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Saturday, August 31, 2019

How Important Friendship Essay

There are many valuable things in life, but friendship may be one of the most important. To live life without the experience of friendship, is life without living. The human survival is based on friendship. From the highest authority to the lowest bums living on the streets all of them have experienced in some way or the other one of these different kinds of friendships. We take this friendship for granted because it is something that exists naturally in society and most of us never really have to actually go out into the world looking for a friend. Those who have had to live in a foreign country or in new surroundings have lear. Admittedly,depression had become a big menace in our society.People start to concern about this issue and it has surely become a hot topic nowadays.Mass media has been trying hard to give solutions to the public,hoping to reduce the impact of depression,such as suicides.However,people are becoming more individualistic nowadays.We are selfish and only mind their own business.Worse off,we no longer see the value of a true friendship. Instead,we love to compete among each other,either to get a higher position in class or in a company.More disheartening is, some even set friends up just to achieve success. This phenomenon certainly do not help those who are suffered from depression They have no where to seek for help as they hardly find a friend they could trust to talk to.As we all know,the cost of getting professional help is rather pricey and not everyone can afford it.Therefore,I believe that nothing is more important than we,as a part of the society,change our mindset and see the im portance of a true friendship, namely the most valuable things in life.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Art and Craft

Art has had a great number of different functions throughout its history, making its purpose difficult to abstract or quantify to any single concept. This does not imply that the purpose of Art is â€Å"vague†, but that it has had many unique, different reasons for being created. Some of these functions of Art are provided in the following outline. The different purposes of art may be grouped according to those that are non-motivated, and those that are motivated (Levi-Strauss). Non-motivated functions of art The non-motivated purposes of art are those that are integral to being human, transcend the individual, or do not fulfill a specific external purpose. Aristotle said, â€Å"Imitation, then, is one instinct of our nature. † [16] In this sense, Art, as creativity, is something humans must do by their very nature (i. e. , no other species creates art), and is therefore beyond utility. Basic human instinct for harmony, balance, rhythm. Art at this level is not an action or an object, but an internal appreciation of balance and harmony (beauty), and therefore an aspect of being human beyond utility. â€Å"Imitation, then, is one instinct of our nature. Next, there is the instinct for ‘harmony' and rhythm, meters being manifestly sections of rhythm. Persons, therefore, starting with this natural gift developed by degrees their special aptitudes, till their rude improvisations gave birth to Poetry. -Aristotle [17] Experience of the mysterious. Art provides a way to experience one's self in relation to the universe. This experience may often come unmotivated, as one appreciates art, music or poetry. â€Å"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. † -Albert Einstein [18] Expression of the imagination. Art provide a means to express the imagination in non-grammatic ways that are not tied to the formality of spoken or written language. Unlike words, which come in sequences and each of which have a definite meaning, art provides a range of forms, symbols and ideas with meanings that are maleable. â€Å"Jupiter's eagle [as an example of art] is not, like logical (aesthetic) attributes of an object, the concept of the sublimity and majesty of creation, but rather something else – something that gives the imagination an incentive to spread its flight over a whole host of kindred representations that provoke more thought than admits of expression in a concept determined by words. They furnish an aesthetic idea, which serves the above rational idea as a substitute for logical presentation, but with the proper function, however, of animating the mind by opening out for it a prospect into a field of kindred representations stretching beyond its ken. † -Immanuel Kant[19] Universal communication. Art allows the individual to express things toward the world as a whole. [according to whom? ] Earth artists often create art in remote locations that will never be experienced by another person. The practice of placing a cairn, or pile of stones at the top of a mountain, is an example. (Note: This need not suggest a particular view of God, or religion. ) Art created in this way is a form of communication between the individual and the world as a whole. [citation needed] Ritualistic and symbolic functions. In many cultures, art is used in rituals, performances and dances as a decoration or symbol. While these often have no specific utilitarian (motivated) purpose, anthropologists know that they often serve a purpose at the level of meaning within a particular culture. This meaning is not furnished by any one individual, but is often the result of many generations of change, and of a cosmological relationship within the culture. â€Å"Most scholars who deal with rock paintings or objects recovered from prehistoric contexts that cannot be explained in utilitarian terms and are thus categorized as decorative, ritual or symbolic, are aware of the trap posed by the term ‘art'. † -Silva Tomaskova[20] Motivated functions of art Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part of the artists or creator. These may be to bring about political change, to comment on an aspect of society, to convey a specific emotion or mood, to address personal psychology, to illustrate another discipline, to (with commercial arts) to sell a product, or simply as a form of communication. Communication. Art, at its simplest, is a form of communication. As most forms of communication have an intent or goal directed toward another individual, this is a motivated purpose. Illustrative arts, such as scientific illustration, are a form of art as communication. Maps are another example. However, the content need not be scientific. Emotions, moods and feelings are also communicated through art. â€Å"[Art is a set of] artefacts or images with symbolic meanings as a means of communication. † -Steve Mithen[21] Art as entertainment. Art may seek to bring about a particular emotion or mood, for the purpose of relaxing or entertaining the viewer. This is often the function of the art industries of Motion Pictures and Video Games. The Avante-Garde. Art for political change. One of the defining functions of early twentieth century art has been to use visual images to bring about political change. Art movements that had this goal—Dadaism, Surrealism, Russian Constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism, among others—are collectively referred to as the avante-garde arts. â€Å"By contrast, the realistic attitude, inspired by positivism, from Saint Thomas Aquinas to Anatole France, clearly seems to me to be hostile to any intellectual or moral advancement. I loathe it, for it is made up of mediocrity, hate, and dull conceit. It is this attitude which today gives birth to these ridiculous books, these insulting plays. It constantly feeds on and derives strength from the newspapers and stultifies both science and art by assiduously flattering the lowest of tastes; clarity bordering on stupidity, a dog's life. † -Andre Breton (Surrealism)[22] Art for psychological and healing purposes. Art is also used by art therapists, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists as art therapy. The Diagnostic Drawing Series, for example, is used to determine the personality and emotional functioning of a patient. The end product is not the principal goal in this case, but rather a process of healing, through creative acts, is sought. The resultant piece of artwork may also offer insight into the troubles experienced by the subject and may suggest suitable approaches to be used in more conventional forms of psychiatric therapy. Art for social inquiry, subversion and/or anarchy. While similar to art for political change, subversive or deconstructivist art may seek to question aspects of society without any specific political goal. In this case, the function of art may be simply to criticize some aspect of society.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Issues Concerning Economic Inequalities in America Term Paper

Issues Concerning Economic Inequalities in America - Term Paper Example Medina, John, The genetic inferno: inside the seven deadly sins, Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print. His essay apparently provides a lot of parameters that promote greed but does not seem to provide any scientific grounding on why this happens in any society. The element that may support this outlook can be seen from the fact that no real scientific evidence has been established as to why a particular individual, a group, society or even animals succumb to this concept of greed. John Medina, in his book ‘The genetic inferno: inside the seven deadly sins’ specifically focuses on the aspects of greed and the resulting avarice. â€Å"The problem is that no one has ever found a gene for avarice in human beings. No one has ever found a region in the human brain exclusively devoted to greed for that matter† (Medina. 110). Medina is a molecular biologist and hence considered for this paper as an eminently qualified person to provide opinions and suggestions on the t opic under study. The book is published by the Cambridge University Press and one that has an established reputation. The only negative factor seen in the text is that no peer-reviewed work in the book. But even so, the author with his qualifications and the backing of the Oxford University can be seen as a valuable source of secondary literature regarding this study. The lack of scientific evidence as to what constitutes greed has been established in the book. Edney, in his essay also does not purport any claim in this regard.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Process and production improvement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Process and production improvement - Essay Example Besides main course, DH kitchen offers a variety of desserts, salads, side orders, and ice creams along with plenty of beverages like tea, coffee, cardamom tea, and drinks. The increased number of food and cash counters has eased the difficulties of increased student body and caters significantly more people than before. However, there are many aspects of DH, which needs improvement. First, the temperature turns to discomforting degrees at times. Specifically during summers, it gets more suffocating with a huge number of people around and lesser ventilation. Second, the cash counters are located in one centre aisle, receiving people from five counters simultaneously. This results in huge crowd and delay leading to agonized public at both sides of the counter. In addition, DH has been one outlet, which is affordable for all classes: NOPs, janitors, middle-class, or elite rich, everyone can afford. However, the recent 25% increase in prices of all food items have led to great hues and cry in the entire student body whose parents are already fighting with inflation to pay for the expensive tuition of their children. In addition, the quality and taste of the food has always been a great debate at Harvard.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The exact meaning of Europe is ambiguous and it is not possible to Essay

The exact meaning of Europe is ambiguous and it is not possible to accurately define it. Do you agree - Essay Example In Chinese, Europe is referred to as Ouzhu- which is a derivative of the word Europa. Furthermore, the continent has also been referred to as Frengistan (land of the Franks) by the Turkish civilization. Many other languages have referred to the region in similar context, but there has not been any single undisputed explanation of the meaning of the term Europe that is used for the continent (Malmborg, 2002). Studies related to history and politics have been the source of many co mbnnclusive reforms and facts for the development of thought and academia. However, in the discussions and origins of political terms and slogans, there have been many inconclusive debates due to an absence of a factual historical dictionary. Since there has been an absence of this etymological record in the form of a dictionary, any factual brief on many political terms and slogans has been hard to find. Moreover, any research that may be taken up would in turn be significantly time consuming and may never have a conclusive statement of their backgrounds (Boer, 1995). The lack in the research material and weak records of terms and their origins, has made the structured method of investigation in political expressions and education and development of ideas weak and the theories challengeable. Many revered literary works in the field relating to philological dictionaries, especially referred for the European languages, have not been of much help either in any conclusive remarks on these political terms and semantics (Boer, 1995). The main reason for this to happen is that most of the literary research ahs been the work of the esteemed scholars and critics has been entirely focused and centred on philology and literature. Hence, there has not been much concentration and attention on works related on political semantics and historical slogans. Furthermore, the links in these works present and developed internationally along with the different views

