The Shack by William P. Young - Book Review

The Bottom Line The Shack by William P. Young has become a phenomenon. This book -- originally written by Young for his kids -- was rejected by mainstream and Christian publishers alike. Young and friends started their own publishing house to produce it, and now there are more than one million copies in print and it has topped bestsellers charts for weeks. The Shack does not have amazing character depth, and the dialogue sometimes seems forced; however, it is a thought-provoking book that is a worth reading as an entry into thinking about suffering and Gods role in the world. Pros The Shack delves into some of lifes biggest questionsThe Shack is easy to readThe Shack provides an artistic avenue for understanding Christian truths Cons The dialogue is forced some parts are cheesy - This isnt great literatureThere are some theological holes Description The Shack is published by Windblown Media.Published: May 2007253 pages Guide Review - The Shack by William P. Young - Book Review The Shack by William P. Young is a story about Mack, a man whose daughter is kidnapped and brutally murdered. A few years after her murder, Mack receives an invitation from God to meet Him at the shack where they found his daughters bloody clothes. Mack goes and works through the meaning of suffering as he spends the weekend with the Trinity, uniquely portrayed (God the Father is a large black woman, for instance). Why is The Shack so popular? Is it actually a must read? To the first question, I can only say that I think The Shack is asking some of the most important questions people can ask, and exploring the answers in a way that is very accessible. While reading, I understood its appeal -- these are the very questions that I wrestle with in my heart, and Young works through them in a very comforting way. As to whether The Shack is a must read, Id say, that depends. It sort of reminds me of the words, I love you. There is nothing especially unique about them, and they are extremely overused. From certain people or in certain situations, you are likely to dismiss or even be infuriated by hearing them uttered. Of course, from the right person, hearing them can be one of the most powerful experiences of your life. So with The Shack. This is a decidedly Christian answer in a somewhat shallow story with forced dialogue. Its not the best writing in the world, but I can easily see how if you read The Shack at the right moment, it has the power to change your life. I know Im still thinking about it, and I received enough gems from the novel to recommend it to others.

Use Of Marijuana For Medical Usage - 914 Words

As a state legislator, if I took on the utilitarian method that means I would do the greater good for the greatest amount of people in the situation, which means my decision has to be based on the greater good for everyone (Johnson 157). Without thinking of my personal beliefs or values, I think of those around me instead. But until the eighteenth and nineteenth century we did not have a definition for this kind of act, now it is known as Utilitarianism (Johnson 157). If I had to make the decision on if I should vote for the use of marijuana for medical usage such as helping cancer and glaucoma while using utilitarianism I would need to use the four steps. The first step to prepare my decision would be to identify the action under consideration, which would be to vote to legally allow the marijuana for cancer and glaucoma patients (Johnson 157). The second step is to acknowledge all who are affected by this action, such as myself, the patients, the doctors, the community, and techni cally the nation (Johnson 157). The third step is to realize the good and the bad consequences from this decision, so the good would to take pain away from the patients but the bad would be if people start to use it for non- medical reasons (Johnson 157). It also could be a good consequence because it could lead to scientists and doctors to use marijuana to explore these diseases to try to create a cure. And in the end game, that is what it is all about is to try to find a cure for theseShow MoreRelated Medical Marijuana: A not so new form of medical treatment Essay1240 Words   |  5 PagesMarijuana usage for the purpose of medical treatment has been a debated issue in many states and Countries around the world. 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In the 1930s, tensions between white Americans and Mexican immigrants were heightened due to the Great Depression, and the use of marijuana was ultimately prohibited for the general public in 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act (Marijuana Timeline). By the 1960s, marijuana became a symbol of counterculture, and the government stopped any research involvedRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legal?1630 Words   |  7 PagesMarijuana has been a hot topic of conversation over the last few yea rs, as some states in America have legalized it medically and recreationally. By discussing the legal aspect of marijuana, the economic benefits, medical usage and how marijuana affects the family, we can see the positive and negative impact that marijuana has on sociology. Except for a few select states, marijuana usage, sale and distribution of marijuana is in some manner illegal. 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Moutra GEN 499 Dr. Curt Sobolewski November 26, 2012 The legalization of marijuana for recreational usage could may be a new trend in America but the Federal government will likely oppose usage through the end of time. The Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) stance is that marijuana is an illegal drug and that using this drug whether for medicinal or recreational purposes is illegalRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Legalization Of Marijuana1325 Words   |  6 Pages Marijuana is one of the most controversial subjects today. What is marijuana? It is a drug derived from the dried flowers, leaves, stems, and seeds of the cannabis plant, sativa or indica. The drug causes changes in the users mood and also affects how they think and perceive their environment. Today, marijuana has been misunderstood and interpreted wrongly for the simple fact that people are not well educated about the drug and its positive benefits. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug and

