Human Computer Interaction Essay

The Human Computer Interaction(HCI) is the field of study of mutual communication between the user and the computer. This is the field of interaction is equipped by using the user interface which includes the software as well as the hardware too. All the software which are being made are enabled with user interface design and their implementation. Today, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 98 etc. are the operating systems which are enabled with graphical user interface. This is also the human computer interaction. The World Wide Web is also the example of human computer interaction. The field of the human computer interaction is well developed today with the advent of new technologies in software and hardware both. With the development in this the field the new terms like menu, buttons, icons etc are introduced which recite the uses and advantages of human computer interaction. (Brad A. Myers March, 1998 pp. 44-54 ) With the development in application of mobiles the human computer interaction’s are also increased. The new interface design like touch-screen designing of computers and mobiles also has given a new direction to HCI. The HCI in future has better opportunities with the developing software and hardware. 2) Methodologies and processes for designing interfaces: the HCI design methodologies are developed from early methods like treated users’ cognitive processes to the new ones like web designing. The methods for designing the HCI always looks for interaction between the user, computer that is the machine and the designers. User centered design is also the method in which every aspects like requirements, design etc. are included in which the attention is being paid on cognitive factors. in this design processes the users use through the hyperlink with a very high speed. These models as the name denotes are based on the models which are based on human expectations. The model can be integrated by programming and then can be implemented and then the feedbacks can be undertaken for modifications. (HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION p. 1) Paper prototyping is also a method for designing HCI by developing software. It is used for examining and scheming user interface. In this method the drawings of the interfaces are created for design. Its is a useful method as the sketching is faster than the programming. This method can be useful as the persons who do not the programming can also do this. Web design is also a method of designing user interface like web pages, websites etc. using HTML, JAVA as the software toolkits for development of web pages. The web design is used to made websites as graphical user interface(GUI). The web design also implemented to meet the requirement of the website developer as well as the end-user. The web design is based on languages like JAVA, HTML for safety purposes to eliminate the problem like hacking etc. Cognitive method of HCI designing is a earlier method but still its very constructive. It is based on analysis of two aspects cognitive exchanges with computers like learning, reading and other aspect is cognitive stuffing, composition etc. In this process the user analysis is done firstly like requirements, tasks etc. This analysis contains the features like memory, perception, requirements etc. The next step is designing and analytical test. This contain the features like language and memory. The last phase is system testing to test the authentication of the system. (Douglas J. Gillan & Nancy J. Cooke p. 1) 3) Methods for implementing interfaces: There are many methods of implementing the interfaces like software, research methods, efficient algorithms etc. There are many software tools like windowing systems, toolkits, interface builders etc. These software includes the software like JAVA, Macintosh Toolbox, Visual Basic etc. These software are very beneficial as they have application in HCI designing as well as in other fields also. The software programming is easy to handle as any person can gain knowledge of it. The methods of implementing interfaces using the software is also beneficial as the cost is reduced in designing and the modifications can be made very easily. The software used has the advantage that if the new version of software comes in light and the user want the interface based on this new version. Then the interface can be programmed in the new software and interface can be modified. The libraries can also be used to develop the software. The libraries are used to store the data, execute the programs. Then the programs are implemented which are stored in these libraries. These libraries can be connected to share the heavy load of data. With the advancement of these libraries the data is now stored in organized and can be shared in any part of the world. The algorithms are also used for HCI designing as these algorithms are created for systematic workflow. For detailed representation of the problem which has to be solved has to be studied carefully. This approach is developed by efficient use of the algorithms. 4) Techniques for evaluating and comparing interfaces: There are many techniques for evaluating the interfaces design and utilization. There are many criteria for evaluating like EC directives. There are many issues which have to be undertaken for evaluation of interfaces like controllability, data integrity etc. These factors are mainly used for HCI interfaces evaluation as these are basic factors for designing and comparison of interfaces. The HCI interfaces which are being developed must be user friendly. The techniques which are being used today are EVIDAS II, MUSiC, KABA etc. These are the latest techniques which are used for comparing the interfaces. These techniques are categorized further as user-oriented like MUSiC and product-oriented like EVADIS II(Chris Stary*, Thomas Riesenecker-Caba, J &-g Flecker, pp1-2). These techniques undertake various fields like user interface, organization of work, software features etc. These techniques are designed to evaluate the various factors like appropriateness, management of data, failure of interface chances etc. These techniques has developed the chances of improvement in software quality, user-friendly quality, success rate, cost effectiveness etc. The major task is transparency of software for future modification. These HCI interfaces are applicable to group work, this factor is also tested by these techniques. 5) Developing new interfaces and interaction techniques: The new interfaces which are being designed for the future must includes many features like management and filtering of data, input devices and sensors, learn ability, user satisfaction etc. The Augmented Reality(AR) design is a latest one. This design is oriented from the Virtual Reality(VR) design. These design are implemented to reduce the cognitive overhead. ( Andreas D? nser, Raphael Grasset, Hartmut Seichter, Mark Billinghurst pp1-5) There are many principles which are being undertaken like affordance, user satisfaction, low physical effort, learn ability, flexibility etc. There might be a switching from 2D to 3D visualization. The HCI may be designed by touch-screen application. The models which are being designed must correlate according to the needs, task, goals of the user. The 2D screen desktop may be given a new look by 3D view. The HCI may be developed such that they might be connected to mobile and when a e-mail, message etc. come then the user interface attach directly connect with the processor and the communication system and will inform the user directly. One technique may be used by using sensors. When the user wants to switch on the computer or want to give any instruction. Then the sensor which are employed just start their working and obey the order of user. The HCI must respond to the user’s instruction quickly. The problem of slow response must be eliminated in order to make new interface more efficient. The error must be eliminated or must be decreased to a zero level. The interface must have the tracking stability. The user-centered design must be improved to AR designs. The user intervention must be taken into account. 6) Developing descriptive and predictive models and theories of interaction: The models which are to be developed must be based on the many key factors like virtual and augmented reality, tangible user interface, affective computing, sensing interface eye moved based interface , perceptual interface etc. The models are used to design and evaluate the interface technique The graphical user interfaces(GUI) are used today mainly. These interfaces will be modeled according to the needs of the user. The new models will used the basic qualities of the WIMP interface as well as they will work on new innovative techniques like using sensors, 3D environment. The HCI environment must be created such that the communication process must be strong. The metaphoric systems are related to the descriptive models and the those which are related to mathematical systems, are towards the predictive models. The predictive models analyze the interface technique with any time-consumption. The descriptive model are different than the predictive models but are used as well like the predictive model. These models does not give the quantitative measure but just provide a scenario to think about the situation of the problem or to describe the problem. These models are used for keyboard interfacing, mouse interfacing etc. ( I. Scott MacKenzie, pp. 27-54 ) The models which are based on these models are also modified according to the new theories presented like the use of new methods like digital libraries. 7) Conclusion: The human computer interaction is very beneficial today as well as few decades ago when WIMP interfaces were in use. With the advent of new technologies and theories, the new HCI environments has been created and the development in the field of the HCI is going on like 2D to 3D environment on desktop. These all development are due development of new software and techniques which are being used. The latest research strategies like Ethnography is also beneficial for the HCI development. The web application are being developed with the use of new methods. Thus the HCI environment has been developed a lot. References: 1) Human Computer Interaction, Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. (Online), 4th April, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-computer_interaction

