Sociology - Symbolic interaction and gay marriage Essay

Sociology - Symbolic interaction and gay marriage - Essay Example What is most significant is the fact that the society has to approve the same and not hold the gay men accountable for what they indulge within. There is a good amount of information available at hand which suggests the proper incorporation of the gay marriages within the society’s aegis. The other side of the issue suggests that the society does not quite accept such gay relationships. They believe that it is very strange to enter into such relationships because it would bring problems for the people who are spread in different areas of the world. The straight individuals feel that the gay relationships effectively mar their own linkages that they have with the people around them, and make the same look awry and skewed (Bell, 2009). This perspective has been reached upon with the passage of time as gay relationships have come on excessively in this day and age, and within different areas of the world more than anything else. The gay marriage is such an important part of the s ociety in the current times that one cannot look beyond the same. There have been immense comprehensions that have been reached upon which suggest the notion of people being against the same as well as the ones who believe it is the right of the individuals to pick and choose their own orientation.

Banning Smoking in Public Places Essay Example for Free

Banning Smoking in Public Places Essay Millions of nonsmokers all across the globe are in danger of serious health risks because of smoking, banning smoking in public places is the only rational way to avoid such risk. Smoking is the number one leading cause of preventable death. This killer is responsible for painfully taking the life of just under a half million people a year according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC.gov; 2014) People that choose not to smoke have to bear significant health burdens by inhaling the toxic fumes of the smokers by sharing the airspace. This airspace needs to be regulated and shared equally. Smoking in public has many problems associated with it, ranging from health concerns, societal issues to even the illicit trade of un-taxed tobacco. Secondhand smoke is a combination of sidestream smoke, which is smoke that comes from the burning end of cigarettes, pipes, or cigars, and mainstream smoke, which is the smoke exhaled from the smoker. There are no safe levels of secondhand smoke. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; 2014), there are over 7,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke and 70 of those are linked to cancer. People that live with smokers increase their chance of getting lung cancer from twenty percent to seventy percent. Children are the ones most harmed by secondhand smoke. For them the issues can start in the womb, they can develop a type of liver cancer during gestation. Pregnancies are tougher when exposed to secondhand smoke, lower birth weights, premature deliveries, and even miscarriages can be a product of indirect contact. These are just a few of the ill health effects of being exposed to secondhand smoke, and how harmful it can be Anninos, H., Manolis, A. S. (2014). Everyone has been touched by secondhand in some fashion, nearly every adult has walked by a crowd of smokers and had to breathe in the contaminated air. Science and health professionals agree it is time for a change, the trick is how to make the change. There are semi-valid arguments that oppose smoking bans in public that say it will hurt the bar, restaurant, and club industries economically as pointed out by Craven, B., Marlow, M. L. (2008). They applied the Coase Theory to the subject of economic impact of smoking bans. They propose letting the free market decide for itself when and where such a ban would be implemented. This is a positive and one that should be looked at further. Americans overall want to be healthier, millions of dollars are made by people trying to be fit. If an owner of a bar decides that the bar will be nonsmoking he will attract a certain type of individual, one that is probably more educated and one that is more health conscience. People like that may be more inclined to spend more, therefore driving up profits and keeping his customers satisfied. Another positive aspect to that is the inside of the bar would be cleaner and healthier for his employees. Outright public bans are an option too, however they take a chainsaw to a problem where a steak knife would be better used. One of the main problems with outright public bans is criminalizing the behavior. On one hand the result would be a general public that does not ha ve to deal with secondhand smoke. However the criminal justice system is already hemorrhaging with non-violent offenders and one more law to ban a poor choice is not good policy. With the legalization of marijuana in two states and the decriminalization of the drug in many others, outright bans are not going to be coming anytime soon. The government is doing great work on tobacco education. They employ social media, billboards, TV advertising, and radio spots on tobacco and how awful it is. One powerful commercial shows a fifty one year old bald headed, toothless frail looking woman with a voice box giving tips on getting ready for the day. Commercials like that have direct impact on smokers, and nonsmokers. When nonsmokers become educated on the total cost of smoking they tend to push loved ones to quit. The antismoking campaign also adds a certain amount of shame to lighting up. It can been seen in every parking lot across America around lunch time, people hiding by their car and smoking. There has to be a rational and fair solution for both smokers and nonsmokers. Rights of both groups of people need to be respected when devising a comprehensive smoking ba n. The first policy that can be instituted is to restrict smoking to no closer than fifty feet from any public, or government building. Violations of the buffer rule could be met with punishments that fit the crime, such as community service. The second proposal is to require smokers that have children be educated about the proven devastating effects secondhand smoke has on the youngest of our  population. This could be done through the family doctor or even a referral from the education system. This would be completely for the benefit of the child. If parents know to what degree they are hurting their children, then their logical response should be to stop, or at least be more cognizant of where they smoke and how much exposure the children have. The last, most difficult, but one of the most important course of action is the complete smoking ban in public parks. Parks are meant to be places to connect with nature, nowhere in nature is the air perfumed with the putrid sent of burning paper and tobacco. Parks are a place where adolescents congregate and often smoking is very much a part of the activity. People using trail systems or paths in parks to exercise or go for walks have all suffered by going through the suffocating cloud. Smoking in public needs to be banned, the benefits far outweigh the cost. The victims of secondhand smoke have no alternative, they must to continue to breathe the air that has been breathed before unless the private and government leaders take action and ban smoking in public. References Anninos, H., Manolis, A. S. (2014). Where Smoking was Banned in Public Places, Myocardial Infarctions were Markedly Decreased!. Hospital Chronicles, 9(2), 1-4. Craven, B., Marlow, M. L. (2008). ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF SMOKING BANS ON RESTAURANTS AND PUBS. Economic Affairs, 28(4), 57-61. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0270.2008.00867.x Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) Tobacco Fact Sheet http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/

Daisy Buchanans Role in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: The Great Gatsby

In one of the greatest works of the Twentieth Century, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, there are many dynamic and round characters which greatly add to the story's theme. One character, Daisy Fay Buchannon, is made essential by way of her relation to the theme. An integral part of the plot, Daisy conveys the meaning of the novel, with her multi-dimensional personality and her relation to the conflicts. Daisy Buchannon is a round and dynamic character with many different sides to her personality. Early on in the book, she is portrayed as sweet and innocent. Her white and seemingly floating dress appeals to Nick in this way. She grew up as "the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville." Even then she dressed in white. Daisy also keeps her daughter around as a show toy. Whenever company comes over, she beckons for the little girl to come and put on a little act for everyone. This is symbolic of Daisy’s life; she is kept in the closet until it's time to show off for company, then she becomes radiant and personable. When everyone has gone, she is a bored housewife, of no importance to the world wondering aloud what she is going to do with the rest of her life. She appears to be bored yet innocent and harmless. Yet her innocence is false. Simply a materialistic young girl and has little mind of her own is underneath all of that covering. Daisy rediscovers her love with Gatsby because of his nice shirts and large house. Daisy has been well trained in a rich family. She has grown up with only the finest material goods. When Gatsby failed to contact her, she went off and married another man, without evening having heard a word from Gatsby. All of these many and round characteristics add complications to the plot and dimension to the meaning she adds to the book. The afore mentioned characteristics also help to create some of the main conflicts. Daisy was involved in the conflict between her and Tom. Tom had a mistress and Daisy was upset by it. Another conflict is her love affair with Gatsby. Her apparent sweetness and innocence allow Gatsby to fall in love with her. But her impatience and ignorance of true love or the meaning of truth or compassion allow her to flawlessly marry Tom, without a sober thought of Gatsby.

How Does Robert Louis Stevenson use literary techniques to illustrate E

How Does Robert Louis Stevenson use literary techniques to illustrate the social, historical and moral points he is trying to make in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Throughout the Novella, ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, the author Robert Louis Stevenson uses a wide range of literary techniques in a skilful and sophisticated way to help achieve his effects and put his points across. Stevenson’s unique use of language is vital to the success of the Novella, with the structural and linguistic devices playing a vital part in creating the unusual atmosphere, which makes the Novella so successful. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde centres upon a conception of humanity as dual in nature, although the theme does not emerge fully until the last chapter, when the complete story of Jekyll – Hyde relationship is revealed. Robert Louis Stevenson had a very strict moral upbringing living in the nineteenth century, where class and social standing were very important in such a rigid system. The fact that he had such a religious background perhaps creates a link between the main moral point of good and evil and his disciplined religious upbringing, the bible teaching the importance of good and evil, and the seven deadly sins. He uses a variety of techniques to put across his views across on many social, historical and moral points. Throughout the novella the author gives the readers an insight into the morality of human nature by using different characters to represent the double standards of society in the Victorian era. The different language used for each of the main characters in the book is used to emphasise the character and their role in the Novella. Utterson, the lawyer, is described in the opening sentence of the book ‘cold, scanty, a... ...t that Stevenson had such a religious background perhaps creates a link between the main moral point of good and evil and his disciplined religious upbringing. This may have influenced him in his writing, (the bible teaching the importance of good and evil, and the seven deadly sins). The Gothic horror has been compared particularly to the detective fiction of Sherlock Holmes, with both works being written in the same period of the Victorian era. It is a testimony to Stevenson’s inventiveness as a writer that this novella has had this independent existence over a hundred years after the first book was published. Because of the uniqueness of the novella and the fact that such a wide range of literary techniques have been used, it is no surprise that, ‘the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, is one of the most famous works of horror fiction of all time.

