Wednesday, October 30, 2019

BSc Engineering Managment - Change Management Essay

BSc Engineering Managment - Change Management - Essay Example Efficient organizations are aware of the importance of change and when they have to bring about such a change within their organizations. More importantly these organizations are aware of how this change is going to be brought about. Bringing change to an organization is by no means an easy task there are various factors that need to be taken into consideration before change can be implemented. To efficiently implement change within their organization leaders tend to make use of an approach known as change management. Change management is defined as a process that helps management of an organization to guide its employees, teams and affiliated groups towards a desired direction (Kotter, 2011). The process of change management is usually helps organizations to implement change within their organizations as smoothly as possible. The process of change management affects almost all departments of an organization it is therefore important to inform employees within these departments and m entally prepare them regarding the implementation of change. The selection of change strategy depends upon an organization’s goals, objectives of implementing the change and process that are observed within the organization (Mayle, 2006). Underlying principles of organizations: 1. The most basic principle of an organization is its goals. ... Any contradiction between these goals would only lead to confusion and difficulty in the achievement of the overall goals of the organization (Child, 2005). 2. The second basic principle that is considered vital to an organization is communication and coordination. Communication is basically the manner in which information is efficiently transferred from one entity to another. Here the term entity refers to an organization, department or a person. Communication is the part of an organization that requires one party to listen, understand and inform others of an opinion or facts. Through proper communication an organization is able to efficiently coordinate activities amongst its employees and departments (Child, 2005). 3. Another principle that organizations have to adhere to is the principle of specialization. Here the term specialization is used in terms of the set of skills that employees of an organization possess. With the help of employees that have specialized in certain areas of business management. With the help of such employees an organization is able to obtain information regarding a particular field and using that information organizations are able to gain competitive advantage over their rivals. The competitive advantage in turn helps the organization in generating greater profits (Child, 2005). 4. Employees working at a lower level of the hierarchical structure must be handled with proper respect and care. At any given time these employees must receive their orders from a single authoritative figure and must report to that single figure only. By placing more than one authoritative figure in charge of subordinates the organization runs a risk of confusion, which in turn could delay the operations and hinder the daily activities of the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Process Design Matrix and Summary Essay Example for Free

Process Design Matrix and Summary Essay This process design matrix and executive summary will focus on Chapman Tool and Manufacturing and there performance measurement process. This executive summary is needed for Chapman Manufacturing due to their lack of process performance management that will include service approaches, that consist of production line, self-service, and personal attention approaches. This summary will also cover product approaches for their process performance measurements that consist of, batch assembly line and continuous flow approaches. This executive summary of process performance measurement will quantitatively tell Chapman Manufacturing something important about their products, services, and any of the processes that produce them. To conclude this summary, this tool will help Chapman Manufacturing understand, manage, and improve the company’s processes. To begin, the first service approach for Chapman’s process performance management consist of production line approach to improve the company’s performance efficiently and effectively. â€Å"Performance management means addressing any and all performance issues, meaning feedback for performance that is not up to par with procedure as well as praising employees for a job well done.† (Mayhew, R. 2013) Chapman starts with each employee receiving their performance file that includes their consistency, effectiveness, and efficiency for their progress for success and promotions. These performance measurements, that includes their 10-15 machines of production line approaches. There will be a selection on running their machine to run perfect parts or to make changes but this way they have it recorded and make the changes as needed. The second service approach for the process performance measurement plan consists of, a self-service approach. Chapman Tool and Manufacturing will be implementing EMC2 consulting services with HR and then management to assure that every activity provides meaningful value. (EMC2, 2013). At Chapman there are a lot  of fragmented processes that can be avoided so financially and human resources are not drained and diminish any chances of keeping up with changing markets and customer demand. There are self-service approaches in this change for the process performance management plan for every employee (machine operators etc†¦) that include, â€Å"Streamline processes to expedite new product introduction, Standardize, integrate, and improve existing processes, Design and implement new processes, Simulate and model processes for operators, Define process metric and performance management strategies.†(EMC2 , 2013). The third service approaches for the process performance management plan consist of personal attention approach. Chapman should implement the personal attention approach that will include specific competencies that will best be determined through a job analysis process. Competencies that will be included in this personal attention job analysis approach will consist of, Accountability and dependability Adaptability and flexibility Advocating causes Analysis and reasoning Attention to detail Business alignment Coaching and mentoring Creative and innovative thinking Customer focus Decision making and judgment All of these competency functions are to determine each employee’s performance file and documented with constructive criticism and praise to becoming successful with and for the company. Chapman also needs to implement product approaches for their process performance management plan. The first product approach that will be implemented is known as a batch approach. A batch approach can be known as a lean manufacturing process also and focus’s on demand-based flow manufacturing. â€Å"This type of production setting, inventory is pulled through each production center when it is  needed to meet production orders; this will deliver the benefits of, Decreased cycle time Less inventory Increased productivity Increased capital equipment utilization.† (Wiki, 2013) The second product approach for Chapman’s process performance management plans consist of, assembly line approach. By Chapman implementing the assembly line approach, will keep all operators on the same page and get product sent to the next department for the assembly of the product being put together. Then finally are sent to the final department to be inspected and shipped. Having different departments for the processes of the product, and having an assembly line approach for each step will keep the company’s organization on line for their performance management. The third product approach for Chapman’s process performance management plans consist of, a continuous flow approach. The continuous flow approach are implemented through the â€Å"lean building blocks†, like, â€Å"Five S: Aims to bring orderliness, tidiness , and cleanliness to operations , Visual controls: All tooling parts and other production activities are kept clearly in view to help eve ryone understand the status of the process at a glance. Poka-Yoke: Mistake Proofing. Process designs can be modified to make it nearly impossible for mistakes, spills, leaks, and other process upsets to occur. By implementing these techniques and others will uphold the continuous flow approach for the process performance management plan for Chapman Manufacturing. In conclusion, the process design matrix and executive summary was focused on Chapman Tool and Manufacturing and what their performance measurement process entailed. The executive summary was needed for Chapman Manufacturing due to their lack of process performance management that was included in these service approaches that consisted of production line, self-service, and personal attention approaches. The summary also covered product approaches for their process performance measurements that consisted of, batch, assembly line, and continuous flow approaches. The executive summary that entailed their process performance measurements will quantitatively tell Chapman Manufacturing something important about their products, services, and any of the processes that  produced them. To conclude this summary, this tool will ensure that Chapman Manufacturing understands, manages, and improves the company’s processes for their future business and profits. References EMC2, (2013). Business process management. Retrieved on January 2, 2013 from http://www.emc.com/consulting-services/application/expertise/business-process-management-bpm.htm Lean Manufacturing (2013). Wikipedia. Retrieved on January 2, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing Mayhew, R. (2013). Development of an employee performance plan. Retrieved on January 3, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/development-employee-performance-plan-1942.html

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Haemochromatosis Detection Essay -- essays research papers

HAEMOCHROMATOSIS DETECTION USING PCR-RFLP INTRODUCTION Hereditary Haemochromatosis (HH), first described in 1865, is a genetic disorder of metabolism, characterized by progressive iron overload resulting from abnormalities in intestinal iron absorption and or release of iron from reticuloendothelial cells . It is an autosomal recessive disorder, where the body accumulates excessive iron, which is deposited in a variety of organs. Iron cannot be excreted, thus, the excess builds to toxic levels in tissues of major organs such as the liver, heart, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, lungs, and synovium (joints). These organs cease to function adequately and eventually become diseased. Serious illnesses such as diabetes, cirrhosis, hepatoma, hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, cardiomyopathy and arthritis may be a consequence of this disease . It affects one in every three hundred Caucasians, and one in nine is a carrier , hence, making its early detection vital. The gene responsible for HH (HLA-H) was recently identified on the short arm of chromoso me 6 and is thought to be mainly caused by a mutation of a gene called HFE, which allows excess iron to be absorbed from the diet . This mutation is known as C282Y. A single point mutation occurs, in which the amino acid cysteine at position 282 changes to a tyrosine . To develop haemochromatosis two genes, one from each parent, are required to be C282Y. However, not everyone with the mutation may develop the disease and it may occur if only one C282Y gene is present (4). 77.5% of affected individuals have two copies of the C282Y mutation, one inherited from each parent, while about 4% have a single copy of the mutation and one normal HFE gene . First proposed in early 1970’s, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has been identified as a simple, robust, speedy, and most of all, flexible method that can be used to detect haemochromatosis . In this technique, specific DNA sequences are amplified for the detection of mutations that may be present, allowing early diagnosis of hereditary heamochromatosis (see figure 1). It is a major development in the analysis of DNA and RNA. The requirements of the reaction are simple, consisting of deoxynucleotides to provide both the energy and nucleosides for the synthesis of DNA, template, primer, DNA polymerase, and buffer containing magnesium . The crux of the PCR procedure involves three s... ...’Med J Aust. 2001 Oct 15;175(8):418-21(PubMed): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11700835&dopt=Abstract 11 ‘DNA Testing for Hereditary Hemochromatosis’: Molecular Genetic Testing in Mainstream Medicine (Vol. 14: Spring, 1997) http://www.mostgene.org/gd/gdvol14c.htm 12 http://www.aiddiagnostika.com/english/kits/GenID/rdb_2045e_haemochromatosis.htm 13 http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/179_10_171103/ger10460_fm-2.html 14 Marion K. Stott, Andrew P. Fellowes, Jeff D. Upton, Michael J. Burt and Peter M. Georgea : ‘Simple Multiplex PCR for the Simultaneous Detection of the C282Y and H63D Hemochromatosis (HFE) Gene Mutations’ http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/full/45/3/426 15 http://bip.weizmann.ac.il/mb/bioguide/pcr/PCRwhat.html 16 http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~avierstr/principles/pcr.html 17 Alka Dwivedi, B.C. Sarin, Dev Mittar, P.K. Sehajpal: (2003) ‘Optimization of 38kDA based PCR assay for detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical samples’ 18 McPherson, M.J.(Author). ‘PCR’. - Oxford, , GBR: BIOS Scientific Publishers Ltd, 2000. p 70. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utslibrary/Doc?id=5000324&page=82

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Franchising †Fast food Essay