Monday, August 26, 2019

Management of International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management of International Business - Essay Example The role of private capital cannot be neglected as far as the economic development of a country is concerned. Shell is the most influential or biggest oil company in the world. They are one among the bests as far as the commitments to social responsibility are concerned. Apart from one or two incidents, Shell behaved ethically and demonstrated their social commitments in most of the times. They promise less and deliver more. Germany is one among the most influential countries in the world as far as economic growth and size are concerned. After the unification of the Germanys, the unified Germany is more stable politically and economically. Germans are keener in giving more humanitarian look to their economy and hence they will never allow any companies to function in their soil against the will of the public. Shell can operate or expand in German soil if they are able to implement business strategies suitable to the German culture and tradition. This paper analyses corporate social r esponsibility commitments of Shell Company and their future prospects and growth potentials in Germany. Introduction â€Å"Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies is one of the largest global groups of energy and petrochemicals companies with around 101,000 employees in more than  90 countries and territories† (About Shell, n. d). ... Germany is one of the prominent countries in the Europe. After the unification of West and East Germanys in 1989, unified Germany has attained a significant role in international arena. The Hitler era is over and the current Germans are keener in working for the growth of their nation rather than expanding their nation to different territories. In other words, Germany is a good place for investments at present because of the better political and economical climates. Organizations which are ready to obey their international obligations can select Germany as a safe place for investments at present. Germans value socially committed organizations very much and they consider the track records of organizations with respect to social responsibility, while purchasing something. Corporate social responsibility of Shell Kotler and Lee (2004) have pointed out that CSR is the â€Å"commitment to improve community well-being through discretionary business practices and contributions of the corpo rate resources† (Kotler &Lee, 2004, p.3). Most of the Shell companies are operating independently in each of the countries, by the people who know the needs of the community and the environment well. They have the authority and autonomy to make all normal business decisions (Nehring, 2002).One of the major success factors of Shell Company is their respect to the community in which they operate. While most of the competitors concentrate only on reaping the profits, Shell is keener in spending a portion of their profit for the wellbeing of the society or community in which it operates. They are giving more emphasize to the environmental protection and hence no major

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Quantitative Research Analysis Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quantitative Analysis - Research Paper Example The course indicated is on teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) where 29 participants from the online course and 31 students from the classroom setting were included in the research. The findings revealed that â€Å"students in the Web-based section of the course learned slightly but not significantly more than students in the classroom-based section of the course† (Thirunarayanan & Perez-Prado, 2002, 136). The authors aimed to determine the academic performance or achievement of students between the online course and the classroom setting course. The dependent variable therefore is the measure of achievement of students which is determined through tests (pretests and posttests) and the scores recorded were used to calculate statistical patterns (means, averages, t-test, among others). The independent variables are the kinds of courses offering the ESOL: offline and online groups with different sample sizes. Of course other factors that were taken into consideration were the age of the students (ranging from 21 to 47 years) and the gender (classroom setting: 30 female and 1 male student; online setting: 25 female and 4 male students). The impetus for the development of the study was the need to determine the effectiveness of teaching ESOL as â€Å"one of the final courses required of preservice teachers in their Elementary Education Program with ESOL endorsement† (Thirunarayanan & Perez-Prado, 2002, 132). Both course settings had been applied in both classroom setting and online formats. With the proliferation of distance-learning courses offered through the World Wide Web, there is a need to validate previous research studies which indicate that â€Å"there is no significant difference in the achievement of students enrolled in distance education courses when compared with the achievement of students enrolled in traditional or classroom based courses† (Thirunarayanan & Perez-Prado, 2002, 131). However, the current study did not indicate a

Saturday, August 24, 2019

My best, or your worst, team experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My best, or your worst, team experience - Essay Example We were to prepare documentation for business plan, three-year cash flow, and development plan for three, five, and ten years respectively, and lay out a marketing policy for the bank establishment. We divided the tasks equally amongst ourselves and worked hard to accomplish the goals. The command was challenging especially due to time constraints. However, the command experience was made exciting by respect from all members. All team members were respectful, disciplined, and obedient to one another. We made friendship and learned how to solve our differences professionally. Everyone contributed thoughts, ideas, and expertise. As the command leader, I made a great contribution by utilizing my team leadership and problem solving skills. The greatest experience came when we presented and won the command competition. Making the command successful was the most important accomplishment to me. It felt great and I was very happy to have led the command and emerged the winners. The whole command was a learning experience. I learned that collaboration, discipline, obedience, and positive attitude are the keys to a great teamwork

Friday, August 23, 2019

Mental and Physical Problems Stemming From Childhood Obesity Research Paper - 1

Mental and Physical Problems Stemming From Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example According to Pretlow (2010), childhood obesity is caused by the imbalance between the calorie intake and calorie utilized (p. 1). Changing life styles, life philosophies and eating habits are causing this problem. Many of the modern children consider eating as a recreational activity. They are not much interested in researching the ingredients of the food while taking food from fast food outlets and restaurants. Instead of nutrients, taste is the primary factor considered by the modern children while taking foods. At the same time, modern generation is less interested in physical workouts even though they are taking excessive fatty and sweetly foods. Thus excess calories acquired through food get deposited or accumulate in the body as fat which will create problems in the life of the child at present as well as in the future. Karnik & Kanekar pointed out that â€Å"Lack of playtime, little or no physical education at schools, videogames and excessive TV viewing time are proposed as the major cause of the childhood obesity epidemic† (Karnik & Kanekar, p. 4). Obese children may not be able to socialize properly with peers. They often undergo bullying and teasing from the fellow students. So, they will try to limit their activities in front of computers or television sets. They may not go out and play with the peers because of the fear of teasing and harassment. Many children have the habit of taking shelter in eating to avoid frustrations generated out of obesity related problems. Overeating may increase the obesity related problems further. Modern researches have shown that childhood obesity may cause physical and mental problems in the current life of the child as well as in the future life of the child. Physical health problems such as overweight, high blood pressure, cholesterol, coronary problems, diabetes, thyroid etc and mental problems such as lack of self-esteem,

Living in Multicultural Societies Research Paper

Living in Multicultural Societies - Research Paper Example Since the developed nations of the world offer superior education, health, employment and individual as well as collective growth and development of the people, the populations belonging to the under-developed and developing countries tend to move to the developed states for brighter job and business prospects on the one side, and to lead a better, comfortable and luxurious life on the other. Situated in the Island of Hispaniola, in the southern part of Atlantic Ocean, the Dominican Republic serves as the second largest Caribbean nation existing on the face of the earth (Seelke 1). Being the poor economy, but rich with the natural resources, the country had been the target of the adventures of the European powers since the seventeenth century onward. Since the Spanish royalty had taken keen interest in keeping the country under the Spanish control, the Caribbean island had been one of the Spanish dominions for decades. By the end of eighteenth century, the country came under the sway of French authorities, though the French had to experience the revolt of the indigenous population against them. It eventually encouraged the neighboring Haitians to occupy the island for establishing their rule over it (Lancer 2002). Migration is a social phenomenon, which is equally popular among the individuals belonging to all geographical zones, different ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds, various age-groups and both the genders (Weeks 263). Identical with the rest of the world, the people belonging to the Dominican Republic also observe migration from their native country to some other regions of the globe. It is partly because of the very fact that the country had been the victim of poverty, massive corruption at national scale, bad governance, nepotism, political unrest, sociocultural chaos and economic uncertainty that force the masses to explore new dimensions for making progress in life (Morgan, Espinal, & Seligson 10-1). In addition, the country also

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Speech and racism in colonial literature Essay Example for Free