Genetic and Environmental Influences in Alcoholic Tendencies Essay

Alcoholic Tendencies in people may be triggered by environmental influences, genetic influences, or both. Some people may be at a great risk of developing alcoholism because of this. Genetics alone can cause certain behaviors in people. If a child grows up in an environment where neither of the parents are alcoholics but the child carries the gene to become one, the child may have a higher chance of becoming an alcoholic as an adult due to genetic factors. However, because the child is not exposed to alcohol use regularly they may never exhibit alcoholic tendencies. A person may have an even greater risk if they have genetic factors, and they are brought up in an environment where there is a lot of alcohol use. Environmental factors can also cause behaviors in people. A person that grows up in an environment where they are exposed to alcoholism regularly might have the tendency to become an alcoholic even if their genetics don’t show alcoholic tendencies. The environment in which they consider normal consists of alcohol use. Therefore, it is likely they will continue with the behaviors that they are used to. However, because the child does not have genetic factors influencing alcoholic tendencies, they may never have a problem with alcohol despite growing up in an environment where alcoholism is present. Scott 2 Genetic and environmental factors influence alcoholic tendencies in people, but this does not necessarily mean having one of these factors will result in alcoholism. However, if both factors are present then a person might have a greater chance.

Using the PHP Rand() Functions to Generate Random Numbers

Using the PHP Rand() Functions to Generate Random Numbers The rand() function is used in PHP to generate a random integer. The rand() PHP function can also be used to generate a random number within a specific range, such as a number between 10 and 30. If no max limit is specified when using the rand() PHP function, the largest integer that can be returned is determined by the getrandmax() function, which varies by operating system.   For example, in Windows, the largest number that can be generated is 32768. However, you can set a specific range to include higher numbers. Rand() Syntax and Examples The correct syntax for using the rand PHP function is as follows: rand(); or rand(min,max); Using the syntax as described above, we can make three examples for the rand() function in PHP: ?phpecho (rand(10, 30) . br);echo (rand(1, 1000000) . br);echo (rand());? As you can see in these examples, the first rand function generates a random number between 10 and 30, the second between 1 and 1 million, and then third without any maximum or minimum number defined. These are some possible results: 20442549830380191 Security Concerns Using Rand() Function The random numbers generated by this function are not cryptographically secure values, and they should not be used for cryptographic  reasons. If you need secure values, use other random functions such as random_int(), openssl_random_pseudo_bytes(), or random_bytes() Note: Beginning with PHP 7.1.0, the rand() PHP function is an alias of mt_rand(). The mt_rand() function is said to be four times faster and it produces a better random value. However, the numbers it generates are not cryptographically secure. The PHP manual recommends using the  random_bytes() function for cryptographically secure integers.

Sexual Abuse in Indian Reservations

How to Write a Critical Essay on Domestic Violence/Sexual Abuse in Indian Reservations If you are tasked with writing a critical essay on domestic violence/sexual abuse in Indian reservations, you should follow these steps: 1) Starting Your Research and Taking Notes When you start taking notes for research purposes, create a system for yourself. Start out by having two colors for note cards or for pens and set one color aside for major ideas and another color for supporting data. Through the course of your reading, you can write down your main claims on one color, and then place the supporting facts you find on separate cards of the opposite color. Then you can play around with the physical layout of the cards to see how many pieces of supporting data you have for each main claim, or in what order you want the claims to be. Be sure to write down bibliographic information for anything you quote or paraphrase from your reading. For example: if you have a card where you wrote down the results from a study, write the name of the study and the page number from when it came at the top of the card. 2) Organization After you have completed your note taking, it is time to play around with the organization and presentation for your information. Move the cards around to find out the order in which you want to present your information. 3) Outline Write an outline wherein you ask yourself: What your topic is? Why is your topic significant? What material have you found that is relevant to the background of your topic? What is your thesis? What organization supports the thesis best? 4) Writing With that done, you can start writing. Save the introduction for last. Start with the body. Write your essay around the main points you want to present, as written in your outline. The sources should not function as the foundation for your paper’s organization. That is the role for the topic and thesis. Integrate the sources into the academic discussion you want to present. With that done, use the introduction to explain the topic, define any terms the reader might need, and reveal the organization of your essay so that the reader knows what to expect. Then write your conclusion where you summarize the argument for your reader. This is where you avoid introducing new material or simply repeating the introduction. Instead remind the reader what claims you’ve made and what evidence you presented in support of those claims. 5) Revisions Once you have your first draft it is time to make revisions. Check over the organization for your paper to ensure that the discussion is coherent and there is logical flow. Ensure that your paragraphs start with topical sentences and offer evidence supporting your claims. Make sure these claims refer back to your thesis as well. Check for transitions between paragraphs. Look over the sentence structure for proper punctuation, word choice, and spelling. And of course, make sure everything is properly cited in the text and in your bibliography. This guide should help you write  an essay on domestic violence/sexual abuse in Indian Reservations. You may also check our list of 20 specific topics on this matter backed by 1 sample essay and 10 facts that you may use to support your claims.

Lesson Plan Topics for any Content Area, Grades 7-12

Lesson Plan Topics for any Content Area, Grades 7-12 While every school may have  different requirements for the writing of lesson plans or how often they are to be submitted, there are common enough topics that can be organized on a template or guide for teachers for any content area. A template such as this could be used in conjunction with the explanation  How to Write Lesson Plans. Regardless of the form used, teachers should be sure to keep these two most important questions in mind as they craft a lesson plan: What do I want my students to know? (objective)How will I know students learned from this lesson? (assessment) The topics covered here in bold are those  topics usually required in lesson plan regardless of subject area. Class: the name of the  class or classes for which this lesson is intended.    Duration: Teachers should note the approximate time that this lesson will take to complete. There should be an explanation if this lesson will be extended over the course  of several days. Materials Required: Teachers should list any handouts and technology equipment that is required. Use of a template like this may be helpful in planning to reserve any media equipment in advance that might be needed for the lesson. An alternative non-digital plan may be needed. Some schools may require a copy of handouts or worksheets to be attached the lesson plan template. Key Vocabulary: Teachers should develop a list of any new and unique terms that students need to understand for this lesson.   The title of Lesson/Description:  One sentence is usually enough, but a well- crafted title on a lesson plan can explain a lesson well enough so that even a brief description is unnecessary.   Objectives: The first of a the lessons two most important topics is the lessons objective: What is the reason or purpose for this lesson? What will  students know or be able to do at the conclusion of this lesson(s)? These questions drive a  lessons objective(s). Some schools focus on a teacher writing and placing the objective in view so that the students also understand what the purpose of the lesson will be. The objective(s) of a lesson defines the expectations for learning, and they give a hint on how that learning will be assessed. Standards: Here teachers should list any state and/or national standards that the lesson addresses. Some school districts require teachers to prioritize the standards. In other words, placing a focus on those standards which are directly addressed in the lesson as opposed to those standards which are supported by the lesson.   EL Modifications/Strategies: Here a teacher  may list any EL (English learners) or other student modifications as required. These modifications can be designed as specific to needs of students in a class. Because many of the strategies used with EL students or other special needs students are strategies that are good for all students, this may be a place to list all instructional strategies used to improve  student understanding for all learners (Tier 1 instruction). For example, there may be a presentation of new material in  multiple formats (visual, audio, physical)   or there may be multiple opportunities for increased student interaction through turn and talks or think, pair, shares. Lesson Introduction/Opening set: This portion of the lesson should give a rationale how this introduction will help  students make connections with the rest of the lesson or unit that is being taught. An opening set should not be busy work, but rather be a planned activity that sets the tone for the lesson that follows. Step-by-Step Procedure: As the name implies, teachers should write down the steps in the sequence necessary to teach the lesson. This is a chance to think through each action necessary as a form of mental practice to better organize for the lesson. Teachers  should also note down any materials they will need for each step in order to be prepared.   Review/Possible Areas of Misconception:  Teachers can highlight terms and/or ideas they  anticipate may cause confusion, words they will want to revisit with the students at the end of the lesson.   Homework:  Note any homework that will be assigned  to students to go with the lesson. This is only one method to assess student learning which can unreliable as a measurement Assessment:  Despite being the lone of the last topics on this template,  this is the most important part of planning any  lesson.   In the past, informal homework was one measure; high stakes testing was another.   Authors and educators  Grant Wiggins and Jay McTigue   posed this  in their seminal work Backward Design:   What will we [teachers] accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency? They encouraged teachers to begin designing a lesson by starting at the end. Every lesson should include a means to answer the question How will I know students understand what was taught in a lesson? What will my students be able to do?   In order to determine the answer to these questions, it is important to plan in detail how you plan to measure or evaluate student learning both formally and informally.   For example, will the evidence of understanding be an informal exit slip with student short responses to a question or prompt at the end of a lesson? Researchers (Fisher Frey, 2004) suggested that exit slips can be generated for different purposes using differently worded prompts: Use an exit slip  with a prompt that records what was learned (Ex. Write one thing you learned today);Use an  exit slip  with a prompt  that allows for future learning (Ex. Write one question you have about todays lesson);Use an  exit slip  with a prompt  that helps to rate any the instructional strategies used strategies (EX: Was small group work helpful for  this lesson?) Similarly, teachers may choose to use a response poll or vote. A quick quiz may also provide important feedback. The traditional review of homework can also provide needed information to inform instruction.   Unfortunately, too many secondary teachers do not use assessment or evaluation on a lesson plan to its best use. They may rely on more formal methods of assessing student understanding, such as a test or paper. These methods may come too late in providing the immediate feedback to improve daily instruction. However, because  assessing student learning may happen at a later time, such as an end-of-the-unit exam, a lesson plan may provide a teacher the opportunity to create assessment questions for use later. Teachers can test a question in order to see how well students may do answering that question at a later date. This will ensure that you have covered all required material and given your students the best chance at success. Reflection/Evaluation: This is where a teacher may record the success of a lesson or make notes for future use.  If this is a lesson that will be given repeatedly during the day, reflection may be an area where a teacher may explain or note any adaptations on a lesson that has been given several times over the course of a day. What strategies were more successful than other? What  plans may be needed to adapt the lesson? This is the topic in a template where teachers could record any recommended changes in time, in materials, or in the methods used to assess student understanding. Recording this information can also be used as part of a schools evaluation process that asks teachers to be reflective in their practice.

