Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Racial Profiling Essay

Racial profiling is one of the most accurate problems going on in modern society. Racial profiling is caused when there are arrests, frisks, or others based only by the race of the suspect instead of any suspicion of their behavior. Quite a few police officers and people in power feel that racial profiling is a smart choice and continue to do so. Having safety and knowing police officers are arresting criminals is a great thing. However, police officers are only targeting people with dark skin the most. Dan White argues that since Blacks and Hispanics are the two top races shown in arrest statistics and targeting them is a smart business move. Whites assertion that racial profiling is a smart thing to do is unacceptable because some Hispanics and Blacks are being frisked and arrested when they are innocent people, they get judged by their skin color, and police have no right to keep a better watch on these two races than any other race. Racial profiling is wrong because Hispanics and Blacks are getting frisked and arrested when some are innocent and didn’t do anything wrong. According to Ayres, â€Å"†¦They were 42.3% less likely to be found with a weapon after they were frisked† (1). African Americans who have been frisked are less likely to have a weapon. Police officers are doing a poor job by only targeting Blacks because of their skin color. Therefore, police officers are proving that they only frisking innocent people because they have darker skin. Police officers are pulling over Hispanics and Blacks because they are judging them by their skin color. Bob Herbert stated, â€Å"No people of color are safe from this treatment anywhere, regardless of their obedience to the law, their age, they type of care they drive, or their situation in life† (2). People who are dark skinned have no way out of suspicion to police officers no matter if they look wealthy, young, or old. Police would atomically think a Black or Hispanic person will intend to commit a crime instead of a Caucasian person. It’s a shame how this goes on because it’s not right that they have to be judged to be the bad person because they are darker. Racial profiling is violating human rights. Everyone has their basic rights and need to be treated equal, but officers who are racist don’t let that happen. John Kifner mentioned, â€Å"It is so commonplace for Black men to be pulled over in their vehicles that this practice has acquired its own acronym: D.W.B. (Driving While Black)† (2). Black people get pulled over constantly it has its own descriptor as D.W.B. This is ridiculous how it has its own word form. Skin color has become evidence ability to commit crime. Police use this â€Å"evidence† against minority drivers on the road all the time. Police should not be allowed to only keep a good eye out on Hispanics and Blacks. Ayres asserted, â€Å"Stopped Blacks are 76% more likely to be searched, and stopped Latinos are 32% more likely to be searched than stopped whites† (1). African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be searched than white people. Officers are only looking for these two ethnic groups because to them they are officially the â€Å"bad guys†. In their eyes they are the criminals and are asking for trouble. As a result, people with power have proven that they want racial profiling to continue happening. Racial profiling should be unsupportable because these two ethnic groups get frisked and arrested when they are above suspicion, they are getting judged by their skin color, and police shouldn’t only watch them more carefully than any other race. It’s not right for a Black or Hispanic person to get blamed in a serious situation of something they might not been involved with in the first place. Everyone should be treated the same, no one has the right to think lower of a person because they have darker skin. Race and location are the foremost characteristic authorities look at when they are engaging this type of profiling. Police officers need to do their job appropriately and lookout for the people that are actually committing a crime or disobeying a law. Racial profiling has been going on for such a long time and it will always be wrong. People with power could deny the reality of racial profiling but they know that they are being racist and keep on doing it. They could be missing out on genuinely catching a criminal from another race because sadly they have their attention on a Hispanic or Black people.

Human Resource Accounting

â€Å"Research Proposal† Topic : Human Resource Accounting as a Measurement Tool: Asian Perspective Submitted By: M. Rizwan Arshad. Lecturer Department of Management Sciences The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. PhD Research Proposal of Mr Rizwan Arshad Human Resource Accounting as a Measurement Tool: An Asian Perspective Attempts to account the Human Resource are not new it was Rensis Likert (1963), who initiated research into HR accounting in the 60’s. He stressed the importance of long term planning of Human Resource qualitative variables that results in greater benefits in the long run. The resource theory considered that the competitive position of an organization depends on its specific asset, which is the HR. This explains why some firms are more productive and successful than others under almost similar conditions and similar industry. It is the HR that makes all the difference. Following a less fruitful research period (Grojer and Johanson, 1998: 495) one could have expected interest in the area to wane but on the contrary, it has experienced something of a revival. When anyone wants to know the history of HR accounting, most reviewers such as Grojer and Johanson (1998) agreed that during the first half of the 1970s it was one of the most researched subject within accounting, consuming a vast amount of academic Endeavour. Human Resource is not just the number of pairs of hands engaged in any organization. HR is above the simple number game. HR may be though of as the total knowledge, skills, creative abilities, talents and aptitudes of an organization’s work force. It is the sum total of inherent abilities, acquired knowledge and skills of the employees. Why HR accounting is considered as important and who is the focus of this research? HR accounting is a term that has both a narrow and more generic focus in the literature with respect to the understanding of the value of people in the contemporary workplace and the contribution of the HR function. Defined narrowly â€Å"It is the process of identifying and measuring data about HR and communicating this information to interested parties†(American Accounting Association, 1973, as cited in Flamholtz, 1999: xii). This definition suggests that HR accounting is a tool that can be used for reporting people as organizational resources in both financial and managerial accounting terms (Flamholtz, 1999) The objective is to quantify the economic value of people (Sackman et al, 1989:235). According to Sveiby (1997) attempts to convert people or competencies into financial figures, although theoretically interesting, have not proved entirely useful to managers. The use of both financial and non-financial approaches is now a more common theme when discussion focuses on the nature of HR accounting. The reason for this is that HR accounting should be thought of as a set of techniques that provide a more balanced perspective, encouraging as much concern about the long-term drivers of financial success as about current performance and value. Consequently, the literature has adopted a wider brief when describing its nature. Some writers (Lester, 1996; Sheedy-Gohil, 1996; Skittle, 1995) claim that the level of knowledge-based assets of an organisation gives a clearer indication of the potential for future profitability than do traditional historical accounting measures. Therefore, the rate of change in knowledge-based and other intangible assets must be included in any meaningful measure of profits. However, a review by Scarbrough and Elias (2002) suggests that, as an asset, human capital is precarious in terms of its potential mobility and difficult in terms of its measurement. So narrowly defining HR accounting has distinct limitations because the measurement of HR in whatever guise then becomes reliant on a purely financial metric that invariably involves debate about asset models and cost-benefit analysis. Here, we adopt this broader notion, embracing both a range of financial and non-financial measurements associated with Human Resource Management. MEASUREMENT PITFALLS AND THE ACCOUNTING IDEOLOGY Measuring human resources has been viewed as proceeding rather slowly because its advocates always seem to be in the minority (Turner, 1996). Despite this, research has, over the past decade, been substantially measurement-oriented (Johanson and Larsen, 2000). Numerous studies report advances in measurement approaches, case studies of developing practice and the growing support for techniques such as the balanced score-card (eg Boudreau, 1998; Fitz-enz, 2000; Flamholtz, 1999; Flamholtz and Main, 1999). These achievements may have been somewhat overshadowed by research that has, quite necessarily, been preoccupied with debating a range of measurement concerns including the old arguments that will continue to be debated long into the future. The first of these arguments concerns the capitalization of HR and the debate surrounding whether human resources qualify or can appropriately be labeled as assets notwithstanding the competing view that there may be little substantial difference between intangible and tangible assets with no reason to treat one differently from the other (Boudreau, 1998; Johanson and Larsen, 2000; Mirvis and Macy, 1976; Turner, 1996). There has also been the need to discuss what Human Resource measurement system should be designed to achieve, bearing in mind that measurement is not neutral and the choice of metrics conveys values, priorities and a strategic framework (Boudreau, 1998: 24). The dangerous liaison between human resources and accounting and the pitfalls of measurement requires a delicate balancing act juggling the multiplicity of often unlinked measures with the need to provide information that is oing to be effective in guiding and managing behavior (Pfeffer, 1997). Similarly there has also been a need to debate whether the accounting paradigm has been re-conceptualized (Mayo, 2000) to account for the new economic transformation (Flamholtz and Main, 1999: 11). This involves accounting requirements that move beyond the accepted role of custodial and financial accountability into the realms of fiscal, social and environmental accountability. (Turner, 1996: 71). This involves a shift in thinking from human asset to human worth (Roslender, 1997) emphasizing a more holistic approach which embraces a broader range of social scientists thinking (Roslender and Dyson, 1992: 312) and allows for exploration in the realms of soft accounting numbers (Roslender, 1997: 22). Complying with orthodox management accounting conventions runs the risk, argues Armstrong (1989, 1995), of not only challenging the role but having to justify all HR activity in cost-effectiveness terms, thereby handing to others outside the function the decision as to what initiatives be given priority. This strategy cedes too much to the dominant accounting culture and may also, in the end, achieve little security for the personnel function (Armstrong, 1989: 160). What is needed, suggests Armstrong (1989: 160), is for HR practitioners to master the accounting approach to the point where they can clearly identify its shortcomings, thereby putting themselves in a position to focus on the inadequacies of accounting projections as an exclusive basis for managerial decision-making, especially where HR are concerned. By exploiting such shortcomings, HR practitioners can, suggests Armstrong (1989), further their cause by offering alternative strategies that emphasis that traditional accounting valuations are only one of a number of ways of establishing the value of HR. It is the politics of measurement and its likely impact on the HR function that dwarfs all others argues Pfeffer (1997). Shrewd HR leaders are already training their people in a range of measurement strategies in order to prepare them to do battle on more favorable terms with the number of people in the firm. All of these debates, including the ethics of even attempting to measure the worth of HR have one goal in mind: to develop a means of valuing that captures the very nature of the worth of people and reports it in a way that not only allows for the development of the people themselves but the added value (worth) that they contribute to the organisation. Consequently, understanding why HR accounting is important, to whom it is important and its links with organizational and HR strategies will provide a context for benchmarking the level of support for measuring HR and how far that support has been integrated into the thinking of different managerial groups and organizational strategies. This is what we set out to achieve. Methodology & Data Collection The sample will be drawn from the organizations in Pakistan from the top industries working in local economy. Questionnaires will sent to a random sample of 20 members from each organization. For the purpose of gathering data survey-questionnaire approach will be used. The research will carried out in three phases. Phase 1 involved item generation, for that section of the questionnaire concerned with the importance and measurement of HR. A focus group of 50 people from different organizations will ask to discuss a number of questions. The content analysis of this information is use in developing the important measure of the questionnaire. In the second phase the draft questionnaire will sent to a group of 20 HR managers organized through a network of one of the senior managers who was part of the original focus group. Each participant will asked to go through the questionnaire and write any comments relating to any particular question or questions in the right-hand margin available in the copy of the questionnaire. The emphasis in this phase will, as explained to participants, to find out whether they thought any of the questions are ambiguous or whether parts of the questionnaire could be improved. All the comments received related to the background information of the questions and a number of modifications will made to this section. In third phase the questionnaire will distributed to the sample groups described above. Research Questions †¢Why it is important to evaluate HR? †¢Why organizations are not measuring HR? †¢How HR can be measured? †¢How often are measures taken and reviewed? †¢Who develops and collects HR information? †¢Whether human resources qualify or can appropriately be labeled as assets? Does the level of Knowledge-based assets of an organization give a clearer indication of the potential for future profitability than do traditional accounting measures? †¢Does it is possible to develop a means of valuing that captures the very nature of the worth of people? †¢Does it can be used for the development of the peoples in the organization? †¢Does HR accounting add value (worth) that HR contributes to the organization? Pot ential Outcomes †¢If the firm can effectively calculate the value of HR and add their value to firm’s assets, it will increase the book value of the firm’s shares. An index can be prepared for different industries and firms can compare their HR value to the industry standard and with the other firms present in the same industry. †¢The budget for the Training and Development can be justified. †¢Firms can evaluate the results of Training and Development by comparing the value of HR before and after training and development session. REFERENCES Armstrong, P. (1989). Limits and possibilities for HRM in an age of management accounting’ in New perspectives on Human Resource Management. J. Storey (ed). London: Routledge. Dasgupta. N. â€Å"Human Resources Accounting† Sultan Chand & Sons New Delhi 1980. Flamholtz, E. G. and Main, E. D. (1999). `Current issues, recent advancements and future directions in human resource accounting’. Journal of Human Resource Costing and Accounting, 4: 1, 11-20. Johanson, U. (1999). `Why the concept of human resource costing and accounting does not work’. Personnel Review, 28: 1/2, 91-107. Lester, T. (1996). `Measuring human capital’. Human Resources, 24, 54 . Mayo, A. (2000). The Human Value of the Enterprise, London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Mirvis, P. H. and Macy, B. A. (1976). `Human resource accounting: a measurement perspective’. Academy of Management Review, 1, 74-83. Pfeffer, J. (1997). `Pitfalls on the road to measurement: the dangerous liaison of human resources with the ideas of accounting and finance’. Human Resource Management, 36: 3, 357-365. Prabhakara Rao D, â€Å"Human Resources Accounting† Inter-India. Publications New Delhi. 1986 Sveiby, K. E. (1997). The New Organizational Wealth: Managing and Measuring Knowledge-based Assets, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc. Turner, G. (1996). `Human resource accounting wisdom? ’ Journal of Human Resource Costing and Accounting, 1, 63-73.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Personal Leadership Vision Essay

