Managing Employee Retention Essay

One of the first steps in analysis of the data is to make a comparison of the 10 most profitable stores and the 10 least profitable stores. Hart claimed that the manager and crew tenure in the most profitable stores was almost four times the level of that in the least profitable stores. This analysis is however based solely on the summary statistics for those ten stores in each category. Taking a closer look at the results for the individual stores would suggest that the relationship is not so simple. For example looking at store 47, which is at the bottom of the ten most profitable list, both the crew and manager tenure are very low in comparison to the other stores in the list. This means that it would not be expected that store 47 would be so profitable if the manager and crew tenure were the only influencing factor on profitability. In fact, the levels of tenure in this store are lower the average of those from the ten lowest profit stores, which would indicate that very low leve ls of profit would be expected from the store. A more in-depth analysis is therefore required. There is further evidence that neither manager tenure nor employee tenure alone significantly influences the profitability of each store. This may seen in the scatter-plots which are included below as Figure 1 and Figure 2. It appears clear from Figure 1 that most managers have been at their store for less than 50 months, and the mean which is given for manager tenure is 45.3. This mean may however be slightly higher than the median would be given that there are several exceedingly high values which would influence the calculation of the mean. A similar pattern may be seen in Figure 2, where it is clear that most employees have lower than 20 months retention, with the mean given as 13.9 months. What is also apparent from these plots is that neither variable may significantly explain variability in the profitability of a store. This is evident in the r-squared value, which indicates that only 19.6% of variation in profitability may be explained by manager tenure alone. Similarly, only 6.7% of this variation may be explained by employee tenure alone. It  therefore is apparent that there are multiple variables which may influence profitability. In order to assess whether a manager and employee tenure combine to influence profitability a multiple regression model may be formed using these two variables. The results of this regression may be seen in Table 1. Figure 1: Correlation between manager tenure and store profitability Figure 2: Correlation between employee tenure and store profitability From Table 1 it may be seen that when considering both manager and employee tenure there is still only 21.7% of variation in profitability which these variables may explain. This therefore indicates that there must be other factors which exert an influence. It would therefore be suitable to construct a multiple regression model which takes into account other variables for which data is available. Although it was originally believed that the relationship may be non-linear, this still does not significantly increase the r-squared value. Table 1: Regression model in which manager tenure and employee tenure are included |Regression Statistics | |Multiple R |0.465617551 | |R Square |0.216799704 | |Adjusted R Square |0.19504414 | |Standard Error |80212.7404 | |Observations |75 | Multiple Regression Model The first multiple regression model which is included is that which includes all of the variables for which data are available. These variables are: Y: Profitability X1: Manager tenure X2: Employee tenure X3: Population near store X4: Competition near store X5: Visibility of store X6: Pedestrian count X7: Residential or industrial area X8: 24 hour access The results of the regression model may be seen in Table 2 below. This shows that using the model with all eight variables included 63.8% of the variation in profitability may be explained. This suggests that the model may be valid in explaining the impact on profitability. In addition to this, from Table 3 it may be seen that the value of the F-test statistic is 14.53, with a significance of less than 0.05 which also shows that the model is significant. However by looking at the results in Table 4 it may be seen that not all of the variables which are included in the model may be significantly contributing to the model. As the variable X5, which is the visibility of the store, has a p-value of more than 0.05 this suggests that the variable is not contributing significantly to the model. This would suggest that removing this variable may further improve the model. In addition to this it would be necessary to remove any variables which were collinear as this could interfere with the results of the regression. After using the program PHStat to analyse the variable inflation factors (VIFs) of the variables these are all below 5, which shows that there is no collinearity between variables. Therefore the improved model would be one which included all variables except X5. The Impact of Increasing Crew Tenure From the regression equation which is calculated from the multiple regression model it may be seen that increasing both manager and employee tenure is significant in increasing profitability of stores. Specifically, the model predicts that for every month increase in manager tenure there would be an increase in profits of around $787 if all other factors were kept constant. Also, for every increase of one month in employee tenure there is predicted to be an increase in profitability of around $963 if all other factors were kept constant. It was suggested that the relationship between tenure and profitability may be dependent on the length of tenure, i.e. a non-linear relationship. However the fitting of a trend line to the scatter-plot suggests that a non-linear relationship does not fit the data significantly better than a linear trend line. Therefore it would be predicted that an increase in employee tenure of 1.38 months would result in an increase in profitability of around $1330 . Validity of the Data The data on which the above analyses are based contains information taken from 2000, which is now eight years old. Therefore it is possible that the financial implications of increasing crew tenure have changed somewhat. It would however be considered valid to use the data to provide an estimate of the financial implications as the factors which would influence the regression model used would be largely the same. Although the data also included only the data from 75 of the 82 stores, this is a large enough sample to be considered representative of the chain as a whole. It would  therefore be expected that while these other stores may not follow the model precisely, it should still provide an indication of the influence of tenure on profitability of these stores. Recommendations Based on the analysis of the data it would be recommended that increasing both manager and employee tenure may significantly increase profitability of stores. In particular, the current bonus plan would be profitable to the company if the amount of bonus offered were less than around $1330, as this is the increase in profitability which would result. However, it is also possible that offering these bonuses would increase manager tenure, which would then further increase profitability. It would however be suggested that this alone may not be sufficient to largely increase the profitability of some stores, as the overall profitability of stores is a result of an interplay of both site-location and people factors. Bibliography Berenson, M.L., Levine, D.M. & Krehbiel, T.C. (2008) Basic Business Statistics. 11th Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Prentice Hall. Kazmier, L.J. (2003) Schaum’s Outline of Business Statistics. New York: McGraw-Hill. Levine, D.M., Stephan, D.F., Krehbiel, T.C. & Berenson, M.L. (2007) Statistics for Managers Using Microsoft Excel. Philadelphia, PA: Prentice Hall.

Hezbullah: Impact of Ideology on Group Structure, Strategy, Targets and Tactics Essay

