Analysis McDonald’s Franchise in Viet Nam Essay

McDonalds’s is a business corporation system of fast food restaurants with approximately 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries to serve 43 million passengers a day under its own brand. The McDonalds’s restaurant concept was introduced in San Bernardino, California by Dick and Mac McDonald’s in May 15, 1940. It was modified and expanded by their business partner, Ray Kroc, of Oak Park, Illinois, who later bought out the business interests of the McDonald’s brothers in the concept and went on to found McDonalds’s Corporation in April, 15, 1955. I.2. Mission and Vision Mission McDonalds’s brand mission is to â€Å"be our customers’ favorite place and way to eat.† Our worldwide operations have been aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win centering on the five basics of an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price. We are committed to improving our operations and enhancing our customers’ experience. Vision â€Å"McDonalds’s vision is to be the world’s best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile.† I.3. Business objective The business objective of McDonald’s, which is a fast food restaurant, is to be the world’s best quick service restaurant experience. They also aim at being the best establishment by providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness and value. II. SWOT Analysis II.1. Strengths Strong brand name, image and reputation: McDonalds’s is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 34,000 local restaurants serving nearly 69 million people in 118 countries each day. The McDonalds’s image is easy recognized everywhere. This brand is in top ten of the most powerful brand name in the world. Large market share: McDonald’ss is considered as the largest player in size and global reach. When Wendy’s or Burgers King are losing market share in 2006, McDonald’ss still increases its market share. Market share of McDonald’ss in the recent time is about 19% while Yum! Brands is 9% and both Wendy’s and Burger King is 2% Specialized training for managers: McDonald’ss is very serious on training managers. This company has its own program to train managers the most professionally, which is called Hamburger University. As a result, McDonald’ss has many good managers who can help company development well. Locally adapted food menus: The fast food chain is operating in many diverse cultures where tastes in food are extremely different than those of US or European consumers. Thus ability to adapt to local tastes is one of McDonald’s’s strengths. Partnership with  best brands: McDonalds’s offers only most popular brands in its restaurants, such as: Coca Cola, Dannon Yogurt, Heinz ketchup and others. Technology Innovative: McDonald’s’s is keeping at the forefront of technology around the globe II.2. Weaknesses Unhealthy food: As we know, there are foods in menu of McDonald’s largely formed of unhealthy meals and drinks. Nowadays, people have trend to be take care them health, they tend to be use healthy food. High employee turnover: Although McDonald’s has many good managers as well as skillful employees, the turnover rate is still high. Every year many of their employees are fired out of the restaurants. Moreover, many others quit their jobs, especially part time employees because of low salary as well as too high working pressure. Problem related to health issue: McDonald’s use Trans – fat and beef oil in their food. Although it is not illegal, it affects badly on customer’s health because Trans – fat is causes of some kind of cancer. Consequently, a number of customers who care about their health stop eating at McDonald’s restaurants. It makes revenue of company decrease. Price quiet high: Compare with other traditional fast food in Viet Nam, the McDonald’s product’s price quiet high, it’s not suitable with almost personal’s income in Viet Nam. II.3. Opportunity Growth of the fast food industry: Fast food market in Viet Nam is a potential market. Demand of people is in big cities are increase. In recent years, growth rate of fast food market continue to increase. Diverse tastes and needs of customers: Customer’s tastes now become more diverse. As a result, they require new format of service in order to satisfy them. Changing customer habits and new customer groups: Nowadays, Vietnamese are more adapt with tastes of West. Almost people are trending use fast food by conveniently, especially majority young people in Viet Nam. II.4. Threats High competitive with other brand: McDonald’s will be high competitive with other big brand stay in Viet Nam in long time such as; KFC, Lotteria, Jollibee, Pizza Hurt, Buger King, etc. Differences culture: Differences culture also a threat with McDonald’s when come to Viet Nam. Trend towards healthy eating: Due to government and various organizations attempts to fight obesity, people are becoming more conscious of eating healthy food rather than what McDonalds’s has to offer in its menu. III. Advantage and disadvantage of MacDonald franchise III.1. Advantage First of all, fast food has become part of daily life of young people, because of the speed of urbanization increase rapidly, consumer demand enhances, qualities of life are also stability, and it ensures that piece of fast food market constantly enlarged. Surveyed fast-food industry made ​​by Nielsen Vietnam in 2010 shows that 86% of consumer this product under the ages of 20-35. So as a latecomer, McDonalds’s will also benefit from the achievement that KFC has efforts to build fast food habits for the Vietnamese. McDonalds’s will not meet too many difficulties to complete a supply chain standards system for their restaurant in Vietnam, because the domestic producers now have plenty of experience coordinating with system fast food before. In additions, Food Culture of McDonalds’s has existed in 118 countries around the world so convincing taste of Vietnam is probably not too difficult problem for this giant. About Place, the latecomer these positions favorable are occupied, but beautiful place to McDonalds’s developing restaurant will not too scare if they active spending. Besides that, infrastructure in Viet Nam are developing, system buildings, supermarkets and modern commercial centers are rising steadily, and trend urbanization has created more beautiful space for fast food chain in Vietnam. GDP per capita is currently at 1,500 USD / year is low compared with the other area, but look at GDP per capita in two biggest cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City higher than the national average pretty much (2012, Ha Noi at around $2,200 /person is Ho Chi Minh City is $3,600 / person). This income is sufficient to will sufficient to consumer willing spend from 4 – 6 dollars for a meal. Certainly two locations will be first place McDonalds’s open restaurant. Although McDonald’s is a latecomer but not likely other fast food brand, McDonald’s has special advantage of their own. That is the advantage of who hold the number one position fast food in the world. III.2. Disadvantage Besides there are advantages, McDonald’s have disadvantage when come to Viet Nam, they will fail if they do not understand Vietnam. First off all, the difference culture, culture of Vietnamese cuisine is rich and varied, taste of East difference taste of West. Thus, McDonald’s should consider this problem when offer food on menu. In addition, strengths of McDonald’s in the U.S. market are breakfast (accounting for one quarter of total revenue) is not applicable in Vietnam. Because the habit of Vietnamese considered breakfast is snacks. McDonald’s will be face fierce competition with other brand such as KFC, Lotteria, Jollibee, and these competitors has existent more than 15 years and has significant market share of the fast food market. One thing important franchisee of McDonald’s in Viet Nam will face that is place rental costs are very expensive. One the other hand, there are conveniently local are occupied by other brand. Thus, franchisee in Viet Nam will effort find out local put McDonald’s restaurant. The problem about price also an obstacle with McDonald’s, compare with other country Viet Nam’s GDP per capita is still low. Thus, fats food brands are still being compete on price. Thus McDonald’s should consider this problem if they want to competitive with other brands. IV. Investment decision Consider all aspects of McDonald’s franchise in Viet Nam, I see that although a latecomer they have some difficult and challenge but fast food market is still potential. McDonald’s has competitive advantages compare with other brands, especially with the position of World No. 1, McDonald’s already challenge with any competitors on fast food market in Viet Nam. If I have a chance I will investment franchise McDonald’s brand in Viet Nam. V. Summary Viet Nam is the next destination when McDonald’s has officially announced they will open their first store in Viet Nam at beginning 2014 year. This is good news because when fast food tycoon comes to Viet Nam, fast food market will compete more fierce and meanwhile the biggest beneficiaries none other than will be the consumer. Because of the presence of McDonald’s will make all other fast food chain must work harder if they do not want to be ‘swallowed’ market share. VI. References list Jerome Katz / Richard Green, Entrepreneurial Small Business – 4th Edition,Graw-Hill International Edition. Essentials of Services Marketing – 2nd Edition, Vochen Wirtz, Patricia Chew, Christopher Lovelock. Principle of marketing – fourteenth edition- Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company.html http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history.html http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/mcdonalds-swot-analysis.html http://www.dna.com.vn/vi/tinh-huong-thuong-hieu/s/mcdonalds-se-that-bai-neu-khong-hieu-viet-nam/

Business Regulations

Business Entities, Laws, and Regulations Paper Dorian Rowe BUS/415 Shaun Koenig November 14, 2011 Businesses in every industry have to deal with entities, laws, and regulations. Management teams have to take into account items such as consideration of control, taxation, and liability issues among others. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the restaurant/bar, professional practice, and construction scenarios. For each scenario the business entity that represents the best choice for each business, ownership structure, taxation, and liability issues for consideration. Identification of laws and regulations each business must consider in starting the business, and identification of risks against which each business must protect itself will also be examined for each scenario. Scenario 1 Cynthia and Mark plan to open a sports bar and restaurant where customers socialize and watch sporting events on large-screen TVs that hang around the bar. They do not have much money, but they do have Sandra, a wealthy investor who does not have time to participate in the business, but wants to provide capital to start the business in return for a percentage ownership (University of Phoenix, 2010). The business entity that represents the best choice for this business is a general partnership that two or more people can form. Taking control would consist with the three co-owners to make a partnership agreement in which each partner has equal rights in which to participate in the managing and controlling of the business. A majority rules over disagreements within the partnership situation and amendments to the agreement would require consent from all three owners. Each individual is responsible for his or her tax forms. Liability issues that should be taken into consideration include the unlimited personal liability for company loses, for a partner’s debts, for a partner’s transgressions. Laws and regulations the business must consider in starting the business deal with duration that technically a general partnership terminates with withdrawal of a co-owner, death or disability and sharing profits. Scenario 2 Renaldo and Naomi have just completed all educational and experiential requirements to be licensed as obstetricians. They want to open a birth clinic together. They will take out a large loan to finance start-up costs (University of Phoenix, 2010). Renaldo and Naomi are newly license as obstetricians and want to open a birth clinic together. Both will need to take out a huge loan to finance their start-up amounts. Renaldo and Naomi would be best to create a limited liability partnership (LLP) to organize their business. By forming the LLP, the partners protect themselves from liability beyond their initial capital contribution should the partnership fail or face a lawsuit. Members of an LLP are also not personally liable for the malpractice of one partner and states require LLP to carry substantial liability insurance in exchange for this limited liability. The limited liability protects Renaldo and Naomi from taking personal responsibility for the loan they will take out should the business become insolvent (Cheeseman, 2010). Forming an LLP ensures that Renaldo and Naomi retain control of their business because they are the only shareholders. For tax purposes, an LLP is not taxed as a separate entity so Akiva Renaldo and Naomi will only pay tax for the business profits on their individual tax returns. To form their LLP, Renaldo and Naomi will need to write and file articles of partnership in the state in which they wish to operate. If they choose to conduct business in another state, they will first need to register as a foreign LLP with that state. Organizing their business as a limited liability partnership offers Renaldo and Naomi the best combination of liability protection, tax benefits, and control of their business (Cheeseman, 2010). Scenario 3 Mei-Lin is the hiring manager for Surebuild, Inc. , a new construction company. She has advertised a position as a jackhammer operator. The position’s description states that the successful applicant must have a high school diploma. The following people apply for the position: Donna, 35, who appears to be pregnant, is a high school graduate, and was formerly employed as a jackhammer operator; Duane, 55, who is experienced with a jackhammer, but has no high school diploma; Rick, who is 38, does not speak English, has no high school diploma, but is experienced with a jackhammer; and Jennifer, 23, a college graduate, who is epileptic and has no experience with a jackhammer (University of Phoenix, 2010). Duane and Rick automatically do not qualify because they do not have a high school diploma that is a specified requirement in the job description. Donna and Jennifer do because they each have a diploma and from there the employee with the most experience should be hired. As an epileptic the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects Jennifer, but because Donna has experience and Jennifer does not Donna is more qualified. Although Donna is pregnant the employment law and regulation with which the business must comply in making a decision would be the amended 1964 Pregnancy Discrimination Act from the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act covers employers with more than 15 employees including local and state government governments, employment agencies, labor organizations. The basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII, and to the federal government. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act says that an employer simply cannot refuse to hire a woman who is pregnant because of pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions or because of the bias of fellow coworkers or customers. In this scenario Donna is fully qualified for the job because of her high school diploma and her previous experience as a jackhammer operator, therefore; pregnancy cannot be the reason she is not hired. Each business decision is unique and requires research to determine what solution is correct for the business. Every organization must consider the different types of business entities, laws, and regulations before and during operating. Laws and regulations provide the framework to compliance of local, state, and federal business laws. Stakeholder understanding and knowledge of these laws is essential to compliance. Documented training and retraining of management and employees should ensure compliance. References Cheeseman, H. R. (2010). The legal environment of business and online commerce (6th ed. ). Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC. aspx? assetdataid=fb9bdcea-ca02-48cc-b883-c1cf12695559&assetmetaid=61859383-2c36-48f5-8ac2-4a24e5c61e14 University of Phoenix. (2010). Syllabus. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, BUS 415 website

