Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Oil Struggle and the Fight for Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oil Struggle and the Fight for Power - Essay Example Possession of oil has been the cause of geopolitical and economic conflicts, most of which led to war. The endowment of oil reserve is not a guarantee of a nation’s rise to world power. Rather, their liberal supply of oil serves as a threat to their security. Over the years, Middle East remains to be the region with the bountiful amount of oil. Dietrich mentioned that Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait are three of the Middle Eastern countries that are capable of supplying billions of oil barrels. It is noteworthy that countries with large oil reserves have been in constant conflicts. The recent US occupation of Iraq in 2003 made a remarkable impact on the oil economy. Iraq has the third largest oil reserve in the world. Upon the conclusion of the war in Iraq, people have come to pay attention to the true aim of the war. The inability of US to find the alleged weapons of mass destruction contained in Iraq has led many to assume that America’s dwindling supply of oil is the main purpose of the intervention. The fear of the disruption in oil supply has been constantly thriving in the global atmosphere. As the demands for oil consumption continuously grow, the world market can expect oil to reach skyrocket prices. This threat motivates everybody, most industrialized nations, to take actions. If the increasing demand for oil does not cease, the future of oil industry in the Middle East can take one of two paths. Firstly, Middle East’s oil reserves can be expected to take a sweet spot in the global economy. If this happens, Middle East can rise as one of the world’s most powerful regions. Experts claim that this is highly unlikely due to the fact that some of the Middle Eastern countries are on an economic sanction.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Motivation Of Employees In Fierce Competition Business Essay

Motivation Of Employees In Fierce Competition Business Essay Due to the furious competition in different markets, ways to motivate employees can be seen as a key factor to companies, which has a significant value that should not be ignored by employers. Meanwhile, due to the highly competition between businesses, an improvement in employees creativeness and productivity will be more likely for companies to achieve the final goal. Therefore, companies should identify a motivation method that can be the best way for them to motivate staff, in order to reduce absenteeism and dissatisfaction problems. There are, however, a variety of methods to motivate workers, which can be classified into two typesfinancial, and non-financial motivation theories. Financial motivation methods, recommended in Taylors theories, value money and work conditions as the best way to encourage employees. The other type is non-financial methods, which was recommended in Mayos theories, stresses satisfying employees higher-level motivational needs. Maslows theory different iates needs into different levels, including basic and higher-level needs, and Herzberg developed a two-factor theory, which combines the two types of methods suggesting a combination would be necessary. Based on a series of analyses and comparisons, it is suggested that a mixture of both financial and non-financial motivational methods would be the most effective in increasing employees motivation and productivity. According to financial motivation theories, staff could be mainly motivated by financial rewards, such as salary, bonus and fringe benefits which are highly recommended in the lower level needs of Maslows theories and Taylors Scientific Management theory. There are, however, some defects in their theories that have been found in practice. (Hall et al, 2008) Figure 1: Maslow Hierarchy of needs (Docsiva, 2009) According to Maslows theory, a desirable payment, a comfortable work conditions or a good protection system for employees rights will lead to an increase of employees work motivation. As shown in Figure 1, physiological needs and safety needs are at the bottom of the pyramid, which means, salaries, food, security and physical protection are rudimentary needs for employees. According to Hall, et al (2008), fringe benefits is one of the financial methods which is defined as an extra payment besides wages or salaries, such as health care or pension would works as a useful financial motivation for employees to increase their work productivity. Air Product, the supplier of industrial gas, provides its staff with free yoga classes, skill training courses, and free annual medical checks to improve employees satisfaction (Hall et al, 2008) Cecilia, an employee in Air Product, said that her expertise and belongingness have been improved by these training courses in the company. (Air Products, 2009) All in all, motivated workers tend to make a greater effort at work to earn the financial rewards, which will in turn have a positive result in the companys profit growth. Another supporter of financial motivation is the father of Scientific Management Taylor, who argued that money can motivate staff most effectively. In Taylors theory, piece rate is another financial reward which argued that employers should make payments to workers based on the amount of work done by each employee in order to boost productivity. Taylors statement, however, seems to describe employees as machines without feelings or needs. (Hall et al, 2008) As Tutor2u (2009) stated, Taylors theory completely ignores other needs of workers, which may leads to problems of dissatisfaction or discouragement some employees. From a more comprehensive perspective, financial motivation can obviously encourage staff by giving them good payment or fringe benefits, but financial rewards cannot meet their psychological needs. Differing from financial motivation, non-financial methods, such as empowerment and team working can satisfy employees psychological needs which were recommended in Maslows upper level needs and Elton Mayo human relations theory. (Hall. et al, 2008) Non-financial motivation can be more valuable to employees in meeting their upper-level needs, which includes love and belong, esteem needs and self-actualization in Maslows pyramid. Based on Hall et al (2008), employee sense of community is at the fourth level (esteem needs) of Maslows pyramid which allows employees to be trusted and valued in the companies where they works in, therefore encouraged employees will be more productivity. Empowerment is one of the non-financial methods, which has a significantly effect on motivating the workforce by allowing them to take part in the decision making of a company. These ideas also are recommended by Mayos human relations theory. (Hall et al, 2008) Furthermore, teamwork is another way for companies to motivate their staff, which satisfies the third level needs in Maslows theories (love belong). In this situation, employees will be distributed into different groups and work together, so that employees can learn more professional skills from their partners and share responsibility in their teams. To demonstrate the effectiveness of teamwork, Hall et al (2008) also stated that cooperation between employees in team working can lead to an efficient working process and a higher chance to succeed at work. According to Free online research papers (2009), Starbucks usually provides an interactive and cooperative atmosphere for their employees, which can help them share responsibility in works and prevent them from getting bored. To look at another example, teamwork has been put into Volvos Uddevalla. Workers in each individual team are skilled enough to produce cars in time, hence, stocks has been avoided in this situation and the productivity has been increased (Ake, 2007) Therefore, employees in teamwork and empowerment systems will make a greater effort to achieve their companies goals because they all feel responsible and encouraged from their work. Employees cannot work without giving them pay; however, they are more likely feel dissatisfied if the companies overlook their psychological needs. As a result, a mixture of non-financial motivation methods and financial motivation methods can lead to higher productivity. Herzberg, another motivation professor, developed two-factor theory which considers both financial and non-financial motivation factors for the employees (Hall et al., 2008). Firstly, Herzberg analyzed numerous cases in which companies motivated the staff by recognizing their effort and giving the workers confidence which can be seen as non-financial motivation. Secondly, Herzberg stated that companies can boost employees productivity by improving hygiene and maintenance conditions, such as good canteens or free medical checks, which are considered to financial motivation (Hall et al., 2008) Employees may be satisfied by a good work environment, for instance, the largest business software producer, SAP, primarily mo tivated its staff with a good money payment, however, in order to encourages staff, SAP now also provides a free lunch, health care and a team work environment to each employee which adequately enhance employees satisfaction. (BBC News, 2003) Take Savoir Beds is another example which is a small company produces high quality beds. According to BBC News (2003), employees in Take Savoir Bed were motivated by pride in their work rather than bonuses. Therefore, besides money payment and good physiological conditions, communication such as teamwork or feeling can also motivate employees to work more efficiently. To sum up, financial methods motivate employees by salaries, fringe benefits and good conditions, however, non-financial methods such as empowerment, team working and esteem will provide an intrinsic motivation to the staff to work. It is suggested that companies should satisfy both physiological needs and psychological needs to motivate their employees to work more efficiently. As mentioned above, different types of companies should consider different motivation methods. Manufactories can use financial motivation methods due to most of their employees are low-income. Employees with higher income should be motivated with non-financial motivational methods to increase their productivity and work efficiency. Sometimes an attractive payment cannot really motivate the workers in the long run, therefore, it is also necessary for companies to satisfy their employees psychological needs to increase productivity and maximize their profits.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Western Movies Since 1960 Essay -- essays research papers fc

A NOT-SO-ACCURATE prophet once wrote, "As recently as 1972, there were a tremendous number of quality Westerns being made . . . and since there seems to be a ten-year cycle in Western movie making, I'd say we'll see more in about 1982." 1 In 1982 only two Westerns were released, and neither was exactly a major success. Barbarosa, starring Willie Nelson, drew some respectable reviews–and some very damaging ones–but nobody went to see the film. The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez appeared first on PBS television, then later went into general release. Today the Western seems to be deader than the California Med-fly. Critics and aficionados of the form can only hear, as with Arnold's sea of faith, its long receding roar. Everything except fluoride in the water has been blamed for the death of the Western. Even critics themselves have come under attack of late. Stephen Tatum, writing in 1983, called critics such as Brian Garfield and Don Graham "shootists," indicting them for a variety of sins. They are said to hold a "fundamentalist," transcendent conception of the Western. They are "redeemer" critics who wish to stop the clock, deny history, and halt the inevitable evolution of genres. Not only that, Garfield and Graham are moreover accused of being "authoritarian" and suspiciously close to the "moral majority" position.' It seems quite possible, however, that the roots of the Western's decline lie deeper than in the likes and animadversions of benighted critics. The Western has lost its audience. An entire generation of moviegoers has seen one big-screen Western in their lives, and that, sadly, is Blazing Saddles (1974). For this generation, who as children were glutted with television Westerns, such a legacy makes the Western an impossible form. Blazing Saddles is the final debunking of a long tradition and exposes the Western's moral preachiness, its presumed insensitivity to blacks, reds, women, and other minorities, its good-guy-bad-guy schematic oppositions. Blazing Saddles took the Western into the terrain of the scatological, and from that defamation, nothing could be regained for an entire generation. By the early 1980s, the Western seemed hopelessly irrelevant to the largest share of the moviegoing audience–the teen market. How could it ever compete with the simpleminded eighth-grade prurient v... ...k: Rawson Associates, 1982. Highly opinionated and vigorously written. Especially valuable for its insistence upon the importance of the writer in the creation of good Westerns. Graham, Don. Cowboys and Cadillacs: How Hollywood Looks at Texas. Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1983. Focuses on changes in the Western as reflected in its preoccupation with Texas and its various myths. Hardy, Phil. The Western. New York: William Morrow, 1983. A large, handsome book containing lively annotations of Westerns through 1983. Invaluable for anybody wanting either quick reference or the big picture. Hyams, Jay. The Life and Times of the Western Movie. New York: Gallery Books, 1983. Useful if unexciting survey of the Western from its beginnings to 1983. Lenihan, John H. Showdown: Confronting Modern America in the Western Film. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1980. Definitive study of how the post–World War II Western reflects such contemporary issues as civil rights, the Cold War, and Viet Nam. Pilkington, William T., and Don Graham, eds. Western Movies. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1979. Contains explications of several major films released during the 1960s and '70s.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Animals Should Not Be Used for Medical Research