Supportive Work Culture Free Essays

Need for supportive work culture – Gaming Industry Ravi Shankar Jayaman Today we have so many video games releasing every week. Most of the video games today bring in as much revenue as a Hollywood movie (reference needed). What was once considered a niche industry, thanks to various technological advancements, is no longer a niche industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Supportive Work Culture or any similar topic only for you Order Now We have video games releasing for different age groups. Like movies, we have different flavours of games. We have dance games, party games, racing games, shooting games etc. Today, there really is a video game for everyone An introduction to video games In 1958, William Higginbotham, a nuclear physicist, created what is now known as the very first video game – ‘Tennis for Two’ (reference). It was a two player tennis game played with two controllers. ‘Tennis for Two’ was meant for a small audience and was never seen as something people could make money from. This particular game was the inspiration to the first successful video game ever created ‘Pong’. ‘Pong’ was an arcade game that released in 1972. Pong’s success made people see gaming as a means of business and thus the gaming industry started. Today we have so many video games releasing every week. There are many different game consoles – ones that can be played at home and ones that are portable. We can also play video games on PC, tablets etcfor example (don’t use â€Å"etc† in a paper). Even the mobile phones we use every day can be used to play video games. All these factors have made the gaming industry a multibillion dollar industry. Today the gaming industry is worth more than the music industry and even Hollywood (reference). A new video game that is released today has a good chance to earn as much as a Hollywood movie would. In fact in more than a few cases a successful video game would make more money than most of the Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 1 movies ever would. For example, the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops totaled in at $1 billion worldwide within the first 42 days of its release (reference). Video games have always been something that people associated with fun. People see video games as a means of entertainment especially when they are with family and friends. Video games are good stress busters and can help keep people’s minds at ease. Video games are very helpful even in educational institutions. In fact a few gamers were able to break the AIDS enzyme puzzle that has been troubling scientists for decades (reference). All these factors bode well with the booming gaming industry. Video games today can be both fun and educational. History of video game companies Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney are credited with establishing the very first video game company (reference). They created Atari Inc. in 1972. In 1972, Video games were relatively unknown. So, it was a very bold move by Bushnell and Dabney to venture into the unknown. Atari’s Pong was very successful and thus people started venturing into the video game industry. Today’s gaming companies are very different from the ones in the past. There are people working on video games almost throughout around the clock to meet the various strict deadlines. This is a lot of pressure on the video game developers to get their product out on to the market. We all know that video games are so much fun to play and are a great means of entertainment, but are they as much fun to make? Comment [JBC1]: Be careful of sweeping statements. Some people may not find video games fun. Gamers tend to be young and male. The Ugly side of gaming – Work culture in Video game companies The organizational structure in a video game industry is a network organization. Video game companies are virtual organizations in a network organizational structure. The video game console makers make the consoles and usually let the video game companies make games. There are companies that make Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 2 exclusive games for only one of the platforms and there are companies that make games for all the platforms available. Irrespective of the kind of video game Company, such is the video game industry these days that every video game company has to be continuously releasing great games. All the companies compete among themselves to attract the ever growing number of people who are buying video games. Working in such a competitive industry can be challenging for anyone. The kind of work people do in the video game industry is not your regular 9 to 5 kind of work. This industry requires people to put in a lot of work hours. Sometimes at a level that is unsustainable and destructive. This could lead to employee burnout. Employee burnouts are quite common in the video game industry. The term crunch time is used pretty extensively in the video game industry. Crunch time can be defined as the point at which a team is failing to meet its deadlines and milestones which could affect the launch of a video game. The complex nature of video games these days makes it tough to predict when one can achieve a milestone or a deadline. During crunch time situations the video game company exerts pressure on its employees to put in more effort. The sad part is that in a few cases people are not paid for this overtime. There was even a lawsuit filed against Electronic Arts because of the company’s push to make employees work for longer hours (reference). Working for so long can not only make an employee tired, but also affect the employee psychologically. The mental stress involved could have a really bad effect on the employee’s health. Aggressive work schedules and strict deadlines are something that leads to mental stress on an employee. The companies can be too demanding at times and may cross the line by making an employee work more than what he/she was/is supposed to. The necessity of proper work culture and regulations to keep these kinds of adverse working conditions in check is really necessary. Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 3 Team Bondage – The story behind the demise of Team Bondi Team Bondi was an Australian game developer that developed video games for all the video game consoles available in market today. The company was founded by Brendan McNamara, an ex-big gun from Sony, who had had vast experience in making video games (reference). McNamara was very successful with Sony and had made a number of hit games such as The Getaway. So, when McNamara founded Team Bondi in 2003, everyone believed that the company was destined for success. Team Bondi’s first game was announced in 2004 as L. A Noire. Sony had first dibs on this video game and worked out a deal for L. A Noire to be published by Sony. This meant that the game was exclusive for Sony’s Playstation 3. The game was expected to release in 2006-2007. In September 2006 news broke out that Sony has moved away from the deal of publishing the game. Rockstar took over from Sony and the game was expected to release in 2008. This was the first sign of things not being ‘OK’ with Team Bondi. There were then multiple delays and the game finally released in 2011, seven years after it was announced. The game got rave reviews from critics and gamers alike. It was a commercial hit and everyone thought that Team Bondi was destined for more success. Sadly, in October 2011 news broke out that Team Bondi has closed down. It was not clear why, even after a very successful debut game, would the company close down. All the happenings during the development of L. A Noire were then revealed and the reason behind Team Bondi’s closure became clearer. After the game’s release former staff of Team Bondi came out to reveal the disastrous work conditions while developing L. A Noire. It came to be known that Team Bondi was making its employees work overtime because of crunch. These overtime hours were not accounted for in the pay and there was extensive mental stress on the employees at Team Bondi. The former staff also questioned McNamara’s leadership. The former staff revealed that McNamara was a very angry person and also cited occasions when he shouted at employees. This style of leadership put off many people and many people quit. A Comment [JBC2]: Be explicit to be clear about his position at Sony. Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 4 ew people were apparently so put off by McNamara’s leadership style that they vowed never to return to game industry again. Even Rockstar, the publisher of L. A Noire, cut ties with Team Bondi citing poor leadership/management skills of McNamara. The disastrous work conditions and leadership style led to the demise of Team Bondi. The story behind EA lawsuits Electronic Arts (EA) are one of the biggest game dev elopers in the world with revenues of over $3 billion (reference). EA are credited with a great record of releasing highly successful video games for over twenty years. In 2004 a blog showed up on the internet by someone named ‘ea_Spouse’. This blog explained how EA treated their employees. The blog highlighted mainly about the work culture followed in EA at that time. The blog said that employees were asked to work extensively for 12-14 hours six days a week and at times even seven days a week. The employees were reportedly given the occasional Saturday evening off for ‘good behaviour’. Employees were reportedly made to work up to 100 hours a week on a few occasions. All these overtime work done by employees were not accounted for. EA did not pay the employees for overtime. This forced the employees to file a lawsuit against EA (reference). The employees of EA successfully won this lawsuit. This particular lawsuit was a revolution of sorts and ensured that people in the gaming industry were paid on an hourly basis. Since this lawsuit hit EA very hard, EA were quick to take some positive steps to ensuring that no such events happen again. EA has taken steps to positively address work-life balance concerns. EA focused on long term planning, employee compensation and communication to improve work-life balance concerns. EA did an overhaul of its Human resource policies to make EA a better place to work in. John Riccitiello was appointed CEO of EA in February 2007 and he ensured that EA were serious about keeping the work culture good within EA. Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 5 Importance of good work culture In these turbulent economic times, a lot is expected from the employees. An employee maybe required to put in the extra hours to get things done. An employee will be willing to put those extra hours only when the management recognizes the effort put by the employee. An employee will be more ommitted and motivated to his work when the management ensures a good supportive work culture within the organization. A good work culture keeps an employee more engaged to his work. A good work culture keeps the employee satisfied. A satisfied employee will in turn bring in more productivity and thus the organization is benefitted. Adding to the reasons above, a few other reasons on how a good support ive work culture helps the organization are listed below: 1. It retains talent: When an employee is satisfied with the work culture in an organization, he or she is very likely to continue working in the organization. When the employee is kept satisfied there is no reason for the employee to move out. 2. It attracts talent: A prospective employee looks at the work culture closely when assessing an organization. An employee usually looks for a change when the work culture in not that great. So, the company with a good work culture will be pretty high on the list for people looking for a change. 3. It creates synergy: A strong supportive work culture brings people together. When people can communicate with each other easily, everyone gets to know each other well. This brings the people together. When people communicate with each other well it improves the productivity of the employees. 4. It creates energy: Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 6 When the culture shows that people are valued by the organization, it creates a lot of good energy in the organization. In such an organization people can express themselves and this creates a lot of positive energy. 5. It changes the view of work The word ‘work’ in itself does not mean anything fun. It means that one has to do certain things. This understanding of the meaning of ‘work’ can be changed if an organization has a good culture. When an organization takes an effort to have a good culture, work would become more fun and an employee would have fun doing it. 6. It makes everyone successful: Everything discussed above helps not only the employee but also the organization. A good work culture keeps an employee more engaged and more motivated to do his or her work. An employee will thus get more productive. This in turn helps the organization. This is a win-win for both employees and organization. In a very demanding industry such as the video game industry we can see how a good work culture helps. In such an industry the company plays a very important role to help keep the employee morale high. When a company follows a good culture, all the points mentioned above become valid. The organization would benefit in the long run. In fact having a good work culture can become a competitive advantage. Comment [JBC4]: A good work culture is more likely or has the potential to engage employees but it’s not a sure thing. Same comment regarding productivity. Comment [JBC3]: Another sweeping statement. Some people find work fun. Importance of employee satisfaction An unhappy employee is very bad for an organization. The employee will not be able to perform his tasks at his or her full potential level. This may in turn affect the quality of the product. So, it is very Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 7 important to keep an employee satisfied especially in a very chaotic industry such as gaming. A happy and a satisfied employee will always give you a better result. The various factors affecting employee satisfaction are: Comment [JBC5]: Not necessarily. A happy and satisfied employee does not always relate to productivity, for example, they could be happy, satisfied and lazy or poor at their job. . Job Security: This is probably the most important factor affecting employee satisfaction. There is always consistent pressure on employees of a video game company to do well. The video game industry is a hit and miss industry. When a game does well commercially the companies reap benefits but when a game does not do that well the company gets a beating. So, job security is always on top of almost every employee’s mind. When a company can give proper assurances to their employees, the employees are bound to be happy and perform well. 2. Compensation and Benefits: This factor is a no rainer. Everyone wants more money and benefits and the company that gives their employees these benefits and pay are more likely to keep their employees satisfied. 3. Relationship with supervisor: The relationship between an employee and his or her immediate supervisor is very key to understand whether an employee is satisfied or not. The supervisor plays a very important role in keeping an employee satisfied. 4. The work itself: The work itself needs to be fun and engaging for an employee. A company that has a good work culture can ensure that the work is a lot of fun. As long as an employee is happy doing his or her work the employee is satisfied. Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 8 There is a connection between work culture and employee satisfaction. A very good work culture can keep an employee satisfied. A satisfied employee is a boon to an organization. The productivity of the employee improves. This means that the quality of output will be pretty good. Isn’t that what every company wants? The way forward for video game companies There is no denying that the video game industry is a very challenging and demanding industry. There will be times when people will have to put in a lot of hours to get a game ready. These extra hours can be very intimidating for employees. Video game companies can make sure that these extra hours put by employees are not seen as a negative. The onus is on the video game companies to make sure that the work environment is more fun. Good Human resources management and supportive work culture can ensure the workplace to be more fun. The companies will then leave very little for employees to worry about. There are video game companies who have successfully done this. These companies have released great products too. These companies are proof to the fact that there is no tradeoff between good product and work culture/employee satisfaction. Two such companies are listed below: Insomniac Games: Insomniac games are an independent video game developer located in Burbank, California. They have been making video games ever since 1994 (reference). This company has consistently been ranked as a great place to work in. As recently as October 2011, entrepreneur rates Insomniac as the 16th best place to work in. Entrepreneur has highlighted the workplaces practices at Insomniac games. 2K Studios Australia Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 9 It was initially called irrational games. This is a very small video game company that has been doing well financially and also in maintaining a good work culture at work place. Small studios are very vulnerable in a competitive industry and this studio has survived the competition. They released Bioshock in 2007 and this was the biggest game to release in 2007. The company is widely recognized as one of the most innovative development studios in the world. After looking at all the stories in the video game industry, we can come to a conclusion that video game industry is a pretty unique industry. It is a great mix of technology and entertainment, but at the same time it is a very challenging industry. Playing video games can be so much fun, but the making of video games is almost never as much fun. Aggressive work schedules, strict deadlines and mental stress can make jobs in this industry very demanding. In such an industry good work culture is a necessity. A great supportive work culture can keep an employee satisfied and improve employee productivity. With a good work culture in place the employee can excel and be on top of his or her ‘game’ (no pun intended). Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 10 References David Hinkle. (2011, July 5). Report: Game Industry worth $74 billion in 2011. Retrieved from: http://www. joystiq. com/2011/07/05/report-game-industry-worth-74-billion-in-2011/ Don Reisinger. (2010, December 21). Call of Duty Black Ops hits $1 billion milestone. Retrieved from: http://news. cnet. com/8301-13506_3-20026321-17. html CBC News. (2006, October 19). Video games can reshape education: U. S Scientists. Retrieved from: http://www. cbc. ca/news/technology/story/2006/10/19/videogames-education. html Medical News. (2011, September 20). Gamers crack AIDS puzzle. Retrieved from: http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/articles/234664. php Ea_spouse. (2004, November 10). EA: The Human Story. Retrieved from:http://easpouse. livejournal. com/274. html Simon Carless. (2004, November 11). ‘EA Spouse’ weblog Raises Issues On Game Development Quality Of Life. Retrieved from: http://www. gamasutra. com/php-bin/news_index. php? story=4543 Kristan Reed. (2004, February 20). Team Bondi – The First interview. Retrieved from: http://www. eurogamer. net/articles/i_teambondi Brendan Sinclair. (2006, September 25). Rockstar gets L. A Noire. Retrieved from: http://uk. gamespot. om/ps3/adventure/l-a-noire/news/6158595/rockstar-gets-la-noire Nathan Brown. (2011, October 5). Team bondi to close. Retrieved from: Ravi Shankar Jayaraman 211586823 Page 11 Comment [JBC6]: All these references needed to be embedded in the paper. http://www. next-gen. biz/news/team-bondi-close Ben Maxwell. (2011, june 27). Former Team Bondi staff reveal troubled LA Noire development. Retrieved from: http://www. next-gen. biz/news/former-team-bondi-staff-reveal-troubled-la-noiredevelopment Nathan Brown. (2011, July 5). Report: Rockstar washes hands of Team Bondi. Retrieved from: http://www. next-gen. iz/news/report-rockstar-washes-hands-team-bondi Curt Feldman. (2004, November 11). Employees readying class-action lawsuit against EA. Retrieved from: http://www. gamespot. com/news/employees-readying-class-action-lawsuit-against-ea6112998 David Jenkins. (2006, April 26). Programmers win EA overtime settlement, EA_Spouse revealed. Retrieved from: http://www. gamasutra. com/php-bin/news_index. php? story=9051 Michael McWhertor. (2008, April 7). EA employees Now Pleased As Punch To Be Working At EA. Retrieved from: http://kotaku. com/377116/ea-employees-now-pleased-as-punch-to-be-working-at-e How to cite Supportive Work Culture, Papers

