beyond the evaluation of another culture. Secondly, intra-cultural criticism underscores the problem in consulting one’s ethical standards to the moral codes of society since, more often than not, these codes are subject to the ruler’s subjective viewpoints which may be logically and morally erroneous. Thirdly, intra-cultural conflict states the impossibility of solving disagreements within a culture since all beliefs are morally equal. Thus, choosing one belief over another is difficult for there is no moral standard. Lastly, moral degradation claims that the perfection of moral standards is hardly attainable since it is the cultural circumstance and not the conceptual quality of the moral code that

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Marriage and Monogamous relationships overall Term Paper

Marriage and Monogamous relationships overall - Term Paper Example 1However, â€Å"two lines of evidence suggest that the neural circuitry for human pair-bonding evolved with the basal radiation of the hominin stock, most likely with the hominin adaptation to the woodland.† The evolution of neural circuitry for hominin monogamy may have been caused by the emergence of facultative bipedalism. This is because bipedal ardipithecine, who had to carry their infants around, needed the provisioning and protection of a mate as they nursed their young ones. At the same time, ardipithecine males experienced a lot of difficulty provisioning and protecting a serial of females. It was easier for a male to provide for and protect a single female and her infant. Difficulties experienced due to optional bipedalism and the expansion of the hominin into the woodland probably pressured ardipithecines over the threshold of monogamy. Social monogamy refers to a situation where the male and female species has a distinct partner of the opposite sex at a time. 2Arth ur states that social monogamy â€Å"does not evolve from a common, single origin but arises independently through different evolutionary pressures and along different pathways in different lineages.† Serial social monogamy may have evolved as a result of a number of characteristics linked to hominin adaptation to the expanding savannah eco-niche. ... Individuals from hunting and gathering societies abandoned their young ones soon after weaning and from this time henceforth they became the responsibility of relatives and older siblings in the group. Therefore, ecological stress on couples in ancestral environments to remain together even after weaning their offspring would have been considerably minimized. 3â€Å"Moreover, ancestral hominins that practiced serial social monogamy, in association with offspring weaning would have created disproportionately more genetic variety in their lineages, an adaptive phenomenon.† According to Wilson, all known cases of monogamy may have evolved as a result of three biasing ecological conditions which are the facts that, 4â€Å"(1) the territory contains such a scarce and valuable resource that two adults are required to defend it against other animals; (2) the physical environment is so difficult that two adults are required to cope with it and (3) early breeding is so advantageous th at the head start allowed by monogamous pairing is decisive.† Majority of bird species are monogamous during the breeding season, monogamy provides greater defense in the search for territories with efficient food sources and scarce nest sites. Monogamy also acts as a tool for beating challenges presented by the physical environment. Due to the importance of the timing of breeding, a decisive edge is provided a mated pair cooperates. The kittiwake gull is a good example of an animal that has an early start in breeding, majority of breeding birds retains their mates form previous seasons. Divisions of Monogamy 5Mathur defines monogamy as â€Å"Prolonged association and essentially exclusive mating relationship between one male and one female at a time.† Monogamy involves the smallest

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Employment Law for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Employment Law for Business - Essay Example 1 Although the estimates shows that majority of victims filing cases are women there has been an increase on recorded cases of men filing against the female workers, a good example is the Britain's equal employment opportunities commission (Britain's EEOC) which has recorded eight percent sexual complaints coming from men. It is a psychological and sexual abuse which involves bullying and has been seen as illegal discrimination. There have been enormous lawsuits in courts concerning sexual harassment. The lawsuits has been having it's own outcomes on both the employer and the employee. The main purpose for this study is to examine the general outcomes of sexual harassment lawsuits for employees and employers, to help end the increasing sexual harassment cases between the employers and their employees and lastly to bring the true picture of law regarding sexual harassment. The rising cases of lawsuits have brought some serious consequences to the employees who are the victims of harassment. This leaves the sexual harassment victim with only three options of enduring the suffering, making courageous attempts to it a move that has a high likelihood of worsening the situation and lastly opting to leave the employment for a more conducive environment.2 There is a feeling of humiliation to the employee... There is a feeling of humiliation to the employee, in some varied scenarios there have been reported cases of physical injury being inflicted to the victim. There has been complete loss of dignity by the employee; this puts them in a situation of choosing between their self-esteem and their work. At times they encounter the inevitable thing of choosing between their safety and their job. It can result in job loss or career termination, this will mean that the employee will luck an income source for her upkeep. Disclosure of employee's personal life for scrutiny by the public. At many instances the victim has turned to be the accused while his/her personal life, lifestyle and mode of dressing are invaded. This humiliates the employee through gossips and scrutiny. There is defamation of the employee where she/he is sexualized in public a thing that soils his/her repute. This forces the victim to relocate to another town in search of a different job. There is increased stress on relationships with other people a thing that can lead into divorce. Colleagues will tend to distance themselves form the victim. The employee will loss trust on environments related to the one under which harassment occurred. The employee will also lack trust on people holding positions similar to those of the harasser. There is complete loss of recommendations and references because the employee is never in terms with the harasser. The victim will suffer serious health and psychological effects which will include lack of concentration, lack of sleep, depression, stigmatization, fatigue, endless headaches, abdominal problems, nightmares, loss of appetite that results into weight