Pursuit of Happyness and the Glass Castle Essay

Both discussing struggles in life, these two memoirs, Pursuit of Happyness and the Glass Castle showcased the way to embrace life with absolutely no fear. They both provided ideals and showed that nothing is impossible with the use of right and appropriate attitude towards the quest for success. Both are true stories based on life of successful individuals in America. The Pursuit of happiness tackles the life of Chris Gardner, a salesman of bone scanner who turned to be a stock broker. This story can be considered as a modern day fairy tale set in a realistic world. This is no different compared to other success stories. The plot is basically structured to show the trend of rugs to riches. But what separated this story from others is the series of unfortunate circumstances and continuous lack of options. At the end, the choice made has always been to proceed with the chosen track with courage. On the other hand, The Glass castle discussed the story of horrendous childhood of Jeanette Walls, who later became a journalist. The book shows two polarity of human experience along the story of her family: first, the given life which they do not control; and second, the track of life they had chosen and fought for. The given life pertains to Jeanette’s childhood where she experienced bad situations with her family while they keep on transferring to different locations. Frequently, these complex canonic novels are bound with the stories with the relationships they had with the family. The struggles are either quest to free them from poverty and consequently lift their loved ones’ lives as well or the quest for dreams that they are meant to achieve. The family as an element of the story will provide the touch of power or inspiration for the main character to achieve. Taking a look at these two books, apparently, they both have this story element. The family of Chris Gardner is neither complex nor at ease. It is the typical â€Å"husband- wife- one child† New York family. Economically wise, the family is financially challenged due to the instability with their income. The couple is both working at day making them decide to send their son to a day care center. The problems they are encountering sometimes leads to arguments between Chris and his wife. At one of the heated arguments, his wife decided to leave him. This departure is the touch of the story for either the biggest downfall of the main character or the touch of breaking point for his upcoming success. The only one left for Gardner is his son, and as mentioned above, the child served as the sole source of his inspiration. From that point, he experienced the worst parts of his life as told in the narration. He became homeless- he carries all his and his son’s clothes along way and facing the fact that they are alone and can only rely with each other. Their schedule and budget became so tight that only a little mistake will make their situation drastically worse. In one instance, when they missed a bus ride, they also missed the stay in the place for homeless where they are regularly staying. While the Pursuit of Happyness has a little bracket of time setting used in its storytelling, the Glass Castle started from the childhood of the character. It showed the picture of the family, where Jeanette is involved, as not much functioning. Her father is alcoholic and her mother shows poor in handling the family and plays to be so childish. One thing cannot be denied though. These parents love their kids so much. Jeanette, as the narrator and the second oldest child in the family shows his solid belief with her parent’s desires not to send them to any form of harm and secure them with all their needs as long as they could. She believes that his father, Rex, is worthy of respect. She never lose the optimistic perception that if her father is not drunk, it will reveal his true side that he is caring for the children and just turned to alcohol out of despair from embarrassment and disappointment. The kids had hard time when they are crossing the countries to find a new place to stay. They are like nomads popping up in several different places and added to that are the behavior of their parents who are mildly psychologically ill. Their mother, Rose Mary is an artist at heart and was known to be childish at some point. There is a scene when she was caught hiding candies which make her gain weight. She went mad like a child when her kids learned about it. What made this mad is the fact that during those days, her children are in fact experiencing starvation and she still chose to hide food from them. Looking at these characters, it is obvious that the roles they have for the story as a whole are crucial in shaping the latter status of the main character. The characters are element of the story that provides the touch of human experiences. It is important to notice that every character in a story doesn’t just serve differently when it comes to their role but they also vary with the way they are presented according to the power they are contributing with the plot and the storyline. Perhaps, this is measured with the way and with the degree of their impact on the story and other characters. Emphasis on the characters can be leading for there are characters that are more exposed throughout the tale but have less significance with the essence of the story. Comparing these two memoirs, there can be assumptions that the set of characters in the Glass Castle shows strength more vivid than the set of characters in Pursuit of Happyness. The characters of Pursuit of happiness are dynamic humans but the picture of supporting characters of the Glass Castle shows a wider range of human tendencies. It doesn’t necessarily mean though that the characters of the latter are worth being followed than the characters of the former. Analyzing the two main characters, Chris Gardner and Jeanette Walls, there is one common characteristic between them- optimism. They are similar to Helen Keller, who prefers to see good things but not necessarily ignore those bad things. What they are doing is to move straight towards the path they have chosen despite those bad things. If we are to put that mindset into metaphor, it is about treating the obstacles and negativity as cheerleaders that are necessary to boost their hype of desire towards success. It is common that there are psychological pressures to ensure that the family’s security is sustained and assured. And with these two main characters, indifference had been the key. This serves the fact that whoever you were doesn’t define who you are going to be instead whoever you were doesn’t matter in the future (Murray & Fortinberry: 14-17). Chris Gardner is a composed man who has subtle knowledge about boundaries – boundaries that he has and boundaries that other people has. To prove this, along the argument he has with his wife, there was a neighbor who is trying to clean a rug and the dusts are all in the air. Being disturbed, Chris confront that guy and tell him to stop it for there are people trying to talk. This certain part of the story shows how Chris knows what he deserves in life although this given example is so subtle since it only talks about dusts and a rug. Later, his neighbor counter argues and continued cleaning. Chris was silenced but what shows here is not defeat but the strength of the character as someone who has a solid knowledge about his limitation as a neighbor, as an individual. Jeanette Walls, on the other hand, was remarkable because more than just her intelligence, she also has guts to get out from poverty without blaming others such as her parents. Her family supplied the role of somehow similar to a typical antagonist in a novel. But this is not how it was perceived in this memoir. The parents, throughout the novel, showed the picture of being irresponsible. The family is in the poverty line. These are both valid reasons for a child to hate the situations where they are involved. Surprisingly, Jeanette is not that kind of child or to be exact, she is the complete opposite of that. Unconditional love has been a subject for romantic fictions but seldom that it was used in the context of a family. The way it was shown is remarkably skilled. Jeanette, indeed, grew up as a learning machine that gains knowledge and used them to endure all the obstacles she is facing in her life. Like what was mentioned, the supporting character of the Glass Castle has added an unusual texture on the story. This happened because the characters were introduced with diversified tendencies. Rose Mary was inclined to art and is a brilliant woman. Later, it was revealed that due to some issues with her husband, she started to act childish. This shift with the mother will only contribute to the failure of their family. One significant key point in both stories is the concept of fatherhood. Fatherhood is a common subject for art pieces not just for literature. Patriarchy is a social phenomenon that needs to be handled with enough care for this is more than just an issue of individuality or masculinity but more on its social context. There are two dimension of fatherhood: First, the role as a father to children and second, the role as the husband. Contract theories had been applied in the field of social sciences to analyze each role further. Moreover, it has its political and social considerations mostly. In relation to paternal politics, in reference to the works of Robert Goodin and Philipp Pettit, in the separate story of Gardner and Walls, the dimension that was mostly tackled is the paternal role of fatherhood. The main difference is the direction of the issue in relation to the social environment. There are no issues between Chris and his son. The issues in the story are just directed on them from the outside social environment. Poverty is one situation which is characterized by being homeless, jobless and frequent starvation. This fatherhood example is a showcase of paternal situation that was determined by the outside factors. The direction of the issue is different in the case of Walls. Jeanette has issue with her father, whether she is indifferent of it or not. What remained clear is that the dynamics of the role of her father was ruined by depressions. It consequently ruined the social environment which is the family. This issue was even amplified when the father turned into alcohol as a defense mechanism for all their mishaps. This patriarchal politics had been one of the central ideas of both memoirs and is crucial in understanding the thought of them. Chris Gardner is a hero for his son, Christopher. This is a strong indicator of his paternal polarity. The track that Chris took is solely devoted for them. This shows that whatever is going to happen to anyone of them, the effect will be on both of them. This tie between the two is exquisitely shown in the book without any usage of sentimentality and without using too much romanticism. In the case of Jeanette Walls, the idea of paternal hero is also significant. Her wish to have a hero father is not repressed. For her, it is the reality that she is seeing. His father is more than just a drunkard but a loving individual to her and the rest of her family. In this perception, apparently, the idea of hero father is more realistic in the story of Pursuit of Happyness. There remained an interesting idea that what Walls is conceiving or perceiving is a better or even absolute symbol of a more perfect fatherhood. Both stories are carefully written which secured the hook it can make to those who are after self-improvement. After all, these are just memoirs which are supposed to provide the stories that are personally addressed. But in the history of this form of literature, we can’t ignore the fact that people are meant to be inspired by them and consequently change their selves. Works Cited Gardner, Chris and Troupe Quincy. the Pursuit of Happyness. MI: Amistad. (2006). Walls, Jeanette. The Glass Castle: A Memoir. NY: Scribner (2005) Murray, Bob and Fortinberry, Alicia . Creating optimism. USA: Mc Graw Hill (2004) Goodin,Robert and Petit,Philip. Contemporary political philosophy. MA: Wiley Blackwell (1997) University of Oklahoma. World Literature Today. OK: University of Oklahoma Press. (1999)

Assignment One Essay Example for Free

Assignment One Essay 1.) What are some of the hardships faced by indentured servants in Virginia during the early days of the colony? a. Some of the hardships faced by indentured servants was disease such as â€Å"scurvy, bloody flux, and diverse other diseases.† Also, they have not much of a variety of food to eat, they eat â€Å"peas and loblollies†, and so they will do anything to be able to eat other variety of foods. The amount of food they get is shared between other men. Therefore their amount of food intake is not enough to make them full. They have clothes but they are old and dirty because they one of everything they wear. Since they do not have anything worth a penny, because if they do others steal it, they cannot have food other than peas. They cannot eat bread because it cost a penny and they don’t have a penny to buy anything. 2.) How does the physical location of Jamestown colony lead to many of the hardships described in this document? b. It seems they are close to possibly Indian attacks or people from other countries because he stated in the story â€Å"but yet we are 32 to fight 3000 if they should come.† He hasn’t seen any deer or venison since he arrived in Jamestown; therefore the meat source is not a great source for food reliability. It takes them a few days to retrieve cargo from the ships. They start to the shore and sleep the first night they get there, then unload the next day and start back to their home with the cargo. 3.) How have conditions at Jamestown affected the writer of this letter? c. He thinks negative about everything. He has nothing in Jamestown to call his own or â€Å"nothing to comfort him.† He expects the worse because people are dying by the hour. Not having much to eat, he doesn’t think he will survive much longer unless his he dies before he receives the package. He believes in God and that he can keep him alive if he drinks water, he heard. He tells his dad to have mercy and pity on him, that life in England was better because he had more food that filled him. He thanks his parents for providing all that they did while he lived in England. He loves his dad and doesn’t want his dad to forget him. Assignment One. (2017, Feb 13).