Speech and racism in colonial literature Essay As Dennis Leary said, racism isn’t born, it is taught. Racism is a weapon able to denigrate and dehumanize people. â€Å"Racism has always been present in colonization especially soon after the Europeans colonized the New World, the idea of racial distinctions developed† (LaRocque). Still until today, the colonial attitude especially towards black people is due because of economic power. Many postcolonial novels show themes such as racism, abuse of power, violence and speech to show the perspective of both sides of the conflict; the black and the white. Literature is a gift because it allows people to shape their perspectives of the world. In the novels Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad readers are able to see the postcolonial literature perspective in similar stories from different sides. This essay will analyze speech in Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart in order to prove how Achebe’s novel exposes the racism found in Heart of Darkness. Stories are important because they shape a person’s mind by influencing their lives. Stories arise out of a person’s belief and therefore cannot be disproven (â€Å"Comparing†). These both novels through stories portray issues in different societies and its complexity. Things Fall Apart is an amazing novel that shows the life of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, Africa. The novel surrounds the main character Okonkwo, a tragic hero who refuses to accept the fate of his dead father but rather self-preserves himself. Through Okonkwo many themes are portrayed dealing with violence, masculinity and the importance of religion for the Igbo tribe. Achebe’s novel shows in detail this society and thus the complexity of their way of living. Lgbo people are hardworking, religious, obedient and follow the calendar based on harvesting. This points the set of beliefs and systems that indigenous people of Africa have developed for their life’s (â€Å"Use†). Achebe also displays the role of men and women in society and how women are assign unimportant roles being men the power in the Igbo society. The importance of speech in the novel is prioritized as the author uses Igbo language thus creating a distinctive African story. It shows an image of Africa before colonialism changed it (â€Å"Use†). In the other hand, Josephs Conrad’s novella acts more as a criticism comparing the civilized and the uncivilized. This shows the power of the white Europeans on their colonization in Africa. As its title, it shows the darkest side of humans by brutality and racism. The novella starts in the Nellie at the Thames River when the captain Charlie Marlow starts to narrate his stories about how he entered to Africa and his experiences. Marlow has always have passion for maps, exploring and adventure that is what begins his journey to a new and mysterious world; Africa. Through his stories we see the complexity of the African jungle and how this place influences the characters. The only thing that inspires and drives Marlow is his desire to meet Kurtz, an admirable and respected agent. Through his experiences we can see the racism towards the black people and how European colonizers treated them. By the actions of many characters we perceive the ivory smuggling, the ambition of power and money and the evil hidden in the jungle. Therefore it shows darkness behind inhumanity and injustice to others. How this darkness is so powerful that can destroy others and the person itself (Conrad). In both novels we see the importance of speech. Speech acts as a symbol of racism and the distance of language. In Things Fall Apart speech is very important as Achebe uses lgbo words in the novel. â€Å"By incorporating Igbo words, rhythms, language and concepts into an English text about his culture, Achebe goes a long way to bridge a cultural divide† (â€Å"Language†). This shows the complexity of the African culture and the misunderstanding between cultures. In this case being the lgbo culture and the ones of the colonists. Therefore Achebe’s incorporation of Igbo words makes his novel even more realistic because it gives the Africans a voice. It also allows the reader to learn more about its culture by understanding the meaning of these words. We also see how organized and specific the dialect is relying on the rules to address to people. These words don’t make the reading harder but rather they make it more interesting basing on its context and how they are used. Also these words are crucial for the novel because if they are translated to English they might lose their concept. â€Å"To provide an authentic feel for lgbo culture would be impossible without also allowing proverbs to play a significant role in the novel† (â€Å"Language†). We can see how oral is important for the culture as there is plenty communication. In lgbo tribes messages are carried orally; stories, songs and tales told from families and basically the whole culture relies on oral tradition, never losing the uniqueness of their dialect. It also proves how this culture is much more complex than it seems as there are many different languages within the 9 villages. It shows how two cultures come together as the novel being written in English but never losing the lgbo words. This also represents how certain aspects of cultures are never going to be understood because they are too complex for each other. Achebe plays with words carefully and allows readers to feel part in the story as these words play an importance in the emotions of the reader. â€Å"Achebe’s introduction of new forms and language into a traditional (Western) narrative structure to communicate unique African experiences forever changed the definition of world literature† (â€Å"Language†). In contrast, in the novella Heart of Darkness speech is represented as silent. Silence marks the distance between the white colonizers and the African. Conrad is not giving speech to the Africans but rather marking the big space of the misunderstanding of cultures. â€Å"Here, the human is perceived to have no language, only a physical space and the surrounding nature support this with the muting darkness and unknowing silence along the riverbanks† (Lerch). This is a major issue because without speaking there is no understanding or knowledge. Language allows people to learn from each other, communication is fundamental. This boundary leads to know people only by their physical in the case of the natives, one of the major causes of stereotypes and racism. â€Å"Speech suddenly proved inadequate for Conrad’s purpose of letting the European glimpse the unspeakable carving in their hearts† (Achebe). This acts as a symbol of power and superiority from part of the colonizers that can speak and hold the control. Natives are not given voice, opinion or the right to express themselves. The crash of cultures brings conflicts to the both sides as any of them know each other’s language. There is a constant absent of noise and only the sound of darkness fills it up. Even though speech is silent in the natives, it plays an important and effective role in the story and characters in the novella. From the beginning the history is told from Marlow’s stories and experiences that he’s telling to the other members of the Nellie. â€Å"In western society, silence is something to be filled. â€Å"Language is a euphemism, a saving life for all the Europeans† (Lerch). Marlow’s communication forms part of the Chinese box technique that is the story inside another story. His expressions, detailed descriptions, images and emotions transport us to the past, to the heart of darkness. Speech according to characters is seen in various ways, from much too little speak. This represents the personal importance of speech for each character and how it varies depending on the personality and interest of the character. For example speech in Kurtz is represented as insanity because of the lack of understanding and isolating from society (â€Å"Heartâ€Å"). However it is positively as it is the link Kurtz has with the natives that is what brings him closer to them and therefore being recognized as the leader of the jungle. In addition, this two novels use speech as a crucial and important aspect but they represent different things. As Eric Parslow said, race is a lazy minds tool for identifying culture. In both novels racism is a theme that stands out. Racism is portrayed differently and is used to explain main issues found in both novels. Many critics talk about if in the novel Things Fall Apart there is racism or not. I personally think racism is not found in this novel but rather is misunderstood as Chinua Achebe is criticizing humanity and the inhuman actions done by colonizers to tribes of Africa. The Igbo culture in his novel is shown to the reader before colonization occurs. This helps the reader to have a better understanding on the effect of colonization and how it can tear cultures apart, by pieces. By the arrival of white colonizers in town we see how Achebe wants to point the Europeans desire of ambition, conquest, violence and racism towards the African cultures. Societies are torn apart and colonizers think they have the power to erase their culture foundation and implement theirs. â€Å"The westerners tool the foundations of the indigenous people’s society and ways of living and left them with nothing. They also began â€Å"reformation of the native’s minds, by assigning the mark of the negative to everything African and the positive to everything European† (â€Å"Things†). Achebe’s novel is in fact a write back to Conrad as the racism and cruelty he found on the novel. Achebe wants the reader to see the other perspective from the side of the natives. Therefore, he is showing things as they were and those descriptions and actions might be perceived as racist. There is a quote in the book that says: The white man is stupid, he is fit to be a slave† (Ward). This quote is racist however you can’t say the whole novel is racist because of one quote. In order for a novel to be racist, the whole book needs to reflect this. In contrast Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness is still being much critiqued as Africa is portrayed as a primitive place where much racism and violence is held towards the natives (â€Å"Things†). This novel portrays the other side of the story, the perspective from Marlow, a white European. By this we can see how Africa is seen as a different world where the natives are uncivilized and lack intelligence. â€Å"We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there you could look at a thing monstrous and free† (Achebe). Conrad through the character Marlow uses words as black, monsters, uncivilized to refer to the natives. Although Conrad’s descriptions, imagery, metaphors and similes are very powerful and descriptive some are racist against the natives. The arrival of the Europeans show the power they have and how they believe they can claim for resources and the land that is not there’s. As said before, silence endures in the novella as natives have no speech symbolizing the misunderstanding of cultures. â€Å"The outcome is seen in western author’s postcolonial literature by deceptions of unknown groups of people as savages or primitive. When in reality the author has no understanding of the group of people being presented† (â€Å"Things†). As said before natives of Africa in Conrad’s novella are portrayed as uncivilized people, being this an irony. The colonizers are not civilized because of the horrible and racist actions they perform. Due to the complexity of the space they are surrounded they lose their morals. The jungle is a character due to its power to change people. This is also the reason why the colonizers changed and became the uncivilized ones because of their ambition for power. Therefore, Conrad’s novella can be considered as racist but it is very important to remember that the story is told from the other side. As Bob Dylan said â€Å"Dont criticize what you cant understand.† Both of these novels are important for literature in the world. Each one has different objectives and messages. Differences relies on the context and perspective they are being told. Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness deal with the big theme of colonization. What’s interesting about them is that we can see both sides of the story and by this form our criteria. I believe it is very important to see the two faces of an issue in order to understand it. However, I consider that you can fully understand something if you have lived it. A person will always have his opinion towards something but will never truly understand it. To criticize a book, that person must have been part of the story and the context that is being told. Therefore we can’t say Heart of Darkness or Things Fall Apart is racist if we have not experienced colonization in that context. Both authors are showing readers the perspective from which is being told, so that the reader can have both sides of the story and form their criteria about the complex theme of colonization on the tribes of Africa. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness' Massachusetts Review. 18. 1977. Rpt. in Heart of Darkness, An Authoritative Text, background and Sources Criticism. 1961. 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough, London: W. W Norton and Co., 1988, pp.251-261 Comparing Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness. 123HelpMe.com. 20 Oct 2012 http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=11427. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. The Norton Anthology: English Literature. General Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. 8th Ed. New York: Norton, 2006. 1891-1947. Heart of Darkness Theme of Language and Communication. Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. http://www.shmoop.com/heart-of-darkness/language-communication-theme.html. LaRocque, Emma. Racism and Colonization. Aboriginal Perspectives. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://www3.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/index.php?mode=theme.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Monetarism Emerged In The 1950s Economics Essay

