Explain how firms try to extract consumer surplus using two-part Essay

Explain how firms try to extract consumer surplus using two-part tariffs - Essay Example Consumer Surplus and two part tariffs Monopolist firms are always associated to price discrimination and two-part pricing. Monopoly market structure is a form of market structure in which there is only one consumer and several producers. The monopolists are able to effect two part tariffs because they have the market power and because the consumers have inelastic demand curve. Market power, on the other hand, refers to the firm’s ability to raise the price of a commodity in the market over the marginal cost of producing the good in order to increase profit. The monopolists who act as price makers in the market without losing their customers or decreasing their sales majorly enjoys market power. The goods produced in these markets are very essential to people and that is why they still purchase the goods when their prices increase (Perloff, 2012). Market power is majorly brought about by barriers to entry to the new firms by monopolists. Elasticity is an important factor when o ne wants to determine market power and this depends on the shape of the demand curve where the price is raised above the marginal cost curve by the firm. It is given by the equation below: Price/Marginal cost= price elasticity of demand/ (1 + price elasticity of demand) Elasticity is affected greatly by availability of substitutes in that the more substitutes a good has, the more elastic the commodity is likely to be. Lastly, time affects elasticity as it takes time for consumers to react to the changes in price of goods. It has been observed that the demand for goods may be inelastic in the short run but elastic in the end due to price increase (Goolsbee & Syverson, 2013). Two critical conditions should be satisfied for the two-part tariff to hold. The first condition is that the supplier must have market power and the other is that the producer should be able to control access to the market. According to Pindyck & Rubinfeld (2009) in case where there is only one type of consumers who have the same demand curve then firms captures the concept of consumer prices through setting the price that is equal to marginal cost. Moreover, the fixed fee is set at point where it is equal to the consumer surplus of individual consumer price. Ordinarily, the consumer would charge price Pm and produce quantity Qm which accords the firm a profit shown by region B. However, due to two part pricing the firm will charge price Pc and a fixed charge of ABC making the firm to increase its profit to ABC. By charging price Pc the firm will extract all the surplus and realize increase in profits by AC. Figure 1: the figure shows how consumer surplus is obtained when demand is homogeneous; the diagram applies for each consumer In case there are two types of consumers and all the consumers within the same group possess the same demand curve then the only way to capture consumer surplus is through maximizing the profit function with respect to the price. The firms can attain the consumer surplus in two ways with two kinds of consumers. The first way to attain consumer surplus is through selling to high yield customers (Goolsbee & Syverson, 2013). High yield customers are charged a price, which is equal to marginal cost, and the fee is set equal to the price of the high yield custom

The staff at Greengables Essay Example for Free

The staff at Greengables Essay This would make a client feel emotionally upset and unwanted, the client might feel they are not important and could withdraw themselves from activities within Greengables because they do not want to be humiliated.  The sixth care value is promoting effective communication and relationships, Greengables try to make sure that clients are comfortable with their environment of the nursing home and ask their opinion, they have to understand the clients needs, fears and wishes. The clients always have time to communicate between one another, they do not have to but they have the choice. They also ensure the clients have relationships and time to bond with staff. Greengables overcome this care value by employing confident staff who are willing to talk to clients and make strong, trusting relationship, the clients have time all day everyday to make relationships it is just their choice to do so. If a care worker was to ignore the clients needs, fears or wishes or if the client struggled to talk the same language as the care worker and was ignored because the care worker didnt bother attempting to communicate with the client this care value wouldnt be followed. This could result in a client feeling they dont have to be sensitive to others or respect others opinions and feelings; they might lower in self-esteem. The seventh care value is providing individualised care, Greengables respect the clients thoughts, they treat all the residents as individuals and make sure each clients individual needs are cared for. For example, if a client needed a wheelchair because they could not walk, Greengables would provide this one client with a wheelchair unless someone else needed one and not give all the clients a wheelchair. It is vitally important that the clients have control over their lives just with the extra help on things they struggle with. In a kitchen it would be a lot easier for the catering staff to make one thing but this is not following the seventh care value; the kitchen should make certain foods for people with religious beliefs and certain foods for those who are allergic or need to be on a certain diet. This could result in the client feeling un-catered for and that they do not matter. If the care value base was not used at all, the clients that used the services at Greengables could tell their families, who could remove the client from the nursing home and into another meaning Greengables wouldnt receive as much money as they need or want and it wouldnt reach the standards that the government want and could be shut down until improved. The care value base is important because it prevents abuse and keeps the service to suitable standards. At Black Firs Playgroup the care value base is approached in a slightly different way. The clients at Black Firs Playgroup are children therefore they have to learn about building relationships with people and might not have the knowledge to tell someone about abuse. Staff at Black Firs Playgroup would be looking for physical damage, a change in mood or a change in noticeable emotional feeling of the child. The children could be abused by parents or other people at home or could be bullied by other children, which isnt as likely because they are a bit young. The children are less likely to be verbally abused than the older residents at Greengables because some children will not understand hurtful words for example. Both the clients from a nursing home and a nursery are at a vulnerable age because younger people take more explaining and understanding and older people are frail. At Greengables the staff would be looking for physical abuse, a change in mood and contribution to things or psychological abuse. This abuse could be from other clients, their family who visit or the care workers. The staff at Greengables have more chance of getting told or confided in by a client because they already know how to make relationships but might struggle to speak etc after a stroke for example.

Huck Finn: The Twisting Tides Of Portrayal - Racism Essay -- essays re

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In recent years, there has been increasing discussion of the seemingly racist ideas expressed by Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In some cases, the novel has been banned by public school systems and even censored by public libraries. Along with the excessive use of the word, â€Å"nigger,† the basis for this blatant censorship has been the portrayal of one of the main characters in Huck Finn, Jim, a black slave who runs away from his owner, Miss Watson. At several points in the novel, Jim's character is described to the reader, and some people have looked upon the presented characterization as racist. However, before one begins to censor a novel it important to distinguish the ideas of the author from the ideas of his characters. It is also important to read carefully to sufficiently capture the underlying themes of a novel. If one were to do this in relation to Huck Finn, one would, without a doubt, realize that it is not racist and is, in fact, anti-slavery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On an superficial level The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn might appear to be racist. The first time we meet Jim he is given a very negative description. The reader is told that Jim is illiterate, childlike, not very bright, and extremely superstitious. However, it is important not to lose sight of who is giving this description and who it is being given to. Although Huck is not a racist child, he has been raised by extremely racist individuals w...

Dophus Raymond Essay

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the people of Maycomb are prejudice. According to them, the only way a white man would be able to like a black man more than a white man is if he was an alcoholic or had some type of dysfunction. This applies to the majority of the people in Maycomb. Dolphus Raymond, however, is not part of this stereotype. He doesn’t have a dysfunction and only pretends to be an alcoholic. Mr. Raymond is both caring and sly. When Dolphus Raymond sees Dill come out of the courthouse crying, he tries to comfort him and help him feel better. This shows that Dolphus Raymond is caring. Dolphus Raymond then calls Dill to come to him and says, â€Å"Here, offering Dill his paper sack with straws in it. Take a good sip, it’ll quieten you. †(Lee, 200) This shows he is caring because he gives Dill some of his Coca-Cola to help him. Mr. Raymond reaches out to Dill when he is crying to help him feel better. Then, after Scout asks why he pretends to be an alcoholic he says,† Wh-oh yes, you mean why do I pretend? †¦. Some folks don’t-like the way I live. Now I could just say to hell with ‘em, I don’t care if they don’t like it. I do say I don’t care if they don’t like it, right enough-but I don’t say the hell with ‘em see? †(Lee, 200) This shows that even though people don’t like the way he lives, he still pretends to be an alcoholic for people to latch on a reason why he lives the way he does. Also, even though it’s fake, he gives them a reason to understand why he lives a certain way.. Dolphus Raymond is sly as well. When Scout finds out whiskey isn’t in the sack she says,† You mean all you drink in that sack’s Coca-Cola? Just plain Coca-Cola? † â€Å"Yes ma’am, Mr. Raymond nodded. (Lee, 200) He pretends to drink whiskey to help people latch on a reason why he likes blacks more than whites. Dolphus Raymond pretends to drink whiskey, but everyone else is the town thinks it is whiskey. People don’t understand his ways, so they just blame it on his drinking because they don’t understand how he could like a black man more than a white one. He walks around pretending he is drunk. † When I came into town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can says Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutch of whiskey-that’s why he wont change his ways. (Lee, 200) People think he has poor judgment because he pretends to be drunk, so they believe he won’t be able to change his ways. He is also acting like an alcoholic and like a drunk, so people can have a reason to understand why he lives his life the way he does. Dolphus Raymond isn’t an alcoholic or a drunk. He shows how caring and sly he is when he talks to the kids outside the courthouse. The people of Maycomb just can’t understand his reasoning concerning blacks and whites. They expect him to live prejudice like them. He has to pretend to be disorderly, so people can have a reason for his actions and preferences.

