Monday, September 30, 2019
Private military contractors Essay
Introduction            Private military contractors, also known as private security contractors provide a number of different services for the UN military in Iraq. Various services include the preparation of meals, navigating army supply vehicles, military training and security for US officials. Some private military contractors also provide interrogation and translating services for the US military. Contractors providing this service in particualr have been suspected of a number of human rights abuses at the Abu Ghraid Prison. Other activities by private military contractors have raised issues about humanitarian conerns and the abuse of womren’s rights. There are currently at least 100 private military contractors in Iraq.[1] This discussion looks at the unique role of private military companies in Iraq and examines their impact on the rights of women. Private Military Companies in Iraq            The US military and the State Department spends billions of dollars on private security contractors in Iraq.[2] These contractors according to the Washington Post are: â€Å"Out of public view, have been engaged in a parallel surge, boosting manpower, adding expensive armor and stepping up evasive action as attacks increase.†[3]            The primary goal is to â€Å"offset chronic troop shortage†and the number of invidual contractors are between 20,000 and 30,000.[4] David Isenberg in a report by the British American Security Information Council published on September 4, 2004 maintains that it is impossible to accurately account for the number of private military companies currently in Iraq. This is because only PMC’s whose contracts exceed $50 million are required â€Å"to be reported to Congress.†[5]            Isenberg complains that the legal status of private military companies is especially problematic since there is no real provision in International law to account for their role and definition.[6] While many view the private military personnel as mercenaries, they do not fit the definition of mercenry within the meaning of the Geneva Convention.[7] Article 47 describes a mercenary as an idividual who takes part in military combat and is not a national and: â€Å"is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party†.[8]            James Conachy however, refers to these private military personnel as â€Å"modern-day mercenaries.†[9] Conachy aligns their physical presence with their abstract presence. While they are by and large not subjected to transparency and legal accountability in the traditional sense they operate out of uniform and from â€Å"unmarked vehicles†.[10] They go about their business in this manner while â€Å"manning roadblocks, or stalking outstide building, with machine guns.†[11] As a result, the private militaray presence in Iraq has â€Å"become an ubiquitous and offensive symbol of the US occupation.†[12]            Conachy maintains that the need for private military presence in Iraq is obviated by the bredth of US military deployment overseas following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Without the use of private military companies the US would be compelled to send more troops to Iraq from an already depleted armed force or would have to seriously consider â€Å"reviving the military draft.†[13] It is obvious from this assessment of the single purpose of the private military that distinguishes them from the Article 47 definition of mercenary. Mercenaries are not aligned to a paritcular party and obviously the private military contractors are aligned to the US and are used to facilitate the US military’s shortfall.            The following description of private military duties takes them well outside of Article 47’s definition of mercenary: â€Å"Far more than in any other conflict in United States history, the Pentagon is relying on private security companies to perform crucial jobs once entrusted to the military.†[14] It is clear that private military companies are not in actual combat. Mercernaries, according to the Geneva Convetions are actively fighting . Human Rights Concern and Women            In an article published in the Guardian, Luke Harding explains that the full extent of abuse toward women by all sectors of the military in Iraq will not be fully known. This is primarily because Islamic women rarely discuss violations of a sexual nature. Rape, Harding maintains is a symbol of shame in the muslim world and â€Å"victims can be killed to salvage family honour.†[15] The most shocking incidents of abusive treatment of women originate from the Abu Ghraib jail which was primarily manned by private military personnel.[16] Accroding to Patrap Chatterjee the private military’s role at the Abu Ghraib jail was one of interrogation which brought them into more frequent contact with the prisoners than other jail personnel.[17]            The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that in October 2003 there were approximately thirty female prisoners in the Abu Ghraib jail.[18] According to prison personnel, that number was reduced to five by May of 2004.[19] The Internation League for Peace and Freedom had documented some eye witness accounts of abuse at the Abu Ghraid jail. One such account was given to Iman Khamas who heads the International Occupation Watch Center, a private organization that collects anti-human rights information. The account came from a former prisoner who told Khamas of a rape incident at the jail. Khamas reports that the prisoner recalls that: â€Å"†¦ the prisoner said her cellmate had been rendered unconscious for 48 hours. ‘She claimed she had been raped 17 times in one day by Iraqi police in the presence of American soldiers.’†[20]            Another report originated from Mohammed Daham al-Mohammed who heads an Iraqi group, the Union of Detainees and Prisoners. According to a-Mohammed he was informed of a â€Å"mother of four†who had been arrested in December of 2003 and killed herself after being raped by US guards who forced her husband to watch while incarcerated at the Abu Ghraib jail.[21]  According to the woman’s sister the rape victim committed suicide.[22] The victim had told her sister of incidents of physical abuse outside of the rape. In one account she recalled a American male pulling her by the hair and forcing her to look at her husband while the American took off her clothing. After this incident the rape took place. Once released, the woman was afraid to face her husband since he had witnessed the rape and asked her sister to help her commit suicide.[23]            A former male prisoner reported incidents where women were constantly removed from their cells to private rooms. The prisoner explains: â€Å"They had to pass in front of our tent and cried out, ‘Find a way to kill us’.†[24] Human Rights groups explain that rape for a Muslim woman shames the entire family which is why these women would rather die having suffered a rape.[25] Khamas recalls an incident in which she visited a woman at the Abu Ghraid jail and a female prisoner told her about a rape, but whispered in her ear despite the fact that no one else was present.[26]            Khamas, Mohommed and Hoda Nuaimi, a professor in politics at Baghdad University report that: â€Å"†¦three young rural women from the Sunni Muslim region of Al-Anbar, west of Baghdad, had been killed by their families after coming out of Abu Ghraib pregnant.Nuaimi said that in the case of another such woman, who was four months pregnant, her brother had been reluctant to kill his sister because he considered her a victim.†[27]            Luke Harding reports that the first information about abuse of female victims at the Abu Ghraib jail, a US facility first came to light by a note smuggled out of the prison by a female prisoner.[28] In the note the woman claimed that women were being raped by US personnel and many of them had become pregnant. The note also begged the Iraqis to â€Å"bomb the jail to spare the women further shame.†[29]            Swadi, a female lawyer among seven representing the female detainees indicated that the abuse was not limited to the Abu Ghraib jail and was happening all over Iraq.[30] The shame associated with rape and the consequence for family disgrace were evident in the following account from a female prisoner at al-Kharkh, a US military base: â€Å"She was the only woman who would talk about her case. She was crying. She told us she had been raped†¦Several American soldiers had raped her. She had tried to fight them off and they had hurt her arm. She showed us the stitches. She told us, ‘We have daughters and husbands. For God’s sake don’t tell anyone about this.’†[31]            Luke Harding also reports that an investigation conducted by the US Military which was headed by Major General Antonio Taguba confirmed the contents of the note smuggled out of the Abu Ghraib facility. Moreover, digital photographs, according to Tajuba’s findings also depitcted US personnel engaging in sexual contact â€Å"with and Iraqi woman.†[32] Tajuba’s investigation also found videotapes of nude female prisoners.[33] There are additional photographs of Iraqi women being forced at gun point to â€Å"bare their breasts.†[34] While these photographs have been relased to Congress they have not been released to the public.[35]            In May of 2004: â€Å"an Iraqi woman in her 70s had been harnessed and ridden like a donkey at Abu Ghraib and another coalition detention centre after being arrested last July.†[36] UK Labor Member of Parliament Ann Clwyd investigated the incident and confirmed that it was in fact true. The Iraqi elderly woman had been held without charge for at least three weeks during which time â€Å"she was told that she was a donkey.†[37]            Luke Harding explains the devastating consequences for female rape victims which only accentuates the abuse involved. According to Harding: â€Å"Honour killings are not unusual in Islamic society, where rape is often equated with shame and where the stigma of being raped by an American soldier would, according to one Islamic cleric, be â€Å"unbearable†. The prospects for rape victims in Iraq are grave; it is hardly surprising that no women have so far come forward to talk about their experiences in US-run jails where abuse was rife until early January.†[38]            At the time of writing, Harding describes another incident of physical and mental abuse agianst female detainees in Iraq in which the private military personnel are activiely involved. Five women, according to Harding were being held in â€Å"solitary confinement†in cells measuring just 2.5 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width at Abu Ghraib.[39] Captain Dave Quantock who was then in charge of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib told journalists that all female prisoners at Abu Ghraib are kept â€Å"in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.†[40] The only entertainment the women are allowed is access to the Koran.[41]            Mystery surrounds the grounds upon which the five females in solitary confinement are held. The general term used is that they are held as â€Å"security detainees.†[42] Swabi maintains that these women are being held â€Å"for who they were married to and their potential intelligence value.†[43] Be that as it may, the degree of abusse cannot be justified. Under both US and International laws the cruel and inhuman treatement of prisoners at anytime is unlawful.            International humanitarian laws contained in the Geneva Conventions 1949 of which the United States ratified since 1955 requires that during times of war and peace all prisoners are to be treated humanly.[44] More over the Geneva Convention IV specifically prohibits rape and indecent assault on women. Article 27 provides as follows: â€Å"Women shall be especially protected against any attack on their honour, in particular against rape, enforced prostitutiOn, or any form of indecent assault.†[45]            Judicth Gail Gardam and Hillary Charlesworth argue that women have always been at risk of violence in armed conflict. Although the emphasis has always been on sexual violence there have been other forms of violence against women. Gardam and Charlesworth note that the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action called for governments worldwide to map out plans for combatting: â€Å"the effects of armed or other kind of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation.†[46] The Iraqi conflict and occupation and the violence against women is therefore nothing new. What is perhaps more surprising is the fact that it could happen in light of international laws and attention to violence against women in the past. Conclusion            An irony arises out of these reports. The US invasion has been called â€Å"operation Iraqi freedom†which presupposes a vastly humanitarian effort. Yet in the course of fighting for Iraqi freedom, those sent to fight for the cause have added to the problem. Roger Normand alleges that the US personnel in Iraq are: â€Å"†¦violating almost every law intended to protect civilians living under foreign military occupation.†[47] While many of these crimes are being committed by private military companies,  the world at large and the Iraqi populace draw no distinction between the US soldiers and the security companies employed by them to help the cause. The private military and security personnel are agents of the US government and as such the US government is vicariosuly liable for the misconduct of the private miliatary contractors. As long as they are permitted to continue working with and for the military and as long as they continue to violate international law particularly article 27 of the fourth Geneva Convention, the US must take responsibility for the ills committed by them. They cannot take the benefit without the burden.  Bibliography Center for Economic and Social Rights.(n.d.) â€Å"New Report Documents Extensive U.S. War Crimes In Iraq†. Available online at: http://www.ccmep.org/2004_articles/iraq/061104_CESR.htm Retrieved December 11 2007 Chatterjee, Pratap. (May 12, 2004) â€Å"Private Contractors and Torture at Abu Ghraib, Iraq.†Democracy Now. Available online at: http://www.democracynow.org/2004/5/12/private_contractors_and_torture_at_abu Retrieved December 11, 2007 Conachy, Jamers. (May 3, 2004) â€Å"Private Military Companies in Iraq: Profiting from Colonialism.†International committee of the Fourth Amendment. Available online at: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/may2004/pmcs-m03.shtml Retrienved December 11, 2007 Fainaru, Steve. (June 16, 2007) â€Å"Iraq Contractors Face Growing Parallel War: As Security Work Increase, So do Casualties.†Washington Post Gardam, Judith, Gail and Charlesworth, Hillary. (Feb. 2000) â€Å"Protection of Women in Armed Conflict†. Human Rights Quarterly Vol. 22 No. 1 pp 148-166 Geneva Convention Harding, Luke. (May 12, 2004)†Focus Shifts to Jail Abuse of Women.†The Guardian. Harding, Luke. (May 20, 2004) â€Å"Rape in Iraq: The other prisoners.†The Guardian. Isenberg, David. (Sept. 4, 2004) â€Å"A Fistful of Contractors: A Case For a Pragmatic Assessment of Private Military Companies in Iraq.†British American Security Information Council, Research Report. Kabbara, Rouba. (May, 29, 2004) â€Å"Human Rights Groups: Iraqi Women Raoed at Abu Ghraib Jail.†Peace Women Available online at: http://www.peacewomen.org/news/Iraq/May04/Women%20in%20Prison.html Retrieved Deember 10 2007
Space Defining Architecture
Lynda Nwankwo Humanities 101-011 11/9/2012 SPACE DEFINING ARCHITECTURE An average population of the world views space and structure through the visual elements provided. Brick, tree, corridor, door, window, trim and carpet are only a few of these visual elements. All of the elements combine to allow us to experience a space. These experiences should be the designer’s goal when conceiving the space in question. Some spaces are created to encourage social interaction while others are designed to encourage silence and reflection.Think about the space that you are in now. If you are in an office, most likely it is institutionalized with a nominal amount of light and large capacity for production. Let’s say you are in a municipal park. Most likely you are relaxed and enjoying time away from the office and other stresses of life. It is the purpose of this paper to explore the relationships between these elements and how you experience a space. â€Å"Behind all seen things li es something vaster; everything is but a path, a portal or a window opening on something other than itself. ? Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Wind, Sand, and Stars :Harcourt Brace Javanovich, New York, 1967 We spend our lives inside buildings, our thoughts shaped by their walls. Nevertheless, there’s surprisingly little research on the psychological implications of architecture. How do different spaces influence cognition? Is there an ideal kind of architectural structure for different kinds of thinking? To begin I would like to define architecture and explain why it is important to design with experience in mind.Here at New Jersey Institute Of Technology, it is engrained into architecture students that our definition of architecture is the following: â€Å"Architecture is the blend of science, art and technology to provide a meaningful interaction between an audience and the space that they occupy. †Color can have a large variety of effects on the occupants of a space. As a designer conceives a space, the color should be used as a function of the space as much as the walls or ceilings. Yellow, for instance is a color that tends to grab attention more than other colors.This would make it a good color to use in corridors to show occupants where to go next. Since it also tends to increase metabolism, yellow should also be used in dining spaces such as restaurants. Along with color, spatial qualities can play a large role in how we experience a space. At the moment, I think we’re only beginning to grasp the relevant variables of design. Christian Jarrett, for instance, highlights a new study on curved versus rectilinear furniture. The study itself was simple: subjects viewed a series of rooms filled with different kinds of couches and lounge chairs.Needless to say, we’re only beginning to grasp how the insides of buildings influence the inside of the mind. For now, it’s safe to say that tasks involving accuracy and focus – say , copyediting a manuscript, or doing some algebra – are best suited for short spaces with red walls. In contrast, tasks that require a little bit of creativity and abstract thinking benefit from high ceilings, lots of windows and bright blue walls that match the sky. The point is that architecture has real cognitive consequences, even if we’re just beginning to learn what they are.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
“Great Expectationsâ€Â, “Romeo and Juliet†and “To Kill a Mocking Bird†Essay
â€Å"Great Expectations†, â€Å"To Kill a Mocking Bird†, and â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†are all very diverse pieces of literature. Each piece of literature is unique to one another, but they all share common characteristics and themes. All of the works include a key character that gains understanding of himself resulting from events in his life that caused confusions or prejudice. Pip, the main character of Great Expectations, learns a great amount resulting from confusion in his life. His confusion is caused by his love for Estella, a beautiful and proper girl of the upper-class. Pip becomes intrigued by Estella the moment Ms. Havisham, Estella’s guardian, has him over to visit. Ms. Havisham encourages and strengthens Pip’s feeling for Estella by always reminding him of Estella’s beauty and intelligence. As Pip grows older, his love for Estella never fades. Pip becomes confused when Estella makes him think that he may have a chance with her when in reality she doesn’t love him at all. Estella is incapable of loving because Ms. Havisham taught her to hide her affection and love and to never open up to a man. Once Pip realizes that he will never marry Estella he learns never to set his mind on one thing and that he must keep an open mind. Jem, the main character of To Kill a Mocking Bird, learns a lot from the prejudice he must experience in his life resulting from a trial his dad is involved in. Jem’s dad is defending a black man who was accused of raping a young girl in town. This is especially hard for Jem because he is growing up in a very racist southern town and time. Even though the majority of the people in the town know the black man is innocent, his color causes them to discriminate against him and accuse him as being guilty. The things Jem must experience as a result of the trial, such as getting beat up by a grown man, teach him many things about his life. He learns to give every person a chance no matter what their race, gender, or any other classifying features are. Most importantly, Jem learns to never cower down from what he believes in and to never give up. Juliet, the main character of the play Romeo and Juliet, also learns a lot from the confusion in her life. Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight. Unfortunately Romeo and Juliet must express their love in secret because their families are arch enemies. Juliet becomes confused a number of times throughout the play because she is put in the position of choosing between her lover and her family. For example, when Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin, she doesn’t know who to side with. Juliet decides to go against her family and quickly forgive Romeo. She figures love is the most important thing. Juliet learns that to be happy you must follow your heart. Even though the play ends in tragedy, the only thing that would make Juliet happy was to be with Romeo, even if it was in the afterlife. As one can see Pip, Jem, and Juliet all learned important lessons from their experiences. The confusion in Pip and Juliet’s lives and the prejudice in Jem’s cause them all to come to conclusions about themselves and their lives. Overall, the lessons each character learned helped them to become a better person who was more aware of himself.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Chilis strategic market entry plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
Chilis strategic market entry plan - Essay Example The initial step begins with identifying the foreign market that the firm wants to explore in. This decision is based on a number of strategic alternatives that underline the market opportunities and strategic orientation of the firm based on defined market needs. Once the decision of the foreign market is made, the next step involves identifying the market entry mode. This involves crucial decision on the firm’s choice of market entry mode and the decision is guided by several factors that require a deeper understanding of the country’s political and legislative environment. The report provides an insight into the market entry plans and strategic marketing alternatives that Chili’s will adopt in order to enter and establish its operations in London markets. The previous report analyzed the market environment and global marketing strategies that can help Chili’s strengthen its market position in London. This report explores the various market entry strateg ies that would be most appropriate for Chili’s and then identifies the marketing mix alternatives available to the company. The report also provides an insight into the suggested organization structure and a review the role of logistics and supply chain in the successful operations of the firm. The findings and recommendations of the report is supported by theoretical models and frameworks that help in explaining the decision making process and its viable impacts. The findings and recommendations of the report is supported.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Communication and Diversity challenges in the Workplace Research Paper