Monetarism Emerged In The 1950s Economics Essay Keynes, who theorized economic panic to stem from an insufficient national money supply leading the nation toward an alternate currency followed by eventual economic collapse, his theories focus on the value of currency stability to maintain national economic health. Milton Friedman, in contrast, focused on price stability to ensure economic health and looking for stable equilibrium between the supply of and the demand for money to bring about such well-being. Friedman argued that inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  and advocated a central bank policy aimed at keeping the supply and demand for money at an economic equilibrium, as measured by a balanced growth in productivity and demand. Friedman originally proposed a fixed monetary rule, where the money supply would be calculated by known macroeconomic and financial factors and would target a specific level or range of inflation. There will be no flexibility for central bank reserves, and businesses can expect all monetary policy decisions. Friedman restated the quantity theory of money, and argued that the demand for money depended predictably on several major economic variables. He claimed that if the money supply were to be expanded, consumers would not seek to hold the extra money in idle money balances. This argument follows that consumers, assumed to be in equilibrium before the money supply increase, already held money balances that suited their requirements. With the increase, consumers would have a surplus of money balances that exceeded their requirements. These excess money balances would therefore be spent and cause an increase in aggregate demand levels. Similarly, if the money supply experienced a reduction, consumers would aim to replenish their holdings of money by reducing their spending levels. In this argument, Friedman challenged the claim that Keynesian money supply is not effective in analyzing the level of aggregate consumption. Instead, Friedman argued that indeed the money supply affect total sp ending in the economy, in doing so the term monetarist was coined. The popularity of monetarism increased as Keynesian economics seemed unable to explain or cure the problems that seem to contradict rising unemployment and price inflation which erupted after the collapse of the Bretton Woods system gold standard in 1972 and the 1973 oil crisis shock. Although higher levels of unemployment seemed to call for Keynesian policies on inflation, the rising level of inflation seemed to call for Keynesian deflation. The result is a significant disappointment with Keynesian demand management. In response, the Volcker sought as main objective to reduce inflation, and consequently restricted the money supply to tame inflation the economy. The result was the worst recession of the post-war period, but also the accomplishment of the desired price stability. Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz argued that the Great Depression of the 1930 was caused by the large contraction of the money supply and not by a lack of investment as argued by Keynes. They also maintained that post-war inflation caused by an over-expansion of the money supply. For many the perception that the economy has been shaped by the ideas of Keynes, it seemed that the Keynesian-Monetarism debate was merely about whether fiscal or monetary policy was the more effective tool of demand management. By the mid-1970s, however, the debate had moved on to things more deeply, as monetarists presented a more fundamental challenged to Keynesian orthodoxy in looking to recover the pre-Keynesian idea that the economy was of an inherently self-regulating nature. Many Monetarists raised former view that the market economies prove stable in the absence of major not expected fluctuations in the money supply. This belief in the stability of free market economies also asserted that active demand management, especially fiscal policy, it is not necessary and in fact tend to be dangerous economy. The basis of this argument centered around an equilibrium was established between stimulus fiscal spending and future interest rates. In fact, Friedman argues that the model of fiscal spending creats as much of a drag on the economy by raising interest rates as it does to create consumption. According to monetarists, fiscal policy was shown to have no real effect on total demand, but merely shifted demand from the investment sector to the consumer sector. Monetarism became less credible when once-stable velocity of money defied monetarist prediction and began to move erratically in the United States the early 1980s. Monetarist methods of a single-equation model and non-statistical analysis of plotted data also lost out to the simultaneous-equation modeling favored by Keynesian. Policies and analysis of monetarism lost influence among academics and central bankers, but its core tenets of long-run neutrality of money (increase in money supply can not have long-term effects on real variables, such as output) and use of monetary policy for stabilization to be part of the macroeconomic mainstream even among Keynes.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Incorporating Telemedicine into a Surgical Practice

