Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Martha?S Vineyard – Labov

1. 0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction 1. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Martha? s Vineyard – where old traditions are still of value Martha? s Vineyard is a small island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA. The island has a permanent population of about 6000 inhabitants. It is separated from the mainland by the Atlantic Ocean and there are no big businesses or any McDonald to be found on the island. Here, life is not as hectic as on the mainland and old traditions are still of value. The inhabitants have a way of showing their connection and dedication to their homeland, which is also a way of identifying themselves.This term paper will be about sound changes in connection with social identity. I will examine the innovative study of language variation and change in the islands community, observed and examined by William Labov (1963). I will analyze and discuss the study made by Labov. Labov? s study is based on the characteristic sound pattern discovered while listening to the inhabitants of Martha? s Vineyard. This sound change has a focus on the centralization of diphthongs. Centralization is the phonological change in which a vowel becomes more central than normal (Lawrence Trask 2000 : 53).Diphthong is a vowel sound which is pronounced by quickly moving from one vowel position to another (Deckert, Vickers 2011 : 33). The sound changes made by inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard, observed by Labov were: /ay/ as in fight, right and sight and /aw/ as in loud and about. Labov? s observations exposed that the centralized diphthongs only occurred in a particular linguistic context. Some groups used the sound change more than others. The group of fishermen was among these. Labov also observed that some inhabitants purposely did not pronounce the diphthongs differently to people from the mainland.Having looked at different social factors, as for example, age, ethnic group and occupation it became obvious that the attitude towards the island was an essential aspect to explain this phenomenon. The decision whether or not to use the island or the mainland pronunciation depended the attitude towards Martha’s Vineyard, whether or not being positive or negative. Labov named this phenomenon â€Å"island identity† (1963). To understand what â€Å"island identity† is it is important to define the term â€Å"identity†. What is identity and how do we identify ourselves?Can there be a connection between identity and speech? In this term paper I will attempt to answer these questions. 2. 0 The study, sociolinguistic pattern and meaning 2. 1 Background knowledge Martha’s Vineyard is divided into two parts, which are the up-island and the down-island. By the time Labov made this study, the island had approximately 6000 inhabitants. The majority lived in an area of the down-island which contains of three small towns, called Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. The remaining inhabitants lived in the rur al up-island area with only a few villages (Labov 1972: 5).The inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard were divided into four major ethnic groups. The main group was the descendants of old families with English origin. The second major group was descendants of Portuguese origin who migrated from the Azores and the Cap Verde Islands. The third group was descendants of remnant native Americans. The last group consists of inhabitants of various origins, who were of no relevance for this study (Labov 1972: 6). Another group became relevant for this study. This was the group of summer visitors who came in large groups in June and July.There would be around 42. 000 visitors on the island every summer (Labov 1972: 6). It could be a possibility that the summer visitors brought the sound change from the mainland to the island, which would mean that this group would have the major influence on the pronunciation of the diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/ but it becomes clear that the influence of visitor s are not as obvious as it might seem, since Labov only mentioned that this group had an indirect influence. To clarify this, it is essential to have a look at the economic situation of the island.In 1960 Martha's Vineyard was the poorest of all countries of Massachusetts and this was not only due to the high unemployment rate in Massachusetts back then (Labov 1972: 27). The islands? major industry was the fishing industry on the up-island. The large-scale of fishing went out of New Bedford on the Grand Banks and as a result it became harder to keep this industry going (Labov 1972: 27). It became almost impossible for the fishermen to make a living from their wages and their families became dependent on two earnings. Another problem forced the economic and psychological pressure.Convenience goods were at a very high price (Labov 1972: 28) and the goods were brought on the island with ferry from the mainland. This transport was expensive and permitted the salesmen to expand the price s of their goods. Some would say that the constantly growing tourism came as a blessing for the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard, but at the same time it also became a curse, especially for the fishermen who felt very connected to the island and the traditions connected to it. For them it was difficult to accept the increasing dependence on tourism.The following observations and results are of importance in order to understand the connection between the above mentioned background information and the language variation in this study. 2. 2 Accomplishment by Labov and its meaning for the inhabitants In 1963, as the study of Martha’s Vineyard was relized, Labov observed a striking way of pronouncing words such a fight, right and sight, and words such as loud and about. This striking ways of pronunciation clearly diverged from the near parts of the mainland (Meyerhoff 2006: 16f. ). The inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard pronounced the diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/ in a more entral position which is a phonological change termed centralization. In order to figure out why many inhabitants used the centralized diphthongs, Labov deliberated an interview schedule in which /ay/ and /aw/ frequently occurred (Labov 1972: 12). Here Labov did not only put his focus on the linguistic aspect but on the social aspect as well. This means that Labov did not only put focus on the language but furthermore he wanted to examine the reasons for this sound change and in which way it was used in a social context and by whom. Why did some speakers use the centralized diphthongs more than others?This is why this study by Labov is not just of study of linguistics but also counts as a sociolinguistic study (Deckert, Vickers 2011: 1). Labov started asking inhabitants questions concerning their lives on the island. He also recorded them while they were reading lists of words naturally containing /ay/ and /aw/ sounds out loud (Meyerhoff 2006: 17). He interviewed 69 inhabitants of different ages, occupation, ethnic groups and from different geographical distribution. The table underneath is taken from Labov? s study and shows age levels and numbers of inhabitants using the centralized vowels /ay/ and /aw/:Table 1 (Labov 1972: 22) |age |(ay) |(aw) | |75- |25 |22 | |61-75 |35 |37 | |46-60 |62 |44 | |31-45 |81 |88 | |14-30 |37 |46 | Having a look at this table, it appears that inhabitants from the age of thirty-one up to age forty-five frequently tended to centralize the diphthongs. However, inhabitants younger than thirty-one and older than forty-five, did not have a high use of the centralized diphthongs.This means that the sound change could not only be dependent on the age of inhabitants being interviewed. Therefore Labov focused on other social factors which might have an effect on the production of this sound change. He interviewed inhabitants from different parts of residence, hereby people form the up-island as well as people living at the down-island. T he statistics shown below demonstrates different cities on Martha’s Vineyard. It also shows the numbers of inhabitants from these cities using the centralized diphthongs: Table 2 (Labov 1972: 25)    |(ay) |(aw) | |Down-island |35 |33 | |Edgartown |48 |55 | |Oak |33 |10 | |Bluffs  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   | | | |Vineyard Haven  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   |24 |33 | |Up-island  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     |61 |66 | |Oak |71 |99 | |Bluffs  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   | | | |N. 35 |13 | |Tisbury  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   | | | |West Tisbury  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   |51 |51 | |Chilmark  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   |100 |81 | |Gay Head  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |51 |81 | This t able clearly shows that the inhabitants living on the up-island used the sound change more frequently than inhabitants living on the down-island, especially the inhabitants of the town Chilmark. In Chilmark they were shown o have a unique tendency of centralized diphthongs. The up-island was more of a rural area and it was known for its fishing industry. Most fishermen were living and working in Chilmark. The following table shows the centralization by the different occupational groups observed by Labov. . Table 3 (Labov 1972: 26) |   |(ay) |(aw) | |Fishermen |100 |79 | |Farmers |32 |22 | |Others |41 |57 |According to this table which shows the usage of centralized diphthong by fishermen, farmers and other occupations, shows it becomes clear that the fishermen were the one group who most frequently made use of centralization. Some of the farmers and people of other occupations also used this sound change but their numbers were strikingly low compared to the numbers of fishermen us ing the centralization. When comparing the results of all three tables it becomes obvious that the Chilmark fishermen in the middle working age level were using the centralization more frequently than any other groups on the island.However, hereby it is still not revealed why this group of inhabitants at this age and living and working in that one place where the fishing industry still played a big role in the island economy (Labov 1972: 29), were using the sound change more frequently than the other groups of inhabitants. It is central to understand the meaning and importance of the fishing industry for the inhabitants and the island itself to fully understand the interaction of social and linguistic patterns. Most of the fishermen from Chilmark felt deeply connected to the island since most of them were descendants of the old families (Labov 1972: 28).The fishing industry used to be a major part of the economy, before the large-scale fishing went out of New Bedford on the Grand Ba nks (Labov 1972: 27). The fishermen were proud to be independent, to stand on their own feet and earn their living with their own bare hands. Fishing was an old tradition on this island (Labov 1972: 29) but as an ever-growing number of summer visitors came to the island a big part of the fishing industry moved away and the inhabitants became forced to be more dependent on tourism. Chilmark changed from the traditional fishing industry to modern tourism.Many of the inhabitants accepted but the fishermen had a hard time acknowledging this change (Labov 1972: 28). They made their living from fishing. For these men fishing was not just a job, but it was also a way of living and an old tradition they did not want to give up. Two brothers from Edgartown which were also fishermen were among the interviewed. They both had a tendency to centralize the diphthongs very frequently (Labov 1972: 30). These two brothers were the last decendants from the old families (Labov 1972: 30).If they were t o leave the island, there would be no descendant left in Edgartown and there would be no one to keep up the traditions of the old families. These two brothers are another example that clarifies the importance of the fishing industry. It also clarifies that the Chilmark fishermen as well as the fishermen from Edgartown shared social orientation. They felt deeply connected to the island which was their home. For this reason they also both shared an aversion to the many summer visitors. The summer visitors would invade the cities of Martha’s Vineyard, and thereby the growing tourism would invade ajor a part in the economy. Though many of the inhabitants appreciate the tourism, the fishermen suffered more and more under economic as well as psychological pressure (Labov 1972: 28). The dependence on summer visitors grew and thereby the independence of the fishermen was reduced. The more inhabitants lived a traditional way of life the more they used the centralization. This fact dem onstrates the relationship to the diphthong centralization and the social orientation. Labov learned that another social factor had an outstanding influence on the sound change.He observed attitude towards the island, whether it was positive or negative, was of reason for the usage of this sound change. Labov found out that high school students and their use of the centralization depended on their plan whether or not to stay on the island. He therefore interviewed students from Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. The students who wanted to stay on the island showed a much higher use of the centralized diphthongs than the students who wanted to leave the island after finishing school (Labov 1972: 32).Not only inhabitants from the old families had a high use of the centralization, but Portuguese at the age of thirty-one to forty-five revealed to have a very high use of the sound change in comparison to the other age groups (Labov 1972: 26). The Portuguese of this age group belonge d to the third and fourth generation. This generation was the first one which had entirely adopted the ways of life on the island (Labov 1972: 33). They too felt deeply connected to the island, their home.The middle aged Portuguese showed a higher use of centralization than the younger Portuguese, even though the younger Portuguese showed a higher centralization than the young inhabitants with English origin (Labov 1972: 26). This phenomenon can be explained by the attitude towards the island. Most of the young inhabitants with English origin wanted to leave the island opposed to the majority of the young Portuguese who wanted to stay on the island (Labov 1972: 26). This proves that social attitude towards Martha’s Vineyard was to blame for the use of the centralization.In relation to the social attitude the term â€Å"island identity† becomes important. To fully understand this term it is important to explain what â€Å"identity† really means. To define what â €Å"identity† really is, is easier said than done. Identity can be a name of a person but it can also be a way of behaving or other details like gestures or mimics. In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English by Langenscheidt, there are more than a few explanations. For example: â€Å"The qualities and attitudes that a person or a group of people have, that make them different from other people† (Langenscheidt 2006: 805).The term â€Å"national/cultural/social identity† is listed in this dictionary as well and is defined as â€Å"a strong feeling of belonging to particular group, race, etc. † (Langenscheidt 2006: 805). After having studied Labov`s observations, his results and defining the term identity, it becomes clear that the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard used the sound change to identify themselves. They created an access to their identity with the help of language, and used the centralization as a way to differentiate themselves from sum mer visitors. This strong bond to their home, the island, is termed by Labov as â€Å"island identity†. Island identity† describes the use of the centralization as an expression of the strong connection, the inhabitant? s ancestry and their home land. Inhabitants who used this sound change also revealed their attitude and connection to the island. The ones using the sound change were the ones who felt deeply connected and identified themselves with the island. Thereby the sound change became an indicator of the inhabitant's attitude. The inhabitants who showed a negative attitude towards the island the ones who did not feel connected to it and wanted to leave, did not use this centralization.They simply did not identify themselves with the island. On behalf of those inhabitants who had a positive attitude towards the island the language variant hold prestige. For some inhabitants the sound change had a higher status than for others, although the speakers were not always aware of the importance of the sound change. This is the reason why there are two types of prestige which are termed overt and covert prestige (Meyerhoff 2006: 37). Overt prestige is linked with language variants that speakers use for special reasons.The speakers using the overt prestige have the motive of sounding, for example, politer or even more educated, which means that they obviously are aware of using that variant (Meyerhoff 2006: 37). For the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard the covert prestige played a central role. The speakers who were using the centralization did not want to sound nicer or better than other people on the island. This pronunciation was not the standard or the general norm but it was based on group identity and the way the inhabitants differentiated themselves from other inhabitants and summer visitors. 3. 0 ConclusionThrough the study of Labov, he demonstrated that social factors play a role in how people speak and he also clarified the deep soci al function language has to define sn identity. Labov? s study was of importance for the social linguistic. The centralized diphthongs observed by Labov were most frequently used by the thirty-one up to forty-five age group and was typically observed used by people who lived and worked on the island, who felt deeply connected to the island. The connection between the positive attitude towards life on the island and the usage of centralization was outstanding.The inhabitants who lived a traditional way of life, had the highest degree of centralization. Since being a fisherman was a traditional occupation, this means that the main part of the inhabitants on the up-island had a higher use of the sound change since that was the place where the fishing industry was based. The down-island was the area where less people were using the centralization. It consist of small towns and these towns were the attraction for the increasing number of summer visitors.Consequently, it can be said that the centralization is an indicator of solidarity. A way of showing where you belong and that you are proud of your home and its traditions. For the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard it was also a way to oppose to the people of the mainland and the new service economy. This sound change made them stand out. By centralizing the diphthongs the inhabitants of island created a way to connect their social identity to language. The language functions as a tool to stick out of the crowd. It is as a reminder of their roots. . 0 Bibliography Deckert, Sharon K. ; Vickers, Caroline H. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 2011. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Labov, William. Sociolinguistic Patterns. 1972. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Langenscheidt. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. 2006 Meyerhoff, Miriam. Introducing Sociolinguistics. 2006. Abingdon: Routledge Trask, Robert Lawrence. The Dictionary of Historical and Comparative Linguistics. 2 000. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Animal Abuse Essay