Gender Women's studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Gender Women's studies - Essay Example An issues touching on courtship usually reminds us of the relationship leading to marriage without paying attention to issues, which might terminate it before the goal is realized. Notably, courtship is a complex cultural ritual that has been shaped by modernization (Janrt 187). In fact, many things have changed and the people’s way of life has had dramatic shifts. Traditionally, both men and women did not have a choice of their partner as this was an issue left for the parents, thus part of the societal ritual (Clark, Poulin and Kohler 397). The process of courtship was done by the parents without involving the man and woman to get married. In Ethiopia, Men who had reached maturity would ask their parents to arrange for their marriage, because it was the role of the parents to pay the dowry (Fafchamps and Quisumbing 348). The parents then arranged for the marriage, depending on their choice for his/her son or, daughter. Indeed, it was a complex ritual where dowry was paid after the bride had been identified, prior to the actual marriage (Fafchamps and Quisumbing 348). Additionally, the parents were to make all the necessary inquiries to make sure that their child would marry, or get married to families with impeccable background (Fafchamps and Quisumbing 355)). Precisely, this was the only sure way of sustainability of the marriage and a better life. In some communities, even girls ware to be imposed on older men due to parental arrangements, which they could not resist. However, with increase in education, urbanization and HIV/AIDS epidemics, this has changed and relationships are nowadays by choice (Clark, Poulin and Kohler 398). As part of the engagement process for marriage, courtship has recently shifted attention from organized marriage to a situation where the adult person selects a spouse for him/herself (Clark, Poulin and Kohler 398). In Malawi, for example, the increase in cases of HIV/AIDS has changed the situation since the

Persuasive paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Persuasive - Research Paper Example By criticizing tobacco politics and highlighting financial burden, health hazards, and its prevalence, paper tries to persuade the readers about the danger of secondhand smoke and necessity of adopting effective laws and policies to protect people from secondhand smoke. On 18 June, 2002, Lynn French, a non-smoking flight attendant who worked for TWA airlines from 1977 to 1998 when smoking was still permitted in commercial flights, was awarded astonishing compensation of 5.5 million US dollars by the Miami Jury in a historic verdict against some of the leading cigarette manufacturing companies such as, Philip Morris, Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, Brown & Williamson Tobacco unit, and British American Tobacco (A WSJ News Roundup, 2002). The case against tobacco companies was filed under the accusation that Lynn French’s nonstop work in smoky, enclosed cabins of airlines caused significant negative impact on her health, including sinus problem. Lynn suffered from serious sinus infection due to the constant exposure to secondhand smoke, requiring long-term medical treatments (A WSJ News Roundup, 2002). The Lynn’s case is just another example of numerous victims of secondhand smoke all over the world, however, majority of them are not as lucky as Lynn in getting the justice. Today, the number of active smokers is rapidly increasing in the world. Consequently, at the same time, a large number of non-smoking populations, including children, has been exposed to secondhand smoke. Various researches and scientific studies have regularly highlighted serious negative effects of secondhand smoke on the physical and psychological health, yet the issue of secondhand smoking is widely neglected. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize on the severe negative effects of secondhand smoking and necessity of implementing effective measures against it. Before revealing health hazards of

A Supermarket Marketing Strategy for Expanding its Store Essay

A Supermarket Marketing Strategy for Expanding its Store - Essay Example This essay covers fully developed marketing plan for a small wine company Castlegate Wines Ltd. In every organisation, there are some key marketing management decisions which play a pivotal role in determining the performance of an organisation. These include the product, price, distribution and management. In every day operations of an organisation, the total number of sales it makes plays a very important role in determining the overall performance. The main target in every organisation is to sell all what it produces in the shortest period possible. However, it requires an organisation to invest in and be able to come up with best marketing strategies which would help in maximizing sales. In the current business world, the market has become extremely competitive due to entrant of many players in the market. In the wine industry, the level of competition has increased significantly over the past. In order for any organisation to be successful in the market, they need to have a good marketing strategy on top of their retail wine stores. This will help an organisation to reach as many customers as possible hence maximizing its sales. Marketing plan in this essay is divided by such parts as: background and arguments, public relations, advantages of selling through supermarkets, impact and effectiveness of a supermarket strategy for expanding, effects of the strategy to Castlegate Wines Ltd, other necessary marketing measures, difficulties, opposition & barriers and recommendations.

Moral Attitudes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Moral Attitudes - Essay Example It is the customs, religion, family believes which makes a human mind clear and earn the moral values of every thing and leads a life of good morality. If we talk about morality the first thought strikes our mind is about the bad deed like sex, drinking, stealing are not counted in good moral values however on the same end the drinking and sex is done but ethically they are not consider as a good deed doing in excess or in open places. Now this may clear the difference of morality and ethics. Morality is the reckoning of pure mind and heart to groom up the personality or the character of one but the ethics are the certainty to perform any action with respect to the laws and customs of the society one is living in. And to any of the society ethics it is unethical to impose your personal moral values on another, a quote by Jim Lichtman in his book "What Do You Stand For" In the book "Ethics: Theory and Practice", his writer Jacques P. Thiroux specifies different theories of morality like absolutism vs. relativism, freedom vs. determinism, and reward and punishment in different chapters. Absolutism is a philosophical laid value of morals that are counted as independent ruling the laws of the community universally. The reality that shows the human knowledge which is said that human is morally good because the inborn qualities were erected from the society he is born in. However this is totally erroneous according to the theory of relativism. Relativism defines that all the moral impact on the character and personality of the mankind is not due to his inborn knowledge but due to what the person is relating to. Though the relativism clearly denies the absolutism morality as psychologically it may seem so that the moral values ruling the character is in born but practically and through studies it changes with the time and situations or in simple words wi th the experiences gained in life. However, if personally speaking with the truth it is being seen that absolutism is not universal in spite relativism is. Reality is that sex is not morally good but at the same time in some other place sex is counted to be the best thing in life. Ethically doing sex in front of audience is not counted to be a good scene part but in some parts of the world parents themselves give training to their kids how to o it more properly and more enthusiastically. Same may be about the stealing and drinking. For every thing there are some rules and regulations which are to be abide, and those rules may are the ethics of that group but they can't become the absolute moral of any character always. It's a very common example that a person living in a very well known and high standard society where manner and adequate are its peak. Doing things like sex, drinking etc. in audience are counted to be unethical and immoral according to the beliefs of the people around him and even for himself as well. But at a time when his wife is no more in his life, his daughter left him due to a bad boy and run to marry him and his one and only son don't regards him and he further more lost his business, so this down fall in his life does not allow him to see another way then to take out his frustration after drinking much and much that goes out of limits. Now this wasn't something the absolute morality has to do with it but the relativism morality gets in his

DISCUSSION AND REPLY TO A DISCUSSION( 4th year Nursing course) Essay - 1

DISCUSSION AND REPLY TO A DISCUSSION( 4th year Nursing course) - Essay Example The article also attempts to determine the extent to which formal FPDR policies exist in hospitals, and the level of awareness among the nurses there. Thus, the article has a great utility to the practicing nurses as it explicates salient issues about the practice of FPDR identified by nurses who responded to the qualitative portion of the survey. The conclusions of the study have great implications for the practice of nurses who experience family presence during resuscitation. "The practice of FPDR impacts both family members and members of the resuscitation team. Nurses weigh these impacts when considering whether or not to bring family members to the bedside." (McClement, Fallis, and Pereira, 2009). According to the findings of the study, the majority of critical care nurses support FPDR which suggests that the formal policies in hospitals to facilitate this process. Therefore, the article provides illumining insights into the nurse's perspective in regards to the presence of fami ly members during resuscitation and it also deals with benefits and risks of FPDR for family members and health care professionals.