Communication and Diversity challenges in the Workplace - Research Paper Example On the other hand, workplace diversity entails the range of dissimilarities among individuals in an organization. Diversity incorporates background, race, education, gender, organizational function, ethnic group, cognitive style, age, tenure, personality, among other components. Diversity also entails how individuals perceive themselves and other people. These perceptions have an impact on the interaction of individuals. The human resource department in an organization should adequately deal with issues, for example, change and adaptability, and communication for a large number of workers to work properly in an organization. Moreover, profitable organizations realize the significance of rapid action and are willing to utilize resources so as to manage diversity in their organizations. This paper will look at communication and diversity challenges in the place of work. Effective and efficient communication is extremely essential for the success of organizations that every member of an organization should be proper communicators. A manager has a duty to ensure all workers have efficient communication skills. In addition, adequate communication in an organization plays a significant part in establishing everlasting worker motivation. Organizations that have well established communication benefit from enhanced relationships between individuals. It is essential that both management and workers have efficient communication between them because this will ensure organizational functions run smoothly. In addition, proficient communication skill will help members of an organization enhance time management in their places of work. The ability exists for a manager to supervise his own time as well as keeping the workers concentrated on deadlines. Comprehending the communication course opens numerous opportunities to enhance productivity (Eunson 2007, 51). Organizations face a number of communication challenges in the workplace. First, language barrier may turn into a commu nication problem. There may be language barrier between individuals of different levels of work experience, ages, and ethnic background. Language barrier may create a misunderstanding or slow down communication that makes communication inadequate. Second, Effective and efficient communication in the workplace depends on professional connection aimed at helping in the continued development of the organization or everyday functioning of the organization (Gerson and Gerson 2007, 78). When workers allow personal concerns to have an impact on company communication, a communication difficulty arises and could exist for long before being discovered and resolved. Individuals who decline to communicate on the basis of personal conflicts may destroy the organization’s capability to engage in business and as a result, slow or deter the development of the organization. Third, one direction communication may result into an inadequate way of exchanging information all around the company. M anagerial staff and workers should give feedback every time so as to enhance the quality of information being passed on and the way in which the information is communicated. For instance, if the human resource department frequently communicates information in a way that is confusing to other individuals in the organization, then the human resource department needs to be made aware of the communication issues or else the information coming from the human resourc
Health and Poverty Reduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Health and Poverty Reduction - Essay Example Pakistan is now facing a similar situation. Moreover, apart from the traditional causes of poor health, of which poverty is one reason, the steps taken towards modernity and industrializations are adding to the problems in this area. It is to the credit of Pakistan that there has been rapid industrialization over the years. But the problems associated with it pose new health issues too. One of the fallouts of industrialization in the country has been the rapid growth of cities which in turn has resulted in a shift of rural population to urban areas. According to Pappas, â€Å"the traditional health challenges of poverty, nutrition, and sanitation have remained for many in the country and have been compounded by increases in environmental and occupational problems associated with the rapid growth of cities and industries†(Pappas, 2008). Overcrowded living conditions, pollution, and other stress factors are now contributing to increased incidence of what is generally called lif estyle diseases. The new disease that is rising even among the poor includes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. The heavy rise in traffic has also resulted in a hike of casualties from road accidents also. It is clear from what has been mentioned above that the link between poverty and health issues are a hindrance to the poverty reductions strategies and policies of a nation. This is because money spent on poverty reduction programs is only one of the issues that concern the population. Unless additional spending is done for improvement of basic health and sanitation in the country, most of the efforts for poverty reduction will remain ineffective. Focusing on improving health alone is also not feasible or practical. One of the effective ways to improve the health sector in Pakistan is to ensure private sector participation: â€Å"In the majority of most poor and middle-income countries - even the most aid-dependent - the biggest source of finance in the health sector is out of pocket expenditure (OOP). This finance is mainly spent in the private sector†(Private Sector Participation in Health). Effective private sector participation that includes corporate, health personnel an d private hospitals, charities and even individuals can also help in the integrated development of health and reduction in poverty. Some initiatives like the Aga Khan Foundation (and University) do exist. More efforts in the area will augment of efforts of the government and the community.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Marketing plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words
Marketing plan - Assignment Example Further, it is essential for the organization to consider all the 7Ps of Service Mix and hence, contribute in all these areas to gain sustainable development. Besides, the sustainability in the business process would be gained through appropriate financial control and control measurement. These would lead the organization to accomplish its vision of performing with enhanced market share and profitability. Baglow is an organization that has certain unique business idea. This is with regard to the introduction of a business plan of bag cleaning service. The market that Baglow is targeting is Qatar. For delivering an effective service to the customers, the organization has planned to undertake the strategy of introducing advanced technology. Moreover, the organization has recruited some of the highly skilled cleaning professionals. These make the service of the organization highly effective and hence, it is able to meet the satisfaction level of the customers significantly. The service of the organization is categorized into different segments of target customers. These include the cleaning of the travel bags, school bags, gents bags, ladies bags, and miscellaneous other bags. The service of the organization is further segregated into leather, cloth and others. This segmentation is done, as the materials and the method used for the cleaning purpose are different for leather, cloth and o thers. Moreover, in order to make the service of the organization highly convenient to the customers, the organization has adapted the strategy of serving at the door of the customers. In this regard, the organization takes the bags from the home of the customers. The organization further cleans the bags at the working zone of the organization. After cleaning and pressing the bags, the organization delivers the bag at the convenient locations of the customers. In the cleaning process, it is
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Case study/ and report Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
/ and report - Case Study Example The sample represented male (48%) and female (52%) students approximately equally. Table 1 shows the cross-tabulation of students’ gender and their response on the job experience. About half (52%) of the students said they never had a part-time job. 28% of the students said they had a part-time job during summer only and 20% of the students said they had a part-time job but not only during summer. Figure 2 shows the conditional distribution of job experience for the male students. About 44% of the male students never had a part-time job, about 31% had a part-time job during summer only, and about 25% had a part-time job but not only during summer. Figure 3 shows the conditional distribution of job experience for the female students. About 60% of the female students never had a part-time job, about 25% had a part-time job during summer only, and about 15% had a part-time job but not only during summer. Thus, there appears a difference in the conditional distribution of job experience for the male and female students suggesting an association between gender and job experience for the students. In other words, students’ gender and their job experience are not independent. In conclusion, about half of the students never had a part time job and about half of the students had a part-time job. The results indicated that there is an association between gender and job experience for the
Monday, September 23, 2019
Comparing Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Essay
Comparing Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr - Essay Example This saying can easily be proven when we want to discuss two people who represented the same ideology in history such as Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who both represented the liberation and freedom of the Black race in America. Indeed, as much as there were some aspects of similarities in the way they went about advocacy programs, there also exists so much lines of differences for what they lived for (Haberman, 1972). In this paper, Malcolm X is compared with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to understand the various perspectives from which each of them approached the fight for the protection of human rights, which they both loved to do greatly. The perspectives from which the comparison shall be taken from are in the areas of political goals, economic issues, and strategic approaches. Political Goals Politically, it has been noted that both King and Malcolm were pressing to achieve the same goal, which was the goal of all inclusiveness in the running and administration of p ublic political office. It is not surprising therefore that at a time that not much of open air and public politicking was associated with acts of religiosity both men came out of their shelves to strongly campaign for political equableness (Malcolm, 1964). In line with the above, it can also be established that politically, both Malcolm and King had a goal of proving to the world that service to God could not be complete and appreciated if social and economic equality was not achieved for all people regardless of their racial background. This is because in their private practice as ministers of the Gospel, both men understood the oneness in God’s creation and view of humankind, where there was not supposed to be discrimination of people based on whether they were Jews or Gentiles (King, 1967). With this biblical understanding of the view of God about all men, the leaders wanted there to be a political reflection of such whereby people will not be judged based on the color of their skin but the content of their character as King declared. Economic Issues Economically, both Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a common goal of liberating the oppressed and abused American from poverty. This is because through words and deeds, Malcolm and King showed that they lived for an era and moment in time when the poverty that the various forms of discrimination had brought on people could be minimized (Haberman, 1972). However in terms of approach to economic issues, the two men have been identified to have had two contrasting perspectives and opinions as to how the approach should be. For instance it has been said that Malcolm had a realization that even though economic liberation and the eradication of poverty among the discriminated, such the African-American people was necessary, it was also very necessary that the African-American people built self-consciousness and pride for themselves (Malcolm, 1963). What this means is that Malcolm saw the answer t o economic liberation in the African-American people themselves, through their attitude towards self-consciousness, rather than through
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Angel in the House Virgina Woolf Essay Example for Free