UUB 3023 | CRITICAL THINKING| WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY NAME| 😠 SIFAJEE | TITLE| 😠 ANIMALS SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH IN MALAYSIA| Abstract There is no doubt that throughout the centuries, animals have played a central role in medical research in Malaysia. Many of the treatments available for serious illnesses we have today have come from animal experimentation. There has been recorded that the use of animals in research has been going on as far back as the Greek writings.According to the history, Aristotle who lived in 384-322 BC was the first to use living animals in experiments; whereas Galen, a physician in second-century Rome, was known as the â€Å"father of vivisection† from his experiments on living pigs. However, these experiments were not conducted in the name of clinical research; they were done to gain knowledge about the animals themselves. In that period of time, man was not set next to animals in comparison of physiology or any other way because man was seen as a creature above the animal. From century to century, new ideas were developed when Darwin came with his theory of evolution.His theory made a path that linked human with animals; and encouraged researches to be done on different animals to learn how human physiology worked. Even though many believed animal experimentation is important for clinical study, some claimed that it is against the humanity. Many debates have been carried out to argue whether the animal testing is crucial or cruel. The writer believes though many have heard of this matter, yet people need to know about the adverse effects it plays in the toxicology field. TABLE OF CONTENTS | | Page| | Abstract| 2| | Table of Contents| 3| Introduction| 4| | Argument 1| 5| | Argument 2| 7| | Counter Argument & Refutation| 9| | Conclusion & Recommendations| 13| | References| 15| Introduction Toxicology is the scientific study of interactions between chemicals or other biohazards to liv ing organisms and their systems; and how to prevent poisoning of such substances in application to human beings. Toxicologists often practice animal experimentations called â€Å"vivisection† in order to identify the effects of certain dose of drugs in animals; whether it is beneficial or become poisonous.Vivisection also include procedures such as infecting animals with diseases, poisoning for toxicity testing, brain damaging, maiming, and blinding to administer the impacts those acts have on these animals, and then, the theories created later can be practiced to enhance the human well-being. Nowadays, many animals in Malaysia are being used in toxicology field for clinical experiments, which cause more animal extinction in our country. Many people have been aware of this matter and this polemic has led to many arguments on whether it is really necessary to use animals in clinical study.Even though some people had argued that it is necessary to conduct clinical research on a nimals, it is believed that the act is no more applicable. The writer claims that animal testing or â€Å"vivisection† is inappropriate for clinical research in Malaysia because the results can be misleading and cause sufferings to animals. Argument 1 Firstly, an animal has a total different DNA and nervous system from a human and therefore you can’t rely on the results. It is claimed that bypass surgery is conducted to save the life of human beings, but the same bypass surgery can be fatal to animals.Similarly, paracetamol is a well-known medicine to cure headache on human, but it will kill a cat, goat or horse. Many of the animal experiments are not only horrible to the animals, but also unreliable. There are tremendous physiological variations between animal and human. According to a source (http://www. veganpeace. com/animal_cruelty/animal_testing. htm), it is stated that: â€Å"Drugs like ‘thalidomide’, ‘zomax’ and DES were all tested on animals and judged safe but had devastating consequences for the humans who used them.More than half of the prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration between 1976 and 1985 were withdrawn from the market or relabeled because of the serious side effects they had on humans. They had all been tested on animals. † It has long been stated that animal testing can certainly be downright contradictory in the results it provides, as well as merely misleading (Dappleshade, 2012). According to the Medical Research Modernization Committee, human data has historically been interpreted in light of laboratory data derived from nonhuman beings. This had turned out to downtrodden medical consequences.For an example, retrospective studies on human patients, in the early 60’s, had already shown a strong correlation between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Unfortunately, almost all experimental efforts on producing lung cancer in animals had failed (Medical Research Modernization Committee). Likewise, the relationship between alcohol consumption and cirrhosis (a liver disease caused by frequent alcohol consumption) is undeniable in human. However, experimental tests conducted to produce cirrhosis by excessive alcohol ingestion have failed in all animals except baboons.On the other hand, the case of polio research in animal models has directed to a misunderstanding of the mechanism of infection and it caused failed preventing measures and delayed the development of the vaccine. During the experimentation on monkeys, it has shown that the virus was transmitted via respiratory organs. When the vaccine tested with monkey’s cell, it has shown positive results. Eventually, the vaccine did not help in producing expected changes in human, and medical researchers found out later that the viruses of polio disease were actually transmitted through the digestive route in human.In short, it is clear that we should not rely on experimental studies in animals due to lots of misleading results and misunderstandings it catered. In Dr. Andrew Knight's â€Å"The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments†, it is stated that in a study of twenty randomly chosen cases, only two proved useful in further developing medicines and consistent with clinical trial data. Medical historians argued that key discoveries in fatal diseases in human were achieved mostly through observation of patients and human autopsy because there are lots of misleading results obtained through animal esting. It causes health warnings to be delayed for years, while thousands of people died of various diseases (Medical Research Modernization Committee). Argument 2 Secondly, animal testing or â€Å"vivisection† is inappropriate for clinical research because it causes horrific sufferings to animals. Masses have been debating on the issue that vivisection process is unethical because the helpless animals are harmed and it caused prolonging sufferings to t hem. Animals being sacrificed in the name of medical testing are not presented in objective ways by animal rights organizations in Malaysia.Hence, the general development of animal welfare-opinions has become more engaging. The fact why animal experimentation is against by the community is because the processes is not ended just by giving an animal a pill and see what it does, this is so much ahead than that. This include the action of applying animals with drugs, infecting it with diseases, poisoning for toxicity testing, brain damaging, maiming, blinding and other painful and invasive procedures (Anti-Vivisection Society, 2012). Furthermore, many people think that only mice and rats are being used in animal testing for clinical research.Most people don’t aware that actually rabbits, hamsters, cats, dogs, pigs, horses, goats, chickens, frogs, birds, monkeys and many more are being killed redundantly each year in laboratories. We can’t imagine what will happen to the a nimal’s population if this activity continues further. In addition, the protocols in animal experimentation turned out to be extremely heart-wrenching, where it includes procedures such as long-term social isolation, full-body restraint, electric shocks, withholding of food and water, or repeatedly breeding and separating infants from mothers.Animals suffer excessively when the medical practitioners break their legs, burn them, cut them open while they’re still alive, poison them and remove half their brains, spray fluids in their eyes and so on (Lithium Queen, 2010). The Anti-Vivisection Society further claimed that essentially, it is using animals in ways that cause distress or death in attempts to test the safety of drugs and biological products or finding treatments, prevention, and cures for human diseases. The other point to be noted is that animals are being sacrificed unnecessarily in order to maintain the human wellness.This is totally a failure of logic. Anim als in laboratories live in an intimidating environment within barren cages and experience unnatural lives of daily deprivation. The highly unnatural laboratory environment constantly stresses them. Most of the animals never get the chance to inhale fresh air nor relish sunshine. They are unable to convey their will, make choices, or exert their natural behaviors and needs. The changes that come into their lives are obviously from the intrusive experiments, which range from comfortless ‘zone’ to excruciation.Yet, they are helpless to defend themselves. Animals are not facing natural deaths in laboratories. The viruses that induced into their cells for testing may infect them vigorously and cause them to encounter death gradually. According to a research, it is stated that the viruses transmitted to animals affects the entire organism by altering pulse, blood pressure, hormone levels and immunological activities to their death. In short, it is totally unethical to conduc t animal testing for clinical researches as the adverse effects it has on the animal itself.Peter Singer wrote Animal Liberation in 1975, which has been a major formative influence on the modern animal rights movement. He wrote that â€Å"there are obviously important differences between human and other animals, and these differences must give rise to some differences in the rights that each have. † This is meant in a way that justifies the needs and rights every animal have. Thus, there is no reason to necessarily give an animal what you would have given a man (Dappleshade, 2012). Counter Argument ; Refutation However, there are those who argue that animals should be used for clinical research in Malaysia.The main reason why animals should be used is that animals are more likely resemble to human and they are more accountable to be in replace of human being for clinical studies. Animals are surrogates for humans. The basic reason for animal trials is to determine two issues before any new compound introduced to a human; safety and efficacy, whether a compound is safe for human ingestion and also whether a product works for its intended purpose (Laura Blue, June 17, 2008). In the perspective of doctors and scientists, animal testing is very important for medication and the humanity as a whole.Advocates of animal testing say that the outcomes of testing on animals are the most credible. Millions of medical discoveries decades ago were achieved through animal experimentations. According to the published journal Animal Testing in Medical Research, n. d, one of the most important discoveries was the discovery of insulin in humans. Insulin is secreted from the pancreas. In 1889, a pancreas from a dog was removed to prove its role in digestion. When the pancreas was removed, the researchers discovered flies swarming around the urine of the dog. They found sugar in the urine which proved the connection between pancreas and diabetes.For the following two decade s a lot of researches were done on dogs to figure out how to keep the dog alive without its own insulin production. Similarly, a lot of medical researches involving animals have been conducted to study the correlation it applies on human, and hence, enhance the wellness of human being. Some of the successful discoveries that has helped human from last centuries are as follows: †¢ Kidney transplants †¢ Replacement heart valves †¢ Polio vaccine †¢ Hip replacement surgery †¢ Heart bypass operations †¢ Drugs to treat mental illness †¢ Drugs to treat stomach ulcers, asthma and leukemia Drugs to control transplant rejection †¢ Life-support systems for premature babies It is affirmed that animal testing is important because in the absence of human data, research with experimental animals is reliable for detecting important toxic properties of chemical substances and for estimating risks to human and environmental health. A medical student from the Ox ford University, Kristina Cook, had argued that if this fundamental research is stopped, we won’t find a cure for cancer, a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a vaccine for AIDS, a therapy for Alzheimer’s and a cure for paralysis.She insisted that any further advances in medicine and human health are absolutely dependent on animal research. Moreover, if to compare who is better to be used to conduct an experiment, of course people will choose animals instead of themselves, even though they realize that animals are also important creatures in our life (Daniyar, 2012). From the drugs testing on animals, now we have antibiotics and vaccines that have saved many people lives. According to Dr. Jane Goodall, n. , he said that, people got used to take all conveniences from life and forget that all those depend on medical researches on animals. In addition, the remedy that now saves thousands of women fighting with breast cancer was developed through medical testing on mice. According to Batul Nafisa Baxamusa, 2010, in DNA level, chimpanzees' body matches up with humans' in 90%. This big number facilitates successful surgeries and transplantations because of similar inner organs of chimpanzees with human's organs.According to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), liver from baboon was successfully transplanted to a 35 year- old man in June 1992. This case was the first known transplantation from animal to human. It is the best example of how animal testing has resulted in saving human lives. In spite of opinion that using animals for people's curing is wrong, we can’t deny that fact that annually millions of animals are killed for food; they are used for agriculture, hunted for pleasure of people and even euthanized (Natalie Kustcher, n. ). In that case, using animals to treat and save people's lives by using their organs in surgeries, wouldn’t be the worst deal. Nevertheless, this argument can be refuted because it has bee n proven that with the availability of modern alternatives now, animals testing can be considered as useless. With the development of technology in science, various new alternatives have been found to replace the experiment on animals. Studies can be undertaken upon human cell cultures and engineered tissues, than testing on animals.According to a published journal, Animals in Research: The Importance of Animals in the Science of Toxicology (2006), one alternate way is by applying ‘vitro’ tests (meaning) laboratory tests using cell or organ cultures rather than whole organisms. In other cases, organisms such as worms or bacteria are used instead of mammals. In replacement of animals, computer models can also be developed to predict outcomes of the test carried out. The viable options were meant to produce more accurate results on the clinical research and to prevent more animals from being harmed.The cloning of human organs and examining within the cell cultures are now scientifically proven to produce more reliable data to human autopsy and therefore, the need for animal testing will be no longer become an issue. Referring to a reliable source (http://www. newscientist. com/article/mg15120450. 300-pioneers-cut-out-animal-experiments. html), a company by the name of Pharmagene Laboratories in the United Kingdom utilises only tissue cultures and computer modelling on its drug development and testing.The existence of this company shows that the need for animal experimentation is now no longer the case. Medical practitioners by all means can now consider replacing vivisection on animals with cloning of organs and safely test on it. By this way, no one gets hurt, and eventually it doesn’t cost as much as animal testing. Many people may believe that modern alternatives are much more expensive than animal testing because that is what the pharmaceutical industry keeps telling them.It indeed costs quite an amount of money to switch from old techniq ues to new ones, but eventually it will be worth it. It is a one-time investment, whereas with animal testing; you have to keep paying for it. The cost to rear, feed and maintain animal subjects is extremely high, whereas the alternative methods are cheaper and thus less burdensome on the economy. So despite what the industry claims, animal testing is more expensive than the use of modern alternatives (LithiumQueen, 2010). Conclusion & RecommendationsTo sum things up, the writer would like to uphold once again that animals should not be used for clinical research in Malaysia. Through time, the welfare of the animals has come into focus, and several legislations have been made to prevent cruelty and unnecessary acts. Even though many medical breakthroughs have been a result of animal researches, we should only be grateful to the animal tests of the past for the benefits they have provided us, without seeing a need for animal tests in the future (Dappleshade, 2012).Despite of the argu ments that animal experimentation must be conducted because animal pathology is similar to that of humans, we should aware more on the consequences that the misleading results animal testing has played, and that using animals in laboratories cause horrific sufferings to them. There are more negative effects imposed by animal experimentation than the benefits it has provided us with. A professor of philosophy, Professor Charles R. Magel made his statement that: â€Å"Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: ‘Because the animals are like us. Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: ‘Because the animals are not like us. ‘ Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction. † In Europe, a research foundation called 3Rs is being implemented in order to find solution to the abundance number of animals sacrificed in the name of animal testing. The term 3Rs stands for Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. This implies the concept to replace animal testing, to reduce the number of animals used in testing, or to refine methods to minimise the distress for research animals.This kind of research foundation should be implemented in Malaysia as well, to promote good science with no animal experimentation in future. In conclusion, with the new technology lead to viable alternatives and more humane methods like use of cell cultures and imaging, it is hoped that the number of animals used in medical research can be tremendously reduced. References * Christine Egerszegi- Obrist, 3R Research Foundation (n. d). Good Science with Less Animal Experimentation. Available at http://www. forschung3r. ch/ * Dappleshade, Debate. org (2012).Animal Testing should be Banned. Retrieved from http://www. debate. org/debates/Animal-testing-should-be-banned/1/ * Kristina Cook (April 4,2006). Why Animal Research is Important AND Needed: A Copy of the Speech I Gave on the February 25th D emonstration. Retrieved from http://www. protest. org. uk/2006/04/why-animal-research-is-important-and. html * Laura Blue (June 17, 2008). How Much Does Animal Testing Tell Us?. Retrieved from http://www. time. com/time/health/article/0,8599,1815241,00. html * Lee Bowman, Scripps Howard News Service (2011).Animal Testing: Crucial or Cruel?. Retrieved from http://www. abc15. com/dpp/news/national/animal-testing%3A-crucial-or-cruel * LithiumQueen, Mibba Creative Writing (2010). The Cruelty of Animal Testing. Retrieved from http://www. mibba. com/Articles/Science/3703/The-Cruelty-of-Animal-Testing/ * Marte Thomassen, Ellen Trolid, Tonje Arondsen, Marit Gystol (n. d). Animal Testing in Medical Research- Past, present and future. Retrieved from http://www. nt. ntnu. no/users/clabec/pdf/MedicalResearchAnimalExperiments. pdf Medical Research Modernization Committee (2006). A Critical Look at Animal Experimentation. Retrieved from http://www. mrmcmed. org/Critical_Look. pdf * Neavs. org (n. d). Alternatives in Testing. Retrieved from http://www. neavs. org/alternatives/in-testing * The Society of Toxicology (2006). Animals in Research: The Importance of Animals in the Science of Toxicology. Retrieved from http://www. toxicology. org/ai/air/AIR_Final. pdf * Wanda Embar (2008). Animal Testing. Retrieved from http://www. veganpeace. com/animal_cruelty/animal_testing. htm