Hezbullah or Hezbollah, which literally means â€Å"Party of God†, is an organization based on Lebanon. It is a religious-political-paramilitary organization of several thousand Shiite Muslim militants that plays a significant role in the Lebanese politics. Hezbullah, while maintaining to be a major contributor to social programs and services in Lebanon, has been considered an Islamic struggle movement. The group also is a foremost provider of agricultural services, medical aid, and school operations in Lebanon. The group is also a significant and influential power when it comes to the world of Lebanese politics. With its outright mission, to destroy Israel, it has been condemned by many governments – but others have praised the party. Western countries, most notably the United States, consider Hezbullah as a terrorist organization. Other countries that recognize in some part or in whole the group as a terrorist organization include the Great Britain, Australia, Canada and several others. Origins It was in the year 1982 that Hezbullah surfaced in Lebanon as it was invaded by Israel and was dubbed as â€Å"Operation Peace for Galilee†. Hezbullah was set in resistance against the Israeli occupation of Lebanon amid the Lebanese civil war. Inspired by the great Iranian political and religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, the leaders went for the training and organization of some Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Although the first manifesto of the group did not directly mention the destruction of Israel, the leaders of Hezbullah made several claims on destroying the â€Å"Zionist entity† forcing themselves to the lands rightful owners own. They referred to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon that during the course, claimed not only livestock, lands, homes, but more especially lives. The group started only as a small militia but slowly gained followers that agree to the views and ideologies of the left-leaning group. They started to gain social power, as getting seats in the Lebanese government, being able to create social development programs, as well as getting control and owning their own radio station and a satellite television station. As Shiite Muslims account for majority of its members, their members now vary from all domain of Lebanese population, especially after the 2006 Lebanon war or the July war that featured the warfare between Israel and Hezbullah themselves. Given their broad tally sheets of members, they are able to mobilize protests to the hundreds of thousands of their members, creating a major concern for the Lebanese government itself. Objectives The 1985 manifesto of the Hezbullah enumerated their three main goals as follows: (1) to put an end to any â€Å"colonialist entity† that existed in Lebanon, (2) to bring the Phalangists, a right-wing party in Lebanon, to justice for the â€Å"crimes† they had perpetrated, and finally (3) to the rightful establishment of an Islamic regime in Lebanon. The manifesto also featured some of the ideologies of the group. The group condemns the â€Å"Zionist occupation of Palestine† outright and added by several claims that â€Å"there is no legitimacy for the existence of ‘Israel’†. The Ideology of Hezbullah is derived from the Islamic Shiite Ideology popularized by Ayatollah Khomeini, known for leading the Islamic revolution in Iran in the 1970’s. The Founding Statement of Hezbullah contains a section that reads: â€Å"We see in Israel the vanguard of the United States in our Islamic world. It is the hated enemy that must be fought until the hated ones get what they deserve. Our primary assumption in our fight against Israel states that the Zionist entity is aggressive from its inception, built on lands wrested from their owners, at the expense of the rights of the Muslim people. Therefore our struggle will end only when this entity is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no cease fire, and no peace agreements, whether separate or consolidated. We vigorously condemn all plans for negotiation with Israel, and regard all negotiators as enemies, for the reason that such negotiation is nothing but the recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist occupation of Palestine.† It was entitled â€Å"The Necessity for the Destruction of Israel† which pretty much sums it all up. Structure From 1992 up to the present, the organization has been headed its Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah. Originally a military commander, but with the background of studying Shiite theology in Iran and Iraq, Nasrallah made it higher in the ranks with ease. Some reports suggest that he took advantage of the inside rivalry in the group to capture the Secretary-General position from Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini. Another leader, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, has been the group’s spiritual leader since its founding. However, Fadlallah, died of a liver hemorrhage recently, 4th July 2010, at the age of 75. There is still a huge blank space to be filled in the group’s spiritual leader’s death. One other leader can be considered as the brains of the Hezbullah operations worldwide. It was Imad Fayez Mugniyah who was considered as the key planner, the mastermind, the engineer that finds time to plan details and execution of its terrorist operations. Mugniyah got his talent from experience, training with al Fatah in the 1970’s in the midst of the Lebanese civil war. It was in the 1980’s that the two, al Fatah and Mugniyah, were expelled from Lebanon by Israeli forces. But with his talent and skill, he quickly went up ranks after joining the Hezbullah. However, it was on 13 February, 2008, that Mugniyah was killed in a car bombing incident in Damascus supposedly pinned to Israel but with no solid grounds. The group is structured into three sub-groups namely the Bayt al-Mal, Jihad al Binna and the IRSO (Islamic Resistance Support Organization). Hezbullah gets its finances from support from various governments, Iran, Tehran and Syria, as well as donations from the Lebanese people and both local and international Shiites. With the current finances, the influence and the power both as a group and in the government, its forces gained momentum as gaining several thousands in members. The Lebanese government itself secured Hezbullah’s existence with policies that allow the group to continue on in their fight for liberty and recover occupied lands. According to data from the United States, the two states, Iran and Syria, contribute to not only the finance, but also to the training, weapons, explosive, diplomatic and political aid of the group. Hezbullah is believed to have a budget ranging from $200 million to $500 million, about $100 million coming from Iran. Operations Hezbullah’s main base for operation is in the Lebanon’s Shiite-populated areas. This includes Beirut, Bekaa Valley and southern parts of Lebanon. But with recent intelligence reports from the U. S.  suggest that the group has been starting its expansion of operations, from Africa to Europe, South America and even in North America. The group has at least five thousand core members, consisting of militants and activists. But it varies notably from time to time due to conflicts that the group engages in, most probably conflicts with Israel. US intelligence also reports the presence of at least 60,000 firearms and other weapons in the hands of Hezbullah. It includes both short and long range rockets, and even anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship arsenals. With periodic conflicts with Israel, people are concerned that a third Lebanon war may erupt if tensions remain high. Although Israel has officially withdrawn from Lebanon in 2000, and despite the UN certification of the withdrawal of all forces, Hezbullah still periodically create problems in the disputed Shebaa Frams border zone. Consequently, a full scale war erupted during the summer of 2006 and if it weren’t for a UN-led-ceasefire, it probably wouldn’t have stopped any time soon. Even so, it stopped only after taking more than a thousand lives and hundreds of thousands homeless or forced to flee especially the five-week long conflict. Some major attacks attributed to Hezbullah includes the kidnapping of several Americans in Lebanon during the 1980’s; suicide attacks in a U. S. Marines barracks in Beirut, Lebanon which kills over two hundred American soldiers; the 1983 U. S. Embassy bombing in Beirut that killed 63 people, including 17 Americans; the French multinational force headquarters bombing in 1983 that killed 58 French soldiers; the hijacking of TWA flight 847 that featured in an infamous footage of a pilot with a gun to his head; an attack that killed hundreds in the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center both in Argentina in 1992 and 1994 respectively. The most recent major attack claimed by the Hezbullah was on 2006 when they launched a surprise raid on a border post in northern Israel. They took two Israeli soldiers in captive that caused an intense military campaign to be forced against Lebanon. But there was more to the campaign of the Hezbullah. By 2003, they have worked diligently with other Palestinian terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihan, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and especially Tanzim. It has also been reported that Hezbullah has been a major firearms supplier with their allies as in the Hamas. Analysis It has been with mixed decisions whether Hezbullah is to be considered as a terrorist organization or not. It is a known fact that some countries do not consider the group as a terrorist organization in whole. The United States however, has issued statements against the group, considering them to be a highly-organized terrorist organization. To be able to analyze the group itself, there is a need to answer this question: Should the Hezbullah be considered as a terrorist organization? For the sake of unbiased perspective, we must consider all perspectives. In the Hezbullah perspective arguments include that fact that (1) the main ideology of the group is based on Islamic ideologies, only more radical ones, (2) every country has the right to protect and maintain its liberty in ways it can, and finally (3) the group is actually a part of the Lebanese government. But then again, nothing gives the right for any person, group and even a country to declare that a country has no reason to exist and that the country and its people should be obliterated. By this argument plus the known attacks that they have committed and claimed for, it can be concluded that the group can be considered as a terrorist organization. After setting the fact that Hezbullah is a terrorist organization, an analysis can be put in this perspective. From its origin standpoint, the group can be considered outright to be a radical and extremist in thoughts and in action. It is based from their ideological background that was actually derived from a radical form of Islamic Shiite Ideology that Khomeini had started. Its aim, more than anything else, is to destroy the country of Israel and its occupants, and kill the Jews. The structure of the group can be considered to be a help in their aims and objectives. Considering the separate leadership roles in the group, namely the political, religious and military roles, there are good opportunities to focus to their separate roles. There is a much efficient set of directives that would be of help to the members of the group. But there also is a backfire, if there are any occasions that the three leaders would disagree, the whole group could turn into a separate sub groups, reducing considerably the ability to achieve the objectives of the group. Considering the strategies of the organization, it could be noted that this is interwoven with the organizations structure. The military strategies of the group should coincide with both the religious and political perspective of the group, and vice versa. With the strategy of the organization to attaining its aims, they will be bounded by international policies only if they want to. Their tactics to complete their objectives can be considered to have lessened in the amount of violence that they have made in the older movements. Whether it could be accountable for the tighter defense being pushed by their opposition, i. e. U. S. , Israel, or to internal erosion with the group’s desire to succeed, will be a question to be answered in the future. Their targets remained the same, the â€Å"Zionist entity† that they refer to Israel, added to the â€Å"vanguard† of Israel, the United States. But the question mark lies in the present execution of their objectives, whether they will take it hard, as in violence that includes the public, or will they use a more reasonable action. The group structure and strategies very much meet their deed to accomplish its task. They may be planning to be more of a supporting group to other terrorist organization with the way they are moving as of the moment. They have no other engagement as of the moment. A possible scenario could be that the group would slowly blend to other terrorist organizations and would create a larger one, with a bigger objective than the original. They may consider to continue on supplying and supporting groups such as Hamas, to help them achieve their ultimate goal.

Business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Business environment - Essay Example One of the top companies in the banking industry according to the FTSE 100 listing is the Barclays bank, an institution that has had a fair share of opportunities and challenges, but still remain on top of other multinationals (Dash & Das, 2013). Barclays bank is a British based banking multinational that has continued to dominate the banking industry in not only the United Kingdom or Europe, but also other continents of the world. Based in London, United Kingdom, Barclays bank was categorised into the universal bans category due to its widespread presence in most countries and regions in the world. Today, the bank operates in over 50 countries with over 48 million customers evenly spread in different sectors of the world economy. The great performance and dominance of the company has been attributed to its cluster categorisation, which provides customers with a wide range of banking services (Barclays Bank, 2013). Barclays bank currently boosts three major divisions made up of the corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management and the retail and business category. Barclays bank was established in 1690 by James Barclay and has grown to be a major force in the industry through partnerships, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions. For example, the backhouse’s bank and the gurney bank formed a partnership with the company and this strengthened not only its capital base but also the market presence in the country. The great performance of Barclays bank has stood out significantly and this has been attributed to the proper management and customer care approaches it has adopted. According to an annual report released by the company in 2011, the company’s solid position improved by 11% tier one ratio. This was accompanied by a  £161 billion pounds improvement in the liquidity pool of the company relative to the figures that the company posted in the previous financial year.

Financial Mnangement (Lindt and Sprungli. Zetar plc companies) Term Paper

Financial Mnangement (Lindt and Sprungli. Zetar plc companies) - Term Paper Example The overview is followed by a comparison of the financial performance of both the company. The financial performance of the company is analyzed by using different measures such as the ratio analysis technique and the comparison of the revenues and the profits of both the organizations. The value of Zetar plc is calculated so as to assess whether Zetar plc can be considered for acquisition purposes by Lindt and Sprungli. This valuation is performed using different methods such as the P/E ratio and the market capitalization concept. Finally, the valuation is used along with other arguments to suggest that the company is worth acquiring. This is further displayed by indicating the different advantages and the disadvantages that the merger/acquisition can bring. Both the advantages and the disadvantages are weighed before the final decision is given. Company Background and Overview Lindt and Sprungli is a group of confectionary company which is globally known for its high quality chocolate production. The company’s head quarter is based in Kilchberg, Switzerland. Lindt and Sprungli, more commonly known as Lindt is considered to be a global market leader with respect to the production of chocolates, its products are highly appreciated by people around the globe. The main markets that Lindt focuses on are highlighted below with respect to their Sales North America (28.3%) Germany (17.5%) Switzerland (12.7%) France (12.5%) Italy (11.5%) Great Britain (5%) Lindt’s success has been attributed to its long term strategy. The company’s focus and its main strategy revolves around its seven pillars; brand management, premium positioning, better bondage with customers, Innovation, marketing expertise, understandability of products and the company’s hunger for expansion. All these seven pillars are deemed to be the Critical Success Factors for t he company and it is because of these long term strategies that the company gave an outstanding performance during an era of economic downturn (Lindt and Sprungli, 2010). â€Å"Zetar is a leading manufacturer of confectionery and natural snacks with a reputation for quality and product innovation† (Zetar Plc, 2011). Zetar plc is known for its good quality chocolate within the United Kingdom. The company’s main target markets are the children and for that reason they produce chocolates which appeal to children mostly. The company was incorporated on 8 December 2004 but its main business started in the year 2005. Zetar plc comprises of two groups, Confectionary Division and the Natural snack division. The confectionary division covers the production of chocolate which is later sold within the UK and other export markets such as Australia, China and Ireland. The natural snack division, on the other hand, manufactures and processes a wide range of nuts and dried fruits whi ch are later sold within the UK market only. The natural snack division’s only market is deemed to be the UK market only. Zetar plc has developed a strong relationship with all the UK food retailers and it can be said that the company