Princess Stories and Marriage: The Effect on Young Minds Essay

It is no secret that in modern day America more than half of marriages end in divorce, yet many still fantasize their fairytale weddings and happy endings knowing that the chances of staying together for the rest of their lives are slim. These early concepts of happy endings develop in the minds of young girls during the period of time when gender roles start to be enforced. They are not only introduced to parenting but in the media as well. In past princess movies and stories, men have always been the people in power. They are the kings and prince charming that are supposed to sweep every princess off their feet and provide them a comfy lifestyle in the castle with a happily ever after. The princesses, on the other hand, are always shy, quiet, demure, poised, and need some kind of saving. The resolution of these stories always ends in the prince marrying the princess or beautiful maiden, thus completing his conquest and receiving his â€Å"award.† Young girls, as they are more marketable towards these stories, have adopted these elements into their own romantic life giving them false expectations of real-life relationships. 1 in 4 women will be victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes. They are conditioned from a young age to want to have a perfect romance, but false expectations often lead them to be in relationships with the wrong people. Although these stories may seem harmless, they push an outdated agenda on to a society where most are trying to progress into an era where women are treated as equal individuals and as valued members in society, not just your average princess. In My Problem With Her Anger, by Eric Bartels, the husband and wife power dynamics in marriage is showcased in a different way than what is depicted in princess stories. Bartels starts off the piece. The wife, according to her husband, is condescending, never appreciates what he does, and fights with him constantly, which breaks the stereotypical traits of a princess and princely relationship. Charles Perrault’s Cinderella is one of the main princess fairy tales that will be showcased in my writing, as it includes many of the topics discussed, such as gender roles, power dynamics, which can be tied back to modern day domestic abuse. A question that may appear when researching a question like this may be, how exactly does the princess story influence children on certain topics. Today, we have tv, movies, books, and the internet. Children are getting more and more educated in the media as they are learning in school how to do so. They can easily access these stories through different outlets. Although I believe princess stories are harmless in intent. They carry old-fashioned values that children, mostly emulate during their play time. I too played princess as a child and have grown to know that’s not how life really is. In princess stories, The princess gets everything done for her, she has servants and she’s just there to wait around for the magical prince to come and make her life better. Many girls grow up thinking the same way until they’ve faced a hard reality, but if privileged enough are still able to think this way until the day they get married, and in marriage then realize itâ€℠¢s not what the princess stories had advertised. Women are told to â€Å"deal† with what their husband gives them in life. They’re supposed to take whatever comes at them, but still, manage to keep the image of a â€Å"good woman.† Someone who takes care of their husband, the children, someone who never seems sad, cooks, cleans, maintains a good body. These are unrealistic qualities that a woman should have to uphold. Princess stories further argue that. For example, we take Beauty and the Beast, a tale that is taken very lightly and is seen as a beautiful romance in the eyes of many, but in fact is in a way a promoter of abuse. The beast is manipulative and a horrible thing. It takes her father with no remorse. Belle deals with his temper and abusive and threatening behavior yet she still â€Å"falls in love† In real life, this would not work out. In this story, Belle believes she can change the monster from his abusive and threatening nature to someone prince-like and chivalrous, but in fact, you can’t really change someone that easily, but the movie says its possible. In real life, this would probably not cut it. Many girls go through their princess phase and wanting to have their prince, and it’s a little alarming to me how they already know what they want through just a story. To me, princess stories don’t promote diversity and keep up with the modern day which limits a child’s way of thought. Princess stories to this day have only been heterosexual relationships. We are changing as a society and love are possible in many different ways. If children aren’t taught to be more accepting of others, seeing only heterosexual relationships in media will make them close-minded and homophobic. I see this myself with my little sister. She’s never watched any gay princesses or princes, therefore the idea of that seems disgusting to her, even though I’ve never taught her to be that way.

Conclusion part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conclusion part - Essay Example the factors which have an impact on the overall consumer choices with special reference to online purchases. The rise of social media has further added to the choices of the purchasers and literature clearly suggest that reviews and word of mouth spread on the online media can further help consumers to gain more information. Three important constructs were tested in this research including understanding perceptions and purchase decisions of Thai consumers, barriers to online purchase and how they have an impact on the overall purchase decisions made as well as how the ad promotion can actually help to improve the overall perceptions of the consumers over the period of time. In order to complete this research, mixed research methods were used include collecting data through questionnaires and arranging a focus group. The quantitative data and methodology was used along with SPSS to analyze the data and calculate the descriptive statistics. A total sample of 320 respondents, with 45% males and 55% females, was taken and who responded to two-part questionnaire and results were analysed through SPS. Data was collected through fieldwork performed in the shopping malls where based upon the random sampling method, respondents were requested to participate in the research. Focus group technique is a theoretical valid technique in research in social sciences therefore focus groups were conducted to further probe into the overall consumer preferences and how they make decisions and collect information while making purchase decisions. This research was performed at one point in time and assessed the overall attitude of Thai Y generation consumers at a given point in time. This study was cross-sectional and was performed in a given period however; it has not taken into consideration as to how the preferences and choices of the consumers might change over the

International Business Research and Analysis Project Paper

International Business and Analysis Project - Research Paper Example This instrument was introduced in South Africa which further received the accreditation in the global context. Through the instrument or the container, people can transport five times of the water transportable through traditional means. A standard size of a barrel can hold 90 liters of water at a time. The product is often considered to be ideal for developing countries such as South Africa, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka among others where people need to transport water from one place to another to lead their regular life owing to the scarcity of clean water to satisfy the daily requirements. According to the report published by Consultancy African Intelligence, two out of five people in Africa lack accessibility to sufficient clean drinking water. Owing to the massive population of South Africa, the percentage of the citizens in the country lacking accessibility to clean drinking water accounts to almost the population of US and Russia. This can impose significant impact on the social threat of the nation causing poor health and dehydration within the society (George Brown College, â€Å"Watershed: The World House Guide to Designing Water’s Future†). Hence, with regards to the rapidly increasing significance of the Hippo Water Roller as an ideal water transporting device, the adaptation of water purifier inside the barrels shall further increase the contribution of the project towards social health. 2. Thesis Statement The discussion henceforth tends to address the requirement of adapting a water purifier in the Hippo Water Roller device concentrating on the business environment of South Africa. In this regard the report will take into account the economic, political, legal, bureaucratic, socio-cultural and managerial or labor climates of South Africa that can influence the adaptation of water purification filter amid the communities. The other evaluative aspects would include the size of the potential market for Hippo Water Roller in South Africa, persisting competition in the region, marketing and distribution opportunities, and the financial viability of the project. 3. Need For Water Purification In the current environmental context of South Africa, it has often been observed that most of the water from taps and wells are not adequately pure for drinking purposes due to environmental and industrial pollution. The bases of drinking water in South Africa are commonly available through wells, rivers, and lakes among others which have also become polluted owing to the increasing industrialization. Pollution in the water can be caused due to the existence of different minerals and chemicals which are mostly observed to be man-made. This further tends to cause severe diseases such as waterborne diseases (e.g. diarrhea), cancer, liver damage and other chronic illness which can even result as an epidemic. Hence, inaccessibility to drinkable water can emerge as a significant threat for the national health and therefore, impose rest riction to the overall development of the country

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Sociology - Essay Example In basic words, social class is based on economically determined relationship to the market (owner, employee etc.) Status is based on non-economical qualities like honor, prestige and religion. Party refers to factors having to do with affiliations in the political domain. All communities are arranged in a manner that goods, both tangible and intangible, are distributed. Such a distribution is always unequal and necessarily involves power, which is another key word in Weber's terminology. ''Classes, status groups and parties are phenomena of the distribution of power within a community'' (Weber 127). Status groups make up the social order, classes make up the economic order, and parties form the political order. Each order affects and is affected by the other. Power may rest on a variety of bases, and can be of differing types. Power is not the only basis of social honor, and social honor, or prestige, may be the basis of economic power. Class is defined in terms of market situation. ... ''If classes as such are not groups, class situations emerge only on the basis of social action.'' Unlike classes, status groups do have a quality of groups. They are determined by the distribution of social honor. A specific style of life is shared by a status group, and the group itself is defined by those with whom one has social intercourse. Economic elements can be a sort of honor; however, similar class position does not necessitate similar status groups (see old money's contempt for the nouveau riche). People from different economic classes may be members of the same status group, if they share the same specific style of life. The way in which social honor is distributed in the community is called the status order. Criteria for entry into a status group may take forms such as the sharing of kinship groups or certain levels of education. The most extreme of a status system with a high level of closure (that is, strong restriction of mobility between statuses) is a caste system. There, status distinctions are guaranteed not only by law and convention, but also by religious sanctions. Status groups can sometimes be equal to class, sometimes be broader, sometimes more restrictive, and sometimes bear no relation to class. In most cases, status situation is the apparent dimension of stratification: ''stratification by status goes hand in hand with a monopolization of ideal and material goods or opportunities'' (Weber 135). Class situation can take precedence over status situation, however. ''When the bases of the acquisition and distribution of goods are relatively stable, stratification by status is favored'' (Weber 135).