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Language and structure Essay

Language and structure are used in Kew Gardens to create certain effects though language and structure. One of the main meanings presented in Kew Gardens is how man kind is part of a larger picture. Furthermore, Virignia Wolf depicts a bigger picture through the use of extended metaphors. For example, the use of a snail and comparing this to the path of human life, and how it is scattered with obstacles. Imagery is used to create many effects as stated above in the first paragraph. One type of language used by Virginia Wolf is extended metaphors. For example, Wolf writes â€Å"The snail, whose shell had been stained red, blue and yellow. † In the following quote the shell is described with many adjectives to describe the beauty of life. For example, she writes â€Å"blue and yellow. † The use of the following evidence once again emphasises the use of imagery to create the effect that life is eternal and beauty. However, the use of imagery is some what of a contradiction from a normal snail emphasising to the audience that although man envisions a perfect picture of everything it may not seem the case. There is also a greater use of personification in the language to create meaning. For example, â€Å"tongue shaped leaves† and â€Å"yellow gloom of the throat† The following quote just like the snails idealises things. By idealising flowers just like the snail it juxtaposes with the description given of people within the text. Emphasising to the audience that humanity is part of a bigger cycle. Presenting to the audience how human life is intertwined with the flowers in the garden that is essential for our survival. Wolf’s tone and style can be considered very descriptive with little action. The use intense description makes nature sound tranquil and pleasant whilst the deliberate lack of description on human does the opposite creating meaning that man is not as great as it assumes. For example, Wolf gives the descriptions of the of an old, poor women as ‘Sugar, flowers, kippers greens. ‘ Emphasising my point above that through description Wolf makes humans sound dull and self centred. Furthermore, another point which can be emphasised is that Wolf uses language in order to make humans be portrayed as judgemental people. However, through the use of descriptive language on the parks it shows that nature can be appreciated by all. â€Å"The ponderous woman looked through the pattern of falling words at the flowers. † This quote creates a meaning to the audience that although Victorian society is divided by class. Our lives as humans are short and in insignificant and that like nature and the park we are forgotten and we become that cycle of intense beauty. This point can be suggested to have been created by Virginia Wolf because in Victorian society they followed the Bible which states ‘ashes to ashes dust to dust. ‘ Which can be interpreted just like Kew Gardens that we enter with and we end with nothing. However, we ourselves are part of humans nature. Lastly, through dialogue action Virginia creates the effect that going against nature results in disastrous consequences. For example, as the old man states in his dialogue â€Å"heaven was unknown to the ancients as Thessaly, William and now, with this war, the spirit matter is rolling between the hills like thunder†, and â€Å"women! Widows! Women in black! This quote by the old man demonstrates that although man wishes to feel invincible the message of peace and cooperation has to happen just like nature with man in harmony. Therefore, Virginia Wolf through tone and style and dialogue shows how nature and man live side by side. Furthermore, that although man wishes to be invincible and conquer everything through the old man we as humans acknowledge just like nature that we have to live in harmony to accept our existence.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Crows, Ravens and Jays - Corvidae - The Animal Encyclopedia