Everything started to come together in the spring of 2013. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Graduation was only a few short months away. Okay, so maybe it was more like ten months, but it certainly didn’t seem like that long. My then boyfriend, now husband, and I moved into our first place together in March, and I got the Marketing and Sales Internship that set me up for the perfect job with the Houston SPCA. After graduating in December, I had a Bachelors of Science degree in Agriculture Leadership and Development with an emphasis in Animal Science. But I couldn’t just up and leave quite yet. I still had five months left at my internship. The Marketing and Sales Internship equipped me with so much more than I could have asked for. I built upon my relationship building strengths, and created a substantial network of peers, professors, and mentors. I was able to hone my communication skills, and how I interact with the public and potential customers. And finally, I was able to see interdepartmental communication and operations, also the interaction of one outside agency with another outside agency. This allowed me to see what worked and didn’t work in order to create ideas and plans for any future jobs I would have. After the five months had pasted, I put in my application to Houston SPCA. Ever since I saw an episode of animal cops, I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life. I have always wanted a career with purpose and I though why not join that with my love for animals. I absolutely love getting up and coming to work everyday. No day is ever the same, and so I am constantly learning and building my knowledge and skills. Also, by coming to work, I am able to fight injustice for those who can’t fight for themselves. Presently, I am in my dream job. I am the President of the Houston SPCA. I am able to be involved with every aspect of our organization. Everything from cruelty calls, to media and publications, and community outreach to shelter maintenance, I have my hand in. Now, I am not saying I am a Theory X kind of person, that is in everything because I like to dictate and watch over everyone. That is not a pleasant experience. I have my hand in everything because I love the job. It also allows me to stay connected with my staff and volunteers to make sure their needs are being met as well. Now have the title of President may sound glamorous, but I had to work my way up the chain of command just like everyone else. My first job at the shelter was as an animal behavior specialist. In this position, I not only helped rehabilitate our shelter animals, but I also did a great deal of socialization with our clients as well. I really liked to sit down and get to know a family before they adopted a pet. This allowed me to suggest the best possible animal match for the both the family and the animal to be adopted. If everyone left happy then I had done my job well. This is something I learned back in Marketing and Sales Internship. As the President of the Houston SPCA I can have some very strange, and sometimes inconvenient hours. But thankfully, I have a wonderful family that not only supports me, but they love my job as much as I do. My husband, the boyfriend I moved in with in March, and I have known each other since daycare days. I went to his mother’s daycare, we went to the same high school, and we worked and the same summer job. However, although I knew him and knew who he was, I didn’t really know him. Our friendship grew while we worked together, and our friends always whispered in our ears about the possibility of us taking our relationship to the next step, but neither of us was brave enough to say anything. That is until my first semester at Texas A&M. Don’t get me wrong; my first semester at school was great. I was away from home and at the school I wanted to be at, but something was missing. At first, I couldn’t pinpoint it, and ironically enough, I was talking to my husband about it. God finally got tired of waiting on us to admit how we really felt about each other, so he pushed a little harder. For some reason, I suddenly found the courage to tell my husband how I felt and ask if he felt the same. And, well he did, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows after that. We both knew we had feelings for each other, but weren’t sure we wanted to risk our friendship and take things to next level. At this point, God didn’t just push us a little bit harder, He shoved. It was a defiant, I brought you two together for a reason, so stop fighting me, get your butts in gear, and let my plan unfold, kind of moment. And, I am so thankful each and everyday that God put this amazing man in my life. He helps balance me out. He is an honest, trustworthy, hardworking man that does anything and everything to provide for his family. Family, I have always been apart of a family, but its weird to actually say I have my own family now. Yes, that’s right; a husband, three kids, numerous pets all situated on a 15-acre ranch outside of Houston. Now, I am not saying I didn’t expect to have a family. I have always wanted to be a wife and a mother. It’s just weird the time has already come. But once again, God has blessed me. We chose to live on a ranch because both my husband and I have always wanted to live in a place with land and animals. As a girl, we had the land, but never any animals except for our family dogs, which were inside dogs. We wanted to be able to have animals, to plant gardens, and to just have room. We felt it was vital for our family to be able to separate from the hustle and bustle of the city, and just slow down. There is a downside to living on the ranch sometimes though. Because there is always something to do, and there are always mouths the feed, it is difficult to get away and take â€Å"vacations†. But, my philosophy is, if you love what you do, then it’s not work, and if you are not working, then who needs a vacation? I guess that it the key to it all. I finally stopped worrying about finding a job. I took a step back, and asked myself what I wanted from life. Did I simply want a paycheck, a means to an end, or did I want a career that fueled my passion? And when I finally decided to let it all go, and do something that made me happy, things fell into place. I am not saying it was easy; there were some bumps along the road. But I worked through them. With the support and encouragement of my family, I put my faith in God; I took action and turned my dream into a vision.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Fall of the Roman Empire and How it relates to America today Research Paper

Fall of the Roman Empire and How it relates to America today - Research Paper Example To fight this imminent fall, the Americans ought to swing into action and defy the ill-governing principles and take their economy back to normal. The fall of the Roman Empire is its gradual societal breakdown. Many scholars have come up with numerous theories, aiming to describe the causality of its gradual collapse. Most of these theories base their focus on the military, political, social and economic disintegrations, in tandem with foreign intrusions and usurpers from amongst the empire occupants (Murphy, 2007). The gradual decline has culminated through a period of 4 centuries. Numerous vile events, which had happened in the entire Roman Empire history, have worsened its decline process. These gradual changes can better be termed as complex transformations. Rome went through detrimental transformations in the administration, which profoundly implicated the entire regime negatively. A critical stage arrived where Rome was no longer a suitable or effective administrative centre for the Emperor to administer fro. Consequently, Rome had several emperors administered rule effectively. The eastern emperor launched a gothic war, which was extremely perilous. It affected the eastern domain militarily and caused considerable harm to Italy. Due to these wars during the seventh century, Rome and other Italian municipalities collapsed to their detriment to an extent that Roman citizens completely vacated it. The Persian intrusion of the eastern empire, during the seventh century, further weakened the Roman Empire perilously. Progressively after the Persian invasion, Egyptian Muslim warlords waged heavy wars on the eastern empire (Bury & Gibbon, 2004). This major blow detrimentally hampered and curtailed much Mediterranean trade, in which Europe participated, Following thereafter was an epoch of dominance by the eastern empire, which were periods of cultural

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Seven Floors by Dino Buzzati Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Seven Floors by Dino Buzzati - Essay Example The theme of TIME In virtually all the short stories of Buzzati, time is a major player that is calculated and predicted in terms of its relationship with space, juggled into a confusion of days, locked into large crates, or thrown out of synch with the events that are supposed to compose it (p87). Accordingly, Buzzati says â€Å"time remains uncontrollable and the minutes and hours march forward like great lords with so much composure, no one would ever say they are our enemies† (p90). Buzzati thus declares â€Å"time to be the force that leads us into the clutches of death, which appears in Buzzati’s stories as it appears in life: waiting outside the garden gate, furtively entering our homes as we lie sleeping, or violently tearing away at the foundations of our homes† (p101). Seymour (p127) observes that â€Å"this objective and eternal time is seen as a real power, a living figure that ends up by identifying itself with death†. The element of CHARACTERIZATION Buzzati’s characters are never fully defined as they are given common Italian names. Their lives are filled with repetition, routine and monotony in what he calls â€Å"the absurd human condition† (p117). His characters are â€Å"humble, ordinary and unblessed as they are less important than the realities that determine the course of their lives†

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Online Business of Vibe T-shirt Would Be Remunerative and Profitable Essay

Online Business of Vibe T-shirt Would Be Remunerative and Profitable - Essay Example The business of online T-shirts by the brand name of Vibes has been set up with an appropriate forecast according to the plan. The Vibe T-shirts would be sold through the online website of the company. The customers would be able to purchase the T-shirts with visiting the physical store and taking advantage of virtual shopping mode. There are various payment options for the customer as they offered credits for 30 days and 60 days for online purchase. The online marketing and selling of T-shirts of Vibe brand are considered to be highly competitive as e-commerce has emerged to be a recent trend with various companies investing in an online commodity business. The detailed forecast of the business in terms of the initial capital available, cash budget, the forecast of the income statement and financial position of the business has been given below.   The business has paid due consideration in pricing the Vibe T-shirts so that it is affordable to a wide range of customers. The pricing strategy of Vibe T-shirts has been designed in order to meet the mission and vision of the business which is to connect to people of different cultures all over the globe. Vibe T-shirts business envisages emerging as the most desired T-shirt brand through the virtual model of e-commerce. The pricing has also been fixed taking into consideration the expenses incurred for procuring the raw materials, wages, general selling and administrative costs. The price of each Vibe T-shirt has been fixed at 25-pound sterling which is expected to drive in the forecasted revenue and the profits to reach the break-even point within a short period of time.  The cash budget for the business of Vibe T-shirt has been computed as given in the excel calculations. The cash budget has provided an indication of the amount of cash deficit or surplus that would occur from the online selling of Vibe T-shirt.  