Analysis of a work of art with a contemporary advertisement Essay

Analysis of a work of art with a contemporary advertisement - Essay Example Initially, these pieces had been applied to communicate on the ethical values or offer a reflection required within the society. Art has been evolved to represent ideology based on selling an idea to a market. This provision has been included in advertising with the created pieces holding powerful visual messages to the consumer. Art styles are applied in advertising, in the contemporary society, to highlight the message under consideration to give a piece meaning. With advertising, the key method applied to sell brand identity, and product description, art has emerged as a powerful communication tool within the contemporary society. An added provision within the art has been the application of advanced mediums to strengthen the image quality and buffer message reliance. The modern technology has produced advanced paints and mediums to be included in advertising that relate to the artistic style that had been developed. Pop art has been adversely used in advertising since the inventi on in Britain in the year 1955. Pop art was a movement of art that found the origin in Britain in the 1950s and the trend spread to the US who modifies the definition of style, to fit the pieces that had been established (Gibbons 53). Pop artists challenged the principal conception of the known artistic movements to present ideologies that would popularize a piece. The style incorporated existing forms and to those created in the artist’s mind to give the shape of the layout. The style developed on the movement known as abstract expressionism to explore the provision issued by the artist. The style is characterized with the provision that is accorded in utilizing a combination of shapes and images with found material incorporated within a piece. This provision has linked the movement to Dadaism utilizing highly expressive images. The style behind the creation of a pop artwork involves the application of famous images

Service experience report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Service experience report - Essay Example Services have several distinguishing factors all that have implications during marketing. One of these factors is that services are intangible that means that services cannot be stocked. Consequently, variation in demand is difficult to manage. In addition, the actual cost of the service is difficult to determine making pricing difficult. The other characteristic of services is that they are inseparable as they are produced and offered simultaneously (Hultman and Ek, 2011). This means that the consumer is present during the production of the service and the level of satisfaction attained is influenced by other consumers. Services are usually heterogeneous given that these activities are undertaken by humans and hence it is not possible to produce identical services. Lastly, services are perishable as they can never be stored, resold, or returned. For instance, a hotel company that offers bad services to its customers may not returned (Hultman and Ek, 2011). Because of the characteris tics described above, companies offering services faces several challenges in marketing to ensure effectiveness. This report describes the application marketing theories and concepts in the case of Palazzo Versace Hotel that had been visited to have a feel of their customer and identify critical points. The report will also present reasons that make customers feel dissatisfied with the services offered. The First Visit Service marketing efforts in the hotel industry are geared towards attracting new customers and encouraging subsequent visits. Consequently, when I booked at Palazzo Versace Hotel, Gold Coast, and the hotel had a new customer and therefore it had a big role in ensuring that it is able to maintain the customer. Despite having booked for hotel earlier, the front office staff of the hotel could not trace the booking details due to computer failure. However, as required in service marketing where the first experience plays a great role in determining the level of satisfac tion a customer receives in the service industry, the receptionists was quick to reassure me that all was well and assigned another room that is of the same status like that which I had booked. By assigning a room to the customer despite failure to trace his details of booking, the reception reassured the customer that the hotel is concerned about his welfare and has trust in them. This act may also be understood from the relationship marketing. Relationship marketing involves attracting and maintaining customers through enhanced customer to organization relationship (Gilmore, 2003). By demonstrating trust for the customer and assigning a room without much interrogation, the visitor is able to form a strong relationship with the facility and therefore it is possible to book at the hotel again. The other marketing concept that is evident in the case of Palazzo Versace Hotel and the customer is that of mutual satisfaction. According to Gilmore (2003), traditionally, marketing theory e mphasized on mutual satisfaction. Businesses make profits by also ensuring that they meet the needs of their customers. To ensure that customers achieve satisfaction, the services offered must be of high quality and adhere to value and convenience needs of the customer. In adherence to the needs of the customer, the receptionist recognized the value of convenience as a determinant to the level of sati

Management Communication- Change Management Report Assignment

Management Communication- Change Management Report - Assignment Example ement implementation; and the final step involves any corrective action, which needs to be taken to remove gaps in the process (Lattuch and Young, 2011). The purpose of this project is to discuss ways in which changes in the management of a company can be effectively communicated to the employees. In this case, the company is about to make some changes in the senior level management and some staff will also be added to the organization. These thoughts of change are creating disruptions in workplace conditions as some of the workers fear that this change may affect them adversely. As a result, the workers are losing their confidence in the organization and productivity of the company might be hampered. In this context, the change management planning process, organizational activities as well as communication and implementation tactics are to be discussed. Firstly, there are certain positive changes that the company wants to incorporate. This is only possible if the existing structure of senior management is altered as analysts of the company strongly believe that this will be essential in realizing the new goals. Secondly, organizational development (OD) is expected to be achieved through a humanistic approach by relying on human potential. This is the reason why the company wants to add new human resource to its existing base. Organizational development implies the change, which an organization goes through in order to survive and thrive. Change management for organizational development is the way in which decision makers manage changes that are necessary for facilitating organizational development. The first step of achieving organizational development is to create a well-structured plan for the task. Bullock and Batten (1985) has come up with a four phased model of planned change, which can be broken up into exploration, planning, action and integration. The model includes two broad steps, namely the process of change (describing the way in which an

Creating of a Product in Python Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Creating of a Product in Python - Assignment Example The paper tells that Python’s design philosophy mainly accentuates on code readability that is a concept the author clearly understood more than the other team members. Jason, the team leader, ensured that every team member understood the role they were supposed to play. Therefore, the author had a perfect understanding of the role he had to play in the project, and this understanding did not change at any point during the process of completing the project. The author’s team was knowledgeable about all the stages involved in completing this project. They all worked for a common good that was to produce a workable project that is the best in our class. Being a group that was formed by people that hardly knew each other the researcher does think that their performance was high even though they had a slow start. Their performance was high because the group members had complementary skills and talents that were aligned with and devoted to a common objective. Their high-perf ormance was also as a result of high levels of innovation and collaboration consistently showed by all the group members from the start of the project to the end. They all functioned as a team. All team members contributed their energy and time to the project. More outstandingly, all team members played a part in the decision-making process. All members trusted each other and this added value to the project. However, during the beginning of project management, the speed of working was slow. They had fallbacks due to lack of communication skills. They corrected this and ensured that they functioned as a team by having open communication where every team member contributed ideas, asked for clarification on anything in the project that was confusing, and we listened to each other carefully. Teams function if all its member roles are clearly defined. Moreover, teams function better if all the roles of a project have been evenly distributed to the members.  