Taking a stand against animal abuse In today’s society people tend to turn to a blind eye to the animal abuse that occurs every day in America, whether it is by their decision to support certain companies that use animals for experimentation or choosing to be neglectful to animal abuse. Animal Cruelty is a big problem today, anyone could help stop it by adopting animals from shelters, rescuing animals or reporting problems like people leaving animals in hot cars or leaving them in their backyard without food or water.Helping animals is really easy you can do something as simple as checking A random dog you see for tags, and if you see that it has no tags then you should most likely take it to an animal shelter somewhere nearby, or you could do something like checking for abusive signs on animals, you could look how their living environment is and see if it’s an healthy environment for that animal to live in, Check for burns hair loss or any other abusive signs on the an imals skin or coat, and if you see these signs on the animal make sure you know who to call as in the animal shelter or the police to get it taken care of so that problem can be dealt with.Adopting animals is a great way to help with problems like this you could do something like going to an animal shelter and looking for an abused animal in need that you could take care of so you could bring it home and give it the love it deserves instead of getting abused, or if you saw a stray dog that looks hungry and lonely you could take it in to your home and take care of it or if you didn’t want to take it with you, something else you could do is bring it down to an animal shelter so someone else could adopt it and take care of the animal, Animal abuse isn’t a hard thing to handle you could do something as easy as checking inside hot cars to check if people left their animal inside to adopting an animal from a shelter to rescuing or taking in stray animals, every year 1,654,54 5,000,000 animals are killed from animal cruelty.Animal cruelty is wrong in so many ways and it an a big Epidemic that needs to be stopped it anyone can easily help by doing some of these things and it is not all that hard to do simple things like checking cars or looking at an animals skin is really fast and simple and all you would have to do is report it so many animals are abused every year and if someone were to do these things it would greatly help. Animal Cruelty in today’s world is becoming a growing problem; I myself have gone and become a helping hand in preventing Animal Cruelty by Helping, Check, and Adopting AnimalsDoing these things can really help prevent Animal abuse this is how I stand against Animal abuse.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Check List for Project Finance Essay

1. Brief description of every project sponsor: company history, establishment date, legal form, ownership, subsidiaries, core activities. Data on sponsor’s experience in the host country and in the project’s industry. Explanation of how the project relates to the sponsor’s strategic direction/goals. 2. Annual reports of the past three years for every project sponsor. Additional requirements in the case of project finance for activities in existing plants: detailed structured data for the past three years and budgets for the next five years on revenues (including a breakdown of export versus domestic foreign currency revenues if any, for countries with non-convertible currency; revenue mix by customer, country, and product) and expenses (in detail; in the case of non-convertible currencies, these need to be grouped separately). 3. Summary of the project concerned, including name, location, purpose, organisational form, ownership, equity, security structure, status of licenses/approvals, local partners, marketing and distribution, financing. 4. Brief characterisation of the role of the host country. For projects with currencies that are not completely freely convertible: description of the measures to avoid convertibility and transfer risk (including escrow accounts). 5. Schematic representation of the contract structure and the significant existing or intended contractual relationships and security. 6.List of references of the general contractor and/or most important suppliers as far as known; list of references of comparable projects to document the proven technological feasibility and the experience in the sector and host country. 7.Information on operator/management company: Company history, ownership, core activities, list of references, documentation of relevant experience in industry and host country. 8.Independent feasibility study reporting on the project’s economic and financial viability and political and environmental acceptability. Information on the level of expertise of the advisers/experts used in terms of subject area and geographic region, as it relates to the project (list of references). 9.The following information, if not already included in the feasibility study: a) Technical description, flow sheet, layout b) Detailed derivation of estimated operating costs (price and quantity details) c)Procurement situation for raw materials and supplies, including corresponding contract documents d) Description of the management, training of staff, staff costs and qualifications e) Environmental aspects, environmental impact assessment report, required environmental approvals and environmental measures, general description of location and emphasis on its specific relevant features, socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects. Also see our detailed requirements for the environmental review. f) Discussion of the amounts and appropriateness of the investment value and the risks regarding time and cost overruns. g) Timetable for construction and commissioning, milestones h) Market information on the project’s products/services, including the price and volume trends for the past 5 to 10 years; competitive situation, current and future supply and demand situation; forecast, identification and geographic location of main customers; marketing and logistics strategy; description of the planned marketing activities and off-take agreements (e.g. take-or-pay agreements) i) Detailed project costs, broken down by main categories of the key construction and commissioning cost items, interest over construction period, financing of working capital j) Projected procurement of funds, including source, amount, currency, time of input k) Cash flow projection over the repayment term of the requested export-credit-insured loan (including sensitivity analysis: a realistic base scenario, an optimistic and a pessimistic scenario), explanation of how any cash deficits will be covered l) Derivation and assumptions of the cash flow projection, including basis for sales quantity and prices, operating and administrative expenses, depreciation, amortization and impairment losses, taxes, inflation, exchange rate movements, export licenses, influence of local government.