Friday, July 26, 2019

HR Strategic Planning MODULE 1 Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Strategic Planning MODULE 1 Discussion - Essay Example This explains why team work is emphasized in a business organization as its various units need to collaborate together for it to function. For example, the goal of marketing is integrated into manufacturing for the factory people realize the need of customer satisfaction. Information and knowledge are also shared through the various channels in the organization to promote cohesion, knowledge and skills across organization (Kahn and Mentzer, 1998). Departments may not be well verse in other functions of the business but they are aware that their output are needed by other departments and that they are also dependent on the output of others. One of the concrete example where the various department and functions intersect with each other is through a project which is increasingly becoming common in business organizations. Projects are typically composed of people in the organization from various departments with different background and skillsets working together in order to achieve the goal of the

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Laboratory Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Laboratory - Lab Report Example In addition, The PACS system is equipped with a central core consisting of a 300-gigabyte central server; a set of 1.25-terabyte optical jukebox archive together with adjustable wavelet compression or PacsPro II that is an EMED Technologies, Lexington, MA; some workstations which are four-panel 2.5 2.0K monitors (average rate image display time is less than 2 sec/full-resolution computed radiography image. The Images in PACS system are routed to individual workstations based on the algorithm that applies a synthesis of patient location, image source, day of week, time of day, imaging type, and Common Procedure Terminology (CPT) code (Gale, Gale, Schwartz, Muse and Walker, 2000). Oracle is a new networking infrastructures and applications that provides highly available integrated and high level of performance software components that meets the demands of most industries. The Oracle empowers applications with very high throughput and instant responsiveness and performance-critical functions faster. The combination of programs are delivered on the data management requirements important to realize service agility like: Superior combination of batch performance and real-time for data located in call control as well as back office applications; Intelligent caching; Providing support geographically for "fail over" and load balancing; full adherence to standard interfaces; Easy manageability and low maintenance requirements; and non-stop operations capable of achieving carrier-grade availability (Oracle Corporation, 2007).All PACS products (The Royal College of Radiologists, 2002) consist of database that can store information of patients, at the same time, cataloguing their imaging studies. Several PACS installations integrate and use a single relational Oracle databases to data storage. The user then, interacts instantly with the Oracle

Biochemistry - Cystic Fibrosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biochemistry - Cystic Fibrosis - Essay Example In some cases, the CFTR protein is prevented entirely to take place at all and in some cases, CFTR protein does produce and get its way into the cell membrane but cannot operate properly. One way of treatment method is to supply a different class of chloride channel to compensate for the loss of the CFTR chloride channel. Gene therapy could be a better solution in future in which a normal copy of the CFTR gene to the cells is delivered. In this way, direct synthesis of the normal CFTR protein will be possible to treat the biochemical abnormality leading to cystic fibrosis. Introducing healthy gene will take over all functions of the CFTR protein that are necessary including those which are yet not known. And the best way of gene therapy is to exploit the ability of viruses bringing their DNA to enter into cells. Adenoviruses are suitable for this purpose due to their natural tendency to infect human

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Study the topic of Moses and the horns and its relationship to the Essay

Study the topic of Moses and the horns and its relationship to the Alexander Romance and Dhul-Qarnayn - Essay Example When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets in his hand, as he came down from the mountain Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses and beheld the skin of his face shone and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him and Moses talked with them. And when Moses finished speaking with them he put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him he would remove the veil .And when he came out and told the people of Israel what was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses that the skin of Moses was shining. However, E. Suhr2 argues that the scribe who transcribed the passage using the secondary meaning may actually have done so advisedly and that scholars should not assume that a mistake of such proportions could have been made by a man who was an educated monk. The word in question was used three times in the description of Moses' transfiguration; would not the scribe have been aware of the consequences of such a change to the meaning of the passage He goes on to give us examples of the use of the adjective (horned) being applied to other messianic figures in religious history and literature. These figures had all performed heroic tasks and were saviours of their people. Horns therefore appear to have had, at one period, attributes of divinity and purity; a meaning that is diametrically opposed to our present day conception of them as being satanic. Eloise Hart3 also confirms this. In her essay she states that being horned was a symbol of being in intimate communion with the divine, that it signified neophytes who had passed a grueling test of faith. Certainly, there are references to horns and gods dating all the way to Sumerian times: the god Janus was portrayed with two heads and early Sumerian kings often took on the role of king-god; they were the pivot on which every facet of the kingdom turned.. The seals of Akkad depict the king as wearing horned crowns, symbolic perhaps of the close association of the ruler with divinity4. Some Akkadian seals also portray sacrificial bulls being brought to their knees by their horns; There was evidently power in the horns since the sacrificial bull is almost invariably shown held by a horn in the same manner.5 There are also references to horns and divinity in many ancient religions, including Celtics and Sumerian and early Egyptian. Dionysus was also known as the horned god ; Apis the Bull God for example is portrayed with the sun disk of divinity between its horns.6 The merging of the two meanings is clear here. The unicorn is also associated with Christ. Suhr contends though that the passage may not refer to horns in the literal sense; when both meanings are taken together, it can be interpreted to signify that the quality of Moses' face had changed, that perhaps there had been an alteration in his features or skin that allowed them to be described as horned. He justifies this through the use of examples such as Siegfried from Das Nibelungenleid, who on slaying a dragon bathed in its blood and his skin became horned. He also quotes Luke from the New Testament in the description of Jesus' transfiguration, where the gospel mentions that "the fashion of his (Jesus')

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Consumer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer behaviour - Essay Example Discussions about external variables pointed to Wyld’s (2010) assertions that these are the general economic climate, technology, government and competition as factors affecting customers’ decision at the various stages. Scheiltz (2010) suggested other external factors such as the cultural, group and social values that sway the decision process of consumers. Decision process is defined as identification of needs, collecting of information, evaluation of alternatives, then finally going into a purchasing decision. (Chapter 6 Class Notes, n.d.) I. How do marketers persuade consumers using external variables? a. Economy The economy is the first factor considered as an external variable affecting consumers. The recent economic crisis is an external variable that affected consumers’ behavior in many states of US and in Europe, and many others. On the other hand, economy has been favorable to the emerging countries in Asia. The shrinking economy encourages shifts in bu yer demographics and the way products are used such that consumers may alter their purchasing decisions, how they perceive value and where they purchase the product. Market report of Bharatbook.com (2010) said that in Netherlands, consumers’ decisions are today influenced by the price sensitivity, value consciousness and attitudes towards private labels as about three quarters of its consumers suffered the recession in 2009. In the said market report, Dutch consumers reconsider their spending including decisions on where and when to shop; and that changes shown is that now, Dutch consumers are buying labeled products because they think they save more money in the long run. This is also true in the car landscape wherein the economic crisis has changed car-buying process of consumers. To help dealers determine changes of consumer buying process, Dealer Communications reported on a conducted a research to know the present motivations of car buyers; to know if there are opportuni ties still open for car dealers and manufacturers, and if so, how will they adjust. In issues how the products are challenged showed the way Apple has transformed how music is bought and played thru the introduction of iPod. (Wyld, 2010) Marketers also use the power of globalization to reach more and more country markets. Recent developments of off-shore business, in particular, the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia and China have encouraged multi-national companies to spread their business in these countries. Because of the improved purchasing power of consumers in these emerging countries, marketers find globalization as a driver of change in industries as motor vehicles, cell phones and credit cards (Wyld, 2010). b. Technology. One of the driving forces that encourage consumers’ buying decisions is the use of technology. It is observed that there is a growing acceptance of internet shopping, SNS websites and the constant growing series of internet appl ications. It is now easy for the company to sell products to customers using online technology, to work with suppliers and supply chain. However, because becoming an on-line seller is an easy process in the internet, this variable increases rivalry and competition among seller. An example of a successful on-line ordering system is being done by Wal-Mart stores that make shopping easy for busy people (Wal-Mart, n.d.) c. Competition An attractive market encourages competition to enter the industry. Most

Monday, July 22, 2019

Discrimination Against Biracial Children Essay Example for Free

Discrimination Against Biracial Children Essay Biracial children face a myriad of concerns on a daily basis. Research reveals what common sense suggeststhat all these problems are rooted in racist, biased, and discriminatory social attitudes, attitudes which children encounter from their first moments of pre-school. The sense of injustice that they instinctively feel when they sense these biases will manifest out of discrimination towards one or both of their racial backgrounds, as well as towards the fact that they have more than one racial background. Examples of these concerns, and manifestation of racist attitudes, are concerns shared by parents of bi-racial children, who also suffer the emotional brunt of discrimination against their children. An understanding of the suffering of parents, as well as bi-racial children, can provide for us not only a comprehensive perspective on the challenges and concerns that bi-racial children and their parents experience on a daily basis, but a means of providing the proper environment thereof. Sample of Sources Used: * Black Women with Biracial Children. 2007:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blackwomenwithbiracialchild/ * Delle, Margaret. Raising Biracial Children: Still a Difficult Subject after all These Years. 2007: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/107661/raising_biracial_children_still_a_difficult.htmlIdentity Issues and Concerns of Biracial Children.2007: http://members.aol.com/lacillo/biracial.html * Jones Frank and Gibbs Staff. Parenting Biracial Children: Issues for Black/White Biracial Child- Rearing. 2007: http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/Parenting%20Biracial%20Children.htm * Nakazawa, Donna Jackson. Does Anybody Else Look Like Me?: A Parents Guide to Raising Multiracial Children. Da Capo Press; Reprint edition March 30, 2004. * Pattnaik, Jvotsna. Learning about the other: Building a Case for Intercultural Understanding among Minority Children. Childhood Education Vol 79 2003. P NA

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Optical Properties of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Using Two Dopant