Diabetes Self Management in Adults Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Diabetes Self - Management in Adults. Answer: Research plan Research aim: To investigate the factors influencing type 2 diabetes self-management in adults. Some of the factors that affect health care and could require further research are education, social support, self-determination, technology and socioeconomic status. Besides, external factors such as provider issues require further research. The expected outcome is that personal factors have a significant effect on diabetic self-management. Research question: How do adults diagnosed with diabetes perceive self-management based on education level, social support, self-determination, technology, and socioeconomic status influence during their stay at home? The PICOT question is meaning. P is Adults I is diabetes O is self-management T is stay at home Method: A cross-sectional study. 200 patients with diabetes were involved in this study. Questionnaires were used to collect data on diabetes knowledge, the level of social support, use of technology and diabetes self-management efficacy. Gender and age were an important consideration in this study. There were 100 women and 100 men with an average age of 55 years. Individuals were selected from different socioeconomic backgrounds to represent the whole population. However, variables such as emotions and physiology were not an important in this study. Literature review Kueh et al. (2015) examined the link between diabetes education, perspectives, self-care, and quality of life. Their researcher comprised of 291 individuals who were suffering from type 2 diabetes. They used questionnaires to gather data from the participants, and the information was analyzed with the path analysis. There were several limitations in this study. Convenience sampling was used in the methodology and candidates were volunteers. Due to these limitations, it was uncertain whether the results could be used to represent the general public. The research revealed that diabetes knowledge was an important determinant for self-management. Patients with diabetes knowledge had better skills of self-management. These patients had the knowledge of blood glucose testing and diet. It is linked to the topic of study because the researchers examined factors that impact the ability for self-management. The outcomes of this study were disseminated through an academic publication on BioMed Central. Wilkinson, Whitehead, Ritchie (2014), did a study to determine the issues that impact a patients capacity to self-care in adults with diabetes. The researcher analyzed data from peer reviewed articles that were gathered from health science databases. In the methodology, the study extracted and analyzed the findings against the JBI quality appraisal. The main barrier of this research was the utilization of secondary data, which is prone to errors. Support, personal factors, education, and communication, were found to be the primary issues that affect a patients capacity to self-care. This research is related to the study topic because it elaborates the issues that influence a persons capacity to care for themselves when diagnosed with diabetes. The findings of this research were disseminated through an academic article. Shigaki et al. (2010) did a study to explore the relation between diabetes self-care and autonomous motivation among people with diabetes. This study aimed to determine whether self-determination had impacts on diabetes self-care. The methodology involved selection of individuals from outpatient departments with a mean age of 63 years. Besides, the study included several other variables including health literacy, self-efficacy, and social support. The primary barrier in the study was the selection of individuals from the outpatient department. Also, the study focused on older individuals aged above 60 years. The results indicated that autonomous was the only factor that influenced self-care. Autonomy prompted individuals to adhere to the prescribed diets and blood glucose testing. The older adults were found to exercise fewer times compared to the young adults in self-care. These results are more efficient because the researchers used reliable tools such as the regression analysis. T he study by Shigaki and colleagues is linked to the topic of study because it included adults with diabetes and their ability for self-care. The results were disseminated through a scholarly paper on Chronic Illness Journal. Dhippayom Krass (2015) conducted a study to determine possible unsatisfied needs and analyze preferences for pharmacists-delivered support for type 2 diabetes. 32 individuals from Sydney with type 2 diabetes were involved in this study. The researchers collected data on the use of medication for these patients, and the data were transcribed and analyzed. The possible barrier of this research is partisanship. The patients who agreed to take part in the survey were limited to a specific region. Dhippayom Krass (2015) found that there were gaps in understanding self-management. Most of the individuals who took part in this study lacked substantial knowledge on self-management. This study is pertinent to the research topic because it identifies illiteracy as a key factor influencing diabetic self-management. The results were distributed through the Patient Prefer Adherence in Australia. Henderson et al. (2014) applied Bourdieu's ideas to identify the effect of structural inequalities on diabetes self-care. The study used semi-structured interviews to collect data from individuals who have diabetes. A total of 28 interviews were conducted during this study. Based on the findings, most people lacked both social and economic support for self-management. Cultural factors were also cited as important factors that impact diabetes self-management. The major limitation of this study is partisanship. It included individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds living in Adelaide, South Australia. This study is linked to the topic of study because it analyzes how economic and social factors influence diabetic self-management. The results of the study were disseminated through an academic journal known asNursing Inquiry. Hunt (2015) performed an integrative review to analyze the kinds of technologies being applied to advance diabetes self-management and the influence of these technologies on diabetes self-care. Hunt conducted the research with the aim of evaluating the application of technology in facilitating self-care in individuals with diabetes. The methodology entailed searching health databases including PubMed, Psych INFO, and Medline. Hunt included 14 articles in the study after excluding paper that used secondary data. The principal limitation of the study was the use of secondary data. Some information gotten from secondary sources might be incorrect. Hunt found that some technologies had positive effects on diabetes self-care. Specifically, technology was being used to educate the patients on managing their condition. The study concludes that technology is fundamental in improving self-management for diabetes patients. Hunts study is linked to my topic because it adds a new perspective in diabetes self-care, which is technology. The results were disseminated through a publication on the World Journal Diabetes. Research proposal Diabetes self-management in adults Type 2 diabetes is a significant burden in Australia and causes adverse health impacts to patients. Healthcare providers have made substantial efforts in developing treatment plans for diabetes. Self-care has the possibility to improve the patients condition and prevent the development of the complications linked to diabetes. This study examined the factors that impact diabetes self-management. The research involved 200 diabetes patients from different socioeconomic backgrounds. All the participants were aged between 50 and 60 years. Questionnaires were used to collect patients information. The results of this research are expected to be mixed. Personal and external factors impact diabetes self-management. The factors that are expected to impact diabetes self-care are socioeconomic status, diabetes education, self-determination, and social support. The limitations of this study were the use of participants from different socioeconomic backgrounds. This aspect insinuates that the results cannot be tailored to a specific group of people or locality. Project details Diabetes is a fundamental burden to the patients and healthcare system in Australia. In Australia, there are about 1.5 million adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes. It is estimated that that in 2025, there will be about 2.9 million people who have diabetes. Indigenous Australians have higher chances of being diagnosed with diabetes compared to non-Indigenous Australians (Keel et al., 2017). These statistics show that a large population has the risk of suffering from diabetes. The high incidence of diabetes requires providers to establish initiatives of addressing the associated adverse impacts. Research has discovered that there is an increase in the medical costs for diabetes due to hospitalization and readmission (Dungan, 2012). Besides, empirical evidence suggests that reducing readmission rates for patients with diabetes can lower health care costs as well as improve care (Rubin, 2015). Apart from, pharmacological treatment and lifestyle changes, self-management is import ant to manage the burden of diabetes in Australia. Diabetes self-management has been found to improve the complications associated with diabetes (Shah Garg, 2015). However, various factors impact the efficiency of diabetes self-care. Diabetes knowledge is among the most fundamental factors that impact self-management in diabetes patients. Advanced diabetes knowledge is positively linked to effective self-management (Kueh et al., 2015). Education on diabetes is important in self-management. Diabetes education is essential to impend or delay the complications associated with diabetes. The diabetes education includes training patients on appropriate diets, drug adherence and lifestyle modifications (Haas, 2012). Patients can receive this diabetes knowledge from their providers or diabetes educators. Once the patients are educated, they can monitor their blood glucose level, adopt physical activity and change their diet. Additionally, social support has been found to impact the efficiency of self-management. Diabetic patients who get solid social support have the ability for self-care (Henderson et al., 2014). Individuals who live alone might experience more adverse impacts than those who live with a partner or family. This aspect insinuates that people who are more engaged in the social activities have lower chances of experiencing adverse effects. Social support from family offers patients with pragmatic help which helps to improve their outcome. The family provides emotional and functional support that lowers the stress of living with illness (Miller DiMatteo, 2013). Another factor that impacts diabetes self-management is the self-determination. Self-determination causes diabetic patients to adhere to diet and medication (Shigaki et al., 2010). Autonomous causes patients to have a higher determination for self-care. Low autonomy support is linked to high diabetes distress. On the other hand, high autonomy support is associated with low diabetes distress (Mohn, 2015). Some patients fail to express the determination for self-care while others exhibit high determination for self-management. Hence, individuals who have low self-determination are likely to experience adverse impacts on diabetes self-management. Socioeconomic support further influences the efficiency of diabetes self-management. Diabetes patients who receive excellent socio-economic support have a high ability for self-care (Henderson et al., 2014). People from different socioeconomic have different experiences in diabetes self-management. Individuals from high socioeconomic backgrounds might have a better experience than those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Bootstrapping analysis revealed that there are substantial impacts of poverty on glycemic control (Houle, 2016). Poverty was linked to education levels and the ability for self-care. Evidently, people living in poverty tend to have lower levels of education and are unable to control the level of blood glucose. The final factor that has been found to impact diabetes self-management is technology. The adoption of technology has a significant effect on diabetes self-care (Hunt, 2015). Technology has opened avenues for educating diabetes on self-care. Additionally, patients can use mobile apps to monitor their progress and get more education on managing their conditions. Online disease management portals have been found to increase the access to information on chronic disease management (Urowitz, 2012). Telehealth has been found to promote diabetes management for individuals living in rural areas (Ciemins, 2011). Mobile technology has further proved effective in diabetes self-management. There are mobile applications that help diabetes patients to improve physical activity, diet, medication and glucose testing (El-Gayar, 2013). Research method This study examined the factors that impact diabetes self-management. The study was conducted for two months between September 2017 and December 2017. In September 2017, 200 diabetes patients were selected from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Studies have shown that a small number of patients is more effective in studying the elements that impact diabetes self-care. Random selection was applied to avoid partisanship. The participants should have an average age of 55 years. Hence, the study recruited individuals aged between 50 years and 60 years. The questionnaires were used to collect the patients views. Specifically, the questionnaire required the patients to input their age, place of residence, date, and factors that impact their ability for self-management. The factors that were examined during the study are education, social support, self-determination, technology and socio-economic status. The primary ethical issues that were considered in this research are informed consen t, beneficence, respect for autonomy and privacy. The participants who were willing to take part in the study were excluded. Also, the patients private information was not shared with third parties. This aspect promoted the integrity of the patients who were involved in the study. Conclusion This research paper has identified that diabetes self-management is fundamental in adults especially after discharge from hospital. There are different views and factors that impact diabetes self-management. Education level, social support, self-determination, technology, and socioeconomic status have been identified as the most important factors in this study. Several recommendations have been made to increase the quality of self-management in adults. Adults diagnosed with diabetes should be offered essential education, social support, and empowered economically for effective diabetic self-management. This strategy will help to improve self-management, prevent re-hospitalization and adverse outcomes such as death. References Ciemins, E., Coon, P., Peck, R., Holloway, B., Min, S. J. (2011). Using telehealth to provide diabetes care to patients in rural Montana: findings from the promoting realistic individual self-management program. TELEMEDICINE and e-HEALTH, 17(8), 596-602. Dhippayom, T., Krass, I. (2015). Supporting self-management of type 2 diabetes: is there a role for the community pharmacist?. Patient preference and adherence, 9, 1085-1092. Dungan, K. M. (2012). The effect of diabetes on hospital readmissions. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, 6(5), 1045-1052. El-Gayar, O., Timsina, P., Nawar, N., Eid, W. (2013). Mobile applications for diabetes self-management: status and potential. Journal of diabetes science and technology, 7(1), 247-262. Haas, L., Maryniuk, M., Beck, J., Cox, C. E., Duker, P., Edwards, L., ... McLaughlin, S. (2012). National standards for diabetes self-management education and support. The Diabetes Educator, 38(5), 619-629. Henderson, J., Wilson, C., Roberts, L., Munt, R., Crotty, M. (2014). Social barriers to Type 2 diabetes self?management: the role of capital.Nursing inquiry, 21(4), 336-345. Houle, J., Lauzier-Jobin, F., Beaulieu, M. D., Meunier, S., Coulombe, S., Ct, J., ... Lambert, J. (2016). Socioeconomic status and glycemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes: a mediation analysis. BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, 4(1), e000184. Huang, M., Zhao, R., Li, S., Jiang, X. (2014). Self-management behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional survey in western urban China. PloS one, 9(4), e95138. Hunt, C. W. (2015). Technology and diabetes self-management: An integrative review. World journal of diabetes, 6(2), 225-233. Keel, S., Foreman, J., Xie, J., van Wijngaarden, P., Taylor, H. R., Dirani, M. (2017). The Prevalence of Self-Reported Diabetes in the Australian National Eye Health Survey. PloS one, 12(1), e0169211. Kueh, Y. C., Morris, T., Borkoles, E., Shee, H. (2015). Modelling of diabetes knowledge, attitudes, self-management, and quality of life: a cross-sectional study with an Australian sample. Health and quality of life outcomes, 13(1), 129. Mohn, J., Graue, M., Assmus, J., Zoffmann, V., B Thordarson, H., Peyrot, M., Rokne, B. (2015). Self?reported diabetes self?management competence and support from healthcare providers in achieving autonomy are negatively associated with diabetes distress in adults with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 32(11), 1513-1519. Miller, T. A., DiMatteo, M. R. (2013). Importance of family/social support and impact on adherence to diabetic therapy. Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity: targets and therapy, 6, 421-426. Rubin, D. J. (2015). Hospital readmission of patients with diabetes. Current diabetes reports, 15(4), 17. Shah, V. N., Garg, S. K. (2015). Managing diabetes in the digital age. Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology, 1(1), 16. Shigaki, C., Kruse, R. L., Mehr, D., Sheldon, K. M., Ge, B., Moore, C., Lemaster, J. (2010). Motivation and diabetes self-management. Chronic illness, 6(3), 202-214. Urowitz, S., Wiljer, D., Dupak, K., Kuehner, Z., Leonard, K., Lovrics, E., ... Cafazzo, J. (2012). Improving diabetes management with a patient portal: Qualitative study of a diabetes self-management portal. Journal of medical Internet research, 14(6). Wilkinson, A., Whitehead, L., Ritchie, L. (2014). Factors influencing the ability to self-manage diabetes for adults living with type 1 or 2 diabetes. International journal ofnursing studies, 51(1), 111-122.