Managerial Economics Week 12 Individual Work Assignment

Managerial Economics Week 12 Individual Work - Assignment Example Incorporating secondary and intangible benefits and costs is an important analytical tool that can help project managers to account for the value added that arises from outside the project. The employment assumption in Detroit area regarding the benefits of the project is that the project will create more job opportunities for people. There is a positive relationship between employment rates in the region and the redevelopment project. There will increased income for resident of the area due to the project Without incorporating benefits in calculating the Benefit-cost ratio, the BCR equals discounted incremental costs. The project would be very costly to implement hence would not be desirable to conduct. The assumption is that the facility will lead to increased revenues from hotels and other conventional facilities. The assumption is realistic since the hotels would accommodate customers. Good customer services and accommodation are some of the core areas of the hotel facility that will generate revenues in addition to creating employment opportunities for people. Hotels generate Revenue from room rentals, food and beverage sales. Improving customer services, adding new revenue source and branding the hotel are some of the strategies that allow hotels to generate high levels of revenues (Rosehill, 2014). The desirability of the project slightly decreases even though the BCR value is less than 1. Reducing benefits from hotel facilities and excluding employment benefits makes the project less desirable for

Philosophy of Space and Time Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Space and Time Essay At the end of the nineteenth century, physicists were looking back at an era of progress unrivaled in known history. Classical, or Newtonian, physics explained the motion of objects in space and on earth, Kepler’s laws accurately predicted planetary motion, and Maxwell’s electromagnetic unified electricity and magnetism theory and predicted, correctly, that electromagnetic waves behaved exactly like light; paving the way for the recognition that light itself was an electromagnetic wave. It appeared that the world was explained. It was not to be. Two revolutionary theories were introduced that changed forever the way in which scientists and lay people alike view the universe. These were the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics (Giancoli 730) . Physicists at the turn of the century assumed that any wave must travel through some medium. This assumption required there to be some transparent substance in space that would allow light to propagate through it, much like a ripple on the water. They knew that this could not be air, since light traveled from stars to the earth through the emptiness of space. Another medium had to be responsible. This medium was named the Ether and it was thought to exist in all space. They understood that the ether had a zero density, since it was very difficult to detect (Giancoli 731). Two physicists in the 1880’s, Michelson and Morley, designed a clever experiment that they thought would determine the speed of the Earth in orbit around the sun. They anticipated being able to measure the speed of light in different orientations. They anticipated that the speed would vary with the orientation of the light wave to the ether. What they discovered was that the speed was constant. They believed there experiment was a failure. What their experiment showed, although they did not accept it, was that the ether did not exist. In 1905 Albert Einstein proposed a theory that reconciled this and other issues. This theory would change how scientists and lay people viewed space, time, mass, and energy (Giancoli 730). Einstein’s equation relating mass and energy, E = MC2, is easily recognizable. It brings together matter and energy as different forms of the same substance. This would imply that mass could be converted directly to energy, and vice versa. This radical departure from classical physics had several implications, both for scientists and for our culture. For scientists, the theory of relativity established the ultimate speed limit. The speed of light in a vacuum, c, is as fast as anything can go (Giancoli 748). Culturally, the discovery of relativity and quantum physics made possible such things as nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and medical imagery such as MRI Scans, CAT Scans, and PET scans. The advent of nuclear weapons changed our society. Nuclear attacks were a common theme in Hollywood films. Citizens built there own bomb shelters, argued the pros and cons of the nuclear power industry, and have enjoyed the advances in medicine. Indeed, our society now takes for granted these advances, and assumes that there will be a continued rapid advance as our knowledge base improves. Cosmology, or the study of the universe, has benefited from the theory of relativity. Many phenomenons, such as black holes, are only describable in terms of relativity and quantum physics. The advent of space telescopes, radio telescopes, and optical telescopes that detect emissions outside of the visible spectrum have shown the world the images of a universe unlike the one that was believed to exist just a hundred years ago (Giancoli 914-942). The search for extra-terrestrial life was instigated with the federal governments backing. The private citizens embraced this search, of 3 so much so that when the government quit funding SETI, individual citizens continued to support it. The discovery of relativity, quantum physics, and the new nature of cosmology has changed not only the scientific community but society as a whole. SETI, CAT scans, an Einstein’s name are household terms. The changes in perception of the world around us really cannot be overstated.

Ethical Arguments on Surrogacy

Ethical Arguments on Surrogacy Leticia Villalba Surrogacy – A Great Option to Infertility In today’s society, women that are unable to become pregnant naturally due to infertility are resorting to surrogacy to have their children. With surrogacy being a complex process, it involves many different moral, ethical, and legal issues that are challenging the acceptance of this assisted reproductive treatment by society. However, surrogacy should only be viewed by society as a great option to infertility based on sound moral, ethical, and legal arguments. In effect, this view will help eliminate adverse criticism against the ones resorting to this reproductive alternative to create a family and also against the child later in life. Legislators should pass laws to help and protect the rights of surrogate mothers, intended parents and children. In order to fully understand the ethical, moral, and legal arguments surrounding surrogacy it is important to understand what surrogacy is. According to the Online Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of surrogacy is â€Å"the practice of serving as a surrogate mother† (Surrogacy) and to surrogate means â€Å"to put in the place of another† (Surrogate). These two definitions put together allow surrogacy to be better defined as a process whereby a woman bears and gives birth to a child that she will not raise but will give to the intended infertile couple. There are two types of surrogacy, traditional and gestational. In both types of surrogacy, the surrogate mother can either be a close friend, a family member, or from a surrogacy agency and the assisted reproductive technology (ART) method is used to assist with the surrogacy processes. With the traditional surrogacy process, the surrogate mother becomes pregnant by being artificially inseminated with the sperm of the intended father. As the sperm is inserted into her uterus, via a simple medical procedure, when her mature egg is released by the ovary she can conceive and later give birth to a child (ACOG Committee on Ethics). Traditional surrogacy was the only process available due to technological limitations when surrogacy was first introduced. But as technology has advanced in the reproductive field allowing fertilization to happen outside the womb, infertile couples are choosing gestational surrogacy over traditional. Legal issues are greater with traditional surrogacy as the surrogate mother and the baby has a genetic link. Mark Hansen, a senior writer for the journal at the American Bar Association (a professional organization composed of lawyers and law students committed to support the legal profession while improving the administration of justice) adds tha t many lawyers hesitate when thy have to work with traditional surrogacy and some won’t even consider such an arrangement (Hansen 56). Hansen is simply reiterating the fact that legal problems are more prone to happen with traditional surrogacy due to the biological connection the baby has with the surrogate mother. Gestational surrogacy (also referred to as commercial surrogacy) is a process in which the intended parents undergo an in-vitro fertilization and an embryo transfer treatment (Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 1838). The intended mother is prescribed medication to start development of multiple egg follicles. Once these follicles reach maturity, mature eggs are retrieved from the intended mother’s ovaries procedurally to be later fertilized with the intended father’s sperm. When fertilization in-vitro (in an artificial environment) occurs, the embryo is then transferred to the gestational surrogate’s uterus (Ziskin). The gestational surrogate (also known as gestational carrier) will then carry the couples’ biological child until birth. This is a much more complex and expensive process, but it is mostly preferred by prospective parents due to the lack of genetic bond between baby and surrogate and the increased legal benefits . Provided this information, substantial issues for and against these surrogacy procedures have arisen. Many religious institutions, feminists, ethicists, and traditionalists oppose surrogacy on moral and ethical grounds. They justify this by stating that surrogacy is just another way to do business and profit off of women and infants becoming commodities to be bought and sold, a way of commercializing humans. But in the article â€Å"Consideration of The Gestational Carrier: A Committee Opinion† the ethics committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) argues that: Payment to the gestational carriers should take into account 9 months of possible illness, risks to employment, burden on other family members, and the like, but should not, however, create undue inducement or risks of exploitation or incentivize gestational carriers to lie about their own health conditions or family history. [Therefore] compensation for gestational carriers†¦ is ethical (Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 1839). The ASRM’s ethics committee is emphasizing in their argument that commoditization of humans doesn’t happen as payments made to the gestational carriers are a mere compensation for all the hardship they might encounter during the process. Beside the opponents’ beliefs, infertile women, infertile couples, and liberalists who represent the majority of advocates for surrogate motherhood assert that surrogacy is a way to help childless couples have their biologically related children even though they would have to pay high costs for this fertility treatment. They feel that the payment required does not relate to the child’s worthiness but relates to the medical expenses incurred, as well as the emotional and physical burdens the surrogate mother experiences throughout the pregnancy. Moreover, some feminists compare surrogacy with prostitution, alleging that women are selling their bodies and their ability to procreate for money. However, Judith Sperling-Newton, the director of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys argues that â€Å"the vast majority of women who choose to serve as surrogates are intelligent, well-educated and financially secure; they are caring individuals who want to help others in a unique and meaningful way† (Sperling-Newton). Respectively, women that agree to carry someone else’s baby are able to give to the childless couple the greatest gift of all, a child. Furthermore, the committee on ethics at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists emphasize that â€Å"in the United States, the freedom to decide whether and when to conceive or bear a child is highly valued and protected† (ACOG Committee on Ethics 466). Therefore, the choice made by the intended parents on how they can have a child should be respected, as wells as the decision of the surrogate mothers to help barren couples. In addition to the moral and ethical issues there are also some legal issues. Helene S. Shapo, a professor of Law and the director of Legal Writing at the Northwestern University School of Law, writes that the lack of national legislation in the United States to regulate the practice of surrogacy has helped several states recognize surrogacy contracts, although current state legislations nullify them (Shapo 474). These contracts between the surrogate mothers and the intended parents are only for the purpose of establishing parental rights, payment terms, and specific conditions since they still are not enforceable by law. Rosemarie Tong, a distinguished professor of Health Care Ethics at the University of Carolina as well as a consultant to the National Advisory Board on Ethics and Reproduction, says that the â€Å"U.S. public will†¦ press federal and state authorities to pass clear legislation governing surrogacy† (Tong), to make sure the rights of couples, surrogates and the child are not abused or manipulated. As a matter of fact, advocates to surrogacy and opponents both agree that laws should be created in regards to surrogacy. However, some opponents want legislation to ban the existence of surrogacy altogether. They believe that human commoditization in the U.S. will be drastically reduced if surrogacy is banned (Tong). But Sudesh Kumar, an economist, a regulatory affairs consultant, and the author of â€Å"Surrogacy Can Be an Ethical Solution to Infertility†, argues that: In economics, a commodity is a unit that can substitute for another at all points, so each unit has no special intrinsic value. Thus, one cannot argue that the baby has become a commodity in surrogacy, as the baby is unique (Kumar). What Sudesh says simply explains that as the baby is the end product of the surrogacy process, that surrogacy should not viewed as human commoditization. Consequently, society should consider Sudesh’s analysis as it would help eliminate criticism against all the parties involved in this process. Not only the adults can suffer psychologically but also the child later in life if they don’t have any social support. In summary, traditional and gestational surrogacy are assisted reproductive treatments that can help infertile couples achieve their ultimate dream, which is to have children. But along the way, these couples may find themselves in big predicaments due to the complexity of moral, ethical, and legal dilemmas that were raised. These different aspects are now dividing society, however the pros can considerable overcome the cons of surrogacy. Like said by Mark Hansen, the author of â€Å"†¦ Baby Makes Litigation†, â€Å"Surrogacy†¦ can be a minefield. [But] done carefully and correctly, it is a wonderful thing† (qtd. In Hansen 55). Therefore, surrogacy is a great option to infertility. It helps barren couples experience the joys of parenthood regardless of the surrogacy process chosen. Legislators, advocates and opponents of surrogacy, must work together towards a greater compromise to aid the creation of legislations and thus minimize hardships to all parties inv olved. Works Cited ACOG Committee on Ethics. Surrogate Motherhood. ACOG Committe Opinion Number 397 (2008): 465-70. Web. 4 January 2014. Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Consideration of the gestational carrier: a committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility June 2013: 1838-41. Print. Hansen, Mark. and Baby makes Litigation. ABA Journal (2011): 53-57. Print. Kumar, Sudesh. Surrogacy Can Be an Ethical Solution to Infertility. 13 May 2013. Oposing Viewpoints in Context. Ed. Medical Ethics. Grenhaven Press. Web. 6 January 2014. Shapo, Helene S. Assisted Reproduction and the Law: Disharmony on a Divisive Social Issue. Northwestern University Law Review (2006): 465-79. Print. Sperling-Newton, Judith. Surrogacy Should Be Regulated, Not Banned. 29 May 2013. Web. 6 January 2014. Surrogacy. Merriam-Webster.com (n.d.). Web. 6 January 2014. Surrogate. Merriam-Webster.com (n.d.). Web. 6 January 2014. Tong, Rosemarie. Surrogate Parenting. Ed. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. n.d. Web. 6 January 2014. Ziskin, Dan. Arizona Center For Fertility Studies. n.d. Web. 6 January 2014.