Optical Properties of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Using Two Dopant G T Yusuf, MA Raimi, O.E Alaje  and AK Kazeem Abstract The undoped ZnO, Al doped ZnO and Mg doped ZnO films were deposited by a sol-gel spin coating method onto the glass substrates. 0.3M solution of zinc acetate dehydrates diluted in methanol and deionized water (3:1) was prepared. Equal quantity of Aluminum chloride and tin chloride were added to each solution to serve as dopants. The effect of Aluminum and Magnesium doping on the optical ZnO films was studied. The transparency properties of all thin films are more than 80 % at a visible wavelength of (300-800 nm). The optical band gap of pure ZnO thin film is 3.12ev while the band gap for Al-doped ZnO and Mg-doped films are 3.16eV and 3.26eV respectively. All film parameters changed with dopant types. The variation of optical band gap with doping is well described by Burstein–Moss effect. Keywords: Band gap; Doping; Films; Transmittance. Introduction In this Zinc oxide is an II-VI n-type semiconductor with band gap of approximately 3.3 eV at room temperature and a hexagonal wurtzite structure [1]. Recently, doped zinc oxide thin films have been widely studied for their application as conducting electrode materials in flat-panel displays or solar devices. Unlike the more commonly used indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide is a non-toxic and inexpensive material [1]. Furthermore, pure zinc oxide films are highly transparent in the visible range (light wavelength of 400-700 nm) and have high electrical conductivity. However, non-stoichiometric or impurity (Group III elements or Group IV elements) doped zinc oxide films have electrical conductivities as well as high optical transparent. Non-stoichiometric zinc oxide films have unstable electrical properties at high temperature because the sheet resistance of ZnO thin films increases under either oxygen chemisorptions and desorption [9] or heat treatment in vacuum or in ambient oxygen pressure at 3000C-4000C [27]. Turning to impurity doped ZnO thin films, unlike non-stoichiometric ZnO thin films, impurity doped ZnO thin films possess stable electrical and optical properties. Among the zinc oxide films doped with group II elements such as barium, aluminum, gallium and indium, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films show the lowest electrical resistivity [11]. Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) has a low resistivity of 2.4Ãâ€"10-4 ÃŽ © cm [11-13], which is quite similar to that of ITO films, which is about 1.2Ãâ€"10-4 ÃŽ © cm [14-16] and AZO also shows good optical transmission in the visible and near infrared (IR) regions. Thus, AZO films have been used as transparent conducting electrodes in solar cells [16, 8]. In addition to doping with Group III elements, doping ZnO with Group IV elements such as [9, 10] Ge, Sn, Ti, Si is also a good way to obtain low resistivity transparent materials in order to replace ITO because Ge, Ti, Zr could substitute on the Zn atom site. For example, Sn can serve as a doubly ionized donor with the incorporation of SnO2 as a solute in ZnO and, consequently, provide a high electron carrier concentration. It is, therefore, expected that the Sn doped ZnO (SZO) will have a higher electrical conductivity and better field emission properties compared with undoped ZnO [10]. A variety of techniques such as DC or RF magnetron sputtering [2], electron beam evaporation [19,20], pulsed laser deposition [21], spray pyrolysis [22,23], chemical vapor deposition [24] and sol–gel processing [25–34,5] have successfully been developed to prepare zinc oxide thin films. Among them, the sol–gel spin coating method is simpler and cost effective. Traditionally, AZO films prepared by this method follow the non-alkoxide route, using metal salts such as acetates, nitrates or chlorides as precursor and dopant, respectively. In addition, organic solvent, such as methanol [20,21], ethanol [16], isopropanol [14], methoxyethanol [11], ethyl glycol and glycerol [10] are widely employed by introducing monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA) or tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) as stabilizer [10,11,30]. Recently, few studies had reported on the growth of the ZnO thin films with different dopants using sol gel spin coating technique. Therefore, the aim of this research works however is to study the optical and electrical properties of zinc oxide thin films using different dopants with locally fabricated sol gel spin coating technique. Experimental The films have been deposited onto the glass substrates at 400  °C substrate temperature. 0.3M solution of zinc acetate dehydrates diluted in methanol and deionized water (3:1) were prepared and divided into three portions. Aluminum chloride and tin chloride were added to each solution as dopants. A few drops of acetic acid were added to improve the clarity of solution. The concentration of dopants (aluminum chloride AlCl3 ·6H2O, magnesium nitrate hexahydrate [Mg (NO3)2.6H2O and was 3% and kept constant for all experiments. The starting solutions were mixed thoroughly with magnetic stirrer and filtered by WHATMAN filter paper. The solutions were then spin coated on glass substrates which have been procleaned with detergent and then in methanol and acetone for 10min each using ELA 110277248E/2510E-MT ultrasonic cleaner and then cleaned with de ionized water and heated on hot plate for 600C. The coating solutions were dropped onto the glass substrate which was rotated at 4000rpm 45 each by using Ws- 400 Bz – 6NPP/AS spin coater. After depositing by spin coating, the films were then dried at 3000C for 15minutes in a furnace to evapourate the solvent and remove organic residuals. The optical and electrical properties of the films at each time were investigated. The films were then inserted into a tube furnace and annealed in air at 7500C for 1 hour each. The optical transmission and reflectance of the films were examined by spectrophotometer ranging from 400 to 1000nm. The transmittance T and reflectance R data was used to calculate absorption coefficients of the AZO films at different wavelengths. The relationship between transmittance T, reflectance R, absorption coefficient, ÃŽ ±, and thickness d of the film is given by equation (1). (1) The absorption coefficient data was used to determine energy band gap, Eg , using equation (2). (2) Where is the photon energy, A is a constant thus, a plot of against is a curve line whose intercept on the energy axis gives the energy gap. The band energy gap of the film was then determined by extrapolating the linear regions on the energy axis. The absorption coefficient,, associated with the strong absorption region of the film was calculated from absorbance A and the film thickness, t, using (3). (3) The extinction coefficient, k, was evaluated from (4) (4) Where the wavelength of the incident radiation and, t is, is the thickness of the film. The crystal phase of the films was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The refractive index of the films was determined from the maxima and minima of the reflectance curve. (5) Where n is the refractive index, d is the film thickness (nm), is the wavelength (nm) of the incident light, and k is the interference order (an odd integer for maxima and even integer for minima). Results The crystal structure of ZnO films was investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD). The X-ray diffraction spectrum of ZnO, Al-ZnO and Mg-ZnO film annealed at 7500C with prominent reflection planes is shown in figure 1.The peaks in the XRD spectrum correspond to those of the ZnO patterns from the JCPDS data (Powder Diffraction File, Card no: 36-1451) having hexagonal wurtzite structure with lattice constants a=3.24982Ã…, c=5.20661Ã….The presence of prominent peaks shows that the film is polycrystalline in nature. The lattice constants ‘a’ and ‘c’ of the Wurtzite structure of the films were calculated using the relations (6) and (7). a= √à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å".ÃŽ »/sin ÃŽ ¸(6) c= ÃŽ »/sin ÃŽ ¸(7) Figure 2 shows the optical transmittance spectra of ZnO, Al-ZnO and Mg-ZnO thin films in the wavelength range between 300 to 800 nm. The transparency properties of all thin films are more than 80 % at a visible wavelength of (300-800 nm). It is observed that the transmittance varies with dopant types i.e. aluminum and magnesium. The overall spectra shows an emission band with two obvious peaks, where the first peak, the UV peak which also called the emission or near band edge emission contributed to the free exciton recombination [18]. The second broad peak, also known as the green emission corresponds to the recombination of a photon generated hole with an electron in singly ionized [18]. Figure 1: X-ray diffraction patterns for ZnO thin film for aluminum and magnesium dopants The optical absorbance spectrum measured within the wavelength range of 300–800 nm using a Shimadzu Spectrophotometer is shown in figure 3. Figure 2: Optical Transmittance of the films for aluminum and magnesium dopants Approximately, the band gap alteration of the thin film can be deduced from Figure 3. Here, it evidently shows that changes in the absorption edges are in parallel with types of dopant in the thin film. In order to appropriately estimate the optical band gap equation (2) was used. The presence of a single slope in the plot suggests that the films have direct and allowed transition. It is also well known that ZnO is a direct band-gap material [1] and the energy gap (Eg) can thus be estimated by assuming direct transition between conduction band and valance bands. Theory of optical absorption gives the relationship between the absorption coefficients ÃŽ ± and the photon energy hÃŽ ½ for direct allowed transition as shown in (2) The direct band gap determined using this equation when linear portion of the (ÃŽ ±hÃŽ ½)2 against hÃŽ ½ plot is extrapolated to intersect the energy axis at ÃŽ ± = 0. Plot of (ÃŽ ±hÃŽ ½)2 against hÃŽ ½ for undoped, Al-doped ZnO and Mg-doped films are shown in f igure 3. The optical band of pure ZnO is 3.12ev while the band gap for Al-doped ZnO and Mg-doped films are 3.16eV and 3.26eV respectively. The variation of optical band gap with doping is well described by Burstein–Moss effect [2-5]. For AZO films, compared to pure ZnO films, the contribution from Al3+ ions on substitution sites of Zn2+ ions and Al interstitial atoms determines the widening of the band gap caused by increase in carrier concentration. This is the well-known Burstein–Moss effect and is due to the Fermi level moving into the conduction band. Since doping increases the carrier concentration in the conduction band, the optical band-gap energy increases [2]. Enhancement of band gap thus also ensures that doping was successfully carried out in the ZnO thin films. It is further observed in our present work that an increase in band gap occurs in Mg- doped film as compared with ZnO and Al-ZnO thin films. The absorption properties of the films in UV range are due to the behaviour of ZnO intrinsic optical band gap energy. An absorption coefficient in the UV region significantly varies with types of dopant used. The result suggests improvement in the optical absorption in the UV region with nature of dopant, which provides useful information especially in the optoelectronic devices and device fabrication. . Figure 3: Plot of (ÃŽ ±hÃŽ ½)2 vs. photon energy (in eV) for aluminum and magnesium as dopants Conclusions Transparent conducting thin films (ZnO, Al-ZnO and Mg-ZnO) have been deposited by sol–gel spin coating technique. The optical properties of these films were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that The peaks in the XRD spectrum correspond to those of the ZnO, Al-ZnO and Mg-ZnO structural patterns is that of hexagonal wurtzite structure with lattice constants a=3.24982Ã…, c=5.20661Ã…. The optical transmittance spectra in the wavelength range between 300 to 800 nm shows that all thin films are more than 80 % at a visible wavelength of (300-800 nm). It is observed that the transmittance varies with dopant types i.e. aluminum and magnesium. The optical band of pure ZnO is 3.12ev while the band gap for Al-doped ZnO and Mg-doped films are 3.16eV and 3.26eV respectively. The variation of optical band gap with doping is well described by Burstein–Moss effect. References [1] N Choudhury and B K Sarma, Bull. Matter. Sci. 32, 43 (2000) [2] E Burstein, Phys. Rev. 93, 632 (1954). [3] T S Moss, Proc. Phys. Soc. London B67, 775 (1954). [4] B E Sernelius, K F Berggren, Z C Jin, I Hamberg and C Granqvist, Phys. Rev. B37, 10244 (19 88). [5] R Cebulla, R Wendt and K Ellmer, J. Appl. Phys. 83, 1087 (1998). [6] B C Mohanty, Y H Jo, D H Yeon, I J Choi and Y S Cho, Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 62103 (2009). [7] S Gota, J R R Barrado, M Sanchez, N T Barrett, J Avila and M Sacchi, Appl. Phys. Lett. 86,042104 (2005). [8] W Tang and D C Cameron, Thin Solid Films 238, 83 326 (1994). [9] Gà ¶pel, W. and U. Lampe, Influence of defects on the electronic structure of zinc oxide surfaces. Physical Review B, 22(12): 1980p. 6447. [10] Minami, T., H. Nanto, and S. Takata, Highly Conductive and Transparent Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Prepared by RF Magnetron Sputtering. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 23(Part 2, No. 1): p. L280. [11] Igasaki, Y. and H. Saito, The effects of deposition rate on the structural and electrical Properties of ZnO: Al films deposited on (112à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ bar 0) oriented sapphire substrates. Journal of Applied Physics, 1991. 70(7): p. 3613à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 3619. [12] Minami, T., et al.., Group III Impurity Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Prepared by RF Magnetron Sputtering. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 24(Part 2, No. 10): p. L781. [13] Kim, H., et al.., Effect of aluminum doping on zinc oxide thin films grown by pulsed laser Deposition for organic lightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ emitting devices. Thin Solid Films, 2000. 377à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 378: p. 798à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 802. [14] Kim, H., et al.., Indium tin oxide thin films for organic lightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ emitting devices. 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Impacts Of Singapores Integrated Resorts