Angel in the House Virgina Woolf Essay Virginia Woolf was an English author. She was a feminist, publisher, essayist and critic. Woolf commonly acquired female authors Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. Woolf analyses women and their struggles as artists, their position in literary history and need for independence in her works of literature. Woolf’s short story â€Å"Angel in the House†has a deeper meaning then just a female author sharing pointers and stories on how she succeeded in her career to another woman trying to become a successful professional. These personal encounters and struggles the author in the story discusses with the other women really expose how different women’s jobs were compared to men’s and recognizes that different approaches needed to be made by a woman in order to do well in her occupation. Women were not to be perceived more superior then men. The speaker of the story is clearly Virginia in Angel in the House. The fact that the woman in the story is a female author and continuously compares how being a professional woman is much harder than people consider it to be makes it obvious to the reader that Virginia is the speaker. She begins by sarcastically discusses how easy being a writer is and that she is unsure why someone recommended her to give advice on being successful because her job is so easy. The author says â€Å"to show how little I deserve to be a professional women how little I know of the struggles and difficulties of such lives, I have to admit instead of spending that sum upon bread, butter, shoes, stockings or butcher bills I went out and bought a cat†(Woolf 109). She starts off speaking about her profession in this manner because that was how men felt about being a professional author or critic or essayist. They believed that job was stress free. If this was an author who was a man though he would of never spoke down about his job like that, but it was strictly because it was a women doing it that they felt this way about the work. After talking down about being a professional writer, the author starts to tell the other women about inner struggles she has had to deal with in her profession. Inner struggles that men were not aware of. She speaks about a phantom that she named the Angel in the house. This phantom angel is referred to by the author as a she; she was pure, charming, sympathetic and selfless. This angel in the house made the author feel guilty for having her own opinion and personality. This phantom wanted every woman to have the same morals and characteristics as her. She was what a woman was supposed to act and think like especially in a society that men ruled. The narrator states she had to kill the angel in the house in order to become successful in her profession. This angel wanted to pluck the heart out of the authors writing, basically wanting it to be average and appropriate incase a man were to read it. Women who obeyed the angel and acted as she did were not living up to their fullest potential, allowing the men to outshine them. A woman does not discover herself until she kills that phantom, forgets what men expect and follow her own intuition no matter what.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
General Motors Analysis: SWOT and Porters Five Forces Analysis
General Motors Analysis: SWOT and Porters Five Forces Analysis Automotive legend of the last century, GM, is one of the biggest corporations in the world. Although GM had big turmoils in its business, it still operates successfully in all over the universe. The aim of this assignment is to determine the GMs business strategies with rises and falls by looking into their history, having the data of what and how did they do in their businesses and analysing their company activities. Being a leader and pioneer of the automobile industry since this sectors infancy times , General Motors Corporation still keeps its successful place in this competitive business. Since 1908, General Motors Corporation (GM) is one of the largest auto producer in the world as measured by global industry sales, whose headquarters is in United States of America. William C. Durant was the founder of General Motors Company with being an innovator in automobile technology. As being a multinational automobile manaufacturer General Motors employes about 280 million people all around the world with the total assets of 149 billion US Dollars. The company manufacturers the cars and the trucks in 55 different countries (exluding US and Canada). General Motors has sub-brands under its management. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, Vauxhall, Holden, Saturn and Wuling are some one the names of General Motors brands. The General Motors Company placed into a global market throughout the 1920s. Meanwhile, the company built itself as a firm which provided prestige, power and the other options. As a competitor, Ford, that focused on lower costs and lower prices, reversely GM targeted customers who had likely money to spend on more featurative products. During the World War II, General Motors Company manufactured armament and military vehicles,both for Allied and Axis forces. GM had improved its business level and becomed the largest corporation in the United States after the world war II. During the 1950s, style, desing, and engineering innovations are applied into the companys production line. In 1960s, GM also focused on insurance, home appliances, financing, electronics, locomotives and banking etc. In request for the smaller cars of European producers , GM introduced Chevrolet Corvair, that was ciriticized for safety issues in following days. In the next decade, oil prices went up and as well as the oil costs , environmental problems are taken into consider at those times. Therefore, there were a shift from huge oil guzzling cars to smaller European cars increased with the first energy crisis. After that , second crisis followed quickly by rising the concern for pollution and controlling of over emission and safety problems resulted GM lose of its market share to more economical and smaller vehicles. Especially between 1980s and 1990s , the Japanese imports rocketed ( See Appendix 1) ,so that, that time of a period was a hardship for GM, which was plagued by high competition with Japanese companies. As a result of this, GM had chenged its strategies like redesingining and reengineering of its car models. However , because of the high production costs , GM had continioued its high losses in the market with huge numbers. In 1990s, General Motors Company had started to close many of its plants and also cut the jobs. With these turmoils among the company, GM followed different strategies ,like buying Saab and Daewoo, and a little portion of Subaru and Suzukis shares, that were sold later for increasing the money. As follows, GM merged with FIAT car company which lasted five years. In the late-1990s, General Motors Company seemed on the way to big recovery, with sales stabilizing and stock increasing. However, end of the 2001 September, the company started to have challenges, and the system was changed again. In the following next few years, General Motors became a survivor in the highly competitive automobile industry with the economic recession in 2008, therefore the company had bailed out by the government for avoiding bankruptcy. (bbc.co.uk, 2010) In the first quarter of 2009, the auto giant posted a 6 billion dollars loss and said that it burned through 10.2 billion dollars of cash in the first three months of the year as revenue plummeted by 20 billion dollars'(about.com, 2010). However, besides these hard circumstances, in the first half of 2010, the General Motors sold more vehicles in China than in the US. (Constantini,2010) 3. STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF GENERAL MOTORS Analysing the companys internal and external environments, there are many different frameworks and models exist for companies. By having some strategies enables the firms to get better understanding of the critical factors for their future success. Some sof the strategic analysis methods are Dunnings Eclectic Paradigm (Cavusgil et al., 2008), Porters Diamond and Five forces, Directional Policy Matrix, Mintzbergs School of Thoughts (Mintzberg et al., 2003) Value Chain Analysis (Johnson et al., 2008), SWOT analysis (Kotler and Keller, 2009), etc. The suitable frameworks choosing is depends on what the company needs to address and in what circumstances it needs to do so (Johnson et al., 2008). This is because many firms today operate both on a national, regional and global basis and as such need appropriate strategy for each individual environment (Schlie and Yip, 2000). As being a multinational enterprise, GM operates in approximately 57 countries, including Canada and US, and they serve and operate in variety of services from improvement, marketing, manufacturing of cars, trucks to economy and insurance services (Datamonitor, 2009). A potent tool and a flexible framework that could assist in describing and assessing competitive pressures in an industry and industry attractiveness is the Porters five forces (FF) model (Niederhut-Bollmann and Theuvsen, 2008). The model helps a company to decide how and where to make strategic changes for gaining and sustaining competitive advantages over rival firms and thereby generating above-average return on investments (Niederhut-Bollmann and Theuvsen, 2008). In addition, one the school of the Mintzberg Ten School of Thoughts, The Design School, gives us another highly essential analysis for the firms. According to Mintzberg, The Design School sees strategy formation as achieving the essential fit between internal and external aspects'(Mintzberg et al., 2003:p23). Meanwhile, strenghts and weaknesses are given as the internal capabilities, on the other hand, opportunities and threads are seen as the external possibilities. Therefore, in this assignment, the General Motors Company will be analysed through company strategies. Firstly competitive advantage and analysis will be done according to Michael Porters five forces. Secondly, internal and external analysis will be given according to Mintzbergs Design School by applying the SWOT analysis. Finally, in the last to secion Value Chain and BCG Matrix Analysis will be examined. 3.1. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE ANALYSIS OF GM ACCORDING TO MICHAEL PORTERS FIVE FORCES The competitive analysis of a company is an essential element of identifying components which are a threat to reduce profitability. For assesing over the competitive problems , Michael Porters five forces analysis is the one of the most efficient way. Porter (2004) has brought the light of five such factors: (1) Rivalry between existing competitors, (2) Barriers to entry, (3) Pressure of price from Substitutes/Complementaries, (4) Bargaining power of buyers, (5) Bargaining power of suppliers. Therefore, General Motors Corporations competitive advantage analysis will be done according to Michael Porters five forces . 3.1.1. Rivalry Between Existing Competitors: Rivalry occurs, because one or more competitors either feels the pressure or sees the opportunity to improve position (Porter, 2004 :p.17). Additionally, The strategies pursued by one firm can be successful only to the extent that they provide competitive advantage over the strategies pursued by rival firms. ( David, 2011 :p.107-108). Therefore, if we look at the GM motors in this section, in the 1970s and 1980s, competition in the US automobile industry had become much more strong with the increase of foreign rivals such as Honda, Toyota and Nissan (See Appendix 2). Although GM was a leader of the automobile industry at that period of time, its rivals had started to compete with GM providing some different offers. For example, Toyota started to produce cars with lower price than GM cars , whereas the quality of cars were high. So that, the competitros of GM became well-known brands ,while GM had difficulties with competing with them. 3.1.2. Barriers To Entry: According to Porter, new capacity may be brought to an industry by new entrants. Furthermore, gaining the market share, and getting high proportion of resources can be achieved by new entries. Meanwhile, the presence of of new corporations in an any industry can push the prices down and may decrease the profitability. Although these entries may seem as a threat, those may protect the established companies. During the both world wars, GM made a high profit, and it enlarged its business. Being a leader of the sector and being a well-known brand placed the GMs competitors very difficult positon to entry the industry. Especially for the smaller firms, competing with the GM was very hard. In early 20s, GM invented self-starters by differentiating itself from Ford, later on , in 1970s, Japanese and European companies introduced their fuel-efficient models to the industry. 3.1.3 Pressure of Price From Substitutes/Complementaries : All of the companies are in the competition broadly with the industries manufacturing substitute and complementary products (Porter, 2004). In this highly competitive automobile industry, any change in the prices on complementaries such as gas, tires, could have a important effect on the demand for automobiles. If we look at the GM, recent rising gas prices are highly to get a bigger effect on GM. Because, generally GMs cars are energy inefficient. Therefore, this will have great impact on GM. 3.1.4. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Buyers compete with the industry by forcing down prices, bargaining for higher quality and more services, and playing competitors against each other, all at the expense of industry profitability'(Porter, 2004 p:24). As a result of highly improved information technologies, and as well as with globalization, customers of the GM (like for the other companies) became more aware of the what were they buying and how much were they paying. Furthermore, getting the information the rivals of GM from the internet increased the bargaining power of dealers of GM. 3.1.5. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Suppliers of an industry plays a significant role for their businesses. They may reduce the quality of the products, or may raise the prices up. For GM, raw materials and machine parts suppliers threat is very low, because there many suppliers for those sections (Nytimes, 2011). However, the powerful labour union, United Auto Workers (UAW), is a potential threat to GMs economical capability and endurance. For example, the liability of pension and health-care costs acquired an additional 1,400 to the cost of every vehicle comes from GM place compared with competitor products (The Economist, 2008). This is a magnificent amount and GM needs to search ways to cut this liability, therefore, GM may get more economical improvement and the growth of the company. 3.2. INTERNAL EXTERNAL ANALYSIS OF GM ACCORDING TO MINTZBERGS DESIGN SCHOOL Mintzberg explained The Design School as in the following: The Design School sees strategy formation as achieving the essential fit between internal and external aspects'(Mintzberg et al., 2003:p23). In this definition, internal factors are given as strenghts and weaknesses. Besides this, opportunities and threats are described as external factors. Therefore, for analysing the GENERAL MOTORS external and internal factors we should do a SWOT Analysis with the light of Mintzbergs Design School. 3.2.1. Strengths: During the 20th century, GM has been the automotive leader in car industry. Although the company had some turmoils, its market share is still very much competitive in the sector. GM is well established not only in US but all around the world. Moreover, GM also have an rising share in the Chinese market (See Appendix 3). If GM takes the right decisions, there will be no reason for GM becoming a boss of the car industry again with. In addition, GM has wide range of brands such as Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Vauxhall. Company operates in more than hundred countries in the world with employing the approximately 250,000 people (gm.com, 2010) . Therefore, General Motors, with its global experience and its huge market share in the world, is still keeps the professional place in the automobile industry. General Motors Corporation uses OnStar Satellite Technology. This technology provides its customers security and safety facilities. For example, in the event of emergency , the system allows the driver to communicate with OnStar personnel just away a button immediately. GM has been controlling the costs by alliance and partnership with corporations like Shanhai Automobile Industry Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Daimler AG. So that, GM improved its cost reduction system by sharing the company costs. 3.2.2. Weaknesses: For analysing the GMs weaknesses, first, we should consider that, this company is an US firm. So that, from its early years until present times, it is still over dependent to US market. The company should take the benefit for expanding globally. According to an article issued by Associated Press (2010), GM had low credit ratio which is determined as junk-credit (BB-). On the other hand, another problem is downsizing. GM put on the market some of its brands and it closed them completely. Additionally, the inactive profitability is the other issue of GM. After the global economic recession in 2008 , companys profit margins and sales went down dramatically. Staying one step behind on alternative energy movement is the biggest weakness for General Motors Company. The competitors of GM like Honda, Toyota, are using fuel efficiently, and also that are producing more ecological and environment friendly vehicles. Therefore, this may led problems such as decrease of market share and loss in company profit. GMs organizational structure is designed vertically. This causes a lack of information between the levels in the company, from bottom to top. So that, many problems can be occur because of the operational and top managerial levels uncommunicative situation. 3.2.3. Opportunities: One of the lightly opportunities of GM is maintaining the Global Expansion. In the last few years, GM achieved a substantial rise in the Chinese market, that made the GM alarm to major on the foreign markets. The other advantage for GM to take is the catching up the hybrid technology cars. Although they had lagged behind the alternative energy, it is not late for the automotive giant becoming again once it was. Recently, GM started to operate Green-Manufacturing systems, such as water-borne technology, reduction goals for hazardous and non-hazardous waste at source ( See Appendix 4). Developing new vehicle models and designs is the big advantage for GM. Because, as we know, what is in today will be out tomorrow. Therefore, focusing on innovations should be the urgent mission through the GM company. 3.2.4. Threats: The threat of the increase in the supply costs is very common in automobile industry like as the other industries. This threat pushes the firms to reduce manufacturing and production costs as much as possible, without carrying away the product quality. For instance, the fluctuation in the steel prices between 2005 and 2010 had a negative impact on GMs production costs, especially as a result of the economic crisis , the rise in 2008, put a negative impcat on GM ( See Appendix 5). The other danger for GM is the increase in fuel prices (See Appendix 6). As same with the rising in the steel prices, after the economic recession in 2008, the sales have plummeted considerably. Therefore, soaring in fuel costs has played a magnificant role in enhancing the advantage for development of hybrid and more fuel efficient vehicles respectively. The increasing competition factor is the another big threat for General Motors. Because, GM is not a leader once it was, currently there are many different brands in the industry, which are working hard for competing with their rivals. Therefore, GM should always keep the innovation on top for competing in the industry. 3.3. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF GM Value Chain is called to add value to the product and remove excess waste of resource consumption, in other word, to maximize the value of work done by the systematic and asset management. Supplier of products and processes that increase the effectiveness of all stages up to final customers and to maintain, so used to gain competitive advantage. Value Chain Management focuses on the destruction of waste inside the company and also focuses on the customers satisfaction inside the company . Value Chain assits to the companies to identify activities where it may well apply its presence potentials (Diez-Vial, 2009) and also identify which activities to outsource in order to decrease prices by getting opportunity of country-specific advatages. One of the compenent of manufacturing is outsourcing which is congress the features of GMs activities that needs a much more labour to the other countries where labour costs are cheaper, and this could relieve GM from employment responsibility . Additionally, recently GM could be able to resolve problems with United Automobile Workers. Michael Porter (2004) examined a set of interconnected generic activities common to a variety of companies. GM, for instance, gives highly importance on its customer relationships. For the theory part, Service activities are the activities that continue and enhance the products value including customer support, repair services, etc. Meanwhile, for the GM strategy, they are using OnStar Technology which enables the customers get in touch with the call center of GM in an emergency situations. 3.4. BCG MATRIX ANALYSIS OF GM The BCG Matrix method is based on the product life cycle theory that can be used to determine what priorities should be given in the product portfolio of a business unit ( Lancaster and Reynolds, 2004) . To ensure long-term value creation, high-growth products and low-growth products should be undertaken by the companies in need of cash inputs and generate a lot of cash respectively. As I mentioned above, determining the factors of industry and as well as firms businesses is playing an essential role for gaining competitive advantage in the global market. Till before the two decades, oil prices had gone up with high percentages. So that, this and the environmental factors had oushed the automobile sector to the fuel efficiency vehicles. With the consideration of BCG Matrix applied to the GM, GM should pull off the brands like Pontiac, Hummer which are fuel-efficiency and oil-guzzling cars. Furthermore, more investment should put into producing smaller fuel-efficient vehicles, and also HEVs ( Hybrid Electric Vehicles). 4. CONCLUSION In conclusion, analysing the General Motors Corporation is done by using some strategical analysing methods, such as Porters FF, Value Chain, BCG Matrix, and Swot Analysis. Searching and applying the systems into the GM is quite broad because of the companys long time history which is more than a hundred years. In to the this content, the Company is analysed in detail according to factors of competitive advantage, internal and external. Therefore , I reached up a conclusion for GM. Of course, every single company and firm can make mistake in their business life cycle, however, minimizing those mistakes is one of the essential area for the firms. If we turn to GM, they had been really successful in the industry when there were no any other competitors. However, once GMs rivals entered to the business, GM started lose its market share globally. Because they overlooked at them, they didnt do many things until they lose their profits. After that , they changed some system, they started to struggled with their rivals. So that, with consideering all the analysed strategic forces above and the company, some recommendations should be done. For forthcoming improvements, first of all, General Motors should describe possible and suitable sector to serve. And also GM should concern about arrangement application and differentation strategy. For example, Focus strategy may assist GM to enable to reduce the costs as GM diverge from broad-line manufacturer to another varieties. By doing his, GM will be able to differntiate its product from the other rivals , because of focusing on a specific niche market that may perform much more better . The other one is to stay ready for even every hard and difficult circumstances, such as financial crisis. Although , generally it is an unexpected factor, companies, and also GM, should gain their SWOT analysis under the line of Threats. Staying in prepare positon always gives high competitive advantage with the other competitirs in the global industry. Last but not least is maintaining the speed of rivalry environment, GM should enhance and improve its product development. Alongside with the product development, environmental factors should be considered as well for gaining the high quality of business. 5. RECOMMENDATION In my opinion, General Motors should follow some strategies such as restructuring, product development, liquidation and market development. If GM does the product development, this would allow them to sustain the speed of rivalry environment. As a pratic example of this theory is Hybrid SUV vehicles, which matches the GM shape with continuing the portion of SUV, basically that allocate the company to keep on with trend models. My another recommendation for GM is reevaluation of the market. Global market is a market that which changes frequently. First GM vehicles had got tradition style, however, among the changing industry, they started to produce big cars, especially for the US market. One practical example for that case is to produce ultra-modern vehicles. If they manufacture that futuristic cars before the Honda or Toyota Company, they would gain an advantage in competitive industry. Lastly, liquidation is very essential for GM. The reason for that is, its assets are much more than its incomes. If General Motors can get the assests through the cash, therefore, GM could be more available finance. Moreover , when they achieving that process, GM wouldnt have to rely on US market, they could be independent in global industry. 