Theories of Visual and Auditory Attention Essay example -- Neurology

It is essential that humans focus on specific objects as they would not be able to perform one action at a time, and humans see their world in objects. Another purpose of attention is so that actions can be directed and controlled (Allport, 1987 cited in Naish 2010). It is important to research this in order to optimise health and safety and performance in occupational fields and make further discoveries in clinical neuropsychology. Some debates rage around how we attend to objects through our auditory and visual processes. Early selection theorists argue that all extraneous information is filtered out at an early stage and is ignored completely. The brain has limited capacity to deal with all the stimuli surrounding the object. From this Broadbent (1958 cited in Naish 2010) devised his influential Filter Theory, an early selection theory in auditory research. Treisman (1980 cited in Naish 2010) was an attenuation theorist and her Feature Integration Theory was also extremely i nfluential, arguing some extraneous material is attended to before filtering. This essay will explore both theories and their contribution to our understanding of perception. It will make comparisons between the theories and the two senses. It will conclude that the research has made major contributions, but none has provided sufficient evidence to fully address the issues. Whether superfluous information is attended to or not, might depend on volume. Whilst some auditory researchers were interested in the Cocktail Party effect (how we focus on one conversation over others at a noisy party), Broadbent’s main interest was research for the UK Military. A notable project for him was considering how fighter pilots could pick out relevant radio mess... ...tudies in neuroscience could make a contribution to the debate by revealing the serial and/or parallel processing of the brain in detecting brain pathways and oscillations (Schyns 2011). More natural studies could be considered using brain imaging during normal day to day lives to increase ecological validity, across modalities. Works Cited Driver, J. (2001) ‘A selective review of selective attention research from the past century’ British Journal of Psychology 92, pp53-78 Naish, P. (2010) ‘Attention’. In Kaye (Ed) Cognitive Psychology (2nd edition): The Open University: Padstow. Pp29-59 Schyns PG, Thut G, Gross J (2011) ‘Cracking the Code of Oscillatory Activity’. PLoS Biol 9(5): e1001064. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001064 Shinn-Cunningham, B. G. (2008) ‘Object-based auditory and visual attention, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol.12, no.5, pp.182–6.

Destruction of the American Dream Essay examples -- Knowledge Dreams S

Destruction of the American Dream I’ve talked about it in the past, the destruction of the American Dream. Always, there have been papers, writings, and thoughts that quantify a particular section of its ultimate demise, be it due to money, education, or sexuality. Maybe the destruction cannot be viewed as a singular event or cause. Perhaps instead it must be examined as a whole process, the decay and ultimate elimination of a dream. Self destruction, if you will†¦ Mr. Self Destruct In all of us, there is a duality of existence which allows for the American Dream to be within our minds. Part of the mind believes in the dream, is swallowed up by its fantasy and perfection, while the other part is the screaming voice of reality that tries to expose it for the lie that it is. Most of the time, such a voice as the second is pushed away, hidden, and ignored, but it is always there, sitting in the back of the mind, driving its owner mad. Our lies cover so many spectrums and so many facets of life, focusing around the pleasures that keep the dream real in our minds. The pleasure turns to control us, because without it we would see the reality of our twisted world. It takes us where we want to go, and gives us what we want to know. A machine that feeds on desire, sex, drugs, money, and so many other things, and that produces a fake sort of happiness so efficiently that it not only hides its own existence, but makes us want for it to be there and fight to protect it. Ignorance is bliss, and knowledge is destruction. Piggy One of the primary fuels of the machine of illusions is materialism and money. They are the most easily projected images of success and power and as such, become th... ...oms of two broken states of mind. One of them would like to sit back and do nothing, while the other would like to end it all. What we need, is to develop a way of thought that excludes the other two. A way of honor that leads down a path less traveled, a path that leads to true happiness and true success. The way is hard, the path is long, and nothing is ever easy, but perseverance will bring about a life that is true. With hope, go forward into the world and make the best of yourself. Don’t allow the world to tell you how to do it. Find the way for yourself. Works Cited Anyon, Jean. â€Å"From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work† in Rereading America, Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds. Gatto, John Taylor. â€Å"The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher† in Rereading America, Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds.

Guilt in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays

Guilt in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a large burden of guilt carried by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. Let's look at this situation closely in the following essay.    Fanny Kemble in "Lady Macbeth" asserts that Lady Macbeth was unconscious of her guilt, which nevertheless killed her:    A very able article, published some years ago in the National Review, on the character of Lady Macbeth, insists much upon an opinion that she died of remorse, as some palliation of her crimes, and mitigation of our detestation of them. That she died of wickedness would be, I think, a juster verdict. Remorse is consciousness of guilt . . . and that I think Lady Macbeth never had; though the unrecognized pressure of her great guilt killed her. (116-17)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the guilt and ambition of Lady Macbeth and their effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, but not by nature, a perfectly savage creature. The very use of such a tender allusion in the midst of her dreadful language, persuades one unequivocally that she has really felt the maternal yearnings of a mother towards her babe, and that she considered this action the most enormous that ever required the strength of human nerves for its perpetration. Her language to Macbeth is the most potently eloquent that guilt could use.   (56)    Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare explain how guilt impacts Lady Macbeth:    Having sustained her weaker husband, her own strength gives way; and in sleep, when her will cannot control her thoughts, she is p... ...    Frye, Northrop. Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1967.    Kemble, Fanny. "Lady Macbeth." Macmillan's Magazine, 17 (February 1868), p. 354-61. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Siddons, Sarah. "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth." The Life of Mrs. Siddons. Thomas Campbell. London: Effingham Wilson, 1834. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.

Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide Essay

Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide There are arguments both for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide. Some of the main arguments are outlined below. You should be aware that these arguments do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of NHS Choices or the Department of Health. Arguments for euthanasia and assisted suicide There are two main types of argument used to support the practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide. They are the: ethical argument – that people should have freedom of choice, including the right to control their own body and life (as long as they do not abuse any other person’s rights), and that the state should not create laws that prevent people being able to choose when and how they die pragmatic argument – that euthanasia, particularly passive euthanasia, is already a widespread practice (allegedly), just not one that people are willing to admit to, so it is better to regulate euthanasia properly The pragmatic argument is discussed in more detail below. Pragmatic argument The pragmatic argument states that many of the practices used in end of life care are a type of euthanasia in all but name. For example, there is the practice of making a ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ (DNACPR) order, where a person requests not to receive treatment if their heart stops beating or they stop breathing. Critics have argued that DNACPR is a type of passive euthanasia because a person is denied treatment that could potentially save their life. Another controversial practice is known as palliative sedation. This is where a person who is experiencing extreme suffering, for which there is no effective treatment, is put to sleep using sedative medication. For example, palliative sedation is often used to treat burns victims who are expected to die. While palliative sedation is not directly carried out for the purpose of ending lives, many of the sedatives used carry a risk of shortening a person’s lifespan. Therefore, it could be argued that palliative sedation is a type of active euthanasia. The pragmatic argument is that if euthanasia in these forms is being carried out anyway, society might as well legalise it and ensure that it is properly regulated. It should be stressed that the above interpretations of DNACPR and palliative sedation are very controversial and are not accepted by most doctors, nurses and palliative care specialists. Read more about the alternatives to euthanasia for responses to these interpretations. Arguments against euthanasia and assisted suicide There are four main types of argument used by people who are against euthanasia and assisted suicide. They are known as the: religious argument – that these practices can never be justified for religious reasons, for example many people believe that only God has the right to end a human life ‘slippery slope’ argument – this is based on the concern that legalising euthanasia could lead to significant unintended changes in our healthcare system and society at large that we would later come to regret medical ethics argument – that asking doctors, nurses or any other healthcare professional to carry out euthanasia or assist in a suicide would be a violation of fundamental medical ethics alternative argument – that there is no reason for a person to suffer either mentally or physically because effective end of life treatments are available; therefore, euthanasia is not a valid treatment option but represents a failure on the part of the doctor involved in a person’s care These arguments are described in more detail below. Religious argument The most common religious argument is that human beings are the sacred creation of God, so human life is by extension sacred. Only God should choose when a human life ends, so committing an act of euthanasia or assisting in suicide is acting against the will of God and is sinful. This belief, or variations on it, is shared by members of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths. The issue is more complex in Hinduism and Buddhism. Scholars from both faiths have argued that euthanasia and assisted suicides are ethically acceptable acts in some circumstances, but these views do not have universal support among Hindus and Buddhists. ‘Slippery slope’ argument The slippery slope argument is based on the idea that once a healthcare service, and by extension the government, starts killing its own citizens, a line is crossed that should never have been crossed and a dangerous precedent has been set. The concern is that a society that allows voluntary euthanasia will gradually change its attitudes to include non-voluntary and then involuntary euthanasia. Also, legalised voluntary euthanasia could eventually lead to a wide range of unforeseen consequences, such as those described below. Very ill people who need constant care or people with severe disabilities may feel pressured to request euthanasia so that they are not a burden to their family. Legalising euthanasia may discourage research into palliative treatments, and possibly prevent cures for people with terminal illnesses being found. Occasionally, doctors may be mistaken about a person’s diagnosis and outlook, and the person may choose euthanasia due to being wrongly told that they have a terminal condition. Medical ethics argument The medical ethics argument, which is similar to the ‘slippery slope’ argument, states that legalising euthanasia would violate one of the most important medical ethics, which, in the words of the International Code of Medical Ethics, is: ‘A doctor must always bear in mind the obligation of preserving human life from conception’. Asking doctors to abandon their obligation to preserve human life could damage the doctor–patient relationship. Causing death on a regular basis could become a routine administrative task for doctors, leading to a lack of compassion when dealing with elderly, disabled or terminally ill people. In turn, people with complex health needs or severe disabilities could become distrustful of their doctor’s efforts and intentions. They may think that their doctor would rather ‘kill them off’ than take responsibility for a complex and demanding case. Alternative argument The alternative argument is that advances in palliative care and mental health treatment mean there is no reason why any person should ever feel that they are suffering intolerably, whether it is physical or mental suffering or both. According to this argument, if a person is given the right care, in the right environment, there should be no reason why they are unable to have a dignified and painless natural death. // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=†Ã¢â‚¬ ,o=0;o < e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return "studymoose.com"},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf("http")==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

Case Study Nivea

Case Study #8: NIVEA NIVEA, one of the largest skin and face care brands in the world, was established in 1912 and introduced to the German markets. Germany has long been a center for skin care and cosmetics, and NIVEA was the leader and has continued to be one of the most recognized products in the market. With its brand image based on its products being clean, fresh, and natural it has become a timeless product recognized by its blue tin and white type face.Its first introduced NIVEA Creme in 1912, and became the base of their brand and was known as the â€Å"caretaker† of skin. For most of the lifespan of NIVEA Creme it was essentially the sole competitor in the face cream market, and so the consumers were able to get to know the brand and develop a close relationship to the brand. It did not face competition until 1960 when another German company launched Creme 21. Although it was an identical product to NIVEA’s Creme, Creme 21 was backed by a large amount of advert ising aimed at the mass market.It is through this competition that NIVEA was forced to evaluate their business strategy and brand image. While they were happy that their brand image was recognized and understood by the market, they were shown how their brand had an â€Å"older† image and was not viewed as young, dynamic, and modern like the new competitors were. NIVEA’s decades of branding and assimilation into the everyday lives of its consumers had built the equity for them that allowed them to maintain the market advantage for as long as they have.It is this brand equity they had built over so many decades that had allowed them to adjust their branding strategy. Though sales of NIVEA Creme had become stagnant, the company developed a strategy which was twofold and allowed for stabilizing the market position of NIVEA and expands the strength of NIVEA Creme by transferring its brand equity to other product classes. NIVEA wanted to preserve their reputation for skin ca re and the market position for NIVEA Creme while it was also differentiating it from the competition.To do this they realized that while most ads showed NIVEA products being used, they had never directly specified the products benefits. By addressing these product benefits they are negating the competitor’s claims. The second portion of this plan was to introduce new products. They targeted new and growing market segments in which they could extend the NIVEA brand. They wanted to use these to compliment and broaden the meaning of the NIVEA brand name and use the equity already gained by NIVEA Creme.This theme is carried through the brand hierarchy as well. A set of seven different criteria was set to ensure that all products reflected the desired NIVEA brand image and were consistent with the philosophy of providing high quality skin care products. NIVEA Creme was considered the company’s most important product because it established the brand and its identity. Sub-bra nds have the advantage of advertising the mother brand, establishing brand loyalty across multiple segments, and monopolize the market from competitors.The problem with sub-brands is that they can have a negative impact or take away from the sales of the mother brand. â€Å"The role of the sub-brands was to continue to cater to specific skin care and personal care needs of their target market segments and contribute back their particular product class associations to reinforce and elaborate on the image of NIVEA as a skin care specialist. † With this direction NIVEA should operate under an umbrella ad for all of their products.An umbrella brand essentially covers diverse products which are more or less related to each other, and with NIVEA’s small advertising budget, this would be the best way to maximize their marketing efforts with different product categories all carrying the NIVEA brand name. The umbrella strategy also fits in with the NIVEA Creme advertising becau se with their values of timeless, ageless, motherhood and happy family; honesty and trustworthiness and the product benefits of mildness and quality they can transfer all of these core brand qualities through the NIVEA name to its sub-brands.The problem that NIVEA had was that all of their sub-brands were being handled as separate advertising plans, while they all were in line with the core values; they did nothing to incorporate each of their branding strategies together. By using the umbrella branding strategy they can bring all of their products under one name and make a more cohesive branding strategy that will benefit all of their sub-categories.One thing that I believe is holding the NIVEA brand back is that they are so focused on not losing touch with the original product of NIVEA Creme, when really they want to hold onto the core values which came with it. I believe they need to look at the market strategy and implement the core values that were derived from this original pr oduct but also look at the market and see if they are still being successful. If not, then they need to re-evaluate NIVEA Creme’s placement in the market and see whether or not it should be dropped or downgraded in their grand scheme market and advertising strategies.