Green materials for children's room Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Green materials for children's room - Essay Example To ensure your products are green, purchase from companies that make their furniture from certified sustainable wood or reclaimed wood materials. Certified sustainable wood means the wood used in production passes the Forest Stewardship Council’s 57 criteria to protect wildlife and regulate pesticide use (Tara, 2008). Companies that make the effort to ensure their wood products are certified sustainable are also typically careful in the selection of stains and treatments for the finished product that remain safe for use in children’s rooms. Sustainable wood products are available through Stokke, Oeuf, DucDuc, Argington and Pacific Rim. Although these sustainable products are generally a little more expensive up-front, they are much better options that the less expensive pressed wood products or plastic products on the market. Pressed wood is typically held together with resins and glues that are full of chemicals considered unhealthy for children as well as adults. Some of these same types of resins and glues are also used in the production of plastic products often created for children. Many of these kinds of products outgas what is essentially formaldehyde, which can irritate the skin, damage eyes, bother the throat or even cause nausea (Tara, 2008). This harm can be reduced by purchasing used materials that have already outgassed much of this material, but one must take care to ensure everything is still appropriately assembled and has not been recalled. The best lighting for young children is natural sunlight, filtered so as to avoid exposure to UV rays. This can be accomplished through the use of skylighting, windows or even glass bricks that allow natural light to filter inside. This lighting can be controlled during daylight hours through the use of blackout lining in the draperies, blinds or shutters for purposes of naptime, etc. When natural lighting is not

Sexaul harassment in the workplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sexaul harassment in the workplace - Assignment Example The victims are mostly females, and these victims respond in different manners, researchers and practitioners have posited that the following are the common responses displayed by the victims (Cortina & Berdahl, 2008): reporting, confrontation, social support-seeking and denial. Furthermore, reporting as well as confrontation are common amongst the victims those belong to lower occupational strata and responses like avoidance and denial are common amongst victims from affluent families. It is worth inclusion that victims of sexual harassments have been from the same sex as well. Numerous studies (Pina, Gannon, & Saunders, 2009) have been carried out to understand learn more about perpetrators of sexual harassment, the harassers have been found to be lacking social conscience, they engage in immature as well as irresponsible behaviours and as regards their personality measures they are irresponsible, and insensitive towards women.

Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Week 4) Assignment

Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Week 4) - Assignment Example 8.) Figure 11.10 shows an undirected graph representing a section of a department store. The vertices indicate where cashiers are located; the edges denote unblocked aisles between cashiers. The department store wants to set up a security system where (plainclothes) guards are placed at certain cashier locations so that each cashier either has a guard at his or her location or is only one aisle away from a cashier who has a guard. What is the smallest number of guards needed? 15.) For the undirected graph in Fig. 11.12, find and solve a recurrence relation for the number of closed v-v walks of length n ≠¥ 1, if we allow such a walk, in this case, to contain or consist of one or more loops. 22.) For the graph in Fig. 11.37(b), what is the smallest number of bridges that must be removed so that the resulting subgraph has an Euler trail but not an Euler circuit? Which bridge(s) should we remove? You are an electrical engineer designing a new integrated circuit involving potentially millions of components. How would you use graph theory to organize how many layers your chip must have to handle all of the interconnections, for example? Which properties of graphs come into play in such a circumstance? If the likelihood of the edge (v1, v2) is 50%, then there are equal chances that that edge will not be a section of the edge set. Similarly, for all the pair of vertices we can say that there is equal probability of having or not having an edge between those two. So, if there are n vertices in the vertex set then there can be maximum n "single connected component" (in which no edge is there) of that graph or minimum one connected component in which all the vertices are connected to each

Corporate sustainability reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate sustainability reporting - Essay Example At the same time, as developments in technology and knowledge are contributing to financial development, they also have the potential to assist resolving the threats and risks to the sustainability of environment, social relations and economies. Sustainability reporting is the kind of practice of disclosing, measuring, and being accountable to external and internal stakeholders for organizational performance towards the objective of sustainable development. A sustainability report should offer a reasonable and balanced representation of the sustainability performance of a reporting company consisting of both negative and positive contributions. The guidelines of Sustainability Reporting comprise principles for defining content of report and guaranteeing the quality of reported information. It also consists of standard disclosures made up of indicators of the performance and other items of the disclosure, in addition to guidance on specific technical and technological topics in report ing. A company’s own sustainability and business policy offers the circumstance in which performance is discussed. The relationship between the organizational strategy and sustainability should be made clear, as should the circumstance in which performance is reported. ... A sustainability report also refers to a single, combined disclosure that offers a balanced and reasonable presentation of performance over a fixed period of time. Stakeholders must be capable to directly access all of the information in the report from a single location, such as a GRI content index. The GRI Reporting Structure is planned to provide a normally accepted structure for reporting on a company’s environmental, economic and social performance. The structure includes the guidelines of the Sustainability Reporting, Technical Protocols, the Indicator Protocols, and the Sector Supplements. Organizational operations connected to operating, entering, and exiting can have numerous negative impacts on local communities. Indicators in the GRI structure, such as economic data or environmental emissions, will offer an overall idea of negative and positive impacts, but may not be capable to present them in relation to local communities. Sustainability reporting must consider ev ery material sustainability topics that are appropriate in understanding how a company can create, erode or preserve value over time. Environmental, economic, and social impacts can turn out to be significant over an extended time period. Reports should be capable to reflect both long-term as well as short-term topics and foreseeable longer-term subjects. A sustainability report thus covers a wider range of subjects than constitutional and statutory reporting needs, consisting of, but not limited to: †¢ â€Å"Impacts on stakeholder groups that are of high significance to them †¢ Opportunities to contribute to broader sustainability objectives †¢ Opportunities to adapt to planned changes in policies and regulatory frameworks† (RG Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, 2000). Once a

Pharmacology assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pharmacology - Assignment Example The effect of the new drug on the action of warfarin will be investigated in 12 healthy participants. The investigation is based on an open label study that would utilize a multiple dose design. To analyze the interaction between the two drugs in terms of the way JP234 would induce the metabolism of a single dose of warfarin, both R and S enantiomers were initiated through the CYP450 metabolic pathway. The study will be done based on the assumption that the new drug has been studied in vivo whereby in vitro metabolic studies will be consulted in determining whether JP234 is a substrate or an inhibitor the enzymes involved in the metabolism of warfarin. The study results will help in determining any possible interaction, such as whether PJ234 inhibits or induces the metabolism of warfarin. The mode of warfarin action in this case is based on its impact on the synthesis of vitamin K. The study will thus be able to portray the impact of drug interaction after eliminating warfarin. This will be considered from the results obtained from the group in which only the PJ234 is administered, as compared to the group whereby both the PJ234 and warfarin drugs are administered. JP234 is well tolerated during clinical trials and there is no contradiction associated with it. The drug when administered is effective in doses of 50, 75 or 100mg once daily. The drug is metabolized in the liver and has a half life of about 24 hours. In vitro studies indicate that the drug can induce CYP2C9. Patients with chronic atrial fibrillation should be anticoagulated to hinder thromboembolism from taking place (Goodman, 2005). Patient taking JP234 are recommended to take warfarin that is partly metabolized by CYP2C9. JP234 is an antiarrhythmic drug and is usually excreted in the liver just the same as warfarin. The PJ234 drug is considered an inducer of CYP2C9 which