Impacts Of Singapores Integrated Resorts Singapore is a small island city with a total population of about 4.98 million. The local population consists of approximately 74.2% ethnic Chinese, 13.4% Malays and 9.2% Indians. The remainder 3.2% is made up of Eurasians and other foreign workers. It is a relatively young population with only 217,000 or 7% of the population currently over the age of 65 (Singapore Facts and Figures, 2009) Integrated Resorts is to strengthen the leisure and entertainment options to enhance Singapores reputation as a must-visit destination for leisure and business visitors. The Integrated Resorts will be part of a larger spectrum of tourism products and are developing to enhance our destination appeal, and will enhance the tourism industry and economy. (Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2010) The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Singapore expanded at an annual rate of 24.00 percent in the last reported quarter. From 2007 until 2010, Singapores average quarterly GDP Growth was 7.62 percent reaching an historical high of 45.70 percent in March of 2010 and a record low of -12.50 percent in June of 2008. Singapore along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan is one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. (Trading Economics, 2010). The Integrated Resorts are contributing to GDP of the country and it is boosting the economy. (DBS treasures 2010) Integrated Resorts is in reality nothing new in the world of gaming and Integrated resorts. Singaporeans were requesting international world class developments combining elements already found in other major casino developments such as the Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne, Australia; The Venetian and Palazzo in Las Vegas; The Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas; Genting Highlands outside of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. On the other hand Singapore has seen the results of the Integrated Resorts, so they wanted to achieve those benefits as well (Andrew. M William. R, 2008) Integrated Resorts Integrated Resorts (IRs) are resorts with mixed development like hotels, restaurants, convention centre, theme park, shopping centre, casino, (Lee, 2005). As it has a gaming component casino, integrated resorts development has stirred a great controversy among the Singaporeans. On 18 April 2005, The Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong announced the cabinets decision to develop two integrated resorts in Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa. The Singapore Government stated that the aim of the Integrated Resorts is to boost the countrys tourism industry and economy. There has been very keen competition from the neighboring countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. According to the Government, the Integrated Resorts are expected to create some 35,000 jobs directly and indirectly (Business Times, 08 Nov 2005). There could be a negative social impact of gambling. The Government, however, promised to have a proper and strict safeguard to limit the social impact of gambling, among others exorbitant entrance fee and the casinos would not extend credit to local population (Parliamentary Debate on IR Decision, 2005) An Integrated Resort is really a very large scale entertainment development based around a casino. The casino component is physically small, but is the primary economic engine which drives overall returns and facilitates investment in other facilities and amenities. Thus the casino element must be of such magnitude and importance that it can generate over half of the developments annual cash. With capital costs associated with Integrated Resorts at, say, US$4 billion, such a facility would need to generate at least US$500 million in EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxation, Depreciation and Amortisation) to be viable (Andrew. M William. R, 2008) 1.2. Definition of Socio Economic In most cases, socio economists focus on the social impact of some sort of economic change, which is basically a study of the relationship between the economic activity and social life (Davis et al, 2008) 1.3 Objectives of the Research The objectives of this research are to understand the Socio-Economic impacts of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. This research deals with the socio-economic factors that have potential impact from the Singapore Integrated Resorts and how Singapore is being affected by Integrated Resorts what kind of positive or negative things this can bring to the person such as it would create better and more job opportunities for the people and would it revitalize the Singapore tourism industry. On the other hand how does the Integrated Resorts play a vital role in boosting the economy of Singapore, will the Singapore integrated resorts will be able to attract the potential customers and the tourism industry will grow better and Integrated Resorts would revitalize the tourism industry as there been a drop in the tourism sector. Economy of the Singapore would be affected by the Integrated Resorts how it would play a vital role in booming the economy. 1.4 Motivation This research deals with the socio-economic factors that have potential impact on the Singapore. The main aim is to focus and to investigate, analyze the socio-economic impact. The motivation for this research is to find out the process and ways the Integrated Resorts of Singapore boost the economy, revitalize the tourism, and change the shape of tourist coming to Singapore and how they create job opportunities for the people of Singapore. Would the Integrated Resorts be able to improve the well-being of the local population by generating jobs and increasing income? Would they will be able to play the role towards Singapore Economy and how they would benefit the local people of the country. The motivation to do this research is to see that would be able to revitalize the Singapore tourism as it is declining in past few years and what does the IR have to contribute to make a difference and how would the economy of Singapore would be boosted by the IR and what Job opportunities would the IR create for the local people of Singapore. The researcher wants to study how the Singapore Integrated resorts would perform as it has all the same components which the other neighboring Integrated resorts have like Mauritius, Crown Melbourne, and Macau China. 1.5 Research Focus The Focus of this research is to understand the Socio-Economic impact of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. The main aim to understand how, the impacts of the Singapore Integrated Resorts can play a vital role on both socio and economic these impacts could be positive or negative as well Revitalize Singapore Tourism (Andrew. M and William R, 2008) Boost Singapore Economy (R. Nunkoo and H. Ramkissoon, 2010) Job creation (Andriofis. K, 2008) 1.6 Research Questions In this report we have to invest the socio economic impacts of Singapore Integrated Resorts and the effects of these socio and economic impacts could be negative and positive. Revitalize Singapore Tourism. Boost Singapore Economy. Job creation Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of literature review is to make sure that we analyze the Socio Economic Impacts of Singapore Integrated Resorts and the purpose of the literature review is to select promising measure, methods (Mamchak and Mamchak, 1994) The Integrated Resort (IRs) is undoubtedly a necessary step to Singapores future economic viability. As Singapore has no natural advantages, it must capitalize its ability to stay at the front of the global economy, with focus to attract foreign investors, tourists and talent. Surveys have suggested that Singapore is seen as unexciting compared to other travel destinations, and has been labeled as conservative, moderate and stale (Straits Times, 2005) The Integrated Resorts and casino in Asia has grown significantly across the Asia Pacific region since 1999. The growth of the Integrated Resorts and casino market in Asia over the past 10 years and its continued expansion will have an impact on established casino markets in the region, including Australia, Mauritius and Macau have led the way with the development of integrated casino resorts. These developments have come during a period when both Asian economies and the Asian tourism market have grown significantly since 1999, with further growth in both expected into the future. Integrated resorts can be viewed as an attempt to provide a carefully planned, controlled and well defined tourism product (Wall, 1997, p. 715) Macau became the largest casino and Integrated Resorts market in the world, growing from US$2bn 1999 to US$14bn by endà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2008. The sole casino operator in Malaysia, Resorts World, grew revenues from Au $1bn to in excess of Au $2bn by 2007. These integrated resorts have similarities with the resort pioneered by Genting in Malaysia, with meetings, incentives conventions and exhibitions (MICE) facilities, restaurants and entertainment venues, sitting alongside gambling facilities. However, the sheer size and number of these resorts have eclipsed those in most other parts of the world. (Harry. A Laurie. K, 2009) Singapore having problems to attract tourist and there was big decline in the tourism industry in the year 2008-09 so Singapore decided to have the two Integrated Resorts in order to race with the other Resorts in the Asia as they were behind in the chase as the other nations were attracting plenty of tourist and the economy of the country is booming like Mauritius, Macau, and Crown Melbourne. Based on the research objectives, the researcher will provide relevant concepts in the review of current literature in this chapter. Growth in Asia since 1999 and the countries enjoying the benefits of the Integrated Resorts by economic boost to the country, better job opportunities to the people, and improve the tourism of the country. Singapore catches up with the mastermind race. Revitalize Singapore Tourism (Andrew. M and William R, 2008) The visitor arrivals to Singapore started to decline from June 2008 coinciding with the economic downturn. September/October saw a slight pickup in arrivals due to the 2008 FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. As a result, Singapore ended the year with a marginal decline of 1.6% in arrivals to reach a total of 10.1 million visitor arrivals. Visitor arrivals to Singapore fell by 4.5% year-on-year in July 2009 to reach 881,000 visitors. Visitors days were estimated at 4.6% million days, year-on-year decrease of 11.6% in comparison of July 2008 (923,000) The decline in tourism is certainly a concern for Singapore and the solution is to revitalize Singapores tourism and create a unique Singapore niche. There is little point in selling Singapore as a country rich in heritage and culture; rather, the Integrated Resorts will market the modern entertainment, vibrant city life, and a constantly changing environment Singapore can best call her own (Singapore Tourism Board, 2009). Figure 1 Decline in tourism in 2008C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsdrop in numbers.png Source: Singapore Tourism Board, 2010 Arrivals to Singapore dropped by some 4% in 2009, to 9.7mn. An extremely strong performance in the second half of the year was not quite enough to offset the poor start to the year experienced by the tourism industry. Tourism revenue totaled an estimated SGD12.4bn for the year, according to figures released by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in February 2010. This represented a decline of 19%, as tourists spent less while in country. Although 2009 was difficult for the Singaporean tourism industry, there are reasons to be positive about the outlook for 2010 as the global economy recovers. In particular, the opening of the two integrated resorts, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, help the island attract new tourists (STB, 2010) Integrated Resort developments at the present time might cost US$4 billion or more, and include facilities and amenities that create virtual cities of entertainment. These new style resorts also change the landscape around them by spurring complementary developments and even enhancing the interest amongst some to have residences in close by to them. Thus they can become substantial hubs of economic activity, catalysts and improve tourism (Andrew. M and William R, 2008) Perhaps the most significant economic impact from the development of an Integrated Resort is tourist impact. An Integrated Resorts located in a capital city such as Singapore or Melbourne, IR can generate significant visitor numbers sometimes exceeding ten million per annum (implying an average of upwards of 30,000 visitors per day.) Depending on location and the actual type and range of facilities offered, this may well result in millions of additional tourists visiting the region, resulting in incremental spend in the local communities as these visitors take tours, eat in local restaurants and stay at local accommodations (outside the IR) and spend time and money outside the Integrated Resort. At Genting Highlands in Malaysia, for example, it is estimated that approximately three million people visit the country annually specifically to visit the Resort. This represents around fifteen percent of total international visitors to Malaysia (Andrew. M William. R, 2008) International visitor arrivals to Singapore registered 16.2% growth to reach 1,055,000 in January 2011. This is the highest ever recorded IVA for the month of January. Visitor days were estimated at 4.1 million days, a year-on-year growth of 13.3% and arrivals to Singapore have been on an upwards trend throughout 2010 so far. In April, the city-state welcomed 978,339 visitors, a record for the month and a 20% increase on April 2009. Cumulative arrivals for the first four months of 2010 came to 3.63mn. This strong performance reflects the improving global economic environment, as well as the positive impact of Singapores new integrated resorts. Business Monitor International ltd says both resorts will do much too significantly revitalize Singapores tourism industry from 2010, as they offer a wide range of entertainment aimed at complementary markets. Figure 2 Visitors arrival 2009/10/11 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSnag itVisitordec 07,dec08.png Source: STB 2010 The socio economic impact of Singapore Integrated Resorts have really revitalized the tourism sector of Singapore as shown in the figure above and the tourism industry has grown rapidly as there are a lot of visitors coming to Singapore to check out the new Integrated Resorts, leisure and recreation purpose. Based on the experience of Las Vegas, when dealing with a true Integrated Resort, it is possible that only about half of the total revenue generated will come from casino operations. The remainder will be driven largely by people staying in the hotels, attending conferences, conventions, events, or theme park activities. The general attractiveness of the venue and its supporting infrastructure, much of the non-gaming spend at the IR will be derived from people visiting from outside of the local area and local people, this will support the direct new investment to the Integrated Resorts and Singapore Integrated Resorts have those same components as the other IR have and the Singapore tourism industry is growing rapidly as the Integrated Resorts are attracting lots of visitors from different countries (Andrew. M and William R, 2008) Singapores tourism offering is being radically altered by the opening of the two new integrated resorts, the SGD 6.6bn Resorts World Sentosa operated by Genting International and the SGD7.6bn Marina Bay Sands operated by Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Resorts World is aimed more at a family audience, with attractions including theme parks and an oceanarium, while Marina Bay Sands is aimed more at the business travel and MICE market, with conference facilities and shopping area, both has casino. (STB, 2010) The Integrated Resorts brings in entertainment and conventions, hospitality and retail outlets, which will help to increase the demand for hotel services, greater patronage at restaurants and heightened convention and exhibition activities. Singapore had rapid hotel growth and development over the past two years with the openings of The St. Regis Singapore (April 2008), Capella Singapore (March 2009), Integrated Resorts and the Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore. The hotels are doing very good business as their occupancy rate has really grown up and they are performing well. The new hotel openings come at a time when visitor arrivals numbers to Singapore are seeing an increase. The destination saw visitor arrival numbers increase by 30.3 percent to 946,000 visitors total in May 2010, compared to the same period last year, which saw 726,000 visitor arrivals. May marked the sixth consecutive month during which Singapore saw record tourism arrival numbers. The country expects to reach its go al of at least 11.5 million total visitor arrivals by the end of 2010 (Travel Age West, 2010) Average Occupancy Rate (AOR) posted a 5.2 percentage point increase over September 2009 to reach 82% in September 2010. (STB, 2010) At the end of 2008, Singapore had 39,289 hotel rooms. In 2009, average occupancy rate (AOR) was 79%, a drop from 81% in 2008. The average room rate (ARR) for the year was estimated by the STB to be SGD191, a 22.3% decline. This reflected the more challenging operating environment for hotel companies during 2009. In April 2010, AOR stood at 85% for the month, an increase of 15 percentages. In 2010, the integrated resorts at Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands added 4,400 rooms to Singapores supply. Four of these hotels are already open. In 2009, several major new hotels opened, including the 300-room St Regis Singapore, the 121-roomAmara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa and The Boutique Hotel Tiong Bahru. In mid-2010, Australias StayWell Hospitality Group is to open the 200-room Park Regis Singapore (STB, 2010). In April 2010, AOR stood at 85% for the month, an increase of 15 percentage points. ARR was estimated by The STB to be SGD211, up by 12.2%. Figure 4 Hotels average occupancy 2009/10/11C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factshotel occupancy in 2010.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factshotel arr.png STB 2010 Figure 5 Average Room Rate 2009/2010/2011 Average Room Rate (ARR3) increased by 13.1% over September 2009 to reach an estimate of S$233 in September 2010. Average Occupancy Rate (AOR2) posted a 1.0 percentage point increase over January 2010 to reach 82% in January 2011 2.2 Boost Singapore Economy (R. Nunkoo and H. Ramkissoon, 2010) When Singapore decided to establish two Integrated Resorts in the City-State, did so on the basis of the potential visitor impacts and boost Singapores economy as well as its image. Singapores goal was to triple its tourist numbers over a period of twelve years and to more than triple the resulting economic impact by attracting higher spending and thus higher value visitors to that country. When they open in 2010 or 2011, the two IRs will be critical in achieving that objective and will likely contribute more than fifty percent to Singapores long term goal by 2015 Singapore is on the right track by opening the two Integrated Resorts which will boost the Singapore economy. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) had earlier forecast the Singapore economy to grow between 7.0 and 9.0 per cent this year. Singapore today doubled its economic growth forecast for 2010, expecting it to expand between 13.0 to 15.0 per cent following a better economic performance in the first quarter. (Bernama Malaysian National News Agency, 2010) As we have seen in the recent years that Macau has experienced an unprecedented level of economic success of its gambling monopoly. It has created an environment where casinoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ driven tourist investment projects attract industry leaders, while tourist, hotel guest numbers and revenues have grown with the opening of new integrated resorts. Macaus location is next to a rising and booming Chinese economy. As well as in recent years Mauritius has experienced a rapid increase in integrated resort developments, which have been intended to secure income from new tourism segments and to boost the economy. (Robin.N Haywantee. R, 2010) Singapore is also having such an Integrated development so the Integrated Resorts of Singapore are going to boost the economy as well. This success of Macau and Mauritius has not gone unnoticed, Singapore has followed the footsteps as well and having the Integrated Resorts which will for sure help to boost the economy of Singapore Perhaps the most notable move that illustrates this shift is Singapore. Traditionally conservative, in April 2005 it made the decision to attempt to emulate the success of Macau which has helped them to boost the Singapore economy by the help of the Integrated Resorts. However, in lateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2004, the Singapore government changed its policy stance in a move inspired by the incredible growth of Macau, the continued success of Genting Highlands and the phenomenal rise of tourism in Asia (Harry. A Laurie. K, 2009) There has been a great change from the over the past century. Governments and developers around the world have caught on the race to mastermind, create and develop Integrated Resorts and Entertainment which creates positive value propositions and potential growth to the countrys image and economic strength of Singapore. Between 1993 and 2002, tourisms contribution to GDP dropped from 6.1% to 3%, and our share of the Asia Pacific tourist flow fell from 8% in 1998 to 6% in 2002. Figure 6: Assessing the Economic Impacts Integrated Resort: Assessing the Economic Impacts Total Revenue of about $ 270 million, of which $212 million are derived from gaming activates Contribution to GDP of about $500 million, which is 0.4 of Singapores 2003 GDP Source: Forecast by Assoc Prof Winston Koh, Singapore Management University 2010 The positive annual impact from Integrated Resort developments can indeed be substantial. Estimating the economic potential of these IRs will depend on the unique situations established within each locale and legal situation. However, it is often the case that such developments can become the most significant that any locale will have seen from a single activity. Marina Bay Sands opened its first phase of development in April 2010, offering 963 out of its total of 2,560 hotel rooms, as well as opening part of its shopping mall, restaurants and convention centre. The grand opening for the resort took place in June. BMI believes both resorts will do much too significantly boost Singapores tourism industry from 2010, as they offer a wide range of entertainment aimed at complementary markets. Government projections have estimated that each resort could contribute SGD2.7bn to Singaporean GDP by 2015. Singapores two integrated resorts are a major boost to the countrys economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Prime Minister said he is glad that visitors are generally happy with the IRs as such attractions make the economy more vibrant and the city more colorful. He added that the IRs have created buzz and both were packed with visitors on their opening days, creating many jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector. According to media reports, nearly 200 bus loads of Malaysian tourists a day are visiting the IRs. (Channel News Asia, 2010) Singapores growth accelerated to a record 18.1 percent pace in the first half of 2010, spurring the currency and putting the island on course to overtake China as Asias fastest-growing economy this year. Gross domestic product expanded at a 26 percent annualized pace in the second quarter from the previous three months, after a revised 45.9 percent gain in January to March, the trade ministry said today. Growth in the first half was the fastest since records began in 1975, prompting the government to predict GDP will rise 13 percent to 15 percent in 2010. (Bloomberg, 2010) Figure 7 Singapore GDP Growth rates 2007/2010C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts11-10-2010 1-48-36 PM.png Source: Trading Economics (2010) This will put Singapore on track to possibly becoming the worlds fastest growing economy, surpassing even China. On an annualized and seasonally adjusted basis, Singapore economy expanded 26.0 per cent in the April-June period (Channel news Asia, 2010). The two Integrated Resorts are now reflected in the GDP data contribution as integrated resorts have contributed SGD 470 million to the economy in the first year. Figure 7 and 8 Contribution of Integrated Resorts theC:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts12-19-2010 4-53-26 PM.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts12-19-2010 4-54-59 PM.png Source: DBS treasures 2010 Contributions derived from the GDP statistics reflect only the direct impact of the IRs. The overall economic gains to the economy are likely to be significantly larger if the spinoffs to other industries are taken into account. (Dow Jones International News, 2010). Singapore economy will need to create as many as 130,000 jobs next year if the latest economic growth forecast is to be met, economists said. Most of these jobs are set to come from the service sector, although there is likely to be broad-based job creation across most industries, said human resource experts and companies. The two integrated resorts are leading the hiring charge. They look set to continue hiring rank-and-file service staff for restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions in the next two to three years. (Aaron, 2010) Job creation (Andriotis and Konstantinos, 2008) Integrated Resorts being constructed with a development involving capital in the billions of US dollars there are going to be a number of wide ranging economic benefits and multiplier effects accruing to the region of Singapore. The first round comes from the construction contracts and the related employment opportunities for the local people (Andrew. M William. R, 2008) Integrated Resort is generating the greatest flow of economic benefits. Integrated Resorts tend to be labour intensive, requiring large numbers of staff to service the various facilities and activities on offer to customers and guests in the Integrated Resorts such as in hotels, restaurants, shopping center and gaming components Casinos. This number can exceed ten thousand direct full time equivalent employees, depending on prevailing wage rates and other factors. The casino in particular can be a major contributor to employment with anywhere from five to seven employees per table game. In Asia particularly where table games are the most popular form of casino entertainment an IR casino might have five hundred or more table games with thirty five hundred or more staff just in that department (Andrew. M William. R, 2008) The diversity of job opportunities within an Integrated Resort can be very tremendous. However, an IR should be viewed as a small township with a multitude of roles required to maintain its operation. It is not unusual for there to be one to two hundred different positions within the entire complex. Direct employment of this magnitude induces a multiplier effect in the local community with additional jobs created to service the employees of the IR. Depending on the extent of economic development in the region, the increase in jobs and incomes deriving from employment at the Integrated Resort can be very large indeed. An employment multiplier of 1.5, for example, would result in an additional five hundred jobs for every thousand full time jobs created within an Integrated Resort. This sort of impact on a local community job creation can be of great significance and should not be underestimated. (Andrew. M William. R, 2008) The Integrated Resorts industry the IRs has been projected to create at least 35,000 jobs and greatly increase household revenue. Many governments have encouraged integrated resort development in an attempt to improve the well-being of the local population by generating jobs and increasing income, and because of the easier control of tourism activities within their boundaries. However, as found jobs offered by the Integrated Resorts are more desirable than local jobs due to higher pay. (Andriotis and Konstantinos, 2008) Singapore job market soared towards the end of last year, causing a plunge in unemployment and a sharp rise in the employment of local workers. The jobless rate among residents, who include citizens and permanent residents, fell from 5 per cent last September to 3 per cent in December, which meant about 61,400 people being out of work. This drop is the steepest three-month decline in a decade, according to preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday. Accelerated hiring for the year-end festivities and by the two integrated resorts (IRs) made for the improvement. (Straits Times, 2010) The Integrated Resorts have helped to reduce unemployment, but full potential of IR effect not seen yet Singapore decision to allow integrated resorts (IRs) with casinos to be built here has changed this country for ever and it is already reaping the benefits. The IRs began hiring well before the opening of the properties; they clearly had a strong role to play in pushing down unemployment to 2.1 per cent, says Leong Wai Ho, an economist with Barclays Capital. The economic landscape in the Singapore is changing very rapidly making it imperative for Singapore to adapt to an increasingly competitive environment not just to expand its tourism share, but to keep on target of being the ultimate Global City of Asia. Given the huge investment in the Integrated Resorts projects, integrated resorts will deliver significant economic benefits for local companies and businesses in order for the gains to be equitably shared by Singapore society. The key here is how to profit from the expected influx of tourists, and make the most of the opportunities brought about by job creation and benefit to the local people of Singapore (Business Times, 2010) Singapore has seen the neighbor and not gone unnoticed as The Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne, Australia is an example of an Integrated Resort casino opened in 1997 that was one of the largest single site job creators in the Southern Hemisphere. (The case for Integrated Resorts, 2010) Singapore, when it decided to establish two Integrated Resorts in the City-State, did on the basis of the potential visitor impacts and the positive effects they would have on Singapores economy as well as its image. Singapores goal was to triple its tourist numbers over a period of twelve years and to more than triple the resulting economic impact by attracting higher spending and thus higher value visitors to that country. Integrated Resorts will be critical in achieving that objective and will likely contribute more than fifty percent to Singapores long term goal by 2015. (The case for Integrated Resorts, 2010) As illustrated in Labour Force Survey the unemployment rate shows a downward trend due to the improving economic conditions over the past few years, from 2003 to 2008. For the year 2007, the strong economic recovery has helped to ease the unemployment rate to less than 2%. Total employment increased by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, December 2007, growing for the fourth consecutive quarter and at an increasing pace due to