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

Personal Statement Example I have therefore over time learnt to be hardworking and always desire environments that stimulate my intellectual abilities and this I hope to enjoy at California University. As a result of the cultivated culture of handwork and desire for all round development I attained very good grades in subjects such as mathematics and English as well as sports subjects like Soccer and physical education classes. I also have a strong desire of learning in environments with people from different parts of the world since I believe there is strength in diversity. I therefore am applying for the University of California’s transfer program not only to benefit from the challenges of being in new environment but also to benefit from learning in a diverse environment that will enhance cultural exchange. I believe therefore the educational experience at the University of California will be enriching and fulfilling in terms of meeting my professional goals. I am a strong disciple of knowledge and quality education hence would always strive to get just that and apply the same to the betterment of humanity. I believe the very diverse learning environment that is the University of California will give me an opportunity to independently learn, interact with people from all over the world and stimulate my critical thought. I will make use of all opportunities to gain knowledge which I should apply in offering solutions to our world’s many problems on graduating an Actuarial Scientist from the University of California. By applying my knowledge and offering solutions to issues facing the world I believe will be able to touch, transform lives of people and contribute significantly towards society’s health. I am also an avid sports person; I highly appreciate the value of sports in enhancing the health and stability of society. I studied and attained straight A grades in soccer and physical education while at college. I participated as a soccer player in the

Creating of a Product in Python Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Creating of a Product in Python - Assignment Example The paper tells that Python’s design philosophy mainly accentuates on code readability that is a concept the author clearly understood more than the other team members. Jason, the team leader, ensured that every team member understood the role they were supposed to play. Therefore, the author had a perfect understanding of the role he had to play in the project, and this understanding did not change at any point during the process of completing the project. The author’s team was knowledgeable about all the stages involved in completing this project. They all worked for a common good that was to produce a workable project that is the best in our class. Being a group that was formed by people that hardly knew each other the researcher does think that their performance was high even though they had a slow start. Their performance was high because the group members had complementary skills and talents that were aligned with and devoted to a common objective. Their high-perf ormance was also as a result of high levels of innovation and collaboration consistently showed by all the group members from the start of the project to the end. They all functioned as a team. All team members contributed their energy and time to the project. More outstandingly, all team members played a part in the decision-making process. All members trusted each other and this added value to the project. However, during the beginning of project management, the speed of working was slow. They had fallbacks due to lack of communication skills. They corrected this and ensured that they functioned as a team by having open communication where every team member contributed ideas, asked for clarification on anything in the project that was confusing, and we listened to each other carefully. Teams function if all its member roles are clearly defined. Moreover, teams function better if all the roles of a project have been evenly distributed to the members.  

Assessment of National Express Group Operations, Macroeconomic Essay

Assessment of National Express Group Operations, Macroeconomic Environment and Challenges - Essay Example This essay presents an informative analysis of the National Express Group company economic position. The company was founded in 1972 by the state owned National Bus Company. The company has grown tremendously since its privatization in 1988 from a small transport service provider to a multinational firm. It currently has its operations in UK, Canada, Morocco, Spain, US and Portugal. The company has recently expanded its business in other parts of Europe also. The company currently runs more than 1600 busses across UK and is a leader in urban bus service provider. It also provides bus service in North America in which daily 1 million students go to school. National Express Group is focused in achieving excellence in their existing markets and to explore new market opportunities to drive their company to the utmost peak. Its main objective is the growth of its business through customer satisfaction Macroeconomic environment consists of those variables upon which the company has no control. Companies cannot control the macroeconomic factors but can minimize its impact by taking strategic decisions accordingly. These factors exist outside a company and usually have a great affect on the functioning of the company. In UK, the market conditions were challenging but still due to strong market hold and flexible coach supply model, the company delivered high profit for the business. As of National Express bus service in UK, there was a rise in cost for the company during the year 2009 due to the increase in the cost of fuel.

Labour Party to socialism Essay Example for Free

Labour Party to socialism Essay ‘Explain the ideas and policies which link the modern Labour Party to socialism’. (10 marks) Socialism is the economic system based on cooperation rather than competition of businesses which utilizes centralized planning and redistribution of wealth. Industry is state owned and therefore companies have government monopolies on them which results in no competition. Industries are redistributed though the state to achieve a fairer society. Traditional Labour values were indeed a form of socialism as some of their core values include a large welfare state, mild redistribution of wealth through taxes and social mobility. Socialism was founded in 1789 if the modern day Labour party had the same ideologies as those of the original socialist politicians then it would be considered a far right party in today’s political spectrum. Since its origins, the principles of socialism have evolved into many different forms of itself to make it compatible with society. There are many links to many differing forms of socialism both traditional and modern in today’s Labour party. Democratic socialists i.e. Labour believe in Equality of opportunity this means that everyone has the same opportunities to maximise their potential and accomplish high positions in life no matter what their background or ethnicity, for example a labourer’s child can become a lawyer or politician if he/she desires and they will not be discriminated against. This is still one of Labour’s core values, therefore linking to traditional socialism. Another concept of democratic socialism is the redistribution of wealth an example of ‘New Labour’ doing that is increasing the amount in social housing estates, or the introduction of the ‘windfall tax’ which raised ?5billion to set up the ‘New Deal’ which helps the long term unemployed back to work through training and employment, thus giving opportunities to those who previously didnt have the skills to generate their own wealth. Traditional socialism wants radical constitutional reform e.g. democratise institutions such as the House of Lords. ‘New Labour’ does want constitutional reform such as the de-centralisation of power and mild House of Lords reform e.g. it is elected not inherited. So therefore shows that Labour does still have socialist values.