Barriers, challenges, and strategies Essay Example for Free

Barriers, challenges, and strategies Essay Most clinical health care workers are aware that achieving the paradigm of evidence-based practice (EBP) is the gold star standard that one strives for in his/her clinical practice. EBP is expected of healthcare clinicians and has become a synonym for quality care both by the institution of healthcare and its consumers (Brim Schoonover, 2009). This essay will define EBP for nurses. The barriers, challenges and strategies to implementing evidence-based nursing practice (EBNP) will be discussed with reference to relevant and authoritative literature. As well, the relevance and the links that EBNP has with the clinical area of Intensive Care will be discussed. EBP is the integration, by clinicians, of clinical expertise which is meticulous, explicit and uses current clinically appraised professional knowledge (Eizenberg, 2011; Kenny, Richard, Ceniceros, Blaize, 2010). EBP accommodates patient preferences, views and values; while also guiding, supporting, validating and answering health care workers clinical judgements, practices, and questions (Eizenberg, 2011; Kenny et al., 2010; Matula, 2005; Wolf, 2005). EBP is a process of asking a clinical question; searching for clinical evidence; critically appraising this evidence and then expertly integrating this evidence with patient’s values, views and preferences; evaluation of how the changes to practice have had on outcomes; and finally disseminating the results that the EBP or change had on patient outcomes (Melnyk, Fineout-Overholt, Stillwell, Williamson, 2010). The definition of EBP and EBNP and the implementation of EBNP appear to be straightforward and easily accomplished; however, EBNP implementation is far removed from being easy (Brim Schoonover, 2009; Cullen, Titler, Rempel, 2011; Eizenberg, 2011; Kenny et al., 2010; Tolson, Booth, Lowndes, 2008). Nursing research has uncovered n umerous challenges and barriers which the implementation of EBNP faces. These challenges and barriers can be classified as a research, a clinician, an organisational, a nursing professional barrier, and not least patient barriers (Fernandez, Davidson, Griffiths, 2008; Gerrish et al., 2011; Hutchinson Johnston, 2006; Ross, 2010). Eizenberg (2011), Gerrish et al. (2011), and Ross (2010) found that nurses face research and clinician barriers that include not having the time, skills and knowledge to critically critique and/or synthesise research literature, unable to effectively use and search databases electronically, hold negative views toward research and feel research is too complex, as  well research at times is not clear on how to implement the findings and findings can be contradictory. Due to these barriers, nurses tend to rely on synthesised evidence such as evidence-based protocols, policies and procedures (Gerrish et al., 2011). Eizenberg (2011) and Gerrish et al. (2011) also found that nurses prefer to acquire information through third parties such as their colleagues, the workplace, through patient care experience, and the knowledge they received from their nursing education. Eizenberg (2011) found that the organisation is the greatest factor in successful EBNP implementation. The organisation controls access and the budget to and for evidence resources such as computers with internet access, a well-equipped library, and access to educational opportunities in EBNP procedures and theory (Eizenberg, 2011). The barrier of not having the authority to change a nursing practice also lies with the organisation – a nurse may have the necessary research knowledge and experience to effectively change practice but cannot implement practice change due to the organisation not giving him/her the authority to instill change (Eizenberg, 2011). Few nursing staff members are given the opportunity to participate in the development of evidence-based policies and procedures; therefore, most nurses are not engaged to support EBP. Ross (2010) further found organisational barriers such as the organisation giving priority to other goals (for example excess sick leave) over EBNP, the organisation may perceive that the staff are not ready or willing to implement EBNP, and that the organisation believes EBNP is unachievable. These organisational barriers prevent EBNP being accomplished and to the greater extent of not being implemented. A barrier of nursing profession relates to the medical dominance of healthcare; as such, nurses are not afforded the power, authority, autonomy and respect from colleagues for nursing practice that the status of being a profession decrees (Brim Schoonover, 2009; Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). A further nursing profession barrier is it can be difficult to instill enthusiasm or information about an EBNP if turnover is high; there is a shortage of experienced nurses; and support from colleagues is lacking (Gerrish et al., 2011; Mark, Latimer, Hardy, 2010). Due to high turnover and staff shortages, nurses are unable to leave the bedside and have limited time to participate in EBNP projects such as journal clubs, or to attend training in EBP, PICO  (Population/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome), and database searches (Brim Schoonover, 2009; Brown, Johnson, Appling, 2011). Nurses, as Kenny et al. (2010) found were hesitant to change their practice if the change would perceivably increase an already heavy workload. Brim Schoonover (2009) found that some nurses believed EBNP to be an optional course of action as they were never shown a clear direction of what EBNP is essential to nursing and his/her practice. One of the main premises of EBNP is that the evidence and the value s and beliefs of the patient/s are synthesised together to form an EBNP which is foremost favourable for a positive outcome for the patient/s (Fernandez et al., 2008). Such factors as treatment, travel, and prescription costs; denial of diagnosis; inadequate knowledge level of disease and strategies to decrease risk factors; lack of social support; and cultural issues can all potentially become barriers to implementing an EBNP for a patient or patients (Fernandez et al., 2008). The high acuity of an intensive care unit (ICU) patient significantly affects a nurse’s ability to search a database for answers (Brim Schoonover, 2009; Kenny et al., 2010). An answer to a question is usually needed immediately or momentarily; therefore, ICU nurses rely on experience, colleagues, and knowledge of evidence-based policies, procedures and guidelines (Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). I know I rely heavily upon in-services, experience, and speaking with the ICU Clinical Nurse Educators and Nurse Educators who will do a literature search to acquire information or answers to a question I have posed – but once again this evidence/information ha s been synthesised by others and is third hand and I have not fully practiced EBN (Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). To try and challenge this barrier I do try and read the clinical information the educator obtained at a later date – usually at home or on a break. Strategies to overcome these challenges and barriers abound from EBP and EBNP journal articles and books. Some of the leading strategies are for the organisation to fully support EBNP through infrastructure, strong leadership from nurse managers and/or advanced practice nurses, and by ensuring a context in which EBNP can flourish (Gerrish et al., 2011; Tolson et al., 2008). The infrastructure needs to provide access to a computer which can access online databases. Infrastructure needed to be in place includes a staffed evidence based nursing library with a librarian able to educate nurses on the process of  EBNP (Pochciol Warren, 2009). The added challenge is to have EBNP info accessible to the nurse at the patient’s bedside (Pochciol Warren, 2009). Nursing leaders need a Master’s degree or above, as studies show that leaders with these credentials read and implement more research literature; are more confident; and they consider themselves more competent in supporting others through the EBNP process (Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). Leaders, as suggested by Cullen et al. (2011), hold the responsibility to provide support; to build, to create, and maintain an organisational culture that has the capacity to support EBP at both a clinical and administration level. Leaders must be given the power, authority, and support to introduce change – without this authority change cannot occur (Eizenberg, 2011). Scholars agree that if EBNP is to succeed and be sustainable nurses need to be educated and mentored on the implementation process of EBNP (Brim Schoonover, 2009; Brown et al., 2011; Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011; Pochciol Warren, 2009; Ross, 2010; Tolson et al., 2008). EBNP education of nurses needs to begin at orientation to the hospital and is essential that this education is continually built upon and supported with extra education given to nurse managers, educators and advanced practice nurses (Pochciol Warren, 2009 Tolson et al, 2008). Ross (2010) suggests nurses information literacy be improved to ensure nurses are able to practice EBN. Information literacy is the ability to competently recognise, locate, and evaluate the fundamental information required at a given point (Ross, 2010). The ICU, where I am employed, has undergone significant changes to the staff and managerial side of the unit. At one point the Clinical Nurse Specialists ratio decreased to less than 5% of nursing staff and there was not a permanent full time Clinical Nurse Consultant. Without the necessary support acquired from these roles the education of ICU nurses and the implementation of new practices, policies and procedures decreased significantly. These barriers significantly halted EBNP from occurring in the ICU as there were very few highly educated leaders available to support EBNP. As suggested by Eizenberg, (2011), Gerrish et al. (2011), and Cullen et al. (2011), educated leaders and managers are needed to keep and instill EBNP to an institution. To obtain Magnet Status hospitals must ensure that EBNP is in place, is supported, and is sustained by the organisation (Brown et al., 2011). To procure nurse  interest in EBNP, and maintain Magnet Status, some hospitals have linked participation in EBNP to clinical ladder advancement and a monetary reward in the form of a wage increase with advancement up the ladder (Whitmer, Aver, Beerman, Weishaupt, 2011). To hold their position on the clinical advancement ladder the nurse must show, yearly, that he/she is supporting, or implementing, or participating in EBNP within the setting they are employed (Whitmer et al, 2011). The benefits of practicing EBN includes: patients ability to access effective evidence based treatment information; facilitates consistent improvement, through decision making, to healthcare systems; facilitates decisions based on up-to-date evidence and technologies; and reduces variances in nursing care from one nurse to another – standard and competencies are evidence based and consistent; through evidence based competencies the professional status of nursing is elevated to higher heights (Gerrish et al., 2011; Eizenberg, 2011). In conclusion, the challenges/barriers, barrier strategies, and benefits of EBNP has been discussed. Little discussion on EBNP within an ICU was attempted as the ICU nurses face the same situations, challenges/barriers, strategies and benefits as nurses in other areas of healthcare (Sciarra, 2011). Nurses must be given organisational support, education and knowledge needed to participate proficiently in EBNP. References Brim, C. B., Schoonover, H. D. (2009). Lessons learned while conducting a clinical trial to facilitate evidence-based practice: the neophyte researcher experience. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 40(8), 380-384. DOI: 10.3928/00220124-20090723-06 Brown, C. R., Johnson, A. S., Appling, S. E. (2011). A taste of nursing research: an interactive program, introducing evidence-based practice and research to clinical nurses. Journal for Nurses in Staff development, 27(6), E1-E5. DOI: 10.1097/NND.0b013e3182371190 Cullen, L., Titler, M. G., Rempel, G. (2011). An advanced educational program promoting evidence-based practice. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 33(3), 345-364. DOI: 10.1177/0193945910379218 Eizenberg, M. M. (2011). Implementation of evidence-based nursing practice: nurses’ personal and professional factors? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(1), 33-42. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05488.x Fernandez, R. S., Davidson, P., Griffiths, R. (2008). Cardiac rehabilitation coordinators’ perceptions of patient-related barriers to implementing cardiac evidence-based guidelines. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 23(5), 449-457. Gerrish, K., Guillaume, L., Kirshbaum, M., McDonnell, A., Tod, A., Nolan, M. (2011). Factors influencing the contribution of advanced practice nurses to promoting evidence- based practice among front-line nurses: findings from a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(5), 1079-1090. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05560.x Hutchinson, A. M., Johnston, L. (2006). Beyond the BARRIES Scale: commonly reported barriers to research use. Journal of Nursing Administration, 36(4), 189-199. Kenny, D. J., Richard, M. L., Ceniceros, X., Blaize, K. (2010). Collaborating across services to advance evidence-based nursing practice. Nursing Research, 59(1S), S11-S21. Mark, D. D., Latimer, R. W., Hardy, M. D. (2010). â€Å"Stars† aligned for evidence-based practice. A TriService initiative in the Pacific. Nursing Research, 59(S1), S48-S57. Matula, P. (2005). Evidence-based practice at the bedside: Igniting the spirit of inquiry. The Pennsylvania Nurse, Dec, 22. Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Stillwell, S. B., Williamson, K. M. (2010). The seven steps of evidence-based practice. Following this progressive, sequential approach will lead to improved health care and patient outcome. The American Journal of Nursing, 110(1), 51-53. Pochciol, J. M., Warren, J. I. (2009). An information technology infrastructure to enable evidence-based nursing practice. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 33(4), 317-324. Ross, J. (2010). Information literacy for evidence-based practice in perianesthesia nurses: readiness for evidence-based practice. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 25(2), 64-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.jopan.2010.01.007 Sciarra, E. (2011). Impacting practice through evidence-based education. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 30(5), 269-275. DOI: 10.1097/DCC.0b.013e318227738c Tolson, D., Booth, J., Lowndes, A. (2008). Achieving evidence-based nursing practice: impact of the Caledonian development model. Journal of Nursing Management, 16, 682-691. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2008.00889.x Whitmer, K., Aver, C., Beerman, L., Weishaupt, L. (2011). Launching evidence-based nursing practice. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 27(2), E5-E7. DOI: 10.1097/NND.0b013e31820eefd2 Wolf, Z. R. (2005). Clinical challenges and evidence based nursing practice. The Pennsylvania Nurse, Dec, 20.