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Summary of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essay -- Maya Angelou Liter

Summary of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya recalls an Easter Sunday at the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in Arkansas. Her mother makes her a special Easter dress from lavender taffeta, and Maya thinks the dress will make her look like the blond-haired blue-eyed movie star that she wishes, deep down, to be. But, the dress turns out to be drab and ugly, as Maya laments that she is black, and unattractive as well. She leaves her church pew to go to the bathroom, and doesn't make it; she runs from the church, ashamed, but glad to be out of church and away from the children who torment her, and make her childhood even harder than it already is. Analysis: One of the main themes of this chapter is race and appearance; Maya already establishes that she wanted to be a movie-star looking white girl as a child, and tried to deny her real appearance. Connected with the idea of race is beauty, as Maya describes images of blond hair and blue eyes as the paragon of beauty, and says her appearance is merely a "black ugly dream" that she will wake out of. Maya seems to have been an imaginative child, as she envisions her "head [bursting] like a dropped watermelon" from trying to hold her bladder. Angelou shows a talent for using images to explain and clarify feelings, and employing her descriptive powers to make even mundane incidents very vivid. This autobiography, which covers Maya's life from age 3 to age 16, is often considered a bildungsroman since it is primarily a tale of youth and growing into young adulthood. However, unlike a typical, novel-form bildungsroman, the story does not end with the achievement of adulthood; Angelou continues to write about her life in four other volumes, all addressing her life chronologically from her childhood to the accomplishments of her adulthood. It is important to keep in mind that this is an autobiography, rather than a novel, and that the narrator and the author are indeed one and the same, and the events described in the book are intended to relate a very personal portrait of a person's life. Chapter 1: Summary: Maya says that when she was three years old and her brother was four, they were sent from their father in California to their paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. They were eventually embraced by the town, and lived at the back of the store that their grandmother and uncle owned and ran. ... ...al and flawed. The images and words chosen to represent St. Louis tell of the children's fear of this new place, and their apprehension at being taken to live with someone they don't know. The "crowded-together, soot-covered buildings" are completely alien, and a bit bleak to them. They may have been driving "to Hell" for all the children knew, with their uncertainty and fear coloring the strange landscape. She begins to believe in "Grownups' Betrayal," as again they are being let down by their father; her tone reveals her hurt and bitterness at being reclaimed by their father, only to be sent away once again. Angelou describes her mother as being like "a hurricane in its perfect power," or "the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow"; these metaphors convey that Maya's mother is a flawless work of nature, vibrant, powerful, and very beautiful. Maya seems to admire her from afar, too, like you would admire a rainbow from afar; but the instant power of the children's love for her is encapsulated in the two cliched phrases "struck dumb" and "love at first sight." Although Maya might feel a bit distant from her mother, nevertheless the love she feels brings them a little closer.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Holding Parents Accountable for Their Childrens Behavior :: essays research papers