Crows, Ravens and Jays - Corvidae - The Animal Encyclopedia Crows, ravens and jays (Corvidae) are a group of perching birds that also includes jackdaws, rooks, magpies, nutcrackers, choughs and treepies. In total, there are more than 120 species that belong to the crow family. Crows, ravens and jays are medium to large birds. The group includes the largest members of the perching birds. Many crows, ravens and jays have large wingspans. They have a robust body, strong feet and sturdy bills. Their nares (nasal openings) are fringed by bristle-like feathers known as rictal bristles. In temperate areas, most members of the group are partly or entirely black, blue, iridescent blue or iridescent purple. Some species, such as the magpies and jays, are more varied in color. They might have plumage with a mixture of black, white, grey and blue markings. Members of this group of birds are thought to be highly intelligent, not just among birds but among all animals. Crows and rooks have demonstrated tool making abilities while European magpies have exhibited self-awareness in mirror tests. Many members of the crow family establish and protect territories either during the breeding season or throughout the year. When threatened, some corvids can defend their offspring or territories aggressively and are known to attack large animals such as other birds, dogs or cats. Many species of corvids form social groups and hierarchies for foraging and breeding. Many species of corvids have flourished in human environments. But while such species have enjoyed healthy populations, a few corvids have experienced declines. Examples of threatened members of the crow family include the Florida scrub jay, the Mariana crow and the New Zealand raven. Crows and their relatives form strong pair bonds and in some species this association is life-long. In most species, nests are constructed in trees or on rock ledges. Nests are built using twigs, grass and other plant materials. Females lay between 3 and 10 eggs and young fledge after about 10 days. The largest member of the crow family is the common raven which grows to more than 26 inches in length and weighs 3 pounds. The smallest member of the crow family is the dwarf jay which grows to about 8 inches and weighs little more than an ounce. Crows, ravens and jays have a nearly-worldwide distribution. They are absent from only the southern tip of South America and the polar regions. The group is most diverse in tropical regions of Central America, South America, Asia and Europe. Most members of the crow family do not migrate although when food shortages occur, populations do relocate. Classification Animals Chordates Birds Perching Birds Crows, Ravens and Jays The crows, ravens and jays are divided into about a dozen subgroups, some of which include New World jays, grey jays, azure-winged magpies, Holarctic magpies, Stresemanns bushcrow, piapiac, true crows, nutcrackers, Old World jays, Oriental magpies, treepies and choughs. The crow family is thought to have originated in Australia and spread throughout the world. The closest relatives of the crows, ravens and jays are thought to be the birds of paradise and shrikes. There remains considerable ambiguity regarding the exact lineages and their relationships within the crow family. The earliest members of the crow family date back about 17 million years ago to the middle Miocene. Known fossils include Miocorvus, Miocitta, Miopica and Henocitta. Crows, ravens and jays feed a variety of foods including small mammals, birds, invertebrates as well as fruits, seeds and berries. Some members of the crow family feed on insects such as grasshoppers while others feed on carrion.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Pretender Essays - The Pretender, Dream, Jackson Browne

The Pretender Essays - The Pretender, Dream, Jackson Browne The Pretender "The Pretender" by Jackson Browne tells a story of a man who has dreams of money and love. Pretenders dream of the "American Dream," money, and love, but do not possess these things. The Pretender in the song, typifies the middle-aged American. All want money and love, but few have them. "The Pretender" reveals a message of a man who had strong dreams, only to have them fade into the harsh reality of life. First, the Pretender dreams of possessing legal tender and living the American life. He dreams of living in a good house, and living a stable life. The quotation, "I'm going to rent myself a house in the shade of the freeway I'm going to pack my lunch in the morning and go to work each day And when evening rolls around I'll go on home and lay my body down," states that the man has a desire for a normal life. He wants a steady job, and a comfortable house. The Pretender also yearns for money, as stated "I'm going to be a happy idiot And struggle for legal tender Where the ads take aim and lay their claim To the heart and soul of the spender And believe in whatever may lie In those things that money can buy Thought true love could have been a contender," and he even thought money could by love. But in the end, the Pretender found out that money can't buy love. Second, the Pretender dreams of love, only to see his dreams fade. The quotation, "Ah the laughter of lovers As they run through the night Leaving nothing for the others But to choose off and fight And tear at the world with all their might While the ships bearing their dreams sail out of sight," perhaps describes the pretender's dreams. He dreams of love, and to have nothing disturb it, only to have his dream "sail out of sight." Third, the pretender, with all of his dreams, realizes the harsh reality of his life. The quotation, "Out into the cool of the evening Strolls the Pretender He knows that all his hopes and dreams end there," describes how he realizes how, though he has hopes and dreams, he will not likely attain them. Also, he realizes the monotony of his life, caused by a lack of love, as stated in the quotation, "And when the morning light comes in I'll get up and do it again Amen Say it again Amen." Clearly, the Pretender dreams of big things such as money, possessions, and love. Along the way, however, he loses his dreams and realizes how they only go so far. So, "Say a prayer for the Pretender Who started out so young and strong Only to surrender."Amen.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Horned and Frilled Ceratopsian Dinosaurs

Horned and Frilled Ceratopsian Dinosaurs Among the most distinctive of all dinosaurs, ceratopsians (Greek for horned faces) are also the most easily identified - even an eight-year-old can tell, just by looking, that Triceratops was closely related to Pentaceratops, and that both were close cousins of Chasmosaurus and Styracosaurus. However, this extensive family of horned, frilled dinosaurs has its own subtleties, and includes some genera you might not have expected. (See a gallery of horned, frilled dinosaur pictures and profiles and a slideshow of famous horned dinosaurs that werent Triceratops.) Although the usual exceptions and qualifications apply, especially among early members of the breed, paleontologists broadly define ceratopsians as herbivorous, four-legged, elephant-like dinosaurs whose enormous heads sported elaborate horns and frills. The famous ceratopsians listed above lived exclusively in North America during the late Cretaceous period; in fact, ceratopsians may be the most All-American of dinosaurs, though some genera did hail from Eurasia and the earliest members of the breed originated in eastern Asia. Early Ceratopsians As stated above, the first horned, frilled dinosaurs werent confined to North America; numerous specimens have also been discovered in Asia (most notably the area in and around Mongolia). Previously, as far as paleontologists could tell, the earliest true ceratopsian was believed to be the relatively small Psittacosaurus, which lived in Asia from 120 to 100 million years ago. Psittacosaurus didnt look much like Triceratops, but close examination of this dinosaurs small, parrot-like skull reveals some distinctively ceratopsian traits. Recently, however, a new contender has come to light: the three-foot-long Chaoyangsaurus, which dates to the late Jurassic period (as with Psittacosaurus, Chaoyangsaurus has been pegged as a ceratopsian mostly because of the structure of its horny beak); another early genus is the 160-million-year-old Yinlong. Because they lacked horns and frills, Psittacosaurus and these other dinosaurs are sometimes classified as protoceratopsians, along with Leptoceratops, the oddly named Yamaceratops and Zuniceratops, and, of course, Protoceratops, which roamed the plains of Cretaceous central Asia in vast herds and was a favorite prey animal of raptors and tyrannosaurs (one Protoceratops fossil has been discovered locked in combat with a fossilized Velociraptor). Confusingly, some of these protoceratopsians coexisted with true ceratopsians, and researchers have yet to determine the exact genus of early Cretaceous protoceratopsian from which all later horned, frilled dinosaurs evolved. The Ceratopsians of the Later Mesozoic Era Fortunately, the story gets easier to follow once we reach the more famous ceratopsians of the late Cretaceous period. Not only did all these dinosaurs inhabit roughly the same territory at roughly the same time, but they all looked unnervingly alike, save for the differing arrangements of the horns and frills on their heads. For example, Torosaurus possessed two big horns, Triceratops three; Chasmosaurus frill was rectangular in shape, while Styracosaurus looked more like a triangle. (Some paleontologists claim that Torosaurus was actually a growth stage of Triceratops, an issue that has yet to be conclusively settled.) Why did these dinosaurs sport such elaborate head displays? As with many such anatomical features in the animal kingdom, they probably served a dual (or triple) purpose: horns could be used to fend off ravenous predators as well as to intimidate fellow males in the herd for mating rights, and frills could make a ceratopsian look bigger in the eyes of a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as attract the opposite sex and (possibly) dissipate or collect heat. A recent study concludes that the main factor driving the evolution of horns and frills in ceratopsians was the need for members of the same herd to recognize each other! Paleontologists divide the horned, frilled dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous period into two families. Chasmosaurine ceratopsians, typified by Chasmosaurus, had relatively long brow horns and large frills, while centrosaurine ceratopsians, typified by Centrosaurus, possessed shorter brow horns and smaller frills, often with large, ornate spines projecting from the top. However, these distinctions shouldnt be taken as set in stone, since new ceratopsians are constantly being discovered across the expanse of North Americain fact, more certaopsians have been discovered in the U.S. than any other type of dinosaur. Ceratopsian Family Life Paleontologists often have a hard time distinguishing male from female dinosaurs, and they sometimes cant even conclusively identify juveniles (which may have been either the children of one genus of dinosaur or the full-grown adults of another). Ceratopsians, though, are one of the few families of dinosaurs in which the males and females can usually be told apart. The trick is that, as a rule, male ceratopsians had bigger frills and horns, while those of females were slightly (or sometimes significantly) smaller. Oddly enough, the hatchlings of different genera of horned, frilled dinosaurs seem to have been born with pretty much identical skulls, only developing their distinctive horns and frills as they grew into adolescence and adulthood. In this way, ceratopsians were very similar to pachycephalosaurs (bone-headed dinosaurs), the skulls of which also changed shape as they aged. As you can imagine, this has led to a fair amount of confusion; an unwary paleontologist may assign two grossly different ceratopsian skulls to two different genera, when they were actually left by differently aged individuals of the same species.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Winning the West for Women by Jennifer M Ross-Nazzal Essay