Solo Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Solo Project - Research Paper Example Diving into the market environment and making uninformed decisions may result in adverse effect on a business entity. In this regard, every marketing decision made should be based on some reliable information obtained from research exercises. Marketing is the most dynamic aspect of business characterized by rapid changes of operating forces in the field. In this case, research processes should be performed regularly to ensure acquisition of reliable and updated information. Just like any other research project, marketing research adopts the ideal scientific research procedures. These procedures include problem definition, formulation of hypotheses, and adoption of research methodology, data collection, data analysis and finally data interpretation. Conformity to all these steps ensures objectivity and reliability of the research results (Kolb, 2008). In this context, I am required to develop a practical plan on the appropriate steps of conducting a marketing research for setting wine price. Before developing a plan, we will evaluate the nature of the research project conducted by another party within the same pricing concept of marketing. This evaluative process entails appraising the research elements used in formulating the conclusion based on the research hypothesis (Kolb, 2008). The question of the research might be structured as follows; Does price level influences wine sales? Based on this question, a research will be conducted by formulating the appropriate hypotheses that provides some prepositions concerning the effect of price on the sales of wine. The null hypothesis that will be rejected in the research article states that the taste of wine determines its sales in the market. The actual hypothesis to be approved upon completion of the research states that the public perceives that higher priced wine are of higher quality than low priced wine. Based on the research article, the hypotheses contain two

Research paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Research paper - Assignment Example 5. Charles was a legendary famous American musician who was later referred to as â€Å"American original†, due to his combination of church music with American popular traditions with European Art music. He was among the early composers of experimental music systematic program. He is dubbed amongst America great composers and one of most prominent artists of his time. He also won various awards like Pulitzer Prize for his third symphony in 1947. 12. After graduating from Yale University, Ives worked as an insurance clerk. Alongside insurance work, he composed songs until retirement due to bad health. He later became a successful businessperson after starting his own insurance firm. 14. The first radical music work of 20th century-He composed two symphonies. â€Å"The Unanswered Question†- was written with unusual combination of four fruits, trumpet and string quartet. New England writers influenced it. The Concord Sonata- It was one of his remarkable pieces. He started to work on it in 1911 and completed in 1915. The piece was not published until 1920 and a revised version appeared in 1947. The piece contains one of Charles

Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Planning - Essay Example A careful analysis of an organizations Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) helps in assessing the performance of current strategies, developing new ones to overcome the weaknesses, integrate new decisions to avoid threats and strategic decisions made to avail the opportunities. Strategic planning is the process whereby, organizations put the strategies and ideas developed by strategic thinking into action. Strategic thinking supports strategic planning which result in strategic decision making of an organization. Strategic thinking is not merely an imaginative approach of thinking and analyzing situations which may arise as a result of a particular step, investment or change in the organization. Strategic thinking involves a goal oriented approach which is supported by critical analysis of the forces which surround the results of a particular decision and the ability to develop responses to those forces. Hence, strategic thinking is the first process of implementi ng strategic management concepts. Strategic planning is the process whereby, organizations struggle in order to integrate the strategies developed by strategic thinking. Strategic planning is the struggle to practically apply concepts and ideas developed through strategic thinking in the business and assess the predictable future of the changes or strategies introduced. In order to implement the planned strategies, strategic leadership provides a vision and direction to successfully achieve the aims of an organization. Strategic leaders are responsible to direct the workforce with appropriate instructions, guidance and directions to achieve the goals which are developed through strategic planning process. (3)Present the Mozilla/Firefox SWOT analysis clearly, using a bullet, list, or tabular format with categorical headings, providing a clear delineation of individual items. Strengths: Open-source community Faster in opening web pages Ability to resist hackers and viruses High-tech w ith many new technologies embedded such as the tabbed browsing system, the download manager attachment, etc. Command over 15% market share for browsers Open nature for discussion within the organization. Weaknesses: Revenues are dependent on Google (contractual basis) Highly dependent on external volunteers/developers The high dependence on external volunteer/developers may not be useful or highly innovative and may waste time of the organsation to pursue such ideas. The company being a non-profit organization waits for voluntary investors, this may lead to untimely funding which may not be useful as the funds would not be available at times when the actual research/design is actually carried. Opportunities: Building a network of volunteers that would help in the provision of technical support through telephone, email, etc. Further innovation through technological advancement. Threats: High innovation requirements due to competition The company’s inability to cope with techno logical advancement at any point in time would lead other competitors to take over. Lack of confidentiality issues. The success of Internet Explorer 7 or any other web browser. (Freedman, 2007) (4) Indicate the implications of your analysis for planning and implementation, including recommendations that seem to follow your analysis. Strategic management requires a three part structure for thinking about strategy: Strategic position, strategic choices and finally implementation of those strategies

Politics and culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Politics and culture - Essay Example The comparison will be between ‘Five Faces of Oppression, by Iris Young and ‘The Creation of Patriarchy’ By Gerda Lerner. Iris Young’s article explains the five types of abuse that include; exploitation, violence marginalization, cultural imperialism, and powerlessness (Lerner, 1993).1 However, Gerda Lerner’s mainly explores the origin of women’s subsidiary roles to men in society. Learner’s article mainly focuses on the Neolithic period. During this period, women were exchanged between tribes for pragmatism purposes. However, for the purposes of this essay and argument, this paper will discuss and focus on the aspect and issues of cultural imperialism and exploitation as put forth by Gerda Young comparatively against Iris Young opinions. In the natural and conventional wisdom, it refers to the fact that section or part of the society would feel superior and domineering or overbearing over and above the others. This happens in the instances where a part of the world would feel that their lifestyle and the way in which they live is the best, and the cultures of other people are inferior. Thus, in the tail end, it follows that the people who feel that their culture or in principle their way of life is the superior start to impose on the others. In so doing, they would start to coerce and intimidate others whom they consider culturally inferior to change and embrace their lifestyle and method of lifestyle. The same also extends to the gender roles where the males domineer or pose an overbearing approach to the lives of women. This happens since the men in most cases seek to define and control what ought to constitute the gender performance and role of the women (Lerner, 2005).2 For instance the men may seek to define the roles or women relative to domestic and office duties. This is where the men may seek to dominate or use their conventional masculine ability to control and impose

Malaysian Airlines corporate strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Malaysian Airlines corporate strategy - Essay Example The paper tells that facing a tough economic environment, strong rivals and governmental interventions, Malaysian Airlines is facing a situation where it is fighting to remain operational. Low cost operators are developing different capabilities in their operations that are leading to a competitive advantage for them. Industry wide standards are evolving so rapidly that it is becoming difficult for airlines who have massive operational scale to adapt there processes to theses changes in a small period of time. In these times company has to thoroughly scrutinize its business processes to tighten up cost and in effect maintain those margins that allow it to remain competitive in the industry. However, there is a limit to this measure and therefore company has to explore other options. Malaysian Airline has been facing serious threats from the low cost competitors. The competitors are trying to capture the market share of Malaysian by using different low cost strategies. Low cost strate gies allow the organization to create a cost leadership and impose serious competitive challenges for other organizations. In this particular case study, the competitors of Malaysian airline are offering heavily discounted seats in core markets, this in turn allows them to influence demand and set new standards in the market. Apart from this, another competitive action taken by the low cost competitors is of E-ticketing, since it’s a onetime cost which allows the airline to avoid cuts or commissions of different parties, who were involved with booking tickets for example agencies, queues and staff. Another factor which has allowed the competitors to offer services at relatively low cost is the low cost airports. This has tremendously reduced their cost and is one of the reasons for them to offer such low fares. The competitors are able to attain and maintain zero accommodation cost for airline staff. This has become possible because the operations of these competitors are des igned in such a manner that they do not require their cockpit staff to spend a night at a hotel after the flight. The staff comes back home immediately on the next flight. Code sharing has also allowed them to keep their expenses low. Lastly, these competitors have implemented performance linked compensation i.e. these companies have tied their compensation with the performance of the airline employees, giving them an incentive to keep performing exceptionally. Impact of the Actions of Competitors on Malaysian Airline: The strategies and actions implemented by the low cost competitors have some serious impact on the Malaysian airline. The airline has been forced to offer better service standards. Obviously, this measure would require the airline to incur more cost. Low cost airline has set a new benchmark for operations; these latest operations require airlines to cut every ounce of unnecessary cost, thereby squeezing capital expenditure. Low cost competitors due to their smooth ope rations have set fares prices so low that it has caused big airlines with massive operation to explore ways to lower their fares. Due to their massive scale, such airliners are facing difficulty to offer competitive rates. Since low cost operators charge such a low cost on domestic flights, it has put pressure on airlines like Malaysian airline to increase the passenger load on domestic flight in order to keep domestic services operational. Low cost flight carriers are now moving towards countries and regions liken ASEAN, China and India, thereby attacking the most probable markets for big airlines like Malaysian Airlines. Probable Actions for Malaysian Airline: Malaysian Airline has to take several measures and steps in order to overcome the increasing competitive pressure by the low cost competitors. The company can take measures in order to facilitate the process of downscaling unproductive operations for example certain domestic or regional flights. Apart from this the company c an also follow the Airline BTP2 manual

English speech legalising marijuana for medical reasons Essay Example for Free

English speech legalising marijuana for medical reasons Essay Everyone has probably heard something about the marijuana argument, where the drug is being used to help with pain relief for cancer patients and in certain cases can assist in saving lives. If you haven’t heard, two thirds of the Australian population support legalising marijuana for medicinal purposes, others feel as though it shouldn’t be legalised because it has a negative effect on the user’s actions. If medical marijuana was any other drug it would be formally assessed by the medical profession, but as the public is so highly opinionated this has not occurred. We all know that alcohol is a toxic substance for the body and it’s legal but marijuana is a natural substance and it is not legal!! Marijuana oil has properties for helping with pain relief for a range of different conditions. Back in the 1950’s scientists produced research which showed that smoking marijuana reduced nausea and pain, making it highly effective in treating a range of conditions. Marijuana in its medicinal form is distributed as an oil which is used in food preparations. Take away the perception of the drug as people sitting around getting high on marijuana and think about it as an alternative medical pain relief. I do not support marijuana as a recreation drug however, I support marijuana for medicinal purposes. Everyone assumes that all forms of marijuana are detrimental to your health and wellbeing and many people are unaware of the drugs medicinal values. With this lack of understanding many people have a negative view towards medical marijuana. Everyone assumes marijuana to be bad and a gateway drug as it is highly publicied and many people are very unfamiliar with it. Marijuana is widely used in the manner quite similar to alcohol and is extremely toxic more addictive and harmful to the body; which can result in injuries and can lead to social violence. People die from alcohol overdose, alcohol poisoning and can end up with serious brain damage. Along with alcohol, marijuana has a significant effect on the community, which influences 30% of our population to neither believe, nor support the usage for medical marijuana. Medical marijuana studies have shown that marijuana is neuroprotective which means it works to protect brain cells from harm. As a legal drug doctors would need to prescribe medical marijuana to terminally ill people to reduce their pain, suffering and saving lives. Charotte Figi’s story demonstrates the benefits of medical marijuana. In 2006 Charlotte Figi suffered severely from untreatable epilepsy. By the time she was two her parents had tried all medications in the attempt to cure her epilepsy. Her seizures started off by lasting 30 minutes when she was only 3 months old, the more frequently they became the longer they lasted, some lasting two to four hours. Doctors kept telling Mr and Mrs Figi that she would grow out of it, but she didn’t grow out of it. Mrs Figi said that when charlotte got to the age of 2 it was obvious to her that she was slipping away. In 2000 Colorado voters approved a setup of medical marijuana registry program. The Figi’s daughter had been diagnosed with Dravet syndrome which is a rare form of intractable epilepsy therefore the seizures being uncontrollable. Charlotte lost the ability to walk, talk and eat and had 300 seizures a week. Charlotte’s heart had stopped a number of time and doctors even suggested they put her little body to rest in an induced coma. Her parents did not give up on her and by the time she was 5 her parents learned that the hospital could do nothing more. Charlotte was the youngest patient in the state to ever apply to the use of marijuana but it saved her life. Her seizures almost stopped instantly, Charlotte didn’t have seizures 3 to 4 times in the hour after she had taken the oil, and everyone thought it was a coincidence, they waited another hour and nothing. Charlotte is now takes marijuana oil twice a day in her food, she can now ride a bike, feed herself and talking more and more each day. The Figi’s would not have been able to give medical marijuana had Colorado not have had legalised medical marijuana. If you were in the position of this family wouldn’t you have done the same thing? We should support the legalising of marijuana for medicinal purposes not for recreation use for the reason that the drug is saving lives and helping people though severe pain. It has been proven to help the brain fight off harmful cells and reduces pain and suffering. If you had a child, brother or sister that was suffering from a terminal disease would you not want to have access to medicinal marijuana oil By not legalising the drug for medicinal purposes, more lives are at risk every day. Bibliography Drug Policy Alliance, (2015). How Did Marijuana Become Illegal in the First Place?. [online] Available at: http://www.drugpolicy.org/blog/how-did-marijuana-become-illegal-first-place [Accessed 24 Mar. 2015]. Drugwarrant.com, (2015). Drug WarRant. [online] Available at: http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2015]. Saundra Young, C. (2015). Marijuana stops childs severe seizures CNN.com. [online] CNN. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/07/health/charlotte-child-medical-marijuana/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2015]. Webmd.com, (2015). Medical Marijuana Treatment Uses and How It Works. [online] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/medical-marijuana-uses [Accessed 24 Mar. 2015]. Drug Policy Alliance, (2015). How Did Marijuana Become Illegal in the First Place?. [online] Available at: http://www.drugpolicy.org/blog/how-did-marijuana-become-illegal-first-place [Accessed 24 Mar. 2015].

