Critically assess theories of Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Essay - 1

Critically assess theories of Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Based View in terms of their usefulness in explaining firm - Essay Example This is a theory that tries to explain why companies exist, why they outsource activities to the external environment, and why they expand.The theory argues that companies try to minimize the bureaucratic costs of exchanges within the company, and that companies try to minimize the cost of exchanging resources with the environment.In their operations, the companies therefore, analyse the bureaucratic costs of conducting in-house activities, and the costs of exchanging resources with the environment (Williamson, 2010; Boneta, Peris-Ortizb & Gil-Pechuanb, 2010; McIvor, 2009). The market and the institutions are considered different forms of coordinating, and organizing economic transactions. The firm makes a decision basing an analysis on this theory to find out an appropriate move; whether to outsource or use internal resources. If such an analysis reveals high external costs, the firm will not outsource since it will have determined that it has the capability to perform its operation s cheaply. This means the firm will grow. When the external costs are lower than the internal bureaucratic costs, it is advisable to outsource the activities to be performed in the market. Such acts lead to minimized transaction and bureaucratic costs. Using the internal bureaucratic means of operation when the cost is higher than the transaction costs in the market reduces the firm’s growth rate or intentions.... After creation of the competitive advantage, a firm is able to sustain it over longer periods of time. The firm will then be able to protect itself against resource transfer, imitation, or substitution (Revilla, Cordeiro & Sarkis, 2011; Flynn, Morita & Machuca, 2010). When firms in a specific industry are competing in a market, these respective firms must have some unique resources that improve performance more that other companies. This creates the competitive advantage of a firm. If for example a firm has a unique strategy of acquiring customers, it will beat the other firms in the market, and gain more market share. This will be its competitive advantage. Not all firms therefore, should have the same resources that give a certain firm a competitive advantage. Such a resource or resources must be difficult to duplicate or imitate through other means (Flynn, Morita & Machuca, 2010). Usefulness in Explaining Firms’ Internationalising Strategies The transaction cost economics t heory explains why firms exist, expand and outsource certain activities. Internationalising a strategy means using the same strategy internationally. A firm may have its headquarters in Atlanta, but has found ready market in various other states, and countries outside United States. If this firm analysed its strategies, and found out that using one type of strategy, or by using certain strategies, the transaction costs and the internal bureaucratic costs are minimized, it will continue to use the same strategies internationally. Specific strategies therefore, ensure a new firm exists in a region; a firm expands to certain regions and survives or outsources to survive in the market. Analysing this considering the Resource Based

The requirements for employers to allow maternity leave under United Essay - 1

The requirements for employers to allow maternity leave under United Kingdom law is a disadvantage to women in the workplace. Discuss this statement - Essay Example This legislation simply puts off most of the employers in employing women. Research conducted in UK has indicated that most companies are quite reluctant in employing women that are of the child bearing age (Davis, 2005, p 18). Majority of the politicians have aired out their grievances stating that there is need to amend the family legislation as well as the optional maternity leave because it has proven to be a disadvantage for most women in the workplace. Women who do ordinary jobs tend to fair badly when they take up the sole option of maternity leave. As soon as they resume their jobs it is quite difficult for them to catch up with their lost earnings owing to the fact that they don’t get any pension rights while on maternity leave (Bunkham, 2013). Reports on pregnancy discrimination have indicated that most women in UK experience discrimination at their work simply for the fact of being pregnant or taking up a maternity leave. Some women have also complained of being thrown out of their jobs. Despite the fact that women have been given the rights at work regarding things like extension of their statutory maternity leave as well as pay, paid time off in order to attend doctors’ appointments and the right to get flexible working hours there is a great challenge emerging from pregnancy discrimination. A lot needs to be done by the government in ensuring that women can be able to resume their careers and work duties without any discrimination and restrictions (Sargeant & Lewis, 2005, p 19). Most employers tend to illegally discriminate their women employees as soon as they get pregnant and they are usually made redundant when on maternity leave. Maternity leave therefore, tends to damage women careers, owing to the fact that as soon as their back to work a lot of events and duties have passed them. During maternity leave, most women are not able to gain experience in their line of duty and this is a common setback for those who want to