Monday, September 9, 2019

Boutique Hotels vs. Chain Hotels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Boutique Hotels vs. Chain Hotels - Essay Example The variety of kinds of hotels offers a selection according to one’s preferences. The availability of chain hotels and boutique hotels enable the customer to consider the selections and what each can offer. Chain and boutique hotels may be compared in terms of branding, experience and value for money. Hotel branding is a fundamental aspect of providing a distinct characteristic to the establishment. Historically, the hotel industry is an interesting study of the market and the ups and downs of the economy. Hotel franchising is widely attributed to Kemmons Wilson who founded the ever popular Holiday Inns by offering the brand to investors who are willing franchisees. The franchisor, in turn, provides for a centralized development of the product that is consistent with the franchise name in all of its important aspects. Consequently, others followed suit and the Mariott, Radisson, Hyatt, Ramada, Hilton and Howard Johnson came into existence. Perceptively, brand awareness for the se chain hotels yields a customer base that patronizes the brand as a whole but with concurrent disadvantaged for the franchisees and the franchisor (Langois 7-9). On the other hand, independent hotels such as boutique hotels thrive by providing a unique brand that caters to a particular niche in the market by taking advantage of a good location, a personalized level of service and a different offering specifically for its target market. Technology has afforded boutique hotels to develop their individual brands to compete with the encompassing scope that chain hotels have through internet marketing tools and with the help of organizations like Leading Hotels of the World and Preferred Hotels that promote them (ibid 13-14). Subsequent to branding, the experience of staying in a hotel is a main goal for engaging the market. Ensuring that the clientele are satisfied with their accommodations and that the companies offer the amenities that are necessary for a comfortable stay is the mai n thrust of the industry. The emergence of boutique hotels as a suitable alternative to well-known chain hotels had become more prevalent in the recent years. These boutique hotels are independent and usually owned by a single or individual group of people venturing in the business. They are smaller in scale with around 100 rooms but where they lack in size they make up for in service as they are able to customize a personal kind of service because of the ideal number of guests (Balekjian and Sarheim 2). The difference between the definition of a boutique and chain hotel is difficult to categorically sum-up. Boutique hotels are associated as being design-oriented and offering a unique experience than the typical notion of a hotel while international chains have been known to be â€Å"standardized business hotels and scrutinized for providing consistency at the risk of being impersonal at each location and property† (ibid 3). A particular market group may be more at ease with chain hotels with homogeneous services while some may be more obliging to stay at a place that is distinctively with its own flare. Many new innovations are emerging in the hotel industry to answer the varied growing needs of the clientele. The boutique hotel sector is proving itself as a formidable substitute to the conventional hotel chains that are common sights in many destinations. Realizing the most value for money is now a major category in how

Sunday, September 8, 2019

The FIDIC 1999 Red Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The FIDIC 1999 Red Book - Essay Example In accordance with the Red and Yellow Books, it is the employer, who essentially assumes responsibility for risks such as changes in law, unforeseeable ground conditions, unpredictable natural calamities, force majeure, and environmental permits. On the other hand, the party assigned with designing, assumes the responsibility for its defects. Nonetheless, the risk sharing principles of the FIDIC are advantageous for both, the Employer and the Contractor. The Construction and Plant & Design-Build Books shed further light on the subject of risk-sharing principles. Overall, risk allocation notions and philosophies recognize standards of fair risk-allocation, like the following: 1. Risks should be allocated to the party that is in a better position to handle them. 2. Risks should not be assigned to a part, which cannot deal with the repercussions in the event of the risk becoming a reality. This paper seeks to explore the distribution of risks as per the FIDIC code between various partie s namely the employer, the contractor and the engineer in order to discover how risks are fairly allocated. Adoption by United Arab Emirates (UAE) In 2007, the UAE government adopted new contracts, based on the broad principles of the FIDIC conditions for construction, plant and design and build form of contracts. These contracts offer two forms, namely, Conditions of Contract for Construction and Conditions of Contract for Design and Build1. However, these contracts exclusively apply to public centre construction entities in UAE; thus, private developers are free to adopt any preferred form of contract. Arguably, while some new provisions are in the Employer’s interest, others tend to favour the Contractor. The Contractor The new contracts entailed subtle changes from the FIDIC forms of contract, that impose more stringent requirements on the Contractor and alleviate the balancing obligations that FIDIC had introduced to foster a more even risk-allocation amongst parties. Fo r instance, a noteworthy amendment was made in the Design and Build form, which originally was based on the Yellow Book. The primary philosophy behind this contract was for the employer to assume responsibility for both, providing accurate information to the contractor and delineating his precise requirements. In the event of discovery of erroneous information as provided by the Employer or unforeseen physical conditions, the Contractor shall have a right to recover additional expenditure and seek an extension. However, these aforementioned provisions regarding remedy have been deleted from the UAE contracts. Not only that, but the UAE law expressly states that the Contractor shall be liable for any subsequent defects in the design, irrespective of the fact that it was prepared by the Employer2. In addition, the Employer is to maintain responsibility for unforeseeable physical conditions. Sub-clause 4.123 serves as a classic illustration to elucidate the above point. It states that normally, a contractor can deal with subsoil problems; although, he might fail to make allowance for the extra costs incurred with regard to this problem.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