Winning the West for Women by Jennifer M Ross-Nazzal - Essay Example In this book, Ross-Nazzal analyzes the situations that Emma DeVoe underwent as a suffragist in the American west and shows the clashes of personality, conflicts, disagreements and hard workings of the efforts to attain the vote for women in the American west at national level from the year 1889 till Emma’s death in 1927 (Ross-Nazzal 5). This book is fascinating in the sense that Ross-Nazzal stresses that Emma’s career offers a unique platform through which to fully comprehend the suffrage reform movement in America. In this, the career of Emma is a manifestation of women’s struggle to attain the vote. She clearly demonstrates how local and state suffrage unions or organizations in American west related to the National American women suffrage association and how this organization solicited for funds as well as depicting how suffragist attained the hard work of long distance travel and politicking. This book reveals that women suffrage movement was not monolithic a s they combined with other people throughout the country to raise money to fund the organization so that their grievances were heard. The author of the book presents DeVoe as radical feminist in that she used feminine perspective to influence people in endorsing enfranchisement and particularly the use of sweetness in talking to male voters. For instance, she emphasized her appearance as a woman during public forums and talks striving to look lady like in presentation and demeanor. It is interesting to note that DeVoe’s tactics were effective in the sense she managed to convert both sexes to raise money, draw the support of businessmen and politicians and lastly bringing sanity and respect to the movement for women’s suffrage. Ross-Nazzal states that the prominence of DeVoe in suffrage movement gained centre stage when she was in South Dakota in 1880. South Dakota was a rotten place in that it included prostitution and gambling in that there was no moral order in that place. Therefore, DeVoe started engaging in moral reforms in order to eliminate these ills, often singing to various reform audiences (Ross-Nazzal 6). In addition, DeVoe planned for campaigns while in Dakota in order to get voters to support the suffrage movement. It is these events that shaped the career of DeVoe in that she began expanding the role of reform and the road to national healing and reconciliation. In the 1880s, she moved towards working for women’s’ suffrage movement at a time when she came to belief in women’s political rights that would help eliminate prostitution, drunkenness and other social ills witnessed during her stay at Huron in South Dakota. In addition, it is interesting to note that while in South Dakota, she voted for constitutional amendment geared towards women’s suffrage. In her move to support amendments in the constitution, she oftenly spoke using patriotism, humor, memories of civil war and conciliatory perspectives to bo th sexes so as to persuade audiences. She received criticism during her South Dakota campaigns in that she was accused of self serving, selfish and ambitious. In this book, Ross-Nazzal states that DeVoe moved to Washington where she gained a national reputation as a true patriot. In addition, she was given the position of a lecturer at NAWSA. She travelled widely organizing State and local suffrage clubs and bringing in money. Her position as NASWA lecturer better placed in that she was now in a position to travel widely and popularize the suffrage movement. More so, she spent her time organizing and soliciting for funds in States like Illinois, Montana and Nevada (Ross-Nazzal 18). The relation between populism and suffragist delayed the movement objectives as in some such as North Dakota populists delayed the movem

Friday, October 18, 2019

Sport Tourism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sport Tourism - Assignment Example sts of Olympic Games being held in Canada may be marred by unending debates just before and after the end of the games as is the case in other nations that have hosted the Olympic Games before. Ideally, it is not possible the exact cost of staging world games of such magnitude since there are no accepted standards and mechanisms of assessing related expenditures. However, the staging nation obviously has to benefit in many ways from such a global participation thus it must provide an increase in GDP, creates numerous jobs, the influx of sport tourists and normal tourists are known to flock in the staging nations hence provision of more revenues for the hosting as well as other cities of the host nation. Small and medium businesses usually receive a big boost from such a sporting event as the spending power is normally high. The presence of high performance sports people is a form of inspiration to the youths of a nation such as Canada. The hosting nation also receives a major facelift on its infrastructural set up. Although supporters of Olympic Games do argue that the benefits are much more that the negative effects, still such a sporting event must bring problem of overcrowding, targets of hooliganism that includes terrorist activities, increased taxes and cost of living due to high spending and ready market for products and services. The Games also disrupts the normal systems of a country as it is common to find diversion of roads and in most cases schooling activities are in jeopardy as focus is shifted to such an event. In addition, there are some unanticipated burdens that may only show up if the Games are largely perceived to be a failure thus the host nation image in shattered in the global branding (Robinson & Novelli,

The nation-state concept. You can focus on the 'Kurdish' or 'Roma Research Paper

The nation-state concept. You can focus on the 'Kurdish' or 'Roma Rights' - Research Paper Example A particular attention in this paper will be paid to providing the reader with a careful examination of Nation-State issue. The main objectives of this paper include the following: (1) careful examination of problems faced by Kurdish community, (2) careful examination of the concept of Nation-State and its application for finding solution to the Kurdish problem. The main objective of this paper is to give answer to the question whether or not the idea of Nation-State can be applied to Kurdish problem. Introduction Kurds The last ten years were marked by the struggle of the Kurdish people for self determination. However the struggle did attracted the attention of the world community. In fact, for a long time the fight of the Kurds of Iran against the Islamic fundamentalist regime remained to be the issue which was either under reported or under researched. However, one thing remains to be evident - Iranian Kurdistan remains to be the guarantee of Kurdish resistance and their ability t o achieve their statehood in a peaceful way. Failure to bring peace to Kurdish community was accompanied by death of some important Kurdish politicians. The list includes Dr Sharafkandi, Fattah Abdoli, Homayoun Ardalan and Nouri Dehkordi. The first attempt to solve the issue begun with the creation of Kurdistan state. During its brief existence the Republic a lot of reforms. These reforms were aimed at promoting ideas of for secularism, modern education and woman’s emancipation. However, Kurgistan did not exist for a long time. The Republic stopped its existence after the evacuation of British and Soviet troops. This measure led the central government suppress the Republic and execute Qazi Mohammad. After execution of Qazi Mohammad the republic continued to experience a further suppression and continued oppression of the Kurdish identity. Kurdish opposition continued to be deteriorated. Today the Kurdish question remains to be enlisted as the unsolved question. Kurdish region continues to suffer from multiple oppressions. As a result of these problems Kurdish culture remains to be only partially recognized. Even now Kurds continue to look for possible chance to create their own state. Creation of a nation-state as a possible solution to Kurdish problem seems to be the only reasonable way to solve the problem. The Nation – State Concept The concept of a Nation-State is used to signify a region, a state or a country that has its own borders and territory. A remarkable feature of such state that is called Nation-State is that it unites together people who share the same ethnic and cultural background. A particular feature of the notion of the Nation-State is that people who inhabit the territory might share the same language and religion. In addition, this group of people has a deep sense of cultural and national values. The notion of nation-state is very complicated notion. This is largely reasoned by the growing immigration rate who has already se ttled on the territory of the region. When the number of immigrants is high the Nation-State cannot exist. This is so because of the following reasons: (1) diverse cultures; (2) different language; (3) different ethnicity. Current research clearly shows that only nations with a low level of immigratio

Augmented Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Augmented Reality - Essay Example Whereas adoption of AR in businesses and organisations is still in its early stages, AR technology can be said to have matured to a position where firms can utilise it as an in-house tool to enhance as well as complement business workflow, employee training as well as processes. Augmented technology assists in business innovation through facilitating real-time making of decisions via virtual visualisation and prototyping of content. Augmented Reality also offers the uppermost advantage to efficiency.AR therefore has got the potential to enhance productivity, offer hands-on experience, make simpler current processes, amplify available information, offer real time accessibility to data, provide new methods to envisage problems as well as solutions and finally improve collaboration. Information technology organisations can make use of AR to not only bridge the digital world but also the physical world as well. Thus Augmented Reality is a unique opportunity for Information Technology to offer leadership so as to improve the firm’s interaction with its in-house user base. Nevertheless, firms have utilised AR for in house functions in the past for particular and limited assignments, developing internal solutions for utilising custom software and hardware. It is expected, in future, that firms will adopt AR, especially with the advent of handheld convenient, affordable devices like tablets and smart phones, thus making in house IR applications extensively