Achieving Access to Healthcare for All Americans

Achieving Access to Healthcare for All Americans Introduction/Background Access to healthcare is one of the major issues facing Americans today. The United States is considered by many to be the greatest nation in the world with great wealth and opportunity for its citizens. However, despite many Americans having access to our advance healthcare system and technology, a significant percentage of our citizens face barriers that prevent them from obtaining basic healthcare services. The problem we face as Americans is our lack of free healthcare for all citizens, as compared to other countries such as Canada who do implement free healthcare to all of its citizens. There are many reasons people do not have access to healthcare. High healthcare costs are still a primary cause for Americans not being able to get the medical attention they need. The most common reason is because people cant afford to purchase health insurance that would allow them to get in to see a doctor. Health insurance can be hard to obtain depending where you are on the socioeconomic ladd er. The Affordable Care Act, which is sometimes referred to as Obamacare, was supposed to fix this problem by creating an insurance system that would allow everyone to afford health insurance regardless of their income. Obamacare is a United States law that reformed both the healthcare and health insurance industries in America. This did help and the latest statistics in 2016 showed that the number of uninsured has decreased from 18% to 13% (Obamacarefacts, 2016). This has not solved the problem completely and there is a lot of concern about the continued high cost of healthcare and the fact that many still dont have access. At some point in their lives, everyone will need health care or medical treatment, but the cost of this essential service threatens our countrys economy. The cost of healthcare has taken an increasing share of the United States economy, and has been rising for many years. In 2010, the US spent 17.9 percent of the nations economy on healthcare, compared to only 7 .2 percent in 1970 and to 9.5 percent on average across 34 other developed countries (Caitlin Cowan, 2015). This article shows that increased spending does not equal higher quality. In fact, many other countries healthcare systems actually provide higher quality care at a lower cost, suggesting that we dont always need to spend more to get better care and outcomes (Caitlin Cowan, 2015). This critical issue of healthcare access has caused many citizens to demand a nationalized or government sponsored healthcare system for all Americans. Nationalized Healthcare is What All Americans Deserve Proponents of nationalized healthcare believe that instituting a national health system would lower the cost of health care in the United States.In one study, under a single-payer system, in which all citizens are guaranteed access to healthcare, total public and private healthcare spending could be lowered by $592 billion in 2014 and up to $1.8 trillion over the next decade by lowering administrative and prescription drug costs (Friedman, 2013). In a study in the American Journal of Public Health, Canada, who provides universal access to healthcare, spends half as much per capita on health care as the United States (Lasser, Himmelstein Woolhandler, 2009). With nationalized healthcare, we could develop a centralized national database which makes diagnosis and treatment easier for doctors and avoids separate record-keeping systems between doctors and different hospitals. It would eliminate wasteful inefficiencies such as duplicate paper work, claim approval, insurance submission, etc . because there would not be a need for maintaining insurance information or wasting time submitting claims. The savings in the duplicate records, banking and postal areas alone would be worth significant annual savings estimated in the Billion dollar range (Backman, Hunt, Khosla, 2008). Nationalized healthcare would save lives.In a 2009 study from Harvard, lack of health insurance is associated with as many as 44,789 deaths per year, which is a 40% increased risk of death among uninsured patients (Wilper, Woolhandler, Lasser, McCormick, 2009, p. 2290). In many countries with complete access to healthcare such as Italy, Spain, France, and Norway, people live two to three years longer than people in the United States (Morgan, 2013). Access to free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and inquire about problems early before treatment gets severe. Currently, patients often avoid physicals and other preventive measures because of the unaffordable costs. This behavior not only affects the health of the patient but the overall cost to the system, since preventive medicine costs only a fraction of a full blown illness (Lesser et al., 2006). A government-provided system would remove the deterrent patients have for visiting a medical prof essional. Proponents of nationalized healthcare are also quick to point out that good health is a right that all humans deserve. In fact, many believe that in a country as economically and culturally advanced as the United States, it is an embarrassment that we dont provide this basic service to our citizens. Many European countries with a universal right to health care have a lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita than the United States, but still provide a right to health care for all their citizens (Backman et al., 2008). Interestingly, in 2005 the United States along with other member states of the World Health Organization signed World