An Overview of Art Historical Movements and their Effect on the Movies Research Paper

An Overview of Art Historical Movements and their Effect on the Movies - Research Paper Example This is an American animation kid’s film. There is a lot of martial arts influence in the animation, which makes it different from previous films of its kind. It is however similar to some American film structures, for example, the TV Series Smallville. In this film, the main character, Clark Kent, is also sent to earth with a specific mission. In his quest to fulfil his mission, a character is developed, other characters come in, and a long TV series is formed with varying episodes. Currently, American films are so much influenced by martial arts. Samurai Jack is an American film based on a Japanese story. The presence of martial arts is, therefore, not a surprise, but it is an indication of the acceptance of martial arts, and its influence in American films. Martial art has been shown as a necessary skill in fighting evil (Schehr 102). The film is a sub-genre of animation, an animated children’s film. These sub-genres are designed for specific age demographic and the young. They usually explore the incredible world (Jenkins 7). This is exactly what Samurai Jack is all about. Jack is a superhero who travels around the world to learn different forms of combat. He is the only person with the powers to stop a shape shifting wizard. This is a world of fantasy, for all that Jack is portrayed as capable of, are exaggerated. The story, like any other animated children films, is centred on a leading role that has to fight in a scenario of good over evil (Jenkins 9). Jack has to fight the main villain, Aku, and other evil people that he comes across in his journey to fulfil his mission (Walt Cartoon). Samurai Jack Meets Wong Fei Hung episode. Almost everything is a replicate of scenes as seen in other martial arts movies. Wong Fei Hung is shown sitting down in a position similar to all other martial art teachers. The

Friday, September 6, 2019

Review of communication skills Essay Example for Free

Review of communication skills Essay In the group interactions, I was a class room assistant who was meeting the parents of a young child with behavioural problems.  When Mr and Mrs Shaw arrived I called them in to the office using a soft tone and with a hand gesture I offered them a seat in front of my desk. They seemed pleased to be meeting me and were very concerned about their son Matthew. They were both talking in a calm slow voice with varying tone.   I started by asking how Matthews behaviour was at home. Mr Shaw was relaxed and sitting in an open posture. He said Matthewss behaviour was fine and there was nothing wrong with him. Mrs Shaw became tensed and looked away from her husband and said she had experienced problems at home when Matthew was around other children, as he would become angry and frustrated over simple things. Mr Shaw sat upright and told his wife there was nothing wrong with Matthews behaviour and that this was normal. I reassured them both that this could be understandable as he is an only child and may not be use to sharing with other children. Maintaining good eye contact I said I was experiencing the same problems in the class as Matthew is becoming very disruptive and a lot of parents are complain that their children are frightened of Matthew. Mrs Shaw became very upset and did not keep eye contact with me, and Mr Shaw was now in a closed posture. In a strong tone Mr Shaw demanded what was doing to help Matthew. I leaned forward and using a soft tone I told them the school could offer support for Matthew as long as the parents were willing to help, I then showed them some of Matthews class work and the areas he was doing good in. His mother seemed pleased and became less tensed. I offered a special needs program pointing out the benefits where Matthew could be taken out of the class room for a few hours a week. Mr Shaw became very tensed and leaned back in his chair as his face muscles became tight. He said his son did not need a special needs program and this was a waste of time, I went over the benefits o the program again, speaking clearly as I read the most important points. Mrs Shaw was unsure and wanted to agree only if her husband would support the program, but she agreed to look at the leaflet and consider it with her husband. I explained how one to one help for Matthew would benefit him in his school work and also the other children, I then said they could discuss the program at home and decide, and then they could arrange another interview if they were happy with the program. Mr Shaw stood up and I handed Mrs Shaw the leaflets. I thanked them for their time and shock their hands, I said using a polite tone they could come see me any time if they were unhappy about any thing. I showed them to the door and Mrs Shaw was very thankful for my advice and agreed to come back and discuss the program for Matthew. Mr Shaw thanked me but did not shake my hand and made no eye contact with me as he left and I said he was very welcome to come back any time.