Now a days, fast food is becoming a cheap and yet a popular way for people who are too busy to cook. But the cheap price of the fast food is nothing in comparison to the true price that these people are paying. Every 4 out of 10 adults in the USA will become obese in the next 5 years if they keep eating this food the way they are. Eating fast food like this is causing major health risks. Since this food is so cheap, it makes it convenient for people to go out and get food instead of staying home to cook. In addition, fast food companies are trying to target kids. If the companies get to the kids at a young age, they will get hooked on the food. Because of all this, people need to stop eating fast food before it gets out of hand. This fast food world has spread tremendously around the globe, and obesity has shortly followed. In addition to this it has also brought heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and many other types of illnesses. Fast food isn’t only making people fatter, but its also increasing people’s chances of obtaining type two diabetes. People’s muscles and fat cells that have type two diabetes lose the ability to take in a sugar called glucose from their blood. The glucose builds up and reaches very high levels and because of this they get damage to the eyes, neuropath (loss of feeling), kidney disease and heart disease. Most of the people who have type two diabetes are obese or overweight. A long-term study between the link of fast food, obesity and diabetes were tested. It compared the people who would eat fast food at least twice a week to the people who ate it less than once a week. The results showed that the people who are more fast food gained about 10 pounds more then the people who are it less than once a week over a fifteen-year period. Eating fast food can cause many diseases such as Hypertension, Heart Disease, Cancer, Gall Bladder Disease and E. coli, which is one of the worst forms of food poisoning. E. Coli is spread through undercooked burgers and it is very difficult to cure. 4 % of the people who have this poison develop hemolytic uremic syndrome and close to 5 % of the kids who develop this die. E. Coli is now becoming the major reason for renal failure for American kids. People would rather spend their money on a cheap burger that tastes good compared to a burger that tastes just as good for six times the price. The great thing about fast food is that over these many years their products taste hasn’t changed. â€Å"The whole experience of buying fast food, has become so routine, so thoroughly unexceptional and mundane, that it is now taken for granted, like brushing your teeth or stopping for a red light. † Says Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. Millions of people a day are buying fast food because it’s so convenient to get to. Today’s economy is also dropping and because of this going out to buy fast food has become easier to feed people’s families. Instead of a family going out to a restaurant to feed the family for 60 dollars, they can go to a fast food restaurant and spend about one third of that. These fast food restaurants are making a lot of money off this cheap food With the money they make, they spend some of it for advertising to grab people’s attention Since most kids watch TV they are the ones that are affected most by this McDonald’s spends billions of dollars on advertising each year. Most of the kids know Ronald McDonald more than they do their own president. Just about 30% of all children each day eat fast food according to a Harvard study. This is part of the reason why America is the fattest country in the world. According to Alan Green, on average, kids who eat fast food gain an extra 6 pounds in weight each year. â€Å" The numbers, though alarming, are not surprising since billions of dollars are spend each year on fast-food advertising directed at kids, â€Å" said lead author Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at children’s Hospital Boston. Borzekowski says that most people prefer the branded fries compared to unbranded fries and the same results were found about branded chicken nuggets and non-branded chicken nuggets. â€Å" Its no surprise that branding works,† says Borzekowski. In another test done by Borzekowski, they took two burgers from McDonalds and put one in a non branded wrapper, Borzekowski had the kids try both and astonishingly most kids tasted a difference in the two burgers. The majority of the preferred the McDonalds wrapped burger. McDonalds also finds ways of getting to the kids, because in Seminole County, the kids are rewarded with Happy Meals if the have a nearly perfect attendance or it they do well on their report cards. In fact, Stuart Elliot of the New York Times says that the Florida schools are â€Å"using children’s report cards to help stimulate sales { at McDonalds }. † Kids can get a number of Happy meal choices such as four chicken McNuggets, a Hamburger and small fries or a cheeseburger with apple dippers. These kids are being rewarded with fast food, which is part of the reason that they are becoming obese. The concepts of conformity and organizational homogenization, while repugnant in a democratic society, can actually aid big businesses and more specifically franchises in promoting quality assurance and brand loyalty. Large corporations, such as McDonald’s, are able to maintain stability and control by removing any factors that may create unfamiliarity for their customers. The goal of McDonald’s is to create a fast food empire founded on conformity to ensure a common experience. For example, everything from the menu, to the restaurant facade, to the golden arch flag waving proudly beside our American flag, demonstrates their efforts to create a sense of comfort through familiarity. McDonald’s target market expects the same service, experience, and product whenever they enter a franchise location. Large corporations recognize the power of consistency and the importance of conformity within their ranks. When Ray Kroc says, â€Å"We have found out [†¦ ] that we cannot trust some people who are nonconformists. [†¦ ] The organization cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization†, Kroc was trying to emphasize the importance of conformity and need for trust in the organization’s goals. Kroc had created a successful formula and needed his employees to share his vision. The American fast food industry has made a significant impression on our social and economic landscape. The concept of â€Å"flipping burgers† has become synonymous with entry level employment for teens and other unskilled laborers. The industry employs hundreds of thousands of people at all levels. The industry also occupies a prominent place in our popular culture. From commercials on television, to the ads on the side of the bus, to the billboard on the side of highway 95, the fast food industry has made itself a visible force in the American economy and pop culture. The fast food industry’s size also allows it to play a significant role in our political system. Companies such as McDonald’s have a keen interest in labor, tax and trade policy. While Ray Kroc’s vision of conformity and trust in the collective over the individual contradicts our concept of a free society, it is essential to the success of a company using the franchise business model. Consistency and organizational trust are the keys to ensuring customer familiarity and brand loyalty.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Gender Stereotypes Essay