Incorporating Telemedicine into a Surgical Practice Kristen Harkey Complex wounds can create a challenge for the patient as well as the surgeon. The challenges faced include operative management, cosmesis, long-term management, effects on lifestyle for patient and caregiver, and self-image (Park, Copeland, Henry Barbul, 2010). Hospitalized patients will have the surgical team, the wound care specialist, and a bedside nurse to assist them in their daily care. When these patients are ready to leave the hospital they can feel anxiety about providing care for themselves, especially if they have a complex wound present. This anxiety can decrease once they learn how to care for themselves at home while having the readily available supplies, but then they must leave their homes to travel to come to the surgical office for a wound check. This can be a burden to not only the patient but their primary caregiver. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an evidence-based change project that focuses on providing patients with the option of telemedicine office visits. Background In 2010, approximately 51.4 million inpatient surgeries were performed in the US according to the National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS, 2010). Wound complications can be an important cause of postoperative morbidity following a laparotomy (Mizeell, Sanfrey, Collins, 2014). Acute wound care is needed in all patients with surgical and traumatic wounds, when an incision is made this creates a wound which will need further attention. There are a multitude of ways to address these wounds such as wet to dry dressings, dry packing strips, wound vac systems, and if needed further surgery such as a skin graft. These wounds can then become chronic when they have failed to proceed through the reparative process to produce anatomic and functional integrity in 12 weeks (Sen, 2009). Both acute and chronic wounds can become a significant financial burden on both the healthcare system and the patient’s themselves. Significance With the sheer number of surgeries listed above, this will create wounds that need to be managed appropriately. Not only are wounds created by surgery, they can also be created by trauma or massive soft tissue infections (Park, Copeland, Henry Barbul, 2010). Part of this management may be further surgical interventions to restore the fascia or possibly watchful waiting. In our facility in 2014, 3349 patients were evaluated by our wound care specialist. Of these 695 patients had surgically created wounds and approximately 656 were managed with wound vacs (G. Caldwell, personal communication, January 20, 2015). These patients will need to be followed in the outpatient setting for ongoing wound assessments, possible change in wound management, or further surgical intervention if indicated. The outpatient care to these patients will include discussions on proper nutrition to promote wound healing, activity levels, timing of dressing changes, and ongoing assessments of the wounds. It can create a significant burden to patient and caregiver to travel to office visits for ongoing assessment of the wounds which can take as little as ten to fifteen minutes to examine once they have arrived back to the exam room. This short office visit can create a significant burden to the patient and their caregiver, this burden can include ability to keep themselves clean throughout the trip, financial, and time-strain. PICO Question and Components Evidence-based practice (EBP) can be described as a â€Å"life-long problem solving approach to clinical decision-making that involves the conscientious use of the best available evidence with one’s own clinical expertise and patient values and preferences to improve outcomes for individuals, groups, communities, and systems† (Melnyk Fineout-Overholt, 2011). EBP will help to ensure high quality, safe, relevant, and up-to-date care while at the same time improving patient outcomes (Robb Shellenbarger, 2014). One of the ways to create EBP in a way that will yield the most relevant information from a search is to form a question in the PICOT format. The PICOT format is composed of the following: â€Å"P† will describe the patient population, â€Å"I† will reveal the intervention or issue of interest, â€Å"C† will reveal the comparison intervention or status, â€Å"O† will reveal the outcome, and â€Å"T† will reveal the time frame in w hich the intervention/issue of interest will accomplish the outcome (Melnyk Fineout-Overholt, 2011). For the purpose of this paper, the author will include all components listed except for time which will be addressed at another juncture. Population The population of focus will be outpatient postoperative patients in the home health setting. The patient population will be those with acute/chronic wounds, ages eighteen and up, both male and female patients with no restrictions on ethnicity. The wounds will likely be compromised of complex abdominal wounds, however no limit will be placed on the type/cause of the wound. The patient’s will live in North Carolina or South Carolina and reside within a 4 hour drive from Charlotte, NC. No restrictions will be placed on the agency providing home health services to the patient. Intervention Telemedicine is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be the practice of healthcare using video, interactive audio, and/or data communications (Chanussot-Deprez Contreras-Ruiz, 2008). With the use of telemedicine the patients will be able to stay in their own home. This will also provide an enhanced team based approach because we will have both the patient, patient’s caregiver if applicable, and the home health nurse. This will provide accurate documentation of wound measurements. The appropriate wound care will then be provided by the home health nurse, and if applicable the wound vac will be re-applied. Comparison The comparison group will be a standard office visit. The standard office visit will consist of the patient and their caregiver coming to our surgical practice, in one of our two locations. The patient will be required to wait for their appointment time and wait as required for the provider to see them. If a wound vac is present, this will be removed in the office and will not be re-applied per standard operating procedures. The patient will have a temporary dressing replaced and will then need the home health nurse to come to their home upon their arrival to re-apply the wound vac. This consists of a standard office visit in our practice. Outcome The anticipated outcome, will be no effect on wound healing when using telemedicine. For the practitioner, one important aspect of examination of the wound is not only using your sense of sight but also your sense of smell. The smell of a wound can be indicative of necrotic tissue that requires further debridement or possibly a wound infection. This sense will be missing with telemedicine and the practitioner will need to rely heavily on the home health nurse for this aspect of assessment. Another outcome for this study will be increased patient satisfaction. The patient with a complex abdominal wound may have difficulty at baseline maintaining adequate coverage for the drainage, this is more of a challenge when you add frequent position changes associated with traveling to a health care provider’s office. In summary, a postoperative surgical patient will require care for the surgical wound in an outpatient setting. This care can be frustrating for the patient, the patient’s caregiver, and the home health nurse. With the addition of telemedicine to a surgical practice this will decrease the burden of traveling to a standard office visit as well as enhance multi-disciplinary care for the patient. It is the hope of the author that for complex wounds that remain difficult to manage in the outpatient setting, the inpatient wound ostomy nurses who provided care inpatient will be able to assist more in the outpatient setting by providing continuity of care. Conclusion With every surgery performed a resultant wound is created. Wounds can also be created by trauma or massive necrotizing soft tissue infections (Park, Copeland, Henry Barbul, 2010). The surgical wound can heal without difficulty and the patient returns to his activities of daily living, however a multitude of wound complications can occur delaying wound healing. Some wound complications will require further surgery, however due to the nature of these wounds surgery may need to be delayed for up to one year or longer. This can cause caregiver strain and for the patient can take away many of the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis. As part of a standard office visit the patient is expected to arrange transportation to our office, wait for his/her appointment time, have their wound examined, and then if a wound vac is used they are expected to have this re-applied when they get back to their home by the home health nurse. With the addition of telemedicine to the patient’s postopera tive care, they would be able to have a multidisciplinary team visit them in the home using telemedicine resources. This would significantly decrease the burden travel can create for these patients with complex wounds. References CDC/NCHS National Hospital Discharge Survey (2010). Retrieved from  http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhds/4procedures/2010pro4_numberprocedureage.pdf Chanussot-Deprez, C. Contreras-Ruiz, J. (2008). Telemedicine in wound care. International  Wound Journal, 5(5), 651-654. Melnyk, B. Fineout-Overholt, E. (2011). Evidence-based practice in nursing healthcare: A  guide to best practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer|Lippincott Williams   Wilkins. Mizell, J., Sanfrey, H., Collins, K. (2014). Complications of abdominal surgery. Retrieved  from http://www.uptodate.com. Park, H., Copeland, C., Henry, S., Barbul, A. (2010). Complex wounds and their  management. The Surgical Clinics of North America, 90(6), 1181-1194.  doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2010.08.001 Rob, M., Shellenbarger, T. (2014). Strategies for searching and managing evidence-based  practice resources. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(10), 461-466. Sen, C. K., Gordillo, G. M., Roy, S., Kirsner, R., Lambert, L., Hunt, T. K., Longaker, M. T.  (2009). Human skin wounds: A major and snowballing threat to public health and the  economy. Wound Repair Regeneration, 17(6), 763-771. doi:10.1111/j.1524-475X.2009.00543.x Incorporating Telemedicine into a Surgical Practice Incorporating Telemedicine into a Surgical Practice Kristen Harkey Imagine presenting to the hospital for your planned cesarean section, a time of great anxiety and joy. During the procedure you unfortunately have a complication and an enterotomy (cut into the intestines) is made, but missed at the time. Hours later you develop increasing abdominal pain and a rash spreads quickly across your abdomen. Your healthcare providers explain you have an infection called necrotizing fasciitis and this requires further surgery to treat the condition. The individual then wakes up possibly weeks later with most of their abdominal wall, upper thigh skin, some muscle layers missing of both the abdomen and thigh, as well as stool draining from the middle of the wound. The individual is informed they have an enterocutaneous fistula that will likely not be able to be repaired for several months to a year. This person is finally able to transition home with their newborn, a gaping abdominal wound, stool draining from the wound, not allowed to have anything to eat or drink, and are attached to intravenous nutrition twenty-four hours a day. This would be overwhelming for the most health literate patient, much less an individual with limited resources and low health literacy. Our health can change quickly with an unexpected surgery that causes a complex surgical wound. This wound must be monitored closely in the outpatient setting to prevent further complications including loss of limb or possibly life. Typically the patient’s wound care has been provided in the home by a home health nurse. Subsequently the patient and family caregiver are then expected to travel to the doctor’s office for intermittent follow-up examinations of the wound over a weekly to monthly schedule which could last up to one year or more postoperatively. Leaving the patient’s home with these complex wounds can be a burden due to factors such as increased pain, time-consumption, financial costs, and possible embarrassment if the wound or ostomy appliance leaks. Some of this burden could be relieved with virtual visits. Overview of Problem of Interest In the United States 6.5 million individuals are affected with chronic wounds that require ongoing care (Sen et al., 2009). Patients are expected to travel to their healthcare provider’s office for follow-up examinations and sometimes this requires a long care ride, wait in the office, and then travel home. It is difficult to maintain a dressing on the wound in the most basic of circumstances, such as during times of everyday activity in their home. With the addition of traveling this can become an overwhelming and untidy endeavor while the healthcare provider will likely only spend minutes examining you. Due to this some patients will not come to their follow-up appointment and this can be detrimental to their health by prolonging wound healing, increasing risk for infection, and delay future surgical repairs. When the individual is at home, they require home health services for ongoing wound care as well as provision of supplies. The home health nurse sees the patient on a m ore regular basis than the healthcare provider and will call the providers’ office with important changes they note. Unfortunately this process may take several phone calls which takes valuable time for the home health nurse and increases wait time for care of the patient. Most patients have an expectation that surgery will help them heal or cure their disease. Unfortunately approximately 22% of patients may experience moderate to complete postoperative disability (Shulman et al., 2015). Home health nursing will provide some relief for the patient and a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to manage complex treatment modalities (Wilkins, Lowery, Goldfarb, 2007). In Carolinas Medical Center Main in 2014, 3229 patients had wound care provided by our wound ostomy care nurse team and of those 820 were surgical patients (G. Caldwell, personal communication, January 25, 2015). These are many of the patients that require ongoing care in the outpatient setting to prevent further complications. In the United States (US) in 2000, forty million inpatient surgical procedures were performed and at that time the need for post-surgical wound care was sharply on the rise (Chittoria, 2012). In the US the amount of money spent on wound care, diminished quality of life, and the loss of productivity for the individual and caregiver comes at a great cost to our society (Sen et al., 2009). Therefore it is in our best interest as providers to provide safe and effective care to our patients in the most convenient format for both the patient, caregiver, home health nurse, and the healthcare provider. Review of Literature One of the first steps to address a problem is reviewing evidence available to support the proposed intervention. Virtual care is currently being used in many different platforms such as urgent care, psychiatric care provided in ER’s, preventing readmissions in heart failure patients, and many other venues. The examination of acute and chronic wounds is one venue that has found success. In the plastic surgery population where visual exam is heavily relied upon for decision-making, telemedicine has been shown to have great potential. Gardiner and Hartzell (2012) performed a systematic review of twenty-nine articles. Twenty-eight of the articles noted a benefit including improved access to expertise and cost reduction through conserving hospital resources and avoiding unnecessary transfers (Gardiner Hartzell, 2012). Wallace, Hussain, Khan and Wilson (2012) had similar findings in the burn population where they noted improved assessment and triage, avoidance of unnecessary trans fers and a potential for health care savings when using virtual care. In the trauma population a 90% accuracy was noted in assessing traumatic plastic surgery injuries whether the practitioner was using bedside visual exam or transmitted digital images (Gardiner Hartzell, 2012). Wilkins, Lowery, and Goldfarb (2007) used their initial investigation to determine the feasibility of virtual wound care and then moved forward with performing a pilot study using a store and forward technique. At the time of initial referral the mean wound surface area was noted to be 5.85 cm2. Using virtual care the authors noted in 58.2% of the wounds, the diagnosis or treatment plan was changed. This change in diagnosis or treatment plan resulted in an average decrease of 58% from the initial wound size over an average time period of 40.2 days. The authors went on to note 95.5% of patients found telemedicine consultation more convenient than traveling and 98.2% of patients were either satisfied or very satisfied with the care they received (Wilkins, Lowery, Goldfarb, 2007). An article published in 2014 by Kidholm, Dineseen, Dyrvig, Rasmussen, and Yderstraede was noted to be the largest and most comprehensive research project to evaluate telemedicine effectiveness and costs for patients with chronic diseases. The results revealed telehealth reduced mortality with an odds ratio of 0.54. Mortality in the control group was noted to be 8.3% while the intervention group was 4.6%. The authors also noted a 10.8% lower hospital admission rates in the intervention group with an odds ratio of 0.82 (Kidholm, Dinessen, Dyrvig, Rasmussen, Yderstraede, 2014). Telemedicine may be applied to many different aspects of medicine, but a benefit has been shown in the examination and long-term treatment of wounds (Wilkins, Lowery, Goldfarb, 2007). Telemedicine has been shown to satisfy both the clinician as well as the patient, while continuing to provide quality care. Therefore a solution to the burden of traveling to the doctor’s office, decreasing financial strain, decreasing caregiver strain, and improving access to care are all potential benefits of providing care using virtual visits. Purpose of Project The purpose of incorporating telemedicine into our surgical practice is to provide our patients with the most efficient high quality care in the most appropriate setting for the patient. A standard office visit consists of the patient traveling to our office, being evaluated by the medical team, and then having to travel back to their home. This evidenced based project will allow the patient to stay in their own home and have the providers visit them via a virtual visit. Upon discharge from the hospital the patient will be evaluated for inclusion into the virtual visit program. If the patient is determined to meet the criteria including living in NC, using Healthy at Home to provide home health services and have a complex surgical wound; then an appointment will be made for the virtual visit. The home health nurse will proceed to the patient’s home at the assigned appointment time and use their tablet for the visit. The provider will then join the home health nurse in the virt ual setting and the patient’s wound will be evaluated. Appropriate changes in the treatment plan for the wound will occur and the provider will assure all questions/concerns are addressed with the patient, caregiver, and home health nurse. One desired outcome for this project will be to maintain a high level of patient satisfaction, as we do in our office. As providers, we would like to provide more efficient care and this may be possible by having one provider performing postop visits virtually while another provider evaluates new consults in the office. It will be important for this project to provide the same level of care that we provide in the brick and mortar office, as well as following all current standards of care. Project Management The facility where this project takes place is a Magnet facility. To receive this designation an organization must prove they have several key characteristics including empirical outcomes as well as integrating evidenced based practice and research into operational and clinical processes (American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2014). An important goal for our organization this year will be to provide care in new ways, one of which will be providing more opportunities for our patients to experience virtual care. This innovative project is meant to assure that we are improving quality, enhancing value and dealing with the complexity of health care today (Harris, Roussel, Walters, Dearman, 2011). Implementation Team The backbone of quality improvement work is the team and their teamwork (Ogrinc et al., 212). The team for this project will include individuals from different disciplines to ensure success. The author of this paper will serve as the operational lead on the project, assuring all aspects of the project are coordinated. Our administrative lead will be the practice manager for our outpatient sliding scale clinic. He will be able to assist the project in assuring we meet meaningful use standards as we do in the office, as well as building templates in our scheduling software, and facilitate changes in the organization. A management associate with the virtual care division will remain part of the team, as she has had past experience with implementing similar projects and has provided invaluable support. The next member of the team will be a member of the IT department and will assist the team in choosing the right technology/platform for this project. He will not only assist in the beginn ing stages of this project but will be a constant resource for ongoing IT support. The administrator for the home health agency will be a member of this team, she will provide information regarding her organization and provide us with establishing workflow for the home health nurse. This will be an important step as this project is meant to provide multidisciplinary care, however it will not be beneficial for it to provide more efficiency for our team but not the home health team. The chairman of surgery who also serves as the interim lead of the acute care surgery team, as well as the two surgeons who practice on the same service. This team will serve to bring virtual care visits to our surgical practice. Risk Management Strategy It is important to examine every project to identify external and internal items that either positively or negatively affect the project. One type of assessment that can be performed is the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT analysis). During the SWOT analysis the system is fully examined from the clinical micro to the macrosystem perspective (Harris, Roussel, Walters, Dearman, 2011). For this project some strengths noted include other departments within the facility using virtual visits and a department dedicated to assisting new groups to use this technology. Another strength is the patients included in this project will remain in the global ninety day postoperative fee which will not require reimbursement from insurance companies and keep the cost incurred limited. It is important to then examine some of the weaknesses which include removing a provider from an already overbooked clinic to participate in this project, the additional cost of the techno logy, and surgical postoperative care has not been provided in this manner in our facility prior to this. When further evaluating opportunities associated with this project, the ability to be the only surgical providers providing care virtually will set this team apart and appeal to more consumers and home health agencies. Another opportunity would be to include all home health care providers in our area and obtain licensure to be able to provide virtual visits in South Carolina. Some threats to this project include newer technology that hasn’t been tested, a good working relationship with the home health agency must be in place, and is it possible for the team to provide confidential care to our patients using virtual visit technology. Organizational Approval Process Initially this project was approved at the departmental level after multiple discussions with the chairman of surgery for the metro division of our healthcare system. Prior to proceeding to the IRB process, the facility requires submission of your proposal to the Nursing Scientific Advisory Council (NSAC). Once NSAC has evaluated a proposal fully and any revisions have been completed you may move forward with your submission to the IRB. Role of Information Technology in this Project Information technology will play an integral part of this project. Although virtual visits are used throughout the hospital system, they have not been incorporated into the surgical practices within our system. This project will include an IT tech to assist in choosing the best platform to serve our patient population while being user friendly for our home health nursing colleagues. It will be important for our platform to work well with the technology available to the home health nursing team. This will assure we are able to provide the best quality visit and address not only the provider’s needs, but also the home health team, patient, and caregiver. The project needs IT support for both the onsite provider as well as the home health team in the patient’s home. Plans for IRB Approval An institutional review board (IRB) is a committee that is mandated by the National Research Act, Public Law 93-948 and is required in institutions that conduct biomedical or behavioral research that involves human subjects (Harris, Roussel, Walters, Dearman, 2011). IRB approval will be sought for this project using the Carolinas Healthcare System’s IRB. The submission type will be expedited. This approach was chosen because it is evidenced based research and poses minimal human risk to the participants (Chatham University). Prior to approval by the IRB this project must be submitted to the NSAC therefore this will be performed in September 2015. Once approval has been obtained by the NSAC the information will then be submitted to the IRB for approval, likely in November 2015. This letter can be reviewed in Appendix A of this paper. References American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2014). Magnet model. Retrieved  fromhttp://www.nursecredentialing.org/Magnet/ProgramOverview/New-Magnet-Model Chatham University. (n.d.). Institutional Review Board (IRB). Retrieved from  http://my.chatham.edu/tools/irb/ Chittoria, R. (2012). Telemedicine for wound management. Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery,  45(2), 412-417. Gardiner, S., Hartzell, T. L. (2012). Telemedicine and plastic surgery: A review of its  applications, limitations and legal pitfalls. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive   Aesthetic Surgery: JPRAS, 65(3), 47–53. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2011.11.048 Harris, J., Roussel, L., Walters, S., Dearman, C. (2011). Project planning and management:  A guide for CNLs, DNPs, and nurse executives. Sandbury, MA: Jones Bartlett  Learning. Kidholm, K., Dinesen, B., Dyrving., A, Rasmussen, B., Yderstraede, K. (2014). Results from  the worlds largest telemedicine project-The whole system demonstrator. EWMA journal,  14(1), 43-48. Ogrinc, G., Headrick, L., Moore, S., Barton, A., Dolansky, M., Madigosky,  W. (2012).Fundamentals of health care improvement: A guide to improving your  patients’ care(2nded.). Oakbrook Terrace, IL: The Joint Commission and the Institute  for Healthcare Improvement. Sen, C. K., Gordillo, G. M., Roy, S., Kirsner, R., Lambert, L., Hunt, T., . . . Longaker, M. T.  (2009). Human skin wounds: A major and snowballing threat to public health and the  economy. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 17, 763-771. Shulman, M. A., Myles, P. S., Chan, M. V., McIlroy, D. R., Wallace, S., Ponsford, J. (2015).  Measurement of Disability-free Survival after Surgery.Anesthesiology,122(3), 524-536.  doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000000586 Wallace, D., Hussain, A., Khan, N., Wilson, Y. (2012). A systematic review of the evidence  for telemedicine in burn care: With a UK perspective. Burns, 38, 465-480. Wilkins, E., Lowery, J, Goldfarb, S. (2007). Feasibility of virtual wound care: A pilot study.  Advances in Skin Wound Care, 20(5), 275-278.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Extent Inquisition Impacted Witchcraft Trials in Central Europe from 11