Celebrities and Politics

Celebrities and Politics Politics have merged with showbiz affairs. The sense of public service have gone down since showbiz personalities started running for political positions even though they do not have the knowledge when it comes to politics. Having politicians coming from the showbiz sector can be disadvantageous. There are many candidates that are unfit for the position and the Philippine society should be more careful in choosing competent leaders. Introduction Having politicians coming from the showbiz sector can be disadvantageous for the Philippines. The Philippines society knows that Politics and Showbiz are two different things. Politics: having the authority or power where government officials use their knowledge to formulate and apply a policy and they have this common knowledge that the purpose of showbiz is to entertain us. They see a celebrity personality getting dragged down to different scandals in which media of course is responsible for exposing it. When people from the showbiz sector started their campaign for political positions their most common reason is to get more famous or get richer. It is unfortunate to know that the scandalous world of showbiz is merging with the busy world of politics knowing that most of the candidates do not have any political science in their background. The Philippines should brace itself for the busy-scandalous world of showbiz politics. Statement of the Problem These are the possible reasons on why showbiz artists are running for politics: They want to run because they want to be more famous. They want to run because being in the political position they can get more money. Celebrities mostly have more concern on their career by running for political positions they will have more responsibility therefore losing focus on the important matter. Significance of the Study This study aims to discuss the disadvantages of having people coming from the showbiz sector to running into political positions this study will explain different factors. This will help in informing what the possible effects of having celebrities in politics are. Politics and Showbiz Most people know that politics and showbiz are no strange bedfellows with so many politicians foraying into showbiz and vice-versa. A sport, however, is no strange bedfellow to both politics and showbiz, as many sports people or athletes are active in both. Entertainment personalities seem determined to compete with established politicians for positions of power in government, from the municipal council all the way to the halls of Congress. Could it be that celebrities have come to terms with the realities of politics in the country? Have they become as smart and knowledgeable compared to those who have been in mainstream politics for quite some time? Or have they learned to play the twist and turn game in politics and therefore ready to cast their lot in what has traditionally been the domain of the highly influential ruling class?ÂÂ  We can clearly see that the political link between entertainment and politics is not new in the Philippines (Daval, 2012). The media has always been a major player in Philippine elections. It has a considerable influence on the electoral process which could make or unmake any candidate. The power of television is also seen in its ability to imitated images and illusions that resonates with viewers since entertainment is often the subject of our conversations as it gives reflections of our daily lives. It has always been a part of election campaign by the political parties the used of celebrity stars with big names by making them to entertain voters in the political rallies of election campaigns. The Philippine society has been considered being an entertainment obsessed culture as celebrities have been marked so deeply in the societies collective minds as a persuasive force which could convince voters to change their minds about their favored candidates and certain political issues (Free Essays, 2012). The society bases their decisions on what they see on television because television has blinded them with false notoriety, and mostly false publications. In showbiz, as in politics, there are family dynasties. Royal families they are called. There have been so many political issues in the country these past few years. From impeachment hearings, meetings, debates or even campaigns, one thing is very much certain someone has to be the face of TV.ÂÂ  Its like a reality show of finding the newestÂÂ  it boy or girl.ÂÂ  Some of them started out as an unknown to the public eye and became a sensation overnight. They could imagine a director saying to themÂÂ  the camera loves your face (Vrank, 2012). Politics has its end, or goal, not only knowledge but action. The Politics as a whole is a hand-book for statesmen and lawgivers. Politics is addressed to those in power, not to those seeking power (Ackrill Judson, 1999). The role of politics is for the establishment of equal and just society under the governance of Politicians who has a good background in political science they are elected by the people whom they wish to govern knowing that they have a clean reputation and can keep promises for the common good. Politicians have become celebrities, and politics connected with the entertainment industry, has become much more complex. For the confluence of the world of politics and showbiz signals the collapse of some social categories. The entrance of showbiz values, techniques, and personalities into politics means the celebritization of politics (Combs, 1984). A celebrity is in the prestige business, since he or she is someone who at the moment has been successful in being famous. They are famous because we have learned that they are famous and when we no longer learn that they are no longer famous and disappear. The celebrity depends for his or her existence as a popular personage on us acting as interested spectators of the celebrated and their world (Combs, 1991). This is one of the reasons on why celebrities are running for politics; to get more exposure since their career is fading that have turned over a new life we might say A new chapter in their lives. Popular Culture seems at first glance non-political, but this does not mean that is has nothing to do with politics. And even though what we usually think of as politics-the comings and goings of Presidents, the deliberation of Congress, decisions of the Supreme Court also seems on face to have little to do with popular culture, on reflection we can discover relationships that are significant if subtle (Combs, 1991). Sometimes, the society thinks that showbiz is totally different but that was in the past. Now, at the dawn of the new age the two different cultures are merging into one since they have the power to influence other in terms of connection or power. But perhaps rely is too strong a word. Still, theres no denying the fact that in this country, celebrity endorsements have helped many a politician win. Too many cases even celebrities themselves have been voted into public office that they have little to show beyond their showbiz credibility (Jimeno Sabangan, 2010). Politics might be sometimes corrupt, but respectable politicians did represent an ideal of material and moral probity. Certainly the idea of, say, an actor becoming President would have been unthinkable. Even today many people feel that the dignity and authority of government has been debased by the introduction of showbiz into it (Combs, 1984). But our love of showbiz probably made it inevitable. We like glamour, hoopla, tinsel, beautiful people, and a good show. Since politics has becomes increasingly a media act, politicians have turned to showbiz advisors to help them be good actors and put on good shows (Combs, 1984). People do love good shows and since the exposure of celebrities to politics and the other way around we cannot determine if it is a product of reality from the politicians and celebrities or is it just a big hoopla to mislead the masses onto what is really going on inside the government. It is frequently said nowadays that all politics is becoming showbiz. There is a sense in which politics, especially in societies with means of mass communication, has always had an entertainment aspect. Politicians are celebrities, and we are as much interested in their private lives, and see them as popular representatives or material and moral values, as we do movie stars (Combs, 1984). To prevent media personalities or celebrities from gaining an advantage over lesser known candidates during a political campaign, all films featuring actors or media personalities running for a political office were banned from public exhibition in theaters, on television, or in any public forum during the campaign. Additionally, to prevent politicians fro, circumventing election regulations with guests appearances on talk shows or similar indirect promotions of their political views, the Fair Election Act carefully defines political advertisement any matter, published, printed, or exhibited which is intended to draw the attention of the public or a segment thereof to promote or oppose, directly or indirectly, the election of a particular candidate or candidates to a public office. In the TV shows and radio programs, love or taped announcements, teasers, and other forms of advertising messages or announcements used by commercial advertisers (Kaid Batcha, 2006). Because of flowery words that celebrities tell the masses, the Philippine society gets easily swayed from the main purpose of the election and that is to vote qualified candidates. They should remember in the constitution the Accountability of Public Officers. But now they can see that media being the most powerful thing between politics and showbiz the same policy that had been implemented from the past does no not apply today. They see celebrities here and there posters after posters that they too are interested in politics basically because of the influence and other reasons like political dynasty. Philippine election is very near, and candidates are busy preparing for their campaign. And when you look at Philippine politics it is full of people from the showbiz industry, from city councilor to the President (Joseph Estrada), and seems there are no stopping to them, they just keeps on coming. Philippine Politics is like the reality show Pinoy Big Brother where you vote who among them is the big winner and it is based on popularity and in not leadership skills. And that is why most of our leaders are useless; they just keep on making their pockets full while its people starve (Thunderdhuzt, 2012). Former President Joseph Estrada is a very good example of a showbiz politician. Because he was overwhelmed by the money and power he abused that power and the consequence was being stripped of the Presidency and some of his properties. Summary Having people coming from the showbiz sector in the politics can be disadvantageous for the Philippines. In the present day more economical and social problems are adding up not to mention the past problems that the past regimes left for the society to bear. Even the qualified politicians are having hard time to formulate policies that would cure the modern society problems. The society remains unaware that their actions in picking unqualified politician can bring harm to them most of all to the progress of their own country. They should not base their choice on popularity rate and the amount of riches that particular candidate has. The Philippines society knows that there are people who are fit for the position yet they still turn back to the weak promises that the glamorous candidates had offered. By emerging their selves in the common problem that we have know they can clearly see that basing our judges in the mere external capabilities of a person cannot suffice something like the economy problem the society always see that they have great plans for the benefit of the country but the question is can they still pursue the eagerness to help others why they themselves have been overwhelmed by the glamorous life they live in now? The society has line up of scandalous celebrities running like Annabelle Rama for her violent personality towards the press mostly she has been summoned in the court several times and Diether Ocampo that was accused of being gay. A good number of politician wannabes in Philippine tinsel town are optimistic that the people will elect them despite the fall from grace of Estrada, who was booted out of office last January by way of People Power 2. The former president was widely perceived as a corrupt, womanizing, crony-coddling politician, who was impeached by the House even before he was ousted from office we all know the scandal about the jueteng issue in which he was imprisoned for at least 40 years. The society has the power to choose its leader since it is the one which the power of the state emanates from. The whole country should be careful in choosing its head since in the future we will be the one who is going to harvest the so-called fruits of labor in which the chosen leader has planted. We all know what kind of jeopardy the government is going through right now. The citizens as part of state should contribute even the simplest task like following the rules. Popular culture is there to stay but the main thing is that the main purpose for that is to make us entertained. Seeing celebrity icons perform lessens our stress from the real world. They should not interfere with the issues of the political world they have their own career to take care. Politicians should continue being politically active being a politician has its perks but that should not intervene with the main goal of government and that is to serve the country. Being in power can be overwhelming but that passion for true service. Politics is not a theater stage where people get to act for the entertainment of the masses. It is the place where serious people collide with each other in needs concentration in formulation and implementation of ideas. The merging of politics and showbiz creates a different face for the government in which the society perceives that the leaders inside are those people who are not qualified. Politicians marry celebrities just for the benefit of publication and more exposure for the artists. Conclusion People from the showbiz sector should not run for political positions. They entered a glamorous life of being a celebrity they chose their career therefore they should focus on that. They have little knowledge about politics and most of them did not even finish their studies. They cannot survive the harsh environment of politics they will just be tricked by the so-called veterans of the government. Politicians should not use the celebrities for their popularity to rise in terms of exposing their self in a relationship with a famous celebrity and they are just wasting their time even if they have the publication and exposure there are no guarantee if they would win the election therefore wasting precious resources. To be a politician the candidate must have a background when it comes to political science or should have study the law in order to be qualified there are many candidates that are qualified for the position but since the is so powerful those who are already in the spotlight are the only ones who are getting the attention. They use their influence to lure the people into thinking they are fit for the job. But, that should not be the basis of the political class in our country. People tend to vote candidates base on their popularity because of public mesmerization, people are easily swayed by unending promises that since the last generation of politicians have been able to fulfill. The Philippines society should be more careful in choosing competent politicians.

Euthanasia Essay - Physician-Assisted Suicide :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Views on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide      Ã‚   This essay explores the views of doctors, of the general public, and of the original Hippocratic Oath on the practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Considerable reference material is employed - from professional sources.    Regarding the views of physicians on euthanasia and assisted suicide, it is difficult to get a true picture of physicians views from articles in newspapers or from journal review articles. Since euthanasia and assisted suicide are new and a challenge to established values, a report about a single physician practicing assisted suicide is more likely to get published than a report that members of a large physicians' organization reaffirms traditional values. Physicians that practice euthanasia and assisted suicide have been more outspoken and vociferous since many consider themselves as pioneers. Whereas many physicians who continue to practice with traditional ethics, see no need to advertise this fact. Even if one reads consensus statements from medical ethics groups one may get a biased idea of the mainstream views of physicians. These statements are usually written by a small group of physicians, many of whom are active in ethics groups because they want to see change. Several arti cles have been published that poll doctors' views on euthanasia and assisted suicide, and these are likely to get closer to the real views of doctors. In a survey of doctors on management of the persistent vegetative state, 35% of doctors would never withdraw feeding or nutrition and 28% would always treat an acute infection or other life-threatening condition (1).    In a survey of 355 oncologists, the majority found euthanasia or assisted suicide unacceptable. However one in seven oncologists had actually carried out euthanasia or assisted suicide (2). 37% of physicians who look after AIDS patients would be unlikely to assist a patient with established AIDS to commit suicide but 48% said they would be likely to do so (3). 48% of 1355 physicians in Washington state agree that euthanasia is never ethically justified but 33% said they would be willing to perform euthanasia (4). 40% of 1119 Michigan physicians involved in the care of terminally ill patients were in favor of legalization of assisted suicide and 17% favored prohibition of assisted suicide. 22% of physicians would participate in either assisted suicide or euthanasia (5).    Regarding the views of the general public toward these two practices, two-thirds of oncology patients and of the public consider euthanasia and assisted suicide acceptable for cancer patients with unremitting pain (6).

Public Information :: essays research papers

Ever wonder how a person not known obtains critical information once unavailable to the public? Nowadays, the easy access of computers makes it almost impossible for citizens to completely be out of the risk of privacy invasion. Anything we do is being monitored discreetly or publicly by others. Yet, there are different ways in which this issue can be viewed. It is harmful in the way that we do not know exactly what is being monitored by others, nor the way it is being used. Privacy intrusion helps us by monitoring those who may be harmful to others. Privacy invasion can be viewed as both harmful, and yet helpful. One type of privacy invasion is the placement of surveillance cameras. Cameras are made so small today that one would have to stand less than a foot away to actually see the placement of the camera. In the article, "Nowhere to hide: Lack of Privacy Is the Ultimate Equalizer," Charles Platt states, "Right now, I can buy a KGB-surplus night scope, a microtransmitter, or a videocamera that's half the size of a pack of cigarettes" (344). We can hardly go anywhere without the possibility of a camera watching our every move. This is a good thing in the sense that it gives more security to public places. A thief will think twice about robbing a bank if there is a camera pointed directly at him. Prison riots will become obsolete since the video will tell all who started the riot. Surveillance camera footage can be used as evidence in the court of law. Just as cameras can be useful in the work field, they can also be used to abuse invasion of privacy. In the article, "Privacy and Technology," Gary T. Marx points out, "A college student secretly video taped sexual encounters with a girlfriend. After breaking up with her, he played the tape for members of his fraternity. She learned of this and was victorious in a civil lawsuit, although no criminal statute had been violated" (325). Cameras are also good for business. There will be fewer shoplifters sneaking away items at the mall or grocery store. Another type of privacy invasion is the background check of a potential employee. Businesses only want employees who will benefit the business itself. The owners think of employees as a type of investment. So, to make a good investment, the managers are ordered to conduct a background check on prospective applicants.