The Renaissance and its origin in Italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Renaissance and its origin in Italy - Essay Example Theorists have often argued that the Fall of Constantinople, followed by the mass exodus of scholars from Constantinople, to escape the persecution of the Ottoman Turks, to Italy was what kicked off the Renaissance. The Renaissance, one might say was not a new phenomenon in as far as it led only to a revival of interest in the classics of antiquity. This is true since the vast resources that were brought from the famous libraries of Constantinople were what formed the majority of the work that was worked upon. Brought to other parts of Europe, these manuscripts were welcomed and greedily devoured by local scholars. The effect of this can be seen in the works of writers and painters of the period, among other scholars. Dante Alighieri, who in his work Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy in English), shows the influences of classical platonic ideas along with Islamic theories testifies to the above-mentioned theory. Painters like Leonardo da Vinci too, in paintings like â€Å"The Vitru vian Man† display influences of works of antiquity. What then, is new about the Renaissance? Texts that were brought to the European mainland underwent a re-interpretation that threw up possibilities that were never thought of before.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Banking System and Monetary Policy in Portugal report Essay

Banking System and Monetary Policy in Portugal report - Essay Example All of these threats pose serious challenges to the overall health of the Portuguese economy and hence corrective measures are needed to correct the flaws in the system and to make it more competitive and self-sustaining. The assessment of banking system shows that the procedure for borrowing money from banks is easier than other EU countries. As a result, the household debt is as large as 120% of the income. Unemployment trend in the Portuguese economy is also very alarming. It is growing exponentially and poses serious threats to the policy makers to devise strategies to curb this trend. Unemployment can be dangerous for any economy and Portuguese economy is no exception. Unemployment reduces the production potential of a country and results in less output being produced than what can be produced. This hampers the economic growth of an economy and leads government into paying unemployment benefits funds for which the government has to indulge in debt financing. Debt financing can b e very dangerous to an economy in the long-run. Current unemployment rate of Portugal stands at around 11%. (Lipsey and Chrystal, 2003) The fiscal situation of the Portuguese economy shows another flaw in the financial system of the country. Portugal is highly geared and has large levels of debt financing. In fact the debt financing ration has crossed the sixty percent of the GDP mark in the recent years. This makes the Portuguese economy more susceptible to international borrowing and aid which has negative effects in the long-run. According to the estimates published by Banco de Portugal and IMF, the current account position of the country is growing out of control. In the recent years, the current account deficit has widened to around 72% of the total trade carried out by the country. Portugal has been using Euro as its official currency since 1 January 1999. Before that the official currency of Portugal was Escudo. The reason why Portugal shifted to Euro was the weak position of its currency. It was weak and unstable making it very difficult to carryout international trade using Escudo as a â€Å"unit of account† and a base for setting of prices and settling of accounts. As a result, it was deemed that a country like Portugal moved to a more stable monetary base and system that would allow itself to carry out its international trade with traders not having to worry about the fluctuations in Escudo. European Central Bank is playing a vital role in maintain the economic stability throughout the Eurozone. ECB is also responsible for setting up the monetary policy of Portugal and other countries that use Euro as a base currency. Euro banknotes are also issued by ECB and only coins can be issued by the member states and that also only after the consent of ECB. (Eurostar, 2010) Portugal is an active trader in the international markets. It understands the importance of international trade and actively participates in international trade for the mutual bene fits of its importing and exporting partners. Its major imports include wine, fish, agricultural products, computers and heavy machinery. Similarly, Portugal mainly exports wood, copper, clothing and other important minerals. The most important trading partners of Portugal are Spain and Germany which have the highest percentage of trade of done with Portugal. The overall condition of

Saturday, July 27, 2019

United States v. Salerno and Brady v. U.S. 397 U.S. 742 Case Study

United States v. Salerno and Brady v. U.S. 397 U.S. 742 - Case Study Example Salerno, 1987). His denying of liberty together with another man in this case, was in pursuant to Bail Reform Act (1984) after a meticulous determination of being the La Cosa Nostra (LCN) â€Å"boss† that had then infringed RICO’s Act (United States v. Salerno, 1987). Conversely, Court of appeals overturned the verdict citing to be undemocratic and did not give chance to due process. Rationale issued in this case asserted it was appropriate for imposition of such a restraining. For besides ensuring the arrestee was not threat to the society or other involved parties, he or she will not escape before culmination of the trial (United States v. Salerno, 1987). This is according to the criminal law that holds an individual liable to his or her deeds. In addition, in this situation the case held that Bail Reform Act (1984) ensured adequate balance of the Federal’s rule that prefers safeguarding interests of the public by restraining the defendant (United States v. Salerno, 1987). Its significance encompasses supporting pre-trial restraining of the defendant(s) that may end up using loopholes in the law and regain their liberty. This is especially when they are a threat to the public and other parties critical in determination of the pending case whereby in the process might tamper with it. After infringing 18 U.S.C. Sect. 1201(a) that disallows abduction, petitioner in this case represented by an extremely competent counsel decided to change from claiming not blameworthy to being accountable (Brady v. United States, 1970). His reason was he had no alternative under impermissible coercion from the counsel to receive a fairer verdict other than death one. This is after learning his co-defendant in the case had already pleaded guilty whereby he will in turn witness again him (Brady v. United States, 1970). This is because not all guilty pleas whose determination ought to end in

Friday, July 26, 2019

Litigation, Censures and Fines Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Litigation, Censures and Fines - Research Paper Example The primary subject that led to this case was Ernst & Young did not evaluate the sales returns preserve from the corporation’s financial books (PCAOB, 2014). The PCAOB report started that Ernst & Young failed to discharge their bedrock responsibility, mainly as one of the large four accounting corporations that control the market (PCAOB, 2014). The corporation had been Medicis’ inspector or auditor for more than 20 years. It did not acknowledge or refute offense on their part (PCAOB, 2014). During an audit examination, the PCAOB exposed proof that Ernst & Young assessed itself within before supporting faulty supposition to pass uncontested (Whitehouse). The finding or discovery goes back to Ernst & Young’s inner managements. It is the corporation’s role to ensure that they do not neglect anything significant like that. The reality that there was proof that they had queried some of the flawed assumptions is sufficient to articulate that their in-house control is not constantly the best it possible. If they had exceptional internal control processes, they would not abscond questions such as this unreciprocated. Quality internal matters form the foundation of all the questionable accounting processes anticipated (PCAOB, 2014). The significance of standards and ethics of integrity are principally imperative to individuals of the profession. Accountants execute their duties with the maximum degree of accurateness and principled integrity. Trust and assurance in moral conduct by accounting experts and in the occupation more usually is fundamental to the legislation in America. It necessitate that corporations listing their securities on America exchanges ought to have their fiscal reports audited (Duska, Duska, & Ragatz, 2011). In a latest topic, Hunt Isaac C., representative of the Securities and Exchange Commission,

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Reflectionson culture diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflectionson culture diversity - Essay Example This exposure to direct, first hand experience is the only way I have learned about cultural diversity, as there is limited education and training from school or healthcare institutions available. 2). Reflections: Cultural Aspects of Epidemiology( This subscale concerns practitioners’ knowledge of cultural, environmental and related etiologic factors that contribute to disease. It probes health disparity and risk and protective factors for underserved groups and communities. Part of the admission assessment in the questionnaire given to our patients that include etiologic factors that contributed to their disease as well as different indicators on well being. I learned that there is such a big difference between cultures. For example, majority of health concerns such as back pain, Cancer, Alzheimers’ disease, are from the Caucasian group which implies that their environment and lifestyles have something to do with it. Being aware of the factors that contribute to their disease is as important as knowing their cultural background. However, sensitivity and privacy should be considered when it comes to interviewing a patient during the admission process. Health care providers must be knowledgeable in asking the right questions without being offensive or else they might overlook related factors or symptoms of the prevailing condition making diagnosis and treatment more difficult. 3) Reflections: Clinical Decision-Making.( This subscale concerns practitioner’s knowledge of culturally-defined health beliefs and practices, and the ability to integrate this knowledge in approaches to health care delivery.It addresses intake, assessment,/diagnosis,treatment/discharge planning and use of community-based resources. Many factors affect clinical decision-making. Some cultures make decisions for treatment of the patient as a group consensus.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Sketch descartes two thoedicie. does descartes need them both or could Term Paper