Gender stereotypes in the society have been existing for a long period of time. This has been due to their intensively conventional simplified and persuasively convincing reference that makes people to easily belief them. Though these stereotypes have been adopted by majority of the people as part of their culture, they are wrong and should be discouraged as they are highly generalized, give wrong perceptions, discourage full potential exploitation from the people or make certain them to adopt unhealthy harmful practices in society (Richard & Zoe,2003). Change to the gender stereotypes perception will form the basis of equality for both male a d females in all areas of development thereby portraying the greater sense of social civilization in the 21st century. Gender stereotypes in the society are dynamic and greatly influenced by the changing economic modes and social ideologies in the societal setting. They are greatly adoptive in different regions of the globe especially in the modern era of verbalization (Theresa, 2005). This paper explores the gender stereotypes and myths in our society and how they influence the intent by individuals to adopt or pursue specific lines of development like careers, sports, modeling and even political ambitions. It also examines the current situation and the extent to which the society have been influenced by the gender stereotypes. With major comparisons and possible projections to enhance increased efficiency in the society, suggestions are highlighted to assist in reducing the major impacts resulting from the vice. 1. History and development of gender stereotypes in the society. Biologically, men and women are different and therefore have different functions that goes along with their natural being. Though this has been used to indicate different views on the their society expectations, it is greatly misleading and can hinder full potential exploitation from different genders. Since long time in history, man has been depicted to represent brightness, hardness and positivity in the society. Through out the time, men have also been considered as the heads of the households and responsible for making appropriate decisions in the political arena. On the other hand, women have characteristically been expected to be submissive, piety and highly domestic oriented in the society. They are required to assume softer roles and be less aggressive in order to be bale to mentor the children as they grow (Richard & Zoe, 2003). In majority of the societies like in China and Latin America, females were mainly supposed to perform household chores like cooking cleaning, tending to children and looking after their husbands. Also, they were expected to work in the farms and not in industrial regions as the heavy jobs were reservations for men. In the modern western world cultures, young men are portrayed as being obnoxious, violent at times and prideful about promiscuity in their lives. They are also expected to be assertive, more intelligent, risk taking, combative, insensitive and tough, while women should posses politeness, slim figure, act as nurturers and homemakers. Through out the history, little changes have taken place to fully appreciate the input of women in the society both economically and politically (Margaret, 2003). However, increase in the representation at high decision policy making positions and encouragement to the women to take higher risks in the economic arena indicates the changing trends in perception of the gender stereotypes. Unlike in the mid 19th century, all the high positions in the US government both gender representation. Appreciation has increasingly been recognized with the number of female senators to the federal government continuously rising. Other areas of middle and high class diplomatic leadership have also increased the democratic space for both genders representation with minimal or no bias at all. 2. Impacts of gender stereo types on education and careers As indicated earlier, females are perceived as being less competitive and possessing reduced ability to pursue careers in mathematics, engineering, medicine and other science oriented occupations in the society. Women are mythically considered to be qualitative as opposed to men who are perceived to be highly quantitative therefore making the girls themselves to believe that mathematics and sciences are for men only (Margaret, 2003). Some of the societies in the East, Africa and the Caribbean have the tendency to direct the girls to social art oriented careers while boys are offered more opportunities in the diverse scientific careers that are considered more prestigious. This stereotyping and mythical believe is not only wrong but unethical as it acts to block the overall potentials of the females to pursue different careers related to sciences. There is no empirical statistics that show women have less ability to perform well in the science oriented careers. Limiting them to less competitive careers has seen their reduced contribution to the society and acts to solidify more stereotype myths that portray them as domestic oriented as opposed to active participation in the economic development (Williams, 2006). To add to that, education preference has been more oriented to the boy child as opposed to the girl in the developing world. It is considered as less productive to educate a girl than to educate a boy since girls would sooner be married off therefore losing the prior investment on them. The current globalized society’s success being based on education, the girl child is therefore less advantaged to access the major benefits of the high technological world. Marxism theories indicates that increase in living standards is dependent on the ability to provide skilled labor to the capitalistic world. He continues to infer that all factors of production should be dynamic in application for high competition and maximum returns to be realized. As a result, limiting female children from education barricades them from possible future development and innovations as their negotiating capacity is fully crippled (Theresa, 2005). However, this perception has been proved wrong as more women are increasingly struggling and achieving equal or higher scholarly achievements than their men counterparts in the scientific careers. Major educational researches and scholarly work have been done by women and received major recognitions. However, such achievement are not emphasized on since stereotypes tend to rely more on generalized aspects than the reality. Higher education and science subjects limitation due to the major stereotypes in the society, kills the overall desire of the female children to pursue different education careers as they would be perceived to be odd. In Trinidad and Tobago, despite the government great initiative to have more girls participate in science oriented subjects, over 80% of them prefer hospitality and secretarial studies (Margaret, 2003). As a result of stereotyping men as generally good in the society to pursue scientific subjects careers, excess assumptions are laid on their abilities with priorities and talents not being emphasized on. Therefore, there is general tendency of the men to pursue careers in sciences as opposed general arts. Engineering profession in US has only about 25% of the people working there being women and 75% being men (Williams, 2006). In the Medical schools in Australia, the ratio of men to women is 1:3 indicating the high level of gender stereotype in the country. Both genders should be given equal priorities to develop their careers as they are all gifted and talented differently. As a basic requirement in the society, scientific skills must be emphasized to both genders for faster transformation of the society in the 21st century and later years. Until recently, computer engineering was a specifically mens careers where women could not even try to figure out pursuing them. In the year 1996, the total number of women computer engineers in Canada was represented by only 9% (Williams, 2006). 3. Impacts of gender stereotyping in politics and governance. Richard & Zoe (2003) points out that, over a longtime in history, political leadership has been dominated by men in different countries and states all over the world. It is believed that women are less capable of making correct decisions in the society as compared to their men counterparts. Gender stereotyping has consistently prevented women from being seriously considered in politics and high level offices. Great challenges lay in the way of entering and remaining in politics for the women from their men counterparts and the society in general. Traditionally, women were not allowed to vote or hold elective position in different countries. US had to greatly struggle for the women to be granted the power to vote for the political leaders in the mid nineteenth century. In the year 2004, women representation in Jamaican government was only 3% since their independence in 1953. From the electorates in the society to the structured policies in individual governments constitutions, women are less favored to compete for different elective posts (Williams, 2006). Uncritical promulgation of the female manifestos in Jamaica, Thailand, Venezuela, Germany and South America countries has assisted in portraying the male candidates as more suitable to their women counterparts. However, recent participation by women all over the world in important decisions making processes acts as a major indicator of how they can be involved in major decision making. They have therefore been limited in contributing important decisions that can assist in enhancing the globalization trends to make the world a better place to live in. Michelle Bachelet and Megawati Sukarnoputri acted as presidents for Chile and Indonesia for the years 2006 and 2004 respectively. Others include President Arroyo for Philippine, Tarja Halonen for Finland and Moscoso for the democratic republic republic of Panama. Therefore, women are not inferior in politics and can be able to rule and make equally good decisions in their respective countries (Williams, 2006). Others like Condoleeza Rice, the US secretary of state have been involved in international critical decisions like war in Iraq, African Affairs and nuclear weapons development diplomatic intervention decisions making. Their direct or indirect denial from participation in politics is therefore a clear indication of low levels in achieving democracy in various states in the world. Though, this view has widely changed, bulk of the masculine people especially in the developing countries must change their approach to enhance full potential reap from both genders (Theresa, 2005). 4. Gender Stereotyping in economic development. All over the world, women have been having great problems in development as compared to their male counterparts. It is considered that women are not supposed to inherit wealth from their matrimonial parents. This view as held by most eastern cultures and has tendered to keep women away from economic development. Access to finances for development has always been tied to the ability of an individual to provide enough security against it. In China, Japan and Brazil, it is believed that a woman after developing and attaining a given age, should get married. They are therefore denied the autonomy of making independent choices of their later economic lives. This denial therefore ensures that they remain dependent on their immediate marriage partners for all their activities. Though different regions and states like US and Britain have established ample legislative frameworks to prevent the exploitation women based on this myth, bulk of other countries still watch as women remain poor economically. As a result, their economic competitive ability is greatly compromised and overall economic situation derailed locally and internationally (Williams, 2006). As indicated earlier, women have have been having less chances to get educated in more competitive scientific subjects therefore, denying them the ability of accessing better jobs in the fast industrializing world. Until recently, Canadian women were regarded as housewives and only participated in minor poorly paying jobs like working in farms and in fabric industries. Though this fact was overlooked for a long time, the trend is fast changing to give them a more inclusive chance to contribute to the economic development of the country. According to Williams (2006), due to the high dominance of the men in different governments, legislations to discourage women participation only in minor home affairs have been developing very slowly and at times met with great resistance. As it was evident in Canada, women believed that they were supposed to be house wives and send their husbands to work and children to school. Besides, it was also believed that those Women who work are either widowed, unmarried or belong to far non Canadian community that have established investment in the country. The believe that all women should be house wives contradicts greatly the twenty first century economic trends where educated working women are highly respected and immensely contribute to the economic growth their countries. 5. Gender stereotyping in sports According to Schmalz & Kerstetter (2006), sports have become major activities in the world that are used to bring great wealth to countries and individuals. Gender stereotyping however, has demanded strong compliance where women are expected to participate only to individual aesthetic activities that are pleasing and simplistic like gymnastics, synchronized swimming and figure skating against their male counterparts who are occasionally trained to participate in strenuous, aggressive and very competitive sports in the world. This division encouraged and allowed the women to accept and adopt the unfounded physical limitation imposed to them by the society (Theresa, 2005). With the traditional views that women should remain attractive, groomed and nurturing, they are thus discouraged from participating in strong sports like lifting weights, grunting and being aggressive in the society. Due to this acceptance, young girls have been stigma conscious of gender in physical activities and sports. Many of the activities that are encouraged for the women have high participation from the men counterparts. Swimming, tennis, badminton, bicycle riding, and athletics have as equal number of men like women. Boxing, football, rallying, horse riding and skating have little participation from the women as they are perceived as men sports. However, these trends have greatly changed and more women are participating in football, boxing and car rallying all over the world. Several states globally have tried to change the trend and encouraged more participation in sports by women. During the 2008 Olympic sports in China, sports participation by women had increased tremendously from the previous world cap. Economic development that simultaneously realigns with these segregated sports are therefore denied for women making them to be even more dependent on men and reducing their ability to inspire other women in the society (Malszecki & Cavar, 2005). To add to that, talents are greatly lost from the various individuals that could have been developed to full appreciation through various sports. As a result of confining women to the beauty and light sports, international representation has been lost greatly for various countries. Besides, women are concentrated more in only few sports that cannot accommodate them thereby discouraging increased participation in sports by women (Schmalz & Kerstetter, 2006). 6. Gender stereotypes in modeling and relationship Over years, it has come to be stereotypically accepted that women as opposed to men should be thin in order to look more attractive. Physical appearance in women has been pasted as a major determinant factor in their overall success. Current media depiction of slim and less stout women to be more successful in life has made many young women to strive being like them in order to be equally successful. Major advertisements and beauty competitions are dominated by such slim ladies pasting the wrong attitude for their lives. Those ladies unable to remain slim are generally traumatized and looked down upon and by their counterparts in the society. From the 1950s to 2005, woman’s body in Miss America contests as well as the Playboy Centerfolds have portrayed women thinness a major prerequisite for their consideration to participate and win. Other models all over the world copying from the west, have adopted the trend that is posted to all the media with great magnitude that even the very young girls only wish to remain slim and thus look attractive. Overestimation and failure to question critically the relationship of the preferred slimness in comparison to the immediate health consequences has been missing in this myth (Williams, 2006). It have been categorized as harmful to refuse eating food in order to slim because of immediate susceptibility to diseases by the body. Everybody should feed adequately to enhance enough body immunity that increases it’s overall ability to fight against germs invasion. Adoption of slimming options by the female ladies has been ill advised and happens with little assistance from the medical assistants thereby putting them into greater risks. Extremely slim ladies have been considered more susceptible to periodic diseases invasion which may end up costing them more in treating the same ailments. Continued slimming for long periods of time have been associated with reduced life expectancy for the specific individual due to lack of enough body supportive nutrients (Margaret, 2003). Modern relationships have been displayed and greatly exaggerated by the media where slimmer and lighter skin colored women are portrayed to be much more attractive and sexy in comparison to others in the society. As a major item in the western world and fast spreading due to other regions, all the young and old ladies want to look good when they are with their peers as well as when they are in relationships. They therefore struggle to attain and retain the prescribed model like figures and maintain them through out to make them fit in the social groupings that develop in the society (Malszecki & Cavar, 2005). Besides, there is even higher risk to their health in the case where they use chemicals to assist them assume the slim preferred figures. These chemicals enhance immediate alterations of the hormones in the body thereby achieving the required change. However, over 65% of all the chemicals used for slimming have major side effects like cancer and bio-accumulative poisoning. On the other hand, cosmetics are also increasingly being used to enhance the immediate change in the face appearance. Mercury and silver based skin lightening cosmetics demanded has risen with over 75% in the last 10 years. Though standards have been emphasized greatly to ensure reduced side effects, cases have been reported of massive chemical burns and even death after using various chemicals (Malszecki & Cavar, 2005). Great care should therefore be instigated for use and natural beauty appreciated for all the people. 7. Addressing gender stereotype in the society. As indicated earlier, gender stereotype in the society involves attitudes by the people which are regarded by majority or all of them. Addressing them therefore, requires a combined effort approach where various entities will be required to positively confront the issue for holistic success to be achieved. 8. Use of policy and legislative framework To begin with, inclusive research should be instituted to enhance understanding of the problem from all the dimensions and identification of the immediate key players for the existence of the fallacy. European Institute for Gender Equality has helped greatly in establishing the major gender imbalance based issues that promote stereotyping in the society. It’s immediate and long term effects should also be established to categorize the urgency (Richard & Zoe,2003). Then policies and legislative framework should be developed to encourage more equity and representation in the society. These policies should therefore ensure increased awareness creation and training to the teachers in different schools and their students on the need to reduce gender stereotypic approaches in the society (Theresa, 2005). Besides, it should also be extended to the parents who play major roles in the early child development. Incentives should be established to increase participation by both genders. European Union after realizing the great impact that gender stereotyping was having in the society, it established a common policy to be used by all the European Union countries in removing the deeply entrenched disparities (Margaret, 2003). Accessibility of jobs previously prescribed as only for men was opened up for women in the member countries. Besides, the member states agreed to develop individual objectives to be localized from the agreed agenda by reflecting the immediate country’s problems. 9. Using media to enhance change of attitude Malszecki & Cavar (2005) argues that, media should act as the key tool in promoting positive attitudes towards different genders while denouncing the stereotypic ones. As indicated earlier, media has played the greatest role in spreading stereotypes in the society due to it’s great availability and massive persuasive and convincing power especially to the young people. Facts should be used in advertisements and extremism avoided in the whole process. Many people do not understand the negative outcomes of the gender stereotypes and therefore, both sides of the story should be told for informed decision from the different people in the society to be made. Though the freedom of the media is of great necessity at all times to enhance increased ability of the people to express themselves, it can be regulated to make it more responsible since it is the major contributor to the existence of the current high levels of gender stereotypes in the society (Williams, 2006). 10. Local and international cooperation To add to that, cooperation at all levels in the field of community development and youth affairs should be initiated in the line of jobs and employments opportunities in different states. As discussed earlier, majority of the disparities arise as a result of poor availability of employment opportunities that instigates sharp divisions guided by various mythologies relating to gender stereotypes. Increased industrialization and opening up of more chances related to different areas of specialization in working places should be enhanced (Richard & Zoe,2003). This specialization therefore, would act as an opener to new opportunities in all careers. Introduction of unemployment benefits for the unemployed people of different genders would help reducing major held perceptions that are based on dependence of women to men through submissiveness. It would also increase their ability to invest and improve their independence (Williams, 2006). 11. Improving democracy in the society. Democracy as described in the classical theories of change in the society, acts as a major platform for total participation in all developments in the society. Increasing democratic space for all the people in various decision making posts can reduce totally the perception that only men can hold such administrative posts in the management. As indicated in majority of the democratic world, all the people should have equal opportunity to contribute and sell their political agendas for increased efficiency and higher level management of their states. After Germany elected Engel Merkel as the chancellor in the country, great changes have taken place and people are admiring her mode of operations both locally and internationally. At all levels of management, representation should be enhanced and made equal for both genders (Margaret, 2003). In regions where low levels of democracy still persist, policies should be established to reserve posts for both genders in the management structures. Acting as a major example in the present world, similar cases are being developed in the developed and developing world to enhance major economic growth (Richard & Zoe,2003). 12. Promoting gender equality in sports and careers As a major abstractor in the sports field, both genders should be encouraged to participate in all the sports available for improved talents harnessing in the society. Negativism in one gender participation and scaring off should be discouraged at all times to allow improved development for both genders (Theresa, 2005). Careers development should be improved for better participation in the economic developments by both genders. Gender balance creates self esteem that aids in reducing the major disparities that go together with discrimination. From the local and international arena, successful people in different careers and sports should be used as the major role models because of the facts attached to them (Schmalz & Kerstetter, 2006). Conclusion. Gender stereotypes have been adopted by majority of the people as part of their culture and are therefore used in defining their ways of living in the society. However, they are wrong and should be discouraged as they are highly generalized, give wrong perceptions, discourage total potential discovery from the people and hinder full potential exploitation in the society. As it has happened in education and sports, various achievement of the major goals and objectives that assist people in assuming better earning jobs and thus improved lifestyles are highly limited and defined on the gender stereotyping attitudes possessed by the society. Change to the gender stereotypes perception will form the basis of equality for both genders in all areas of development thereby portraying the greater sense of social civilization (Williams, 2006). Due to the high level of illusionary correlation in gender stereotypes, information on emphasis of slim models and discouragement of participation in sports by the females are highly deceitful to the people. They therefore portray wrong perception that are sooner adopted as part of life by the people in that region. Besides, being in the era of globalization development should be based on the major premises that are substantiated and not illusionary. It should be fully discouraged and all the perceptions conclusively removed with immediate programs as it is a major abyss for talents, innovations and developments. Recommendations 1. Improve and increase cooperation from the of the major organs dealing with gender stereotypes in the society through awareness creation. 2. Promote economic independence of all the people in the society by opening up areas of employment and working (Richard & Zoe,2003). 3. Increase funds for gender based programs that will enhance increased participation from both males and females in the society. 4. Promote responsible media programs in the society that will enhance change of attitude for the better by the youths in the society. 5. Enhance improved research, implementation and monitoring into the established initiatives for effectiveness and conclusiveness of the goals set Reference list Malszecki, G. & Cavar, T. (2005). Men, masculinities, war, and sport. In Race, Class, and Sexuality. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall. Margaret, W. M. (2003). The Psychology of Women. Washington: Sage. Richard, F. & Zoe, O. (2003) â€Å" Gender stereo typing Stereotyping in State Executive Elections†, Journal of politics, (3)65, 25-49. Schmalz, D. & Kerstetter, D. (2006). Girlie girls and manly men: Children’s stigma consciousness of gender in sports and physical activities. Journal of Leisure Research, (4)38, 536-557 Theresa, M. (2005). Gender Myths V. Working Realities. New York: NYU Press. Williams, K. 2006. Globalization: Gender stereo typing in the 21st century and its impacts in