Healthcare Fraud Essay

On May 14, 2013 Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sibelius announced â€Å"nationwide takedown† by Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations, in eight cities that resulted in charges against 89 individuals, which included doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $223 million in false billings. In Chicago, seven individuals were charged, including two doctors, with a variety of health care fraud schemes. This (sixth) nationwide takedown targeted eight cities: Miami, Houston, Los Angles, Detroit, Tampa, Brooklyn N.Y, and Chicago. On April 16, 2013, the owner, senior executive of Sacred Heart Hospital, along with four physicians in the west side facility were arrested for conspiring to pay and receive illegal kickbacks. The kickbacks included more than $225,000 in cash, along with other forms of payment, in exchange for the referral of patients insured by Medicare and Medicaid to the hospital. On Oct 19, 2012, a west suburban dermatologist, Robert Kolbusz, was indicted in U.S. District Court on four counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud. He was accused of submitting false claims for hundreds of patients, according to FBI officials. The Department of Health aand Human Services reported that in fiscal year 2011, in Illinois alone there were: 326 Medicaid fraud investigations, 48 were indicted on Medicaid fraud charges, 30 were convicted, 18 cases of civil settlements/judgments, and $47.8 million dollars was recovered in Medicare fraud cases. There are abundant news stories in the media today about the federal government enforcements against hospitals, laboratories, medical equipment suppliers, hospices, home health agencies, physicians and other health care service providers. Unfortunately, these cases are just the tip-of-the-iceberg with many health care fraud cases going undetected and or unreported. According to Black’s Law Dictionary fraud is defined as â€Å"some deceitful practice or willful device, resorted to with intent to deprive another of his/ her right, or in some manner to do him an injury. It is distinguished from negligence, and is always intentional†. Healthcare fraud is a white-collar crime that usually involves filing health care claims by healthcare service provider to turn a profit for the healthcare service providers. It involves â€Å"an unlawful act, generally deception for personal gain†, and encompasses a wide range of irregularities and illegal acts that  are characterized by intentional deception. (Pozgar, 2011) According to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) healthcare fraud in our country costs an estimated $80 billion a year- making it one of the biggest â€Å"white-collar-crime†. Health care fraud is committed when a dishonest provider or consumer intentionally submits or causes someone else to submit false or misleading information for use in determining the amount of healthcare benefits payable. (Pozgar, 2011) Health care fraud usually includes insurance fraud, drug fraud and medical fraud. There are several ways by which the health care insurance fraud can be committed by fraudulent health care service providers: 1.) billing for services not rendered, 2.) up-coding of services which is billing the Medicare for services that were more expensive than the ones provided, 3.) up-coding of items which is billing for more expensive items than was provided, 4.) unbundling, wherein a corrupt healthcare service provides bills that stagger over time in order to claim more monies from Medicare, 5.) unnecessary services, 6.) duplicate claims- Medicare is charged twice for the same service and 7.) Kickbacks, which are rewards in cash or kind received by healthcare professionals for recommending or referring specific services for example referring a patient for an MRI even when it’s not required. The findings from the Office of Management and Budget’s fact sheet â€Å"Transforming and Modernizing America’s Health Care†, revealed that the United States spends approximately $8,000 per person on health care. This figure is expected to rise to approximately $4 trillion by 2017. Even the most conservative estimates of the cost of fraud abuse within our health care system range from between $66 billion and $220 billion per year. With the increasing cost of health care in America, the cost of health care fraud abuse could easily rise above $400 billion per year by the year 2017. (Office of Management and Budget’s fact sheet). Therefore, it is safe to say that health care fraud is not only an economic drain on our health care system, but costs our nation the health of its citizens (Semi-Annual Report to Congress, 2009) as it robs the system of the money that would be far better spent on making sick people healthy. Health care fraud not only costs our nation in terms of health care dollars and patient care. It is one of the important factors that has contributed to the increasing cost of the health care services. Due to the immense role played by the healthcare fraud on the economic drain on our health care system and  also on the health of the nation, it is receiving a tremendous attention from both the government and the people. Increasing cost of healthcare is a valid concern for American families and a primary concern for the American government. It affects all individuals, directly or indirectly as the billions of dollars that are lost to the healthcare fraud lead to increased health care costs and increasing the cost of potential coverage, which may further lead to loss of personal income savings leading to ruined credit. Health care fraud is not a victimless crime. (Price & Norris, 2009) The money lost due to fraud increases the costs of providing a full range of legitimate medical services tremendously. Physicians may perform unnecessary procedures to increase reimbursement, which may compromise the safety of the patient. Further, when medical providers bill for services that were never rendered, they end up creating a false medical history for patients which may hinder them from obtaining disability or life insurance policies, at a later date. An inaccurate medical history also influences treatment decisions and allows some third party insurance companies to deny coverage based on a previous medical condition. Health care fraud also tarnishes the reputation of the medical profession and other health care service providers. Additionally, the efforts by the federal and the state government cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year, thus diverting the scarce tax money from other essential services and meeting the needs of elderly and the poor. This diversion of the taxpayer’s money often results in reduced benefit coverage, changes in eligibility for programs such as Medicaid, higher premiums for individuals or their employers, or higher copays. Health care fraud has become a primary issue for people and the government. In the last ten or so years, the government has invested a lot of effort and time on investigating health care fraud with the goal of decreasing its occurrence, and the government continues to initiate new policies, and create investigative bodies to deal specifically with health care fraud. Health care fraud is a critical issue for the government for a variety of reasons. Firstly, given that the government is the principal payer of health care, it is obviously concerned about how that money is spent. Secondly, health care fraud is a waste of taxpayer money. Third, it is the government which is in charge of regulating the health care system. Last but not the least, it is the government that is entrusted with protecting its citizens  from all sorts of criminal and crimes. Health care fraud is a serious problem affecting every patient and consumer. The devastating situation is rooted not only in the excessive financial losses incurred, which often extends into the billions of dollars every year, but also in patient harm. The Department of Justice has declared health care fraud to be its second highest priority, following violent crimes (Kalb, 1999). In the past fifteen years the government has spent millions of dollars fighting health care fraud. In May 2009, the HHS and Department of Justice (DOJ) collaborated to create the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT). With the creation of HEAT, the battle against the healthcare fraud especially against Medicare and Medicaid fraud became a cabinet-level priority. The HEAT’S mission is to 1.) â€Å"Gather resources across the government to help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 2) Crack down on the people and organizations who abuse the system and cost Americans billions of dollars each year. 3) Reduce health care costs and improve quality of care by preventing fraudsters from preying on people with Medicare and Medicaid. 4) Highlight best practices by providers and organizations dedicated to ending waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare. 5.) Build upon the existing partnerships between HHS and DOJ to reduce fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.† (HEAT Task Force Mission) In addition, to creating a task force, the administration also encourages ordinary citizens to report against health care fraud. There are several ways to report a healthcare fraud – a patient or health care provider who may have witnessed a fraud, may report to FBI, at their local office, or telephone and or online forms. â€Å"Stop Medicare fraud† website also provides various tips to citizen to protect themselves from healthcare fraud. Understandably, to completely stop healthcare fraud is a difficult task, but â€Å"the more we know about it, the easier it is to stop† (Blue Cross Blue Shield) References Black’s free online law dictionary Definition of Fraud. (2nd Edition) Retrieved June 13, 2013 http://thelawdictionary.org/fraud/ Blue Cross Blue Shield. Healthcare Fraud Regence. Retrieved June 17, 2013 from htttp://www.regence.com/docs/legal/provider-fraud-brochure.pdf. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary. National Health Expenditure Projections 2007- 2017 Chicago Tribune, Featured Articles. Retrieved June 13, 2013 from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-19/news/ct-tl-downers-dermatologist-charged-20121019_1_medicare-fraud-fraud-cases-medicare-medicaid-services Federal Bureau of Investigations. Healthcare Fraud. Retrieved June 14, 2013 from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/white_collar/health-care-fraud Illinois Policy Institute. News & Blogs. Retrieved June 14, 2013 from http://illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5746 Kalb, Paul, E. â€Å"Health Care Fraud and Abuse†. Journal of American Medical Association 282 (1999): 1163-1168. Price. Marilyn & Norris, Donna. Health Care Fraud: Physicians as White collar criminals? Journal of American Academy Psychiatry Law 37:286–9, 2009 Pozgar, George. D (2011). Legal Aspects of Healthcare Administration (11th Edition) Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Lea rning. Semi-Annual Report to Congress October 1 2008-March 31-2009, Office of the Inspector General Stop Medicare Fraud. HEAT Task Force Mission. Retrieved June 17, 2013 from http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/index.html US Department of Health and Human Services. News and Press Release. Retrieved June 13, 2013 from http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/05/20130514a.html US Department of Justice. News and Press Release. Retrieved June 13, 2013 from http://www.justice.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2013/pr0416_01.html