Sketch descartes two thoedicie. does descartes need them both or could he get away with only one - Term Paper Example He begins by reiterating that there are only a few things he can say with certainty about the human body, a few more about the mind, and yet more about God. His first assumption is that God would never deceive him: God being perfect and all fraud and deception being imperfect in some way or the other. He proceeds to suggest that his own sense of judgment, given him by the perfect, undeceiving God, should not commit errors if used correctly. By this logic, Descartes and indeed every human being should not even be capable of erring. To explain this obvious fallacy in his reasoning, Descartes concludes that in the â€Å"Great Chain of Being†, the complete perfection of God on one end and the total absence of perfection on the other, man must lie somewhere in between. Error is considered not a negative action, but the absence of the positive. He suggests a few other possibilities also, but pertinent to the scope of this paper is the Free Will versus Understanding theory. Descartes contends that neither the will nor the understanding is the cause of errors; it is only when the will is not restricted that mistakes occur: Whence, then, spring my errors? They arise from this cause alone, that I do not restrain the will, which is of much wider range than the understanding, within the same limits, but extend it even to things I do not understand, and as the will is of itself indifferent to such, it readily falls into error and sin by choosing the false in room of the true, and evil instead of good. The root of error lies therefore in the gift of Free Will bestowed on us. As we are allowed to choose, to make decisions, and not compelled by God to live out pre-ordained situations, we are also given the option of making mistakes, of erring: something that the perfect God of Descartes is incapable of doing, by His very definition. Although occasional errors are inevitable when one has free will, no person intentionally commits them. Even if the

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Physics Project (( Radioactive decay )) Lab Report

Physics Project (( Radioactive decay )) - Lab Report Example We used excel tables, bar graphs and smooth line graphs to analyses the data obtained from the laboratory. We found out that during half life time interval the coins will decay to half its initial number just as it will occur with real nuclei decay. Also, that the decay process is an exponential function curve. To decay to zero, we need approximately three times the half-life of the coins. The throwing of the pennies proved to a good model for the nuclei decay process as shown by the normal distribution frequency curves Radioactivity is the natural, spontaneous process in which a nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting particles such as gamma, beta or alpha particles. Past studies (Martin 2006. Pg 15) have shown that these radioactive nucleus though are randomly emitting particle, the time it takes for a particular radioactive element to reduce to half its original amount is always a constant. In this project, we set out to perform a radioactive decay process and find half-life by using the flipping of pennies. We set to investigate if half of the coins decays at each flip and also investigate the relationship between the accumulated coins decayed and the coins left curves. If we assume that the coins were being flipped at equal interval of time (half-life) we wanted also to investigate if the number of coins that decay each time is half the original number. With these objectives, we set the following hypothesis; that tossing a coin is a good model for radioactive half-life (Cook 2010, Pg. 46). Approximately 50% of the coins should decay at each throw and that it should take approximately three shakes to get to zero coins left. In the second set up hypothe\sis were that; four coins should decay most often on the first throw. Our prediction of the percentage decay first throws calculation is 50%. The distribution of the number of coins that decay on the first throw should be bell shaped (Cook 2010, Pg.

The Future is Personalized Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Future is Personalized Medicine - Essay Example Pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, which are expected to be at the core of PM, combine to offer several advantages over conventional clinical methods. For example, while pharmacogenomics is limited to identifyng 'inheritable response' to medication across the whole genome, pharmacogenetics studies the effects of medication at the level of individual genes (the chart below outlines how it operates). The former also tries to reveal important links between genomic patterns and clinical responses. Such links are crucial sources of medical knowledge, as they empower clinicians to choose a particular treatment option based on individual patient condition as opposed to adopting a formulaic trial-and-error approach. (Hood, 2003, p.582) The Human Genome Project (HGP), initiated and supported by former American President Bill Clinton was pivotal to subsequent breakthroughs in Personalized Medicine. With the help of advanced computing power, already more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA hav e been successfully mapped. With the completion of the HGP in 2003, new possibilities for PM have been opened up. Working expeditiously to make Personalized Medicine a reality in the near future are such organizations as the International HapMap Project, the NIH Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE), the Roadmap Epigenomics Program, etc. (Cox, et. al., 2007, p.112) In order to understand the scope and effectiveness of Personalized Medicine, let us take a hypothetical case. For instance, in the case of oncology treatment, where presently oral-intake medicines can cost hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars per year for the afflicted patient, understanding the intricate 'genetic pathways' (which is unique to each individual) is important in order to determine the probable efficacy of a particular therapy course. It is a sign of progress that in the United States today â€Å"there are 6 drugs for which FDA requires diagnostic genetic testing before prescription, about 30 for which a d iagnostic test is recommended, and another 200 with pharmacogenomic information on the labels.† (Hesselgrave, 2010, p.16) Moreover, traditional healthcare provision adopts an one-size-fits-all approach. Whereas, under Personalized Medicine, this practice will be dismantled and unique prognostic courses would be designed based on the patient's genetic make up. Powerful technologies that try to understand the working of the human body down to the cellular level will be part of future PM treatments. These technologies include genomics, proteomics (the study of proteins), and metabolomics (the study of metabolites) amongst others. Metabolomics is of special interest to physicians as it has the potential to provide key information about individual patients. While the purpose of proteomics research is to identify abnormal protein patterns in patients, the purpose of metabolomic research is to identify abnormal metabolite patterns. Scientists are of the view that human bodies contain more than 3,000 metabolites that play a crucial role in proper growth and development of various organs. Apart from these primary metabolites there are secondary metabolites which strenghthen the immune system and helps reduce mental and physical stress. Of particular interest to the medical community are low-molecular-weight metabolites

Monday, July 22, 2019

STEEPLE and Balance Scorecard Essay Example for Free

STEEPLE and Balance Scorecard Essay When a firm uses an external consultant to solve a problem or evaluate an opportunity the consultant can use STEEPLE (social, technological, economic, environmental, legal, and ethical), which is a preliminary analysis technique to answer why the business organization or systems exist (Wickham, Wickham, 2008, p. 128). This analysis the consultant preforms helps to determine how the firm business fits in its external environment. The consultant can also use the balances scorecard to measure the financial and non-financial performance of the firm. The consultant will use the STEEPLE and Balance Scorecard to analyze Phillip-Morris introduction of its electronic cigarettes in the market. In addition, the consultant will make any recommendation to Phillip-Morris from the results of the STEEPLE and Balance Scorecard analysis. STEEPLE Analysis The STEEPLE analysis is and extension of the PEST analysis. The PEST analysis acronym stands for; political, economical, social, and technological factors the firm may face in its external environment. This analysis is a form of system analysis that provides a structure for examining elements from the larger system of which the firm is a part of (Gustafson, 2002, p. 134) The STEELPE analysis includes the factors of the PEST analysis with the additions of the legal, environment, and ethical factors the firm can also face in its external environment. The consultant will examine the seven external environmental factors to solve the firm’s problem or opportunity in the market: Sociological factors are trends and attitudes that can affect buying behaviors. The negative publicity that firms, such as Phillip-Morris on the effects of smoking cigarettes, has altered societies view of Phillip-Morris. This has led to millions of individuals to stop smoking to improve his or her health st atus. Technological factors- Technology is constantly changing. This trend is that advanced technology generates new questions. The question for Phillip-Morris is does the firm have the knowledge for the design, production, and delivery of the product? If not, where can the firm gain the knowledge to produce such a product or use a third party to produce it. Economic factors- the consultant will look at if the target market can afford the product. In addition, the consultant must look at if the Phillip-Morris can afford to borrow the necessary funds to produce the product. Environmental Factors- The consultant look at how the e-cigarettes will be packaged and what type of chemicals is going to be used in the production of the product. Depending on the package materials and the chemicals that are used in the production of the product can have a negative effect on the environment. Green issues are important in society today, and the firm must take the issues of protecting the environment in consideration when producing any product. Political and legal factors- relates to the government of a countries federal, state, and local law passed by various governmental agencies. In this analysis the consultant must look at what laws and the attitudes of government agencies have been made for regulating smoking e-cigarettes. Ethical Factors- The consultant must look at how the product will be packaged, design and the marketing campaign to entice consumers to buy the product. This is because the negative publicity cigarettes firms marketing, packaging, and design its products to minors. If the product is produced to make smoking e-cigarettes is â€Å"cool† this can have a negative impact on the company, because it can entice minors to use the product. After conducting the STEEPLE analysis the consultant must determine where the firm has strengthens, weakness, thre ats, and opportunities in the internal and external environment. Phillip-Morris has a negative sociological factor regarding the views of consumers who uses the firm’s products. This negative view has made millions of customers to stop using the firms products. The technological factor, Phillip-Morris has does not have the knowledge of producing e-cigarettes. The firm will have to rely on a third party to produce the product. With the company not having the technology or the technical know how to produce e-cigarettes the price of the product can be very expensive. This has a negative affect on the economical factor, because many consumers may not be able to afford the  product. In addition, by the firm using a third party to produce the product the firm does not assume the risk of borrowing the necessary funds. The firm will not have any negative environmental factors of producing the product, because the third party will assume the risk. However, Phillip-Morris does impact the environment with its current production of making cigarettes. In the political and legal issues the firm can face is very limited. Phillip-Morris will have to comply with federal, state, and local laws governing the legal age requirement for purchasing the product. The firm will have ethical issues if the packaging, design, and marketing is promoting the alternative way of smoking as â€Å"cool.† This can entice young society members to purchase and use the product. However, if its marketing, packaging, and design is to provide adults an alternative and health way of smoking. This will show society that the firm cares about the health of its customers and those who are affected by second hand smoke. Balance Scorecard The balance scorecard gives the organization a total management system to help clarify its vision and strategy. In addition, this technique gives the usable data for the organization to take appropriate business actions, provides feedback to the internal business processes and the external outcomes to improve the firms strategic performance. According to the article â€Å"Using the Balance Scorecard,† written by Kaplan and Norton (1996), (pp. 75-85) the balance scorecard has four perspectives of: Financial Perspectives- Phillip-Morris must balance its business functions which as been allocated across the organization. If the Phillip-Morris decides to increase its economic growth it can do this through a productivity strategy. Phillip-Morris can lower the direct and indirect expense to improve cost, or reduce working and fixed capital to utilize its assets to support the business Customer Perspectives- The value proposition of the customer is the mix of products, price, service , relationship, and Phillip-Morris image. With this perspective Phillip-Morris will have to take on its competition. The company will have to differentiate its value proposition. Phillip-Morris can do this by selecting different operational excellence, customer intimacy, and product leadership. Business Process Perspectives-This matric allows management to understand how efficiently the organization is performing. It also helps Phillip-Morris to understand if  its products or services is meeting the customers needs. In addition, this perspective makes sure that the organization is align with the four high level business process of: Building franchises Increase customer value Achieving operational excellences Phillip-Morris becoming a good corporate citizen Learning and Growth Perspectives- This perspective looks at the employee career growth, training, and the corporate culture for individual and the firm’s self-improvement. In addition, it looks at the knowledge enhancements that Phillip-Morris has to communicate with employees and a mentor program. If Phillip-Morris can enhance employees learning and growth it can have a workforce to meet the firms strategic position. These perspectives allow the development of metrics, data analysis, and collection for the firm. Phillip-Morris is the largest tobacco firms and has a clear objective for its current and potential stockholders. This objective can be to improve the financial side of the firm. In this case the firm has the motivation to have long-term shareholder value, and avoiding the ethical issues that is associated with tobacco companies. By doing this Philip-Morris will neglect the customer, business process, and learning and growth perspective of the balance scorecard. Phill ip-Morris must develop a different business strategy to have a more balanced scorecard. Recommendations The STEEPLE analysis shows Phillip-Morris has a negative sociological and technological factor. There are no environmental factors in producing e-cigarettes, and the political and legal issues will be the same as other tobacco products. The ethical factors can be a negative or positive depending on how the company package, design, and market the product. Phillip-Morris balance scorecard focuses on the financial perspective, while neglecting the three other perspectives. With Phillip-Morris focusing on the financial perspective, and without the technical know how. It is recommended that Phillip-Morris look for a third party to produce its e-cigarettes. It is also the recommendation for Phillip-Morris to enter in a joint venture so it can gain the technical knowledge and have a complete  balance scorecard. References Gustafson, K. (2002). The future of instructional design. In R. Rieser J. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (pp. 333-343). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merril/Prentice Hall Kaplan, R.S., Norton, D.P. (1996, January-February). Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System. Harvard Business Review, 74(1), 75-85. ESBCO Host. Wickham, P., Wickham, L. (2008). Management consulting: Delivering an effective project (3rd ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson

Sunday, July 21, 2019

My Favourite Car

My Favourite Car My favourite car If I had to choose a car I liked the most, I would definitely pick Cadillac Escalade. SUVs are my favourite cars in general, but no SUV is more stylish than the Cadillac Escalade. Even though it has all of the roomy features that make SUVs a popular choice for families, its design, chrome trim and wheels and overall style make it attractive to the youth as well. The design elements of the Cadillac Escalade are all made with style in mind. The mirrors are angled and blend into the curves of the vehicle. The windshield angle flows into the roof line seamlessly. The tall headlights have standard High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting with an option to add the â€Å"IntelliBeam† system, which automatically adjusts the brightness of the headlight beams. The Cadillac Escalade comes standard with 18 inch wheels, but also has the option to add 22 inch chrome wheels to the vehicle. The interior of the vehicle continues the theme of comfort combined with a highly stylized design. The dashboard and consoles are made of high quality vinyl, with instrument panel displays located in perfect vision lines for the driver. Seams for the assembly of the dashboard are constructed tightly and barely visible. The true beauty of the Cadillac Escalade, however, comes in its power. It features a standard 6.2 litre V-8 engine that allows for quick acceleration. Traction control, four wheel drive and four wheel disc brakes allow for a comfortable and powerful driving experience. The Cadillac Escalade is well equipped to handle driving off road but versatile enough to be an effective city driving vehicle as well. The Cadillac Escalade is also versatile in its capacity. A third row seat allows the vehicle to transport up to seven passengers. The seat is also removable, maximizing the vehicles cargo space. The Cadillac Escalade has also earned a four star safety rating from the U.S. government. Safety features include anti-lock brakes, front side airbags, side curtain airbags, stability control, rear parking sensors, a rear view camera and a blind spot warning system. The Cadillac Escalade is superior to other SUVs because it combines all of the practicality of a traditional SUV with the style of a luxury car.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Existing recruitment and selection process ITcom in India