Effect of Maternal Employment on Child Hood Education Essay

Abstract The study aims to examine in detail the effects of maternal employment as a doctor on child’s academic achievement at school level, with the help of using samples taken from working doctor and non working mothers and the schools grades of their respective children. The results predicted show that mothers as a doctor does exert negative impact on the academic achievement of their children. Further findings highlight that mothers education and the quantity of time spend with the child incase when the mother is working are the important tools for better school performance. The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement Introduction As we all know Pakistan being a developing nation gives great importance to two main sectors namely health and education. Therefore a lot of funds and resources have been contributed to these sectors over two decades on the principals of making Pakistan a healthy and literate community. Over the years Pakistan has witnessed a great deal of changes in its social, cultures and norms one of which has great relevance to our research such as female employment. The number of female employees has greatly increased. However female employment in profession cannot take place alone until and unless it blends with sound education. Therefore an increase employment in female sectors has led to a simultaneously increase in schooling or education as well, both of which are primary focus of our discussion. Since females are now opting medical as their profession and female doctors are increasing day by day, it was for this reason why we opted for this topic to study the impact of maternal employment as a doctor on their children’s primary education. Our aim is to make people aware of the fact whether maternal employment effects children’s education or not. In Lahore preschools and primary education schools are opening up at every location. This increase in demand for more schools is mainly due to more and more mothers going out for work. To become a doctor and serve the community can although be seen as positive aspect individually and socially however it can also have serious or negative implications on the child.To draw conclusions whether the working mothers as doctor have a positive or negative influence on child’s development we would need to consider several aspects of this development  that is how it affects the child’s academic performance and achievements, his personal character development and mental and emotional well being. All of the factors mentioned above would help us in determine whether it is feasible for the mother to work as a doctor or stay at home giving attention to their children. To study in depth we have taken into account the effect of working doctor mothers on children who are mainly enrolled in preschool and primary school. Children when are between the age of 3-12 years are most demanding in time and it is these early years of a child in which a strong bond between mother and child is created followed by the character development. Mother as doctors will tend to leave their children at day care or pre schools which might end up with negative effects on the children. On the other hand preschools and primary schools may also have positive impact on the child’s growth such as learning of new activities and work in groups which will help them build up confidence and lastly make them independent at a very young age. Despite these positive aspects of the schooling, a child might not perform well in his education performance. To carry out the survey and research a lot of variables were considered and used in finding. Variables such as the number of years after the mother started practicing medical profession after the child’s birth, the monthly income of the female doctors, the fraction of the to tal monthly salary spent on children. Last but not the least the amount of items available in the house that contribute in time saving techniques resulting in ample time available for the mother to be spent with the child, these equipment would mainly include washing machines, dryers dish washers and the number of helpers present in the house. Our main objective is to also study and compare previous generations to today’s generations in Pakistan. In past very less women were doctors and mostly were housewives who believed in not to work but to spend quality time at home and give in their best efforts to bring up their children. However nowadays females are becoming doctors. Thus a question arises whether women can still manage to give quality timer to their children with medical as their profession or children have to suffer because of their mother as doctor. Which option is better, to become a doctor and raise children or become a house wife and raise children. These questions will be addressed and answered in our research. Questions that will be asked from the doctors and non working women that will help us formulate general results  are in the form of two questionnaires. To gain more primary data which is still not answered by the questionnaires; there will also be direct interviews from the doctors. Thus our population will be few female doctors in Lahore that have children. However we have further narrowed the female doctors to a few hospitals at Lahore. The sample would be taken from surgimed hospital/ Services hospital.To sum up, research paper mainly focuses on the effect of mothers being doctors on their childhood’s development with special importance given to education development. To summarize in one line, the research helps in studying the development of child when their mothers are doctors (maternal employment sector) or when their mothers are housewives (nonemployee). Literature Review This paper involves number of studies that involve the relationship between maternal employment and children’s cognitive development. Maternal employment can be taken as an economic factor which eventually can affect and influence a lot of environmental conditions, thus it also affects the children’s cognitive abilities. We cannot deny the fact that economic conditions initially play a vital role in child’s development but on the other hand psychological aspects can also not be denied and need to be taken into account. To define and state them more clearly some of the factors affecting the child outcomes may include maternal employment, education levels of parent’s socio economic standing and other demographic standings. It is widely believed that mothers as doctors have less time available to spend with their children therefore one could say mothers as doctors have negative effects on the cognitive development of children. Some of the problems that can come across are slow language development process, unable to solve mathematical problems and deficits in reading abilities. Ruhm (2000) found out that during the early years such as 3 and 4 years old, children had detrimental effect on language learning and children with the age of 5 and 6 years had to face the problems mathematical inabilities. Lack of interaction and bonding with the mother at this stage in life may lead to cognitive difficulties in the child .Maternal employment results in separation of mother and child therefore providing a gateway to cognitive problems. An interesting finding that we found out while going through the  literature was that unlike maternal employment, unemployed fathers have negative effects. Harvey (1999) found out some significant results though they were more or less confined to high income versus low income families. Harvey (1999) conducted different surveys and techniques and studied the effects of maternal employment on cognitive development. Harvey (1999) found out that maternal employment is favorable and has positive impact to children that belong to low income families. This is perhaps because children from poor families receive more education in their pre schooling compared to if they stayed at home. This view point can also be supported with the fact that mothers from poor families are less educated and thus have less motherly skills. However children from richer families mostly lose out when their mothers are not at work. Income effects: David Blau (1999) conducted a study which focused on income effects. Blau (1999) found out that only permanent income that is from permanent career can affect the relationship which also is to a limited extent. Blau (1999) agreed that different economic classes do affect the cognitive levels. Family variables are important which mainly include mother’s educational level, marital status and race. Education Status: With respect to Blau, Loury(1988) examined that the educational level of the parents is the main cause of cognitive problems. To conclude about the literature review Investigation into the influences on children’s development shows the fundamental factor is the nature of children’s experiences in their primary life contexts, including the relationships between those contexts and wider socio-cultural contexts. The most influential factor is the nature of interactions with parents and, in the early childhood education setting, with early childhood educators. With regard to the impact of maternal employment, the direction of international research suggests maternal employment in itself has no significant negative or positive effects on children, although small negative cognitive and behavioral effects of extensive maternal employment may occur in the child’s first year. These possible negative effects are linked to the quality of the early childhood education, so high quality generally removes the negative effects and may increase positive effects in that first year. Any negative effects of maternal employment are negligible beyond the child’s first year  and must be seen in relation to the numerous influences in the different contexts of a child’s life. Methodology The purpose of the study is to look at how mothers working as doctors have an effect on their children’s performance in the field of education at preschool and primary level. To carry out research, female doctors who have children were selected as population from hospitals of Lahore mainly constituting Services and Surgimed hospital . To carry out data collection the population was sampled and fifteen female doctors who have children from each hospital were given a questionnaire and similarly two interviews from each hospital were conducted. We have used quota sampling based on convenient and non probability sampling. Semi structured questionnaire which consists of both structured and unstructured questions have been used. The questionnaire designed focused on general questions in the beginning and then focused more towards specific questions, the approach known as general to specific was used.. Since there are large numbers of female doctors who have children working in these two hospitals; it was easy for us to collect data with the help of questionnaires by distributing them once and collecting the questionnaires back next time. Unstructured interviews were also conducted, two from each hospital to collect data.The aim of the interviews was to find out any additional information that could not be generated or left out in questionnaires. This additional information was generated with help of probe questions. We tried our best to create an atmosphere which is suitable and comfortable for the respondents to conduct the interview Questions used in questionnaires are mostly measured in numerical frequency. The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement Questionnaire results and discussion: Q1: Most of the mothers (working and non working) were married, thus majority of them belonged to a stable family meaning by they were not disturbed due to family domestic affairs.(See Appendix for charts) Q2: An interesting finding from the questionnaires was that mothers who worked as  doctors had less children. On an average female doctors had two children. Whereas mothers who were not working had a majority of three children. Thus clearly highlighting the fact that mothers can give more time to their children if they are not working. (See Appendix for charts) Q3: Mostly mothers who had children of below the age of five years took leave from their profession to up bring their children. (See Appendix for charts) Q4: Both mothers who are working as doctors and mothers who are nonworking had majority of their life partners (husbands) as working and earning. (See Appendix for charts) Q5: Income was enough for them to buy things for children. (See Appendix for charts) Q6: Though when this question was put in a different way in terms of spending time with their children. Women who were not working, mostly spent 6 hours a day with their children whereas working women only spent 4 hours a day due to their staying away from home unlike nonworking women who worked while staying home thus could give more time to children. (See Appendix for charts) Q7: Mothers who worked in hospitals had hired maids for their children to look after them whereas non working mothers who hired maids were 9 out of 30 mothers who answered questionnaire. Out of 30 working mothers who were given questionnaire 16 had The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement hired maid’s .Therefore mothers who don’t work can look after their children much better unlike maids hired by working mothers for their children. (See Appendix for charts) Q8: Though there is a slight difference as most of the nonworking mothers visit 6 times years while working mothers visit 4 times a year. (See Appendix for charts) Q9: Mothers who work are supported and to great extent in bring up their children up to their academic expectations. Majority working mothers stated that their husband contribute more than 50% in children’s education responsibility. Whereas mothers who did not work took most of the children’s education responsibilities and husband contributed very less. Therefore a valid conclusion drawn is that mothers who do not work can give more time to their children’s education and can produce better results. (See Appendix for  charts) Q10: Mothers who worked provide their children with recreational activities such as taking them out to restaurants etc. Whereas mothers who stayed at home emphasized more on providing recreational activities such as sports for healthier routine and health. (See Appendix for charts) The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement Q11: Now talking about the main research question. Results drawn showed that mothers who did not work their children showed a better academic performance when compared to mothers who work. Out of 30 working mothers only 9 termed their children with excellent academic performance whereas in case of nonworking women out of 30, 18 termed their children as excellent in academics. Therefore clearly indicating that mothers who do not work are able produce better results out of their children unlike working mothers. (See Appendix for charts) Q12: Mothers who were working wanted their children to get the highest degree of education to become successful in life. Majority of the working mothers wanted their children to do masters. (See Appendix for charts) Q13: Some working women agreed that bringing up child is possible with job whereas almost an equal amount of women did not agreed that bringing up child is easily possible with job and thus affects overall performance especially academic performance. (See Appendix for charts) Q14: When working and non working mothers were asked about their opinion as mothers. Non working mothers termed themselves in majority (25 out of30) as excellent mothers whereas mothers as doctors only 12 out of 30 termed themselves excellent mothers. (See Appendix for charts) Q15: Lastly mothers were to give reasons of why they were working. Most of them mothers stated that they worked either for advancement in career or for monetary reasons. (See Appendix for charts) The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement Interviews were also conducted from working women from the hospitals. The unstructured interviews followed by probe questions helped us  to find more useful information about their impact of job on their children’s education performance. The findings from the interviews were finding out how much interest they showed in their children’s education and whether they had ever thought of the impact of their profession on their children’s education performance. Most of the female doctors were interested in their children’s education performance and were concerned but they also agreed that at times they lack in keeping their child’s performance up to date due to their performance. Thought it was found out that they tried to give equal time to their profession and their children to maintain balance however doctor as profession did not allow them to work on this idea freely and thus female doctors as mothers were more towards the view that doctor as a profession is too demanding, therefore some cost in the form of children’s upbringing has to be paid. To find more details doctors were asked what they thought of this profession whether it is friendlier towards family. Most of the doctors abruptly answered in a negative manner and demanded that working hours too long and should be cut short so that more time can be spent with families. Though in monetary terms they were happy since most of the female doctors quoted a handsome amount of salary and were able to meet their children’s requirement and their schooling (education). Lastly questions were asked from doctors whether they would like their children to be a doctor as well keeping in view the costs associated and children’s education impact. Most of the mothers were not in favor of making their children’s doctors stating that there is no social and family life in this profession. The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement Conclusions Findings from the research we suggest that doctor as a profession is not friendly and does not goes in favor side by side in bringing children’s education performance to the peak. Mothers working as doctors no doubt work hard in up bringing their child to their best however nowadays doctor as a profession is becoming demanding day by day and the number of hours to work have increased. Simultaneously education competitions have also increase and have become very demanding. Therefore looking at the results mothers who works as doctors, their children suffer more than mothers who do not work and spend time with their children. The other two sectors like bankers etc  had less or negligible effects on children’s education. Thus doctor’s children have a negative impact on their children education unlike mothers who are government servants or bankers. Recommendations The research is very helpful and will provide a good rationale for female mothers who work as doctors to take a decision whether to take up job or bring up their child as nonworking mothers. Looking at the results and findings the researcher suggests that in Pakistan, doctor as a profession is very demanding and has negative effect on children’s performance. Therefore it is recommended that women instead of taking up doctor as their profession should look for other job alternatives such as banking or other government jobs which are less demanding and have less working hours. The main advantage of considering other professions would be to give time simultaneously to their children along with their jobs. The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement Limitations: The one and only limitation faced in the project was to get the questionnaires filled out from the doctors. Since most of the time doctors were busy and getting hold of doctors to take their interviews and filling out questionnaires was difficult. The effect of maternal employment (doctor) on child development and academic achievement References Blau, F. D., & Grossberg, A. J. (1992). Maternal labor supply and children’s cognitive development. Review of Economics and Statistics Achenbach, T. M., Edelbrock, C., & Howell, C. T. (1987). Empirically based assessment of behavioral/emotional problems of 2- and 3-year-old children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Baydar, N., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1991). Effects of maternal employment and child care arrangements on preschoolers’ cognitive and behavioral outcomes: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Developmental Psychology Brooks-Gunn, J., Han, W., & Waldfogel, J. (2002). Maternal employment and child cognitive outcomes in the first three years of life: The NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Child Development,