Fiat 500 Failed Project

Reasons for failure Feasibility study is an essential element in project management. Project managers need to carry out comprehensive feasibility study before spending money on projects. Fiat 500 emerged as one of the biggest product flops in 2011 despite its efficiency in fuel consumption.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Fiat 500 Failed Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It lied on the sixth among the most flopped products in the US market. A key reason that led to failure of Fiat 500 project was failure to carry out adequate market feasibility. An Italian company (Chrysler Group LLC) produces the Fiat 500 car. The company’s main target market for the product was America. The company did not carry out adequate market study to establish taste and preferences of the people of America. Another factor that led to flop of the product was delay in decision making on which stores to us for sale of the product. The decision makers were indifferent on whether to us Chrysler dealership or open new dealership in the US. During this period of indecision the company had an opportunity to take advantage of low supply of small cars from other companies. This is because Tsunami in parts of Japan interrupted supply of such vehicles. Therefore, there was a problem in distribution channel which resulted to unavailability of the car. The third factor that contributed to flop of the product was inadequate publicity. There was no adequate fund for marketing the product. This resulted to low customer awareness and hence reduced sales. High price of Fiat 500 also played a role in failure of the project. Some dealers complained about the pricing of the car (Bhasin, 2011, p.1). Strategies for improvement in future projects Successful implementation of projects is a challenging task. Project managers have a lot to take into consideration before they succeed in these ventures. The ultimate goal of each and every project manager is to ensure that benefits outweigh costs and project financers get a return out of their investments. However, it is not only cost optimization that defines success of a project. Other factors such as product position strategies are of essence in defining success of a project. For instance, before launching a product, project manager should ensure that the product meets the needs of the target market. Also, the product should be better than alternate product in the market. Second factor to consider is the penetration strategy. Areas to consider when coming up with penetration strategy of the product are distribution channels and pricing. A company launching a new product should ensure that there are adequate distribution channels. This will ensure that the product is readily available. A company should also come up with a favorable price that will allure the target market segment. This price should be competitive and the product should provide valu e for money that is, it should be of high quality. Finally, there should be adequate publicity before launching the product. A company launching a new product needs to create massive awareness of the product before the launch.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company should carry out prelaunch survey and check whether the product meets customer needs. This can be done using prototype models. Results of such surveys give room for adjusting final product before launch. The company needs to allocate adequate resources for marketing the product. This will ensure that there is adequate awareness of the product in the market. It will also help build customer confidence (Kerzner, 2010, p.34). In summary, price, product, place, and promotion are essential to ensure successful product launch. References Kerzner, H. (2010). Project management best practices: Achieving glob al excellence. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Bhasin, K. (2011). The Launch Of The Fiat 500 Was Supposed To Be A Huge Deal In The US, But It’s Not. Web. This research paper on Fiat 500 Failed Project was written and submitted by user Kara Stanton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Information systems proposal Essay Essays

Information systems proposal Essay Essays Information systems proposal Essay Essay Information systems proposal Essay Essay In order for our nostalgic. brick and howitzer record shop to go on its success and remain afloat in today’s unsmooth economic system our first aim is to see the right engineering systems needed for our concern. Information engineering can assist us in many ways. This includes maintaining records of stock list. company paysheet. gross revenues. and tracking return clients. There are five types of systems in which would be helpful for us to look over and reexamine. 1. Functional country IS- This system allows for automated paysheet by tracking employee hours. revenue enhancement rates. hire day of the month. and personal information used by direction. 2. Management information system- This system can bring forth studies summarized from transactional informations. This will let us to track stock list. 3. Transaction treating system- This is the point of sale terminus where clients buy our ware. even at a self-checkout station. 4. Electric commercialism system- This system gives us entree to the web. With the web we are able to market and sell merchandises electronically. 5. Enterprise resource planning- This system combines all functional countries within one database. All of the systems listed supra will assist the concern even if some may present a bantam drawback in certain countries. With our concern being really physical. with a personal face-to-face client experience. it would be best to hold many options that would profit our concern and our manner of managing clients. Understanding these different systems will besides assist us better our pull offing accomplishments. The tabular array below briefly describes the benefits and/or drawbacks within each system. SystemBenefits/FunctionDrawbacksFunctional country ISAutomated employee tracking ( hours. personal info. etc. )Forged hours of work. Access to sensitive informationManagement information systemEasy stock list tracking Transaction processing systemPaths all purchases made within the shopLarceny at self-checkoutElectric commercialism systemExpand ware to the web for high net incomesComputer bugs. non-updated online stockEnterprise resource planningEasy entree to all section informationsEntree to sensitive information Although we run a really simple record shop. it is highly of import to maintain our engineering and information systems updated. These are five different systems that are typically used in all shops that help direction and employees serve their clients. Functional country IS. Tracking employee agendas and hours will assist to pay the employees for their work or even forestall over paying them. A little drawback may be forged hours of work where an employee could swipe out subsequently than their worked hours. Management information system. This system provides easy stock list tracking. It makes summarized studies of all ware bought and sold from the shop. This systems information could be automated or manual. leting employees or direction to input informations. Transaction processing system. This system is self-explanatory ; it processes the minutess in the shop. This is largely done at the point of sale terminuss operated by tellers or at self-checkout Stationss. The lone drawback I see would be theft. Automated self-checkouts may be excessively much for our shop. but it would be good to maintain it in head. Electric commercialism system. This system allows entree to the web. leting for electronic gross revenues. Often times I have experienced online shops non being current with their on-line stock. This may travel manus in manus with the direction information system mentioned earlier. Enterprise resource planning. This system integrates all functional countries into one database. Easy entree to any information needed would be helpful to direction and employees. The lone reverse would be the ability to entree unneeded information that should merely be seen by certain forces. This system must decidedly come with password entree. In decision. implementing each of these systems at our record shop will guarantee proper operation from direction and employees while still maintaining our nostalgic. brick and howitzer manner. Understanding these systems is of import. but continuing our flair of concern is our cardinal constituent. Mentions R. Kelly Rainer Jr. ( 2011 ) . Information systems: Concepts and direction. Retrieved from University of Phoenix. BIS220 web site.

Data Collection and analysis of data Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Data Collection and analysis of data - Essay Example by Canbaz et al (2002) the risk of having chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, coronary heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and osteoporosis rises at the proportion of elderly people increases. It is also stated that chronic disease cause medical, social and psychological problems which limit the activities of elderly people in the community and decrease their quality of life. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that leads to elevated blood glucose and glycosuria which can be result in significant problems among older people who are often predisposed to skin trauma and malnourished (Dunning, 2005). According to Kennie (1993) diabetes mellitus is an extremely common condition in elderly people and it is estimated that the disease is prevalent among 18.7 percent of women between the ages of 65 to 74 years to 29.9 percent 65 to 85 years. It is further stated that over 98 percent of diabetes in the age group is of the Type II or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NID DM) variety. The medical fraternity has progressed over the preventive care provided to the elderly people with regard to diabetes mellitus; technology being used to screen the diabetes patient, there is conflicting evidence on the efficacy of treatment in reducing the progression is lacking for an elderly population. The preventive cares for the diabetes include strenuous sessions of medication which may reduce the incidence of microvascular complications, which is very rare among the elderly people. The preventive treatment includes insulin injections, change in life style, dietary habits, undesired levels of monitoring or supervision to ensure safe compliance and an increased risk of hypoglycaemia and other drug side effects. Apart from this the patient has to prevent himself from getting any injury as it may lead to further added complications to the treatment. In this age of development and globalization, when nations come together to discuss the implications of new diseases