Reviewing The Hobbies Of Home Cooking Media Essay

Reviewing The Hobbies Of Home Cooking Media Essay Cooking has always been a good hobby for people and part of relaxing and fun entertainment for some category of people. There is always something new to be learnt about cooking and its all about creativity and making a better taste of bland materials. It has been one of the humans interests since the beginning of their creation and has always been improved. Some people argue that cooking will be a thing of the past like many other humans past hobbies which have changed by the change of technology. Cooking at home will never be a thing of the past because many cultures continue their cooking traditions and it is more economical and healthier. Some people prefer eating outside because its easier and more convenient but cooking at home is becoming a hobby for most people. During history nations have created dishes that are special and delicious. Their decedents have learnt these dishes and got so attached to them. This is one big reason why cooking at home wont be a thing of the past. Its exactly like how do people always stick to their lands and they always go back to them no matter how long have they been away, they will always stick to their traditional food and their traditions of cooking at home no matter how much do they eat outside they will always go back to their roots and to the original way of cooking which is at home. For an example, its well known in the Arabic world that the Arabic men will never accept the idea of eating out side the house the whole time and not getting home made food at all. The reason behind this is because all Arabic mothers try to pamper their kids by cooking for them the food at home considering it as the healthiest way and the cleanest way of all. So they are used to a specific standard of food and they also feel like it is a way of care giving. Another example is the Japanese home cooking. In general, the Japanese nation is exceptionally healthy and lives much longer than any other civilization in the humankind. Why is this? Loads of people point it to the way they eat. They cook at home a lot. They use healthy delicious and very useful ingredients from the nature. They like to take advantage of everything god blessed mankind with. They will never give up on their on home cooking because they consider it a source of joy and a way of remaining healthy and a way of living longer. Some cultures look at cooking as an art and at cooks as artists. Once people declare that cooking is a fine art, they are just saying the truth. They dont come across cooking as an odd job, and they seem to see it as a mode of expressing peoples ingenuity. They appear to look at it as a method to state peoples originality. They look at the food they make, as their personal preparation and not only are they taking self-importance in their kitchens, they as well fall in love with the challenge it put forwards.( williamm,22 March 22, 2010) Each culture enjoys its way of cooking, its meals and food in general. For lots of people it is a joy and something they will never leave or stop. People will keep on cooking no matter what because human in their nature they get bored and thats a thing in all cultures. So we cant just eat outside the whole time or eat packed food or prepared food or frozen food. People will always want to eat something they know or to eat something they have cooked even if they are not great cooks but they long for that a lot. The quality of the food greatly affects peoples health. Many people prefer cooking at home because it makes them feel great and have lots of energy. There are few more reasons, why cooking at home has been so important for the health. It helps to have a strong immune system ,so people can stay in healthy weight and look slim and trim and physically fit .To avoid certain diseases known to be a related to diet and nutrition, particularly cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, we need safe and clean food. Eating a balance of healthy foods that contain carbohydrate, protein, and fat every day will help blood glucose stay in balance. It is also very important to have full knowledge over the quality of food and utensils. All ingredients, while people cooking, should be fresh and utensils should be the best quality. The World Health Organization predicts that depression will be the second highest cause of the global disease problem by 2020. It is clear, that eating fast food thereby increasing stress and tension and reducing joy and liveliness. It is a fact that eating vegetables, fruits and well cooked fish helps to prevent depression. What humans eat controls the levels of brain chemicals, which regulate behavior (Gutierrez, 2009). Cooking salads at home is very healthy. For instance, it is proven that eating just a few ounces of broccoli each day can reduce a humans risk of ulcers and stomach cancer, as well as eating cabbage, kale, mustard seed and rocket, amongst others. Research has also shows, that broccoli and other vegetables may not only prove to play important role in many cancers, it could be effective treatment as well (Adams, 2008). There are many healthy techniques to cook like stir -frying, boiling and steaming. Stir-frying, which is very common in Asia, means cutting food into small pieces, putting them in a pan with very little oil and cooking them very quickly at a very high heat. Because it is one of the fastest ways to cook, rich of vitamins, such as broccoli and carrots, contain more nutrients, as well as their texture and colour. Also stir-fry recipe requires only two to three tablespoons of oil. This small amount of oil can cook big chicken and any veggies. One of the most popular techniques is boiling. Boiling food involves no fat, so in a sense it is healthy. Therefore, the water that the food is boiled in is actually healthier and it can be used for other purposes, such as using it as stock or for making soup. This water is extremely nutrient rich. Boiling food is a safe way of ensuring that all disease-causing bacteria in the water or the food are destroyed. Boiling water for a few minutes kills most bacteria, amoeba and other microbial pathogens. It can help prevent illnesses such as cholera, dysentery and other diseases caused by micro-organisms. As for food, boiling makes it is easy to classify. Boiling food on a high flame changes the shape of the food being cooked, while boiling on a low flame helps retain the shape. Some people believe steaming is the best way to go. Steaming preserves the vitamins and minerals in foods. It is also healthy, because it is does not require any oils or fats. Steam can actually help melt some of the excess fats in foods, which end up in the water that was heated to make the steam. When people using this technique, it is also less danger of consuming carcinogens that are present in blackened foods. Eating outside is more expensive than eating inside. The cost of the items is different for the same quantity. The statement eating out saves much time and money cannot be convinced (Jeff D Gorman, n.d). And that makes logical sense; we pay more in fast food restaurants than cooking at home for the same things. People are looking at the quantity. Were spending the same amount of time in both at home and at restaurants. At home, we shop for the ingredients and prepare our food and afterwards we clean the dishes. At restaurants, we either wait for our table to get ready, wait for the food to arrive and afterwards we wait for the restaurant to bring out the check (MetaFilter Network Inc, 1999). In a short term perspective, it may seem that dining out can be cost-effective and convenient. But in a long term perspective, it doesnt matter whether its convenient or not, but itll be very cost-effective (Christian Science Monitor, 2010). Most of the people who cant afford pricey things prefer to eat at home because they know it is cheaper. They wont complain about being mentally tired as long as the saved the money in their wallets. For a restaurant to make profit they need to put all the costs for their expenditure in the meals. They include the rent, employees salaries, and the maintenance bills in the meals. And add a little more to get the profit out of it. Now if someone knew this, how can they explain that its cheaper to eat out when youre paying for things you can do yourself and for things that probably does not concern you, and also for the same amount of time? Buying five pieces of chicken breasts for ten dirhams at a grocery store like Spinneys is much cheaper than ord ering a combo meal of chicken and rice from a fast food outlet for fifteen dirhams. The combo meal will last only for that day while the five pieces for chicken breast will last for three meals if the person is willing to do so. Even if we eat the cheapest food available, such as Chinese takeout, we can feed up to five people with the same amount of money we would spend for the meal to feed ourselves. Even if shopping takes a lot of time comparing when eating at a restaurant, we arent earning or saving any money when we are saving time from shopping. The majority of articles and books and talk about managing your budget when it comes to eating out against eating in would claim that eating out would make your money stretch. Also eating at home would depend all on how you buy your ingredients. It depends on if you buy in a bulk, with coupons, or buying premium meat or standard. It makes logical sense that companies are still selling food ingredients in supermarkets and people are still cooking at home. Dining out is for those going out on a special occasion. One reason to eat outside instead of cooking in the house is because its more convenient and easier to get. specially for that category of people who are lazier and more busy and prefer to not spend their time for cooking and preparing its material as they believe its more time consuming .This category of people believes it is always more convenient to go and get whatever they want and save a lot of time by not cooking. In first sight it may seem that eating outside is more convenient but it is actually more complicated and stressful than it look likes. By considering time people spend standing in the food cues, waiting for their meal and finding an appropriate place to sit and serve their meal will all count part of the time they spend to have a meal outside. In addition, stress and aggressiveness that people may get out of communicating with other people are all part of hassle of eating outside. In conclusion, eating will never be a thing of past because its one of humans life necessities and its more beneficial for human to keep their habit alive as it will be more economical, healthy and cultural.

Culture Essay -- Sociology, Hofstede

Hofstede (1997) defined culture as the â€Å"collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others† (p. 6). He referred to mental programming in order to explain patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting. Cultural manifestation is identified as symbols, heroes, rituals, and values as a learned programming that is dependent on a social environment. Values represented the deepest manifestations of culture and are considered culture’s building blocks (Hofstede, 1980). One well-known paradigm Hofstede introduced is called cultural dimensions that include four independent cultural dimensions: power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance. After further research, he developed the fifth dimension known as long-term/short-term orientation (Hofstede, 2001). The following section will discuss five of the dimensions to identify the cultural differences between the United States, India, and Thailand. Power Distance The power distance index â€Å"is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect that power is distributed unequally† (Itim International, 2009). It is a fundamental structure endorsed by the societies’ followers and leaders in areas such as social status, wealth, and sources of power. A high power distance society embraces people with power. Powerful people are expected to have privileges, openly show their status and wealth, and are perceived to be good. On the other hand, a low power distance society embraces uniformity and minimizes inequalities. Those who hold more power in these societies attempt to look less powerful than they are (Albers-Miller & Gelb, 1996). Hofstede’... ...tinuous, ANOVA is the most appropriate method of analysis. Research Question The research question proposed there would be differences in levels of organizational dissent between India, Thailand, and the U.S. The ANOVA revealed significant differences in levels of dissent between the three groups. The means and standard deviations are displayed in Table 2. Overall, Americans are the most likely to express articulated dissent, with Thais being the less least likely: F(4, 1446) = 5.10, ï  ¨2 = .01, p Discussion The results revealed significant differences between Americans, Indians and Thais regarding the expression of dissent.