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Materiality in Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Materiality in Auditing - Essay Example As per IASB, the term ‘materiality’ refers to the information that are is important if their its exclusion or inaccurate presentation could shape the economic decision of the users of the financial statement of a business. The Materiality rests upon the magnitude of the evaluated element or error in some scenario of the auditor’s omission or inaccurate presentation. The Materiality depicts the significance of an exclusion or of an incorrect presentation of an accountancy data or information which will impact the decision of a user of such accountancy information. As per ISA (UK&I) 320 , materiality in planning and carrying over out an audit means that the auditor employs the notion of materiality in planning and carrying over out the audit to identify material misstatements. Moreover, at the final  end of the auditing, the auditor will decide whether the unrectified misstatements recognised are either in aggregate or individually material to the financial statements or not. Thus, in deciding the materiality, auditor has to exercise his judgment. An omission or misstatement can be evaluated to be material or immaterial by virtue of their its nature or size or a mixture of both (FRC 2013:7). The auditor is anticipated to design and carry out an audit that offers a reasonable promise that materials’ misstatements will be exposed. Both materiality and audit risk are interconnected in that audit risk is explained in terms of materiality. If there is a material misstatement present in the financial statement even after the audit has been executed , in such case auditor will be held responsile for not highlighting the materiality (Rittenberg, Johnstone & Gramming 2011:135). The notion of materiality offers flexibility to financial reporting, and this can result in abuse. Corporations may record â€Å"small† errors

Analysis of Chapter Two of Guy Deutscher Book The Unfolding of Essay

Analysis of Chapter Two of Guy Deutscher Book The Unfolding of Languages - Essay Example The paragraph also introduced how the initiative of King James to translate the Bible into English had revolutionized and changed the language to its present form. The second paragraph that also summed up the whole chapter can be found on page 53 to 54 that stated â€Å"no corner of the English language has remained protected from changes: sounds, meanings, and structures all  seem to have suffered from a curious inability to stay still.   This paragraph is intertwined with the paragraph on page 46 that introduced the evolution of the English language because it provided the conclusion to make idea complete. Indeed, the version of English that we used today is a product of the generation of improvement to make the language more comprehensible and more coherent as a tool of communication. And this phenomenon is not only exclusive in the English language but is a phenomenon in other languages such as French and German. In the paragraphs stated, Deutscher made use of the technique of storytelling and quotation. The storytelling came from Deutscher narration of how the English evolved from its old form and how King James revolutionized the language to its present form. He made The thesis of Deutscher that language changes over time are agreeable and well argued. The ideas purported by his thesis have been very convincing. In the paragraph chosen, he used story-telling to make his point coupled with direct quotations. The storytelling involves how the English language changed over time. It is supported by a direct quotation from the Bible to demonstrate how the language changed. He, however, also argued for exactness and propriety of the language in the same chapter. Although his recommendations were valid, it sounded illogical when taken as a whole because he also contradicted himself by proposing how the language should be exactly used. In the previous chapter, he discussed the arrangement of words to convey a clearer meaning and the correct hierarchy of sent ence.        

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Materiality in Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Materiality in Auditing - Essay Example As per IASB, the term ‘materiality’ refers to the information that are is important if their its exclusion or inaccurate presentation could shape the economic decision of the users of the financial statement of a business. The Materiality rests upon the magnitude of the evaluated element or error in some scenario of the auditor’s omission or inaccurate presentation. The Materiality depicts the significance of an exclusion or of an incorrect presentation of an accountancy data or information which will impact the decision of a user of such accountancy information. As per ISA (UK&I) 320 , materiality in planning and carrying over out an audit means that the auditor employs the notion of materiality in planning and carrying over out the audit to identify material misstatements. Moreover, at the final  end of the auditing, the auditor will decide whether the unrectified misstatements recognised are either in aggregate or individually material to the financial statements or not. Thus, in deciding the materiality, auditor has to exercise his judgment. An omission or misstatement can be evaluated to be material or immaterial by virtue of their its nature or size or a mixture of both (FRC 2013:7). The auditor is anticipated to design and carry out an audit that offers a reasonable promise that materials’ misstatements will be exposed. Both materiality and audit risk are interconnected in that audit risk is explained in terms of materiality. If there is a material misstatement present in the financial statement even after the audit has been executed , in such case auditor will be held responsile for not highlighting the materiality (Rittenberg, Johnstone & Gramming 2011:135). The notion of materiality offers flexibility to financial reporting, and this can result in abuse. Corporations may record â€Å"small† errors

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Need for Variance Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Need for Variance Analysis - Term Paper Example Baker and Baker (2014) define variance as "The difference between standard and actual prices and quantities" (p. 201), and variance analysis as "Analysis of these differences" (p. 201). Variance analysis underscores or brings attention to deviations from what was initially intended. It is only after deviations have been identified that adequate and effective decisions can be made by the individuals in management positions (Baker and Baker, 2014). According to Berger (2011), lack of conducting a variance analysis may prompt leaders to overlook areas causing these deviations and hence fail to make relevant decisions. For variance analysis to be performed, a prior formulation of standards ought to be conducted, for instance, budgetary targets (Baker and Baker, 2014). This shows that variance analysis drives managers and other leaders to set targets or standards in advance. Decision making goes hand-in-hand with accountability in that individuals overseeing areas proved by the variance a nalysis to be causing the variations are answerable. Therefore, departmental heads are forced to make effective decisions and implement relevant strategies that forces them to operate within the budget (Berger, 2011). In the case study, new procedures for discharging patients have been implemented. A variance analysis conducted after six months showed that costs were running 25 percent higher than was expected. After conducting the variance and proving that there is actually a deviation from the budget by 25 percent, the next step would be to identify the causes of the deviation (Berger, 2011). There are many areas that may cause the deviation, for instance, extended working hours that increase the cost of labor. After identifying the cause of the deviation, then my next step would be to evaluate action plans under implementation to determine their effectiveness and investigate how they can be improved (Berger, 2011). If the action plans

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Common Assessment Framework

The Common Assessment Framework The Common Assessment Framework is used by various professionals and agencies to use one process of sharing information and integrate working on a young person (revise re-word more info) The CAF process is seen as a core element in integrated working and promotes more effective use of time used to assess young people, seen by many as a universal and neutral system used by all agencies. The CAF emerged from the 2003 Green Paper Every Child Matters which marked a policy of the integration of practitioners and services. (Wise, C, Harrison, R, 2005) Requirements before starting the CAF As undertaken the role of a youth worker I chose Candi (my 16 year old daughter who lives with her mother from a previous marriage) as the young person I would like to help fill in the CAF form. In the case of the assessment undertaken for the assignment, it was explained to Candi the purpose and outcome of the assessment and she was not being formally assessed, and that the process was to critically evaluate the CAF and set out the module guide and shown to Candi, although unsure at first, Candi was happy to proceed. I choose Candi as the candidate because of the fact of the young people who I practice with are young offenders and because of their court orders, they identities need to be guarded and a majority of the young people flatly refused to take part. The question is asked of what led to the assessment of the young person which has to clear and an agreed statement by all involved and if any other agencies that are involved with the young person including the young person and families/carers. Key areas of the CAF is to try and engage the young person with families in the process and try and develop a better understanding of the process and indentify the young persons needs at the earliest perceivable stage, however, with most agencies and services, a majority of families are reluctant and wary of sharing information especially if persons have been involved with any agencies and services in the past. This reluctance is why the young person and family must have the full understanding of the whole process and the benefits so the training of the practitioner must be full and up-to-date (revise) however as a youth worker and assessing the young person, the practitioner has to keep own values and standards apart if Im talking to a particular person, it is not a question of trying to lead to my values, but often to try express some different values (Smith, M, 1994) Candi has never been involved with any agencies before or assessed officially by any services before, when asked how she would feel about being formally assessed she said she would feel frightened and very nervous of the process and even with her mother present she would be frightened to say the wrong thing in case of herself or parents into trouble. If there is two or more services involved with the young person, a team would be arranged around the child meeting and then the lead professional would be identified, (reword) however there is a reluctance to become the lead practitioner in the CAF process as that practitioner becomes the bench mark for any further action taken by future agencys or professionals, the reluctance is out of fear of making mistakes from the pressure of lead practitioner. (revise) Current family and home situation While filling this section, Candi felt unsure how to answer the question and looked towards her mother for approval, before giving any personal details about family. This section can difficult for the young person if under 16 and a parent or carer is present, before the assessment is carried out, there are no details of the present family situation whether problems are evident or not, Candi lives as part of a one parent family with her younger sister who is 11 years old and times can difficult with looking after her while her mother works, however some young children come from broken homes with various amount of difficulties or living in childrens home, or with friends which only can build as the young persons anxiety. Agency involvement with young person The assessment process used when carrying out can be very intimidating and very personal, however family or carer support is crucial throughout as personal and private information is obtain, plus information of any agency involvement, doctors, health visitors, connexions and any educational provision and so-forth can to hard to ascertain at the time of the assessment with the young person. Candi found personal details The process of the CAF tries to consider a Varity of ethical issues with over 30 answers to the question of ethnicity which can be a personal and confusing question to ask to ask a young person. So it is preferred to ask the family or young person to self define their ethnicity and no assumptions should be made by the practitioner. (revise) Development of the young person To try and ascertain the development of the young person with worries/needs and strengths/resources a variety of information (revise) involving health, emotional and self esteem with among others which can be difficult to try and collect information about unless if in close contact through personal contact through different circumstances with a more impersonal atmosphere to get to know the young person has a more trusting surrounding. Candi found this section hard to explain, especially about her emotions. Candi did not understand why these questions needed to be asked and their purpose. It was explained emotion needs are important part of a young persons development and any worries or needs had to be ascertained in order to help the young person and not (revise) A majority of young people when asked about the Common Assessment framework and what the process was used for would be unsure unless the young person has been explained what the process can be used to try improve areas of life improvement (revise) and improve personal development, however if explained how it may involve a child protection or safeguarding procedures if certain aspects should arise during the assessment process, which could cause concern to the young person, the young person could not be as forth-coming with personal information about family life in general, and especially if the parent or carer is involved in the process. However, the whole process is for the positive aspiration welfare of the young person. (revise) Parents and carers Information gathered in the section entitled Parents and carers involving information including basic care, emotion warm and boundaries for example can be very personal to the young person and the parent/carer could interfere with any question asked. As with most young people, personal information including emotions can be quite hard to divulge especially if the young person is experiencing life stages including puberty and adolescence. (revise) Family and environmental Family and environmental functions including the well-being of the young person plus resources including education but financial consideration can a delicate subject however can give a valuable insight to family matters. Financial difficulty can cause an array of problems which influence social and personal development of the young person either by not enrolling into further education or by ascendance of parents/carers working unsociable and unpractical hours causing family disruption in the family home.(revise) Candi found this part difficult to fill in considering the relationship with ourselves and her mother being there during the assessment. I felt Candi did not answer the questions totally honestly and to her fullest (revise) Well-being scale Well-being scale of the child/person by the assessor and the well-being scale 0-10 given by the parent/carer is also used too which can regarded as a redundant tool as a number of different factors can influence the scale however a general indication by the parent/carer on their opinion of the young persons well-being however it can never give a true reflection (revise) Improvement and review Improvement and review which includes the views of the parent/carer/young person (revise) Young persons goals Young persons personal goals and general view of assessment (revise) Practitioners goals Practitioners goals and view of assessment (revise) Conclusions, solutions and actions Conclusions, solutions and actions is the table or a chance to indentify key areas for change with recommended actions by the whom and estimated time of action which should have all those involved working towards the same agenda and encourage families to what is happening as easier progress is to be made. Specific goals are to be made either short or long term but still be specific in the review time. The view and thoughts of the young person should be evident throughout the process and capture any comments which are relevant and helpful, adolescence is therefore seen, as youth workers, as a moment of questioning a moment in which young people reflect critically in their sense of self, their beliefs and values (Young, K, 1999 p.28) The CAF process can help identify needs at an early stage and help education authorities achieve better engagement with young person and with school attendance; future academic aspiration and help the young person improve health and family relationships with siblings and parents/carers. Noted on bottom of CAF form is a note of exceptional circumstances and significant harm to the young person which asks the question of following safeguard procedures if at any time the practitioner feels that there is an issue. Those who work with young people have a responsibility to safeguard and promote their welfare (C. Wise Harrison. R, 2005 p33), this is an important issue for any practitioner or person who works with a young and is an important responsibility and requires vigilance (reword) and attention to the young person who may not be fulfilling the needs and development potential. (C. Wise Harrison, R, 2005)