Health Assembly Resolution 58.33, which stated that everyone should have access to health care services and should not suffer financial hardship when obtaining these services (United Nations, 2005). Nationalized Healthcare is Bad for America Opponents of nationalized healthcare believe that it would bring on economic disaster for the United States because of the increased cost of healthcare. Medicare, Medicaid, and the Childrens Health Insurance Program are government programs that provide a right to healthcare for certain segments of the population. These programs totaled less than 10% of the federal budget in 1985, but by 2012 took up 21% of the federal budget (Korobkin, 2014). Opponents are quick to point out the waste, excess expense and complexities of other government run agencies. As an example of their beliefs, when the United States Government issued a simplified tax guide several years back, it was over 1000 pages long (Kamarack, 2013). Also, the millions of dollars in waste seen in the Pentagon, Postal Service or Department of Motor Vehicles should make any American skeptical that the government could manage healthcare efficiently or effectively. Nationalized healthcare could increase the wait time and rationing for medical services. Medicaid is an example of a federally funded single-payer health care system that provides access to health care for low-income people. In a 2012 Government Accountability Office report, 9.4% of Medicaid beneficiaries had difficulty obtaining required care due to long wait times compared to only 4.2% of people with private health insurance (United States Government Accountability Office, 2012). Countries with a universal right to healthcare have longer wait times than the United States. In 2013 the average wait time to see a specialist in Canada was nearly 9 weeks but only 18.5 days in the United States (Backman et al., 2008, p. 2055). In addition to the wait to receive healthcare, the government would decide what medical care a citizen deserves. Many countries with universal health care such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, all ration health care using methods such as b udgeting, price setting, and service restrictions (Hoffman, 2013). In this article, the United Kingdoms National Health Service rations health care using a cost-benefit analysis. For example, in 2008 if a drug provided an extra six months of good-quality life and cost less than $15,000, it was automatically approved, while one that costs more would not (Hoffman, 2013). This takes away a persons right to choose what is best for them. Providing a right to health care could raise taxes for all Americans. In European countries with a universal right to health care, the cost of coverage is paid through higher taxes. In the United Kingdom and other European countries, payroll taxes average 37%, which is much higher than the 15.3% payroll taxes paid by an average US worker (Gregory, 2013). According to Gregory, a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, financing a universal right to health care in the United States would cause payroll taxes to double. There is a belief that our country has an entitlement mentality and believes that the government should pay for many services including healthcare. However, since nothing is free we would have to increase taxes to pay for this additional service. When people are provided with universal health care and are not directly responsible for the costs of medical services, they might utilize more health resources than necessary. According to a 2014 study published in Science, 10,000 uninsured Portland, Oregon residents who gained access to Medicaid had 40% more visits to emergency rooms, even though they already had guaranteed access to emergency treatment under federal law (Taubman, Allen, Wright, Baicker, Finkelstein, 2014). Since Medicaid provides access to health care for low-income individuals, expanding this to the full US population could worsen the problem of overusing health care resources. Opponents of nationalized healthcare do not believe the founding documents of the United States provide support for a right to health care. The Declaration of Independence does not guarantee a right to health care. The purpose of the US Constitution, as stated in the Preamble, is to promote the general welfare, not to provide for it. This belief is that one may have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but not to services such as health care (Maruthappu, Ologunde. Gunarajasingam, 2013). Assessments of Different Arguments The issue of healthcare costs in a national healthcare system seem to be best supported by proponents that show reduction in overall costs when they centralize administrative overhead and duplication of paperwork that occurs now between doctors, hospitals and insurance or government payers. The argument that opponents make referencing governmental waste in other programs seems like more of a scare technique than something that would definitely happen with nationalized healthcare. In fact, providing the security of access to healthcare has been shown to increase spending on consumer goods and to promote employees upward mobility to new jobs without the fear of having to maintain health insurance coverage (Gruber, 2009). It would also expand the medical sector to meet the newly covered individuals which would create new and high quality jobs. These would drive economic growth overall. In addition, any rationing of healthcare like that seen in other countries with universal healthcare, would likely reduce costs significantly. It