Analysis of Platos Allegory of the Cave Essay -- Papers Plato Allegor

Analysis of Plato's Allegory of the Cave Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" presents a vision of humans as slaves chained in front of a fire observing the shadows of things on the cave wall in front of them. The shadows are the only "reality" the slaves know. Plato argues that there is a basic flaw in how we humans mistake our limited perceptions as reality, truth and goodness. The allegory reveals how that flaw affects our education, our spirituality and our politics. The flaw that Plato speaks about is trusting as real, what one sees - believing absolutely that what one sees is true. In The Allegory of the Cave, the slaves in the caves know that the shadows, thrown on the wall by the fire behind them, are real. If they were to talk to the shadows echoes would make the shadows appear to talk back. To the slaves "the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images." (Jacobus 316). In the allegory, a slave is then brought out of the cave, in what Plato refers to as "he ascent of the soul into the intellectual world" (Jacobus 319). Once out of the cave the slave discovers that what he thought was real is not. He learns to comprehend all of these new images as real and true. Since he has been in the dark, both literally and metaphorically, the light blinds him. Representing knowledge, the light is too brilliant for him to see and comprhend. He must be re-educated. "First he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of the men and other objects? then the objects themselves" (Jacobus 317). He learns that the reflections are truer than shadows and the objects truer than reflections. He must deal with a new reality that does not exist within the cave. Plato says that these people who a... ...ary friend when we are younger. Our imaginary friend is very real to us, but as we get older or make the ascent to the world of knowledge, we reject our imaginary friends. We are faced with a different reality where we start to believe that what our eyes show us is the only truth. We forget to question things and don't realize that maybe there is yet another ascent, out of this bigger "cave" of the light. Human beings' knowledge of goodness, reality, and truth will always be limited by our fear of new ideas and new perspectives. As long as we are afraid of questioning, we will be willing to "put to death" anyone who ascends and returns to the cave with the truth. Work Cited Corinthians II, The New Jerusalem Bible. Henry Wansbrough, gen. ed. New York: Doubleday, 2005. Jacobus, Lee A. A World of Ideas. 7th Edition Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. 2006.

Controlling Computers With Neu :: essays research papers

In the classic science-fiction movie Forbidden Planet, space travelers from Earth land on a distant planet, where they encounter the remnants of a technologically advanced civilization. Even though they are not from this distant planet, the space travelers are able to communicate with one of the alien computers. They do this by connecting themselves to glowing head probes. By doing this the space traveler’s thoughts and feelings are directly conveyed to the alien computer over a neural link.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the science-fiction movie The Matrix, the world is run by machines that use humans as batteries so sustain themselves. A group of humans brake the grip of the machines and begin to wage a war on their metallic oppressors. These people are able to fight the machines with the help of computers. Each one of these people has a jack in the back of his or her head that is connected to a computer. By doing this, the people are able to turn their thoughts, such as dodging bullets and knowing Kung-Fu, into reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of people having their minds linked to computers has appeared throughout works of science-fiction. The way this idea works is very simple. A person thinks of a command and the computer immediately responds. â€Å"Thought recognition would be the ultimate computer interface, the machine acting as an extension of the human nervous system itself.†(Lusted, Hugh S. and Knapp, R. Benjamin Controlling Computers with Neural Signals Scientific American, October 1996) This technology would prove very useful for people with neuromuscular handicaps. The purpose of this paper is to show how controlling computers with neural signals will help make life easier for people with handicaps and how it will affect the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Computer technology has advanced considerably in the last forty years. Even with all these advances, constructing a versatile neural junction between a human brain and an electronic one remains a formidable challenge.(Lusted, Hugh S. and Knapp, R. Benjamin Controlling Computers with Neural Signals Scientific American, October 1996) Attempts to tie the nervous system to external electronic circuits are, however, well worth pursuing. The results may provide means for effortless communication with computers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The closest thing to computer thought recognition right now is voice recognition. Voice recognition software has been in development since the 1950’s. This software has been available and affordable for the past three or four years to the general public. The purpose of voice recognition software is to allow the user to dictate words into a microphone that are transformed into either text for word processing or commands for navigation, without the use of a keyboard.(Communication Technology for Disabled Persons. Erich E. Sutter in Handbook of Amyotrophic

Renewable energy development on U.S. tribal land Essay

The expansion in the world economy has led to increase in energy demand and created an energy crisis in the process (Johansson 1). Petroleum production dwindles every year with also cartels such as OPEC hiking the price of oil at their wish. Evans states that renewable energy has been the centerpiece of eco-energy planning. Yet all renewable energy sources are not created equal and some are far more sustainable in the long term than others. Nuclear energy which is also renewable has been costly and is faced with the hindrances such as the Non-nuclear Proliferation treaty. Laughton notes the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, safety and potential consequences of power plant failure has become a matter of public concern (3). Tidal hydroelectricity is another renewable energy which a country can turn to but has been expensive, since massive structures must be built in a difficult saltwater environment. Considering the economies of producing electricity and the inherent authority of indigenous tribes which are not delegated by congress, wind electricity remains the only option for renewable wind energy development on U. S. Tribal Lands. Economics of Wind Energy: Advantages of wind energy Wind energy is considered as simple, widely distributed, and also environmental friendly. However, Environmental Impacts of Wind-energy Projects notes that there have been issues of time crowding, space crowding, compounding effects, nibbling and thresholds which all touches on the environment (26). Wind energy is a cheap way of producing power large scale. Currently, on average, it costs about 5 cents per kilowatt-hour to produce wind energy. This is cheaper that all other forms of alternative energy (Mills, 2006). Wind energy has reduced the effect of greenhouse effect as it produces no pollution. This is because there are no fossil fuels are burnt to generate electricity from wind energy. Besides, wind energy is permanent type of energy. Therefore, its harness means there will be ten times of energy that is used readily available. Unlike the nuclear power plant, energy is readily available. With advent of new technologies, its extraction is becoming much more efficient. The wind is free, and we are able to cash in on this free source of energy (Mills, 2006). Wind energy can be generated even in the very remote locations, such as mountain communities and remote countryside. Wind turbines can be a range of different sizes in order to support varying population levels. Wind energy can also assist in diversifying the economies of rural communities by providing new sources of income, jobs for people who set up and maintain the turbines or manage wind farms, meteorologists and surveyors to structural engineers as well as operators. Statistics show that every megawatt of new wind capacity creates 15-19 jobs and about 60 person-years of employment. Besides, wind farms can be tourist attractions. Wind turbines take up less space than the average power station. Windmills only have to occupy a few square meters for the base; this allows the land around the turbine to be used for many purposes, for example agriculture.