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Corporate Ethical Challenges

Corporate Ethical Challenges Role of Corporate Reputation Corporate reputation is normally based on the past actions as well as the likelihood of the future behaviuor of a company. Good corporate reputation enables a company achieve its corporate objectives. It enables a company and its stakeholders predict the future performance of the company.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Corporate Ethical Challenges specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Corporate reputation is an asset to a company as it helps improve the value of the company in the financial marketplace. This implies that it helps stabilize the company’s stock listings in the stock exchange. It gives a company the ability to charge fair prices for its products and services. It helps achieve customer preferences especially in cases where the products and services offered by the company have similar prices as well as quality to those offered by other companies. Thus it helps bu ild customer loyalty based on its actions towards compliance to ethical values as well as social responsibility and this in turn enables it improve its market share. Suppliers will have trust in the company due to its ability to offer fair trading terms. Social responsibility improves customers’ trust towards the company therefore making them patronize the company’s brands. The company will definitely increase its corporate worth and gain sustained competitive edge over its competitors. Good corporate responsibility stimulates stakeholder support for the company especially during times of controversy. Key stakeholders who include suppliers, the company’s largest customers, current employees as well as opinion leaders within the business community usually provide support crises that could rock the company’s business operations and market shares. Factors considered in assessing corporate reputation Stakeholder groups use different criteria to assess corpora te reputation which include the social responsibility of the firm, its financial performance, product and service quality as well as the workplace environment. Other criteria include measuring the emotional appeal of the firm’s brand as well as the vision and leadership of company. Consumer-specific reputation takes into account the product and service quality as well as the emotional appeal of the firm’s brand. It also considers the vision and leadership of the firm. Investor-specific reputation criteria majors on the financial performance of the organization, its leadership and vision and finally the product and service quality. Employee-specific reputation considers the workplace environment, the company’s vision and leadership as well as social responsibility.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It also takes into account the financi al performance of the company, its emotional appeal towards employees as well as product and service quality. Supplier-specific reputation criteria majors on the financial performance of the firm as well as its emotional appeal towards suppliers. Finally, reputation specific to the general public measures the company’s social responsibility as well as emotional appeal of its brand to the general public. The corporate reputation factors are usually not consistent across stakeholders since corporate reputation is normally a situational construct. Thus the factors are relative to decision s the stakeholders are considering. Steps to remedy concerns raised by Coca Cola stakeholders All the stakeholders of a company are very important for its business growth and therefore addressing all the concerns raised by different stakeholders helps maintain trust from the business stakeholders and achieve business growth. Addressing the concerns requires various steps which include: Develop a diversity policy to address discrimination in the workforce and promote equal treatment of the culturally diverse employees. The diversity policy will address equal employment opportunities, remuneration, promotion based on merit among many other equality issues. This would motivate workers and help the company avoid losses attributed to lawsuits. The company will develop an article of association which gives every employee the right to involve in association as long as he or she follows the guidelines provided for in the article and also respects the regulations of the company. In order to avoid inflated earnings which are as a result of channel stuffing and other financial report fraud cases, the company will retain independent external auditors to audit the financial reports of the company before being presented to the public. The company will also ensure that shipping is done specifically to the orders received from wholesalers and retailers. The company will take extra preca utions on the products it sells in the market. It will ensure that all products set for the market are tested in the company’s laboratory to ensure proportionality of the ingredients. All the raw materials have to be tested in the laboratory to ensure that they are fit for human consumption before they are used for making the products. In promoting the health of customers, the company will provide accurate and adequate information about the ingredients used in the preparation of the product on the bottles and in its product advertisement so as to enable customers make right choices. It will also sponsor health education through nutrition agencies. The company will adopt fair trading policies which ensure that suppliers are provided with all the terms of the agreement before signing contracts. The company will agree on terms which benefit both the supplier and the company and adhere to the guidelines of the contract in order to gain supplier trust. Measures will be taken to pr eserve the water catchment areas in all its regions of operation and more support provided to communities with water catchment facilities. Finally, measures will also be put in place to ensure that all the waste from the industrial plants is properly treated before being disposed of. Coca-Cola’s environmental initiatives Some of the company’s environmental initiatives do not seem to be sincere. Coca-Cola has distribution centers and industries worldwide while its bottle plant only recycles plastic bottles used in North America meaning that it does not recycle other bottles in other continents. These initiatives are not long-term and do not aim at achieving environmental sustainability. Providing facilities for water catchment without preserving the main water catchment areas can not achieve sustainable development. This is also evidenced by its initiative to provide $20 million dollars to help protect freshwater resources without making the project long-term consideri ng that it is among the companies which consume large amounts of freshwater worldwide.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Final Quotation Mark Essay

Final Quotation Mark Essay Final Quotation Mark Essay ANSWERS to Test Your Business Writing Skills Spelling Quiz Answers: 10 Correctly spelled words: indispensable, judgment, harass, desperate, embarrassment, superseded, privilege, fulfillment, commitment and occurrence, definitely. 10 Misspelled words [pic] : millennium, definitely, It’s, all right, preceding, a lot, consensus, acknowledgment (acknowledgement is acceptable but not preferred), forward, and congratulations. Punctuation Quiz Answers and Explanations: l. Mr. Smith said â€Å"Please submit your report by tomorrow†. Corrected sentence: Mr. Smith said, â€Å"Please submit your report by tomorrow.† Explanation of errors: A comma should be placed before a quote, and a period goes inside the end quote. 2. I would like to have a hot dog, relish, and ketchup. Corrected sentences: I would like to have a hotdog, relish and coleslaw. I would like to have a hot dog, relish, and ketchup. Explanation of error: Either one of the above punctuated sentences is correct, although most writers prefer to omit the serial comma (the comma before the â€Å"and† in a series of items). The error frequently made is when a writer sometimes uses the serial comma and at other times does not. Whatever choice is made, it must be used consistently in your writing. 3. Who wrote, â€Å"Avatar ?† Corrected sentence: Who wrote â€Å"Avatar †? Explanation of errors: Incorrect placement of question mark inside quotation marks. Question marks go outside the final quotation mark if the entire sentence asks the question. The question mark goes inside the final quotation mark if just the quoted material asks the question; i.e., Tom asked, â€Å"What’s wrong?† There is also no need for the comma in the sentence; it breaks up the thought. 4. My report was not up-to-date, I will have to revise it tomorrow. Corrected sentences: My report was not up-to-date, so I will have to revise it tomorrow. My report was not up-to-date; I will have to revise it tomorrow. Explanation of error: Comma Splicing. This occurs when you use a comma to join two complete sentences without placing either a semicolon or appropriate joining word between them. 5. Two years delay led to a change in procedures. Corrected sentence: Two years’ delay led to a change in procedures. Explanation of error: Missing apostrophe in a possessive (a word that shows possession). 6. The American. Government has three branches; the legislative, executive and judicial. Corrected sentence: The American Government has three branches: the legislative, executive and judicial. Explanation of error: Use of a semi-colon instead of a colon to introduce a list. 7. Politically our candidate has proven to be very skilled. Corrected sentence: Politically, our candidate has proven to be very skilled. Explanation of error: Missing comma after a set-off word. 8. I sent a letter to Jake Bilge 100 Wilkins Ave. Bronton, Saskatchewan. Corrected sentence: I sent a letter to Jake Bilge, 100 Wilkins Ave., Bronton, Saskatchewan. Explanation of error: There is often confusion on where to place commas to separate parts of addresses. Commas are needed after the name, street, and city. Grammar Quiz Answers and Explanations 1. Each of the employees are responsible for their own transportation. (Incorrect) Corrected sentence: Each of the employees is responsible for their own transportation. . Explanation: Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. The subject each is singular and requires a singular verb. 2. After reading the initial report, the subsequent report appears contradictory. (Incorrect) Corrected sentence: After reading the initial report, I found the subsequent report to be contradictory. Explanation: Be careful of the dangling modifier, which is a word or phrase that modifies another word or phrase not clearly stated in the sentence, possibly causing confusion with regard to the speaker’s intended meaning. In