Operation Management †Process choice and Layout planning Essay

Characteristics of project, jobbing, batch, flow, and process production systems, with examples for each. Project, jobbing, batch, flow and process production are the process types used in manufacturing. The figure below shows the trade off between volume and variety of outputs. In choosing one of these systems, high volume means low variety and high variety means low volume. (see figure 1) Project processes – The essence of project processes is that they are all different, so very low volume and very high variety. The identification of activities and their relationship are uncertain, they can change during the production process itself. Each job has a defined start and finish and the time interval between starting two different jobs is quite long. The resources must be organised exclusively for each project and they are re-allocated after the end of them. Examples of this system are movie production companies: obviously every single movie is different from the others. Jobbing processes – As for project processes, they deal with high variety and low volume. The difference is that the resources are not organised especially for each project, each product has to share them with many others. Although all the products require the same attention, each will differ in its exact needs. Jobbing requires a general purpose layout and highly skilled and versatile workers to interpret drawings and specifications. An example is a painter, who sells his own skill. Batch processes – With higher volume and lower variety than jobbing process, the essence of these processes is that each time they produce a product, they produce more than one. The size of the batch can be very small (e.g. two or three), therefore batch process becomes very similar to the jobbing, but usually the batches are large, with repetitive operations. They require  careful planning and control to ensure proper use and buffer stocks to â€Å"decouple† processes. Finally they typically implies high Work in Progress between work centres. An example could be the production of music instruments. Flow processes – This kind of process is dedicated to the production of a low variety of product in a high volume. Products are perceived as standard, even if there are superficial differences between them. The process does not have to stop to accommodate differences between products. There are not buffer stocks between processes, that means ‘zero’ set up time. All workstations must operate to the same cycle time. The classical example is an automobile plant, like every mass operations it is repetitive and predictable. Processes production – Characterised by very high volume and almost zero variation. Products lend themselves to flow, sometimes they are literally continuous, being produces in an endless flow. They require very high capital investment in equipment. The process is proved before beginning and it usually needs very low manual intervention. An example is the paper making. LAYOUT PLANNING Explain the differences between fixed position, product, process, and a cell system layouts, indicating a suitable application for each one. One of the most obvious characteristics of an operation is deciding where to put all the facilities, machines, materials, staff, etc. This is what layout concerns, the physical location of the transforming resources and the way in which the transformed resources flow through the operation. There are four basic layout types. Fixed position layout – The process recipient remains stationary and the equipment, machinery, plant and people, instead of the transforming resources, move through it. It happens because the product is too large or  delicate to move, or because it could object to being moved. The purpose should be to design so that all of the resources can easily access the point of delivery. There are two types of this layout: forming and treating, in which the nature of the materials changes, and assembly, like a spaceship building. Process layout – Its characteristic is that processes with similar needs are located together. The reason for this is that the transforming resources dominate the layout decision. Different products and different customers take routes unique to their own needs through the layout. The advantage is that grouping together common processes should increase their utilisation. Other advantages of process layout are high mix and product flexibility, relatively robust in case of disruptions and relatively easy supervision of plant and equipment. Examples are some hospitals departments. Cell layout – In cell layout the individual processes are moved together to form a cell. The transformed resources entering the operation are preselected to move to one part of the cell in which all the transforming resources to meet their immediate processing needs are located. Transportation costs are reduced, keeping high flexibility and high productivity. Examples could be snack bars in supermarkets. Product layout – In this case is the convenience of the transformed resources which dominate the operation decision, the opposite of process layout. Everything is arranged around the product’s progression through the system. The transformed resources flow along a line of process, following a predetermined route. The advantages of this layout are mainly the low unit cost for high volume and the low staff skill levels needed. An example is a canteen, in which the sequence of customers requirements is generally common for all customers. As shown in the figure below, volume and variety have different effects on the layout’s flow. When volume is very high and variety very low, continuous flow must be the major issue, when variety is very high and volume very low flow should be intermittent.

Kinesiology as a Massage therapist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kinesiology as a Massage therapist - Essay Example These increased blood circulation will increases both our physical and mental activities. Kinesiological principles were built up one these body movements which are now extensively used in massage therapy, research, the fitness industry, and in industrial environments. â€Å"When a person seeks the help of a kinesiologist, the practitioner will study the client as a whole. This is because kinesiology theory suggests that the mind and body are inexplicitly linked and that one has a vital affect on the other.† (Kinesiology) The author is relatively a new massage therapist, who found immense value of kinesiology in massage therapy. He believes that applied kinesiology (muscle testing) can be used to evaluate symptoms and conditions presented by his clients. When client’s came in for a session with me, I would stand them up and do body reading to analyze the structural distortions. (McCann) Muscles are the body part which controls the body movements and hence as per the kinesiology principles, in order to study body movements, the massage therapist must first evaluate the functioning of the muscles. McCann‘s arguments are justified considering the opinion of Arlene Green, written in the article Touch for Health Kinesiology for Massage Therapists. In his opinion â€Å"Each muscle is associated with a specific meridian energy pathway Massage may only be a temporary fix to chronic muscle problems, if the underlying cause isn’t being addressed. The weak muscles are often the real culprit in causing muscle imbalance† (Green) Another argument put forward by McCann in this article is that â€Å"The effectiveness and accuracy of massage treatment can be increased if kinesiology is applied properly. (McCann) Kinesiology will help the massager to identify the problematic areas of our body after analysing the body movements and can concentrate more on the defective areas. The patient will experience difficulties in moving the

Leadership in Global Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership in Global Health Care - Essay Example ctiveness, and agility whereas her negative attributes include being judgmental, occasional lack of understanding, and too much kindness, so I would like her to change her negative attributes while strengthening the positive ones. As a nurse, my mother has to deal with patients on daily basis. Patients come from different backgrounds, have different cultures and ethnicities. Some speak English well while others do not. Some act restless because of the pain of their injury, illness, or disease, while others are frustrated by the environment of the hospital. It is not uncommon for a patient to lose his temper for no good reason. In such times, my mother remains patient and maintains her cool. She immediately attends them, and tries to address their concern. Likewise, my mother is often suddenly called on duty which is not scheduled. She might have to serve in place of a nurse on-leave. She tends to understand it and does not mind. â€Å"Good leaders are patient† (Adventure Scouts USA, 2007). My mother is quite pro-active in her approach. She remains completely aware of the present circumstances, and tends to forecast the future depending upon them. For example, she always maintains two sets of documents, one in hard copy and one in soft copy to make sure she has another version available if one is somehow lost. Before going on duty, she has the list of tasks to do ready with her so that nothing is delayed or missed out. My mother is very active. She follows a weight-loss as well as energy-boosting plan. She takes several short meals in a day that help her maintain a high metabolism. Most of these meals are based on fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, she jogs for at least 20 minutes in the morning. She is not weight-conscious as she is already very smart. She does all this to maintain a high energy level. She says that controlling diet and doing exercise helps her remain active throughout the day both physically and mentally. At times, my mother gets a

China and minimum wage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

China and minimum wage - Research Paper Example The 1994 labor act specifies that work done after the normal standard working time shall be paid as overtime. The overtime, however, should not exceed three hours in a single day (Chiewping, 2009). Wages should be paid to workers on a monthly basis and in a legal tender. Wage deduction and late payment of workers is firmly prohibited. The labor law on article 48 specifies that the statutory minimum wage should be sufficient enough to sustain the needs of the employee. In March 2004, the ministry of social security and labor in China executed the minimum wage doctrine. The regulations were developed to establish a framework for adjusting and calculating the minimum wage (Zhao, 2010). The guidelines stated that the government should adjust and determine the cyclic minimum wage for full time employees by considering the following factors: An extensive collection of minimum wage levels exists across the whole country since local conditions determine the calculations. Coastal regions are characterized by high minimum wages due to their economic strength. The western provinces together with the central regions on the other hand are characterized by low minimum wages. In an attempt to attract migrant labor force, governments in remote regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet have established high minimum wages levels. On May 2013, Shanghai recorded the highest monthly wage level with Shenzhen closely following behind. Anhui region located in the central province recorded the least minimum wage (Chiewping, 2009). Regulations endorse that 40 to 60% of the regular monthly wage should be set as the minimum wage. Local governments should also embark on the task of carrying out an adjustment review regularly. In the middle of the international economic crisis in 2008, however, the government froze all the increases made on minimum wages (Yongnian, 2013). In