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Eaton :: essays research papers

The Eaton Corporation is a corporation committed to implementing and advancing the technology they use throughout the companies four-business segments Automotive, Fluid Power, Electrical, and Truck. However Eaton isn’t solely committed to the advancement and implementation of technology in the products they design and create, Eaton also works to implement technology in their everyday business practices such as Production, Sales and Marketing, and Human Resources. Production is a large part of the Eaton Corporation, â€Å"Eaton is a global leader in fluid power systems and services for industrial, mobile and aircraft equipment; electrical systems and components for power quality, distribution and control; automotive engine air management systems, power train solutions and specialty controls for performance, fuel economy and safety; and intelligent truck drive train systems for safety and fuel economy.† With Eaton’s broad range of products efficiency in the production process is extremely important to Eaton. To maximize efficiency in the production process Eaton uses the Eaton Lean Six System this system helps allow Eaton increase the performance of the company by eliminating waste, simplifying processes, reduce cycle times, and more effectively deploy resources to it’s business segments all of which work to help Eaton increase their profits. Another system Eaton uses is known as PROLaunch, this system allows Eaton to speed of the production process of its products. PROLaunch guides Eaton’s production of new products from concept to completion using a, â€Å"set of integrated processes† to help speed up the development process of Eaton’s new products. Eaton also uses technology in their approach to Sales and Marketing. Eaton has to approach Sales on an incredibly large scale, with Eaton’s sales in 2004 topping $9.8 Billion and the company selling their products to customers in over 125 countries Eaton has developed a very successful Sales strategy. By using technology such as the Internet Eaton’s vast line of products are constantly available to any potential buyers. Using the companies website www.Eaton.com the Eaton Co. allows it’s potential customers to view and access information about all of Eaton’s products and also allows those customers to make inquiries to the division of Eaton that produces those products. Eaton also uses it’s website to allow customers the opportunity of E-Business transactions giving it’s customers nearly instantaneous access to purchase products from Eaton rather than having buy the product from an Eaton supplier. Eaton also uses it’s website to help in the Marketing of their products and services.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

North and Central Florida Springs Essay example -- Geology

Introduction Groundwater is the largest and most available usable source of drinking water in the state. There is a vast and mysterious system of caves and natural springs in North Central Florida. The cave system within the aquifer is one of the most amazing parts. The caves are remarkable in many ways. They are among the deepest and longest in the world, let alone the U.S. Another amazing aspect of the system is the purity of the water. The springs collectively produce billions of gallons of crystal clear water per day. The whole system stems from the Florida Aquifer that rests under the entire state. When most people think of Florida, they think of the weather and the beaches, but its the springs and the whole water system of the Florida Aquifer that makes the State so lush. The springs are an invaluable resource and natural wonder of the state. Combined, the system of 320 known springs produces nearly 8 billion gallons of water per day, more than the state currently uses (alt hough at present population growth, this remains to be seen). The springs of North Florida have always been a wonder. From the days of the Spanish Conquistadors searching for the "fountain of youth" to the millions of tourists that come to visit the springs today they have intrigued and amazed. With crystal clear waters feeding rivers that can disappear as quickly as they appeared the springs truly are an amazing sight. It was always thought that these springs were an unlimited resource, but scientists have discovered that man's influence can harm these spring. The Biscayne Aquifer in South Florida are already showing signs of a reduced flow due to the overpopulation of the area. The whole system is very fragile and we must all be ... ...d protect the water. There are grass roots organizations trying to help their areas and organizations like NSWA, but we need some cohesive concerted group effort if anything is going to get done. Individuals need to do their part to help preserve and protect the natural springs and the whole water system. The NSWA continues its lobbying of the FDA in its fight with the bottlers that use boreholes. Other groups are also helping and if they work together they may yet save one of our states most important resources. Although groups like the NSWA and Save Our Springs, Inc. have won small battles and stalled the advances of some companies, they are facing a booming 3 billion dollar industry with its own powerful lobbyists. The battle is far from over to protect our springs and everyone should be made aware of their obligation to help protect this invaluable resource. North and Central Florida Springs Essay example -- Geology Introduction Groundwater is the largest and most available usable source of drinking water in the state. There is a vast and mysterious system of caves and natural springs in North Central Florida. The cave system within the aquifer is one of the most amazing parts. The caves are remarkable in many ways. They are among the deepest and longest in the world, let alone the U.S. Another amazing aspect of the system is the purity of the water. The springs collectively produce billions of gallons of crystal clear water per day. The whole system stems from the Florida Aquifer that rests under the entire state. When most people think of Florida, they think of the weather and the beaches, but its the springs and the whole water system of the Florida Aquifer that makes the State so lush. The springs are an invaluable resource and natural wonder of the state. Combined, the system of 320 known springs produces nearly 8 billion gallons of water per day, more than the state currently uses (alt hough at present population growth, this remains to be seen). The springs of North Florida have always been a wonder. From the days of the Spanish Conquistadors searching for the "fountain of youth" to the millions of tourists that come to visit the springs today they have intrigued and amazed. With crystal clear waters feeding rivers that can disappear as quickly as they appeared the springs truly are an amazing sight. It was always thought that these springs were an unlimited resource, but scientists have discovered that man's influence can harm these spring. The Biscayne Aquifer in South Florida are already showing signs of a reduced flow due to the overpopulation of the area. The whole system is very fragile and we must all be ... ...d protect the water. There are grass roots organizations trying to help their areas and organizations like NSWA, but we need some cohesive concerted group effort if anything is going to get done. Individuals need to do their part to help preserve and protect the natural springs and the whole water system. The NSWA continues its lobbying of the FDA in its fight with the bottlers that use boreholes. Other groups are also helping and if they work together they may yet save one of our states most important resources. Although groups like the NSWA and Save Our Springs, Inc. have won small battles and stalled the advances of some companies, they are facing a booming 3 billion dollar industry with its own powerful lobbyists. The battle is far from over to protect our springs and everyone should be made aware of their obligation to help protect this invaluable resource.