buy custom Ergot Poisoning essay

buy custom Ergot Poisoning essay Problems in Salem started in January 1692, during the cold winter in Massachusetts, when eight young girls started getting ill. The first one was Elizabeth Paris who was nine years old, followed by eleven-year-old Abigail Williams. Their symptoms were an odd skin sensation, violent convulsions, deliriousness, and incomprehensible speech. The village said the girls were bewitched, after desperately searching for an explanation to no avail. After this, they started accusing people, beginning with Tituba, a slave from Parriss Caribbean. Together with Tituba, were Sarah Osburn and Sarah Good, whom the village arrested on 29 February. After that, the village arrested more than one hundred and fifty witches. The village had put to death more than twenty men and women by September 1692, without a confession from them, while others died in jail. These trials ended in October 29, after an order by Governor Sir William Phips of Massachusetts. Ever since then, historians and scholars have struggled to explain the problem in Salem. Some thought it was sexual repression, mass hysteria or dietary deficiency, while others blamed a simple fungus, Ergot, for the conditions. Linnda Caporael, presently a behavioral psychologist made the latter realizations. Linnda detected a link between certain drugs hallucinogenic effects and the symptoms the eight Salem accusers reported. The drug she identified was LSD, which is Ergots derivative, and affects rye grain. Ergotism refers to poisoning that result from this fungus. Earlier, the poisoning had been accused in the bizarre outbreaks of behavior in several areas such as Pont-Saint-Espirit. Caporael raised questions over the possibility of Ergot being the causes of those conditions in Salem. Toxicologists confirm that consuming ergot-contaminated meals may result into convulsive disorders (Douglas 175). Among the symptoms that characterize the disorders are delusions, vomiting, crawling skin sensations, hallucinations, and violent muscle spasms. It could have been possible that this was the cause of the girls conditions as they all reported these symptoms. Additionally, the fungus flourishes in warm and damp rainy summers and springs. These were exact weather conditions in 1691. Almost all of the accusers resided in Salem villages western section, a place of swampy meadows. Swampy meadows are an ideal breeding condition for the fungus. Keeping in mind that almost all the accused resided in this area, it is ordinary to conclude that they may have been innocent in their accusations,and that the death sentences were unjust. During this, rye was also a staple in the village, and was first consumed in the 1691-1692 winter, when the village reported its first symptom. This cou ld have been an easy explanation for the symptoms as there were large consumptions at the start of the season. In the 1692 summer, the village experienced a dry spell, after which the witchcraft suddenly stopped (A Chronology of Events). A number of theories have merged to explain mental illness relating to the above symptoms. Psychologists classify the symptoms that the girls exhibited under hysteria. However, scholars from various fields suggest illness such as mass hypnosis, mass hysteria, and delusions as possible explanations of the girls conditions. Mass hypnosis is highly questionable because it does not affect everyone. One other theory that scholars contended for this explanation was that the villagers wanted to get rid of merchants from Salem town. This is not a plausible argument because most of those people who were accused of witchcraft resided on the western villages of Salem. Other theorists said that the Puritan Church had started to feel as though it was losing its management over the parishioners. Because of these, the church needed to accuse people of the happenings in order to stay powerful. Though it is true that the church was gradually losing its power, the theory does not explain why the churc h would incriminate poor women such as Sarah Ousborne. Other suspicions pertain to the common individual greed at that time (Hall 89). The theory argues that those who accused the witches were jealous of the witches social positions and their possessions, and the only way for them to acquire their possessions or taint their popularity was to accuse them of the witchcraft. Jealousy, especially over wealth, has always been present in societies hence, could explain some for the accusations. However, this argument remains incredible in other cases, especially against the poor accusers such as Sarah Ousborne. Other theories relay the conditions to the Puritan lifestyle, which was extremely strict. This theory argues that the girls are overwhelmed with certain emotions but lacked outlets for releasing them. During that time, normal life meant working harder and harder, with little recreation time. Due to this rigorous routine, it could have been possible for the girls to unleash the overwhelming feeling through hysteria. However, this argument also holds little doubts because if that was the routing, then most girls could have been affected.. Additionally, the conditions seem to have started appearing at a particular time, and ended almost immediately. The lifestyle had been present even before the conditions, therefore, cannot explain the symptoms. An interesting realization that one makes by analyzing these theories is that none, except Egortism. Poisoning, exclusively explains Salems situation. Most of the theories relate the events with the happenings in the world of psychology and human services. It would be feasible to combine two or more theories in the explanation of the occurrences. This would yield a better and comprehensive explanation of the condition in Salem. The understanding derived is important in building of the future concepts. For example, Ergot poisoning could have affected the victims sound judgment. Consequently, there were good chances that the girls were overwhelmed, therefore, seeking a release of their emotions. The theories would hold more weight when they are incorporated into one another and viewed as a whole (Malcom 76). Despite these theories, the most credible explanation has been the Ergotism as it contains facts that coincide with the seasons and symptoms. However, this theory also has loopholes. Considering that a family contains other people other than the girls who could have consumed the grain, how could it be that they were the only ones who got ill? For example, in the Parris household, there were eight people. Despite the family consuming the same meals, only the poison affected Abigail and Betty. Additionally, it is confusing how all the girls hallucinated, without any of them getting back to their senses. It is hard to believe that the condition would spread as it did, and fail to get better. In conclusion, it is important to note that some of the current explanations of Salems conditions such as hysteria, physiological explanations, psychiatric disorder and fraud could have meaningful importance in understanding the case. However, there have been monumental reasons and proof that point to the credibility of Egotism as the primal explanation of the situation in Salem. Amongst them are the localization and growing conditions of the village and its weather conditions. Other theories contain major loopholes, some explaining instances that have no proof or those are difficult to control. For example, the issues of jealousy are a difficult one to evaluate. However, the issue of different growing seasons, staple food, weather and the symptoms, are verifiable facts, which add credibility to the ergotism theory. Buy custom Ergot Poisoning essay