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Timeline of the Suez Crisis

A Timeline of the Suez Crisis Learn what events lead to the Suez Crisis, which was an invasion of  Egypt  in late 1956. 1922 Feb 28:  Egypt is declared a sovereign state by Britain.Mar 15:  Sultan Faud appoints himself King of Egypt.Mar 16:  Egypt achieves  independence.May 7:  Britain is  angered over Egyptian claims to sovereignty over Sudan. 1936 Apr 28:  Ã‚  Faud dies and his 16-year-old son, Farouk, becomes King of Egypt.Aug 26:  Draft of Anglo-Egyptian Treaty is signed. Britain is allowed to maintain a garrison of 10,000 men in the  Suez Canal Zone and is given effective control of Sudan. 1939 May 2:  King Farouk is declared the spiritual leader, or Caliph, of Islam. 1945 Sept 23:  Egyptian government demands complete British withdrawal and the cession of Sudan. 1946 May 24:  British premier  Winston Churchill  says the Suez Canal will be in danger if Britain withdraws from Egypt. 1948 May 14:  Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel by David Ben-Gurion in Tel Aviv.May 15:  Start of the first Arab-Israeli War.Dec 28:  Egyptian premier Mahmoud Fatimy is assassinated by the  Muslim Brotherhood.Feb 12:  Hassan el Banna, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood is assassinated. 1950 Jan 3:  Wafd party regains power. 1951 Oct 8:  Egyptian government announces that it will eject Britain from the Suez Canal Zone and take control of Sudan.Oct 21:  British warships arrive at Port Said, more troops are on the way. 1952 Jan 26:  Egypt is placed under martial law in response to wide-spread riots against the British.Jan 27:  Prime Minister Mustafa Nahhas is removed by King Farouk for failing to keep the peace. He is replaced by Ali Mahir.Mar 1:  The Egyptian Parliament is suspended by King Farouk when Ali Mahir resigns.May 6:  King Farouk claims to be a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed.July 1:  Hussein Sirry is new premier.July 23:  Free Officer Movement, fearing King Farouk is about to move against them, initiate a military coup.July 26:  Military coup is successful, General Naguib appoints Ali Mahir as prime minister.Sept 7:  Ali Mahir again resigns. General Naguib takes over the post of president, prime minister, minister of war and commander-in-chief of the army. 1953 Jan 16:  President Naguib disbands all opposition parties.Feb 12:  Britain and Egypt sign a new treaty. Sudan to have independence within three years.May 5:  Constitutional commission recommends 5,000-year-old monarchy be ended and Egypt become a republic.May 11:  Britain threatens  to use force against Egypt over the Suez Canal dispute.June 18:  Egypt becomes a republic.Sept 20:  Several of King Farouks aides are seized. 1954 Feb 28:  Nasser challenges President Naguib.Mar 9:  Naguib beats off Nassers challenge and retains the presidency.Mar 29:  General Naguib postpones plans to hold parliamentary elections.Apr 18:  For a second time, Nasser takes the presidency away from Naguib.Oct 19:  Britain cedes Suez Canal to Egypt in new treaty, two year period set for withdrawal.Oct 26:  Muslim Brotherhood attempt to assassinate General Nasser.Nov 13:  General Nasser in full control of Egypt. 1955 Apr 27:  Egypt announces plans to sell cotton to Communist ChinaMay 21:  USSR announces it will sell arms to Egypt.Aug 29:  Israeli and Egyptian jets in fire-fight over Gaza.Sept 27:  Egypt makes deal with Czechoslovakia arms for cotton.Oct 16:  Egyptian and Israeli forces skirmish in El Auja.Dec 3:  Britain and Egypt sign agreement granting Sudan independence. 1956 Jan 1:  Sudan achieves independence.Jan 16:  Islam is made state religion by act of Egyptian government.June 13:  Britain gives  up Suez Canal. Ends 72 years of British occupation.June 23:  General Nasser is elected president.July 19:  US withdraws financial aid for Aswan Dam project. The official reason is Egypts increased ties to USSR.July 26:  President Nasser announces a plan to nationalize Suez Canal.July 28:  Britain freezes Egyptian assets.July 30:  British Prime Minister Anthony Eden imposes an arms embargo on Egypt, and informs General Nasser that he can not have the Suez Canal.Aug 1:  Britain, France, and the US hold talks on escalating the Suez crisis.Aug 2:  Britain mobilizes armed forces.Aug 21:  Egypt says it will negotiate on Suez ownership if Britain pulls out of the Middle East.Aug 23:  USSR announces it will send troops if Egypt is attacked.Aug 26:  General Nasser agrees to five nation conference on Suez Canal.Aug 28:  Two British envoy s are expelled from Egypt accused of spying.Sept 5:  Israel condemns Egypt over Suez crisis. Sept 9:  Conference talks collapse when General Nasser refuses to allow international control of the Suez Canal.Sept 12:  US, Britain, and France announce their intention to impose a Canal Users Association on the management of the canal.Sept 14:  Egypt now in full control of the Suez Canal.Sept 15:  Soviet ship-pilots arrive to help Egypt run the canal.Oct 1:  A 15 nation Suez Canal Users Association is officially formed.Oct 7:  Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir says the UN failure to resolve the Suez Crisis means they must take military action.Oct 13:  Anglo-French proposal for the control of the Suez Canal is vetoed by the USSR during the UN session.Oct 29:  Israel invades  the Sinai Peninsula.Oct 30:  Britain and France veto USSR demand for Israel-Egypt cease-fire.Nov 2:  UN Assembly finally approves a cease-fire plan for Suez.Nov 5:  British and French forces  involved in the airborne invasion of Egypt.Nov 7:  UN  Assembly votes 65 to 1 that invad ing powers should quit Egyptian territory.Nov 25:  Egypt begins to expel British, French, and Zionist residents. Nov 29:  Tripartite Invasion  is officially ended under pressure from UN.Dec 20:  Israel refuses to return Gaza to Egypt.Dec 24:  British and French troops depart Egypt.Dec 27: 5,580 Egyptian POWs exchanged for four Israelis.Dec 28:  Operation to clear sunken ship in Suez Canal starts. 1957 Jan 15:  British and French banks in Egypt are nationalized.Mar 7:  UN  takes over the administration of the Gaza Strip.Mar 15:  General Nasser bars Israeli shipping from Suez Canal.Apr 19:  First British ship pays Egyptian toll for use of the Suez Canal.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Discuss at least two theories which hold that a mental state is Essay

Discuss at least two theories which hold that a mental state is nothing more than some sort of physical state - Essay Example There are two important movements that provide an answer to these questions, i.e. behaviorism and identity theory. It is in my contention that despite the enigma of the human mind, behaviorism and the identity theory, both attempt to offer a rational explanation for the nature and identity of mental phenomena. Behaviorism Behaviorism is generally regarded as the view that reduces mental states to the physical states of the body, specifically to that of the body’s behaviors. Thus, â€Å"behaviorists have argued that mental states and processes are really nothing more than behavior or dispositions† (Heil, 1993, p.174). A behavior is understood here as an external physical movement of the body, and thus includes verbal behavior, but excludes brain activities. Moreover, behavior is either actual or dispositional. Accordingly, all mental states are believed to be behavioral dispositions, which may or may not be actualized. As such, even if there is no actual behavior that co rresponds to a mental expression, the claim of behaviorism holds because it necessarily has a corresponding behavioral disposition. So to have a mental state is thus to behave or to be disposed to behave in a certain way. For instance, to be in pain is to exhibit behaviors such as crying, wincing, saying â€Å"ouch,† etc. ... Expressions containing mental terms such as â€Å"I desire to finish school†, â€Å"I am in pain†, and â€Å"I believe that it is going to rain,† are accordingly, logically equivalent to, or reducible to some expressions containing only behavioral terms such as â€Å"I will attend my classes regularly,† â€Å"I am inclined to cry,† and â€Å"I will bring my umbrella when I get out of the house.† In short, in this view, mental terms are defined in terms of behaviors. It is this notion of behaviorism that will be of concern to us. Logical behaviorism is often attributed to the view of the mind that Gilbert Ryle (1965) advanced as an alternative to Cartesian dualism, which he refers to as the ghost-in-the machine doctrine. Ryle argues that this doctrine commits a fallacy called the category mistake, i.e. when one wrongly takes something as belonging to a certain category that it does not belong to. The famous example given by Ryle is when someon e understands the word â€Å"university† as referring to a particular entity in the very same way that the words â€Å"buildings†, â€Å"members of the faculty†, â€Å"students†, and the like, refer to particular entities. In the same way, so argues Ryle, Descartes mistakes the word â€Å"mind† as belonging to the same category as the word â€Å"body†, and hence believes that the word â€Å"mind† refers to an entity of some kind in the same way that the word â€Å"body† does. Though â€Å"mind† and â€Å"body† refer to different kinds of entities, the fact that they do refer to entities puts them in the same category. Logical behaviorism, as noted above, is the view that mental states are nothing but behaviors. This view lends itself to two

The Transforming Power of Suffering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Transforming Power of Suffering - Essay Example   At the time that this poem is written, Milton is one of the greatest writers of England, and this horrible condition called blindness is about to end his career, thus rendering him useless, much like the talent in the Bible which the third man buries and eventually becomes the reason for God to punish him (Matt. 25:26-30, The New International Version). For the poet, it seems that being blind is being useless, and being useless is tantamount to preparing oneself to get punished. This is the true cause of Milton’s suffering as he is writing this poem. ... H. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Blind Man.† In the story, Maurice secretly struggles with his blindness by keeping himself busy with daily chores on the farm: â€Å"He milked the cows, carried in the pails [and] attended to the pigs and horses† (Lawrence). These are actually a few things that a normal blind man can never get himself to do. Nevertheless, Maurice seems to be pushing himself to do these tasks. Why? The reason is one that he reveals to Bertie toward the end of the story: â€Å"What I am afraid of†¦is that [my wife Isabel will] find me a dead weight [and that] I feel it isn’t fair she’s saddled with me† (Lawrence). Maurice, therefore, just like the poet Milton, feels the same kind of suffering particularly because of their fear of being useless. Nevertheless, what Jernigan states – that â€Å"the blind tend to see [themselves] as others see [them]† (4) – is somehow true as most blind people tend to suffer only un til they realize that suffering brings them the gifts of humility, compassion, and hope. The virtue of humility is evident in the following lines of Milton’s â€Å"On His Blindness†: â€Å"†¦though my soul more bent/ To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest He returning chide† (Milton 4-6). In these lines of the poem, the poet himself admits that although he is ready to serve God, he has no choice but to humbly admit his â€Å"true account† – his actual circumstances or the fact that he is blind and that he cannot do anything about it. Indeed, humility is all about mustering enough courage to admit the true state of things and at the same time admitting one’s helplessness in the face of it.  

Friday, October 18, 2019

There is no such thing as a neutral question. Evaluate this statement Essay - 3

There is no such thing as a neutral question. Evaluate this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge - Essay Example For instance, â€Å"Why do you think he is leaving the company?† This is apparently a neutral question since the best answer is obviously known to the person who is leaving the company. The questioner’s interest is superficial or mere curiosity or else the question would have been placed with the person concerned. In the most elementary form, neutral questions are those which are asked by innocent children who express their curiosity over anything they see or hear. Questions like â€Å"From where does babies come?† are common neutral questions since the children who frame these questions do not have any pre-conceived notions and can be satisfied by any random answer. In such cases, the questioner, i.e. the children have no inherent interest in the questions other than curiosity. Since, as already explained, in a case of a neutral question there is no apparent interest in the mind of the questioner therefore such questions are generally unemotional and open. However, this paper is concerned with the statement that there is no such thing as a neutral question. In the sociological perspective, the weight of a question is determined by the social context, i.e. answers can vary depending on whom the question is targeted. Therefore, â€Å"a sociologist who does not subject his own questioning to sociological questioning will be incapable of making a truly neutral sociological analysis of the answer it receives† (Bourdieu, 41). In the realm of science, knowledge is based on real questions with concrete and experimentally proven answers. A question cannot be neutral since the questioner expects a pre-conceived answer, i.e. a hypothesis based on which his future work will be constructed. The most critical aspect of scientific knowledge is that a scientist can ask a question of whys and hows for the reason that he will be seeking an explanation for his question. Now, the question remains whether in science it is

NHS omputer System Failures Affecting Patient Care Assignment

NHS omputer System Failures Affecting Patient Care - Assignment Example Computers have assisted man ever since their inception. This assignment describes the infusion of Information Technology in the field of health and medicine that has led to the rebirth of the said field. Technological advancements that have affected the field of health were described in the assignment and have affected the human society as a whole directly and have mostly proved to be beneficial rather than hazardous. The researcher focuses on analysis of the NHS OR NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE that is an organization that was established in UK. The core idea behind the establishment of National Health Services-NHS was to provide high quality of healthcare to all the patients. This was specially intended keeping in mind that no patient should be made to suffer because of his financial stature. Thus apart from very few procedures the NHS unanimously provides medical services to all its patients that are UK residents. Since its inception, there was always one issue or the other that inhibit ed the successful growth of the system, such as the delaying of computerized scheduled patient operations, subscription of timely and accurate medicines, failing to detect and ensure treatment of cancer patients within two weeks and those of emergent nature within four hours. The researcher analyzed and investigated problems, that were mentioned above and provided his own opinion on success of the National Health Services organization as well as some gave some recommendations and solutions found to solve the problems.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Geography of Region Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Geography of Region - Term Paper Example Many small islands surround the Phuket Island which increases the land area of the island to a further seventy kilometers. Phuket is alienated from mainland Thailand in the northern most part by Chong Pak Phra Chanel; there is a land bridge is situated which is a source of connection between the mainland Thailand and Phuket Island. Strategically, Phuket Island deems great importance as its airfield and sea harbor is halfway between Singapore and Rangoon (Stripp, 1989). Due to its location, it is best suited for any future re-takeover of Malaya by the British. The location of Phuket Island, somewhat between Asia, Africa and Austrailia, makes it an ideal place for tourism, sea-food delicacies and water sports as well. On the Southern coast of Andaman Island, it is the quieter half of the seas. Due to its location, it is crowded almost all around the year. The warm waters of Andaman Sea are part of the Indian Ocean, which is located south of Burma, hence the name Burma Sea, is in the we stern side of Thailand. It is on the southeastern side of the Bay of Bengal and serves as a significant site for coral reefs and tourism. ( Murthy, 2007) Place The island is mostly covered by mountains and is surrounded by various mountain ranges. Approximately seventy percent of the island has mountains. A mountain range runs from north to south in the west of the island. Phuket mountain range is formed at the south of the island; this rande is approximately four hundred and forty kilometers (two hundred and seventy miles) from Kra Isthmus. The highest point of the island is known as Twelve Canes (Mai Thao Sip) which is about one thousand, seven hundred and thirty six feet (five hundred and twenty nine meters) well above sea level. The whole area of Phuket is very hilly in nature. Only a few of the peaks are above the height of five hundred meters; the highest peak is about five hundred and twenty nine meters of Mai Tao Sipsong. Most of the peaks are covered by lush green trees. Th e lowlands comprise of pineapple, coconut, rubber plantations, and paddies of rice. They cover almost sixty percent of the area of the island. It also has a major portion of rainforest (almost twenty kilometer square) which is now preserved as the Khao Phra Thaeo Park. The lowlands most highest pont is Khao Prathiu which is about three hundred and eighty four metres (about one thousand, two hundred and sixty feet); then the second one is Khao Bang Pae which is about three hundred and eighty eight meters (Around one thousand, two hundred and seventy three feet) and the lowest of three is four hundred and twenty two meters which is called Khao Phara and is about one thousand, three hundred and eighty five feet. Sirinat National Part on the north west shore covers an area of about ninety kilometer square (about thirty five square miles) and covers a total of sixty eight kilometers (forty two miles) of marine region; it also comprises of the area of Nai Yang coast where the sea turtles come to lay eggs. Most of the enchanting beaches are sited on the western coast of the island. They are separated by headlands and rocky coves. The East coast, however, is made up of limestone shoals with only some sandy beaches. It is muddy in nature. It is the remaining thirty percent of the island that is plains. These beaches are decorated by extravagant limestone that further beautifies the place. Coral reefs or coral gardens adorn the beaches as huge varieties of marine life