Friday, October 11, 2019

End-of-life Essay

End-of-life care is a form of medical treatment which is usually provided for terminal illnesses, when the condition is no longer curable and every effort should be made at improving the quality of life rather than increasing the duration of life. Cancer is one condition which is incurable during the advanced stages. End-of-life usually does not involve provision of anticancer treatment but concern for lowering the physical symptoms (especially pain so that the patient is comfortable), addressing the psychosocial issues and the spiritual concerns, so as to improve the quality of life. Often an ethical dilemma exists at the situations under which end-of-life care should be started. The need to provide end-of-life care arises out the physician’s obligation to ensure that the patient can live and die with dignity, compassion, comfort and respect. Two of the cases which demonstrate the physician’s obligations to the patients were the Ann Quinlan case (1976) and the Cruzan V. Harmon case (1988) (Meisel, 2005 & Rekel, 2007). In the Quinlan case, Ms. Quinlan suffered irreversible damage to the brain cortex and was left in a permanent vegetative state. She required ventilator support, artificial nutrition and artificial hydration to maintain her medical and nursing care. She could be kept alive for any duration, but this was morally not required and not in the patient’s best interest. The physician’s refused to remove ventilator support and hence the family had to go to the New Jersey Court. The court in the landmark decision permitted to remove ventilator support as it was not in the patient’s best interest. The court had said that although the patient was in a permanent vegetative state and did not have to ability to make a decision about withdrawing ventilator support, it did not mean that she could not exercise her choice and give her decision. The decision-making could be made by a surrogate who would be doing so in the best interest of the patient. In the Roe vs. Wade case, the court gave the decision that the patient could control their medical treatment and had the right to make decisions. In the Cruzon case, after the ventilator was removed, the patient survived for about 10 years. The Missouri court in this case did not follow the advice of the parent’s on removing life-saving support. The court said that all measures should be done in best interest of the patient, and if there were not clear evidence of the patient’s wishes, then the legal guardian should be acting in the patient’s best interest. The court said that even if there was a need to prolong life through ventilator support, if there was no evidence that the patient’s best interest would be fulfilled. In the case Westchester County Medical Ctr (1988), the New York court said that there had to exist clear and convincing evidence whenever important decisions had to be taken by the surrogate (Meisel, 2005 & Rekel, 2007). Some of the common ethical issues regarding medical treatment have been ‘beneficence’ and ‘non-maleficence’. The physician should do treatment that benefits the patient and does not cause more harm. They should help reduce the suffering and help the patient to return to health. However, in the end-of-life issues, the patient would be dying due to the terminal cancer condition, and using life-sustaining treatment would not have any potential benefits, as it would prolong life, but not improve the quality. In this case medical treatment is doing lot harm than benefits, and hence using it would be inappropriate. However, a clear judgment has to be made in the clinical-decision making and one of the most important issues is whether the patient has made the intention of withdrawing all the life-saving treatment and instead goes into palliative care (in which symptomatic treatment would be provided so as to improve the quality of life during the last few days). Having the patient make this decision is based on another ethical principle known as ‘autonomy’. The patient has the right to choose or disregard whichever treatment he/she wants as the have the right to control any act that is done with their body (Walker, 1999 & Meisel, 2005). Implications of risk management – †¢ Mainly with the use of opioids to manage pain (especially from its prolonged use) †¢ Clinical practice guidelines and protocols should be followed to ensure the greatest amount of benefits for the patient in the form of improved quality of life and lowered discomfort levels (Hoffman, 1998). The right to autonomy of the patient should not be disregarded under any circumstance. The patient has the right to choose palliative treatment or reject it based on their own choices. The patient may also want to undergo curative treatment for cancer even though the survival rate may be low. The patient should be informed of the benefits, risks, options, outcome and costs of all forms of treatment available. The physician should answer all the queries the patient has of all the available forms of treatment. No treatment should be done against the will and intention of the patient. If the patient is not able to make a reasonable decision as they may not be legally competent, then the surrogate (including the family member or a legal guardian) of the patient should make a decision on the patient’s behave, keeping in mind the clear interests of the patient (Walker, 1999, Meisel, 2005 & Rekel, 2007). There may be a lot of competing loyalties between the patient and the organization:- †¢ The organization may try to keep the interest of the patient in mind and may do all that it can to reduce sufferings, improve the quality of life and ensure a peaceful end †¢ The organization may demonstrate a greater opinion towards anticancer treatment as it would involve higher costs (even though it is not beneficial to the patient anywhere) †¢ Even though the patient can benefit to a reasonable extent from anticancer treatment, the organization may force end-of-life care on the patient, as the family members have provided consent. In this case the family members would be having conflicting interests with the patient and may want a faster end to the patient. To prevent any conflicting interest of other parties, it is important that any decision made regarding use of anticancer treatment of initiation of end-of-life care should be clearly justified and documented through evidence-based findings. An ethical approach should be initiated to ensure that all issues are sorted out keeping the patient’s interest in mind:- †¢ The physician should ensure maintaining autonomy of the patient at all stages †¢ If the patient is not competent enough to make a decision by himself, decision-making should be done by the surrogate keeping in mind the patient’s interest and choices †¢ It is the obligation of the physician to ensure that the patient lives †¢ The patient’s competence needs to be determined so that a reasonable decision can be ensured †¢ The patient has to be informed of all the alternative choices available at all the stages †¢ In case of diagnosis of a terminal illness, confirmation should be taken from two physician’s (second opinion) †¢ In case of terminal illness, and the patient choice palliative care, efforts should be made at all stages to improve the quality of life (through symptomatic treatment of physical problems, addressing the psychosocial and spiritual issues), rather than on prolonging life The other issues which need to be addressed include:- 1. Active Euthanasia – This is legal in only a few states of the world including Netherlands and Belgium. The patient should make a reasonable decision, and should be a native from that state in which euthanasia is legalized. The physician himself would take the active step of ending the patient’s life. The patient should be diagnosed with a terminal illness 2. Physician-Assisted Suicide – This has been legalized in the US state of Oregon, PAS has been legalized. The patient would perform the active step of ending life and the physician would merely assist the patient. The patient should be diagnosed with a terminal illness (in which death would be certain within 6 months). The patient should be legally competent to make a reasonable decision (Rekel, 2007). References: Hoffmann, D. E. (1998). â€Å"Pain Management and Palliative Care in the Era of Managed Care: Issues for Health Insurers†, Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 26(4), 267-289. http://www. aslme. org/research/mayday/26. 4/26. 4c. php Meisel, A. (2005). Ethics, End-of-Life Care, and the Law: Overview, Retrieved on August 16, 2008, from Hospice Foundation Website: http://www. hospicefoundation. org/teleconference/books/lwg2005/meisel_jennings. pdf National Cancer Institute (2002). End-of-Life Care: Questions and Answers, Retrieved on August 16, 2008, from NCI Website: http://www. cancer. gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Support/end-of-life-care Rekel, R. (2007). Rakel: Textbook of Family Medicine, 7th ed, Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier. Walker, R. M. (1999). Ethical Issues in End-of-Life Care, Cancer Control, 6(2):162-167. http://www. medscape. com/viewarticle/417700_1

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Different Health Systems

The healthcare system of the United States is commonly associated with state-of-the-art hospitals and highly-trained physician. However, the general performance of the U. S. healthcare system has been determined to be a less than that of other industrialized countries. Such observation is mainly due to the differences in healthcare systems among states, regions and health administrations. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a socialized healthcare system managed by the government. It provides varied healthcare support to veterans or ex-officio military servicemen and their families.Survey shows that approximately 83% of VHA patients are satisfied with the healthcare that they have received. In addition, survey depicts that 69% of the patients were treated within 20 minutes of their appropriate appointment with their physician (DeNavas-Walt et al. , 2005). Also, approximately 93% of the patients participating in the survey indicate that they had seen a specialist within the la st 30 days. Such observations show that the Veterans Health Administration provides an exemplary system of healthcare, much better than the private sector.However, it also could mean that the VHA is associated with more costly healthcare rates than the other healthcare systems such as the Military Health system and the private sector. This characteristic compensates for the types of members that would avail of the VHA benefits, who are actually veterans, which are commonly composed of older, sicker and illness-susceptible individuals. In addition, these veterans are generally poorer, homeless and victims of substance abuse, which represents a major difference from the major population in the United States.It has been estimated that more than 50% of the VHA enrollees are above 65 years of age. The private sector’s healthcare system is mostly focused on intervention-based healthcare, which means that the physician will generally treat a patient who is already suffering from a p articular illness (Frogner and Anderson, 2006). Such system is thus less costly than the VHA system, because the patients enrolled in the private sector will only resort to requesting medical attention when the need arises.In the private sector healthcare system, health insurance is generally bought by the employer on behalf of its employees The VHA system, on the other hand, follows the prevention approach to health care, which involves providing checkups and education to its veteran patients in order to avoid more serious illness in the future. The Military Health System, on the other hand, provides healthcare to individuals who are currently active in the military service, including members of their family.The benefits of the Military Health system falls under the blanket coverage known as the Tricare, which is almost identical to that of the private sector’s system of healthcare management (Smith et al. , 2005). Here the enrollee pays a small portion of the total cost of the healthcare service, such as 20% of a surgery, for example, and the other 80% is paid for my the Military Health System. Each visit to the physician, just like the private sector’s healthcare system, is associated with a small co-payment, such as $10 per visit, regardless of specialization of the doctor to which consultation was made.The mission of a healthcare system is to provide medical services at the lowest practical price and at the same time, with the best feasible quality. The integration of electronic medical records in the Veterans Health Administration has provided a model for the other healthcare system to follow suit. In addition, the private sector has also use the VHA’s mission in providing prevention-based medical services, instead of just intervention-based services. References DeNavas-Walt C, Proctor B and Lee C (2005):   Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2004.   Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. Frogner BK and Anderson GF (2006):   Multinational comparisons of health systems data, 2005.   New York: The Commonwealth Fund. Smith C, Cowan C and Sensenig A (2005):   Health Spending Growth Slows in 2003.   Health Affairs   24(1):185–94.