In the past, there have been many minors who have done numerous of acts in which they are punished in a reasonable manner. Just imagine if the parents of these children were put on trail instead of the minors. Why should a parent have to suffer the consequences for their child’s mistake, in which they probably had no idea what the child was doing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to The Beaufort Gazette in Beaufort, SC, â€Å"A couple in Boise, Idaho now faces criminal charges because their 10- and 12-year old sons sexually molested three of their younger siblings, starting when one of the children was just one month old.† The report goes on to say, â€Å"Prosecutors said one girl was just 2 years old when the abuse started in October 2002. The other girl was less than 8 months old. The sexual abuse of the boy allegedly began in December 2002, when he was just one month old.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to The Idaho Statesman Newspaper in Boise, Idaho, â€Å"The parents are being charged with four counts of felonies. The first three include the connection with the allegations of sexual abuse by the boys, and the fourth charge addresses allowing a child to walk on dirty floors, in which resulted in infected cuts on the child’s feet.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This sounds more like a child neglect case rather than a connection of a child molestation case. I am not defending the couple in any way, but I feel there is no proof of them knowing about such acts going on between their children. Therefore, it will be hard to prosecute the couple on the molestation charges unless there is some type of evidence that is not being presented or considered until the trail.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There was a

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Laughter Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Laughter "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." --E. B. White Why do people laugh? Laughter is contagious and therapeutic. It helps us cope with stress, and relax with friends. It is an indication of happiness, the sole reason we go on living. But what causes people to laugh? People laugh at jokes, semantic humor, which relies on cognitive ability to process the "humor" therein, or sometimes at slapstick type behavior requiring no intellectual understanding. People laugh at different things and for different reasons, and for the few that are interested at the expense of the frog, it can be interesting to investigate. Every individual varies in their neurological pathways through their "boxes" in their brain to reach the output of laughter from a number of different inputs. Laughter is caused by certain visual or audio stimuli, often by perception of the unexpected or the incongruous. A surprise in expected input can result in an emotional change, however major or minor. As H. Spencer says in his Physiology of Laughter, "the nervous system in general discharges itself on the muscular system in general: either with or without the guidance of the will" (1). Incongruous input causes an emotional change, and in the case of humorous response, resulting in the contraction of facial muscles and certain muscles in the abdomen. The epiglottis half closes the larynx, resulting in giggling, guffawing, or gasping, and tear ducts are activated. These outputs of the nervous system we refer to as laughter can be arrived at through a number of pathways through the boxes of the brain, fabricated in each individual throughout their life to that point. Although different parts o... ...2Bbut%2Bits%2Bbenefits%2Bare%2Bmany,%2Band%2Bunmistakably%2Bclear.%2B%2522%26hl%3Des%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG 6) encontrar el hueso divertido del cerebro , http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=es&sl=en&u=http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web2/mdrejka.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522The%2Borigins%2Bof%2Blaughter%2Bare%2Bprimitive%2Band%2Bstill%2Blargely%2Bnot%2Bunderstood,%2Bbut%2Bits%2Bbenefits%2Bare%2Bmany,%2Band%2Bunmistakably%2Bclear.%2B%2522%26hl%3Des%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG 7) gerencia de la tensià ³n y causas de la tensià ³n , http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=es&sl=en&u=http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web2/mdrejka.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522The%2Borigins%2Bof%2Blaughter%2Bare%2Bprimitive%2Band%2Bstill%2Blargely%2Bnot%2Bunderstood,%2Bbut%2Bits%2Bbenefits%2Bare%2Bmany,%2Band%2Bunmistakably%2Bclear.%2B%2522%26hl%3Des%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