Intelligence Collection Disciplines

Intelligence Collection Disciplines Intelligence is the know-how of an issue. Business intelligence, for example, understands business practices. Determination of Intelligence classification is according to the field in operation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Intelligence Collection Disciplines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the intelligence community refers to a community of government operatives who work to unearth information from the society, economy and political structure, issues that are meaningful to a nation’s security. The data collection may be within or outside a country’s borders. The intelligence community has several modes of intelligence gathering ranging between covert and overt operations. The intelligence community collects information in five main ways/disciplines. Human Intelligence is the collection of intelligence from human sources. The collection, therefore, is either with direct knowledge of the col lection by the source such as through interrogation, or without their knowledge through clandestine means. It is a valuable source of information: especially in regards to the wealth of knowledge it can provide. It also requires less massive investment, unlike other collection disciplines. This, however, is at the behest of source reliability, since, evidence from other intelligence collection disciplines is usually a prerequisite before putting it into use. Secondly, human rights abuses at the hands of interrogators may arise while covert operatives essentially put their lives in danger in the course of an operation. Signals Intelligence gathering is through privately obtaining signal transmissions, which may be inter party/interpersonal communication (communication intelligence) or electronic signal interception (electronic intelligence).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More C ommunication intelligence is through tapping conversation between two or more parties such as tapping emails or cell phones. Electronic intelligence is the collection of information through analysis of electronic signals such as radar information. Especially in electronic intelligence, it is accurate, with modern technology; however, this can be subject to tampering. Imagery Intelligence collection is through photo imagery. Accomplishment of this discipline is through aerial photography or by satellites. In modern times, apart from collecting information about physical structures and ground movement, through appropriate technology can gain additional information such as the number of people within buildings through assessing heat signatures or even the radiation levels at a nuclear plant. However, this would require low flying aircraft in enemy territory, which is dangerous and may provoke war. Therefore, in cases where countries are not in conflict, satellite photography is the cho ice of use for imagery intelligence but can be limiting as it provides only physical structure and ground activity. Therefore, imagery intelligence is a discipline whose impact is primarily in the provision of areas of speculative activity, backing up other intelligences while guiding plans of military action. Measurement and signature Intelligence goals are to collect information about nuclear radiation and weaponry through analysis of electronic and image intelligence. Nuclear activity at nuclear plants involves enrichment of uranium to obtain energy. The enrichment process of energy production and development of nuclear weapons produce different radiation levels. This is through analysis of ground activity near a nuclear plant by identifying component of new materials brought to the plant. Additionally, information collection of radiation levels in the course of enrichment is of the essence.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Intelligence Collection Discipl ines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Satellite intelligence can collect information about ground activity while imagery intelligence can collect radiation at such a plant. Especially in enemy territory, collection of radiation levels at such a plant by aerial methods may be too risky thus satellites have to do, which is speculation on possible activity at such a nuclear plant. Assessment of weaponry is through satellite details of military barracks. This too is speculative as actual weapons production may be within buildings and weaponry magnitudes are not assessable by identifying ground activity at barracks. Open-Source Intelligence collection is from public information such as from media, public records, industrial and professional data. The amount of information in the public spectrum is wide; therefore, intelligence collection is tedious. It may reveal information gems through trend statistical analysis, for example, which may identify potential hot spots. With such information, it can now guide other intelligence efforts of the government such as imagery intelligence and human intelligence. It may further provide information on potential accomplices of a suspect. Also enables the government to select a covert operative that will fit the appropriate profile of an accomplice. However, trend analysis is not a truly accurate tool but use of technology such as super computers can boost ease of collection and accuracy of assessment.

A look into sectarian academic institutions selective student admission policy

A look into sectarian academic institutions selective student admission policy Hashtag: #TiwaLaSalle (â€Å"Trust in La Salle!† University) The Nature of Sectarian Schools About four years ago, several schoolchildren with lesbian parents were rejected by a Catholic school in Boston, Massachusetts. A Lutheran High School in California, on the other hand, expelled two students simply because they were members of the third sex. Sectarian schools are also famous for rejecting students with different religious belief, of different skin color or with a physical or mental disability, but gets away with it. How is that possible? Sectarian schools are private institutions, as they do not receive funding from federal government or directly administered by the state. For this reason, sectarian schools are self-governing entities with freedom to discriminate or reject a particular type admit a certain type of student. Therefore, those shouting #TiwaLaSalle are students who passed the discriminating standard of the university and deserving of education for the elite. Owners of sectarian schools are either Catholic or Protestant religious organizations aiming to propagate and advance their respective religious beliefs. A sectarian school, therefore, is only open to students with similar faith. Moreover, since government or people’s taxes do not fund private organizations, students in sectarian schools are normally sons and daughters of parents who can pay expensive tuition fees and support expenses associated with exclusive education. Get your portion of inspiration here: Why High School Years Are Often the Most Memorable in Later Life? What Are the Common Problems faced by Students in School? Relieving Students School-Related Stress High School Is a Must-Do? At School, I Have Been Bullied by a Teacher Discrimination in Schools of the Holy Most sectarian schools are named after a patron saint or religious figures (ex. Saint Anthony’s College, La Salle University, Saint Francis Xavier University) but their practices seem far from being divine. They continue to exist and operate under the law regardless of the fact that denying student’s admission on religious grounds result in racial exclusion and violation of children’s rights. Under the law, sectarian schools as private educational institutions can have different rules. For instance, a Roman Catholic nun and leader of a Catholic school in New Orleans openly admit that students and faculty have limited rights in a Catholic school. In fact, they are free to ignore freedom of speech and due process rights, hire and fire staff on religious grounds, employment regulations, and reject admission of anyone mainly because they are ministries funded by private donations. These practices according to school official are not religiously bias but simply a matter of choosing those who are members of the church. Moreover, since the school is part of the ministry, they need to model and protect Catholic values. This may be true as most textbooks according to the study of Christian schools are politically and religiously bias and often identical to materials produced by partisan organizations promoting conservative Christian ideas. Discriminatory practices of sectarian schools such as those promoting Catholic values, in particular, seem contradictory to Christian teaching. For instance, discrimination is never a Christian value. In fact, Jesus, through his ministry, emphasized the need to love one another, as God’s love for all is unconditional. Evidently, these include those we deemed unworthy or people with different belief, gender, and race. Sectarian schools should realize that independence from government funding and control does not necessarily mean freedom to discriminate and promote false religious values such as providing exclusive education for the elite.

Design innovation in pakistan textile Literature review

Design innovation in pakistan textile - Literature review Example The university is committed to interdisciplinary and modern teaching. Its dedication towards diversity is essential an environment where learners, teachers, faculty in addition to other shareholders are exposed to manifold opportunities for personal, intellectual and professional growth. This university which is located in Quetta enrolls 1000 in a single semester. It received its charter on 18th July 2002 and is intended to be one of the best educators in Systems and Management attracting students from across the nation. It is currently offering bachelor and master degrees in Business Administration, Computer Science and Engineering as well as post-graduate diploma in Computer Science. Hajvery University (HU) is a government University whose motto is unveiling the veiled. It is a recognized institute of higher education started in Lahore Pakistan and is licensed by the Pakistan government as an Autonomous Degree awarding Institute. The institute has further started an addition of three campuses in Pakistan and the fourth one is under way in Dubai. It is recognized across the world through associations letting learners and staffs have the advantage of replacing agreements with more than 35 universities. The university enrolls 3,000-3,999 per year and has an exceptional employment records in Pakistan. Beaconhouse National University seeks to offer learners with an immense selection of course and degrees to select from, as per their career interests and personality character. Additionally, it offers broad-based learning whereby learners are exposed to different subject so that to get a better professional understanding of world, therefore preparing student for life opportunities as well as challenges. BNU is a government chartered university having been established in 2003 for bringing education with contemporary, rational,

Skydiving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Skydiving - Essay Example The reason behind this is the force of gravity. This gravity results in an acceleration of 9.8 m/s^2. Given this acceleration, the following formula determines how far the skydiver will travel in a given time: Air resistance is the force that acts against the gravity while the skydiver is accelerating downward. Air resistance acts upwards against the gravity which acts downwards. In the beginning, the push provided by air resistance is much smaller than the pull of gravity; therefore, the skydiver continues to accelerate downwards. However, as the skydiver falls faster and faster, the value of air resistance increases because of which the acceleration starts to decrease. Eventually, the force of air resistance becomes equal to that of the force of gravity. At this point, the skydiver stops accelerating and attains a constant speed. This constant speed is known as the terminal velocity. Terminal velocity is the maximum velocity that a particular body can reach when falling through the air. (Gordon et al 2000; Lenaker 2002) The cross-sectional area of the skydiver plays a very important role in how quickly or slowly the skydiver will reach their terminal velocity. This is because the cross-sectional area determines the amount of air resistance that will act on the skydiver. Greater the cross-sectional area, greater will be the force of air resistance. For example, a skydiver who falls in a spread eagle position will encounter a greater air resistance than one who falls head, or feet, first. This is where the role of parachutes comes in. As soon as the skydiver opens their parachute, their cross-sectional area increases, leading to an increase in the air resistance. This air resistance becomes greater than the gravity. The upward net force causes the skydiver to slow down. As the speed of the skydiver decreases, so does the air resistance, until the skydiver reaches terminal velocity again. (Gordon et al. 2000). Gordon, J. R.,

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

Recommendations - Essay Example 1. The restaurant needs to introduce new initiatives of employees’ health and wellbeing programs to reduce their health problems. Exhaustion is found to be the main cause for their lack of enthusiasm which is reflected in their level of service at the end of the day. A separate small place should be allotted to them to take short breaks to relax and reinforce their energy. Constant communication and constructive engagement with employees significantly enhances morale and commitment to work (MacLeod & Clarke, 2010). Management should involve employees in discussions on how to improve work environment so that they are happy. 2. The management needs to recruit more people to not only maintain its reputation for excellent customer service but it would also relieve pressure from the existing staff. The employees were unanimous in the view that more people are required to meet the rush of the clients. The HR people therefore should create a pool of human resource who can be given part-time work during the rush time. This would help the permanent staff to recover from the highly stressing work of serving many people in short time and with efficiency. 3. Workers need to be motivated through incentives and fringe benefits like complementary weekly family meal at Chipotle or company sponsored family vacation on weekends. It could be a once a month affair based on work performance. This would motivate workers for higher performance (Fisher, 2005). At the same time, it would give them an opportunity to spend quality time with family. The long hours and workplace stress have adverse impact on the work-life balance, creating dissatisfaction amongst the staff. This initiative would boost their morale. 4. The company must provide the workforce with new opportunities of enhancing their skills and knowledge. In-house trainings on skill development and options for partial or full funding of cost for pursuing