The Whistleblower: Julian Assange

The Whistleblower: Julian Assange Julian Assange is one of the most famous whistleblowers since 2006. Assange is an Australian citizen and the leader of a group that attacks the secret documents of governments by leaking them. In fact, he managed to leak confidential information and data about global financial transactions between different countries and organizations as well as secret operations regarding military and policies. He also founded WikiLeaks as a website where whistleblowers and hackers could have the ability to put stolen information about organizations without having to mention their real identities. The website as well as Assange started to gain fame in most of the houses all over the world since Chelsea Manning contributed in the leakage of data about the American army. Furthermore, hackers were able to put on WikiLeaks a video about shooting Iraqi citizens, who were not armed, by helicopters that belonged to the United States. This video was named Collateral Murder. Since then, the name of Julian wa s mentioned in many fields including poisonous wastes thrown near Cote dIvoire along with operations and procedures regarding detention in Guantanamo Bay. Christodoulou, holly. (2017, February 8). In 2010, whistleblowers on WikiLeaks were able to release more than two thousand documents regarding diplomatic cables. They managed to get these documents from a source without an identity. In addition, these documents were leaked and released after the spread of Collateral Murder video and the documents related to Iraqi and Afghani Wars in 2010. Both documents exceeded more than four thousand documents. It is said that the leakage of such information and data came from a source that belonged to Bradley Manning. As a matter of fact, Manning is an analyst who used to work in the American Army Intelligence. However, he was imprisoned later. A lot of people ask about whether WikiLeaks was able to release confidential documents before or not. In fact, the answer for such question is yes.   In order to succeed in leaking all these amounts of information, WikiLeaks has passed through three stages directly after being created. It is worth mentioning that the first stage involved the rele ase of documents regarding Kenya about eight years ago. During this period, the responsible persons of the website and its management worked according to a wiki model. This model provided readers and loggers with the ability to put information on the website no matter what this information is or these documents are. On the contrary, the website had the authority to determine the kind of documents and whether to accept them or not. The second stage, through which WikiLeaks moved, included the release of Collateral Murder seven years ago. As a matter of fact, a lot of political organization took that video really seriously since it was considered as a political declaration of the brutality of the United States policies. This video was released in order to show and clarify a certain opinion, not in order to inform public about such point of view. Finally, the third stage included the release of diplomatic documents and labels. This stage is happening right now. WikiLeaks managed to hav e connections and strong relationships with organizations in the field of media and news to be able to collect, analyze and publish political documents through using organized ways instead of throwing such diplomatic cables on the internet or implementing them as a source to show a certain opinion. Zittrain, J. (2010). While Julian and other whistleblowers believe that people all over the world are in deep need of WikiLeaks, the governmental authorities and organizations think the opposite. In fact, Assange thinks that these leakages of documents force the governments to be more open and not to hide any secrets. In addition, they encourage those political organizations to respect the public and their privacy along with showing that they are clear and honest. It has to be taken into consideration the fact that WikiLeaks was an anonymous unknown website unless it succeeded in the release of videos like Collateral Murder and Baghdad Airstrike videos. Unfortunately, Baghdad video was released by the website seven years ago and talked about the murder of two reporters, who used to work in Reuters, by American military forces. On the other side, the case is different for the United States. Officials in the American government had the desire to accuse Assange of betrayal and espionage since he has release d private confidential diplomatic cables regarding Pentagon. Actually, the American government believed in the idea that these documents have resulted in the destruction of its national security and foreign affairs with other powerful countries. The WikiLeaks impact the American business journal. (2016). As for how the United States responded to these leakages, it resorted to the policy of power in order to force WikiLeaks and Assange to return back the hacked documents just after the release of diplomatic cables regarding the Afghani War. Moreover, it started along with the British government to condemn these actions because they thought they could lead to the destruction of peoples lives and their privacy. Moreover, a lot of authorities thought these documents to be very sensitive since it touched a lot of top secret political problems and situations. Universities also in the United States have warned their students not to enter WikiLeaks, read any document or put any data in order not to expose their lives to danger. Finally, it is worth mentioning that governments must be very careful while dealing with confidential documents and secure them well so that they could be able to avoid any kind of hacking or any whistleblower who might think of leaking them. Karhula, P. (2012). References: Karhula, P. (2012). What is the effect of WikiLeaks for freedom of information? Retrieved February 15, 2017, from IFLA, http://www.ifla.org/publications/what-is-the-effect-of-wikileaks-for-freedom-of-information The WikiLeaks impact the American business journal. (2016). Retrieved February 15, 2017, from The American Business Journal, http://www.abjusa.com/features/features_apr_may_11/the_wikileaks_impact_don_t_shoot_the_messenger.html Zittrain, J. (2010). Everything you need to know about Wikileaks. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/421949/everything-you-need-to-know-about-wikileaks/ Christodoulou, holly. (2017, February 8). Who is Julian Assange and why is the WikiLeaks founder wanted by Sweden? Retrieved February 15, 2017, from THE SUN, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2188164/who-is-julian-assange/

Macbeth the Tragic Hero :: essays research papers

Macbeth the Tragic Hero The most tragic hero was Macbeth. A tragic hero is one who commits an act and suffers tremendously for it. Just as all tragic heroes, Macbeth made decisions that led him to his doom. His actions were influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the Witches? prophecies. He was greatly haunted by his desire of being King and to remain King. His noble characteristic slowly downgraded to a violent and cruel individual as the story progresses. Macbeth once used to be a brave gentleman. He was well respected around Scotland and earned much trust from almost everyone. When the King said, ?For brave Macbeth ? (1.2.18),? we can interpret that even the King himself respected Macbeth. He goes out to war, defeat enemies, and save his country, his life was put on the line for the entire Scotland. He earned himself the titles Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis. In war, he is a well rounded warrior?he kills many on the battlefield without hesitation. But when he had to kill King Duncan, it took more than courage for him to commit the murder. It might be a cowardly act to murder a King in order to gain his throne, but the courage he mustered in order to actually kill King Duncan was bravery. Added to the fact that King Duncan is Macbeth?s own relative plays an important role on how much it took for Macbeth to kill. But unfortunately, Macbeth used his bravery for evil intents rather than for good. Guilt played a tragic role in Macbeth?s downfall. After killing Duncan, he was haunted by his actions and couldn?t move on without worrying that his murder was going to be exploited. From the quote, ?Will all great Neptune?s ocean wash this blood? (2.2.60),? we can assume that Macbeth was worried of whether or not his guilt will vanquish. There was no turning back for him. As the story progresses, the only solution for maintaining his reign of Scotland was to kill. His close friend, Banquo, was also murdered because Macbeth assumed doing so would be best in order to prevent losing his throne. But little did Macbeth know that he was actually being killed by his own mind and ambitions Another important factor that brought catastrophe to Macbeth was the Witches? prophecies. His superstition was noted by his susceptibility to the Witches? predictions. If the Witches never told Macbeth that he was going to be the King of Scotland, he would have been his ordinary self and not ponder upon those thoughts.

The Vanishing Chinese in American History Essay examples -- American A

The Vanishing Chinese in American History Our country’s history is filled with stories that are ignored: the Japanese Americans who were held against their will in internment camps during World War II, African-American pilots who fought bravely for our country during the second World War, Native Americans who sacrificed their lives in defense of territory that was rightfully theirs, and Chinese immigrants who toiled to build the western leg of the transcontinental railroad in the nineteenth century. Typical of this silencing of stories in American history is the exclusion of Chinese â€Å"paper sons†Ã¢â‚¬â€young men, many in their early teens, who came to this country with papers that fraudulently established their family relations to an American-born or naturalized father. The â€Å"paper son† phenomenon is not unusual in the history of the Chinese in America; it was a common way to get around the discriminatory immigration laws that prevented many Chinese from coming to the United States. Thus, the stories of â€Å"paper sons† should be told as we examine the racist attitudes and policies toward the people who built, shaped, and changed America alongside European immigrants. As former U.S. Congressman Norm Mineta so eloquently puts it, â€Å"When one hears Americans tell of the immigrants who built this nation, one is led to believe that all our forebears come from Europe. When one hears stories about the pioneers going West to shape the land, the Asian immigrant is rarely mentioned† (Takaki 6). We need to acknowledge the contributions of extraordinary individuals—â€Å"paper sons† such as my uncle, Stanley Hom Lau, who left their families and homeland behind to establish new roots and who made America the u nique salad bowl it is today. ... ...ide of the Pacific to the other and have opportunities they never dreamed possible. The voices of â€Å"paper sons† like Stanley Hom Lau should not be silenced; they should be included in history books because these people are an important component of U.S. history—as important as the Irish, German and Russian immigrants were to this country at the turn of the century. For, as Americans, we originally came from many â€Å"different shores† (Takaki)—Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Works Cited Chan, Sucheng. Asian Americans: An Interpretive History. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991. Lai, H. Mark and Choy, Philip P. Outlines: History of the Chinese in America. San Francisco: Fong Brothers, 1971. Lau, Stanley. Personal Interview. May 2-3, 1997. Takaki, Ronald. Strangers From a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. New York: Penguin Books, 1989.