Influence of packaging on consumer attitudes and perceptions in the Dissertation

Influence of packaging on consumer attitudes and perceptions in the luxury market - Dissertation Example Therefore, the process of packaging must evolve as consumer perceptions and expectations evolve. Packaging must reflect the authenticity and superiority of the products based on the consumer experiences and orientation. Luxury branding is more psychological than physical (Chevalier & Gutsatz 2012). Therefore, the cultural identity and the collectivism must play a significant role in addressing the consumer expectations. The situational stimuli and the social identity are necessary in ensuring that products and services meet the psychological standards set by the consumers (Heine 2012). These include the need for social recognition, show of might and satisfaction. In the United Kingdom, some luxury products believe that sustainability is necessary in the development of products. Therefore, luxury products are expected to be durable and classic. The uniqueness of products should be reflected in packaging and quality. For example, luxury cars are expected not only to be comfortable but durable. A growing number of luxury brands in the United Kingdom have devised products that are appealing to the social class especially after the purchasing power continues to decrease. The rationale of luxury concept is to develop differentiated products for the upper class (Michman & Mazze, 2006). This justifies the use of exclusive prices while marketing the products.... The logos and symbols are intended to identify with the consumers’ definition of superiority. Cultural factors influence consumer perceptions and hence the buying behavior. Members of different societies define luxury and uniqueness differently. Luxury brands in the United Kingdom market have been consistent in reflecting sophistication, national heritage, good taste and style to the consumers (Hines & Bruce, 2007). A telling example is the Victoria’s secret. The modern luxury brands in the United Kingdom market reflect liberalness and power of women (Mira, 2008). Consumers are willing to pay more for brands that capture their perception and expectations (Martinez, 2012). The current global trends have caused the world to be saturated with logos and symbols (Kapferer, & Bastien 2009). The interpretations of these logos and symbols are expected to lead to competitive advantage for the brands involved. The concept of logos and symbolic consumption is pushed by the need to have a status that is reflected in the symbols and logos. Therefore, it is important for luxury products to have competitive and visually appealing logos. Luxury brands are expected to have logos that carry the mission and vision of the company in a graphical and stylish manner (Chevalier & Gutsatz 2012). Symbolic consumptions rhyme with consumer expectations and the concept of perceptions and attitudes. Logos or symbols are known to reflect status and social classes (Kapferer, & Bastien 2009).The necessity of luxurious view on a product is largely influenced by the culture of a different society. With increasing competition, industry is unstable and the level of innovation has been on the rise (Martinez, 2012). Different strategies of packaging are used to ensure the

I'm not sure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

I'm not sure - Essay Example behavior which are wisdom, trustworthiness, sobriety, righteousness and kindness Confucianism is a way of life sometimes considered a religion and sometimes spiritual philosophy. Taoist beliefs are a way of life including ways of your daily activities i.e. meditation, breathing, diet, use of natural materials. Taoism is all about staying aligned with the natural and basic way of life which the humans have gotten far away from, it’s about the natural cycle of our life system and planet. Both Taoist and Confucian beliefs share the same meaning, they have co-existed in China for over 2000 years. Both of these started as philosophies and turned into religious beliefs. The difference between Taoism and Confucianism is that one relates itself with the search of meaning and the other guides through social matters respectively. 2) Compare and contrast the four schools of Japanese Buddhism we examined in class (Pure Land of Honen and Shinran, Nichiren Buddhism, and Zen) with regard to the issue of self-power (jiriki) and other-power (tariki).  Ã‚  Discuss the implications of each schools position in relation to religious practice and attitude toward human possibilities in the age of  mappo. Pure Land Buddhism is the concept of Honen, a religious reformer. Relating to the teachings of Buddha Honen derived a concept of saving oneself once fallen to the dark depths of life through following the pure land teachings which is a way to salvation and liberation. Pure land Buddhism is and easy path to follow with a few basic beliefs and revolving around discovering one’s inner strength to attain spiritual freedom. Pure land tells that people must use their inner strength in order to improve where as in Shinran beliefs it’s said to entrust oneself to Amida Buddha ( Tariki â€Å"other power† ) which triggers belief and faith and lets Buddha work in the believers mind. According to Shinran true religious state is when not human himself but spirituality i.e. faith heals his inner

Relationship Between Freedom And Authority

Relationship Between Freedom And Authority In this essay I will discuss the relationship between freedom and authority in Jean-Jacques Rousseaus essay The Social Contract, and John Stuart Mills essay On Liberty. I will argue through my comparison of each philosopher that Mills conception of liberty is the richer and more persuasive of the two. Rousseaus conception of freedom in The Social Contract is that people attain their freedom through a transformation from a state of nature to civil society. We give up our natural freedom in exchange for civilized freedom. His contention is that we can be both free and subject to political authority; Rousseau thinks its possible to be autonomous and subject to law, when we obey those laws of which we are the author. He justifies this model of political authority by saying that government and laws are the will of the sovereign we give our consent for them to exist. That consent is guided by what Rousseau calls the general will. The general will is an idea that signifies the wishes or welfares of society as a whole. The purpose of the general will is to guide society to a common good, to advise society in its creation of laws and express what is best for all individuals. The problem with the general will, Mill claims, is that it seems to reject individual diversity. Mill is worried that minorities may be oppressed if they think differently to the majority. Considering all individuals revoked their natural liberty through the change from a state of nature to civil society, Rousseau thinks that society must force individuals to conform to the general will, or as he puts it, society must force them to be free. He thinks that by associating ourselves with the general will we acquire morality, and actually become freer than we were before. To Rousseau, freedom is attained when one follows the general will. Mills essay On Liberty is a strong counter argument to Rousseaus conception of freedom, especially regarding the general will. Contrasting Rousseau, Mills idea is not a social contract theory. According to Mill, in order for a society to be free it must avoid interfering with the lives of its people wherever possible. The threat, as Mill sees it, is that if we subscribe to the concept of the general will then society risks becoming paternalistic, or a tyranny of the majority where minority views are supressed if they do not conform to those of the majority. Mill thinks that society constrains the individual, and that society should be limited in the power it can exert over individuals; he enumerates three conditions upon which society must follow in order to be free: freedom of thought and feeling, freedom of tastes and pursuits and the freedom to unite with other consenting individuals for any reason providing it does no harm to others. He says that if a society does not follow these conditions it is not free. Mill wants to avoid principles and laws as much as possible because he sees them as unnecessary constraints. The only principle that Mill does want to establish is the harm principle what he calls the object of his essay. The harm principle says that the only time one can interfere with the liberty of another person, individually or collectively, is for self-protection. This principle claims that if an individual is not doing any harm to anyone in their actions, then society has no right to interfere. Over himself says Mill, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign it is the individual, and not society, who should decide how best to live. Mills conception of freedom appears to be a version of negative liberty, a type of freedom that allows one to do what they want free from restrictions. His freedom is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints. Rousseaus social contract theory is a type of positive liberty, that allows citizens to act in such a way as to take control of ones life and realise ones fundamental purposes. Rousseau characterises two types of freedom in The Social Contract: the natural liberty, which is limited only by the strength of the individual and civil liberty, which is limited by the general will. Natural liberty is the freedom to follow ones own desires. Civil liberty is the freedom one attains when they follow the general will. Like Rousseau, Mill talks about a type of civil or social freedom; however, unlike Rousseau he doesnt speculate about a state of nature. Rather, Mill states that his theory is justified by utilitarianism, he isnt making a comparison between a state of nature and civil society. I think this makes Mills argument more persuasive because he isnt making an assumption that we have natural rights. Mill doesnt seem to think we have natural rights, and even if we do, Rousseau doesnt tell us how we can actually know what they are. Rousseau appears to think that we have an intrinsic freedom that exists in the state of nature, and he wants to merge the individual liberty one supposedly has in the state of nature, with civil society. He thinks the way to do this is by following the general will. I think the biggest problem at the heart of Rousseaus social contract theory is the way he deals with individuals who disagree with the general will. He states that if anyone refuses to obey the general will he will be compelled to do so by the whole body; which means nothing else than that he will be forced to be free. His social contract declares that if an individual disagrees with the general will, then they must be wrong, and for their own good they must be forced to conform to the general will. Mill would undoubtedly consider such forced conformity a tyranny of the majority because of his strong belief that individuality is something that should be cherished and valued. Mill would disagree with Rousseaus notion that people should be forced to be free since he thinks its detrimental to both the individual and the majority when an alternative opinion is oppressed. Rousseau on the other hand, thinks that taking up the general perspective of the community is always the right thing to do. Contrary to Rousseau, Mill doesnt think that the majority gain their power because they are infallible, but simply because they are the most numerous or the most active part of the people. Mill states that silencing the expression of an opinion deprives the human race. Firstly, reasons Mill, if a majority silences an opinion that is different or less popular than their own, and that alternative opinion turns out to be right, then they are depriving themselves of what is right. Almost as great a benefit to society is listening to an alternative opinion even if it turns out to be wrong, because challenging dominant opinion prevents stagnation. Stifling opinion is always a bad thing; Mill says that Absolute princes, or others who are accustomed to unlimited deference, usually feel this complete confidence in their own opinions on nearly all subjects because their opinion is never tested. It is through this collision with error that the truth becomes stronger. Mill thinks that this proc ess of listening to a whole variety of thought and feeling leads to a healthier cultural climate and a place of greater freedom and liberty. Rousseau might object to Mills importance of minority opinion by saying that emphasis on individuality undermines social and political obligations. That its somehow an unrealistic idea to consider everyones opinion. He says in the social contract that citizens must be forced to follow the general will, because it means society will not depend on any one person for change to occur. Rousseau says of the general will that this condition is the device that ensures the operation of the political machine. He thinks its naÃÆ'Â ¯ve to listen to a minority not only because he assumes they must be wrong, but because they prevent the political system from making any progress. Rousseau thinks that without the general will, a political system would be absurd and tyrannical, and subject to the most terrible abuses. However, Mill would still disagree and respond by saying that if all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind. I think where they really differ here is that Mill doesnt think anyone can be free if theyre forced to conform to the majority, whereas Rousseau thinks conformity is necessary for liberty and best for the community- he says that every authentic act of the general will, obligates or favours all the citizens equally. He knows that its unrealistic that all citizens will agree to the general will, and so he says minorities must be forced to follow it (forced to be free). Perhaps its painfully obvious here that Rousseau has left himself in a vulnerable position he doesnt really explain to us how one must be forced to follow the general will. Thus, theres possibly an element of compatibility between Rousseaus and Mills conceptions of freedom. If its the case that the process of being forced to be free includes Mills notion that people should be free to debate and discuss, and providing everyones opinion is treated with respect and they are convinced, through discussion, to change their vi ews, then its certainly possible that eventually all citizens will individually come the same conclusions about the common good of their community. Its certainly conceivable, but it seems unlikely. Even if this compatibility were to exist, Mill would object by saying that we still need a variety of opinion even if its wrong to prevent social stagnation and to challenge popular views. He would say that providing an individual is doing what they please by means of the harm principle, then society has no right to demand such an active citizenship from them. Rousseau may take issue with Mills harm principle but asking what actually constitutes harm. Its obvious that physical harm is detrimental and people shouldnt be free to harm others but there are forms of consequentialism that can piece together seemingly harmonious actions, and prove that they actually have damaging effects. For instance, universal consequentialism focuses on the consequences for all people rather than the individual agent. Rousseau might say that a person may not seem to be harming another individual in their actions, but an ingenious person could find harmful consequences for almost anything a person does. One might find themselves aroused by conflicting emotions if made to choose between the philosophies of Rousseau and Mill, depending on how they feel about an issue. It seems especially difficult to feel one has to conform to the majority when they disagree with it, but of course when one is on the side of the majority it can be hard to understand why anyone wouldnt be. The majority of climate scientists support global warming, and if one believes in global warming it seems hard to understand why anyone would reject it. If you want gay marriage but the majority doesnt, it seems crazy to think you have to conform to the general will. I think this is what makes Rousseaus and Mills conceptions of freedom so attractive to us. I find Mills argument to be more persuasive than Rousseaus because even with modifications to Rousseaus social contract, the general will seems unable to avoid a tyranny of the majority. The general will seems too abstract to utilise without thinking of it as simply the sum of all private interests; Rousseau makes it hard for us to recognize what the general will is or how to determine it, and he offers no reassurance that the majority knows what is best. He seems to be making a huge assumption that we have natural rights in the first place, but he provides no evidence for them. Works Cited Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty and The Subjection of Women. London: Penguin Group, 2006. Rousseau, Jean Jacques. The Social Contract, A new translation by Christopher Betts. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