Existing recruitment and selection process ITcom in India Imagine that you have been asked by an organisation to review an area of HR practice and suggest ways in which it could be improved so as to contribute to HRM strategy and organisational goals. Draw on research literature and contemporary organisational practice to address this issue, and ensure that your answer also pays attention to issues of the methodology employed in the studies you quote. You can choose any area of HR practice that we cover during the second half of the course (that is, recruitment, selection, talent management, performance management, employee involvement and participation). You will also need to provide a short description of the organisation on which you are basing your recommendations so that answers can be evaluated within the context of their application. Objective: The objective of this essay is to undertake an examination of the existing recruitment and selection process forming an organizational framework. The current author will review an Indian based Multinational Company ITcom (Organizations name changed) with respect to globalisation and international market, emphasising on finding the effectiveness on cost/time and quality parameters to identify areas of improvement and suggest ways to improvise on its recruitment and selection procedures drawing on the literature and analysing the research methodology of studies used. Introduction: Increased global competition coupled with enhanced customer/client expectations makes the growth or even the survival of any firm difficult (Back S, 2005). Organizations need to perform and respond to a rapidly changing global environment and thus require attracting and retaining a dedicated, high quality workforce by means of recruitment and selection. From the psychometric perspective (UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), jobs are defined in terms of their tasks or descriptions which are specific. Recruitment is a process of attracting individuals who might meet specifications of task or description. Selection is the process of measuring differences between these candidates to find the person who is best fit. The importance of hiring should not be underestimated because a poor recruitment decision can cost an employer an amount equal to 30 per cent of the employees first year earnings (Hacker 1997). These costs can include: lower productivity; potential loss of clients; training costs; advertising costs; recruitment expenses and redundancy packages (Smith and Graves 2002). According to the CIPD, 20 percent of employees leave within the first six months. This is sometimes called the induction crisis. It was found that numbers varied dramatically by industry, clothing industry figure was 26.5 percent, with 45 percent leaving during first three months, only a third remaining beyond a year (Tarpin et al, 2003). Overall turnover rates in the UK/Ireland fell from 25 percent per year (2000) to about 18 percent per year (2007). However, more people left voluntarily than through dismissal, redundancy, or ending of contracts. Thus it is imperative for an organization to have a strategized HR policy in place for recruitment for selecting and retaining the workforce. Although its recognised as crucial to many organisations, recruitment is often done in an ad hoc and reactive manner. Eight in ten employers rank attracting and recruiting key staff to the organisation in their top three resourcing objectives, but only 50% of organisations in the UK have formal resourcing strategies in place. Many employers acknowledge that they experience tremendous recruitment difficulties (86% according to CIPD). Hence given the costs of filling a vacancy, its important for firms to recruit well and select the most appropriate employees. About the company: ITcom Business, a division of ITcom Limited, is amongst the largest global IT services, Business Process Outsourcing and Product Engineering companies. In addition to the IT business, ITcom also has leadership position in niche market segments of consumer products and lighting solutions. The company has been listed since 1945 and started its technology business in 1980. Today, ITcom generates USD 6 billion (India GAAP figure 2009-10) of annual revenues. Its equity shares are listed in India on the Mumbai Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange; as well as on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States. ITcom makes an ideal partner for organizations looking at transformational IT solutions because of its core capabilities, great human resources, commitment to quality and the global infrastructure to deliver a wide range of technology and business consulting solutions and services. ITcom enables business results by being a transformation catalyst. It offers integrated portfolio of services to its clients in the areas of Consulting, System Integration and Outsourcing for key-industry verticals. It has a wide geographical diversity of operations with over 50 development centers and 10 near shore centres spread across India, Japan, China, France, Austria, Sweden, Germany, UK and USA. In recent years, ITcom has faced a number of workforce challenges, such as an increasingly diverse workforce, increased cut throat competition in market giving rise to attrition rate and uncertainty of workforce requirement. As one of the strategies to address these challenges, a need rises to review and streamline recruitment and selection business processes to support ITcom as a leading organization and to increase the ability to make high quality hires and meet workforce needs. Literature Review in Context with ITcom: The Recruitment Process: Organizational review and Job Analysis: Perhaps the most one can say with any certainty is that many UK companies continue to express a commitment to the idea of HR strategy and planning. How this translates into practice, however, is less clear (Liff, 2000 p.125) When the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities [is] intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals'(Wright and McMahan 1992: 298), HRM can be said to be strategic. More specifically, for recruitment to become strategic, HR practitioners must answers to the following questions (Breaugh 1992; Breaugh and Starke 2000): Whom to recruit?, Where to recruit?, What recruitment sources to use (e.g. the web, newspapers, job fairs, on campus, etc.)?, When to recruit? And (5) what message to communicate? HR planning is regarded as essential for at least four sets of reasons (Marchington, 2005): Clear links between business and HR Plans: It draws the link or degree of fit between HR planning and strategic plans, so that the ability of HR function can be measured to deliver precisely what the business requires. It can also be viewed as a relationship between corporate and HR plans, where HR plans will contribute to the development of the corporate. In either ways HR planning can be viewed as major facilitator of competitive advantage. Better control over staffing costs and numbers employed: Making projections about anticipated staffing needs is imperative, irrespective of whether a growth or decline in numbers is predicted. This makes it easier to match supply and demand and therefore make decisions about recruiting from the external labour market, relocating staff, or preparing for reductions in numbers employed in order to achieve greater control over staffing costs (Taylor, 2005. P.101) More informed judgements about the skills and attitude mix in the organization: It is very critical to get the right mix of skills in the employed workforce to attain the confidence of customer and for productivity and profit generation. In case of ITcom, some of its customers are domain based, for example one of its clients is Boeing, which has specifications of employing only citizens in the USA geography and highly skilled professionals in Product Life Cycle Management (PLM). In this scenario what is expected is either ITcom should search and acquire people skilled in this field or get professionals who can be trained on these platforms to give quality results. Maintain a profile of existing staff: By maintaining a profile in terms of age, gender, race and disability etc helps any organization to claim for providing equal opportunities. Without accurate and up-to-date figures on existing staff numbers and their breakdown by grade and position, it is impossible for employers to make decisions about how equality management can be achieved (Liff 2000, p103). In 2008, ITcom was asked by the DOJ (Department of Justice) of US legislations to prove that it offers equal employment opportunity for all. ITcom was using online software (known as SYNERGY) for database generation. This software had a peculiar questionnaire (like age, sex, nationality etc) to understand the background of the candidate applying for jobs. Later these questions were omitted as it was believed that interviewers might get biased at the initial stage of application and may not proceed ahead with the prospective employees candidature. Hence all the details of employee were transferred and saved in the SAP software for internal use and data storage, it helped the company to keep track of its existing employees along with amendments in Synergy software which helped in refraining its managers and recruiters to avoid any discriminatory practice by human error at the stage of recruitment and selection. The primary step in the recruitment process after HR planning, involves a systematic review of the organizational requirements which lead to a thorough analysis of the requirements of jobs called job analysis. The above process of HR planning and job analysis which translates demand for labour, leads to forecasting the internal and external supply. Based on these decisions can be made about the balance between external recruitment, internal staff development or workforce reductions. Table I is an example of a typical seven days of business taken from a hotel operation. The figures have been reduced to two functions: for example, rooms and food and beverage or restaurant and bars, and for simplicity it is assumed that functional flexibility covers two skills, i.e. staff from function A would be able to work in function B and vice versa. In operational terms the seven days depicted here would be a point in a rolling forecast that would change daily. The demand patterns described here are typical of departments within a hotel operation but could also represent patterns in restaurant operations, retailing and many tourism attractions. ITcom has been able to work well in this area of HR planning and setting up a stringent policy to which all the employees/recruiters are bound to be compliant. The Executive Vice President of Human Resource Management personally regulates the HR policies which are formed by the leaders and Senior Managers of the company. A dedicated team continuously works on mapping the market trends and predicts the upcoming problems and opportunities to work pro-actively on demands to incur with supply of labour. Job description, person specification and competencies: Once the job analysis has been collected, the next step is to develop a job description. They are particularly prevalent in public sector and large organizations. A job description usually includes: Job title, location, responsible to (job title of supervisor) and for (job titles of members who will report directly under the job holder), main purpose of the job, responsibilities or duties, working conditions (contains contractual agreements, fringes and benefits etc) other matters such as if travelling is required etc and performance standards along with any other duties that might be assigned by the organisation. (Marchington, 2005) Traditionally, it is divided into two main topics: work-oriented analysis (focussing on the job itself) and worker-oriented analysis (focussing on the worker) (Searle, 2003). Rodgers seven-point plan (Physical make-up, attainments, general intelligence, special aptitudes, interest, disposition and circumstances) and Frasers five-point plan (Impact on others, acquired knowledge and qualifications, innate abilities, motivation and adjustment) rely heavily on personal judgment to specify human qualities associated with successful performance (Newell and Shackleton 2000, p115). The significance of these job descriptions is that they focus on the behavioural aspects of the candidates. Therefore it is not required to make inferences about personal qualities that might underpin behaviour (Newell and Shackleton, 2001, p26). Job descriptions and specifications of person often exist alongside the competency-based approaches (Taylor 2002c), not least because they set a framework within which subsequent HR practices, for example performance management, training and development, pay and grading can be placed (Whiddett and Hollingforde 1999). According to IRS (IRS Employment Review 782 2003, p45) the most commonly used competencies are team orientation, communication, people management, customer focus, results orientation and problem solving. Surprisingly, ethical behaviour, responsibility, enthusiasm and listening are rarely used. Competency can be differentiated in four types (Roberts 1997, p71-72) a) namely: natural which is made up by the big five dimensions of personality; extraversion/introversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience b) acquired: where knowledge and skills acquired through work or other avenues. c) Adapting: this competency area revolves around the ability to adapt natural talents and acquired skills to new situation. And lastly, performing: which comprises observable behaviours and output. Recruitment Methods: Choosing a cost effective method for recruitment is essential and depends on factors specific to organisation. Recruitment is typically regarded as poor relation to selection, typically afforded limited space in most of the publications and gives very little evidence of the theoretical underpinnings (Breaugh and Starke 2000). Recruitment provides the candidates for the selector to judge. Selection techniques cannot overcome failures in recruitment; they merely make them evident (Watson, 1994, p203). It is very important that the organisation decide whether or not to recruit, which sources to be used and what cost. Legal issues are also to be borne particularly while using media and publishing the adverts (Taylor 2002c). Internal and External Searches: ITcom uses various tools for recruitment internally and externally. Internal Sources: It moves its potential employees from one department to another which fills the vacancies and proves to be a career development for the employees. The knowledge transfer from one position to another embarks the capabilities in the staff and enhances their skills and abilities. These practices are more prevalent during rationalisation than in boon or recession (Marchington, 2005). Staffs are also transferred from temporary posts to open ended contracts or from agency work onto the direct payroll. This provides employers with a form of quasi-internal labour market where they can observe people at work before committing to a more secure employment offer (Rubery et al 2002, 2004). There is indication from wider research on agencies that they are progressively taking up strategies to expand markets in which potential recruits, as well as employers, are receptive to temporary opportunities and for whom the profit of agency working outweigh the costs. * There is also an internal marketing team in recruitment department in ITcom which focuses on publishing the job vacancies in the company and gain the references from the existing employees. The CIPD survey showed that word-of-mouth recruitment remains widely used though it is sometimes hard to differentiate from speculative applications. A major advantage of referral programs is the quality of candidates, as most employees are unlikely to recommend friend who will not fit the culture of the organization and who is not suited for the role. The Coventry Building Society filled nearly a quarter of all its posts through this method (IRS Employment Review 804 2004). In ITcom there are various award schemes for recruiters to encourage employees to refer their friends and families. Although it is cheap and readily available, organizations such as Acas, the EOC and the CRE are worried such ring-fencing may strengthen the existing imbalances (gender, race and disability), upsetting the attempts to encourage greater workforce diversity. (Marchington, 2005) One of the major and critical hiring in ITcom is for the Sales division, where the Industry experts like evangelists, practice managers, sales director etc are required to lead the business. ITcom has a dedicated team of leadership hiring professionals who evaluate the candidature for these positions. The current author suggests that the company should try to engage with head-hunters for sourcing and recruiting for such high-level and critical roles. Head-hunters may have extensive contacts which can be beneficial. This method is expensive, and is used much in private sector than in public or voluntary bodies (Marchington, 2005) Apart from the middle and senior level positions, for the fresh recruits the most effective way can be campus placements and the CIPD survey found that it was on a par with the companys own website in popularity. Sources of external applicant and Methods of attracting applicants: Largest number of lists comes under external sources which constitute the open sources. Advertisements in national and local papers are amongst the most widely used methods, and for the specialist posts trade press can be more effective (CIPD 2004b). Radio and TV adverts are rarely used. ITcom in 2009 advertised its employee referral programmes which were based on theme of friendship, aired the adverts on a local radio channel (94.3 Radio One FM in Bangalore), to let the message be conveyed to mass. This had helped the company to gain many applicants through existing employees. E-Recruitment is another one tool which has gained its significance in recent years. According to IRS 90% of firms use some form of e-recruitment. Like job boards (monster.com, dice.com, careerbuilder.com. jobsahead.com etc) for advertising the vacancies. Social networking sites (linkedin.com, myspace.com, facebook.com etc) are also gaining popularity amongst the job seekers and recruiters for filling the positions. Main advantages of e-recruitment are reduced costs, improved corporate image, reduced administration, etc. The Selection Process: Consulting various sources such as Cook (1998), Taylor (2002c), Cooper et al (2003) and Searle (2003) it is conferred that no single technique, no matter how well it is designed and administered, can be capable of being perfect selection decision. Employers are advised not to rely on one method (Marchington, 2005). According to a CIPD survey of more than 1000 employers, it is concluded that the most common and widely used techniques were traditional interviews, competency-based interviews and tests for specific skills. Robertson and Smith (2001) also indicated that most techniques have very low levels of accuracy in terms of producing effective selection decisions. Of techniques used on their own, work sampling offers the highest likelihood of success, closely followed by intelligence tests and structured interviewing (Schmidt and Hunter, 1998) Various authors (Newell and Shackleton 200; Taylor 2002c; Cooper et al 2003 and Searle 2003) discuss the criteria for assessing the value of selection methods: Practicality: According to Cooper et al (2003, p94), it is the most important criteria of all. The method suggested has to be economical in terms of cost and benefits, the time required to administer it and should be within the capabilities of those who are supposed to run it. Most critical is the cost issue. For example, it makes very less sense to run a sophisticated and complex personality test if only one candidate has applied for the post. Sensitivity: A lot of care must be taken to avoid any kind of discrimination based on race, gender, age or disability. Reliability: comprises of different elements but refers essentially to consistency of method used to select individuals (Newell and Shackleton 2000, p119). It should not be too much influenced by chance factors (Cooper et al 2003, p 50-52). For example: inter-rater reliability is crucial if many interviewers take interview, where one rejects and other selects. In ITcom, at many occasions this problem exists, as for certain job roles, several levels of interviews are conducted. It must be taken in consideration to measure the accuracy of each interviewer before concluding a rejection or selection of the candidate. Validity: This defines the correctness of the inferences that can be drawn from the selection methods. (Newell and Shackleton, 2000, p121) define this as the relationship between the predictors (the result from the selection methods used) and the criteria (performance of the job). Key Themes and Recommendations: The assessment of market scenario of ITcom suggests that while there are quite a few areas for upgrading and improvement, there are also many areas that are working well, including: ITcom appears to have more flexibility in identifying the suitable appointment method, establishing the merit criteria to be considered in determining the most suitable candidate with its strong value based strict compliance policies. The range of options (internal and external sourcing) available to recruit staff provides flexibility and supports timely and effective hiring decisions. The Jobs Websites (monster.com, dice.com, careerbuilder.com, linkedin.com etc) appears to be an effective method of attracting successful candidates, and feedback about the job postings, application and interview process and the quality of hires seems positive. Staffing Operating Principles related to fairness, integrity and selection of the most suitable person was seen as both useful and being achieved. The staffing proce ss was perceived to be transparent and able to withstand scrutiny. Executive Search recruitment and screening processes were generally considered to work well and support hiring high quality executive management and senior leaders, in a timely fashion. Opportunities for improvement: Themes emerged including the need to formalize processes that will progress into a more strategic approach to recruitment: Focus must be increased on long-term forecasting of workforce needs in new development centres (e.g. newly opened development centre in Atlanta, GA in USA and Germany), which will help to directly connect workforce planning to the staffing function and developing strategies to address gaps. In this context of globalization, many multinational organizations search for suitable employees from across the globe and apply similar selection criteria with limited attention to effectiveness and less knowledge of different cultural backgrounds (Searle, 2003). Searle also believes that this is an area where practice is far ahead of research and comment. One way firms are trying to manage their operation within this new global context more effectively is by using sophisticated selection assessment practices. If the underlying basis for their assessment is flawed, then these more high-powered tests and assessments will inevitably be a further waste of resources. Increase focus on recruitment planning and implement a project management approach to the hiring process. Increase focus on branding and candidate sourcing for active and passive candidates, including more targeted sources of media. Research has indicated that the media exposure of a firm is a sign of its reputation (Newell and Shackleton, 2001). Technology in form of media and internet helps reducing the cost and time of travel for both applicants and companies. ITcom with most of its offices across the globe uses the telephone and video conferencing for conducting interviews. Expand methods for facilitating the identification of potential internal candidates for executive positions, including if possible, information from succession management and workforce planning initiatives. Enhance utilization of summer employment, work experience, co-op and internship initiatives as a strategy to attract and develop students and recent graduates in conjunction with workforce forecasting needs. Improve efficiency and effectiveness through increased collaboration and use of technology. Increase all stakeholders knowledge of staffing process including the recruitment strategies available. Conclusion: The Recruitment and selection within the wide organizational context highlights the relationship between organizational strategy and human resource policy and procedures. Key changes in methods and practices are identified responsible for increased attention and use of selection systems. Application of techniques enhances the confidence of HR processes. The growth in process oriented research highlights an alternative view of selection and recruitment and is at odds with the psychometric approach. As there is increased sophistication in the selection methods, it is often forgotten that without a proper set recruitment method, there would be less number of applicants for selection; this can have reverse impact on the performance of employment contract. Conversely, usage of well chosen methods can be helpful in choosing the staff which can be fit to meet targets of the organization. Recruitment is one area of HRM where assistance might be sought from the external providers, as being aw are of the limits and using the right techniques are equally important. It is very important that recruitment and selection processes be well organised, delivered and evaluated for the organisational growth. Methodology: The research work or sample used in the essay are pure and applied (from the perspective of application in various situations) and descriptive, co relational, explanatory or exploratory (from the perspective of objectives of the literature view). Most of the information is gathered by the literature from texts and journals and was related to real life experience of the current author from ITcom. Data collection of most of the articles and references cited in the essay are from the companies which is generally the primary data, secondary data is the one used from literature. Wherever required while collecting the data, the interviews were commenced, questionnaires were formed, and observations were made for example the IRS employment reviews and CIPD conducted surveys (which are quoted in the essay) in such styles or formats. Each of the articles and examples portrayed in the essay were based on literature review which brought in the clarity and focus to research problem and improved the methodology by enhancing the knowledge base. The literature pertinent dealt with two types of information, one universal and second specific (local trends). In some of the journals, a number of sources were used to compile databases, for example data was collected from local employment agencies, yellow pages along with interviews and surveys were conducted. These give a broad platform to compare and relate the data by empirical methodology of data accumulation.