Section A- Plan of Investigation Thesis: To what extent did the Inquisition impact witchcraft trials in the region of Central Europe from 1199 to 1580? This investigations seeks to evaluate the Inquisition in full but not limited to the effect on heresy, heretics, witches, and witchcraft. The sources used for this research investigation are the three written sources with secondary and primary material, which are listed as follows, Witchcraft by Robert Hart, Witches and Witchcraft Jeremy Kingston, and Witchcraft in Europe 400-1700 by Alan Charles Kors and Edward Peters. These books will be analyzed and evaluated based on origin, purpose, value, and limitation. Section B- Summary of Evidence The Inquisition founded in 1199 is a tribunal from the Christian faith of the Holy office to expose and punish religious unorthodoxy. ?From that time until its decline in the late 1600?s and the early 1700?s, the number of executions for witchcraft reached an appalling total of 100,000? (Hart, pg. 63). These executions from France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe have a record number of considerable injustice, prejudice and cruelty. The Inquisition and the witch trials were all part of a time when the panic from the Holy Church was committing a harsh extreme to the cleansings of anything unorthodox. Educated people like lawyers, doctors, bishops, and scholars all participated in witch hunt. ?Some Historians have shown that the movement as a whole was a revival of the pagan superstition and cult whose origin lay in the ancient world, which cause a rebirth of learning? (Hart, pg. 65). The witch paranoia was an old chapter in history reborn during the 12 century cau sing the Great Witch Panic. The Christian churc... ...did the Christian Holy Church of Europe. From time eternal it seems the Christian church has always been behind some sort of evil and murder for its sake. The twentieth century had seen racist and prejudices and the repression of racial minorities, the sick and handicapped. Man has a constant battle with himself between good and evil. Human nature is never as rational or compassionate as people want to believe. Instead of being guided by common respect and tolerance of those who are different, we seek to change what might threaten or challenge us. Section F- Bibliography 3 Written sources, Hart, Roger. Witchcraft. London: Wayland Ltd., 1972. Kingston, Jeremy. Witches and Witchcraft. London: Aldus Books Limited, 1976. Kors, Alan and Peters, Edward. Witchcraft in Europe 400-1700. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Press, 2001.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Comparison of Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branaghs Versions of Hamlet Essa