6. APPENDIX Appendix 1 Imported Japanese Cars Develoopment: Source: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlshow=html Appendix 2 Auto Sales Monthly Change: Source: http://www.wstreet.com/investing/stocks/19359_gms_fire_sale_and_auto_sales_preview.html Appendix 3 -China Car Market Soars: Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/243737-outlook-2011-china-says-no-more-cars-down-goes-auto-industry Appendix 4 Green Manufacturing Processes: Source: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractshow=abstract Appendix 5 Steel Prices Between 2005 and 2010: Source: : http://www.ttiinc.com/object/ME_Materials_Steel Appendix 6 Rise in Fuel Prices Between 2009 and 2010: Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12098981 7. REFERENCES 1. Associated Press, 2010. General Motors Gets Junk Credit Rating From Fitch. Michigan Live LLC. [Internet] Available at: http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2010/10general_motors_gets_junk_credit.html [Accessed 28 January 2011] 2. BBC News, 2011. Petrol Duty and VAT Rises To Increase Price Of Fuel. Business. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12098981 [Accessed 28 January 2011] 3. Cavusgil, S. Knight, G., and Riesenberger, R., 2008. International Business, Strategy, Management, and the New Realities. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 4. Chu, D.L., 2010. China Says No More Cars, Down Goes Auto Industry. Outlook 2011. [Online] Available at: http://seekingalpha.com/article/243737-outlook-2011-china-says-no-more-cars-down-goes-auto-industry [Accessed 31 January 2011] 5. Constantini, F., 2010. General Motors. The New York Times. [internet] . Available at: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/general_motors_corporation/index.html [Accessed 10 February 2011] 6. Datamonitor, 2009. General Motors Corporation. Company Profile. [Online] Available at: www.datamonitor.com [Accessed 28 January 2011] 7. David, F.R., 2011. Strategic Management Concepts. 13th edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 8. Diez-Vial, S., 2009. Firm Size Effects on Vertical Boundaries, Journal of Small Business Management, 47 (2): 137-153. 9.Generals Motors, 2010. Company Profile. [Online] Available at: http://www.gm.com/corporate/about/company.isp [ Accessed 10 February 2011] 10. Hamer, T. Hamer, M., 2010. General Motors-It Wasnt Always This Bad. Learn About Classics. [Online] Available at: http://classiccars.about.com/od/classiccarsaz/a/GM.htm [Accessed 10 February 2011] 11. Johnson, G. Scholes, K. and Whittington, R., 2008. Exploring Corporate Strategy, 8th edn. London: Prentice Hall. 12. Kotler, P. Keller, K. L., 2009. Marketing Management, 13th edn. New Jersey: Pearson Education. 13. Mintzberg, et al., 2003. The Strategy Process: Concepts Cases. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 14. Niederhut-Bollmann, C. Theuvsen, L., 2008. Strategic Management in Turbulent Markets: The Case of the German and Croatia Brewing Industries. Journal for East European Management Studies, Vol. 13, No.1, pp. 63 88. 15. Nunes, B. Bennett, D., 2010. Green Operations Initiatives in the Automobile Industry: An Enviromental Reports Analysis and Benchmarking Study. An International Journal. [Online] Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractshow=abstract [Accessed 13 February 2011] 16. Nytimes, 2011. United Automobile Workers. Organizations. [Online] Available at: www.nytimes.com [Accessed 31 January 2011] 17. Porter, M.E., 2004. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Indystries and Competitors. New York: Free Press. 18. Seidenfuss, K. Kathawala, Y., 2005. Voluntary Export Restraint (VER) Without Market Restraints?: The Case Study of the Monitoring Agreement (1991-1999) Between the Japanese Car Manufacturers and the European Union. European Business Review. [Online] Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlshow=html [Accessed 10 February 2011] 19. Silver, D., 2009. GMs Fire Sale Auto Sales Preview. Wall Street Strategies. [Online] Available at: http://www.wstreet.com/investing/stocks/19359_gms_fire_sale_and_auto_sales_preview.html [Accessed 8 February 2011] 20. Schlie, E. Yip, G., 2000. Regional Follows Global: Strategy Mixes in the World Automotive Industry. European Management Journal, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 343-354. 21. The Economist, 2009. In Pieces. The American Car Industry. [Online] Available at: www.economist.com/node/13145718 [Accessed 8 February 2011]
Friday, September 20, 2019
Causes of Speciation in Fish Population
Causes of Speciation in Fish Population Speciation of Lake Malawis Cichlid Fish Populations Introduction Ancient lakes have been an intensely studied area in evolutionary biology (Brooks 1950; Martens 1997). This is because ancient lakes contain a continuous record of biotic change over long periods of geologic time in their basin sediments, and because ancient lakes generally have high levels of endemism in their biological communities. Lake Malawi is located in the East African Rift Valley and its basin dates to 8.6 million years ago (MYA) with modern deep water conditions attained at ~ 4.5 MYA (Delvaux 1995). Of the three major lakes that comprise the East African Great Lakes, Lake Malawi boasts the highest diversity of endemic cichlid fish, 49 endemic genera containing over 1000 species (Turner 1994; Moran et al. 1994; Danley and Kocher 2001). These cichlid fish stocks do not date to the period of lake formation, and instead date to an invasion of cichlids from Lake Tangyanika to Lake Malawi that was thought to have occurred between 2 MYA and 700,000 years before present (Genner et al. 2007; Danley and Kocher 2001). The cause of the accumulation of diversity in African rift valley cichlid species has been a source of debate for several decades (Keenleyside 1991). This debate has been centered on whether allopatric or sympatric speciation is the cause of the explosive radiation seen in the African Great Lakes. Early experiments focused on the Mayr (1963) model of complete geographic separation of populations leading to speciation (McKaye and Gray 1984). Other, more recent research has shown speciation with gene flow as a plausible form of sympatric speciation in Lake Malawi (Turner 1994; Shaw et al. 2000). I will show that these two processes are not mutually exclusive, and that a combination of both mechanisms has likely occurred in Lake Malawi over different time periods and different scales. I will consider models developed by Danley and Kocher (2001) and Kocher (2004) to specifically look at changing environments, feeding habits, and mate choice as the main drivers of speciation of cichlid fi sh in Lake Malawi. In addition, I will discuss several genetic factors that arise in the speciation of cichlids as well as future directions of cichlid research in the Great Lakes of Africa. Habitat: Changing environments through time There are two main groups of cichlid fish in Lake Malawi, pelagic and benthic, and of the benthic group two subgroups have formed, those that are rock-dwellers and those that are sand-dwellers. All of these types of cichlids evolved from a generalist that invaded Lake Malawi from Lake Tangyanika (Danley and Kocher 2001). These groups and subgroups of cichlids each specialize in a broad geographic location and/or ecological niche causing speciation based on locality, an allopatric process. Danley and Kocher (2001) consider this process to be most significant immediately following invasion, playing less of a role after initial ecological speciation. However, I challenge this notion as many rock-dwelling and sand-dwelling benthic cichlids habitat would be negatively impacted during the known variation in lake level of the African Great Lakes throughout the last several million years (Scholz and Rosendahl 1988; Johnson et al. 1996). Stumbauer at al. (2001) suggested that major changes in lake levels match genetic divergences in cichlid fish throughout the history of Lake Malawi and Genner et al. (2010) suggest that after lake levels increased, populations of cichlid fish expanded and underwent allopatric speciation because of increased niche environments were created. These studies show that climatic effects impact cichlid speciation by fragmenting populations as lake levels decrease and by increasing niche habitat space as lake levels increase. However, there could be additional environmental factors that have not been as intensely researched. This would include increased turbidity, affecting visual cues for mate choice (Genner et al. 2010). In addition, dramatic aquatic chemistry changes, such as increased salinity that occurs when lake levels decrease, could affect primary production and thus, tropic predation. Decreases in populations of cichlid fish brought about by ecological and environmental changes from lake level fluctuations could create bottlenecks and founder effects. Danley et al. (2000) found that allelic diversity was reduced in rock-dwelling species of cichlids that inhabited shallower areas when compared to higher allelic diversity in cichlids that inhabited deeper older areas of Lake Malawi. This difference was likely created by the desiccation of the lake and suggests that reduced populations of cichlids were associated with low lake stands, but no conclusive evidence of a bottleneck in the population was found (Danley et al. 2000). Predation: The quest for food Following ecological speciation based on geographic location, Danley and Kocher (2001) considered trophic competition to be the next chronological mode of speciation of cichlid fish in Lake Malawi. The authors state that speciation based on predation diversification is the logical progression from ecological speciation. Competition for food further drives diversification of the cichlid fish in each geographic area that they inhabit. This progression happened efficiently in the cichlid fish of East Africa because the jaw apparatus underwent changes that allowed for the pharyngeal jaws to process food, a role once relegated to the oral jaw (Liem 1973). This change allowed for a diversity of jaw movements and freed the oral jaw to solely collect food (Liem 1973). Changes in jaw function permitted the collection of food from of a larger assortment of trophic sources ranging from plankton to scales of fish to whole fish (Kocher 2004). Differentiation of morphology based on trophic competi tion created niches for cichlid fish usually inhabited by different families of fish (Greenwood 1964). Sexual selection: A multitude of color choice The third mode of speciation Danley and Kocher (2001) describe is driven by sexual selection, and this type of speciation accounts for the bulk of morphological variety in colorization that comprises the majority of recent speciation in extant East African cichlid populations. Sexual selection has been implicated as the cause of male secondary sexual characterizations, including male colorization (McKaye et al. 1984), with the rest of the morphological features remaining largely unchanged. Male traits are chosen by females in lek-breeding type situation, where females chose from many males (Barlow 1991). This skewed system of reproduction can create linkage disequilibrium and rapid diversification of morphological types, which can occur in sympatric or allopatric speciation (Turner and Burrows 1995). Not all types of East African cichlids undergo morphological speciation based on colorization, but lineages that differentiate by means of other morphological or ecological factors are r elatively species poor (Danley and Kocher 2001). Timing and magnitude Danley and Kocher (2001) indicate that all three speciation types (habitat, predation, and sexual selection) are present during three distinct pulses of radiation. During all three radiation events, all three modes of speciation are present in differing abundances. The first radiation event is dominated by habitat diversification, the second by trophic competition and the third by sexual selection (Danley and Kocher 2001). Speciation based on sexual selection has occurred at the same level of intensity throughout the multiple radiations of cichlid fish in Lake Malawi. Sexual selection only appears to be increasing in impact in the last radiation event because ecological speciation