The Road to Coorain :: Road to Coorain Essays

The Road to Coorain    Have you ever wondered how much your up bringing and early family life affected the person you are? Jill Ker Conway, in her autobiography The Road to Coorain, both literally and figuratively maps out her early life, placing specific emphasis on geographic location and the importance it made to her as an adult. Her life as a young girl in the western outback shaped her view toward the world, just as our backgrounds have shaped who we are.    After Conway's trip to England she states that,    It took a visit to England for me to understand how the Australian landscape actually formed the ground of my own consciousness, shaped what I saw, and influenced the way a scene was organized in my mental imagery.    By reflection on my past, I can support, just as Conway has, that a person's up bringing directly affects their perspective on life. During the earlier part of her life Conway lived in the hostile western region of Australia that produced men and women that never complained about hard work. Reversly, I have been raised in a green, forgivable climate, where my family urged me to express my feelings and I have become sensitive to not only my own feelings, but also to those others.    After Conway's father died, she and her mother moved to Sydney. During Conway's schooling she attended the local public school for only one day. Had Conway stayed there she said she would have discovered the true nature of the Australian class system. As it was, it took, "another fifteen years to see the world from my own Australian perspective, rather than from the British definition taught to my kind of colonial." Unlike Conway, I have always attended the local public school; forcing me to mix with people with incomes slightly above, below, and equal to my family. Additionally, this summer I interacted with a new dimension of my city's residents while working at the Cabbage Patch Settlement House -- an organization that works to break the chain of poverty through inner city children. This eye opening experience provided me with a broad base from which to perceive other members of society.

Homeland of the Free

In the poem â€Å"Let American Be America Again† by Langston Hughes, the author portrays America as a place where people try to escape their old life of oppression and struggles to this so called â€Å"American Dream†. But, what they find is â€Å"the same old stupid plan of dog eat dog†. Hughes sees that American is being seen as a ideal utopia while he actually views America as a place where there are too many obstacles in the way to achieve the American Dream. The dream is only stood in the way by the obstacles we create.For the dream to come true, change must happen. â€Å"The dream that’s almost dead today†. The dream is not what it is but, the dream is what you want it to be. The dream pushes down other people when also, the people who are degrading others are no better. Hughes believes the dream is made out of three things: liberty, equality, and opportunity. He hopes that United States will be the dream where â€Å"opportunity is real, and life is free†. Obstacles that we create are made by our selfishness by being tangled in the â€Å"ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! . We discriminate against each other which makes it harder to achieve our goals and dreams. Because of the hatred between each other to certain people makes it that, The Homeland of the free was never The Homeland of the free to them.In the text Hughes states that change is needed if we are to achieve this dream. Hughes says that the U. S. A. has never been the dream it should be. Yet, it must be the dream where it is â€Å"the land where everyman is free. That the land is everyone, the people who made America, â€Å"the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME—†. We have to work hard to â€Å"bring back our mighty dream again. † The vision of America that Hughes shows is that the U. S. A. is not what it should be. He shows it as a place where America is no different from anywhere else, and that the same things happen. How can America be a utopia if it is made out of imperfect people? He also shows that even though America has not achieved this dream yet, it must become this dream, because America is the dream.

Internal analysis of Apple Corporation Essay

Apple Inc was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne and has its headquarters based in Cupertino, California. The company is well known for the manufacture of computer software and hardware. The computer hardware manufactured by Apple Company include: iPod, iPhone and iPad. The computer software produced by the company are Mac OS X operating system, iTunes, iLife, iWork, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, and Logic studio. By the close of the financial year 2009 the company had employed 34,300 permanent workers and 2,500 temporary workers globally in all its subsidiaries. Most of the employees are located in the United States while others are located in the subsidiaries of the company world wide (Linzmayer, 2009). Steve Jobs is the president of the company and has acted as the chief executive officer since 1997. Recently, Steve Jobs delegated his duties to Tim Cook due to the health problems he has encountered. Apple Inc is headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is assisted by a board of directors; to manage and make supreme decisions about the organization. Various committees are elected to coordinate the operation of the projects and strategies of the organization. There are various departments which are used in the daily operation of the organization. Officers have been elected to head the departments. Some of the departments are the finance department, operations department, product marketing, industrial design, retail, engineering, applications, and other departments (Linzmayer, 2009). Financial According to Menn (2010), Apple has dominated the United States market for personal computers and a sales revenue of more than one million is being made each moth in the US market alone. As competition in the personal computer industry continues to intensify, there is need to have a strong financial background. Apple has increased the sales volume for most of its brands and this has provided a good foundation for manufacturing better products which are competitive (Menn, 2010). In the capital markets, the company has been performing well and this has been a source of capital for carrying out different innovations. The stock price of Apple’s stock has increased from $6 per share to more than $80. The market performance of the shares of the company has surpassed that of Dell (Colvin, 2010). Marketing Supporters of Apple Company have suggested that it has made great success in dominating the domestic and international markets through better marketing strategies. It is estimated that the company can sell more than ten million iPads in one year due to the appropriate use of marketing strategies. The US market has indicated strong support for Apple products since it has been the major market for iPod and other brands. Sales target of more than one million for iPod are achieved every month. More than six million iPod and iPhone brands are sold on a monthly basis and this suggests that the company has been able to capture a large market for its products. According to Menn (2010), the company has maintained a very high customer loyalty for most of its brands. Many consumers in the market are ready to re-purchase products from the company. This trend has been generated by manufacturing brands which match the market demand. Sales trend for other traditional products has been progressive, for example in the quarter ending March 2010; the company sold almost three million Macs. Menn (2010) estimated a sales value of one million for the Macs during this period. Generally, the total sales of the company have been increasing over the years. The success of Apple Inc has been indicated by the increase in sales that have been reported by the company over the last one decade. In the financial year 2009, sales value of US $42. 91 billion was registered by the company. In 2010, an increasing trend was observed in the overall sales volume of the company (Colvin 2010). Apple’s Strategy Menn (2010) is of the opinion that Apple has been very successful by introducing competitive technologies. The company has carried out innovations which have placed the products at a very competitive position in the global market. Apple has been able to compete with Microsoft Company, the major company in the industry, by introducing the iPad brand. The company has been introducing differentiated products in the market and this has intensified the competitiveness of the products manufactured by the company. Before the introduction of iPod brands, the iPhone brand had captured a huge number of customers, both in the domestic and global markets. The use of new technologies has been the main strategy adopted by Apple to sustain stiff competition in the market. To accomplish technological progress, the management of Apple Inc has established partnership with universities and research institutions. A team of researchers has been established as well as collaborating with research and development department of the company to come up with products which are acceptable in the global markets. To accomplish these strategies, the management has put in place better management processes and human resource management strategies to ensure all aspirations are achieved (Linzmayer, 2009).