Abortion Essay example -- essays research papers

Abortion has been and still is one of the most controversial topics in American culture. The reason for the controversy is the different viewpoints of this very personal matter. Some believe that abortion is the same as murder. Others believe it’s a personal choice which only they have the right to make. Due to the nature of the procedure and the concerns associated with ending a pregnancy, abortion will continue to top the list of â€Å"touchy† subjects in American politics and culture. As a pro-choice advocate, it is important for the right to have an abortion to be established and protected. An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. The most common abortion procedure is the vacuum aspiration or suction curettage.   Ã‚  This is performed during the first trimester of a pregnancy. â€Å"†¦   The physician will then gradually widen (dilate) the cervix.   When the cervix has been dilated to the width appropriate for your stage of pregnancy, the physician will insert a small tube (cannula) which is attached to a suction machine.   The machine’s suction empties the contents of the uterus through the tube†¦The entire procedure takes just a few minutes†. On the other hand, the most controversial abortion procedure is the Partial-Birth abortion. This procedure, performed past the first trimester, has been banned in many states, including New York. â€Å"†¦the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, Bush administration lawyers said the procedure was never medically necessary to protect a woman's health and caused undue pain to the fetus, making t he procedure inhumane.† (2) The procedure is also known as dilation and extraction, or D&X, and dilation and evacuation, or D&E. â€Å"In a regular D&E abortion performed in the second trimester, a patient's cervix is dilated and the fetus is dismembered and removed by forceps†. (3) In 1973 abortion was legalized in the United States. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to forbid a woman to have an abortion during her first trimester of her pregnancy. The Court also ruled that second trimester abortion was to be regulated by the state and only when the Woman’s health was at risk. This decision was a big step in the fight for women equality in the United States. It gave women the right to decide when or whether or not to become a mother. This was unheard of before. Before Roe v. Wade, women were having illegal... ... away with passing this first act it is only a matter of time before abortion is banned all together. This will mean a step back for all women in the fight for equal right in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What will happen if it is banned all together? Well for starters, the practice of illegal abortions will be reinstated in the country. Young girls will go to these â€Å"doctor† and put their lives in their hands not knowing exactly what the outcome will be, because as with any illegal practice it will not be performed in a safe environment. It will not be followed up with proper medical attention. As a result, women will die. They will be forced to put their lives and their relationships with their families at risk. It will no longer be a personal matter or a private choice because once a woman who is afraid to have an illegal abortion and instead keeps an unwanted child will have to deal with the consequences. This might lead to losing a job, dropping out of school or even becoming mentally and emotionally unstable. I am pro-choice. I want my rights protected and I believe every woman whether she is pro-choice or pro-life will appreciate at least having a choice.

Somatic Marker Hypothesis

Critically evaluate to what extent the ‘somatic-marker hypothesis’ explains how decisions are made in the face of an uncertain outcome. In mind of Kim Sterelny’s (2007) statement that ‘Human Life is one long decision tree’, it is not surprising that there has been a vast amount of research into the process of how we evaluate the desirability of alternative choices and select a particular option.One area of research, of particular interest here, is Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis (SMH) (1991) which uses the neuroeconomic approach through its integration of the fields of psychology, neuroscience and economics to invoke an understanding of how one makes a decision (Damasio, Tranel & Damasio, 1998). This Theory supports the RAF hypothesis that significant risky outcomes elicit emotional reactions (Stanfey, Loewenstein, McClue & Cohen, 2006,).The SMH proposes that stochastic decision making is the result of emotion-based biasing signals in the b ody- in particular from the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (VMPFC) (Bechara, Damasio, Tranel & Damasio, 2005). This concept will be discussed in further detail (with reference to it’s origin and experimental support), followed by a critical analysis of the extent to which the SMH successfully explains what it contends to.Since the SMH focuses solely on the role of emotion in decision making, the Rationale Planning Model (1995) will also be examined in comparison to the SMH for it’s explanation of decision making as a purely logical and rational process. The Rational Planning Model by Banfield (1995) proposes that the decision maker consciously undergoes five steps when coming to a decision and so approaches the choice in a very rational manner. Subsequently, an evaluation of the two theories for stochastic decision making will follow to discern how well they account for stochastic decision making.The SMH stemmed from attempts to explain why a patient (E. V. R. ), with an ablation of the VMPFC, often engaged in behaviors that were detrimental to his wellbeing (Damasio, 1996). Emotion was originally believed to be a disruptive force in decision making, but since the VMPFC is in charge of emotional function, it was now speculated to be essential for the ability to make a decision. Further investigation into this phenomenon through neuropsychological examination, found that those patients with damage to their VMPFC evinced a generally flat affect and an inability to respond to emotional situations (Bolla et al. 003). Thus, Damasio extracted that the decision making deficits experienced by these patients was a result of this altered psychophysiological response (Damasio, 1996). His SMH contends that when presented with a decision, the normal brain will use the VMPFC to react emotionally to the situation and generate ‘somatic markers’ in order to come to a decision. A somatic marker is best defined as the brains construction of a physiolog ical change that it apprehends for the selection of a particular strategy. It supposedly guides attention towards the more advantageous option (Dalgleish, 2004).This enables the organism to react quicker to external stimuli as it no longer needs to wait for the activity to emerge in the periphery before it can elicit a reaction (Dalgleish, 2004). Furthermore, the VMPFC is thought to support association learning between complex situations and the somatic changes usually experienced during a particular situation (Jameson, Hinson, & Whitney, 2004). Put simply, once a previous situation that elicited similar somatic markers is identified, the VMPFC can use past experiences to rapidly evaluate possible behavior responses.So when the VMPFC suffers impairment, the somatic marker system can no longer be activated, resulting in an absence of physiological feedback and an inability to predict long term punishments and rewards. This occurrence has been termed ‘Myopia for the futureâ€⠄¢, where a decision may only be formulated by the use of a logical cost-benefit analysis (Dalgleish, 2004). However, if one was presented with an uncertain situation, the result would be marked impairment. The SMH substantiates its argument through the experimental paradigm: the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) (Bechara et al, 1997, cited in Dunn, Dalgleish & Lawrence, 2006).The task measures decision making in patients with VMPFC brain lesions and compares it to those people with a normally functioning VMPFC. The experiment involves selecting a card from a choice of four decks- each of which attributes different levels of reward and punishment in the form of winning or losing pretend money. Two of the decks provide a low reward and a low level of punishment and were labeled the advantageous decks. The remaining two decks provide a high reward and a high level of punishment and were named the disadvantageous decks. Control articipants initially sampled both decks equally but shifted their choice to the advantageous decks after experiencing the high punishment from the disadvantageous one. Conversely, the subjects with damage to their VMPFC were seemingly insensitive to the negative consequences of the disadvantageous decks and would continually choose from these decks on account of their high reward (Dunn et al. 2006). The study concludes that the reason the patients failed to comprehend the advantageous decks as the more profitable option, was due to their inability to generate the somatic markers necessary for such a realization (Dunn et al. 006). Furthermore, Bechara et al. (2005) combined the gambling task with the measurement of skin-conductance response (SCR). It was found that control subjects elicited larger anticipatory SCRs before picking from the disadvantageous decks as oppose to the advantageous decks. The absence of anticipatory SCRs in the VMPFC lesion group confirmed the failure for the VMPFC to activate negative, physiological marking signals based o n previous punishment history which ultimately made them insensitive to the possibility of future punishment from the deck (Schmitt, Brinkley & Newman, 1999).Hence, a positive correlation between successful IGT performance and a healthy participants’ ability to develop somatic marker signals was reported. The extensive validation of the IGT, strengthens the evidence for the role of emotion in decision making. For example, patients with various kinds of frontal lobe damage and patients with lesions to the lateral temporal or occipital cortex have also been tested in the IGT (Best, Williams & Coccaro, 2002). Of these patients, only the ones with damage to their VMPFC appear to be impaired on the task (Bechara, Damasio & Damasio, 2000).Furthermore, Overman (2004) has conducted a study outside of the Iowa laboratory and has replicated Damasio’s findings with the extension of gender differences. Overman’s results showed that adolescent men chose from the decks on the basis of long-term outcome only. Moreover, the predictive validity of the IGT and therefore SMH, has demonstrated an association between the response of OCD patients to pharmacotherapy and performance on the IGT (Cavedini, Bassi, Zozi & Bellodi, 2004).This depicts the behavioral form of the IGT to be a very sensitive measure of decision making as its results are highly applicable to real world decision making (e. g. those with OCD). Although the study does much to support the SMH argument, it has also received a lot of criticism which will be