Comparison of Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branagh's Versions of Hamlet Modern day directors use a variety of methods to hold ones interest. Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branagh’s created versions of Hamlet that shared some similarities, but ultimately had many differences in respects to an audience’s appeal. An appealing movie is one that has an alluring ambiance and an intellectual stimulus. With these two movie versions, a setting and a mood forced an audience to acquire specific emotions, but Ethan Hawke’s version generated emotions more strongly and effectively. Also, these movies had extremely different uses of music and visuals, but both movie versions incorporated them well for the ambiance it tried to obtain. Finally, both movie versions drew characters to captivate the audience; however in Ethan Hawke’s version, the characters were used so effectively that it was easy to feel involved with them. While both these versions of Hamlet had a captivating ambiance, Ethan Hawke’s version was more appealing due to the intel lectual incentive that it offered. Setting and mood are methods of direction that can change a film’s ambiance and bring on an adundance of intelligent thoughts. Hawke and Branagh both reproduced Hamlet with a setting and mood that were both appealing for an audience. For instance, Hawke created a film much unlike Shakespeare’s play with a modern day setting. At the start of the film, the mood was set using modern visuals and melodies. Then a soliloquy of Hamlet was seen stating his troubling inner emotions. These scenes created a mood of youth and despair which eventually would become very effective in the plot of the film and the development of Hamlet’s character. Branagh’s version created a setting and a mood similar to Shakespeare’s original play. The beginning of the play opened with two guards waiting for the appearance of a ghost. Traditional music and dark visuals like a statue of Hamlet’s father created a mood of darkness and anxiety. This gave the film suspense which was much needed for the story. Clearly, both directors used the setting and the mood to play with particular emotions of the audience. However, Hawke was more creative in his methods and he created a non-traditional setting and mood that related more to a modern day audience. For example, Hawke focused on the mood by choosing camera shots during Hamlet’s soliloquy that... ...ter development was sophisticated and artisitic. In this version, the audience was absorbed with Hamlet’s character. This introduced a variety of thought and reflection making the film more appealing to a widespread audience. Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branagh recreated Shakespeare’s Hamlet with an alluring ambiance, however Ethan Hawke’s version was more appealing to an audience due to the stimulation of intelligent reflection. The setting and the mood in each of these versions played with the audience’s emotions, but Ethan Hawke’s version brought on stronger ones. Secondly, Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branagh used different choices of music and visuals that were equally effective in creating the ambiance the directors wished to obtain. As well, both movie versions created characters that tried to influence an audience; but, Ethan Hawke’s version introduced its main character so effectively that an audience was captivated by him. These two movie versions had some similarities, but Ethan Hawke’s different style produced a more appealing film. In the end, it was interesting to view the ways in which a director can try to make an old story more appealing to a modern d ay audience.

Human Nature in Chapter Four of Lord of the Flies Essay -- William Gol

Golding's views about human nature are displayed and developed quite extensively in chapter four. This essay is going to explore what they are and how they are portrayed throughout the duration of this chapter. The chapter reveals that Golding feels that humans enjoy, or are at least fascinated with controlling things. This is first shown when Henry was sitting at the beach and "tried to control the motions of the scavengers", with a stick. "He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things," here, instead of looking after nature and taking responsibility for things as you would do in a society, all he is doing is trying to control them. This is shown again when Jack brings back a pig, "Look! We've killed a pig, we stole up on them, we got in a circle," they enjoyed frightening the pig and controlling its movements by limiting it in a circle. When angered by Piggy and his own hunters, Jack is driven to violence, "He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy's stomach. Jack smacked Piggy's head. Piggy's ... Human Nature in Chapter Four of Lord of the Flies Essay -- William Gol Golding's views about human nature are displayed and developed quite extensively in chapter four. This essay is going to explore what they are and how they are portrayed throughout the duration of this chapter. The chapter reveals that Golding feels that humans enjoy, or are at least fascinated with controlling things. This is first shown when Henry was sitting at the beach and "tried to control the motions of the scavengers", with a stick. "He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things," here, instead of looking after nature and taking responsibility for things as you would do in a society, all he is doing is trying to control them. This is shown again when Jack brings back a pig, "Look! We've killed a pig, we stole up on them, we got in a circle," they enjoyed frightening the pig and controlling its movements by limiting it in a circle. When angered by Piggy and his own hunters, Jack is driven to violence, "He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy's stomach. Jack smacked Piggy's head. Piggy's ...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Relationships in Forty-Five a Month and the House

Strong and Weak Relationships in Stories Relationships in stories are very important, to who the characters are and how they act. In the stories that were read the relationships shown were both strong and weak. Depending on how the characters act toward each other, it determines their relationship. The stories, Forty-five a Month and The House on the Border, both have very weak relationships, whereas the story, The Ch’i-lin Purse, has a very strong relationship. In a relationship one person sometimes depends on the other, but if the other does not support the other, it becomes weak.In the story, House on the Border, there was a very weak relationship between the main characters, the people that live in the house and the authorities. The relationship is weak for many reasons. The authorities are not helpful to the people that live in the house. After a thief has just broken into their house, the people that live there tie him up and go to the authorities. They go to different a uthorities, who just keep passing the responsibility of taking care of the situation on to the other one. Either all eight of us, my wife and I and the six thieves, will spend the remainder of the year here, or they will include the house in one of the areas, thus enabling me to complain to the authorities. † This shows a weak relationship because the people that lived on the house were very dependent on the authorities, just like any other citizen. This relationship is foreshadowing the author’s take on the his country’s government and how they are not giving aide to the people in the country. That is also another example of a weak relationship, and a more simple example would be between two particular characters.The story Forty-five a Month is a great example of weak relationship between two characters directly. Two of the main characters, Shanta and Venkat, represent a very weak relationship. Shanta is the daughter of Venkat, they have a weak relationship for a lot of reasons. In a daughter to father relationship, it is imagined that the two are to be considered â€Å"close† by spending time together. In this story the daughter to father relationship is broken apart because of the father’s work. The daughter cannot understand the father’s purpose for being devoted to work. I don’t know if it is going to be possible for me to take her out at all- you see, they are giving me an increment. † The father wants to spend time with his daughter, but he cannot because his job supports his whole family. It is also weak because of the broken promises that Venkat makes to Shanta. Venkat promises to take her to the movies, but he lets Shanta down because she expected a great night out with her father, and is now asleep at home and all dressed up. The promises being broken make it very weak. The Ch’i-lin Purse is a perfect example of a strong relationship.The relationship between Mrs. Lu and Hsiang-Ling in the Ch’i-lin Purse is very strong because it taught a lesson and saved the characters. It taught the lessons of sacrifice and good karma. The lesson of sacrifice was taught to Mrs. Lu when she gave up her purse to the crying girl at her wedding. Also she was taught to sacrifice when she got her soup after the storm and then gave it away. â€Å"If you have a chance to do something good, be sure to do it. Happiness will come back to you. † The lesson of karma is taught when Mrs. Lu has sacrificed her things and was rewarded in return.All of that could not have been done without the strong relationship of two strangers, who in the end are both saved and rewarded, because they found each other. The stories, Forty-five a Month and The House on the Border, both have very weak relationships, whereas the story, The Ch’i-lin Purse, has a very strong relationship. The stories had strong and weak relationships, and they all represented them in different ways. The stories showe d good examples through characters, foreshadowing, and lessons. Many other stories have both strong and weak relationships.

Friday, August 16, 2019

E-Learning website for Multimedia

People nowadays, access the Internet or online services to acquire different and useful information. Most of them are people that want to get knowledge that are easy to learn and understand. It is very common now in our society that many people use the computer for their research purposes and to gather such information by simply surfing through the internet. One of the things that gives information and many people can acquire knowledge is the E-learning systems. E-learning system is web-based learning or known as the online training and eachings that are more simple and easy to learn.E-learning services, it enables developing of skills and knowledge by means of different web-applications and process in a particular course of teaching. Many people uses the internet to watch and to search for different tutorials that can we access to many different online services. Multimedia Arts involves the digital designing of visual elements, such as editing images, videos, audios, etc. It becomes richer and deeper because visual and narrative art are expressed in digital media.Therefore, E-learning system for Multimedia arts can give interest and opportunities by means of accessing this web-based training. There is variety of equipment on this online education that gives the important teachings that the users need to learn. General Problem How to create an E-Learning system for Multimedia Arts that enables to acquire skills and knowledge that is more simple and easy to learn. Specific Problem How to design the interface of the system? How to design the layout of the system? How to maintain the security of the website?

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Does Modern Technology Make Life More Convenient, or Was Life Better When Technology Was Simpler?