does make sense that increasing the number of individuals by achieving access to healthcare could increase overall costs leading to increase in taxes. However, the thought is that the overall expense reduction by avoiding duplication of services, allowing preventative healthcare to drive down cost of serious illnesses, rationing of health services and increase in economic factors by expanding the healthcare market, would still make this overall a financially positive situation. When analyzing the different opinions for a National healthcare system, there are several factors that make one more supportive of the opponents viewpoint. It is likely that there would be some component of rationing of healthcare services. In most countries with universal healthcare, there is a formula that evaluates the financial costs of a treatment vs. the likelihood of it prolonging life or quality of life. This would change current practice where patients receive less expensive end of life services and might not get surgical procedures as quickly. It would limit the ability for a patient and their Doctor to be the decision maker for all treatment options. There is also a belief by many in the medical community that it would decrease patients options for choosing a provider as less physicians would go into medicine (Fleming, 2006). Finally, there is a significant disagreement between proponents and opponents of nationalized healthcare over whether access to healthcare is a right per our founding fathers or a service that our Government has no obligation to provide. This issue really comes down to semantics and how one chooses to define promotion of general warfare as including health to its citizens. Not surprisingly, proponents or opponents choose to interpret based solely on their desire to support their own argument. Conclusion Access to healthcare can be hard to obtain depending where you are on the socioeconomic ladder. Health insurance is supposed to protect Americans from very high healthcare costs. We have just completed 8 years of President Obama attempting to increase access to healthcare. During his initial campaign promises, he vowed to bring healthcare to all Americans and seemed to be a proponent of Universal Healthcare. His trademark legislation, Obamacare, did increase the number of insured persons but it did not accomplish coverage for all. Now, with the recent Trump election, there is a yet to be understood plan that is supposed to repeal Obamacare and replace it with something that will more effectively provide healthcare coverage to all Americans. This is likely to move away from the idea of government sponsored, nationalized coverage and instead have a significant portion that utilizes private or public non-governmental companies to accomplish their goal. This is an uncertain time for many Americans regarding their access to healthcare. The idea of a nationalized healthcare system for all Americans has been a major issue for many years and continues today. Exploring the many different issues involved with nationalized healthcare provides a clearer understanding of how complicated this issue is with many different viewpoints on both sides. I believe that we cannot continue to allow healthcare costs to increase at their current rate and that as a country, we must provide healthcare to all of our citizens regardless if it is a right or a service. Despite the advantages of a national healthcare system, I do not believe most Americans are willing to limit their access to physicians or their access to the very best treatment options. Ultimately, I believe a combination of government sponsored and private healthcare will be the best option moving forward. Unlike the current situation, I do believe it will require some form of expansion of government healthcare that does have a component of treatment rationing. There will also need to be a private insurance option and for profit companies in the healthcare environment that provide for the heal thcare options that many Americans will demand. As is often the case, the approach of an all or nothing nationalized healthcare system will not work and compromise will be needed. It will require politicians and different factions to compromise on this issue and put aside bipartisan emotions to create a plan that will accomplish healthcare coverage for all Americans. References Backman G., Hunt P., Khosla R., Jaramillo-Strouss C., Fikre B.M., Rumble C. (2008). Health Systems and the Right to Health: An Assessment of 194 Countries. The Lancet, 372, 2047-85. Catlin, A.C., Cowan, C.A., (2015). History of Health Spending in the United States, 1960-2013. Retrieved January 30, 2017 from http://www.cms.gov-Statistics-Data-and- Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/ HistoricalNHEPaper.pdf Dartmouthatlas.org. (2016). The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/keyissues/issue.aspx? con=1338 Fleming, K.C. (2006). High-Priced Pain: What to Expect from a Single-Payer Health Care System. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.heritage.org Friedman, G. (2013). Funding HR 676: The Expanded and Improved Medicaid for All Act. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.pnhp.org Government Accountability Office (2012). Medicaid: States Made Multiple Program Changes, and Beneficiaries Generally Reported Access Comparable to Private Insurance. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.gao.gov Gregory, P. R. (2013). Obamacare a Mess? Liberals Say Go Single Payer. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.forbes.com Gruber J, (2009). Universal Health Insurance Coverage or Economic Relief A False Choice. New England Journal of Medicine, 360, 437-439. Hoffman, B. (2013). Health Care Rationing Is Nothing New. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.scientificamerican.com Kamarack, E. (2013). Lessons for the Future of Government Reform. Retrieved on January 30, 2017 from https://www.brookings.edu/lessons for the future of government reform Korobkin, R. (2014). Comparative Effectiveness Research as Choice Architecture: The Behavioral Law and Economics Solution to the Health Care Cost Crisis. Michigan Law Review, 112(4): 523-74. Lasser, K.E., Himmelstein, D., Wollhandler, S. (2006). Access to Care, Health Status, and Health Disparities in the United States and Canada: Results of a Cross-National Population-Based Study. American Journal of Public Health, 96, 1-8. Maruthappu M., Ologunde R., Gunarajasingam A. (2013). Is Health Care a Right? Health Reforms in the USA and their Impact Upon the Concept of Care. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 2 (1), 15-17. Morgan, K. J. (2016). Americas Misguided Approach to Social Welfare. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.foreignaffaris.com Obamacarefacts.org. (2017). Obamacare: Uninsured Rates. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://obamacarefacts.com/uninsured-rates ProCon.org. (2016). ProCon.org Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues. Retrieved February 1, 2017 from http://www.procon.org/ Taubman, S. L., Allen, H. L., Wright, B. J., Baicker, K., Finkelstein, A. N. (2014). Medicaid Increases Emergency-Department Use: Evidence from Oregons Health Insurance Experiment. Science, 343(6168), 263-268. United Nations.org. (2005). United Nations, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Retrieved February 1, 2017 from http://www.un.org Wilper, A. P. Steffie Woolhandler, S., Lasser, K.E. Danny McCormick, D. (2009). Health Insurance and Mortality in US Adults, American Journal of Public Health,99(12), 2289-95.

Government and Politics - The War in Iraq and the Bush Administration E

The War in Iraq and the Bush Administration My great, but imperialist nation is at war again. And it's the hottest reality TV program ever conceived! I find it interesting that protestors in Chicago marched on the home of the ad exec responsible for the new "Army of One" campaign. The people on the street, or in the streets as is the case here, know how false that message is and they're taking matters into their own hands. In "Masters of War," Bob Dylan attempted to put a face on the enemy next door. Today, in this time of instant and often wireless communication, we not only have the face, we have all the digits that go with that face and the ability to direct an activist movement at this "target" within hours, if not minutes. Welcome to the hyperlinked Internet Age, an age of honesty and sharing for the common good. I've got CNN on in the other room and from time to time I feel the need to see what they are entertaining the viewers with. Explosions! Explosions make for great TV, as Hollywood continues to prove. The other thing CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and CNBC are overwhelming...

Shouldice Hospital, Ltd. Case

Starting as a small hospital, the Shouldice Hospital has had a rather long history since the end of the Second World War. And At the time of his death in 1965, the founder Dr. Shouldice’s longtime associate, Dr. Nicholas Obney was named surgeon-in-chief and chairman of the board of Shouldice Hospital Limited and under his leadership, the volume of activity continued to increase, reaching a total of 6,850 operations in the 1982 calendar year. And primaries represented approximately 82% of all hernias operations performed at Shouldice in 1982.It has been very successful. And now it tries to meet people’s needs and make this as good a place to work as possible. It has been a comfortable place for patients to stay. During their stay, patients were encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the premises and make new friends. Also, it has been a nice place for doctors who teach each other, encourage a group effort, have regular working hours and own desirable salary. Furthermore, the facility and administration here is very humanized for both patients and staff.As a result, patients are attracted to the hospital by its reasonable rates. Shouldice Hospital has specialized in hernia surgery (the Shouldice method) and is able to provide patients with low risk, low recurrence, and peace of mind. Shouldice achieves outstanding results as a low price and at high profit because everything done by the hospital is designed to maximize the difference between perceived quality and the value of the service provided to the patients on one hand and the cost of providing the service on the other. They do this by carefully screening patients.Patients are active participants in the service delivery process as presented with the utensils to prep themselves for surgery. The avoidance of general anesthetics allows a wide range of involvement of patients. The staff is freed from much of the disagreeable workload due to part-time positions. The cost of housek eeping, laundry, and food is also minimized. The clinic structures hospital jobs that involve more counseling and positive interaction with the patients. Shouldice Hospital is different from other hospitals in that Patients do not feel that they are staying in a hospital.It is Shouldice’s intentions to make its patients feel as if they are taking a vacation. When patients arrive to the clinic, typically