Effects of re-education on poor hand washing Essay

Effects of re-education on poor hand washing - Essay Example methods have been initiated to enlist the input of the healthcare providers in hospital setting and home-based care by family members of the patient. Awareness creation through education remains a critical approach in dealing with this problem as the observed trend has been found to be attributed to inadequate information on procedure and significance of the exercise. Although the healthcare facilities management knows that hand hygiene is instrumental in reducing hospital related infection, there has been limited education campaign pointed towards the nurses and patient’s relatives. It is therefore important to note that re-education remains the appropriate measure in improving on the incidences of hospital acquired infections (Filetoth, 2002). Hand hygiene re-education should be conducted by encouraging hand washing by health care workers before seeing patients, after contact with bodily fluids, before invasive procedures, and after removing gloves. The increasing incidence of hospital acquired infection has raised concerns and requires more attention through education on hand hygiene. Although the information is available in hospitals, there has been significant ignorance and negligence by the nurses towards proper hand hygiene as a mitigation measure. It is therefore critical to underline the need to develop a sound education program to improve quantity and quality (completeness of hand rubbing and drying time) of hand hygiene. Exhaustive analysis of the findings on the efforts towards hand hygiene forms the basis of ascertaining the impact of education on cases of hospital acquired infections. The aim of the hand hygiene solution through washing is to emphasize building or strengthening capacity so that hand hygiene improvement is seen as and becomes an integrated component of a broader Hospital Acquired Infection prevention strategy. Poor hand washing is responsible for complex patient condition as it is not accounted for during diagnosis as it

Risk Study Report (occupational health and safety) Essay

Risk Study Report (occupational health and safety) - Essay Example eport focuses on this important subject matter, which is covering the riskiness of Hot Air Balloon Flight and presenting measures in order to minimize the riskiness. During vacations, people like to enjoy almost every other available activity, Hot Air Balloon Flight has also become a point of consideration for many travelers and tourist. It can be more popular only when it gets more and more safer. The chances of error and number of accidents must be as low as possible in order to rank oneself as a reputable Hot Air Balloon Company. This report has been divided into four major parts, each of which covers individual aspects of Hot Air Balloon Flights. Nowadays, there are many sports and activities which are becoming center of attraction of adventurers and travelers. Some of the most common activities include surfing, skydiving, paragliding, traveling in Hot Air Balloon etc. All of these activities have some risks associated with them. Legal jurisdictions have made it compulsory to assess the risk. There are various strategies which need to be implemented in order to avoid any uncertainty or unpleasant situation. Number of events of Hot Air Balloon take place every where all year round. The activity of Hot Air Balloon which will be discussed in this paper primarily is â€Å"Dubai Hot Air Balloon Flight†. Further information for this events is being mentioned in the subsequent section of this paper. Hot Air Balloon is one of the most popular adventure activity. Modern balloon technology and training systems assure that it is unlikely for people to get wounded in a Hot Air Balloon accident. Despite of that, since Hot Air Ballooning is an adventure activity and all types of adventure activity do carry some level of risk. Dubai Hot Air Balloon Flight is an event which takes place in Dubai all year long. People from all over the world come to Dubai to enjoy the glitz and glamour of this city. Along with this, they also prefer to enjoy the Hot Air Balloon early morning

CheckPoint-Audience Analysis and Reception Essay Example for Free

CheckPoint-Audience Analysis and Reception Essay Communication is the most important key to any relationship, in the business world it is the way to keep the business running smoothly. This is why analyzing the audience is the most important task a writer can perform in order to effectively communicate or present any information to their audience. In this particular scenario, I have been assigned to write a report to the management team at my work place. Therefore it is important for me to analyze all of the characteristics of each of the member of my management team to ensure the effectiveness of my report. Since I will be writing a formal report, I would need to ensure that it is legible, use appropriate wording in order to create the proper business tone in my report. I need to ensure that all information written on my report is accurate. Check that all of my sources are credible and that there won’t be any misunderstanding in the report. The writer’s credibility is an extremely important thing to have; this is why I would have to make sure that all of the data posted on my report is accurate. By doing so it will show the management team that I am trustworthy, reliable and I get the job done correctly. I would also need to think about what would motivate them and interest them in my report. Therefore, I would make sure my report includes facts that would motivate them such as weekly and monthly sales reports, financial gains and productivity. These are all very important points for me to keep in mind when writing the report. If my report was poorly written and not in a business professional tone, would make me look bad in their eyes. Also failing to provide accurate information or present it in a professional way, will affect my credibility greatly. They will not see me as the honest hard worker that I am. They would instead see me as an uncaring person that did not bother to do the research and gather facts to present before them. Also if my report does not contain any information that does not pertain to the management team, I would lose their interest quickly.

A Family Medical Pedigree Health And Social Care Essay

A Family Medical Pedigree Health And Social Care Essay Individuals inherit many traits and characteristics from their parents. The color of your eyes, hair, and body type can all be traced back to the genes passed on to you by your family. Perhaps more important to your future well being than your outward appearance is the family medical tendencies you inherit. The United States office of the Attorney General states that obtaining an accurate health history and recording it can give you and your medical provider information you need for better health (http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/).The Family Medical Pedigree is also called a Family Tree or Genogram (Olsen, S., Dudley-Brown, S., McMullen, P. 2004). The Pedigree is a diagram showing connections to relatives going back at least three generations. At a minimum it includes date of birth or age, sex, and health problems (http://www.nsgc.org/).Once this information is gathered and recorded it can be shared with medical providers and other family members to provide information needed to ma ke sound health decisions (http://www.hhs.gov/famlyhistory/). Significant Health History Using the information contained in Jarvis (2008), the National Society of Genetic Counselors (http://www.nsgc.org), and Health and Human Services (https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action), web sites I was able to construct by own Family Medical Pedigree. Seeing the information in print allowed me to easily determine the predominant disease traits in my family. Jarvis (2008), names specific diseases or conditions to pay particular attention to including: heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, blood disorders, cancer, sickle-cell anemia, arthritis, allergies, obesity, alcoholism, mental illness, seizure disorder, kidney disease and tuberculosis. In my Pedigree there is an obvious tendency towards cardiovascular disease. Specifically five of my relatives have had myocardial infarctions (MI), one MI resulted in death, seven had/have hypertension including myself, my paternal grandmother died from complications related to cerebral vascular accident that was caused by untreated hypertension, and my father died of kidney disease which was directly related to damage caused by hypertension. My mother has hypertension and although fairly well controlled she has had an MI and suffers from a retinal vein occlusion and macular degeneration which has resulted in severe vision impairment. Furthermore osteo and rhematoid arthritis is very prevalent in our family. In addition there is a strong maternal tendency towards hypothyroidism of which four females on the maternal side of the Pedigree have including me. Lifestyle Contributing Factors It is important to note that five of my relatives had lifestyles that contributed to hypertension and three of the five also suffered from an MI. My mother and father were heavy smokers for most of their adult lives, each quitting when the health implications became obvious. My paternal aunt was a heavy smoker until an MI which resulted in her death. Although obesity is a contributor to hypertension and heart disease, all of my relatives had/have relatively normal weights. My mother has sarcoidosis and was actively treated for a long time with prednisone which contributed to her vision problems. Important to note is that not only did my mother smoke but she also exposed herself to countless hazardous chemicals while working most of her life in kitchens. One would not think a commercial kitchen as a hazardous place to work until you realize the cleaning agents that are used on a regular basis. My mother was and continues to be a cleaning fanatic and considers the harsher the chemical the better. Torpy, J. (2006) claims that there are many theories about how sarcoidosis is acquired including environmental exposure, and genetic tendencies. In addition to sarcoidosis my mother has age related macular degeneration (ARMD), the American Medical Association (http:// ama-assn.org) states (as cited by Haines, J., Spencer K., Pericak-Vance, M., 2007) that ARMD has genetic and environmental links especially smoking. Risks and Risk Reduction From reviewing my Family Medical Pedigree it is easy to see that I have inherited the tendency towards and the conditions of hypertension, hypothyroidism, and arthritis. In addition I am at risk for ARMD and sarcoidosis which also has genetic tendencies. My physician is very proactive and has taken my family health history into consideration in providing my care. I have had an EKG and stress test, laboratory analysis for rheumatoid arthritis and annually I undergo tests to check for kidney function and cholesterol and routinely monitor my blood pressure. I see an ophthalmologist every year and hope that by reducing my risk factors for ARMD such as not smoking I do not succumb to it. Finally I am on medication for hypertension and hypothyroidism and I am happy to report both are well controlled. Considering lifestyle I have never smoked, and try to stay as active as possible with horseback riding and working and playing with my dogs. Another lifestyle change I should consider is diet; although I watch what I eat, I could do a much better job by eliminating saturated fats and losing 20 pounds. Conclusion There are user friendly, easily accessible tools available on the internet that can assist everyone to create and record their family health history using a Family Medical Pedigree. The information gained can assist individuals to make informed decisions about their lifestyle and medical care. Olsen, S., Dudley-Brown, S., McMullen, P. (2004) confirm à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Appropriately used, a family history generated pedigree can be one of the health care providers most powerful clinical tools for health risk identification and preventionà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ (295). Even the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin feels that accurate family medical history is important enough that she has created the Family Health History Initiative. This initiative has made recording health information accessible to everyone by providing a free online site to create your own Family Health Pedigree (www.surgeongeneral.gov). In summary by providing a Family Medical Pedigree and working collaboratively with your medical provider for proper screening, treatment, and lifestyle change you can decrease your risk for inherited diseases and preserve health.