Why Suburbs are bad for United States Health :: essays research papers

A common definition of a suburb is a community in an outlying section of a city or, more commonly, a nearby, politically separate municipality with social and economic ties to the central city. In the 20th cent., particularly in the United States, population growth in urban areas has spilled increasingly outside the city limits and concentrated there, resulting in large metropolitan areas where the populations of the suburbs taken together exceed that of the central city. As growth of the suburbs continues, cost of labor for common suburban housing drops increasingly low. Houses are built with cheaper, less expensive materials and are built with the same model of construction time and time again. As this does no harm financially, the western world loses any uniqueness it once had. Meaning their is a very small amount of difference between Burnsville,Minnesota and Boone County,Kentucky. In modern suburbs things like cul-de-sacs and tangle towns are more common to be designed with. This makes it virtually impossible to include a mass transit system into the suburb. Thus, more driving, more gas use, and more emissions created in the atmosphere. A common response to this from a suburban residential is that the city is jam packed with congestion and pollution from stop and go traffic. Yet with cities, they are more dense, highly populated and many of the stop and go traffic is created by workers who live in the suburbs coming into the city at rush hour. One thing that works well in a typical city is mass transit. Things like buses, subways and train systems work well with block by square block areas, but not so with winding curving neighborhoods such as in suburbs. Another reason why mass transit does not play a major roll in the life of one who lives in a suburb is that suburban commuting consists of many different directions and destinations. Where as in the city typi cal people are commuting into the downtown. A central destination such as a downtown keeps things more conveniently close, and since so many people are making the trip to one single common place then gas can be saved by major carpooling, or in other words mass transit. An attraction to the suburbs for someone looking to raise a family is the suburbs generally contain less crime, less congestion and more isolation from a fast pace life.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Noise Pollution: Practical Solutions to a Serious Problem Essay