The Situation of Filipino Children and Young People

Almost half of the population in the Philippines are children. With a fast population growth a year, the government has a difficult task in providing children with enough resources to ensure their rights. For many adults and children, a 15-year-old who bears a child willingly or unwillingly ceases to be a girl-child but a young mother. An 11-year-old who takes on the task of tilling the ?elds ceases to be a boy but a labouring farmhand. A 16-year-old who spends most of his time at a wage-factory ceases to be a young adolescent but a breadwinner. A 9-year-old girl made to peddle her body on the streets becomes a commodity. An 8-year-old boy on the street stealing someone’s money for food is a criminal. Boys and girls loitering in the streets sniffing rugby are considered dregs of society. Seldom are their situations seen in the context of poverty and lack of parental guidance and societal responsibility. As dictated by social practice, a child may be considered an adult when he or she becomes part of social production and reproduction, or when the child performs responsibilities such as making a living or having his or her own family. While children are not distinguished simply by chronological age, physical and psychological development identifies an age range that sets a general definition of who are children, that is, (also as de?ned by law) individuals below 18 years old. On the other hand, different socio-cultural contexts characterize children and their childhoods. Children have become more vulnerable as they give in to their families’ insecurities, society’s inadequacies and social exclusion as the marginalisation of the poor heightens. Despite the circumstances they find themselves in, children, youth, and young people are still developing individuals who have particular needs and rights. They have both vulnerabilities and competencies. They are not simply â€Å"adults-to-be† who need to be moulded or â€Å"just children† who are to be taken for granted. Children are social actors and can be active participants in social change. The Philippines is making significant progress in the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Still, poverty coupled with political violence pose serious challenges to children. The total number of poor Filipino families is estimated at 4. 7 million. The fast-growing population and the failure of household incomes to rise as fast as commodity prices have resulted in more poor Filipino families. Poor refers to those whose incomes fall below the threshold determined by the government, or those who cannot afford to provide in a sustained manner for their minimum basic needs for food, health, education, housing and other social amenities in life. In the Philippines, children who are victims of violence are categorized as children needing special protection (CNSP). CNSP includes child labour; children-victims of sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation; abandoned and neglected or children without primary caregivers; children of indigenous cultural groups; child-victims of disasters; children in situations of armed conflict; street children; and, children in conflict with the law. Violence against Filipino children are committed through physical and psychological abuse/deprivation that manifest in the worst forms of child labour, child prostitution, begging in the streets, abandonment, trafficking and /or recruitment as soldiers or couriers in areas of armed conflict. Most instances or forms of violence against Filipino children are attributed to poverty. The increasing reported cases of violence against children are the social manifestations of a long history of poverty, characterized by a chronic or cyclical condition of deprivation of basic services that include basic education, health and nutrition services, livelihood or employment opportunities, durable housing and clothing. Poverty has affected several generations of a lot of Filipino families that has resulted in inadequate parental capabilities, strained family relationship and corrupted values. Children are products of their environments. Their situation mirrors the realities of their families, community and society. While the Filipino family puts much premium on the welfare of its children, families are increasingly breaking down in the midst of the struggle for survival. In the process, children are inadvertently sacrificed. The paragraphs on the next pages are studies of the situation of Filipino children and young people. Poverty and Luck of Education If you have an education, you won’t go hungry and you live with comforts of a house. You are living a good life. There is Michelle 16 year olds. She lives in Payatas. Life is hard in a garbage town. At such young age children collect and sell garbage. Despite the danger they are forced to work. Many have had accidents and died. When typhoon Ketsana came, her house was destroyed. Her mom lost her job. With no house and no money for food, Michelle and her siblings could not go to school anymore. Twelve-year-old Marian is one of the millions of Filipino children whose education has taken a backseat due to poverty. The fifth of eight children, she fled her home when she was 10 because she said her jobless parents hurt her. Marian is supposed to be in the sixth grade this year, but she’s currently enrolled as a Grade 1 pupil, learning basic language lessons and math skills in a public elementary school in Cainta, Rizal. A certain â€Å"Ate Rowena† took her in and convinced her to go back to school. Marian has to face challenges in school. â€Å"Other children tease me because I’m still in Grade 1†¦but I don’t mind them because this is my chance to continue and finish my studies†, she said. Despite the challenges, Marian is lucky compare to thousands of other Filipino children. Education is a right, however today; 121 million people cannot go to school because of poverty. The poor would choose to feed the body instead of feeding the mind. They would choose to work in jobs before working for a better future in school. Poverty has deprived them from their right to education. Billions of children are experiencing the nightmare of poverty. What does the future hold for them, and for the whole world? Poverty, hungers prevent Filipino kids from getting basic education. Despite the annual increase in the budget for basic education, fewer children are enrolling in schools. Poverty is one of the main causes of the country’s poor education record and has affected participation in education in more ways than one. Lack of personal interest came in second at 22 percent, while the high cost of education came in a close third at 19. 9 percent. Other reasons include, among others, housekeeping, illness or disability, failure to cope with school work, and distance from school. The lack of interest among school children indicates a weakness on the part of the school system to make education interesting for the students. This may be due to poor teaching quality, inadequate facilities and supplies and poor infrastructure. Poverty, social exclusion, school distance and poor health care, are factors that weigh heavily on children and dampen their interest to pursue schooling. The challenge, therefore, is how to make the school interesting and encouraging rather than intimidating; how to make it inclusive, non-discriminatory and poor-sensitive rather than exclusive and elite-oriented; and how to make it accommodating rather than restricting. Finally, the education content, process and experience should be made more meaningful to the children’s life experiences by ensuring appropriate, culture-sensitive and values-based interventions. The Education department said hunger and malnutrition are also barriers to participation in education. DepEd started implementing the Food for School Program under the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Plan. It was done with the Health, Social Welfare departments, the National Food Authority and local government units. As a motivation to go to school, it sends the wrong message to poor children: go to school to get one kilo of rice instead of the value of learning; it is also an added burden for children as poor parents encourage their children to attend classes to be able to avail of the daily ration†. Street Children There is an estimated 1. 5 million street children in the Philippines. They survive each day by begging, selling or by taking drugs. Would you care to give them a fut ure? The country has a high number of street children. Street children are susceptible to malnutrition, vehicular accidents, injuries illnesses, drug or substance abuse, sexual exploitation, gambling and harassment by police or other extortionists. They also tend to join gangs as a form of protection. A lot of children are also involved in drug trading in their communities by serving as runners, lookouts, barkers or by doing repacking and cleaning up of paraphernalia. Drug pushers prefer to hire children, because they are obedient and not easily detected. Cebu City is a booming centre of trade and tourism in the Visayan region of the Philippines. In Cebu City alone, it was estimated that about 1,300 children were engaged in such activities. Respondents in the said study entitled â€Å"Children’s Involvement in the Production, Sales and Trafficking of Drugs in Cebu City† reported that their environment was conducive for their involvement in drug trading particularly since their barangay officials were also involved in said illegal activities. The need for money was the major reason that drove them to work in drug trading. Most of the children-respondents were drug users themselves and about one-third of them had parents also involved in drug trading. Some children got physically or verbally abused both by the drug leader and law. Street children are generally thin, untidy, undernourished, and hardly equipped to survive the hazards of everyday living and working on the streets. Some of the hazards they face include sickness, physical injuries from motor accidents, street fights, harassment from extortionists and police, sexual exploitation by pedophiles and pimps, exposure to substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. The most common substances street children used are inhalants, such as solvents, rugby and cough syrups, followed by marijuana and shabu. Marijuana and shabu in particular are shared with friends whenever one of the groups has enough money to buy them. Some street children take drugs as often as once a day. Malnourishment More than half million Pinoy kids suffer from severe malnutrition. The next generation of Filipinos will probably be shorter and lighter if the incidence of malnutrition in the country remains unchecked. According to the latest study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, three in every 10 Filipino children aged 5 and below are stunted or too short for their age while two in every 10 children also in the same age range are underweight. Four million Filipino children are malnourished and the number is expected to grow. FNRI revealed that the prevalence of malnutrition is highest in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Southern Tagalog, Southern Mindanao, and Eastern Visayas regions, where up to one-third of children under the age of 10 are either underweight or short for their age. But malnutrition is not just prevalent in rural regions, FNRI said. In Metro Manila, 4 out of every 100 children are underweight and two out of every 100 preschoolers are overweight. Increasing food prices would only worsen the malnutrition in the country. UNICEF demonstrates that the underlying causes of malnutrition are multifaceted, including economic, social, and political factors. Poverty is recognized as both a cause and consequence of malnutrition. Child Trafficking Human trafficking is a serious problem in the Philippines. Aside from being a source country for human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, it is also a transit and destination country. Between 60 000 and 100 000 children are trafficked annually, most of them girls. Children are recruited by agents from poor families in rural areas, who send their daughters to the city to earn money. The Philippines has a serious trafficking problem of children illegally recruited into the tourist industry for sexual exploitation. Destinations within the country are Metro Manila, Angeles City, Olongapo City, towns in Bulacan, Batangas, Cebu City, Davao and Cagayan de Oro City and other sex tourist resorts such as Puerto Galera, which is notorious, Pagsanjan, Laguna, San Fernando Pampanga, and many beach resorts throughout the country. The promise of recruiters offers the parents and children attractive jobs in the country or abroad, and instead they are persuade and forced and controlled into the sex industry for tourists. Child Abuse Over 200,000 Filipino children have experienced abuse. The DSWD classifies child abuse cases as abandoned, neglected, sexually abused, sexually exploited, physically abused/maltreated, victims of child labor, victims of illegal recruitment, victims of child trafficking, victims of armed conflict, and others (emotionally abused, etc. ). The regions with the most number of child abuse cases served are NCR, Central Visayas, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and Zamboanga Peninsula. The reduction in the number of cases served came mainly from Zamboanga Peninsula. More than half of the child abuse victims are aged 10 to below 18 years old. Revolting is the fact that about one out of four victims is aged below five years old. By category, more than one-half of abused children served by the DSWD have either been abandoned or neglected, comprising the most common cases. Why are they abandoned and/or neglected? Are these innocent children victims of unwanted pregnancies, or of abject poverty? After abandoned/neglected children, sexually abused children are the second most common cases. And despite the Anti-Rape Law of 1997 (Republic Act (RA) No. 353), the most common sexual abuse is rape, followed by incest and acts of lasciviousness. Rape victims are predominantly female. One wonders whether the prohibition under RA 9346 in 2006 of the death penalty originally possible for convicted rape offenders under certain conditions has contributed to this social problem. And quite worrisome is the relatively large number of incest cases, calling attention to the breakdown of the family as a social institution. Does the CWC have a program to address this sensitive social issue? Some victims of child labor are only 5 to below 10 years old. While child labour—de?ned by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as the â€Å"employment of children below 15 years of age and the employment of those below 18 years in hazardous or deleterious work†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ is declared illegal, the government di?erentiate it from child work, which is considered an â€Å"acceptable vocation for children. † In reality though, the distinction is not clear. Even the exemption provided for when parents give consent for their child’s engaging in labour validates the reality that a family’s economic status decides whether or not a child is forced to work. Victims of paedophilia have been reported in Eastern Visayas, NCR, and MIMAROPA. Most of the sexually-exploited children are either victim of prostitution or of cyber pornography. The child prostitution cases went up slightly. Cyber pornography victims are served in NCR, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Ilocos Region. And while the absolute number of cyber pornography cases may be small, there could possibly be many more, as is probably the case with child prostitution, who have not sought help from the DSWD. This should serve as a stern warning about the danger of allowing children unguided access to the Internet. Situation of Education in the Philippines In spite of a constitutional mandate, the budget allocation on education is far lower than required in the Philippines. The impact of economic crisis and the pressures of increasing population are forcing parents to send their wards to overcrowded and ill-equipped public schools. And the school itself is not unusual in a country whose population of 92 million is exploding so fast, and whose education budget is so small, that it cannot find space to teach its children. More children are also coming into the public schools as the economy tightens and families cannot afford the haven of private schools, with their smaller classes. Many children, lesser classrooms – This school year opened with a nationwide enrolment of millions of students from elementary through high school, almost exactly a million more than in the previous year. Although the government began a classroom-building program, the schools are still classrooms short, according to Juan Miguel Luz, a former under secretary of education who works with the National Institute of Policy Study, which advocates better education policies. To squeeze in all the students, many classrooms have been divided into two by partitions. Stairwells and corridors have been converted into miniature classrooms. In the capital, Manila, Education Department figures show an average of one toilet for every 143 high school students and one for every 114 elementary school students. At Munoz-Palma High School, some lavatories have been converted into claustrophobic faculty lounges, while the lounges have been put to use as classrooms. â€Å"I have 106 students in my class and 90 seats,† said Rico Encinares, 34, a chemistry teacher. Everybody has seats if some of them are absent. But if they all come, there are not enough seats. They have to share seats. † –Teacher- Missing on quality education – Only about 10% of his students – the truly motivated ones – get a quality education, he said. Individual attention is almost impossible. â€Å"I don’t know the names of all my students, even at the end of the school year,† he said. â€Å"You only remember the ones who are very noisy or very good. But the silent ones who just sit there listening, you can’t recall their names. -Teacher- Children in conflict The political violence continues to affect children in the country. Local authorities have been involved in death-squad operations targeting children. There are also reports of children being used by government linked paramilitaries and armed opposition. Children, sometimes as young as 11 years old, have been recruited by armed rebel movements, such as the New People’s Army, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Abu Sayyaf Group, to serve as combatants, spies, guards, cooks or medics. According to 2005 estimates, up to 13 per cent of the armed group MILF’s 10,000 members were children. According to existing studies, usually males between the ages of 11 and 17 who have low educational attainment, mostly reaching only the elementary level. They are usually middle or in-between children in very large low-income families. Various studies have established that many of these children are either on the streets or of the streets when they were apprehended. While a signi?cant number still live with parents or a relative, they are usually out on the streets to eke out a living or are involved in peer groups or gangs, which are usually associated with vices and illegal activities. Justice The age of criminal responsibility is 9 years. Despite legislative and procedural safeguards put in place in 2006 with the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children in detention are imprisoned together with adults in poor detention conditions, increasing the risk of physical or sexual abuse. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is alarmed over the increasing reports of cases of child abuse and neglect and the notable deficiencies in domestic legislation as regards penalizing all forms of abuse, neglect and mistreatment, including sexual abuse. This includes alleged cases of sexual abuse of children in the framework of religious institutions. There are also a number of reported cases of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment of children, particularly of children in detention. Many children below the age of 18 are placed with adults in detention. References: * http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/start/countries/philippines * http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/111257/news/specialreports/poverty-hunger-prevent-filipino-kids-from-getting-basic-education * http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080705-146662/4M-malnourished-Filipino-children *   http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/232299/more-filipino-children-stunted-due-to-malnutrition#ixzz2YSsYkc6e   * http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20100204-251263/Over-200000-Filipino-children-are-victims-of-abuse-says-group * http://www.nscb.gov.ph/headlines/StatsSpeak/2011/101011_rav.asp * http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/violence.pdf * http://southasia.oneworld.net/archive/globalheadlines/school-education-faces-worst-ever-crisis-in-philippines