The Human Genome Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Human Genome Project - Essay Example The Human Genome Project began in 1990, with the aim of establishing the DNA sequence of the whole euchromatic human genome in a period of 15 years . At the initial stage, the project was filled with scepticism from scientists and even ordinary people. One major issue raised was whether the enormous finances involved in the project would result in corresponding benefits. Nonetheless, the great success of the project is clear, the completion of Human Genome project brought a new age in medicine and also resulted in major advancements in the forms of technology applied in sequence DNA . The U.S National Institute of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy funded the launch of Human Genome project in 1990.   The labs of this project worked with international collaborators and they were able to resolve 95% of the sequence of DNA in human genome in a period of 15 years. Similarly, John Sulston in association with his colleagues at the MRC‘s laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambrid ge in the UK were working at mapping the genome of the nematode worm for a number of years. From their findings, they revealed that sequencing the entire genome of the worm was feasible . Human Genome Project in the US, it progressed well in its operations. In the United Kingdom, the MRC approached the Wellcome Trust and proposed for a new partnership to enable them get funds to facilitate the worm sequence project that John had proposed. After this proposal, things began to move quickly because the Wellcome Trust embarked its operations.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Geography of Region Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Geography of Region - Term Paper Example Many small islands surround the Phuket Island which increases the land area of the island to a further seventy kilometers. Phuket is alienated from mainland Thailand in the northern most part by Chong Pak Phra Chanel; there is a land bridge is situated which is a source of connection between the mainland Thailand and Phuket Island. Strategically, Phuket Island deems great importance as its airfield and sea harbor is halfway between Singapore and Rangoon (Stripp, 1989). Due to its location, it is best suited for any future re-takeover of Malaya by the British. The location of Phuket Island, somewhat between Asia, Africa and Austrailia, makes it an ideal place for tourism, sea-food delicacies and water sports as well. On the Southern coast of Andaman Island, it is the quieter half of the seas. Due to its location, it is crowded almost all around the year. The warm waters of Andaman Sea are part of the Indian Ocean, which is located south of Burma, hence the name Burma Sea, is in the we stern side of Thailand. It is on the southeastern side of the Bay of Bengal and serves as a significant site for coral reefs and tourism. ( Murthy, 2007) Place The island is mostly covered by mountains and is surrounded by various mountain ranges. Approximately seventy percent of the island has mountains. A mountain range runs from north to south in the west of the island. Phuket mountain range is formed at the south of the island; this rande is approximately four hundred and forty kilometers (two hundred and seventy miles) from Kra Isthmus. The highest point of the island is known as Twelve Canes (Mai Thao Sip) which is about one thousand, seven hundred and thirty six feet (five hundred and twenty nine meters) well above sea level. The whole area of Phuket is very hilly in nature. Only a few of the peaks are above the height of five hundred meters; the highest peak is about five hundred and twenty nine meters of Mai Tao Sipsong. Most of the peaks are covered by lush green trees. Th e lowlands comprise of pineapple, coconut, rubber plantations, and paddies of rice. They cover almost sixty percent of the area of the island. It also has a major portion of rainforest (almost twenty kilometer square) which is now preserved as the Khao Phra Thaeo Park. The lowlands most highest pont is Khao Prathiu which is about three hundred and eighty four metres (about one thousand, two hundred and sixty feet); then the second one is Khao Bang Pae which is about three hundred and eighty eight meters (Around one thousand, two hundred and seventy three feet) and the lowest of three is four hundred and twenty two meters which is called Khao Phara and is about one thousand, three hundred and eighty five feet. Sirinat National Part on the north west shore covers an area of about ninety kilometer square (about thirty five square miles) and covers a total of sixty eight kilometers (forty two miles) of marine region; it also comprises of the area of Nai Yang coast where the sea turtles come to lay eggs. Most of the enchanting beaches are sited on the western coast of the island. They are separated by headlands and rocky coves. The East coast, however, is made up of limestone shoals with only some sandy beaches. It is muddy in nature. It is the remaining thirty percent of the island that is plains. These beaches are decorated by extravagant limestone that further beautifies the place. Coral reefs or coral gardens adorn the beaches as huge varieties of marine life

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Should I study accounting (I will say agree and should give reason.) Essay

Should I study accounting (I will say agree and should give reason.) - Essay Example Here the word value means in the monetary terms and also in the behavioral terms. An accountant is a respected person in all the businesses and the organizations. Many authors have listed several reason and advantages to study accountancy as the major subject. The future of an accountant is always secure regarding economic and monetary terms and conditions. The on-job promotions always give an open opportunity for growth and development of any individual and for an accountant there is a variety of promotions during their job trainings. The accountant may be offered a handsome salary package just because of his major studies and the skills and abilities, which he may possess after completing the accounting major. As I am interested in doing my own business, accountancy will also help me regarding all the techniques of the installing and then running any business. Accountancy major actually teaches the tips and tricks to handle or to govern the business in a proper and true direction, hence I chose accounting as my major. Firstly, I want to say that accounting is a field having a wide scope in many areas of the life or in professional terms we can say in many businesses accounting can be compensated. I am completely satisfied with accounting field and want to continue with it. There are many reasons behind my decision regarding the selection of accounting subject as my major. I am very easy at playing with numbers. From my early educational life, I am always attracted towards mathematical subjects and or we can say numbers and counting. Due to my interest and affiliation with the subject, I decided to take accounting as my major subject. Now at this point of time in my educational career, I must appreciate my decision of taking accounting as a major. This profession does not limit a person to a single line of business but has its roots to the personal finance management as well (Chavez 1981). Another reason for the

Monday, October 14, 2019

Cause and Effect Essay Example for Free

Cause and Effect Essay The dedication and self-motivation required to balancing schoolwork and practice is the most difficult part of being a student-athlete. I find that being a student-athlete plays out to be much harder than most people think. It’s very difficult especially at the beginning of the year, when it finally hits you that you’re growing up and finally have to do your own laundry. You’re not only getting your-self situated as far as classes go, but also meeting new people. You have to balance all the new tasks in your life as well as starting new relationships. One obvious cause of wanting to become a student-athlete is the persona. Everyone wants to be the star athlete and everyone wants to be the cool kid on the sports team that gets all the chicks. This is something that we were raised around, all the professional athletes getting praised as kings while walking around with a supermodel around their arm. I mean who wouldn’t want that kind of life? Being a student-athlete is something that you can take pride in. You want to take pride in yourself by representing your team in athletics but also want to further your education by acquiring a degree witch causes you to be a student athlete. It also makes you stand out among the rest because not only are you a full time student but also a full time athlete. Which gives you life skills like motivation and determination that you take with you through out life. Above all it gives your parents something to brag about to their siblings because their twenty three year old son is still living in their house, while flipping burgers down the street. The major cause of being a student-athlete is that you want to have friends. Sure being a student-athlete teaches you how to balance a crazy life style and creates better time management but it also allows you to create great friendships. With schoolwork and practice you usually don’t have socializing time but you will always have your teammates. Knowing this could cause you to become a student-athlete. The cause of student-athletes is when a person wants to thrive to better them self, they want to push themselves to new heights, they want an edge on their competition, want to hopefully find new friendships and in some cases they just want the praise of being a student-athlete. It takes a special person to want to be a student athlete for the right causes, and might need to be revaluated if all you want is the praise of being a student-athlete. A plus is that most of the student-athletes either quickly realize its not for them because their grades become less of an importance and cheerleaders along with a thirty rack becomes a priority, or they end up seeing the importance of education and find themselves succeeding in life. The first effect of a student-athlete is that you will develop physical abilities. Your body will be in better shape, and you’ll be able to achieve things that physically you couldn’t accomplish before. You will push your self to levels you didn’t think wherever possible to reach. You my not have your photo in all the papers and the model on your arm is more likely to be a cute hometown girl that you met at a party, but you have still accomplished more than you would have if you where a normal college student that sits in front on his video games all day, only leaving the room to buy more chips because he destroyed his last bag of Doritos. The second effect has to do with your personal life. Practicing a sport requires some time, plus schoolwork and everything else going in your life you usually don’t have time to lie around and be lazy. Which teaches you not only to have an amazing work ethic but also how to manage the time that you have. It also keeps you busy enough to stay out of trouble, most of the time. When you are playing for a team the name on the front means a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back. When you go some place to play your not representing your self, you’re representing your team and your university. There is only a fortunate bunch of people that get to put on a uniform to represent something bigger than them, so as a student-athlete you take pride in what you do, and you take advantage in representing your school every time you touch the field. The most important effect of being a student athlete is your teammates and your everlasting friendships. You will meet a lot of people being a student-athlete but only a small group of individuals will become your friends to the point you can call them your second family. That is the meaning of a team. As an athlete you will develop a strong character and a competitive spirit. You’ll become more disciplined and responsible, which will certainly help you in your professional life. Above all you develop relationships that can be unbreakable. You go through hell with each other, or as some people like to call it conditioning. You step on the field and go to battle with one another trusting that the other guys in the game will give as much effort if not more to win. You’ll get on each other’s nervous and sometimes get into fights, but no matter what at the end of the day you’ll always have your second family. The effect of being a student-athlete shapes your body, your life, and your mind in good ways. Practicing a sport, going to classes, doing homework and trying to balance a social life keeps you entertained and far away from boredom. In addition you will have the chance to experience the amazing feeling of success after all the hard work you put in to being a student-athlete. It’s worth all the early morning practices, and tough love conditioning to be able to see defeat in your opponents face. It’s worth all the seven o’clock classes, and professors’ monotone lectures to be able to see the overwhelming sense of joy on your mothers face as you receive you diploma. It’s worth the long bus rides, and all the tough losses to be able to have a group of guys you can call you’re family. Even though its hard work being a student-athlete is a great experience that will stay with you forever.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Analysing the Concept of Informed Consent in Healthcare