subsequently addressed. It has been contested that the work from the Iowa laboratory provides only superficial support for the SMH, since closer analysis can reveal issues that potentially undermine its argument for decision making in the face of an uncertain outcome.For example, Maia & McClelland (2004) contend that the IGT can be performed through access to conscious, explicit knowledge since the task allows a lengthy time to deliberate over each decision- especially since the outcomes are presented in explicit numerical form. Thus, they refute the claim that task acquisition necessarily requires the generation of non conscious ‘somatic marker’ signals which effectively weakens the extent to which the SMH accurately explains decision making in terms of emotion- for it may not be the result of an implicit neural mechanism (Maia & McClelland, 2004. Another criticism of the IGT (and therefore the SMH) is that the patients with VMPFC damage could have been quite apathetic to the study’s demands and expectations. Barrash, Tranel & Anderson (2000) report that patients with lesions to their VMPFC often experience symptoms of apathy and are actually capable of improving their emotional response to affective images if instructed to look carefully. Therefore, if the patients are in fact competent of generating anticipatory SCRs and successfully completing the task, it can be postulated that enhancing their en gagement levels would raise their results to match the control groups.In terms of the implications this would have for the SMH, it would serve as evidence that emotion does not play that great a role in decision making since they can still obtain the same results with impaired emotional ability. Furthermore, Fellows and Farah (2005) have suggested that the syndrome of apathy may deserve more attention in understanding impaired decision making. Similarly, another symptom of VMPFC damage, which can adversely affect performance in the IGT, is impaired reversal learning (Rolls, Hornak, Wade & McGrath, 1994).The IGT is centred on a response reversal in which involves a shift in preference from the two initially rewarding decks to the other two decks due to subsequent punishment (Rolls et al. 1994). Both Fellows & Farah (2005) and Rolls et al (1994), corroborate that lesions to the VMPFC allow normal acquisition but impaired reversal on simple reversal learning tasks. Therefore, the impai red reversal learning, rather than the inability to generate somatic markers, may well account for why patients find it so difficult to perform correctly in the IGT.Fellows & Farah (2005) devised a study to test this notion by removing the response reversal. It was found that by eliminating the rewards of the two disadvantageous decks in the opening trials, the performance of the VMPFC impaired patients was the same as that of the control volunteers. This research suggests that the IGT may not have been testing the role of emotion in decision making but instead, how capable the subjects were in their response reversal.Therefore, the extent to which the SMH explains how decisions are made is further limited since the evidence that emotions play a direct role is very weak. Additionally, the SMH is arguably only applicable to certain decision making and cannot account for those decisions that need rationality and a thoughtful, conscious planning process. Banfield’s Rational Plan ning Model (1959) (RPM), on the other hand, may serve as a good explanation for decision making in such a situation.Banfield states that a rational decision is made when the decision maker lists all the opportunities for action, recognises all the consequences and selects the action based on the preferred consequence. Additionally, Banfield defines a ‘plan’ as a decision with regard to a course of action, involving a similar process as any rational choice. The RPM consists of four main stages: the analysis of the situation, the end reduction and elaboration (formulating an image of the future had an option been picked), the design of courses of action, and the comparative evaluation of consequences (Banfield, 1995).Banfield’s RPM is the most widely subscribed planning theory to date and although it has experienced criticism, it has been hailed very useful in explaining how we make important decisions. According to Stiftel (2000), important decisions are ones whic h demand explicit conscious planning such as buying a house or taking a new job. These decisions are arguably unlikely to be a result of the emotional hunches or gut instincts that Damasio discusses since they almost always involved a mental list of pros and cons before arriving at a decision.However, this theory fails to explain why some people make irrational and illogical decisions in the face of an uncertain outcome. For example, criminals do not logically plan or weigh up the consequences of an action before undertaking, which highlights that there are multiple explanations for how people make decisions. Banfield recognises that people are generally very opportunistic in their daily decision making as rather than materialising a course of action, people will improvise and meet each crisis as it arises.For instance, large industries rarely look forward more than five to ten years and government planning is even less effective (Stiftel). Since Banfield himself appreciates that th e majority of decisions are the unintended outcome of a ‘social process rather than the conscious product of deliberation and calculation’, there is clearly a cause to investigate the role of social processes in decision making (Banfield, 1995 pp. 13). In conclusion, the extent to which the Somatic Marker Hypothesis explains decision making in the face of an uncertain outcome is limited.As it has been demonstrated, Damasio’s SMH attempts to pin decision making down to emotional biasing signals alone and has received various criticisms for its empirical support. For example, it attempts to validate its theory by testing VMPFC patients who may already be too cognitively impaired to perform the task (Barrash et al, 2000). Additionally, the extent to which the IGT measures an implicit response has also been questioned on the grounds that the task allows a great deal of time for deliberation (Maia & McClelland).Thus, Banfield’s Rational Planning Model was exami ned as an alternative explanation for decision making. The RPM does a lot to discredit the SMH and is essentially a valuable explanation of how we make decisions since it highlights that the majority of important decisions force the individual into a conscious process of planning and analysing. However, like the SMH, the RPM alone cannot explain decision making for there are individuals (criminals) who defy deliberation. This highlights that decisions are most likely the cause of an interplay of factors, depending on both the situation and person.To summarise, the SMH does little to explain the tricky phenomenon of decision making in the face of an uncertain outcome- but it would be too deterministic to deem this process down to just one theory alone. Referencing: Banfield, E. C. (1959), â€Å"Ends and means in planning†, International Social Science Journal, Vol. 11, pp. 361-8. Barrash, J. , Tranel, D. , Anderson, S. W. , (2000). Acquired personality distrubances associated with bilateral damage to the ventromedial prefrontal region. Developmental Neuropsychology 18 (3), 355–381. Bechara, A. , Damasio, H. , Damasio, A. R. , (2000).Emotion, decision making and the orbitofrontal cortex. Cerebral Cortex 10, 295–307 Bechara, A. , Damasio, H. , Tranel, D. , Damasio, A. R. , (2005). The Iowa Gambling Task and the somatic marker hypothesis: some questions and answers. Trends in Cogntive Sciences 9 (4), 159–162. Best, M. , Williams, J. M. , Coccaro, E. F. , (2002). Evidence for a dysfunctional prefrontal circuit in patients with an impulsive aggressive disorder. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 99 (12), 8448–8453. Bolla, K. I. , Eldreth, D. A. , London, E. D. , Kiehl, K. A. , Mouratidis, M. , Contoreggi, C. , et al. (2003). Orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction in abstinent cocaine abusers performing a decision-making task. Neuroimage 19 (3), 1085–1094. Cavedini, P. , Bassi, T. , Zorzi, C. , Bellodi, L. , (2004). The advantages of choosing antiobsessive therapy according to decision-making functioning. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 24 (6), 628–631. Dalgleish, T. , 2004. The emotional brain. Nature Neuroscience Reviews 5 (7), 583–589. Jameson, T. L. , Hinson, J. M. , Whitney, P. , 2004. Components of working memory and somatic markers in decision making. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 11 (3), 515–520.Damasio, A. R. , 1996. The somatic marker hypothesis and the possible functions of the prefrontal cortex. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (series B) 351 (1346), 1413–1420. Damasio, A. R. , Tranel, D. , Damasio, H. C. (1998) Somatic markers and the guidance of behaviour. In Jekins, M. J. , Oatley, K & Stein, L. M. (Eds. ), Human Emotion: a reader (pp 122- 125). Oxford: Blackwell. Dunn, D. B. , Dalgleish, T. , Lawrence, A. D. (2006). The Somatic Marker Hypothesis: A critical evaluation. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 30. , 23 9–271. Fellows, L. K. , Farah, M. J. 2005a. Different underlying impairments in decision-making following ventromedial and dorsolateral frontal lobe damage in humans. Cerebral Cortex 15 (1), 58–63. Jameson, T. L. , Hinson, J. M. , & Whitney, P. (2004). Components of working memory and somatic markers in decision making. Psychological Bulletin & Review, 11, 515–520 Maia, T. V. , McClelland, J. L. , 2004. A reexamination of the evidence for the somatic marker hypothesis: what participants really know in the Iowa gambling task. Proceedings of the National Academy for Science USA 101 (45), 16075–16080. Overman, W. H. , 2004.Sex differences in early childhood, adolescence, and adulthood on cognitive tasks that rely on orbital prefrontal cortex. Brain and Cognition 55 (1), 134–147. Rolls, E. T. , Hornak, J. , Wade, D. , McGrath, J. , 1994. Emotion-related learning in patients with social and emotional changes associated with frontal lobe damage. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 57 (12), 1518–1524. Schmitt, W. A. , Brinkley, A. C. , Newman, P. J. (1999). Testing Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis With Psychopathic Individuals: Risk takers or Risk Averse. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 108 (3), 538-543.Sanfey, A. G. , Loewenstein, G. , McClure, S. M. , & Cohen, J. D. (2006). Neuroeconomics: cross-currents in research on decision-making. Trends in Cognitive Science, 10, 108-116. Sterelny, K. (2007). Cognitive Load and Human Decision, or, Three Ways of Rolling the Rock Up Hill. In Carruthers, P. , Laurence, S. , & Stich, S. (Eds. ), The Innate Mind: Volume 2: Culture and Cognition (PP. 148-152). Oxford Scholarship Online. Stiftel, B (2000). â€Å"Plannin theory. II. The national AICP examination preparation course guidebook. Ed Roshi Pajaseyed. Am. Inst. Cert. Planners: Washington DC. Pp. 4-16