The differences between primary school in England and Saudi Arabia Essay

The differences between primary school in England and Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The extent to which the models and theories of education build experience for children has elicited interests among the researchers. The systems of education in Saudi Arabia and England offer different levels of experience because educators in both countries adopt different models of educational transmission. Experience constitutes the aspects of intellect and consciousness, which children acquire when they undergo learning processes. They constitute a combination of thought processes, emotion, will, perception and imagination (Rowe, Herrera, Hughes, & Cawley, 2012). The models used by teachers to transmit knowledge to primary school children largely determine the extent to which learners acquire desirable experiences in education. Superior experience refers to the ability of one education system having a higher potential to enhance children’s learning than the other system. Models of educating children are characterised by diverse features and are applicable in different contexts. Factors that lead to superior experience include the educations system of a country, the content of the curriculum, and learners’ autonomy; further details concerning these factors are discussed in the analysis part. Models that promote superior experience enhance development of children across all spectrum of life including economic, social, and political aspects (Bloxham & Boyd, 2012). Superior experience is achieved through educators and curriculum developers focusing on all dimensions of Bloom’s taxonomic units when developing and executing the curriculum. Bloom’s taxonomy consists of cognitive domain, affective domain and psychomotor domain. Additionally, superior experience results from having courses developed by educators who understand the reality of primary classrooms (Schneider, 2013). Experienced educators have the potential for reviewing and updating courses regularly to ensure activities,

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Marketing - Essay Example A marketing strategy is the means that the producer uses to focus and identify various ways he can influence the decision of his customers to purchase his products. The marketing concept to be used should satisfy consumer needs and help the producer to achieve in increasingly competitive markets. To achieve competitive advantage, in an increasingly competitive market place, the producer should establish an effective market strategy that will influence consumer wishes and win them into his side. Erich claims that the manufacturing of various products factors in behavior and wishes of buyers because the producer wishes to influence and change buyers’ interests in production. This statement raises ethical concerns about whether marketing is ethically professional; this is because producers aim to manipulate consumer behaviors in various ways of marketing. Producers manufacture consumer behavior in various ways for instance, through packaging. Producers package their products in a way to attract attention of the buyers to a certain brand, promote its image, and influence the perception of buyers about the brand2. Packaging can as well impart unique value to brands, and act as a differentiation tool – for instance, aid buyers select the brand from various same brands, stimulate buyers purchasing behavior. Producers use various packaging aspects such as packaging color, material, wrapper design, background image, creativity and printed information to tailor consumer wishes. Packaging color attracts buyers’ attention through its attractiveness, while packaging materials prevents brand loss as high quality materials attracts more buyers. For instance, some water production companies’ offers a clear packaging; in fact, these packaging uses pale blue bottles and a plastic seal at the middle of its lid. Apparently, use of pale blue on the bottle is an indication of water purity. Moreover, the packaging entails a vivid logo; for example, mountai ns, and brand names aimed at representing the nature of the product offered to consumers3. Packaging and branding information assist in the process of building brand reputation and customers’ appeal; in fact, it serves as an indication that the brand is fit for human health and consumption. They also indicate the quality, purity, and safety of the brand creating a strong competitive advantage over competitor brands. The design of the wrapper attracts consumer wishes, for instance, children prefer wrappers that are more sensitive. Therefore, packaging plays a critical function in marketing communication; thus, could be considered as a critical way of manufacturing consumer wishes to demand and buy product. Producers use their company reputation to tailor consumer wishes. Experts agree that every business, despite its competitiveness, trivial, or outsized, they chiefly rely on repute for triumph, survival, and customer satisfaction. Customers, personnel, vendors, financiers, co mmunication networks, and monitors may have an elemental outcome. They all have essential perceptions regarding other businesses they interrelate with on a daily basis. These perceptions extensively influence their decisions on their interests to purchase from, work with, and market or support these companies. Therefore, producers strove to offer an effectual, responsive customer service, which is vital to product promotion and

The differences between primary school in England and Saudi Arabia Essay

The differences between primary school in England and Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The extent to which the models and theories of education build experience for children has elicited interests among the researchers. The systems of education in Saudi Arabia and England offer different levels of experience because educators in both countries adopt different models of educational transmission. Experience constitutes the aspects of intellect and consciousness, which children acquire when they undergo learning processes. They constitute a combination of thought processes, emotion, will, perception and imagination (Rowe, Herrera, Hughes, & Cawley, 2012). The models used by teachers to transmit knowledge to primary school children largely determine the extent to which learners acquire desirable experiences in education. Superior experience refers to the ability of one education system having a higher potential to enhance children’s learning than the other system. Models of educating children are characterised by diverse features and are applicable in different contexts. Factors that lead to superior experience include the educations system of a country, the content of the curriculum, and learners’ autonomy; further details concerning these factors are discussed in the analysis part. Models that promote superior experience enhance development of children across all spectrum of life including economic, social, and political aspects (Bloxham & Boyd, 2012). Superior experience is achieved through educators and curriculum developers focusing on all dimensions of Bloom’s taxonomic units when developing and executing the curriculum. Bloom’s taxonomy consists of cognitive domain, affective domain and psychomotor domain. Additionally, superior experience results from having courses developed by educators who understand the reality of primary classrooms (Schneider, 2013). Experienced educators have the potential for reviewing and updating courses regularly to ensure activities,

Woodrow Wilson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Woodrow Wilson - Essay Example While this ship is perhaps the most historically significant, German submarines demonstrated a history of interference with United States ships. While the two countries reached a post-1915 treaty, Germany ultimately decided to break this treaty in 1917, clearing the way for future aggressive actions, including the sinking of five American ships. In addition to German interference with American neutrality, the Zimmerman telegram constituted a major contributing factor for United States involvement. This telegram was sent between Germany and Mexico, intercepted by British intelligence and interpreted. The telegram indicated that if Mexico joined the war on Germany’s side, in victory they would be award the lost territories of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. It seems that such a telegram was a valid reason for entering the war. While it would be naà ¯ve to assume that this telegram was a primary reason for the United States involvement, such a telegram clearly demonstrated to the United States public that German aggression extended beyond involvement in Europe but was increasingly advancing to their backyard. Still, it’s clear that United States involvement was inevitability after Germany broke neutrality, such that the Zimmerman telegram was only a pretext. Considering prominent theorists, it’s clear that America had in large part already broken neutrality. Prior to declaring war on Germany the United States had actively contributed to the war effort through supplying the Britain with military supplies and funding. As such, it’s clear that the United States involvement in World War I was not only inevitable recurrent to the Zimmerman telegram, but to an extent had already occurred. Had the United States refrained from entering World War I it’s highly possible history would be greatly altered. The United States involvement ensured that German aggression would be stopped

Offshoring Paper Essay Example for Free

Offshoring Paper Essay This article talks about a trend that started as far back as the 1980’s when companies began sending many jobs abroad mainly because of cheap labor. However, that trend is quickly changing. Companies are discovering that the wage gap is narrowing and many of the disadvantages are now starting to outweigh benefits of sending jobs abroad. One of the points mentioned in the article is that wages in china have risen 10-20% in the last 10 years, whereas wages in America and Europe have remained about the same. Also, another disadvantage of send production abroad is that shipping can be very expensive. In recent years shipping costs have gotten higher such that the cost of producing elsewhere and shipping to the US is no longer as cheap as it used to be. The time factor is also a big issue. Many times transit takes as long as six weeks which makes it hard for companies to fulfill their orders in a timely manner. In conclusion, the article makes a note that a lot of companies are now rethinking their decision about going offshore. Opinion Most of the companies went offshore to save money, and I can see where they are coming from after all the whole goal of having a business is to make profits however in my opinion many of the companies did not take the time to properly analyze the other costs involved in moving jobs offshore. Many also forgot to consider how it will affect the quality of their service when it comes to shipping time and sometimes the quality of the product. I am very happy that many jobs are coming back and I think the government needs to do more to encourage the companies. They should offer tax reductions where necessary so that America will be able to compete in the global market. I also like the point the article makes, that just because companies are tending towards reducing offshoring does not mean they will be less global, infact distributing their activities more evenly around the globe will make most companies more efficient.