   Noise Pollution:    Practical Solutions to a Serious Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Noise pollution is a growing concern for most Americans.   It is a problem because many city, suburban, and rural areas are affected.   Noise creeps into our cars, our homes, and schools and disrupts everything.   Noise pollution is a more harmful pollutant than most think.   Medical evidence proves that noise can have detrimental physical and psychological effects upon a person.   It is a danger to one's mental health, it interrupts the learning development of children, and it hinders sleep. The physical consequences of short-term exposure to noise pollution can result in higher blood pressure and cholesterol increase (Bullock- Loughran 12,13). Medical evidence proves that prolonged exposure to noises can cause persistent health problems such as ulcers or hypertension (Thomas 20, Bullock- Loughran 12). There have been cases where heart attacks have occurred in individuals with already present cardiac problems. One common and harmful form of noise pollution, aircraft noise, has amazing effects on one’s physical health.   A study conducted in the early eighties proved that people residing within 3 miles of the Los Angeles International Airport had a higher death rate of 19% than the death rate of those residents six miles away from the airport.   Similar conclusions occurred at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Thomas 20). Along with the physical effects, there are psychological issues related to noise pollution.   A psychological study concludes that humans may adapt to noise at times but random and unpredictable noise may eventually cause some deterioration in everyday activity (Thomas 18). Some people have even committed murder, used drugs,... ...y 1997: 5. McCabe, Michael.   â€Å"Anti-Noise Crusaders Get Louder and Louder.†Ã‚   The San Francisco   Chronicle   19 Feb. 1998, final ed.: A1. Singleton, Janet.   â€Å"Huh? Hear! Hear! Noise Pollution is No Joke.†Ã‚   The Denver Post   24   Apr. 1995, second ed.: E1. Sulski, Jim.   â€Å"Tone It Down!; The Ins and Outs of Soundproofing a Noisy Dwelling.†   Chicago Tribune 18 Sept. 1998, final ed.: C1+.    Thomas, Sharon M.   â€Å"Perception of Airport Hazards by Land Users in the Vicinity of   Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.†Ã‚   Diss.   Arizona State University, 1980. Ward, W. Dixon.   â€Å"Noise-induced Hearing Loss.†Ã‚   Noise and Society.   Ed. Dylan M. Jones and Antony J. Chapman.   Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 1984. 77-109. Young, Leslie A.   â€Å"Sonic Boomers; Clinton’s Hearing Aid Catches His Generation’s Ear†   Mountain News   14 Oct. 1997, D3.   

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Opinion essay, computers Essay

In our present life everything is connected with computers technology. We use computers at homes, schools, banks, hospitals, and many other places. A computer is a helpful and comfortable invention. Most things we know are run or made by computers. For example, cars, traffic signals, medical equipments, and most jobs today require the use of computer. It plays a major role, and has a huge impact on our society. The main three effects of living without computers might be losing time, inaccuracy, and missing many important machines that run or made by them. Computers complete a lot of work for us which normally consume a long time .If we did not have computers, we would need a long time to do many tasks. For example, employs at banks need computers to finish their jobs in short time. Students in school use computers to print reports, do assignments, and research via the internet to get what they need very quickly. By using computers we will save our time, and get accurate results. Computers provide us with accuracy. Many fields need computers to ensure the accuracy in their results. For example, doctors in the medical filed would not have found cures for many diseases if they did not use computers. Most cures were found with help of computers with a high level of accuracy. In addition, space exploration scientists would not achieve a success without computers. Most machines we know are run or made by computers. For example, cars, airplanes, microwaves, traffic signals, and medical equipments. We could not organize the traffic signals with more proficiency without computers. In conclusion, computers have helped us to take a large step into the future. They have played a major role, and have had a huge impact on our daily lives. Living without them could lead to many problems, and the main three effects of living without computers would be losing time, Inaccuracy, and missing many important machines.

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abomination Through imaging It has been said for a long time that the only social occasion to idolize is fear itself. It is easy to experience that the boys become subject to their own unlogical fears. In Lord of the wing, by William Gilding, Imagery Is utilize to outline the Island and the pillow slips themselves In false and mysterious ways. Imagery Is withal apply as a way for the boys to bring into being the masher and work it external as well as internal. There be several instances in the novel where citizenry argon get outd using dour language. When Jack and his choir are seen for the offshoot time they are scribed as a creature Room throat to ankle, secret by black cloaks (19). The choirs first conceive of suggests that their purpose In the novel Is incompatible In nature. Gildings imagery automatically Identifies the characters In story that are associated with the more hat reddish aspects of gentlemans gentleman nature such as fear and violence. La ter in the novel, it seems that the elder boys only become worse, with fear developing in them like an uncontrollable weed. It is perceptible when Jack starts disguising himself looking in astonishment, no seven-day at himself exactly at an direful stranger He face of red and white and black (63-64).In his slow resignation to fear, Jack Is becoming a nonher psyche entirely from the boy who Initially crashed on the island and It Is shown literally here by him word picture his face and changing his identity. The fear created on the island, in the form of the beast, is exposing Jack for what he real is, which is demonic and wicked in nature. Gilding uses imagery often to describe the malicious intent of characters through and throughout the novel, but he does not only describe characters in this way. The island on which the boys are desert on Is meticulously described in the kook and closely of the words used to Illustrate It are grim at best.When Gilding describes where Pi ggy and Ralph first go back themselves, he describes the ground as cover with coarse grass, torn everywhere by upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coconuts and palm saplings. lavatory this was the darkness of the quality proper and the rude space of the scar. (9-10). Already, the island, though it has do no wrong, is becoming a canvas on which Gilding can paint his picture of doom and despair. Small things, such as this, are described assiduously through the inure novel.This Is used to give place and show cause to wherefore the boys do what they do, among a variety of other things, the boys are reacting to their environment which is portrayed with no little than a vulgar airy. When the boys go on their first expedition, which results in them pushing a boulder over, the forest further pop out shook as with the passage of an enrage monster (28). Gilding describes the devastation of the forest like this with a purpose, he is alluding to the fear that later co ntrols the boys, or the beast. The disturbance of the intermission from the the scar.Simple items on the island are portrayed a great deal more villainous than they actually are for the purpose of showing what the boys have done to the island by corrupting its innocence and peace treaty with their naturally wicked human nature. The occasion makes use of both the image of characters and the mountain of the island to show that macrocosm can device anything into something foul, even a beautiful and unswayed island. The imagery does not stop with the island and the characters, it also creates the very beast which leads to some of the characters downfall. When the parallel first see he appalling beast they describe it as furry.There was something contemptible behind its head-?wings. The beast moved too-? That was awful. It descriptor of sat up There were eyes-? Teeth-? Claws-? (100). At this point in the novel, rational thought process has become scarce and is only really fo und in Piggy and Simon. surface-to-air missile and Eric truly believe in what they truism and their grisly description only acts as a catalyst for the other boys course into madness from the fear. Since Simon is not effected by the illusion of the beast, he understands that the beast is not real but the Lord of the Flies corrects him Fancy hinging that the Beast was something you could hunt and downYou knew didnt you? (143-144). Gildings imagery brought to life a character that is really expert the embodiment of the aversion and destructiveness in the boys, revealing what the authors true beliefs s sillyly human nature are. Though, he does not seem to think that man lovable is entirely uncontrollable. Simon is used as a beacon of hope and good intention. Simonys close is also very unique, using light imagery to state how Simon was the only light in the darkness all along. Towards the arrest of the novel, the beast comes very real, more than Just a figment of the boys wilde st and darkest fears.In conclusion, imagery describes human kinds nature through the characters, the island, and of course the beast or fear in the boys. The shivery images used in the novel make it very easy to see why the boys went against each other in the end, proving that humanity is its own worst enemy. Overall, the authors opinion or so human nature influenced every facet of the novel and how it was written, but of course the most obvious expression of Gildings opinion is seen in the imagery.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Genetic Testing Controversies

inheritable scrutiny Controversies 1-12-11 Biology ancestral Testing, in addition cognize as deoxyribonucleic acid-based tests, is a innovative method of scrutiny for hereditaryal affections or disorders. In the test the DNA molecule is examined and other tests include microscopic trial run of chromo several(prenominal)s, for stained or fluorescent chromosomes. Genetic tests atomic number 18 used for carrier screening, newborn screening, identity testing, antepartum diagnostic testing, and prediction of disorders later in living such as Huntingtons or Alzheimers disease etc. Human Genome Project) Controversies today that genetic testing today faces is with the privacy, consents, equity and inequality. The privacy of the data that is found may not be hidden between the patient and the doctor it may also be revealed to other mountain that are not involved in the issue. The controversies with consent are that should the insurance companies be allowed to have the info rmation of medical records and family histories sooner granting permission to anything. (Friesen, Tim.The Genetic Testing Controversy). The costs of some of these genetic tests are very expensive, some be more than $1000. Another controversy is related with discrimination to the people shown by insurance companies, where they are nifty on the people by the information which is acquire to them by genetic tests. Another example is where a woman who had applied to become an adoptive arouse was denied due to a family history of Huntingtons disease which also made her susceptible to the disease. Friesen, Tim. The Genetic Testing Controversy) An advantage of Genetic testing is that it gives information slightly any disease or disorders a somebody may have and treat that individual now for a cure. Another advantage is that these tests help to croak a happen free life from the beginning, for example- Genetic testing are done on new born babies, which helps to identify any disorder s from the beginning so treatment can be given immediately. Benefits of genetic testing) Another advantage of genetic testing is that on that point are fewer checkups and visits to the doctor if there is a history of a disease in a family. Another advantage is that if a person is genetically tested and the results are positive, they get to make intercommunicate decisions in their life. (Benefits of Gene Testing. National Cancer Institute) A disadvantage of genetic testing is that if a person is positive for a disease which cannot be vulcanised completely, is still in a risk.Related canvass Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic EngineeringFor example detractor and ovarian cancers, you cannot get rid of each and every breast or ovary related cells. Even after the surgery, the risk is still there. Another disadvantage is many people after receiving their test results and testing positive for a disease, leads to depression, anxiety or anger for most people, in the main women in these cases. Another disadvantage of genetic testing is many people face discrimination in getting insurance, or employment due to the results of that persons genetic test. Citation Pictures http//www. beltina. org/pics/genetic_testing. jpg