Copyright and Other Issues Regarding Digital Media and the Internet

In the old days when you wanted to buy your favorite artist’s new album you would head to your local record store to buy it. The artists and record label would each get a cut of the profits. But today more music fans are opting for 99 cent downloads or streaming free music on-line. Obtaining a new track or album is just a click away with iTunes, subscription services like Spotify, free Internet streaming sites like Pandora, or even YouTube where you can watch music videos. For most of us, at least for myself, downloading music is a favorite activity when on the Internet. Downloading music and other media files from the Internet may make it conveniently available. But does it have a negative effect on the music industry? Does it affect the earnings of the artists? What are the pros and cons of downloading music? There are a lot of questions revolving around the music industry and the advances of digital media technology. I will explore these questions and attempt to answer the big question of whether downloading, both legal and illegal, is a real threat to the overall music industry? The pros and cons of downloading music can be explored based differing criteria, with the most controversial being whether the downloaded music is legally acquired. Since Napster, the first peer-to-peer file sharing network, made its debut in 1999 and subscription and pay-per-download technology like iTunes exploded, debate has grown concerning the logistical, ethical and financial repercussions of downloading music. The main argument that record labels make about the advancement of digital media technology is that downloading music gives rise to copyright and piracy issues. When one uses the copied versions of these files, they are indirectly encouraging piracy. When downloading such media files, it does not go for the purchase of the original copies of music, which results in a violation of copyright law. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), 30 billion songs were illegally downloaded between 2004 and 2009 (Adkins). Even with sites like iTunes offering legal downloads, peer-to-peer file sharing still runs rampant. Thus, illegally downloading music is believed to have a significant impact on the music industry resulting in a loss of profits and jobs, and changing how music is delivered to the masses. The RIAA reports that music sales in the United States have dropped 47 percent since Napster first debuted in 1999. The availability of free music has cost the music industry $12. 5 billion in economic losses (Adkins). To make up for some of these losses, the music industry has filed lawsuits against individuals who have been found to have illegally downloaded music. In some cases, individuals have been sued for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. The problem is, when one illegally downloads music, they aren't just hurting music executives, who are often stereotyped as greedy businessmen exploiting the creativity of the musicians; they are also hurting the musicians. The huge popularity of illegal downloads is changing the music industry, reducing the incentive for musicians and labels to develop and finance new projects. Singers and bands are the public face of the music industry, but creating, recording and promoting a song takes a large team of people. As record companies have seen their profits decrease, they have had to cut positions they are no longer able to afford. This includes artists as well as engineers, songwriters, producers, and technicians. The RIAA reveals that more than 71,000 jobs have been lost as a result of illegally downloading music (MacMillan). The bottom line is that every piece of music downloaded without payment steals money that should be going to the musicians who created the music. Lastly, it is often left out that by downloading media files, it loses its originality. Though downloading makes it easily available to the masses, it also makes it spread far and wide. Something that is very easily available is considered to be of a lesser value therefore devaluing their art. On the other side, digital media is convenient for users, as they can obtain music and movies, save it to their computers and potentially transfer it to CDs or iPods without ever leaving their homes. It can also be done from anywhere with an Internet connection, and at any time, in contrast to music purchased at a traditional store. You can obtain potentially hard to find tracks without needing access to a well-stocked store. Access to older music can allow the producer and artist to continue to make money for paid downloads years after the release of that album. New advances in technology and digital media allow users to select specific tracks that they want, instead of requiring them to purchase an entire album. This encourages users to download more because they feel they are getting a better deal. It allows artists to gauge the audience's response to individual songs; this feedback may be used to guide future ongwriting (Borland). Digital media downloads represent a cost saving over traditional hard copies because customers are not paying for packaging, store costs and additional charges. It can also represent a cost saving to the artist, as they may be able to market directly to the target audience instead of through a promotions agent. Lastly, and most importantly, without downloading, streaming, or file s haring the person may have never heard the music for which they are listening to. The biggest problem a band has is getting its music heard. For years, the music industry was confined to four multinational corporations that dominated the revenue stream of 70% of the music coming in, and four or five radio conglomerates that controlled what music was going out. Now all that has been broken up into millions and millions of little subcultures and niches that are serving small, really dedicated communities (Warila). Listeners may not necessarily pay for that one song or the one album, but if they're intrigued enough, they're going to start following an artist or band. They show up at a show, buy the merchandise, or buy the next hard copy of the MP3 they just downloaded. Once an audience is there, there are all sorts of moneymaking opportunities. What seems like a long time ago, live music once felt threatened by records. And then later, recorded music felt threatened by recordable cassette tapes. Now record labels feel threatened by downloading, streaming and file sharing of music. Every time these technological advances came along, the people invested in the music business at the time took it as a threat to their business revenues. While record sales have decreased dramatically compared to what they once were, every technological advancement throughout the music industry’s history has actually exponentially increased the desire for music. The same is true today as more people are listening to more music than in any other time in history (Adkins). And now it comes back to whether the downloading of digital media files, legally and illegally, are real threats to the overall music industry? The introduction of Napster and illegal downloading has helped usher in a new era of digitally accessible music defined by online distribution and has therefore impacted the way the music industry must market and promote its artists. After thoroughly researching and analyzing the effects caused by digital media and the Internet, I believe it is time for the music industry to make their own advancements just as technology will continue to do so. It is futile to try and get rid of what has become of digital media and the Internet. Record labels are wasting very valuable resources and time by spending large sums of money to find and pursue people in a court of law, who are illegally downloading media, the majority of which will never be able to pay off their charges. While I hold the upmost support towards respecting the integrity of one’s work, artists and record labels need to view the illegal downloading and file sharing of their media in a grander scheme of the industry. Not one specific artist or company is being singled out to lose money through illegal downloads. It is a technological advancement that has reshaped the music industry landscape and affects them as a whole. Rather than clinging to an outdated system, record labels and major media companies need to put their resources and focus into exploring all the new possibilities created by these technological advancements. By adapting to this new music industry landscape, these media labels and companies can generate new revenue streams to make up for their perceived and actual losses. To expose its artists to a wider audience and recoup revenue, the music industry has already had to develop and implement new tactics, such as digital licensing music to sites like YouTube and Pandora (Warila). The music industry will need to continue to create such ideas if it wants to grow. In regards to artists, rather than relying on media conglomerates for distribution, now they will increasingly go into business for themselves and in control of their own products. This will allow for artists to maximize their profits in a very competitive market. The concept of allowing music to be streamed and downloaded for free will only further their own growth and expand their audience base. I recommend that instead of combating the realities of the modern era, congress should instead recognize that markets are increasingly changing. Technology and media will continue to grow regardless, weave around the obstacles, and find a way to succeed just as it did for digital media regarding file sharing and illegal downloads. I believe that it is time that everyone moves forward and changes with it.