Analysing the Concept of Informed Consent in Healthcare Chapter 1-Introduction 1.1 In modern society, everyone has the basic right to consent to medical treatment. However, this is a recent development as consent was not always considered a critical issue in medical treatment. Hippocrates himself, advised doctors that they should conceal the effects of medical treatment from their patients, his reasoning being he believed that when patients were given relevant information they would take a turn for the worse. It was not standard practice for patients to question a doctors decision or authority. Recent changes have contributed to this change in attitude and as such altered the method of practice of a doctors obligation. The final years of the twentieth century as witnessed the most dramatic shift in the reputation of the medical profession within the United Kingdom, due to scandal after scandal plaguing doctors. Major news headlines left the doctor-patient relationship in a state of concern, for example, Doctors who steal organs face jail.This headline refers to the Bristol and Liverpool Hospital where it was discovered that they were retaining childrens organs, without consent or knowledge of the parents. It became apparent in the Bristol and Liverpool reports that organ retention, of both children and adults was widespread practice. Another significant humiliation for the medical profession was the case of Harold Shipman, a general practitioner who was convicted of murdering fifteen of his patients. Whether these circumstances are due to the actions of individualist or media influence makes little difference to the effect they had on societys viewpoint. There was need for change and this brought about the introduction of regulations and guidelines that protected both the patient and the doctor. 1.2 Informed consent was seen to break the doctor knows best concept and established a liberated choice for the patient. The locus classicus for informed consent is contained within the case Schloendroff v Society of New York Hospital, where it was held, â€Å"Every person being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body.† There are many examples within the UK system which confirms this principle of law, one being the case Re A (Minors) in which Robert Walker L.J stated, â€Å"Every human beings right to life carries with it, as an intrinsic part of it, rights of bodily integrity and autonomy The principle underpins the common law concerning consent to treatment within the UK. The consent that a patient has the right to choose is a fundamental part of receiving medical treatment. No considerations need to be examined whether the choice is rational or irrational, as the patient has an absolute right. 1.3 The Department of Health 1993 stated, â€Å"Consent is the voluntary and continuing permission of the patient to receive a particular treatment based on an adequate knowledge of the purpose, nature and likely risks of the treatment including the likelihood of its success and any alternatives to it.† Meaning any permission given under any unfair or undue pressure is not consent. Consent may be expressed or implied, however the validity of informed consent does not depend upon the form in which it is given 1.4 This dissertation will firstly consider the development of informed consent, as the English courts initially had reservations of its establishment and for this reason was gradually introduced in stages, until the case of Chester v Afshar which saw the full acceptance of the doctrine. It needs to be considered how the medical profession dealt with this change and in addition how patients themselves are exercising such powers. The effect in which the Human Acts 1998 has had on the courts decision making process will also be analysed to observe the relevance this may have had on informed consent. Another factor of informed consent includes giving sufficient information and the patients understanding of this. For informed consent to exist, the patient must have all the relevant information and capability to make an informed choice as to the treatment they decide to receive. This was made apparent in the case Reibiu v Hughes, where Laskin J stated, â€Å"the genuineness of consent to medical treatment depends on proper disclosure of the risks it entails† For informed consent to exist within the UK; provisions need to be made for those who are simply unable to give an informed choice. The capacity of a patient needs to be considered and if they lack this then a doctor must make a decision as to what is in the patients best interest. This can be seen to restrict informed consent as it goes against its true principle, however if a patient can not make an informed choice for themselves then it is only passable that someone has to act on their behalf. This dissertation will examine the procedure for this and how the law enables decisions to be made fairly and respectably. Chapter 2-The Development of Informed Consent 2.1 The area of law that needs to be established is the nature and scope of the duty to inform and the extent to which this has been incorporated into the English legal system. The existence of a duty to warn came about when the relationship between a doctor and the patient, which was based solely on trust, began to erode. There was a need for scrutiny and examination within the medical profession and this was achieved through the development of the law. The scope of the doctors duty of care is determined by a reference to the Bolam case. Mr Bolam agreed to electroconvulsive therapy to help improve his depression. He suffered fractures in the course of the treatment. The risk was known to his doctor, but he had not informed Mr Bolam of such. Mr Bolam alleged that the failure to warn him of the risk was negligent. The judge found that the amount of information harmonized with accepted medical practice and dismissed his claim. The judge, McNair J, directed the jury to the principle that, â€Å"A doctor is not guilty of negligence if he has acted in accordance with the practice accepted as proper by a responsible body of medical men skilled in that particular art† Therefore, the defendant doctor had conformed with a practice which was approved by a responsible body of medical opinion. This test was known as the Bolam test and it determines whether the doctor fell below â€Å"the standard of the ordinary skilled man exercising and professing to have that special skill† 2.2 Where there is a difference of judgment between two differing medical opinions, the defendant will be given the benefit of the doubt. As a result a doctor would not be found negligent if the court is satisfied that there is a responsible body of medical opinion that considers the doctor had acted appropriately. This responsible body need not be the majority of the profession. It appears that the courts allowed the medical profession to set their own standard. A doctor simply needed to provide an expert testimony and the courts assumed that it must be responsible. In exceptional cases, the courts perceived some established practice to be substandard, however it appears that only one reported case has materialized where such a judgement has occurred. The case, Hucks v Cole, where a woman contracted puerperal fever due to her doctor failing to treat her with penicillin for her septic toe and finger. Although a number of distinguished doctors gave evidence that they would not have administrated penicillin, the Court of Appeal found the defendant to have been negligent. The Judge, Sachs LJ, commented that the courts have to be in a position to verify that the medical opinion stood up to logical analysis and that they are not merely tailored to fit the requirements of the respective parties cases. This judgement was one of rarity, as Judges would not ordinarily cross examine a doctors opinion on a logical basis. 2.3 Often cases were even more favourable to the doctor, as is witnessed in the case Hatcher v Black. In this case Lord Denning stated, â€Å"As a matter of law it might be justifiable for a doctor to tell a lie, when he only does that which many a wise and good doctor would do.† It can be concluded from this that it is entirely for the individual doctor to determine what to inform his patient, even if the doctor went so far as to opt for what his lordship termed a therapeutic lie. Professor Michael Jones expressed the state of play as a football score, â€Å"In six medical negligence claims before the House of Lords between 1980-1999 the score stood at Plaintiffs 0, Defendants 6†. 2.4 The Bolam test which was adopted by English law focused on accepted practice and responsible profession opinion. The story was very different in America, as the American Courts rejected the professional medical standard and instead emphasised the patients right to know what the risks are inherent in the treatment. In Canterbury v. Spence a US Court stated that the prudent patient should prevail and its the doctors duty to disclose to their patient any material risk in a proposed line of treatment. The prudent patient principle emphasises what the doctor needs to inform the patient, according to what the average reasonable patient would want to know about potential risks and treatment options. This is made evident when the Judge commented, â€Å"A risk is material when a reasonable person†¦.is likely to attach significance to the risk† Contrary to the English Courts, the USA placed more importance on the patients rights and exigencies than those of the doctors. However, soon after the Bolam decision the English law was making changes towards incorporating this American style of law, to incorporating the doctrine of informed consent. 2.5 The question that needs to be examined is to what extent the Bolam test does or should apply to the duty to inform. Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlem Royal Hospital was the subsequent, leading case to appear before the House of Lords that approached such a matter. While the majority of Lordships legitimatised the traditional test expressed in the case of Mr Bolam, the individual judgements were small steps towards informed consent. Four out of the five Law Lords rejected the transatlantic test that a duty to inform a patient should be based on the reasonable or prudent patient and Lord Scarman alone favoured this manner of law. 2.6 Lord Scarman made it apparent that he considered the patient to have the right to choose what happens to his body, which signified the patient needs to know the risks so can exercise an informed choice. He went on to express what he held to be the suitable relationship between a doctor and his patient, â€Å"There is room in our law for a legal duty to warn a patient of the risk inherent in the treatment proposed†. He went on to consider the doctrine of informed consent and its relevance in the Canterbury case, â€Å"I think the Canterbury propositions reflect a legal truth which too much judicial reliance on medical judgment tends to obscure† Lord Scarman acknowledged the patients rights and that the prudent patient principle made the doctors much more accountable for their actions. As such he rejected the current medical practice that a patient will be informed if he needs to be, as opposed to if he wants to be. Doctors, in Lord Scarmans view, should be liable where the risk is such that in the courts view a prudent person in the patients situation would have regarded it significant. He appears to suggest that the onus proof rests on the doctor to satisfy the court as to the reasonableness of any non-disclosure and therefore suggesting a support for informed consent. However, it must be noted that he did not find in favour of Miss Sidaway, on the basis that she failed to establish that the less than one per cent risk was such that a reasonable patient would consider significant. 2.7 In spite of this the speech of Lord Scarman has stood as a symbol of hope to those who argue for informed consent to be introduced into English law. Lord Diplock rejects Lord Scarmans scrutiny, as he maintains that the Bolam test covers all aspects of the doctors duty to care to his patient. However, he distinguished from the position where a patient asks a question about treatment, by stating â€Å"if the patient in fact manifested this attitude by means of questions the doctor would tell him whatever it was the patient wanted to know.† This illustrates that while Lord Diplock believed doctors were not be required to inform the patient of risks, he does not fully discount the patients rights. Lord Bridge also rejected the notion that a patient should be warned of all risks, yet â€Å"when questioned specially by a patient of apparently sound mind about risks involved in a particular treatment proposed, the doctors duty must, in my opinion, be to answer both truthfully and as fully as the question requires.† This gives the patient the option of asking for information from the doctor and if the doctor failed to do so then his duty of care could be in breach. However, Lord Templeman, expressed that this is not clear cut, as â€Å"the court will be slow to conclude that the doctor has been guilty of a breach of duty owed to the patient merely because the doctor omits some specific item of information.† It was important that Lord Scarman recognised the doctrine of informed consent and that the remaining four judges recognised the meaning of a patients ability to enquire and the doctor responsibility to notify. 2.8 It seemed that English legal system was initially hesitant to adopt informed consent into medical law. However, the approach taken in the case Gold v Haringey Health Authority contradicts that expressed by their Lordships in Sidaway. The claimant, in this case, indicated that she did not wish to have any more children and was advised to undergo a sterilisation operation after the birth of her third child. The operation was carried out but the claimant later became pregnant and gave birth to her fourth child. The Judge at first instances applied his own analysis as to what information the doctor should have given and found the defendant negligent. Upon appeal, Lloyd L.J held that the Bolam test should be strictly applied and he dismissed the view of the judge prior to him. He asserted that for the purposes of establishing the test as to the duty of care owed by a doctor to a patient no distinction needed to be made between advice given in a therapeutic and non-therapeutic context. In reference to Sidaway he stated, â€Å"the House of Lords could have adopted the doctrine of informed consent favoured in United States of America and Canada, but the House of Lords decided not to follow that path.† It seems clear from the Sidaway judgement that the nature to inform is more extensive than that of the Bolam test where no information is required. The decision in Gold repealed any progress been made towards informed consent and the judgement seemed to convey patient autonomy to be rather trivial 2.9 The view of Diplock in Sidaway has been regarded as the authoritative statement regarding the extent of the doctors duty. There has been a move away from the Diplock approach as seen in the case Pearce v. United Bristol Health Care NHS Trust which altered the analysis of a doctors obligation. Mrs Pearce, who was expecting her sixth child, was two weeks past her due date of delivery. She discussed the possibility of induction with her obstetrician who warned her of the risks of induction and caesarean surgery, but did not tell her that there was a 0.1 to 0.2 per cent risk of stillbirth associated with non-intervention. Mrs Pearces child was stillborn and she alleged that failure to warn her of the full risks was negligent. Lord Woolf, in this case, held that the patient had the right to know and stated the doctor should normally inform a patient of â€Å"a significant risk which would affect the judgment of a reasonable patient.