Issues with Balanced Scorecard: A Case Study

Issues with Balanced Scorecard: A Case Study I. â€Å"I think Fitzharrys Ltd’s financial statements are incomplete. a. They contain nothing about the company’s plans and budgets for the year to 31 December 2005, nor about performance since the year end. Its directors are failing in their duty to keep shareholders fully informed of the company’s current performance.† The most up to date records that are available are the records ending in 2004. Although they may not be entirely up to date for the complete benefit of the shareholders, they are the only records that we have to go on. However the results that we do have seem to paint a positive enough picture for us to be confident going forward. They show that Fitzharrys Ltd profit margin and other key indicators have risen inexorably over the past few years, giving Larkmead much to go on when looking at a potential purchase. The figures which we have so far are more than satisfactory, and therefore for us they do not pose a significant problem b. We know that the company has a great deal of goodwill represented by its established name, professional staff and loyal customers. Why does this asset not appear in the financial statements?† There are many possible good reasons as to why the company’s goodwill does not appear in the financial statements. Goodwill is in itself an intangible asset. Whilst there are ways of measuring goodwill, it is not one of the key indicators that we are looking at. It is true that the goodwill of the company may add to what we have to pay for Fitzharrys Ltd, however goodwill is very much an important asset which we will see the many benefits of in any merger. A merger destroys the target’s ‘old’ goodwill and creates ‘new’ goodwill to appear in consolidated books. As such I am unconcerned about the fact that goodwill is not represented on these statements, and feel that it will provide a bonus for Larkmead after any takeover. The fact that it does not appear in the financial statements is more likely than not due to the fact that goodwill is difficult to define in purely monetary terms. II.  I think its financial statements are wrong. The company increased its profit but its cash balance has declined in the year. How can this be correct?† The fact that its profits are up can be seen to be the most important factor. There are also several other factors to be taken into consideration, and I do not believe that these figures are necessarily incorrect. When a profit is recorded other changes on the balance sheet depend on revenue transactions and expense transactions. Often a transaction does not significantly affect the balances in an account as many other factors come into play as a result. The figures which are available are satisfactory and are enough to suggest that Fitzharrys Ltd would be a good investment. III.  The money Fitzharrys Ltd is owed by its customers has gone up by over 55% from 2003 to 2004, and this in a time of recession. Have they lost control over the situation? They may well be owed money; however they are a company who are paid in large by the public sector. Central and local government are not a high debt risk and we can be fairly confident that they will pay back the money which is owed to Fitzharrys Ltd. We will not need debt collection agencies to deal with any central government clients. The country was not in recession in 2003 and 2004, and therefore construction projects undertaken by the government or local councils were not unusual, and I am sure that Fitzharrys ltd had good reasons for accepting credit from these agencies. We can certainly be totally confident that the money will be paid back. Therefore in this case it is not fair to say that the management at Fitzharrys Ltd has lost control over the situation. On the contrary they have gained several good and reliable business contacts. We can be confident to the reliability of Fitzharry Ltd’s clients that the situation is not as bad as if the debtors were individual customers of dubious credit history. IV.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A similar thing has happened to its inventory – it has gone up by nearly 40% as well. Surely this must indicate a lack of management control?† The fact that Fitzharrys Ltd’s inventory has gone up by nearly 40 per cent does not necessarily indicate that there has been any loss of management control by the company. An inventory is a list of goods and materials which is owned by the company – in this case it will be made up largely of construction related stock. In a growing construction company it is only natural that the inventory on that companies books will also grow. In the case of stock which is held by the company, the stock is all produce that can be sold on by the company and therefore adds to Fitzharrys Ltd’s overall value and desirability. Any businesses which stocks too little inventory will then be unable to take advantage of large orders from any customers. It can be seen as generally good overall practice for Fitzharrys Ltd to have this large an inventory as it represents stock that can be used for the benefit of potential clients or, alternatively, can be sold at a profit. However I do share your concern about the level of inventory, at least to a certain extent as there are sometimes problems which an excessive amount of inventory can bring. For one thing there are many things which can be hidden by the account of inventory. Also, whilst it is an asset on the balance sheet, at the same time it is also money tied up which could be used for another purpose other than stock just sitting in a warehouse. Plus, it should be taken into account that a high inventory causes significant tax expenses, which is clearly not desirable. However looking at the overall picture I am unconcerned about this rise in inventory. It shows that the company is growing, can expect further business, and it does not in any way seem to indicate any loss of management control by Fitzharrys Ltd. V.  I may have to sell some of my shares in Larkmead plc. My stockbroker tells me companies like ours have a price/earnings ratio of about 11 to 1. What does this mean, and what does it indicate about the price I should sell my shares for?† Price/Earnings (P/E) Ratio is calculated as Market Value Per Share over the Earnings Per Share (EPS) of the company in question. A high P/E means that investors are expecting higher earnings growth in the future from that company. The lower the required rate of return then the greater the growth of earnings. The price earnings ratio tends to rise when the rate of return on surplus rises relative to the rate of growth of profitable investment opportunities. As bubbles inflate price-earnings ratios will rise above those predicted by fundamental analysis. Therefore in recent years many businesses may have experienced inflated Price Earnings ratios, and with the oncoming recession it could reasonably expected that the Price Earnings ratio will fall. In your case 11/1 translates as 11. In the same way as 49/7 calculates as seven – this is how P/E is calculated. 11 is just below what you might expect to be the average for a P/E ratio, and therefore will fetch a fairly decent total on the stock market. A balanced scorecard is a performance managing tool which is used for making sure that the various component parts of an organisation share one general overall shared goal. It is a highly effective way of assessing corporate performance. A balanced scorecard approach focuses not only on financial outcomes, but also on other key organisational factors, such as an organsiations’ employees and its customers. The balanced scorecard approach has been enormously successful and popular[1] since its introduction. It is estimated that by 2005 the Balanced Scorecard approach had been adopted by 44 per cent of the UKs top FTSE 100 companies[2] meaning that it has almost eclipsed the traditional focus on reported profitability by organisations The first individuals to put forward the balanced scorecard approach were Robert Kaplan and David Norton in the early nineties, although many of the practices that they set up had been in use for a while, with companies such as General Electric being pioneers in the 1950s. Kaplan and Norton were concerned with producing alignment in companies and suggested the use of the balanced scorecard approach, whilst they also suggested other methods such as Strategy Maps.[3] The strategic balanced scorecard is built up around central key perspectives – often four perspectives but occasionally up to five perspectives. These are the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the internal processes perspective, the perspective of innovation and improvement, and the employee perspective. The financial perspective was previously the only perspective which mattered in many organisational models, and the disproportionate focus on reported profitability was a problem. Hence the use of the word ‘balanced’ in the balanced scorecard, as the other perspectives provide a balance against the financial perspective, thus helping organisations to provide an effective overall strategy. Many of the benefits of balanced scorecards come from the implementation methods. There are typically four processes in implementing balanced scorecards. Firstly translating the vision of the organisation into operational goals. Secondly communicating that vision and linking that vision to individual performances of members of staff operating within the organsiational framework. Thirdly business planning, and finally receiving feedback and adjusting the strategy in accordance with that feedback. The balanced scorecard relies on key performance indicators such as customer satisfaction and overall equipment effectiveness. The balanced scorecard defines the strategic linkages to integrate performance across organisations, and aligns strategic initiatives. A balanced scorecard tends to have a set of goals which are linked to each of the four or five core perspectives. Once the goals linked to the perspectives have been decided upon then links are found between the goals across the various perspectives in order to join up the various component parts of the companies overall corporate strategy. These various links help to provide an effective overall joined-up corporate strategy. The role of the balanced scorecard is therefore to clarify strategy, to focus an organisation and to make the strategy easily operational. The balanced scorecard helps to promote an overall vision and it acts as an umbrella for a variety of often disconnected corporate programmes. Another advantage of the balanced scorecard is that it is not over-complicated, and it therefore does not result in confusion as to the meaning of the various perspectives and goals. In order to prevent any such confusion it is worth being cautious about setting an excessive number of objectives, as this can be a disadvantage[4], introducing confusion to a relatively simple system. A balanced scorecard is a highly desirable tool as it helps to provide an overall organisational performance, which is very much important in business. An example of an organistaion which naturally has an obvious overall strategy is a football club. Whereas at a football club everyone knows that your aim is to score goals and move up the league table, such clear aims do not necessarily exist in an organisation, particularly for individual employees working in that organisation who often only see there existence as within their little team. The aim of the balanced scorecard was to move away from this narrow perspective, and to create a broader vision where what the company is trying to achieve becomes more obvious for employees. A sporting analogy can often be successful in an organsiation As with football clubs, in business a simple goal is always most desirable. Progress needs to be communicated to individuals in a business, in a similar way to how they would in a football club. A balanced scorecard provides a methodology that turns the eyes of all employees in a single direction, and helps those at the top of the organisation keep in contact with those in the rest of the organsiation. The role of feedback in the balanced scorecard method is vital. The balanced scorecard is however not entirely without its critics. One criticism of balanced scorecards is that they are not based on any proven financial or economic theory, and that the relative youth of the theory means that few holes have yet to be picked in the scorecard. There is also a belief that positive feedback from balanced scorecards could be in part due to a sort of placebo effect from companies who are in thrall to the supposed wonder of balanced scorecards, and are incapable of looking at balanced scorecards with a critical eye. These criticisms will still take several years to be borne out, however it does seem at this time that those companies – both public sector and private sector – are very happy with the advances that the balanced scorecard has brought. As a result of this criticisms of the balanced scorecard approach are still very much few and far between. In conclusion a balanced scorecard is very useful in providing an overall organisational vision and organisational strategy. Through a balanced scorecard the often undervalued employees are included as part of an overall vision in an organsiation, and are helped to understand their overall role and their responsibilities. In this way corporate performance is assessed and feedback can in turn go back to the top of the organsiation so that improvements can be successfully implemented. The traditional focus on reported profitability lacks the subtlety of the balanced scorecard approach, which is perhaps why top organsiations in both the public and the private sector are increasingly using the balanced scorecard approach to the assessment of corporate performance. It certainly seems to be a highly successful mode of assessment, and any criticisms are yet to be fully fleshed out. By providing a framework of assessment which works this effectively, overall organisational goals can be more easily set out any implemented. Bibliography Kaplan, R.S. Norton, D.P. 1996, The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action, Harvard Business School Press, Harvard. Kpcke, Richard W., â€Å"Profits and Stock Prices: The Importance of Being Earnest†, New England Economic Review, 1992, p 26+ Maclean, Rob, â€Å"Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies†, Australian Journal of Management, Volume: 31. Issue: 2, 2006, p 367+ Stancil, John L., â€Å"Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics-Maintaining Maximum Performance†, Issues in Accounting Education, Volume: 21. Issue: 2, 2006, p 158+ â€Å"Kaplan Brings Balanced Scorecard to Brum†, The Birmingham Post, March 11 2005 Footnotes [1] Maclean, Rob, â€Å"Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies†, Australian Journal of Management, Volume: 31. Issue: 2, 2006, p 367+ [2] â€Å"Kaplan Brings Balanced Scorecard to Brum†, The Birmingham Post, March 11 2005 [3] Maclean, Rob, â€Å"Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies†, Australian Journal of Management, Volume: 31. Issue: 2, 2006, p 367+ [4] Stancil, John L., â€Å"Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics-Maintaining Maximum Performance†, Issues in Accounting Education, Volume: 21. Issue: 2, 2006, p 158+