Human Resource Management Case Study Essay

1. Ch 1, page 60-61, question 4: What is â€Å"evidence based HR†? Why might an HR department resist becoming evidenced based? The concept of â€Å"evidence based HR† is using specific tools (key performance indicators) to help clarify course of action, identify errors or omissions, and align HR to corporate strategy. It is a decision-making process combining critical thinking with use of the best available scientific evidence and business information (Rousseau & Barends 2011). It forces HR professionals to measure their efficiency and effectiveness quantitatively. In addition, it presents a clearer way to share information with colleagues in a systematic way. One tool that is used is Critical Path Analysis, which helps illustrate the minimum time needed to complete a process. Another method is process mapping, which can help determine needed steps/tasks and enable users to systematically follow the process outlined. Utilizing these tools helps develop uniform, consiste nt operating procedures, which results in a more efficient system. Two key characteristics of evidence based HR are a focus on business strategy, taking into account financial and organization performance measures that are most critical to the company and then using quantitative methods to identify human capital strategies that drive those outcomes; and standards of evidence, in which criteria is used to determine the importance of various relationships which can be used to better design employee strategies. An example is the measurement of employee productivity and work quality against organizational goals. Evidence based HR forces human resource professionals to systematically gather, utilize and evaluate information based on results. In addition, it causes HR professionals to be precise and utilize valid evidence. To do this, HR professionals must evaluate evidence to determine its’ worth. Furthermore, it involves change and systematic work skills, which often causes resistance. However, at the same time evidence based HR allows HR professionals to be viewed as a source of competitive advantage and as a department that creates value by maximizing the use of the company’s most important resource, its’ personnel. It also elevates the importance of employees as a resource beyond the HR department and increases the value of the department to the entire organization, and most importantly utilizes statistical evidence to â€Å"find the critical human levers for improving business results† (Gibbons & Woock 2007). 2. Ch 2, page 99,-100 question 4: How can strategic management within the HRM department ensure that HRM plays an effective role in the company’s strategic management process? When strategic management within the HRM department is used to ensure that HRM plays an effective role in the company’s strategic management processes, it will basically force HRM to review their mission, their goals and their objectives. These factors will have to be in-line with the strategic processes of the company. The two have to be in-sync when they are handled through strategic management. It integrates HRM into the company and the strategic processes from HRM are then also integrated into the strategic management processes of the company. HRM becomes a more active, effective department and both HRM and management then work as a unified team towards the company’s mission, objectives, and values. It creates the most productive and opportune environment for customers and the company. When we look at it from the opposite spectrum, if strategic management is not in place within the HRM department, it will create a state where the company is less efficient because although strategic management is being used throughout the company, it is not being used within the HRM department. When we strategically manage HR, we become involved with the employees from a strategic basis. By doing so, we are better able to handle the resources needed for the employees and to provide our employees with more, like better benefits, more comprehensive compensation packages, and related items. The employees are encouraged in their work because they are being motivated by the strategic management of HRM and what it’s doing to provide for them – the employees. Due to the greater encouragement, it reduces employee turnover and increases efficiency. This causes the company to be able to fulfi ll their goals and objectives that have been both created and managed through the strategic management process. 3. Ch 3, page 147-148, question 3: Many companies have dress codes that require men to wear suits and women to wear dresses. Is this discriminatory according to disparate treatment theory? Why? The process of establishing if an action/policy is discriminatory can be very challenging. However, a number of theories seek to differentiate actions that constitute  discrimination and those that do not. Disparate treatment Theory is amongst the most commonly used theories that have been used to ascertain whether an act or policy amounts to discrimination or not. The theory argues that one is subject to discrimination if they are treated less favorably than others are in similar situations (Bent, 2011). Many companies have dress codes that require men to wear suits and women to wear dresses. This has raised a debate on whether such policies are discriminatory or not. Based on the Disparate Treatment Theory, such a policy cannot be considered as discriminatory. Men and women cannot be on the same platform in that they both dress differently. Even if people from both sexes were allowed to determine whatever they dress, there is no way that men would dress exactly as women (Belton, 2004). The most important consideration as to whether the policy that commits men to wear suits and women to wear dresses amounts to discrimination would call for the scrutiny of the motive. Many companies that take up such a policy are not inclined to punishing or discriminating against women. Rather, they attribute the policy to the need for sanity and decency at the work place. In a world where dresses for women can expose some of the most sensitive parts of their body, the need for regulation cannot be ignored. Furthermore, one cannot claim that putting on dresses is less fashionable as compared to putting on suits. The design and fitting of the dress and the suit would determine whether one is neat or not. From all these considerations, the disparate treatment theory rules out the possibility of the policy that requires men to put on suits and women dresses as discriminatory to women (Bent, 2011). 4. Ch 4, page 185, question 6: What are the trade-offs between the different approaches to job design? Which approach do you think should be weighted most heavily when designing jobs? There are three major approaches to job design: the engineering approach, human approach, and the job characteristic approach. Each is valuable in its own way, but there are trade-offs that occur depending upon the approach, which is taken. With the engineering approach (also called the task approach), there is a lot of repetition. This can lead to boredom. In this approach, there is specialization to the task, and employees are not encouraged to learn more or improve the job. Because jobs designed using this approach have employees typically set at a  particular station, each employee is basically a wheel in a cog, executing part of a task and passing it on to the next station. There is little interaction between employees and often the job is paced according to a machine (part of an assembly line). It is difficult to take pride in one’s work since there is not a finished product. Employees do not have a say in their work, tools or methods used. However, work is performed accurately, by the best person selected for the job, in a procedural, systematic way. This increases specialization thus leading to higher output. The human approach increases employees’ job satisfaction and emphasis motivators like responsibility, advancement, and recognition. In addition, importance is placed on working conditions, pay, job security, and employee relations. The psychological needs of employees are paramount in designing jobs, which increases employee satisfaction, but does not necessarily guarantee satisfaction or performance. Another approach, job characteristics, is based on the idea that employees will perform better if motivation and rewards are built into the work. As such, the work is designed to offer a variety of activities so employees can use different skills, tasks are executed in a manner that there is completion of an identifiable piece of work, there is work of importance, employees have the ability to work based on their knowledge, not as part of an assembly line, and there is feedback in regards to the work. This is optimal, however, drawbacks of this approach include needing to find people who are motivated to find best practices, who can work independently, and who do find motivation at work. The approach which should be weighted more heavily is dependent on the job. In the case of making an automobile or similar repetitive task, one would want to utilize an engineering approach, since the work is repetitive, precise, and focused on output. In most other cases, the job characteristics approach seems logical since it is likely to lead to better, more satisfied employees. It would be important to give sufficient feedback to help manage the employee toward optimal performance utilizing this approach. Ultimately, efficiency and productivity are key, so motivation must be included in some form to produce better results. The job characteristics approach appears to take in regards more factors (skill variety, task identity and significance, autonomy and feedback) to produce greater results. References Bent, J.R., (2011). The telltale sign of discrimination: probabilities, information asymmetries, and the systematic disparate treatment theory, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 2011, Volume 44, Issue 4, p. 797 Belton, R. (2004). Employment discrimination law: cases and materials on equality in the workplace. Thomson/West Bobinski, D. (2004). The role of HR in strategic planning. Management Issues. Retrieved from: http://www.management-issues.com/2006/5/25/opinion/the-role-of-hr-in-strategic-planning.asp Campion, M.A. & Thayer, P.W. (1987). Job design: Approaches, outcomes, and trade-offs. Organizational Dynamics, 15(3), 66-80. Gibbons, J. M., Woock, C. (2007). Evidence-Based Human Resources: A Primer and Summary of Current Literature. The Conference Board, Retrieved from: http://www.conference-board.org/ Mashete, P. (2008). Approach to job design. Human Resource Knowledge. Retrieved from http://hrknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/01/approach-to-job-design.html Noe, R., J. Hollenback, B. Gerhart, Wright P. (2013) Human resources management (8th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Rousseau, D. M., Barends, E. G. R. (2011). Becoming an evidence-based HR practitioner. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(3), pages 221–235.

Implementation and Control for Marketing Plan Assignment

Implementation and Control for Marketing Plan - Assignment Example For monitoring the task, it is proposed to have a cross-functional departmental team assigned to the project which will not just be responsible for having a check at the progress and comparing it against the proposed timeline for ensure timeliness but would also be responsible for regular feedbacks, which may lead to amendments in the marketing plan at any level, even if it is at the fundamental because the organization does not want itself launching a product that backfires and takes down the existing repute of the business as well. Miller (2002) states that 70% of the strategic plans containing various initiatives primarily fail due to factors contributing from the organization itself, the people (the employees) or the partners (share and stakeholders). In this scenario i.e. of SBA, the major participants are the marketing department personnel along with the organizations that are currently involved in the development of these games. Despite the great number of internal forces addition to the external factors, Hrebioniak (2006) conducted researchers to conclude some potential obstacles that hurdle the implementation of an effective strategy. Some of these that are associated with this case are: For overcoming these and several other forms of issues, it is recommended to serve the internal customers on top priority, making people realize that this is a business opportunity that would be beneficial for their organization in the long run and it is a window of opportunity that needs to be  exploited. The concept is similar to that of customer care, i.e. just as the external customers, the strategy to be implemented needs to be ‘sell’ to the internal customers to have a major impact towards its ease of application.  

Social Dimensions of the Economic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social Dimensions of the Economic Growth - Essay Example This paper is an attempt to look on economic development not just as a measure of a country’s or the world’s economic progress, as a whole, but as a human development issue, incorporating the social dimension in the context of the economic development. Economic development is understood as the analysis of economic progress of nations. However, looking at the core of it, it becomes more than just the monetary computation of the economic value of the country, rather it is an amalgam of sociology, anthropology, history, politics and, all-too- often, ideology. Development is a social phenomenon that involved more than increasing per capita output, but necessitates eliminating poverty, unemployment and inequality as well A country’s economy is measured in terms of Gross Domestic Product. GDP is the total money value of goods and services produced in a country in one year, while GDP per capita is a measure of the value of products made and services provided by each person, a measure of the average productive capacity of people. Despite economic developments rates of some countries, the world still watches its people go hungry. The world through the different agencies like the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund have been vigilant about this global issue. Economic growth is more than the numbers. If the supposed economic development does not trickle down to feed the hungry mouths at the grassroots level, the numbers are insignificant. What will matter in the end are its people and their development as humans.

Cloud Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example 1-2). Cloud computing is widely acknowledged to have the capacity to revolutionize completely the way organizations and enterprises manage their information technology at the same time utilizing it more beneficially. However, the prevailing paradigm requires an infrastructural change in order to fit in for the enterprise needs. Through the adoption of cloud IT services, business enterprises are able to realize efficiency, agility, elasticity as well as cost reduction. Nevertheless, many studies have revealed hesitation by these organizations to adopt the systems for the reason of insecurity. Moreover, establishing sound relations between the clients as well as the service producer would go a long way in confirming the security threat as is interpreted by the research studies. According to Technical White Paper of July 2011, the design and operation of the cloud-based IT environment, sound systems as interpreted though security is a matter of joint efforts by both parties; the cloud c omputing service provider as well as the clients seeking the services (IBM Global Technology Service, 2011, p.3). The customers are subjected to major threats in hacking system; lose of stored data and the overall cooperation of the IT teams from the cloud computing service providers as well s the internal IT departments of the clients to the business. Many enterprises and organizations have come to appreciate the services of cloud computing especially with the increased use of fast internet services through ‘hand held’ wireless gadgets which makes it possible to access these services conveniently and more easily than was in the past (Ernst and Young, 2011, p.4). Studies have cited the increased use of cloud computing services to be beneficial not only from the consumer point of view but also to the service providers. However, there have been notable hindrances to complete adoption of the services especially within the business sector majorly for the reason of poor infr astructures through which no certainty is offered to consumers for the security of their data and information. However, the concerns that emanate from the pools is that the collection would be the best targets to hackers through whom sensitive information of organizations would leak out. Moreover, in the event of data leakage the cloud computing service providers have no specific provision on controlling the effects that would arise. These fears about security and secrecy of organizational information present the greatest challenge to both service providers and the customers. There is therefore the need for the industry to focus on investing in proper infrastructures through which cloud-computing services would be effectively offered. Clients to the cloud computing service providers are hesitant to adopt the dynamic system of data storage because they feel that the system does not fully guarantee the security to their data. On the other hand the crash of Dot com era, the web develop ment gave rise to a newer version of web-based applications, which would introduce rather interactive web pages than was the case with the previous versions of the web sites. The new web services introduced adopted the name of Web 2.0 and had a distinction from the previous web applications in that it allowed higher levels of interactions