† It was decided, however, that while a doctor is under an obligation to warn, the 0.1 to 0.2 per cent risk of stillbirth was not classed a significant risk. While the Pearce judgment did not go so far as to fully accept the doctrine of informed consent, it adopted elements of the reasonable test. The judgement goes a certain distance to reconcile the approaches of Lord Scarman, Lord Bridge and Lord Templeman in Sidaway. It isolated Bolam, which by Professor Margaret Brazier,who has wrote many publications on issues of medical law, was considered good as Bolam was â€Å"out of control and out of context, it came close to acquiring democratic status in some quarters.† The test for duty to warn was now suggested to be that the reasonable doctor must tell the patient what a reasonable patient wanted to know. The judgement signified a more patient-friendly approach and made greater demands on the level of disclosure. Chapter 3: Further development towards the doctrine of informed consent 3.1 The medical professional has taken steps to further achieve the full introduction of informed consent into the medical world. The General Medical Council (GMC) produced comprehensive guidance to, doctors on seeking the patients consent in Seeking Patient Consent: The Ethical Considerations February 1999 (appendix I). These guidelines make particular reference to the requirement on doctors to attain informed consent, a doctrine which a few years earlier was alien to English law. Since 1992 Professor Sir Ian Kennedy LLD, a former member of the GMC, has been arguing that doctors need specific guidelines on what constitutes good practice. At that time he was the voice of the minority, however due to dramatic change in the doctor-patient relationship the GMC recognised guidelines needed to be established. The standard adopted in these guidelines resembles elements of the prudent patient test specifically that of the judgment made by Lord Scarman in Sidaway. Guidance from the GMC directs doctors to†¦take appropriate steps to find what patients want to know and ought to know about their condition and its treatment. Andrew Hockton believed that the guidelines, â€Å"should now be considered to amount to more an ethical obligation: they provide at least, a starting-point for measuring the extent of a doctors duty of care to patients† It appears that the guidelines are considered to be a benchmark for doctors to monitor their legal duty of care, to which the Bolam test fails to create. This dissertation professes that perhaps this is the responsible body of medical opinion and it seems the medical profession are setting a higher standard for both themselves and the patient. 3.2 It must be noted the development of the Human Rights Act 1998, has extended the doctrine of informed consent in medical treatment. Incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights under the Human Rights Act encourages the courts to focus more on the patients rights. This area of law includes Article 2 (the right to life), Article 3 (prohibition on inhuman or degrading treatment) and Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life which includes the right to bodily integrity). The case R(on the application of Wilkinson) v Broadmoor Hospital illustrates how the introduction of the rights affected certain aspects of medical law. A mental patient appealed concerning a decision to administer treatment without his consent and under restraint. He claimed it infringed his rights under the European Convention of Human Rights 1950, Art.2, Art.3 and Art.8. The judge allowed the appeal stating that under the 1998 Act, it was no longer appropriate to forcible treat detained patients without a court judgement granting so. While the decision in this case would not have been so without the introduction of the Human Rights Act, it had little effect on the majority of medical consent cases. The Act was expected to have a great impact upon issues of medical consent, however it does not seem to have made a dramatic difference on the Courts decision making. 3.3 The most recent case that has dealt with the issue of informed consent is Chester v Afshar, where the claimant underwent surgery and suffered nerve damage leading to paralysis. The surgeon failed to warn Miss Chester of the inherent risk in surgery and the House of Lords decided that the risk was of sufficient quantity to determine the defendant had inadequately warned. The case is considered to show the importance the courts attached to the principle of autonomy, as Lord Hope reiterates when he states, â€Å"the duty to warn has at its heart the right of the patient to make an informed choice as to whether and if so when and by whom to be operated on.† The claimants evidence verified had she been warned of the risk she would not have agreed to surgery without at least seeking a second opinion on the necessity and risks of surgery. Therefore, a causation link was adopted by the courts to further prove negligence by the doctor. 3.4 In this case it was sufficient for her to prove that, if properly warned, she would not have consented to the operation. Dr Afshar was found to violate her right to choose, which meant she was unable to seek further advice or alternatives. Therefore, a claimant pursuing a claim in this area must prove if the information had been given, their decision as to the treatment would have caused extra consideration. Lord Steyn asserted that individuals have a right to make important decisions affecting their lives for themselves†¦in modern law paternalism no longer rules. This case was a ground breaking decision by the House of Lords, as it introduced fully informed consent and it addressed the purpose and rationale behind a doctors duty to warn. 3.5 Historically the law as taken the view that doctors are honourable and true, essentially allowing the medical profession themselves to dictate the duty to disclose. As a result of the decision made in Chester v Afshar this outlook has changed somewhat and it appears to provide a new dawn for patients rights. It has created a remedy for patients who have received insufficient information, where previously the majority of case had failed to provide such a remedy. The days of Lord Denning are long gone, meaning the doctor-friendly Bolam principle has practically been condemned worthless. While the judgement can be seen to address the reality of responsible expectations of society, it seems the judgment leaves the court with a difficult job determining who, between the patient and the doctor, is effectively legitimate when it comes to what information is disclosed. More specifically the outcome is likely to be met with distaste from doctors and there is already evidence of growing concern from within the profession. Despite the doctors concern the law of informed consent has moved on considerably from the reality where the majority of cases would fail to offer a remedy for those who had not been completely informed. As was stated by Sarah Devaney in a Medical Law Review, that back then, â€Å"It did not matter whether or not doctors were wearing the flak jackets of consent, as patients wishing to make claims about lack of information were in any event carrying unloaded guns. However, after cases, time and the materialization of certain events the doctrine of informed consent began to take effect in English law. Chapter 4: The Degree of Sufficient Information 4.1 Informed consent is based on the requirements of appropriate information to allow patients to make an informed choice. The law fails to formulate a standardize figure which can be consider significant and therefore it can only be gauged on previous cases and what the accepted amount has or has not been within these circumstances. More specifically, as no clear indication has been articulated, the judgement will be dependant on the individual facts of the case, as long as this coincides with the authoritative case law. What is clear is that failure to advise sufficiently as to the nature and purpose of the procedure may give rise to an action against the doctor. If the patient is given inadequate information, then how they able to make an informed decision and therefore be said to have given real consent? 4.2 The leading case Chester v Afshar (as discussed above) contradicted any previous beliefs of the court and that of the medical profession. The case prior to Chester was Pearce v United Bristol Health Care (as discussed above) where Lord Woolf stated that the doctor should normally inform a patient of a significant risk which would affect the judgement of a reasonable patient. It considered the balance of percentages and whether this balance would have effected the patients decision to have the treatment. The risk of 1-2 per cent in this case was not considered to be sufficient to represent a significant risk. The decision in Chester made it clear that a 1-2 per cent risk was an adequate percentage for the doctor to warn the patient. Even though, the doctor appropriately informed according to the Pearce decision and the GMC standards, Chester v Afshar brought a new way of thinking to the table. 4.3 Chester disregarded the concept of what a reasonable patient would want to know and instead looked at what each individual patient wanted to know for themselves. This meant it was more plausible for the doctor to consider the patients personality, concerns and wants and information given must be relevant to the patients decision. The involvement of the causation link enabled patients to assert their rights over decision not only on the surgery itself, but in addition on the circumstances in which it was under, for example the time, place and in whose hands the operation should be performed. The causation link made it easier for patients to receive a remedy at law, as long as they could prove that had they been sufficiently warned of the risks they wouldnt have undergone the treatment. This does not mean they need to prove that they would not have had the operation at any time, just not at that moment in time in which they did. The doctor needs to make acknowledgment to both warn of a significant risk and risks which a patient would consider relevant, even if not below significance. It left the doctors with the delicate job of determining what information individual patients wanted to know. This contemporary approach sent shock waves through the medical profession and the GMC had to amend their guidelines, as they now failed to reach a high enough standard. The new guidelines can be found In Good Medical Practice 2006. (see Appendix II) 4.4 Professional guidelines now go further and state the doctor must do his best to discover the patients individual needs and priorities to analysis what information that individual may require. When consenting to treatment patients should be aware of certain factors such as, diagnosis, prognosis, various treatment options, probabilities of success and possible side effects. This was the situation in the case Smith v Tunbridge Wells Health Authority, where a claim was brought against a 28 year old man who was not warned of the risk of impotence inherent in rectal surgery. His claim succeeded despite the risk being considered significantly low, as the judge found failure to warn such a patient of a risk of such importance to him was neither reasonable nor responsible. The doctor needed to have balanced the small risk of importance against the importance it possessed on his life. 4.5 The most effective way of obtaining consent that is currently in the English medical system is consent forms. Consent forms place emphasis on the patients rights; it gives them a sense of control and perhaps recaptures some of the faith that is said to have disappeared between doctors and patients. There is no requirement in English law that consent forms should be in writing, however the Department of Health have recommended the use model consent forms (see appendix III). The most prominent aspect is the fact it does not shy away from informed consent and instead seems to embrace it. It attempts to ensure that patients are aware that they are entitled to ask questions and expect explanations do with the medical treatment they receive. Unfortunately this way of operating is time consuming and is limited to operations and major procedures. It would not be viable for such things as checking a patients throat or examining a patients stomach, as these everyday occurrences are too frequent and considered to be too minor. Some see the consent form as purely evidential yet other believes them to signify fairness to both the patient and the doctor. It creates patient awareness of the fact that they have the right to know and for this right to be attained the patient needs to make it aware what they specifically want to know. This does not extinguish the doctors duties, he must still follow the guidelines set out in obtaining informed consent, for example, explaining the treatment and its implications. In the case Abbas v Kenny the judge stated the obligation is not placed upon the patient and it simply reaffirms their rights, yet it is still the doctors responsibility to â€Å"take into account the personality of the pati ent and the likelihood of misfortune.† 4.6 Even if a warning is given, it can not be consider a suitable warning if it is insufficiently clear to the patient and affects their ability to make a decision on information they fail to comprehend. The doctor must take responsible steps to ensure that advice is understood by the patient. To what extent is it the doctors duty to make sure the patient understands? Chapter 5: A Patients Capability to Understand 5.1 There is a rebuttable presumption that adults have capacity to consent to or refuse treatment. Therefore to make consent valid they must possess the capacity to understanding the method, consequences and benefits. If one fails to understand the information given and the inherent risks of treatment then it can not be regarded as informed consent. Care must be taken to not automatically presume those with learning difficulties are incapable; it is important for doctors to not underestimate a person from their faà §ade. Capacity is not a question of decree of intelligence or maturity of the person concerned, it incorporates elements of ability and belief. 5.2 There are different functions of what must be understood. The must frequently cited case in this context is Re C (Adult: Refusal of Medical Treatment) in which, Thorpe J, held that the person must understand the nature, purpose and effect of the procedure. In other words, sufficient knowledge constitutes the general functions of treatment. Another function that capacity can occupy is that held in Re T (Adult: Refusal of Traetment) where Lord Donaldson referred to knowledge in broad terms of the nature and effect of the procedure to which consent was given. The level of understanding was made important in this case and that this will differ according to the gravity of the decision. More specifically, the more serious a decision the greater capacity required and accordingly patients may have capacity to make some decisions but not others. 5.3 Assessment of a patients capacity is determined by reference to the Thorpe. Js three stage test in Re C it states the courts will assess the patients ability: to take in and retain treatment information; to believe it; to weigh that information, balancing risks and needs. In this case, a sixty-eight-year old patient was being detained in a special hospital, as he survived from schizophrenia. Despite this, the Judge ruled that the patient remained capable of understanding what he was told about the proposed treatment and the proposed risks involved. By satisfying the three points, a patient can verify that information can be given by the doctor, thought through and decided on and therefore the doctrine of informed c