Does modern technology make life more convenient, or was life better when technology was simpler? As a matter of fact, nowadays, technology plays an important role in people's life, to extent they cannot imagine their lives without role of technology, simply, because they live in the speed time. I mention bellow how technology makes life more convenient. First and foremost, today's generation is not like old generation. For instance, in the past people did face many difficulties when they perform their duties, especially when they clean their clothes, whereas, today everybody cleans her or his clothes by washing-machine which makes their life more comfortable. moreover, it protects their hands from chemical elements which is in the soap of washing clothes, so, washing-machine is so important and required. Secondly, students are the most people who need technology in their life, especially the Internet, today’s students are more open for the world rather than before, for instance, in the past students just used the books to do their search because their subjects were easy, simple and short, whereas, nowadays students are more development, advance and independence. Therefore, they need something which helps them to perform their search such as Computer with Internet because their searches are wide and include many information which cannot find them easily from books, thus, they use internet to find these information. In this way, they overcome the difficulties which students were face them before. In conclusion, I believe that technology makes our modern life more convenient, although, there are advantages and disadvantages of the effect of the technology on ourselves but the advantages are more than disadvantages, especially, when we back to home in the summer, we need something cold to during from the refrigerator or cold weather from the AC. there is not argument the life before was simple and quite but there was difficulties in performing the duties.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Limiting Reagents Lab Essay

Problem: What mass of precipitate will form when 1.69g of CuCl2.2H20 reacts with 1.31g of aluminium? Aspect 3: Materials: > 150 mL beaker > Erlenmeyer Flask > 100ml Graduated Cylinder > Funnel; > Scoopula > Electronic Balance > Stir Rod > Aluminum Foil > CuCl2.2H20 > Distilled Water Procedure: Day 1 > Rinse beakerwith distilled water. > Mass 1.69g of CuCl2.2H2O. > Add to beaker and add 50mL of distilled water. > Mass aluminum. Fold in 1/2 & coil loosely. > Place in beaker and let sit overnight. Day 2 > Pull out Aluminum and rinse into beaker > Mass filter paper, put name on it > Put paper in funnel and funnel into the Erlenmeyer flas. > Pour in mixture. Rinse beaker three times. > Rinse funnel and paper twice. > Remove Paper and let dry overnight. Day 3 > Mass filter paper Data Collection and Processing (DCP) Aspect 1: Recording Raw Data: Mass of CuCl2.2H2O – 1.93g Mass of Al – ? (The massing of the aluminum was forgotten) Experimental mass of precipitate = .69g Aspect 2: Processing Data 2Al(s) + 3CuCl2.2H2O –> 3Cu(s) + 6H2O(l) + 2AlCl3(aq) m Al=1.93g M Al= 26.98 g/mol m 3CuCl2.2H2o = 1.69 g M 3CuCl2.2H2o = 152.47 g/mol (Chem 20 Data Booklet) m Cu = ? n CuCl2.2H2O = 1.93g / 170.49 g/mol n CuCl2.2H2O = .011320312 mol 3 mol CuCl2.2H2O = 3 mols Cu n Cu = .011320312 mol m Cu = .011320312 mol x 63.55 g/mol m Cu = .719g % yield = .69 / .719 = 96% Aspect 3: Experimental mass of Cu(s) precipitate = .69g Theoretical mass of Cu (s) precipitate = .719g % yield = 96% Conclusion and Evaluation (CE) Aspect 1: Conclusion: The mass of precipitate that forms when 1.93g of CuCl2.2H20 reacts with 1.31g of aluminum is .69 g. The % yield was 96%. The massing of aluminum was forgotten but when another piece was massed and the numbers were worked out, it was shown that there was an excess of aluminum and that the CuCl2.2H2O was the limiting reagent. Aspect 2: Evaluate: There were .029g of Cu precipitate less than expected. It is likely that some of the copper went into the Erlenmeyer or was stuck on the funnel. Despite thorough rinsing of the filter paper, some of the precipitate got through the filter paper and into the Erlenmeyer. Aspect 3 Improving Experimental Design: Instead of one piece of filter paper, two pieces should be used. This would lead to less precipitate going into the Erlenmeyer. Also, the water in the Erlenmeyer could be re-filtered.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

The work and biography of Leonardo Davinci Essay

The work and biography of Leonardo Davinci - Essay Example Later on, da Vinci moved back to stay with his father’s new family where he did not face condemnation but a warm welcome. He spent his earlier years at Vinci on his father’s family estate. His uncle was a great influence during this time of his life. His uncle loved nature. This influenced da Vinci’s paintings and other works later in life (Byfield 52). He was so fascinated by the beauty of nature in his original home (Tuscany) that he opted to learn all about nature and its workings. Copying nature, controlling it or learning from it was a motivation in Leonardo’s inventions. Leonardo’s true potential was a result of his driven and positive attitude with his limitless energy originating from his inner insight to complete his goals. When he was young, his cleverness made it easy for him to grasp arithmetic and music. With a natural talent for singing, he hired a tutor to learn the lyre and further develop that skill. He went on to become a painting novice under the tutelage of Andrea Del Verrocchio who was a skilled artisan, artist, sculptor, goldsmith and painter. He implemented the science he learned on the paintings he made. He sketched and studied rock formations fossils and caves. His brilliance was also seen in creating things like diving suits, helicopter and submarines during his period as an apprentice (Spielvogel 20). After completing his education, he lived with Andrea del Verrocchio helping him in his works until 1478 when he became completely independent. His first renowned and commissioned work was done around this time. This was the work he did for Scopeto monastery based in San Donato in Florence namely the Adoration of the Magi. However, he never completed this work because his love for Milan made him leave to go and work as a painter, engineer and sculptor for the Sforza ruling dynasty. While there, his jobs were diverse ranging from artillery designing, to river

Monday, August 12, 2019

Compare and contrast the ethical theories of Aristotle and Immanuel Essay

Compare and contrast the ethical theories of Aristotle and Immanuel Kant - Essay Example Man should be oriented by entities in his or her environment of the definition of what is morally good or not. However, if one should ask, what makes an ethical person? What are the characteristics that make him a good person? Aristotle and Kant’s ethical theories have laid out arguments claiming man’s ethics. However, there are significant ideas that make one theory triumph over the other. Aristotle and Kant speak of the highest good that man can do to society and his own – one that is not to be done just for the sake of being called ethical, getting material possessions or pleasing comments in exchange for it. It is done because it is â€Å"good in itself† (Johnson). Both also speak of happiness as ends of being virtuous. However, according to Aristotle, a virtuous life leading to happiness is not achieved without the possession of additional goods as well. A life perceived to be perfect by many, a life with wealth, power, acquaintances, and a physique h ighly appreciated by everyone. With this life also comes good upbringing, and good habits. Without these things, man will have the difficulty of reaching a virtuous status. Aristotle insists that it is necessary to have these desirable things to be able to reach happiness. In a negative light, this is unfair for those who are born without much fortune. If a woman has unacceptable physical features and is not wealthy enough, this theory already forecasts her future or to narrow it, her ability to push for a virtuous life. Another weakness of the theory is the limitation of which it is applicable to. Although it does not claim that only fortunate people are developed to be virtuous, it gives them an advantage to such a life. He points out that if a person who has these things, he will be raised to have good habits and with good habits, he is able to learn how to be virtuous. In reality, unfortunate people also achieve a virtuous life. It is within their strategies in life on how to ge t there. It is not dictated on what a person owns but how people perceive how they life supposed to be and how they would be able to reach that kind of life. Also another argument of Aristotle, because of this kind of upbringing, man will not have any reason for being truthful, openhanded, and brave because it is how one is brought up. Well, unfortunate people can also have this kind of upbringing without material and even physically acceptable attributes. They do well without asking anything in return because of their misfortune but they do well because they feel that it is the right thing to do and doing such will lead them to some state of happiness. In all fairness to Aristotle, he provides an ideal state of virtuous life that one ought to pursue. Kant, on the other hand, does not provide a status for which virtue can be obtained. He does not give material possession and physical attributes importance when it comes to being a moral person. He said that virtue does not insure wel l being (Johnson). Kant proposes that man should be rational with his actions based on the standards of rationality. There should be universality in a sense that man’s actions should be widely accepted by others as well. Kant’s theory suggests that in order for man to achieve a morality that is powerful enough to compel one from doing injustice to another or to himself, man will undergo challenges in a sense that one can learn what is good and what is bad. He also proposes that there is an â€Å"

Company analysis - Sears Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Company analysis - Sears - Term Paper Example Henceforth, the study attempts to determine the recent corporate governance issues that are currently affecting the company's decisions and to report how the company is or should be handling the issues. Mission, vision, and primary stakeholders: The most important mission of the company is to build customer relationships by providing better qualities of wide ranges of goods and services, like clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, appliances, housewares, tools, and electronics. Profitability or the policy of making more money is another important mission of the company. The final mission of the company is to make improvements in each and every day in the business domain and also in the market and to the customer through achievement of greater customer satisfaction. The most important vision of the company is explained by the company itself which is: â€Å"Sears is committed to improving the lives of our customers by providing quality services, products, an d solutions that earn their trust and build lifetime relationships† (Vision, mission, values, 2012, p. 1). The company was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in 1886. From its beginning, the primary stakeholders of the company were Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck. In 2005, the company was merged with Kmart and created Sears Holdings Corporation. Since then, the owners of Kmart also become the primary stakeholder of the company (Corporate History: A retailing legend is born, 2012, p. 1). Five forces of competition and its impacts on the company: Threat of new entrants: The large size of the company, the large size of the market share of the company, the high level of customer satisfaction, cost-effective business strategies, as well as high level of profit making ability are creating potential threats for new entrants to enter into competition with the company. This is in effect raising the level of profit and market share of the company. Thr eat of Substitute Products: Since the company is only a departmental store of various goods and services which are products or services of other production houses, therefore, the theory of substitute is not directly related to the company. However, the company faces competition from other departmental store like WalMart. In this case, the company takes strategies like lowering prices of various products and/or increasing the quality of these products to create treats to substitute companies and their products. These strategies are helping the company to increase the share of the market and also to make more profits. Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of the suppliers of various goods and services supplied to the company depends upon the markets for those products and services. Since the markets for various products sold by the company are very large, therefore, these suppliers are also gaining little bargaining power in the market and, hence, the amount of earned pr ofits of the company is very high. Between 1950s and 1970s the high quality of products sold by Sears and greater volume of profits gave the company’s suppliers negligible amount of bargaining power. Bargaining power of customers: The greater level of customer satisfaction is the most important part of the success story of the company. In this regard, the level of bargaining power of the customers of the company is also low. However, this does not mean that the company implements whatever policies it wants to