and differentiation based on predation have decreased in impact (Danley and Kocher 2001). Danley and Kocher (2001) suggest that these three types of speciation promoted rapid diversification through a positive feedback loop, where reduced gene flow further promoted divergent selection. New frontiers In studies that have elucidated genes responsible for traits, it has been shown that those traits have undergone strong selection (Kocher 2004). For this reason, the author suggests that moving forward there needs to be a better understanding of genes that are responsible for various phenotypes, especially those that are selected under directional pressure. Once the fine scale mapping of the genome is complete, Kocher (2004) believes that coalescent history of alleles will be very informative in reconstructing speciation events. Kuraku and Meyer (2008) assert that comparative developmental and genomic approaches are the future of African Great Lakes cichlid research. The authors state that this is because many of the cichlid species are very similar genetically. Thus, they can be hybridized and studied to determine the genetic causes of phenotypic expression. Although research has shown that hybridization is not a driving force in speciation of the rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi (Albertson et al. 1999), hybridization could be a factor in the speciation of sand-dwelling and pelagic varieties of cichlids. Discussion The Danley and Kocher (2001) model follows a logical progression of speciation events; invasion, followed by niche habitat exploitation, then trophic competition, with the remaining diversification left to sexual selection. The fundamental reasoning of this model has merit for the rapid speciation of cichlids in the Lake Malawi, and it is robust, in that it includes multiple types of speciation (sympatric, allopatric, and parapatric) occurring over differing geographic and time ranges. However, it lacks resolution over time scales that include dramatic fluctuations in environmental conditions (i.e. lake level fluctuations). For instance, sexual selection remains a constant factor throughout speciation in Danley and Kochers model (2001), but lowered lake level would cause increased turbidity, which would limit the ability of females to chose males based on colorization. The model also relegates habitat and trophic competition to being factors in only the first and second bursts of cladogenesis. This does take into account issues of habitat fragmentation and population expansions associated with lake level changes, or the trophic changes that would occur from nutrient and chemical changes brought about by hydrogeologic variability. In conclusion, it has been experimentally shown that there are many ways that speciation has occurred both allopatric and sympatric in the cichlid fish populations of Lake Malawi. The Danley and Kocher (2001) model summarizes these types of speciation well. However, the model could be further developed to include recent discoveries in cichlid response to lake level changes (Genner et al. 2010; Sturmbauer 2001) as well as increasingly better refined phylogenetic studies. Understanding the history of Lake Malawis environmental and geologic past and the relationships of cichlid taxonomy will aid in the reconstruction of the causes, drivers, and limitations of rapid speciation in Lake Malawi. This understanding could be invaluable as human populations increase, putting pressure on natural resources, affecting habitats and reducing biological populations and diversity. Looking at periods of lowered lake level could be a powerful analogue for decreased genetic diversity that could inform future perturbations in endemic cichlid fish population of Lake Malawi.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Hallucinations and the Human Consciousness Essay -- Biology Essays Res
Hallucinations and the Human Consciousness The idea of consciousness has been contemplated throughout the course of neurobiology and behavior. When does it begin or end? And what, precisely, is consciousness? Though researchers may only approximate the answers to these questions, a few things may be inferred. Since the subconscious mind is the sleeping mind, the conscious mind can be thought of as the awakened mind, the mind which shows itself to others most often. (1) This is not to say that the conscious mind is reality, because (as will later be explained) reality is quite subjective. (1) It is just that the conscious mind is the one most people associate with reality. For example, people who experience an event while dreaming will refer to it as a dream, because it occurred in their subconscious. Whereas, if the event had occurred while they were awake-in their conscious mind-frame, then it would be considered as an actual experience. The designation between subconscious and conscious or reality and dreamlike states seem to be cut and dry. However altered mind-sets confuse the line and cause hallucinations. When we dream, our thinking is mostly pictorial and depends on memory. (1) We may hear words, but we understand most of the dream through pictures and people from the past or present. As we awaken, our mind switches from pictorial thinking to word-based thinking. (1) Hallucinations occur when the mind does not completely switch, or switches back, to the conscious state. (1,2) The first thing to note about hallucinations is that they have long been associated with mental illness because many people become confused as to what they are seeing or experiencing. (2) Though hallucinations do occur in mentally ill peo... ...ana demonstrates how hallucinations are not necessarily negative events. Though the mind is being distorted to a certain degree, the cause of the hallucination is more important than the hallucination itself. If drug use or a mental illness brings about the hallucination, the causes themselves are problematic. However, if one chooses to hallucinate because of a culture or religion, as in the cases of meditation and peyote, their behavior is justified. There is still much to be researched in this area of neurobiology and behavior. Not only because little is known, but also because it is far more common than most people would like to think, since psychologically and biologically ill people as well as normal people may hallucinate from time to time. Internet Sources: http://bluezoo.org/ http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202s98-paper1/Ebbitt.html
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
David Lachapelle Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio
The work of David LaChapelle can be seen everywhere you turn, be it on a magazine rack, album cover, advertisement, or even a music video. Dubbed the "New Surrealist", LaChapelle's vivid, colorful, bizarre, and humorous images have been admired by millions and have made him one of the most famous photographers alive today. Since the start of his professional career, LaChapelle's work has attracted the attention of many other artists, celebrities, journalists, and regular people. I first noticed his work on advertisements in magazines several years ago. I immediately felt drawn to his images- they are photographs I could stare at for hours, playing out in my head the story each photograph is telling and what it says about the character of the individual he is portraying. I am amazed at how he is able to pick up certain quirks in his subject's personality and build entire scenes around the unusual parts of their character. Each piece of work he creates is anything but mundane- even his simpler images tell a story. Born in Connecticut in 1969, David LaChapelle learned to love the art of photography at an early age. He grew up observing his mother, a non-professional photographer with a flair for appropriating a fantasy life onto film, whose influence can still be seen in his work today. He began taking photographs in High School, where he stated his original inspiration was "white-trash culture". Upon graduation, he moved to North Carolina to attend the North Carolina School of Arts, where he trained as a fine artist. A short time later at age nineteen, David LaChapelle made the decision to move to New York's Lower East Side and enrolled in both the Arts Student League and the School of Visual Arts. Although he was receiv... ...how in Las Vegas. The show has received many four-star reviews, including one from Rolling Stone magazine, which states "David LaChapelle fashioned a dizzying sexy, emotional spectacle that both parodied expectations about Vegas glitz and put new life and meaning into fifteen of John's strongest songs". With all of these achievements, it's easy to see why David LaChapelle has captured the attention of millions, including his own favorite photographer, Helmut Newton. He has essentially started a new genre of photography, and his work has become an inspiration for many up and coming photographers, including Michael Anthony, Frizzy Cube, and more. It's hard to believe that David LaChapelle could get any more amazing. The world can only expect more amazing things from this talented artist in years to come, and I think it's an honor to do my paper on this living-legend.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Ethical Issues on Confidentiality Essay
Ethical Issues on Confidentiality: Research and Medical Procedures A guiding principle followed by most administrators and health care providers is the concept that ethical principles must match the values of the whole organization. This belief should serve as a continuous teaching to all staff so that the organization’s goals may be uniformly achieved. Healthcare administrators must be fully competent in adhering to the ethical principles of patient and employee confidentiality in order to promote trust, respect, and the protection of individual’s rights concerning health information. This is one of the main objectives of the Privacy Rule or HIPAA, and a breach to this rule is one of the most common ethical issues. When administrators demonstrate capable ethical decisions in guiding the flow of services in the organization, there may only be a few disorders that will be encountered in the operations as a result of ethical perplexities. In the article, Ethics of Stem Cell Research (Siegel, A., Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Spring2013), the ethical dilemma of confidentiality in research pales in comparison to the dilemma posed in destroying human embryonic cells. A great dispute is presented on the use of human embryos and whether researchers are dealing with a human being or not. The question on the permissibility or the impermissibility to destroy human embryos is fully explored without the full ethical answer being presented. Confidentiality, research, and medical procedures all impart ethical dilemmas that complicate organizational activities. Problems of the Affected Population: Patients and Participants In the procurement of embryotic cells for example, research subjects are not considered the same way as patients and regarded differently in terms of confidentiality and privacy issues. According to the article, HIPAA, the Privacy Rule, and Its Application to Health Research (2009), â€Å"Health research is not the focus of HIPAA.†and, â€Å"Because a great deal of health research in the United States is also subject to the Common Rule- the federal rule that governs most federally funded research conducted on human beings and aims to ensure that the rights of human subjects are protected during the course of a research project, historically focusing on protection from physical and mental harm by stressing autonomy and consent.