Patient Safety

â€Å"There is a huge missed opportunity for health care professionals to contribute to hand hygiene as they miss 1 in 2 of all hand cleaning opportunities. † –WHO, 2006 â€Å"What kills women with childbed fever is you doctors who carry deadly microbes from sick women to healthy ones! †Ã¢â‚¬â€Louis Pasteur, 1870 1 . 1. Background of the Study 1. 1. 1. Nosocomial infection burden Nosocomial infections or healthcare acquired infections can truly be a grave toll for hospital management as much as it is for end-beneficiaries, customers, and stakeholders.Mortality reaches 80,000 annually ; 3 patients die per minute ; 10-20% % incidence globally, and figures are expectedly higher in Third World settings. This is not to mention the corollary problem of emerging microorganisms resistant to overuse of prophylactic and anticipatory shotgun antibiotic therapy as empirical solution. The damage wrought is paramount, reaching a cost of one billion pounds per year in Europe a lone, resulting from these. 1 excluding priceless, needless mortalities and morbidities 1 1. 1. 2.Role of Hand Hygiene Institute of Medicine has identified nosocomial Infection to be the most common complication for hospital patients and hands are the most common mode of transmission. In 1991, Harvard Practice Study on adverse events in health care indicated that surgical site infections were the second most frequent type of adverse event for inpatients, constituting 13%. One study established an excess mortality caused by NI to as high as 44% in ICU patients. 2 In a local study at Makati Medical Center by Tupasi & Littaua, mortality rate was reported to be all NI cases documented 4. 6 % of n the intensive care unit , and authors conclude that risk factors included invasive and manipulative procedures. â€Å"Majority of deaths from NI were associated with the use of respiratory equipment and Foley catheters which were potentially preventable by strict adherence to aseptic technique s†. 3 1. 1. 3 Reality of Poor Compliance Despite it being a seemingly simple practice, and despite the acknowledged fact that proper hand hygiene is considered the most critical, the most cost-effective measure of adequate infection program, compliance behavior management has been a protracted managerial headache globally.Indeed in our age of ever increasing sophistication, those seemingly simple practices but with grave implications ironically are difficult to address. While the techniques involved in hand hygiene are simple, the complex interdependence of factors that determine hand hygiene behavior makes the study and management of hand hygiene complex. 2 1. 1. 4. Hand Hygiene Compliance : A Managerial Challenge It is now recognized that improving compliance with hand hygiene recommendations depends on altering human behavior and managing the environment.Input from behavioral and social sciences is essential when designing studies to investigate compliance. Interventions to increase compliance with hand hygiene practices must be appropriate for different cultural and social need4 Speaking for all levels of health care workers , probably the major reason this seemingly simple problem is always taken for granted is the reality that the impact of something not so visible daily to the naked eye will always be swept under the rug amidst more outright demands concerns in patient care.The rest of the justifications like forgetfulness, lack of time, inconvenience, complications, etc. are simply alibis. Given this, the greater burden falls on health care managers to do something so that compliance can be improved, and for health sector in general to come up with more evidence-based materials to convince HCW as well as policy-makers and managers about its importance. 1. 1. 5 Nosocomial Infection & Patient Safety Nosocomial infection control is a large part of patient safety, whose importance is currently being highlighted in the light of increasing adverse even ts which are at most preventable.Prior to this study, the researcher delved into assessing the patient safety culture profile of QMMC, as a general backgrounder, and as part of re-packaging a new approach to an old problem. 3 1. 2. Statement of the Problem Understanding the patient safety culture profile of Quirino Memorial Medical Center gives us the over-all conceptual perspective to the problem at hand. The researcher finds it convenient to discuss it in terms of the Donabedian theme. 1. 2. 1. The Macroenvironment’s Patient Safety Profile 1. 2. 1. 1.The QMMC Patient Safety Structure In alignment with the recent health care thrust, QMMC has revised in 2008 its mission to being â€Å" a tertiary hospital providing a safe, accessible, affordable quality specialized healthcare that is dynamically responsive to the needs of its patients. † Its unwavering commitment is towards delivering health care to all its clients regardless of socio-economic status and to continuousl y upgrade the services offered in terms of technical expertise, support service, equipment and infrastructure. Patient safety is first and foremost in its goals.Its core values include cleanliness in all aspects including the physical environ, and Its fourth priority is â€Å" to develop and sustain a hospital environment that embraces and practices a culture of safety†. The 7 core values it internalizes include the 7Cs: clean physically, mentally, spiritually, Christ-centered, compassionate, competent, culture-friendly, community-oriented, communicative. At this time, the plus factor is having a medical director who is passionate about the cause, much involved in regular meetings with Department of Health advocates on the matter. â€Å"In QMMC, Dr.Rosalinda Arandia is seen as a charismatic figure in the improvement of health and medical 4 services offered by the hospital and in making recommendations on and implementing the hospital’s quality improvement program. â⠂¬  5 QMMC is a 350-bed national government hospital that stands in a 42,000-sqm lot between Katipunan Avenue and JP Rizal St, Project 4 Quezon City, Metro Manila. It has in recent years undergone a major upgrading and expansion of its buildings and facilities. Compared to the old infrastructure, the new building and facilities, provide a more sophisticated ambience.Better equipment and architectural upgrading seem to inspire and motivate employees, and the architectural design seems to promote greater staff interaction and communication. Its occupancy rate is 120%. . QMMC is a corporatized government hospital, still waiting for complete privatization. When faced with budgetary constraints and too bureaucratic processes they generate their own resources through private solicitations, the biggest of which are donations and affiliation fees from training institutions.As to equipment & supplies due to its being a government hospital, only about 60% of its equipment and supplies are pr ovided for and is functioning at any given time. Maintenance and regular checks are being done and complied with as required. It has a total of 564 employees, 35% of whom are contractual. Among the permanent about half have worked for more than 10 years. Among the 549 employees, 159 are doctors (consultants, residents, interns) , 180 are nurses and 225 are administrative personnel. This number does not include those who are fielded from affiliate institutions for training, such as clinical clerks and allied 5 rofessions (nursing, pulmonary therapy, radiologic therapy, medical technology, dental, dietary, midwifery and caregiving). For the consultants and doctors, ratio to patient load is quite acceptable.There are 69 resident physicians and 55 interns. In the wards, roughly the ratio is 1:5 per day; however in the out-patient department, the staff ratio is much higher 1:25 . In the intensive care unit, ratio can be improved to as good as 1:2 depending on the number of rotators from affiliate hospitals , for all professional groups. Attitudes of staff are an important aspects of culture. In QMMC, initial preliminary interviews ith staff revealed that there is some awareness of the concept of patient safety, in all levels of care and even administrative strata. Incident reporting is very minimal such as it is generally perceived that underreporting is rampant. 1. 2. 1. 2 The QMMC Patient Safety Process Profile Teamwork in respective clinical areas is perceived to be good by key administrators, although with the high rate of staff turnover due to training hospital affiliations, this is affected more often than not in a negative fashion. In terms of feedback and communication, there is no systematic evaluation of staff performance .QMMC has been active in the Patient Safety Task Force of the Department of Health. Underway are devising standardized hospital forms, such as interdepartmental referral forms to enhance communication and lower risks of errors being comm itted in patient care. 6 In lieu of risk reduction, hand hygiene educational program has been recently revived by the Infectious Disease Team headed by Dr. James Tiu. Educational trainings as well as policy reinforcement are being conducted as the need arises among nursing staff. 1. 2. 1. 3. The QMMC Patient Safety Outcome ProfileAt the time of study, there were no baseline data available as indicators such as compliance rates, nosocomial infection rates, or patient satisfaction surveys. There are no performance indicators that can be used as feedbacks to improve standards of care. This is a work in progress and hopefull this study becomes a tiny contribution. 1. 2. 2. QMMC’s UncontrolledNosocomial Infection Problem Analyzing the above profile of QMMC, and amidst the track record of physical and service upgrading efforts, the main problem of the hospital regarding patient safety is still nosocomial infection control.Evidences of uncontrolled nosocomial infection are certain o ccurrences pointing to infection control problems in QMMC in the past 12 months have caused alarm, as follows: (a) Post-surgical wound dehiscence Anecdotal incidents of nosocomial infection getting out of control have been almost part of everyday work in a public hospital like QMMC. However, a situation that occurred last AugustOctober 2008 was particularly notable, wherein dehiscence occurred in a succession of ten postsurgical patients in two wards including the surgical ICU, during Day 5 to Day 11 of their hospital stay.Culture studies revealed the usual notorious nosocomial Proteus microorganisms, E. coli, and 7 Staphylococcus areus , responsive to very expensive intravenous third generation cephalosporins and aminoglycosides, with or without re-suturing of the wounds (Appendix 1) . 6 Aside from the cost of these medications, the prolonged hospital stay with all its accompanying indirect costs to both patient and hospital were staggering. (b) Perennially high incidence of ICU pn eumonias and urinary tract infectionsBased on the latest QMMC Morbidity and Mortality Audit 2008, 7 among ICU patients hooked to ventilators for protracted duration, nosocomial pneumonias are still the leading cause of death. 1. 2. 3. Need for upgrading quality of hand hygiene practice During one root cause analysis done by the management, the Infectious Disease Committee, and the department concerned with the last year’s outbreak of dehiscence, the senior management surmised that the root problem or one of the root problems could be failure for proper andwashing among health staff. The intervention consisted of culture and sensitivity tests followed by proper antibiotic coverage. Policy on handwashing was also tightened up in terms of posting reminders on doors and walls and subsequent refresher educational modules by the Infectious Disease Head were conducted among nursing staff. However, no actual monitoring or evaluation of hand hygiene practices were done .Despite educat ional training interventions, and despite the presence institutional policies posted on walls and doors, compliance to the practice among QMMC hospital staff has persisted to be unsatisfactory. 8 1. 3. Objectives of the Study GENERAL OBJECTIVE This study aimed to demonstrate the impact of a hand hygiene intervention package to QMMC MICU and SICU, using comparison of intervention.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES In more detail, this study aimed to : (a) Characterize the current hand hygiene practices in QMMC ICU according to its using structure-process-outcome dimensions; (b) Craft and implement an intervention package addressing manipulable areas of the structure issues identified in the structure-process-outcome dimensions of hand hygiene practices; (c) Measure hand hygiene structure-process-outcome variables as a function of healthcare worker factors and work area factors , pre- and post-intervention, as a way to evaluate impact of above intervention. d) Formulate recommendations to the QMMC m anagement and its stakeholders based on the findings and lessons learned. structure-process-outcome variables pre- and post- 9 1. 4. Significance of the Study The study is valuable in the following general areas of health concern: (a) Infection Control. The study’s advocacy counts very significantly in terms of contributing towards decreasing the grave toll on preventable morbidity and mortality burden on patients and their families.As we see more systematically the outcome of our efforts towards hand hygiene as it impacts infection control, we learn to rely less on antibiotic use which also lead to emergence of resistant microorganisms that are and will be potentially harder to control eventually. This study will then be part of fulfilling what WHO advocates to be done , i. e. â€Å"for better monitoring of outcomes for hand hygiene studies, reduction of infection rates must be demonstrated, high complexity to evaluate, but high priority requirement. 8 (b) Preventive thrust . Hospitals’ mission is supposedly preventive as much as curative. However, review of literature shows that hospitals, even in the First World settings, tend to so conveniently rely on antibiotic use both prophylactically and empirically in managing and controlling nosocomial infections. Hospital care need not be a double-edged sword nor do we need to stop mitigating phenomena which are in our hands to control, if only we heed the evidence-based principles put forth.Prevention remains to be the better direction that health care must devote its resources on. (c) Cost savings. According to WHO, â€Å"direct costs of intervention and indirect costs associated with hand hygiene time & its promotion corresponds to less than 1% of costs of managing nosocomial infection. Studies on the costs of nosocomial infection caused its toll in terms of protracted hospital stay, expensive drug and antibiotic acquisition in addition to intensive care 10 nit stay, hematological, biochemical, mi crobiological and radiological tests, extra surgical procedures and working hours. (d) Healthcare management learning. WHO asserts that â€Å"measurement of the compliance of health care workers to hand hygiene measures is a recommended performance indicator of the quality of care†. (e) Compliance behavior management has been a protracted universal problem, as lack of interventional studies to convince policy makers, esp. local, both government and private, predispose health care systems prevalent to sustain awareness and implementation.With the lack of attention given to the problem’s facets and determinants, this study can be a humble contribution. Relevance of this study to the institution and its various stakeholders include the following: (a) Study institution. Often, organizations take action based on some comparison of their measures to a set of benchmark measures. Armed with specific incidents about the organization's culture, effective action plans flow logica lly and integrate into existing change processes.QMMC can better select programs and tailor-fit strategies that will be most beneficial to upgrade the attitudes and mindset of the employees, to design the working environment, and to align with its vision-mission pursuit of quality and safety , and better service to patients. It will be helped to see patient and hospital outcomes in a better light. It will eventually have a baseline which will be useful for tracking impact of certain interventions for a sense of comparison. As it uses internationally known research methods, it will provide 1 internal as well as external benchmarking, especially with national government hospitals, both international and local. (b) Leadership. Since QMMC under the present leadership is into the process of advocating patient safety as a goal, this study will help them examine alignments of their policies and systems with their vision-mission statements , goals and core values. Later on when like in inte rnational settings and patient safety will be a government regulatory requirement, this hospital can provide benchmarking. (c) Hospital staff.This study provides the staff the much-needed feedback about themselves, the colleagues they work with, and the patients they serve. Feedback is the first step to change. Studies such as this are advantageous in themselves in that it just the simple process of assessment baseline will in itself raise awareness of not only patient safety, specifically, infection control, but of the need for structure (staff attitudes) as well as process variables (teamwork, communication) relevant to safety and other hospital performance.Moreover, they themselves can be target victims of nosocomial infection, so that studies like this could help boost their safety as well. (d) Affiliate training healthcare institutions. The importance of good hand hygiene practice and its observance will be highlighted among the trainees from more than 20 various health care sc hools, a value that they will most likely carry back to their respected institutions .This is rather crucial and innovative as patient safety, specifically preventive practices to 12 nosocomial control such as hand hygiene are not yet that well-emphasized in the traditional medical and para-medical curricula. (e) Hospital management trainees. The results of this study can be a benchmarking study to compare, study and upgrade other hospitals, both local and international. The study becomes a venue to validate some of the tools that will be used for the first time locally.Results of the study can be utilized by trainees for future research on patient safety and infection control and behavior modification techniques. (f) Healthcare community. This study will help control NI, emergence of resistant organisms for similar government hospitals. It provides significant research for Department of Health which is specific on approaching infection control through Total Quality Management asses sment and strategies under their recent thrust on patient safety and quality assurance.Since QMMC could very well be a good prototype of the other government hospitals , the results of this study can largely be of help in implementing the various enabling mechanisms stated in the Philhealth Benchbook. 9 (g) Patients. Above all, since awareness, education , and practice towards patient safety, specifically infection control will be highlighted in this study, the end beneficiary would ultimately be the patients and their families and guests whom this institution is servicing, no matter how indirect and long-term this impact would be. 3 1. 5 . Scope and Limitations of the Study †¢ Being a primarily TQM research project, this study does not attempt to establish cause-and-effect relationship between hand hygiene and nosocomial infection . †¢ This study does not include cost estimates and budgetary implications of intervention if eventually adopted by study institution. †¢ Relative merits of the specific parts of the intervention is beyond the scope of the design.†¢ Time and budget constraints were real such that research design were limited in various ways and means. . 6. Definition of Terms and Acronyms TERMS: For purposes of clarity and reference in the discussions all throughout this study, the following definitions and acronyms would be used and referred to: Hand hygiene (HH)- refers to one of the areas in infection control that deals with systems of diminishing pathogenic microbe transmission through evidence-based philosophy and set of practices regarding the hands in relation to direct patient handling during the process of care. 0 14 Hand hygiene practice/practices (HHP) – refer/s to any form of action referable to disinfecting the hands prior to and after patient handling, in the most basic terms defined as â€Å"washing hands with soap/water or (rubbing with) disinfectant, for at least 15 seconds before and after patient contac t, after any contact with a source of microorganism, and after removing gloves†. ( Healthcare Infection Control Practice Advisory ).Hand hygiene event (HHE) – defined as the event involving any of the HH practices (washing, rubbing with disinfectant, donning with gloves) done before or after patient contact; (if both done before and after, they are considered independent events ; if both washing and donning with /removing gloves are done during one instance, it was counted as one event; this regardless of the correctness or adherence to other details as presently prescribed by currently available universal guidelines. 1 Hand hygiene opportunity (HH0) – defined as any event with a high-risk of microbial transmission, executed before and/or immediately after patient contact, regardless of whether gloves. They included all contact with body fluids, or involving manipulative contact with anything in the patient’s body or immediate environment .Over-all hand hy giene compliance – includes all hand hygiene-related behavior in accordance with current institutional , (in this study, QMMC’s ) policy â€Å" to wash hands before and after patient contact† regardless of its alignment with the most currently recommended international standards based on indication, technique, cleansing agent and duration ; this by strict classification based in literature definition, falls under â€Å"incomplete compliance†. 12 15Complete compliance- refers to all hand hygiene-related practices aligned with the most-updated, most current evidence-based globally recommended guidelines, as required by WHO guidelines 2006 (with QMMC, being a government hospital). Hand hygiene structure-refers to staff factors and work area factors. Staff factors include inherent demographic characteristics, such as professional group, age, sex and duration of service. It also refers to more malleable factors such as staff attitude and training.Work area fac tors refer to existing policies or specific protocol, logistic infrastructure and supplies, staff volume, patient volume, hospital type, work settings, organizational structure, etc. Hand hygiene process- refers to practice as to how it is done in terms of indication for method, duration, temporal relation to patient contact, cleansing and technique, and how it abides to the currently recommended evidence-based a guideline or protocol .Hand hygiene outcome- refers to measurable events or indicators, for both patients, employees as well as organization; like overall healthcare worker compliance rates, as well as indirect outcomes of good hand hygiene proven in literature, such as nosocomial infection rates, transmission rates, colonization rates. ACRONYMS: For purposes of brevity of certain words and identities mentioned quite repeatedly all throughout the study, the following apply: 6 HCW- Healthcare worker; refers to any staff involved with direct handling of patients in a health f acility NI- nosocomial infection; also HAI (healthcare acquired infection); refers to infection developing after 48 hours after admission or confinement in a health care facility. ABHR- alcohol-based hand rub-refers to a hand rub disinfectant with any alcohol of any concentration as the basic ingredient.