Alternative Ending To Catcher in the Rye Essay

Anyway, I really did go home after the carrousel. First, Phoebe and I walked out of the park and took the bus to Grand Central, to get my god dam Gladstone’s out of the strong box there. Though it had stopped hammering down, I was still pretty wet. Boy, it really came down like a madman. I still had ‘Phoebe’s’ red hunting hat on, it was soaking wet though. I didn’t care though. â€Å"I’m glad we’re both going home now, Holden†, she said. â€Å"I’m just ready to get this over with†, I said, â€Å"Mom and dad will cry.† â€Å"Don’t worry, Holden. It’ll be okay†, Phoebe said. She squeezed my hand which she was holding and smiled. It just about killed me. We had most of Phoebe’s Christmas dough, so we got my Gladstone’s, and took the bus to 72nd street. There were a bunch of kids at the back of the bus. They were all horsing around, laughing and all. We sat next to them. We took up a lot of room, since we had my two suitcases, plus my old suitcase with Phoebe’s stuff in it. I heard some kid say, â€Å"Phoebe, your brother found you!† I looked across the bus. It was that kid I met in the park yesterday, the girls who roller skates I’d tightened and all. â€Å"Holden’s coming to see me in the play†, she said to the girl. She tugged my arm, â€Å"This is my brother Holden, Holden, this is Susie. She’s in the play too!† â€Å"Yes†, Susie said, â€Å"It should be really great†. She was so polite. I really liked her. I usually like Phoebe’s friends when I first meet them. Phoebe and Susie helped me get my mind off of how I was about to face my parents. I was worried about my mom. I tried not to think of how hysterical she’d get. Phoebe said mom and dad were coming home at around 7. It was 4 now. We got off the bus at 72nd street, said goodbye to Susie and all, and then walked home. â€Å"How are Mr. and Mrs. Antolini?† she asked me. â€Å"They’re doing pretty good†, I said. Of course I would never tell her what really happened. I still couldn’t believe it. Had he always liked me in a flirty way? We got home, and I took my suitcases into my room and I lay down on my bed. I was pretty tired. All of a sudden i got to thinking about Pencey. I wondered what they were all saying about me back there. I started thinking maybe I was wrong, leaving so suddenly after that god dam little tiff with Stradlater. He’s really not a bad guy. In fact, I sort of missed him. I’ll give old Jane a bell tomorrow, if it’s not too crazy here. So I unpacked a few things in my room, and smoked all of my cigarettes. I was so god dam nervous. Around 7 o’clock, mom and dad walked in together. At the time, I was right there in the hallway, so they saw me right away. I really didn’t care if they yelled at me. I felt numb and empty inside. I was really hungry, but too worried to eat. If you want to know the truth, I was in pretty bad shape. Even though I changed and washed before mom and dad came home, I felt that I must have looked a state. I hadn’t shaved in a few days. Anyway, they looked all dressed up and nice when they came through the door. â€Å"Holden! What’s going on? What are you doing here? Its’ Tuesday†, my dad said. I took a deep breath, and then started coughing all over the place. Christ, what a time to have a coughing fit ey? I finally cleared my throat. â€Å"Well†, I said, â€Å"I†¦I got kicked out again. I’m really sorry† â€Å"Damn it, Holden! I can’t take it anymore!† Dad yelled. Mom had already started sobbing. I felt awful. Seeing Mom cry really killed me. â€Å"Holden, what the hell is wrong with you!? I paid a ton of money to send you to these schools and all you do is get kicked out every god dam time! I know you’re not stupid! You can pass these classes! I know it’s that you’re not applying yourself!† Boy was he mad. His face was all red, and all these veins were sticking out in his neck. I was kinda scared that he would hit me. We’re a pretty non-violent family. I was thinking about Allie the whole time Dad was yelling at me. I don’t know how long the whole thing lasted. â€Å"Damn it, Holden, you’ve really pushed my buttons this time! Look at how well DB and Phoebe are doing. Can’t you follow their lead?† Mom was just sobbing the whole time that the argument was going on. I started drifting off again, I thought about Mr. Antolini. I could be there now, having an intellectual conversation with him, smoking a cigarette. I kept thinking about him patting me on the head. Does he look at me as another son figure? Or does he have feelings for me? Or was he just really drunk? It didn’t seem right at all. When I got there, he should have noticed how tired I was and just let me sleep. So, Dad was kept on yelling at me and sent me to my room. I walked into my room, shut the door, and lay down on my bed again and lit a cigarette that I found in my hounds tooth jacket pocket. I hardly ever see Dad this mad. I heard my mom crying in their bedroom, and my father trying to comfort her. I started thinking of the military school. I knew I’d hate it there, even more than the other schools I’d been to. The next thing I knew, I was sort of crying. Normally I’m not a huge crier, but here I was, crying my god dam eyes out. I heard a little knock at the door, and old Phoebe came in. â€Å"I heard you crying, don’t worry Holden, everything will blow over†. She sat on the side of my bed and hugged me. Trust Phoebe to do something phony like that, but all the same, it was kinda cute. Phoebe went to bed at around 9 o’clock and I was still awake by 11. I couldn’t sleep. I felt kinda weak, and I kept coughing like a madman. That’s about it, that’s all I’m gonna tell you. I could go on and tell you about the military school and Phoebe and all. But I think I told too much already.

Farenheit 451 Essay

While Clarisse and Mildred are both very different people, they work together to help Montag see the truth behind his unhappiness in the society. Clarisse believes in sitting and taking time to watch the world go by. She takes time to see the world and all of its beauty. On the other hand, Mildred lives a fast life letting the world pass her by. She always has a purpose for doing something. For example, she doesn’t just go for walks or looks at things for fun. Clarisse and Mildred are both opposite but, help show Montag the truth about the society. Clarisse is a non-conformist who helps show Montag true happiness in life. Clarisse does not conform to the society. She doesn’t believe in the fast life they live. Clarisse pays attention to little things and has a personal interest in Montag. Clarisse symbolizes the hope for the future of society. Finally, Clarisse’s life centers on the little things that make life worthwhile. For example, she says â€Å"I rarely watch the parlor walls or go to races or fun parks. So I’ve lots of time for crazy thoughts† (Bradbury 9). The quote shows how she is different from the people in the society. She would rather go walking around looking at the beauty of nature than participate in the mind-numbing and barbaric rituals the society participates in. Next, Clarisse also plays a role in the development of Montag. In the beginning Montag meets Clarisse walking home from work. She asks him many questions that make him think about his life. In the end she asks him if he is happy. At first he blows off the question stating of course he is happy but the more he thinks about it he realizes his unhappiness in the society and in his marriage. Clarisse helps jump start his transgression and helps him find his true fate. Mildred is a conformist whose cold and lifeless ways show Montag the truth behind his unhappiness. Mildred is a very important character and plays a major role in the story. First, Mildred symbolizes how the rest of the society acts. Even though Montag and Mildred are married they have a special bond that most married couples share. Mildred is very cold to Montag and does not open up. For example, Montag says â€Å"He felt his way towards his open, separate, and therefore cold bed† (Bradbury 12). The quote means that even though Montag and Mildred are married they have no meaningful connection to each other. Mildred does not open up to Montag to share personal feelings or let him open up to her. Mildred acts this way because she does not like to think. For example, when Mildred goes to bed she has to listen to music so her mind is occupied. If she’s not occupied then she might actually find out how unhappy she is. Mildred helps show Montag how unhappy he really is. Whenever Montag would try and talk to Mildred she would always ignore him and dodge the questions. She would make him feel like their relationship was built on lies and that they really did not love each other. Finally, neither of them could remember where they meet. One of the most important things in a relationship and Mildred nor Montag could remember it. This Furthers Montag’s reasoning that he is not happy. Mildred’s distant ways help show Montag how unhappy he really is. Clarisse and Mildred are both opposite but, help show Montag the truth about the society. Clarisse likes to talk to people and have conversations with them. Also, she takes time to see the world and all of its beauty. On the other hand, all Mildred does is watch the parlor walls. If she does do something it is for a reason not just for fun. While Clarisse and Mildred are both very different people, they work together to help Montag see the truth behind his unhappiness in the society.

Police Brutality Essay

When one thinks of a cop what should come to mind is â€Å"hero†. Cops should be a sign of safety, when a cop comes around you should feel safe and protected. Although a few years ago it was that way it is no longer true. Now day’s cops are seen as people you want to stay away from, people are afraid of them. Cops are now abusing, assaulting, and killing innocent people, this is called police brutality. Police brutality can be caused by policeman’s ability to assume everyone is up to no good, racism, and thinking they have the power to do whatever they want, and it results in falsely accused young adults, death, abuse of power by troubling the lives of others. All over the world people are getting falsely accused and charged with crimes they did not commit, abused, and even killed because of police brutality. When police cars drive around in certain neighborhoods and see a bunch of teens standing around or just any type of people around in groups they automatically start to assume that they are up to no good. In the video I am Sean Bell a child said â€Å" There’s been a lot of times where people got shot over nothing. Like one guy he got shot just for pulling out a brush.† This shows that even though the man wasn’t doing anything wrong and didn’t have anything illegal on him the police just assumed that he was up to no good and was going to fire a weapon. Now days you can’t even pull out a brush without getting shot by police officers. In my eyes they are not protecting us they are taking us down. Nationally 83 percent of police are white; this is most likely why black males are locked up and get pulled over daily. Racism is something that is still a huge problem in America. White people are always seeing blacks as criminals and anytime there is a crime blacks are the first ones who are blamed. â€Å"Tonight there is anger here in New York City as 5 police officers fire 50 rounds into a vehicle last weekend killing one man, injuring two others. Victims were all black and unarmed.† – I am Sean Bell. Why was it necessary to shoot 50 rounds into a vehicle? What did they do that was so wrong for police to fire 50 rounds into their vehicle? The men in the  vehicle were not armed so why were two of them injured and one killed. Police see black people and see them all as criminals that lead to situations like this. If cops weren’t racist maybe so many black people would not be locked up or killed. When a person becomes a police officer they all a sudden thinks they have all the power in the world and can do anything they want and get away with it. Policemen think that they can do anything in the world, they think they have godlike powers and when they do certain things they will get away with it, and the truth is most of the time they do get away with it just by saying â€Å" I thought it was the right call†. Just because they think something is up doesn’t give them the right to start shooting or arrest someone. Everyday people are getting searched without consent, with no warrant, with no reason whatsoever for their actions other than they wanted to. A lot of policemen will pull citizens over for no reason; the biggest reason is to meet their quota. At the end of the month when they don’t have enough tickets to give to their chief they just start pulling people over for going 2 miles over the speed limit, which is unnecessary. â€Å"Some of the interacti ons are entirely situational and unpredictable, driven by each party’s immediate constructions of the others motives or actions. Voice may be expressed and altercations may occur when officers show disrespect towards a citizen or when officers refuse to provide reasons for their actions.†(Weitzer) Policemen go around and tackle citizens to cuff them when all they had to say was put your hand up. By watching numerous episodes of cops I’ve learned that cops don’t give anyone any time to follow their instructions. If you don’t comply within a second they result to force which is completely unnecessary and may injure innocent citizens. Police use unnecessary force before they even find out what the story is. In my view police really need to tone it down and do their job the way it is supposed to be done and not hurt or kill innocent people. In conclusion policeman these days do not know how to do their job without injuring, or killing innocent or even guilty citizens. The job of a policeman is to clean up the streets effectively and with the least amount of casualties possible. The police are not doing their job the way it is  supposed to be done. They are being extremely violent, and killing innocent people, they don’t give people the chance to do what they want them to do. For the safety of others the police need to change, Cops are now abusing, assaulting, and killing innocent people, this is called police brutality. Police brutality can be caused by policeman’s ability to assume everyone is up to no good, racism, and thinking they have the power to do whatever they want, and it results in falsely accused young adults, death, abuse of power by troubling the lives of others. Sources Christina, Lund, et al. â€Å"Violent Criminal Recidivism In Mentally Disordered Offenders: A Follow-Up Study Of 13–20Years Through Different Sanctions.† International Journal Of Law And Psychiatry 36.Special Issue on Prisons and Mental Health (n.d.): 250-257. ScienceDirect. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. Media That Matters: Films I Am Sean Bell. Dir. Stacey Muhammad. Media That Matters Film Festival News. Media That Matters, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013. Goodman, Amy, and Denis Moynihan. â€Å"October 24, 2013.† Democracy Now! Democracy Now, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.