†(HIPAA and Research, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research, 2009). Many research institutions are not considered covered entities and therefore the subjects are not covered by the Privacy law. Nevertheless, all subjects must submit personally identifiable health information and in the course of research or procedure, a subject may be harmed. This is an uneven application of confidentiality and the Privacy law that gives more benefit to a patient than a research subject. Medical research in particular has a participant and some experimental procedures are accomplished with the patient as the subject in the belief that the experiment could bring positive results to the patient specially, when there is no definite answer to a needed treatment. According to Fremgen B.F. (2009), ethical issues arise when there is harmful effect to the patient from experimental procedures. Lack of understanding and communication remains a big barrier to ethical issues. Somehow the creation of the Privacy Law did not consider the welfare of the research subject, yet they are likened to a patient who undergoes procedures, submits identifiable health information, and when procedures are not perfect, may also suffer harmful consequences. The other bothersome issue is when the bodily parts contributed by the participant are sold, reused or endorsed to other institutions for other purposes. Other issues pertain to the interest of the researcher placed above the interest of the patient (B.F.Fremgen2009). Informed and voluntary consent from participants are used as shield in order to further the research activities, but privacy and confidentiality are both compromised on research participants and must also be incorporated. Proposed Solutions In California, where the biggest budget for stem cell research is allocated, the California Institute of Regenerative medicine (CIRM) in their objectives has encouraged institutions and researchers on the development of best practices in hSC projects. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) at each research institution must be responsible for the proper review of projects involving human participants. The regulations of the CIRM implies that donor consent must be understood fully by the participant, maintain a clear record of every embryo, strict accounting of donated cells, and must always be consistent with existing laws. In fairness to the donor, any medical complication must be treated fully, and the donor must not bear any cost for any treatment (G.P Lomax, Z. Hall, B. Lo, Responsible Oversight of Human Stem Cell Research: The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 2007) The foundation for all procurement of biological materials can be summed in informed consent. Authorizations and voluntary consent must be explicitly understood by the donor and must be presented with choices they can understand including the information regarding the destruction of the cells, commercial application and sharing (L. P Knowles, Issues in Procurement of Embryonic Stem Cells: Informed Consent and Conflict of Interest, n.d.) Information management system must be in place for protection of confidentiality. In most instances, the system must protect the anonymity of the donor to safeguard privacy. There will always be people who would donate biological materials for their own reasons beyond ones understanding. These individuals must be informed fully of the consequences and possible risks. In some places, inducement of monetary consideration is prohibited. However, there are instances when the donor sincerely commits to help in exchange for some requirements like burial assistance when deemed terminally ill. Ethical issues and personal choice of the donor must be taken into consideration at all times and the option to donate must be free from pressure. In some parts of the globe, there are ads roaming related to procurement of organs from individuals who are impoverished and destitute. The government and the public must be vigilant in exposing this black market trade of organ trafficking so as to safeguard the dignity, confidentiality, and humanity in general. The mainstream media must be cooperative in relaying to the public not only the positive implications of medical research but also the contrary, so that that knowledge and understanding of present scientific advancement and problems may be learned. The Administrator and Ethical Issues An administrator who is engaged in a healthcare institution where research activities are occurring commits to a heavier burden of maintaining the place for it to be free of ethical issues. Aside from the issue of patient care, privacy, lack of resources, maintaining regulations, and promoting goodwill, the needed knowledge on the requirements or regulations on research must be understood. The administrator must be adept at ethical analysis and organizational policies. Many have not been through a lot of experience related to research institutions but according to Fremgen B. F. (2009), â€Å"Adherence to bioethical principles involves the entire healthcare team, not just the physicians†(pg. 251). The ethics of the institution must be in accord with the staff and conflicting values should not prevail. The administrator must know how to initiate educational sessions and communicate the ethical values even with the integration of research and experimental procedures. References Siegel, A. Ethics of Stem Cell Research, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, rev. Jan 28,2013 Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stemcells/#EthDesHumEmbForRes Knowles, L.P. Issues in Procurement of Embryonic Stem Cell: Informed Consent and Conflicts of Interest, Retrieved::http://www.stemcellnetwork.ca/uploads/File/whitepapers/Inf Consent-and-Conflicts-of-Interest.pdf Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information: The HIPAA Privacy Rule; Nass SJ, Levit LA, Gostin LO, editors. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2009.Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9573/ Lomax GP, Hall ZW, Lo B (2007) Responsible Oversight of Human Stem Cell Research: The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s Medical and Ethical Standards.Retrieved http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0040114 B.F. Fremgen, Medical Law and Ethics (Third Ed. 2009)
Monday, September 16, 2019
Osce Scenarios
OSCE Scenarios ONE You are a 72 year old lady. This morning you were hanging your freshly laundered curtains, when you suddenly felt dizzy and you remember nothing after that, until your friend was calling your name. You have no idea how you ended up on the floor. You have had a few dizzy spells No SOB or chest pain. You have the odd â€Å"missing heart beat†not too troublesome. Otherwise you are fit and well. You were not incontinent during the attack. TWO You are a 42 year old professional trombone player. You are rehearsing for a tour abroad. Last night you seemed OK just a bit tired and possibly had a bit of a fever. This morning you woke up with severe left sided chest pain aggravated by deep breathing and coughing. You are very frightened because your sister had a pulmonary embolism after the birth of her baby. There is no sputum or haemoptysis. You had slight asthma as a child. You haven’t got much of a cough, but feel SOB and frightened to breathe deeply. Your general health is good and you’ve had no serious illnesses in the past. THREE You are a 35 year old man who came to A&E with pain when passing urine and discomfort for 3-4 days. You think that there was a little blood in your urine once. You are gay and not practice safe sex. (DO NOT VOLUNTEER THIS INFORMATION UNLESS YOU ARE ASKED. ) You are not particularly bothered about HIV. Generally your attitude is rather cavalier and have had several sexual partners in the past. FOUR You are the wife of an 82 year old man and you brought him into A&E because you are frightened and worried about him. For the last 3-4 days he’s been increasingly confused and today he started to get verbally abusive. He has never had psychiatric problems. This is most unlike his normal self. He feels a bit hot to you and his urine has been a bit smelly. He has mild, diet controlled diabetes and â€Å"some prostate problem†otherwise he has been remarkably healthy. FIVE You are the father of a 3 year old girl. Your wife and you separated 2 years ago and she is the main carer for the child. You have her every other weekend. You are rather vague about the child’s health, mainly because she does not live with you. DO NOT VOLUNTEER THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: You have been sexually abusing the girl for some time and obviously don’t want your ex-wife to find out, or anyone else for that matter. Therefore, you want this problem sorted out now. SIX You are a 72 year old heterosexual man. For the last few weeks you have noticed increasing difficulty with passing urine, terminal dribbling and a pressure feeling in your lower abdomen,. Your general health is fairly good but lately you have lost some weight and you’ve become impotent. SEVEN You are the mother of a 3 year old boy. This afternoon he fell off the slide in the park (about 2m high). He was sick once about 5 minutes after the accident, he was NKOD but has complained of headache ever since. He is alert and had something to eat about half an hour ago which stayed down. You are worried about the effects of the injury and have no idea what to look out for. EIGHT You brought your 6 month old baby to A&E as you are very anxious about her. She developed a cold, cough and temperature 3 days ago. She has not been eating well but she has no D&V. This morning you noticed that she is covered in a rash from head to foot. She is up to date with her immunisations (BUT DO NOT VOLUNTEER THIS INFORMATION. ) In a nearby school there are three confirmed cases of measles. You are convinced that your child has meningitis and you know this can be a fatal illness. Therefore, you think she should be admitted to hospital. NINE You are a 30 year old unemployed man. You have been abusing a variety of drugs, including diazepam, dihydrocodeine, amphetamine and cocaine in the past. You have an agreement with your GP that he will prescribe 90 tablets of Diazepam 5mg a month. However, recently you have been quite agitated and been taking more than the prescribed dose. When you are broke for money you also sell some of your tablets on the black market. You came today asking the receptionist to reissue your prescription saying that the previous was stolen from you. You are determined not to leave until you get some more tablets. Anyway, you can’t see what all the fuss is about. A few more tablets are neither here nor there and you are fed up with these dragons, called receptionists. You decided to duff them up a bit! TEN You are the mother of a 12 year old boy. He fell and cut his knee this morning at school. You brought him to A&E and after a long wait one of the junior doctors stitched his knee. The A&E charge nurse checked that your son has not had a tetanus booster since he was 3 years old and informed you that he needs a booster today. You agreed to this. The young doctor proceeded to administer the injection that the nurse gave him. The young doctor was very friendly and nice to your son but appeared nervous with shaky hands. After he gave the jab he seemed very anxious and it transpired that it was the wrong injection. He hasn’t checked the vial before administering the vaccine. You are flabbergasted and furious and threaten to sue the hospital. ELEVEN You are a27 year old man from the Ivory Coast. You have been resident in the UK for 3 years and recently returned to your country for a family visit. As you lived in Africa most of your life you did not think it was important to take malaria precautions. You’ve been feverish and felt rotten for two days with the light hurting your eyes, your neck and back of your head and you have terrible griping pains in your upper abdomen on both sides. DO NOT VOLUNTEER THE INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE JUST COME BACK FROM AFRICA! TWELVE You are a 29 year old woman who works as a solicitor in a big city law firm. This is a very prestigious job with high pressure and long working hours. Your main way of de-stressing is going to the gym at night. Two days ago your â€Å"back went†for the third time in six months and this morning you could hardly get out of bed and get dressed. The pain is really severe, especially when you bend down and at times like a knife in your back. You are not too bad at rest. The pain does radiate down your buttock to the back of your leg, but you have no pins and needles, loss of motor function or abnormal sensation. You are fed up and worried you might lose your job if you keep taking time off. One of your friends is a doctor and he told you that X rays are useless and you must have an MRI scan to see if you’ve got a slipped disc. You won’t budge unless the A&E doctor agrees to do this. YOU WON’T BE FOBBED OFF! THIRTEEN You are a 58 year old Pakistani man,. You were diagnosed as a diabetic in 1999 and hypertensive in 2001. You take metformin, gliclazide and enalapril. Last week you came to the practice nurse for a blood test and this morning the practice receptionist rang you to say that you must come in to see the doctor to discuss the result of your recent blood test. You are really worried and think there is something horribly wrong. Your mother and aunt were both diabetic and died
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)