Peak Book Essay

In the novel â€Å"Peak† written by Roland Smith are conveyed the important of themes adventure, friends and family and betrayal. The novel â€Å"Peak† is a story about a young boy who began climbing and tagging, but this all changes when he is caught and is sent to juvenile detention. But when he gets to choose his sentence to either go to Thailand with this real father or stay in jail, his life changes. Firstly one of the important themes in the novel is friends and family. Friendship and family plays a very important part in the story. Peak finds and makes many friends while traveling to Thailand and also climbing the mountains with his real dad Josh, The family back home in America also played a important theme in the text and peak soon finds out that his mum, step dad and two sisters really do care about him, This is shown in the book from ‘Rolf’s letter’ when Peak finally realized that Rolf cared about him and his family. This is shown through â€Å"you don’t get to pick your name or your parents† changed peaks thoughts on family because he knew that they care about him and love him forever and always. The Friendship and family theme plays a major part in the book by allowing the characters to feel accepted loved and form friendships forever. The novel Peak focuses on the theme of betrayal throughout the book. When Peak finally realised that his real dad was using him for his climbing business to promote it because peak was over the news and popular in the climbing world. Through this experience of betrayal Peak realised whom he really loved. Again â€Å"you don’t get to pick your name or your parents† relates to this moment in the story. Betrayal is a major theme in the novel through Peaks dad josh not loving him and using him to promote his climbing business â€Å"Peak experience†. Finally peak plays a big part of one of the themes adventure all through out the book. The theme adventure is focused on a lot through the novel. The theme adventure is shown when Peak started to climb the skyscraper and began tagging buildings. Peak’s adventure had a disadvantage when he is caught tagging a skyscraper. The theme of adventure is shown when peak travels and goes on adventures to climb the ice mountains. Adventure is an important aspect of this book and is shown is the text in many different ways but mainly touring and climbing. Overall the book â€Å"Peak† is a story with major themes involved that are important in the novel â€Å"Peak† because it brings the readers interest, understanding and many  thoughts going thoughts there head. In audition friends and family relate to being an important theme because it creates a good feeling all the way throughout the book but also allows sadness through the story line. Betrayal is also a very important theme because it addresses conflict and disagreement. Adventure in the novel is also shown all the way through the book; this shows courage, bravery and a very creative and fun Character.