they join up with 30 to 34 other patients and their friends and families in the waiting room. Patients with similar jobs, backgrounds, or interests are assigned to the same room to help the patients establish relationships and become more comfortable. The facility is also designed so that patients have to interact and walk around. There are no televisions are telephones in the patients’ rooms.This gives the patients the opportunity to tour the facility, visit each other’s rooms, lounging in the Florida room, and making use of the light recreational facilities. Sh ouldice Hospital uses a focus strategy. The Hospital’s market focus is on a narrow segment of potential patients who have a hernia and the patients are predominantly male, older in age, and essentially in good health. The hospital has knowledge of the large target market, as there were 600,000 such operations in the United States in 1979. Shouldice uses an internal market strategy.Shouldice’s doctors are dedicated to quality of the Shouldice method. The doctors are after several years at Shouldice must decide if this is something they want to do for the rest of their lives because eventually they will lose touch with other medical disciplines. Few elect to leave. Nurses at the facility are people oriented and work to assist patients as well as they can. The Staff is flexible and team oriented. Shouldice implements a sharing policy where the employees are paid a part of the profit in addition to their fixed salaries.This sharing is done based on their contribution towar ds the success of the firm. This entices them to work hard and put in more efforts. From the management point of view, they have given their staff a lesser work load and weekends off. This makes it able for the staff to spend more time with their families and keeps them content with their jobs. After discussion, our group has four suggestions for Shouldice Hospital in terms of their problem. First, author mentions that there are some people realize that they don’t have hernias when they talk to doctor in hospital.Therefore, hospital can increase its capacity by reduce this kind of error. Our group suggests that hospital should improve its questionnaire to make sure consumer can totally understand the questions. If there are some uncertainties in the questionnaire, nurses or doctors should call individual to make sure he/she has certain external types of abdominal hernias. Secondly, we think that Shouldice Hospital should not operate on Saturday. Even through Saturday operatio n can increase capacity by 20%, it is hard to control the operation quality. As O’Dell said† On the other hand, I'm oncerned about this talk of Saturday operations. We are already getting good utilization of this facility. And if we expand further, it will be very difficult to maintain the same kind of working relationships and attitudes. Already there are rumors floating around among the staff about it. And the staff is not pleased. † Right now, Shouldice hospital is much more efficient and effective than other hospital. We believe they make excellent utilization of their resource. Therefore, Saturday operation may cause some overload on hospital’s capacity which will jeopardize the current process flow.Thirdly, we believe that offers similar opportunities such as eye surgery is not a good idea. The reason is that the business bottleneck of Shouldice Hospital is the capacity of process rather than the demand in market. So, they should focus on how to impro ve the capacity to service more patients. Moreover, offering other surgery may harm their professional image in hernias area. Hence, our group suggests that they just stay on the hernias field and try to extent capacity. Fourth, we strongly suggest that Shouldice Hospital should build another hospital in the United States.Nowadays, 42% of their patients are come from the United States. Round-trip fares for travel to Toronto from various major cities in the North American continent ranged from roughly $200 to $600, as compare that the total operation fee including hospital is just around $1000. So the travel cost becomes a big financial burden for patients. Hence, open a new hospital in American will dramatically reduce the travel cost for customers and expand business. There are two big issue concerns with the new hospital, where to open and how to operate.Our group proposes that Shouldice Hospital should conduct a marketing research to find out where their current American patient come from and the transportation for some big city in United States to decide where to invest new hospital. About the operation of new hospital, quality control is the most important issue to maintain our brand reputation. They should relocate some experienced doctor from Toronto to American to train and direct the local doctor. Moreover, they should utilize the successful process flow into the new hospital and make some change by considering the difference culture and condition.Finally, Shouldice Hospital should be marketing their service, while the main strategy of marketing is to clarify where is hospital and what kind of operation is truly theirs. Because there are many individuals or institution on the market want to attract customers by using our brand image. But, the quality of their service is not very good. This phenomenon will jeopardize our brand image and destroy our reputation. It is the responsibility of hospital to help people distinguish the fake one. Our group belie ves that some marketing activity will well-build hospital’s brand image and help them success in the long-term.