Pro-Life or Pro-Choice: Abortion Analyzed Through the Sociological Le

Throughout the course of history, many sociological issues have become relevant throughout Canada. These issues and their effects on society are part of the reason in which things are they way they are today. This research essay examines one of the most controversial sociological issues in all of history: abortion. To begin, a brief history of abortion in Canada is provided. From there, it discusses and analyzes the many laws or lack thereof regarding abortion in Canada. By analyzing the laws and legislation that has been put in place by Canadian government, it is easy to see how people can assume different positions on this topic. Throughout the first section, it also discusses women’s rights regarding birth and their bodies. Secondly, this research essay takes a look at the stigma surrounding abortion and how that has evolved over the years. By examining the way in which people view abortion, it is easier to understand this controversy and why this is such an issue in Canadi an society today. As well, we are able to examine the factors that cause such a stigma to still be present, such as religion. The next section discusses the services and programs that are available within Canada for Canadian women. These services could not only represent a bias in the healthcare community but also display a correlation between the distances of women from abortion clinics to the amount of abortions per year. Next, this essay examines the political discourse surrounding abortion and the multiple attempts that have been made to change the abortion laws in Canada. Finally, one of the most important sections of this essay discusses the major impact that abortion and abortion conflicts have on society. By viewing this issue through the sociological... ...y of chicago press, 2011, 354 p. Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne De Sociologie 50 (1): 116-20. Plumb, Alison. 2013. Research note: A comparison of free vote patterns in westminster-style parliaments. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics 51 (2) (April 2013): 254-66. Saurette, Paul, and Kelly Gordon. 2013. Arguing abortion: The new anti-abortion discourse in canada. Canadian Journal of Political Science 46 (1): 157-85. Sethna, Christabelle, and Marion Doull. 2013. Spatial disparities and travel to freestanding abortion clinics in canada. Vol. 38Elsevier. Shaw, Jessica, Tanya Basok, Jeffrey Noonan, Suzan Ilcan, Nicol A. Noel. 2013. Full-spectrum reproductive justice: The affinity of abortion rights and birth activism. Studies in Social Justice 7 (1): 201. Wright, Mills , Charles. Oxford University Press. The Sociological Imagination. 1959

Discuss sex differences in parental investment

Trivers suggests that parental investment differs because of the sex differences that exist between males and females. From the outset of parenthood, females make a greater biological investment then males. Notably, female’s reproductive system is more precious as they produce very few eggs whilst males produce a large number ofcom/exercise-43/"> sperm. This suggests that the biological aspect of conceiving a child is much more costly for females hence their greater parental investment. As a result of this, females have to be much chooser in their selection of a male as they do not want to waste their eggs. It is not just a larger prenatal investment that females make but it is also much larger postnatal investment. Due to the immaturity of human babies at birth compared to other mammals, there is an extended period of childcare featuring breastfeeding. Males are unable to breastfeed as thus the female’s role is much more dominant and explains why they have high levels of investment at this stage and why she may seek a man with good genes and commitment to the relationship. This supports Buss’s cross cultural findings that women value material resources in potential partners, whereas males, who make less parental investment, have multiple mating’s with young females. This greater investment of females can be further explained by parental certainty. Female’s paternity can be certain as the pregnancy is happening internally. However, males cannot be as certain that the child is theirs. For this reason, it is suggested that males protect themselves from the rick of cuckoldry by being reluctant to invest heavily in offspring. Sexual infidelity is not just a risk for males investing in offspring that is not genetically theirs but it is also a risk for females. This is because if a male carries out sexual infidelity, they bear a child with another woman and the male will invest in that offspring, diverting his resources away from the original relationship. This explains why males are more jealous of the sexual act and females are more jealous in the shift of emotional focus. Buss et al support the differences in jealously between males and females, as he found that males showed more distress for the sexual element whereas females showed more distress for the emotional element. As a result of sex differences in parental investment, some women may choose to use cuckoldry as a method of obtaining more resources from multiple men and thus decrease own personal investment. However, this method carries great risk for the female as this could lead to abandonment or retention strategies such as violence. Parental investment theory suggests that men don’t want to father children that aren’t theirs as they will use up all their resources. Anderson found that this wasn’t the case. They found that fathers and stepfathers did not discriminate between children who were biological and those who were their partner’s children. Parental investment models have been critiqued for lacking relevance to real life and modern society because now females and males both work hard to attend to children and do house chores. It is a shared responsibility and investment. This means this idea is outdated. The theory also supports gender stereotyping as males are seen to be evolutionally programmed to be promiscuous. Not all males act in this manner, especially in extreme religious groups where sec is not practised before marriage. Trivers theory also tells us little about homosexual relationships which are not reproductive. It assumed we are all a product of our genes in pursuit of fostering these, which is a determinist viewpoint. The theory is also very nature and evolutionary based. Trivers theory assumes sexual attraction is all about babies and ignores it can be for fun rather than reproduction, highlighted by the wide use of contraception. Not all mating is long term and women do also engage in short term relationships such as one night stands and affairs. Therefore, his theory is oversimplified, animalistic, and deterministic and suffers from evolutionary reductionism. In conclusion, a physiological approach can better explained to show the different parental investments. Geher et al found that males showed a greater AMS arousal when presented with scenarios that showed the real costs of parenting. This is a consistent with the theory of parental investment as males are found to be less prepared than females for dealing with parental issues.

A factors that may affect communication Essay

Often when we communicate there is always an overall power within that communication. The speaker may create the status of ring leader. This power throughout communication may be seen as a strength, as they are leading the conversation, however this power may be perceived negatively. The recipient in the conversation may feel small and belittled as there is no chance for them to talk, this may therefore cause communication to be less effective. In health and social care both the care provider and patients have power. The patient would have power over final decisions that need to be made concerning their care, however the care provider would have power over the level of care given. This balance of power should always be shared positively. Power throughout communication plays an important role. The care giver should always take the lead. It is important for the patient to have their say on any decisions that may be made, however if the care provider feels they are making the wrong deci sion they should use their all their power of medical intelligence to persuade the patient to make the right decision. Abuse of power may be seen in the workplace. As an example a care worker may be the subject of abuse) by senior management. The senior management may think that the care worker won’t tell anyone due to his or her higher status. This would be an abuse of power on their behalf as they are using their higher level of management to intimidate. This care workers communication throughout the job may also suffer due to their being in a vulnerable state. A strategy that may help any use and abuse of power being stopped may be to promote individual rights within the workplace. This could help to ensure everyone is clear of what help they could have. Putting staff in touch with trade unions may also help. In relation to the above-mentioned case study, an abused care worker might apply the strategy  of speaking to someone in higher management. If the care worker did not feel comfortable doing this, another idea might be to report it to a complaint company or the police. Reporting to higher management may be seen as a positive or a negative. The positive to this strategy is that fast action could take place to ensure the problem is resolved. However the negative could be that the situation isn’t kept private as each different manger might have to discuss it, this may in turn cause the care worker to feel embarrassed and unsafe. In conclusion I feel the use and abuse of power is a key consideration for the care worker and one that will certainly need to be applied strategically. The use of various strategies to meet various situations will create an image of the personality of the care worker in the eyes of their patient. The final factor which effects effective communication would be the use of alcohol and drugs. When having to care for persons under the influence of these substances the lack communication will become a great struggle and may cause great difficulties. A case study example could be in an A and E unit. If the carer is dealing with a person under the influence they would have to be very patient. The person receiving the care may be angry, the best way to defuse this anger is to make sure the person has enough space, if they feel overcrowded this may make them more angry as they are unaware of what is going on. As a carer you would ensure yourself to talk slowly, you may also find that you have to often repeat yourself. While communicating with someone who has drank or taken substances they may either be quiet and be struggling to talk or they may say things that don’t make any sense. As a carer you would try to make them understand where they are and what is going on. Reassuring may gain trust as they know you are only trying to help. If a carer had to undertake a procedure while the patient was under the influence communication would be key. Making sure the person understands what is happening and why is very important. If the person cooperates this will make the procedure a lot easier however there could be a possibility that the person may decide half way through the procedure that they no longer want it or as the drugs or alcohol are wearing off they may feel more confused. Confusion could cause the patient to become angry against the person who is caring for them. Their only defence mechanism they  may feel they have to defend their- selves may be to act physically against the carer. To help ensure this does not happen communication throughout the whole process is vital. However if the patient still reacts angrily having another carer there should ensure more safety. By making the patient aware of their surroundings could bring both negatives and positives. The positive side to this is the patient is aware of where they are, this may help by them being more comparative in any procedures that may need to take place. However this action could also be looked at negatively by telling the patient about their surroundings might make them not want to be there this may cause their cooperation to be poor. Receiving effective communication with a persons under the influence of drink and drugs can be proven difficult however talking slowly and using appropriate strategies should ensure the communication is as effective as possible.

Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)