Administrative Ethics Paper Essay

In the health care setting for administrators there is an ongoing occurrence of ethical issues implicit in daily activities. A health care administrator we have assignments to the business as well as to ourselves to help the customers and our coworkers who accommodated and checked the patients within the company. The information technology system is growing rapidly this is an ethical issue for the administrators that always shows itself within the company and that is the confidentiality of data. Confidentiality information is private, facts about another person, company, etc. in a health care setting confidentiality is patients’ medical information stored into a system by the company. When working in the healthcare fields there are some rules concerning confidentiality, and they are; know the facts, have decision-making skills that control confidential data, and have some ethical alertness. The significance of developing ethical alertness is being able to handle confidential data, boosted education, and conversations regarding these problems should happen within the company to give pessimistic opinions of the coworkers and this could assist them to get through the conversation, conservative views, and moral instruction, this could take along groundbreaking ways for coworkers and other to efficiently to reply hard data, and this potentially could come into view. As an administrator, we are avowed in by morals to value the confidentiality of data we intake, and use for the company. Confidentiality data can have but is not restricted to, staff private data and recompense records. The issue and impact on the population that affects most will be explained in this case study; this will be the scenery for the moral examination of problems an administrator linked to revealing confidential data regarding a worker. We have a nurse name Michelle, who is the leading nurse at a hospital with 250 beds. Michelle has worked in the administration field for three years and thinks highly of herself compared to the other coworkers in the company. When it came to decision making Michelle always found a way to disagree. Michelle  acknowledges that the company is unstable from general duties of the company price extracting and also includes employee reduction. Michelle acknowledged that the gross was high that it usually is, and this could cause hardship in the working environment that will also consist of workers not certified and obligatory overtime. Michelle thinks these problems were due because of the altering attitude of the hospital managerial team. We have Nurse Jackie, who is the second head nurse; she has worked in the nursing field for a few years. She is mothers who use to stay-at-home and take care of her family (husband, and daughters). When Jackie’s children got older Jackie wanted to go back to work. Jackie’s husband realized with his paycheck and her paycheck combined they would not have enough funds to support their daughters for college and their tuition increases every year. A position at the hospital opened for her to apply for and Jackie’s husband thought that would be a superior idea for Jackie to apply for it because it could assist him and her on helping their daughters with college. Jackie got hired, although her nursing knowledge has not been streamlined. Jackie thought that because she was not a permanent staff worker there that they would not ask her to do much so she took on more hours. The administrator for nursing name is Karen; she is also associates with Michelle. These two ladies have had issue regarding quality of care. Michelle began drama regarding supple workers pool nurses to work on the medical units to Karen’s attention, without an acceptable answer. Karen’s workers were arbitrarily assigned in various parts of the hospital, which made it hard for Karen to monitor her staff. Karen’s view of Michelle is her certainty that the nurses ought to have awareness in every aspect of medicine, whereas Karen think this is idealistic considering they go in various assorted areas. Jackie began to see work as a stressful environment; she did not get to make friends with any coworkers because they were constantly moving around to different departments. She gave out medication to patients who did not recognize her. When Jackie had a question she would ask the physician, and they would not answer her so she would ask Karen for help. Work for Jackie was becoming unbearable, but her husband did not care he was happy to see the paychecks coming in and wanted her to keep working overtime because it was helping his and her savings big time. Jackie felt trapped because she wanted to lessen her hours at work, but her husband wanted her to do more hours so in result  Jackie began to taking drugs, she knew this could affect her job, but she needed to do this to decrease her stress. Jackie’s changes were not noticed for a while until she was told to work in the surgical area for a few weeks to assist an employee who was leaving for vacation. A pharmacist noticed a difference in giving out medication for example, a rare rise in narcotics and errors of signatures on the medication paperwork. The pharmacist took the problem to Michelle and Michelle did some investigating. Jackie was found guilty and Michelle went to Jackie’s boss who is Karen. Karen and Michelle talked to Jackie, Jackie admitted her wrongdoing, Karen resolute was for Jackie to go to a rehabilitation center and recover from this and when she does she could come back and work for the company. Karen also chose to not tell the state board of Registered Professional Nurses. After these events occurred Michelle chose to have a meeting with the nurse manager of surgical unit, human resources director, and the chair of the nursing ethics committee to decide rather she needs to be more should have happened in a situation like this. Jackie does have the right to confidentiality, but Michelle thought this could be a good staff conversation. Karen believed total opposite; she believed this would break Jackie’s confidentiality. The problem at the meeting was confidentiality and the nurses having incompatible opinions of confidentiality and the impression on others. Michelle believed that the way Jackie had act failed her position because patients were not treated correctly and other staff actions had been effect by Jackie’s duties so Michelle believed that meeting need to be held. Michelle believed the patient’s pain was impaired, and Jackie’s unwillingness harmed the patients. This was essential to her to demonstrate that the company was devoted to suitable action in giving a precautious workplace of knowledgeable workers/patients. Examinations of moral questions have an organized procedure to decide and choose the best result a problem occurs when there are moral questions with various results. When a problem does not occur there are no moral problems. A great moral result is reliant on good problem recognition and detail meetings. There are many ethical reasons to maintain confidentiality, and some are; protect private data that will consist of respecting others, maintaining sureness, which raises open discussion. We all have the power and guidance to have accountability to exercise in a steadily moral way. References 1. Badzek, L., Mitchell, K., Marra, S., Bower, M., and (Dec.31 1998): Administrative Ethics and Confidentiality/Privacy issues Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol 3, No.3 Retrieved September 29, 2012 www.nursingworld.org 2. Confidentiality in Health Care Health Care Professionals Must Learn the Rules of Confidentiality Sept. 29, 2012 Kathy Quan 3. HIPPA- Overview www.ufl.edu Copyright  © 2005 |University of Florida Retrieved September 29, 2012 Administrative Ethics Paper Essay In to world of healthcare, one thing has become very clear when talking about what is ethical and unethical, and that is if it is unethical it is almost always illegal. When discussing the topic of ethics you cannot leave out behavior. In most cases an individual’s behavioral patterns usually determines their level of ethical thought process. In the text is says this about behavior, â€Å"People’s behavior must match their set of values. It is not enough to believe that patient confidentiality is important if one then freely discusses a patient’s personal information with a coworker or a friend†(Fremgen, 2009). Patient Privacy is the issue at hand and one of the most important laws that we have governing healthcare profession today. According to the American Medical News Journal, patient health information was not being protected or secured to the highest level of standards in the eyes of the AMA (American Medical Association). In order to help improve tha t the AMA approved new policies that will provide a better blanket of security for the medical records of the individuals participating in any medical research (Aston, 1999). See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay Supporting Facts The AMA wants to ensure that any entity in the United States that conducts research on human subjects are gaining proper consent for the research study, and that the consents are not being misused by others. These signed consents are permission slips for researchers to use medical information only for research purposes. The new policies focus on the confidentiality of the patient’s information that is obtained for the sake of medical research, and should not be shared for any other reason then what was originally intended. These policies also focus on accountability of many organizations and schools who conduct research to be ethical in their dealings with human  subjects. Good ethics means good intent and integrity. In terms of research any typing of alterations or fraudulent acts does in display good intent. This was the case with the NIH (National Institute of Health) and NCI (National Cancer Institute) who was accused by the author of the article of not living up to thei r mission statement. The mission statement of the NIH says† Science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend health life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability†(Lanfranchi, 2008). It also included a goal which states â€Å"to exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science† (Lanfranchi, 2008). These goals and mission statements from the outside look great however, it was later discover that fraudulent acts were done because of the pressure the NIH was placing on the researchers. This is a good example of unethical acts in research it start out with good intentions but ended in unethical acts will eventually turn into a legal issue. Ethical and Legal Issues In the article, the issues that were discussed were mainly ethical issues that could potentially turn into major legal issues. One of the issues mentioned was the fact that the IRB’s should have been more concerned with patient health information staying confidential. Though this is important, their main concern was the safety and wellbeing of research participants. The AMA developed recommendations that addressed both the informed consent issue and the confidentiality issue. Another issue was that the U.S. would only be allow a short time frame of 18mths to make stricter privacy laws and after that point federal laws would take over. Aside from the AMA’s recommendations AIVIA is a supporter of the idea that the United States should have the ability to pass stricter privacy laws (Aston,1999). According to research, the AIVIA ( All Indians Village Industries Association) is a board of 18 advisors that consist of distinguished scientist and leaders in public life founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1934(www.mgiri.org). Managerial Responsibilities The article did not discuss any managerial responsibilities in terms of the  issues the AMA were trying to fix. In this case however, the AMA held their ground on the issues and stated that fairness should be across the board. They strongly urged that any time changes are being made to the research study that a new consent must be signed by the participants (Aston, 1999). Solutions The AMA task force is concerned with the improvement of the confidentiality and to joined forces with the IRB’s to create accountability for private research (Aston, 1999). The AMA came up with eight solutions/recommendations for the issues with informed consent and confidentiality and they are as follows: The first solution is to advocate where possible, informed consent should be obtained before personally identifiable health information is used for any purpose. If informed consent is not possible then the information must be stripped for the data and the entity accountable must determine that patient consent is not needed. The second solution states that the AMA urges the government to consider adding to the Common Rule Standards and require researchers to waive/ modify patient consent for the sue of personally identifiable health information only when other protection is in place. The third solution is to lobby for creation of a system in which research projects that fall outside the IRB process would be subject to review by local confidentiality assurance boards. The fourth solution is to make sure that teaching institutions involved in research receive personnel and resources to protect the individuals involved in the research study. The fifth solution states to continue to push for federal laws that provide a continuous layer of patient privacy protection that allows states to pass stronger measures. The sixth solution suggests to develop models of state confidentiality legislation to promote consistency The seventh solution states to continue to push to prohibit the sale and exchange of anyone’s personal identifiable health information. The eighth and final solution suggests to support voluntary of adherence to all IRB’s to the Common Rule Standards regardless of the institutions source of funding (Aston, 1999). References Aston, G., (1999). American Medical News. Delegates firm up privacy policy. Vol.42 (26). Pp.1-3. Fremgen, B, F., (2009). Medical Law and Ethics third ed. Ch.11 Ethical and Bioethical Issues in Medicine. Lanfranchi, A., (2008). Issues in Law and Medicine. The federal Government and Academic Texts as Barriers to informed Consent. Vol. 24 (1) pp. 61-69. Retrieved from http:// www.mgiri.org/about-institute. Administrative Ethics Paper Essay Administration ethics are becoming a very important subject. Administrative individuals are faced with a variety of ethical issues such as confidentiality. This paper will discuss confidentiality and patient privacy and its impact on the population that it affects most, arguments or facts that support a proposed solution, the ethical and legal issues in reference to confidentiality. It will also address the managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues as well as any proposed solutions. The administration in any organization has responsibilities to self, to the organization, the clientele served and the employees who provide the services at the organization, so it is important to be aware of ethical issues because they are embedded in the everyday activities (The American Nurses Association, Inc, 2013). Confidentiality Confidential information includes facts that are secret, private or intimate that should not be shared unless it is approved. When dealing confidentiality in this day in time, information systems are becoming high tech and more effective within the health care field as well as an increased involvement of third parties who share the decision process have created some problems in reference to patient confidentiality and the ability to release private information to the appropriate individuals. Confidentiality has a major impact on the administration due to the fact that jobs are at stake when a patient’s privacy has been violated. The population that is affected the most by this is everyone within the administration, meaning the physician as well as the employees. The physician may not disclose any medical information revealed by a patient or discovered by a physician in connection with the treatment of the patient (American Medical Association, 1995-2013). This is important because when patients feel they can trust their physician, he or she can have a better chance being diagnosed appropriately and treated effectively. Without trust, the physician will receive partial information and it will make it difficult to treat patient. Arguments/Facts In reference to confidentiality, something has to be done to incorporate a more efficient way of distributing patient information. Some arguments include requiring ethical awareness, knowledge and decision-making skills as well as having several discussions about different ways to improve, retrospective analysis and ethical education (American Nurses Association, Inc 2013). By doing this the administration will have a more profound idea of what it takes to make sure that they can come up with innovative ways to answer difficult questions in regards to confidentiality. A big question that is often asked when dealing with confidentiality is under what circumstances is confidential information to be released. The fact still remains that any patient information that is released has to be approved or consented by the patient. Policies and regulations should be in place so that the employees comprehend what is appropriate and what is not. Ethical and Legal Issues The administration of any organization is possibly faced with many ethical and legal issues. For example, an employee works for a facility and he is in the office alone and a business calls in for some information regarding communicable diseases. The employee has not received any direct orders or any information from his manager to release information as such to anyone, but the company insists that the information will not be shared. The employee has to make an ethical and legal decision because he realizes that he is releasing patient information without consent and he could possibly lose his job if the information is released. The ethical and legal issues reported for confidentiality include whether or not administration should legitimately violate the confidentiality of an individual, for example, if it is to protect a vulnerable patient, or send confidential information to a third party for a more accurate diagnosis. Some legal issues reported include whether or not to release information to a third party in reference to a communicable disease to attempt to improve or cure diseases (NCBI, 1994). There are many rules and regulations that each state requires and they have to be followed. Managerial Responsibilities Managers have an important duty in understanding and realizing how ethical issues affect’s his or her staff. Managers need to be aware of the many different issues that arise as well as the best possible solutions to solve them. For example, if an employee works for a facility that begins to be more concerned with costs instead of quality and he or she has strong beliefs that it is very important to give the best service possible, this would be difficult for the employee, especially if the mission includes quality is of importance. This could call for high turnover, unacceptable working conditions and unlicensed personnel. With these types of issues, managers need to be there for their staff, so that they can direct them in the proper direction in reference to how to handle certain situations. Managers could take classes as well as employees so that everyone was aware of ethical issues and had a decision making process as how to approach them as they occurred. In this case, the employee should have discussed her feelings about the change to her manager and allowed him or her to make a decision on how to improve or change the decision to focus on cost in lieu of quality. Proposed Solutions Improving confidentiality is definitely an ongoing process due to many different challenges such as there are many different ways to make the process better. Gathering information and facts in reference to confidentiality, promoting training classes as well as keeping up with the rules and regulations in the appropriate states are all ways to help improve the issues with patient confidentiality. Another proposed solution is understanding conflict and reasons to maintain confidentiality. Issues are bound to arise in reference to confidential information and how it was handled; therefore the managers as well as the staff need to have extensive training in regards to confidentiality and how important it is to maintain it. . Conclusion In the conclusion, administration issues in regards to ethics are becoming a very important subject. Working to understand confidentiality and its impact on the population that it affects most, arguments or facts that support a proposed solution, the ethical and legal issues in reference to confidentiality as well as addressing the managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues and any proposed solutions is a very productive and effective way to begin maintain confidentiality. Administrative Ethics Paper Essay Biomedical ethical issues are seen frequently in the news and are in constant scrutiny. The demand for social responsibility is high and available resources are limited. Health care leaders are faced with numerous administrative issues regarding patient privacy, research, confidentiality, and terminal illness. Much debate has surrounded medical spending on the terminally ill, such as the cost and allocation of resources toward end-of-life care. Choosing between prolonged life and quality of life are two difficult decisions to make. Nonetheless, it is difficult to base one’s opinion until cancer has taken over one’s life. A close look at administrative issues surrounding end-of-life care will demonstrate the impact on a population, ethical, and legal implications, potential solutions to the problem, and managerial responsibilities. The Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) is a part of the United States territory because it’s establishment of commonwealth in political union and is home to approximately 44,000 people (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). Because of the increase in chronic diseases and lack of available resources, several residents are referred to go off the island to seek health care in Guam and Hawaii (Doty, 2012). However, the medical referral program has a crucial problem with financing because of the large amount already owed (Doty, 2012). Although a budget of $2. 5 million is allotted for health care expenses for the medical referral program, it only covers half of the costs incurred in 2011 (Doty, 2012). Therefore, officials viewed rationing of medical services necessary to keep costs at bay. Among the rationing of medical services is the allocation of resources to terminally ill patients. According to Doty (2012), a medical provider states, â€Å"As a community, we must address the reality of spending precious resources on end-stage patients who will die within a short amount of time with or without medical treatment. † The method of triage rationing raises ethical concerns because patients are treated as if they were soldiers out on a battlefield where only those with a higher chance of survival are saved. Although unspoken, the practice of rationing services is common in the NMI. The population is negatively impacted by the health care crisis and the lack of hospice care. Family members of ailing patients are seen holding signs requesting for donations so their loved one may receive off-island treatment (Doty, 2012, para. 33). Cost and allocation of resources are clearly administrative issues that need ethical evaluation. A senior administrator of the NMI seems lost at finding a solution and reminisces of the time when people accepted their fate and lived on the principle, â€Å"we live and die on our islands† (Doty, 2012). The ethical and legal implications of rationing health services have many facets. Generosity and independence are among the ethical principles associated with allocating health resources; however, that is not the case when resources are scarce and funding is limited. As demonstrated in the NMI, mainly the poor and middle class are subjected to health care rationing. Aside from the poor, people most affected by health care rationing are the elderly and disabled persons (Peters, 1995). It is unethical of those with tremendous discretionary power to favor the prestigious over the poor or disabled. However, rationing based on the ability to pay already exists and is completely legal, such as rationing care of Medicaid patients or rationing by insurance companies (Fremgen, 2009). Although some people may believe rationing health care is unethical, it is economically inevitable as the demand for scarce health care resources increase. Therefore, it requires ethical consideration when allocating health resources. According to the article, the proposed solution is a policy on medical care rationing (Doty, 2012). However, some politicians claim the unnamed policy is already put into practice. Furthermore, the administration proposes a tighter budget for the 2012 fiscal year but does not elaborate on how it will be accomplished (Doty, 2012). The manager of the medical referral services suggested to administration that the program be suspended and only used for emergency cases (Doty, 2012). However, no action has been taken to suspend the program. Another suggested solution is to place high emphasis on prevention and primary care to avoid excessive referrals during critical stages. Furthermore, hospice care is not available to everyone on the NMI, which if made an option, may minimize the health crisis by decreasing the demand of health care resources. Nonetheless, evaluating the effectiveness of treatment and cost is essential in allocating resources. Managers are responsible for implementing cost/benefit analysis to best use the institution’s resources. Peters (1995) states, â€Å"Cost-effectiveness calculations have the appeal of incorporating outcomes research, patient preferences, and expected costs into a rational and potentially sophisticated scheme for maximizing health care outcomes from the available resources. † However, cost/benefit analysis alone should not be the primary basis for allocating resources. Managers must also ensure health resources are distributed equitably. Nevertheless, a solid solution has not yet to develop as the situation worsens in the NMI. A leader’s responsibility and accountability for appropriately rationing healthcare is tremendous. Because resources are limited, leaders must diligently follow eligibility criteria that satisfy legal and social standards. However, the approach is not easy and frequent subject of debate. Some consider health resource allocation is necessary but others find it morally repugnant. Therefore, the manager’s responsibility toward allocation decisions requires evaluation of distributive justice principles for ethical dilemmas. For example, need, equity, contribution, ability to pay, patient effort, and merit are principles useful in determining resources allocation (Armstrong, 1998). Each patient situation has unique circumstances that require healthcare leaders to view subjectively. Nonetheless, leader’s responsibility is to set clear guidelines for allocating resources so health care providers can remain advocates for their patients. Allocation of medical services in poverty stricken NMI indeed has ethical and legal implications with no easy solution. The population is in dire need of distributive justice. Administrators are at a loss with the health care crisis of financial burden and limited resources. Nonetheless, health care leaders must fulfill their obligations to their organization and community by using ethical principles to guide them in making difficult decisions. Nevertheless, perhaps proposed solutions turned into policy may minimize the need for off-island medical referrals. Administrative issues surrounding end-of-life care demonstrated the impact on a population, ethical, and legal implications, potential solutions to the problem, and managerial responsibilities. Administration indeed has tremendous social responsibility.