Al Capone Essays - Five Points Gang, Bootleggers, The Untouchables

Al Capone Essays - Five Points Gang, Bootleggers, The Untouchables Al Capone Al Capone is America's best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s Prohibition era. Capone had a leading role in the illegal activities that lent Chicago its reputation as a lawless city. Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York. Baptized Alphonsus Capone, he grew up in a rough neighborhood and was a member of two kid gangs, the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors. Although he was bright, Capone quit school in the sixth grade at age fourteen. Between scams he was a clerk in a candy store, a pinboy in a bowling alley, and a cutter in a book bindery. He became part of the notorious Five Points gang in Manhattan and worked in gangster Frankie Yale's Brooklyn dive, the Harvard Inn, as a bouncer and bartender. While working at the Inn, Capone received his infamous facial scars and the resulting nickname Scarface when he insulted a patron and was attacked by her brother. In 1918, Capone met an Irish girl named Mary Mae Coughlin at a dance. On December 4, 1918, Mae gave birth to their son, Albert Sonny Francis. Capone and Mae married that year on December 30. Capone's first arrest was on a disorderly conduct charge while he was working for Yale. He also murdered two men while in New York, early testimony to his willingness to kill. In accordance with gangland etiquette, no one admitted to hearing or seeing a thing so Capone was never tried for the murders. After Capone hospitalized a rival gang member, Yale sent him to Chicago to wait until things cooled off. Capone arrived in Chicago in 1919 and moved his family into a house at 7244 South Prairie Avenue. Capone went to work for Yale's old mentor, John Torrio. Torrio saw Capone's potential, his combination of physical strength and intelligence, and encouraged his prot g . Soon Capone was helping Torrio manage his bootlegging business. By mid-1922 Capone ranked as Torrio's number two man and eventually became a full partner in the saloons, gambling houses,and brothels. When Torrio was shot by rival gang members and consequently decided to leave Chicago, Capone inherited the outfit and became boss. The outfit's men liked, trusted, and obeyed Capone, calling him The Big Fellow. He quickly proved that he was even better at organization than syndicating and expanding the city's vice industry between 1925 and 1930. Capone controlled speakeasies, bookie joints, gambling houses, brothels, income of $100,000,000 a year. He even acquired a sizable interest in the largest cleaning and dyeing plant chain in Chicago. Although he had been doing business with Capone, the corrupt Chicago mayor William Big Bill Hale Thompson, Jr. decided that Capone was bad for his political image. Thompson hired a new police chief to run Capone out of Chicago. When Capone looked for a new place to live, he quickly discovered that he was unpopular in much of the country. He finally bought an estate at 93 Palm Island, Florida in 1928. Attempts on Capone's life were never successful. He had an extensive spy network in Chicago, from newspaper boys to policemen, so that any plots were quickly discovered. Capone, on the other hand, was skillful at isolating and killing his enemies when they became too powerful. A typical Capone murder consisted of men renting an apartment across the street from the victim's residence and gunning him down when he stepped outside. The operations were quick and complete and Capone always had an alibi. Capone's most notorious killing was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, four Capone men entered a garage at 2122 N. Clark Street. The building was the main liquor headquarters of bootlegger George Bugs Moran's North Side gang. Because two of Capone's men were dressed as police, the seven men in the garage thought it was a police raid. As a result, they dropped their guns and put their hands against the wall. Using two shotguns and two machine guns, the Capone men fired more than 150 bullets into the victims. Six of the seven killed were members of Moran's gang; the seventh was

The Black Death in the Middle Ages Research Paper

The Black Death in the Middle Ages - Research Paper Example The bacillus normally persists as a mild infection in the bloodstream of infected rats. The rat flea, or Xenopsylla cheopis, is the vector which transmits the bacillus to other rats. In unusual circumstances, such as the absence of an adequate rodent population, the flea may bite and infect humans. The human immune system is very vulnerable to the bacillus and the plague is usually fatal1. A study of the origin, spread, characteristics and significance of the Black Death in the Middle Ages shows that it was one of the greatest catastrophes in human history. The origin of the Black Death can be traced through historical accounts to Central Asia: â€Å"The earliest documented appearance --- occurred in 1346, in the Mongol territory called the Khanate of the Golden Horde† in present-day southern Russia2. The plague crossed biological barriers in Central Asia to attack and decimate the marmot population. These dead mammals were skinned by Asian trappers and the hides became a part of the merchandise which travelled down the famous ‘Silk Road’ from China, across Asia and to the Crimea.3 The outbreak is reported to have emerged after earthquakes and strange atmospheric conditions. The pestilence first ravaged the teeming populations of China and India, and moved to Persia, supposedly resulting in twenty-four million casualties in the East. There are accounts of horrendous casualties in China, India, Mesopotamia, Cairo, Syria and Cyprus. Gabriele de’ Mussis, a notary of Piacenza, writes that â€Å"In the year 1346, in eastern parts an immense number of Tartars and Saracens fell victims to a sudden and mysterious death.† ... Tartars and Saracens fell victims to a sudden and mysterious death.†5 The Tartars besieged the Black Sea port of Caffa (modern Feodosia), a Genoese settlement in the Crimea, where Italian merchants had taken refuge. The Tartars reportedly catapulted plague-infected corpses into Caffa, spreading the infection to the Genoese, who in turn carried it to Genoa. By 1348, the plague had moved from the seaports to reach the inland areas of Alexandria, Tunisia, Italy and France. It jumped across the seas to Britain, Ireland and Norway. It continued to spread until, â€Å"By 1350 virtually all of western and central Europe has been affected.†6 The plague moved eastwards to Poland and the Baltic lands the next year and then back to Central Asia in 1353, when it finally subsided. Historians currently estimate that, between 1346 –1353, the Black Death may have caused 50 million deaths in Europe. This constituted about 60 percent of the population. The characteristic symptoms o f the Black Death show it to have been a lethal combination of the Bubonic plague and the pneumonic plague. At the onset of the bacillus’ entry into the human bloodstream, the immune system responded with fever and the swelling of the lymph nodes in an attempt to flush out the contagion. These painful, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin, were called buboes: hence Bubonic plague. These swellings were referred to as the gavocciolo. Boccaccio states that some of these swellings â€Å"were egg-shaped while others were roughly the size of the common apple.†7 By the third day the victim experienced high fever, diarrhea and delirium and the skin showed dark splotches due to the rupture of blood capillaries and the clotting of blood beneath the epidermis. This darkening of the skin may be the

Paraphrase and summarize Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Paraphrase and summarize - Essay Example Therefore men are differentiated from women biologically because they produce testosterone in larger quantities than women. The effects of testosterone begin in early stages of development, where an embryo is usually a female unless its hormones are altered. Therefore, a testosterone is normally used to effect this change into a boy, and normally men experience two periods of testosterone flood. This is during conception at six weeks and at teens. At six weeks, the testosterone functions to masculinize mind and body and complete the process at puberty. This hormone is, therefore, very important, for in its absence humans would always go back to the female sex which is the default sex of mankind (Morgenentaler, 39) This implies that the effect of testosterone is systemic. This is evident in genital distinction and its role in development of some characteristics such as deep voice, muscle and strength of upper body that women do not have. It also brings about behavioral differences. However, this is only based on research, for it is unethical to conduct such studies on man. However, it has been proved that in certain species where females are aggressive as compared to their males, it is because of females having more testosterone than males (Morgenentaler, 39).A good example is in the female hyenas. This means that levels of testosterone influence any behavior characteristic of man, and either males or females may exhibit