Why would anyone consider Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)? It’s a scenario that’s seen all too often—a chronically ill woman is suffering in severe excruciating pain daily and feels like she’s become a burden to her family, a lonely man is suffering with a life-limiting illness and has no family to offer any care or support to him. These individuals have lost their independence and feel like they have no quality of life left to live. Great strides have been made to improve end-of-life care through palliative care and hospice programs, but sometimes that’s just not enough. In America, the care that is offered to the elderly and the chronically ill is less than ideal. Statistics show that an estimated 40-70% of patients die in pain and another 50-60% die feeling shortness of breath. Ninety percent of the nursing homes where patients go to receive 24-hour nursing care are seriously understaffed. Patients who are home and have care provided by family o ften feel like they are a burden on their caregivers. The cost of hiring in-home caregivers support is not covered by Medicare or state and federal Medicaid systems. Caregivers often suffer from physical, emotional, financial, psychological and social strain. A person may feel as if they have lost all control of their life when they suffer from chronic and life-limiting illnesses. The body isn’t doing what it should and there is no way to stop it.Therefore, a person my feel like they can regain some control through Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS). If they can’t control the illness, they can at least control the way they die. Suffering has always been a part of human existence. Since the beginning of medicine there have been requests made to end this suffering by means of physician-assisted suicide.Physician-assisted suicide is when a patient voluntarily choses to terminate their own life by the administration of a legal substance with the assistance of a physician eit her directly or indirectly. The patient is provided a medical means and/or knowledge to commit suicide by a physician. The life-ending act is performed by the patient and not the physician. Recent studies show that approximately 57% of physicians practicing today have received a request for physician-assisted suicide in some form or  another.There are many alternatives to PAS that exist. Unrelieved physical suffering may have been greater in the past, but now modern medicine has more knowledge and skills to relieve suffering than ever before. If all patients had access to careful assessment and optimal symptom control and supportive care, palliative care specialists believe that most patients with life-threatening illnesses suffering could be sufficiently reduced to eliminate their desire for a quick death. When the patient’s desire prevails, there are other available avenues to relieve the suffering and avoid prolonging life against their wishes. The driving force behind p atients seeking physician-assisted suicide is quality of life.In October 1997, physician-assisted suicide became legal in the state of Oregon. By the end of the year 2000, approximately 70 people had utilized the physician-assisted suicide law to end their lives. One hundred percent of these cases reported that individuals were not able to take care for themselves and make their own decisions and loss of autonomy. Eighty-six percent of these cases reported that individuals were suffering from loss of dignity and the ability to participate in enjoyable activities.Currently, physician-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana. Oregon was the first to pass the Death with Dignity Act in 1997. The requirements for attending/prescribing or consulting with a physician to write a prescription are listed in the following table. Washington followed suit passing the Death with Dignity Act in 2008, and Montana passed the Rights of Terminally III Act in 2009.Table 1. S afeguards and Guidelines in the Oregon Act1. Requires the patient give a fully informed, voluntary decision. 2. Applies only to the last 6 months of the patient’s life. 3. Makes it mandatory that a second opinion by a qualified physician be given that the patient has fewer than 6 months to live. 4. Requires two oral requests by the patient.5. Requires a written request by the patient. 6. Allows cancellation of the request at any time. 7. Makes it mandatory that a 15-day waiting period occurs after the first oral request. 8. Makes it mandatory that 48-hours (2 days) elapse after the patient makes a written request to receive the medication. 9. Punishes anyone who uses coercion on a patient to use the Act. 10. Provides for psychological counseling if either of the patient’s physicians thinks the patient needs counseling. 11. Recommends the patient inform his/her next of kin.12. Excludes nonresidents of Oregon from taking part. 13. Mandates participating physicians are li censed in Oregon. 14. Mandates Health Division Review. 15. Does not authorize mercy killing or active euthanasia. Source: Compassion & Choices of Oregon, 2009b.Physician-assisted suicide is illegal in Canada. In the Netherlands, it is legal under certain circumstances, and the right to choose physician-assisted suicide remains highly favored. Physician-assisted suicide is also illegal in the United Kingdom. They currently focus on palliative care. Under strictly defined regulations, physician-assisted suicide is legal in the following countries: Australia, Columbia, and Japan. The legalization of physician-assisted suicide remains controversial.The topic periodically comes up for intense attention. Organized medicine agrees on two principles: 1. Physicians have an obligation to relieve pain and suffering and to promote the dignity of dying patients in their care. 2. The principle of patient bodily integrity requires that physicians must respect patients’ competent decisions t o forgo life-sustaining treatment. There are four main points argued against the acceptance and legalization of physician-assisted suicide along with their counter argument. Improved Access to Hospice and Palliative CareWith quality end-of-life care being made available through hospice and palliative care programs, there is no reason for anyone to seek physician-assisted suicide. In the United States, there are over 4,500 hospice agencies. Millions of people don’t have access to the hospice agencies because of the restrictions on funding and the inflexibility of the Medicare Hospice Benefit requiring patients to have a life expectancy of six  months or less. Counter argument: Rare cases of persistent and untreatable suffering will still exist even with improved access to quality end-of-life care. Hospice and palliative care aren’t always sufficient to treat severe suffering. Limits on Patient AutonomyPhysician-assisted suicide requires the assistance of another perso n. In the opinion of Bouvia vs. Superior Court, â€Å"the right to dies is an integral part of our right to control our own destinies so long as the rights of others are not affected,† was determined. Our society threatens physician-assisted suicide by worsening the value of human life. The sanctity of life is the responsibility of society to preserve it. Counter argument: Physicians who are requested to help to end a patients’ life have the right to decline on the basis of conscientious objection. The â€Å"Slippery Slope† to Social DepravityThere is concern to the opposition to physician-assisted suicide being allowed with euthanasia not too far behind. Without the consent of individuals in physical handicap, the elderly, the demented, the individuals with mental illness, and the homeless, there is a slippery slope toward euthanasia without the consent of the individuals is deemed â€Å"useless† by society. Counter argument: The â€Å"slippery slopeâ⠂¬  would not be allowed to happen within our highly cultured societies. Violation of the Hippocratic OathThe Hippocratic Oath states that a physician’s obligation is primum non nocere, â€Å"first, do no harm.† The direct contrast to that is physician-assisted suicide, where killing a patient is deliberately regarded as harm. Counter argument: According to an individual patient’s needs, the Hippocratic Oath should not be interpreted. Alternatives to Physician-Assisted SuicideThose opposing to physician-assisted suicide argue that there are legal and morally ethical alternatives to assisted death. Patients have the right to refuse any further medical treatments that may prolong the death, including the medications. Counter argument: Life-sustaining measures to live and  still suffer are not relied on by some patients. Withholding life-sustaining treatments would only prolong suffering for these patients. Another argument is that patients can, and often do, de cide to stop eating and drinking to speed up their death. Within one to three weeks afterwards, the death will usually occur, and it would be reported as a â€Å"good death.†Counter argument: One to three weeks of intense suffering is too much for any one person to have to put up with. This debate has yet to see any final resolution. Physician-assisted suicide may become more of a reality in our society because of the undercurrent of public support. The United States Supreme Court handed down two cases central to physician-assisted suicide in 1997: Vacco vs. Quill and Gregoire vs. Glucksberg. In both case, it was determined that there was no constitutional right on the grounds of equal protection or personal liberty to the physician-assisted suicide. Both constitutional history and the Western Civilization trends were argued by the court and generally worked against reading the Constitution that way.The court was sensitive in its decision to the prospect of unintended and unw anted consequences that might follow the recognition of a Constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide. However, it was never said that physician-assisted suicide would ever be legitimate. It was concluded that the states of the Union could decide the matter for themselves. Requests for physician-assisted suicide should be taken very seriously. Responses to these requests should be compassionate and immediate. There are six steps that should physicians should take when responding to requests for physician-assisted suicides: Step 1: Clarify the RequestStep 2: Determine the Root Causes Step 3: Affirm Your Commitment to Care for the Patient Step 4: Address the Root Causes of the Request Step 5: Educate the Patient About Legal Alternatives for Comfort and Control Step 6: Seek Counseling from Trusted Colleagues and AdvisorsStep 1: Clarify the RequestThe physician should talk to the patient about what suffering means to them. Determine if their point of view can be defined. Listen c arefully to their request paying specific attention to the nature of the request. Calmly ask questions to extract the specifics of their request and why they’re  requesting such help. Ask directed and detailed questions to learn whether the patient is imagining an unlikely or preventable future. Listen to the patient’s answers with sympathy but not as if you’re endorsing their request to their perception of what they consider to be a worthless life. The physician must be fully aware of his or her own biases in order to effectively respond to the patient’s needs. If the idea of suicide is offensive to the physician, the patient may feel his or her disapprobation and worry about abandonment.Step 2: Determine the Root CausesThe physician needs to assess the patient’s underlying causes for requesting physician-assisted suicide. The patient’s request may be a failure of the physician in addressing the needs of the patient. The attributes of suf fering should be focused on: physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and practical concerns. The physician should evaluate to see if the patient is having some type of clinical depression or common fear about their future outlook. The patient may be worrying about suffering with pain or other symptoms, loss of control or independence, a sense of abandonment, loneliness, indignity, a loss of their self-image, or being a burden to someone.Step 3: Affirm Your Commitment to Care for the PatientThe fear of abandonment is often felt in patients as they face the end-of-life. They want to be assured that someone will be with them at this time in their life. The physician should listen to and acknowledge the feelings and fears that the patient may express. They should commit to helping the patient find answers to their concerns. The physician should commit to the patient as well as the patient’s family and anyone who is close to the patient that they will continue to be the patien t’s physician until their life has ended.Step 4: Address the Root Causes of the RequestA patient’s request for a quick death is caused by some type of suffering on their behalf. They physician should discuss with the patient their health care preferences and goals. Alternative approaches or services should be discussed at this time with the patient. The physician should be able to determine if supportive counseling is needed for the patient.Step 5: Educate the Patient about Legal Alternatives for Control and ComfortPatients often have misconceptions about the benefits of requesting physician-assisted suicide. They may not be aware of the emotional effort that goes into planning for physician-assisted suicide. They also may not be aware of the emotional strain on family and friends. The physician should discuss the legal alternatives to physician-assisted suicide.The legal alternatives include refusal of treatment, withdrawal of treatment, declining oral intake, and end -of-life sedation. The patient should be made aware that they have a right to decline or consent to any treatment or hospitalization, but that their declining of treatment will not affect their ability to receive high quality end-of-life care. The patient should also be made aware that they have the right to stop any treatment at any time including the stopping of any fluids or nutrition.Patients suffering with unbearable and unmanageable pain may be approaching their last days or hours of life, and the only option available to them is end-of-life sedation. Before the end-of-life sedation should be considered for a patient, the attending physician and members of the health care team should know that all available therapies were tried. This option has to be agreed upon with the patient and their families with the patient have the final say so if they are capable of making the decision for themselves.Step 6: Consult with ColleaguesPhysician-assisted suicide requests are the most chall enging situations that physicians have to face in their practice of medicine. The physicians often hesitate to involve others in these situations for reasons about personal issues being raised, convictions about the inappropriateness of talking about death and concerns about the legal implications of the situation. The personal, ethical and legal ramifications for physician-assisted suicides should be supported by a trusted colleague or advisor of the physician. The trusted colleague could be a mentor, peer, religious advisor, or ethics consultants.Support may also come from nurses, social workers, chaplains, or other members involved in the care of the patient. Physician-assisted suicide requests should be a sign to the physician that a patient’s needs are not being met and that further evaluation is needed to identify the elements contributing to the patient’s suffering. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to the question of physician-assisted suicide. Patients ha ve  the right to withhold and withdraw life-sustaining procedures. Patients also have the right to receive powerful medication for pain relief and sedation. Physicians who oppose physician-assisted suicide do not always have to prescribe lethal medication.