Psychological Disorder Analysis Essay

The world of abnormal psychology is filled with many different types of disorders, symptoms, and treatment options. Today, I will be working with Roger, a middle-aged accountant living in San Francisco, California who experienced a car wreck a few months ago. He has been experiencing shakiness, breathlessness, heat flashes, and nightmares. He has been trying to cope with the symptoms that he is experiencing through alcohol consumption and going jogging. Using the skills I have learned about abnormal psychology, I will be able to diagnose Roger and provide an explanation as to why he is suffering from the type of disorder that he is experiencing, as well as determine the most effective treatment options available. Based on the information provided to me, I am diagnosing Roger with post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that is experienced by people who have been subjected to a traumatic, life-changing event. Although I am quite certain that this is the disorder that Roger is suffering from, I scheduled an appointment with him to get more details about the symptoms that he is experiencing. Me: Good morning, Roger, I wanted to call you in today to talk about the things that you are experiencing on a day-to-day basis so that I will learn more about yourself and the things that you are experiencing so that we can work together to come up with solutions that benefit you overcoming your experience. Roger: That sounds like a good plan, what would you like to know? Me: Well can you please begin with telling me what happened 2 months ago, so that I may hear it in your own words? Roger: Sure, about two months ago I was in a car accident where the other driver hit me head on. I wasn’t hurt, except for a few minor bruises, but my car was completely totaled. Since then, I try to avoid the area where I got into my accident. Me: Thank you for that information, Roger. Car accidents can be quite traumatizing and I’m sorry that you had to experience that misfortune. Roger: It’s okay, I’m just glad I got out of it alive. But the accident seems to stick with me no matter what I do, though. Me: Do you mind elaborating on that for me please, Roger? Roger: Well, ever since the accident I notice that whenever I am around the streets or in an automobile of any kind, I begin to feel shaky and out of breath. Then everything begins to get really hot and sometimes it feels like I am having a heart attack, so I begin to panic. Me: That’s very interesting Roger, have you been to your primary care doctor to see if there is a physical issue that is causing those symptoms? Roger: Yes, ma’am. My doctor told me that I am healthy as a horse and recommended me to you. So here I am. *laughs nervously* Me: I am glad that you are here to give me the opportunity to help you, Roger. Are there any other symptoms that you have been experiencing since your accident? Roger: Um, I’ve been obsessed with safer vehicles and I’ve spent a lot of time looking for an extremely safe car and have taken a defensive driving class. Some days I am so afraid to drive that I have to call my friends to come get me, and I can’t seem to find a car that meets my safety standards. Me: I can completely understand why you feel that way, Roger. Safety should always be the number one priority when out on the road. So you feel this anxiety only affects you when you are out on the roads? Roger: No, not at all. I’ve been having these horrible nightmares. Sometimes they are so bad that I can’t even make it to work, and my boss has started telling me that my performance is slipping, too. I’ve been drinking a lot since my accident because I can’t seem to get the thought of it out of my mind and it is the only thing that seems to help when I feel shaky. I’ve started to drink just to get the memory of the accident out of my mind. At home, I’m so worried about my family’s well-being that I try to keep everything clean and sterile. I don’t want myself or anyone in my family getting sick or going through what I went through. Roger: I know that this isn’t me and I don’t want to be please like this anymore, so can you please help me get past this? Because I don’t know what to do anymore and I’m having trouble just making it through each day. When I have my†¦panic attacks?†¦I usually head straight for the bar. Roger: After I have my nightmares, I usually can’t go back to sleep I go jogging. Being able to run helps me clear my mind of everything and just focus on the task at hand. Unfortunately, I’m not in very good shape so I can’t run for very long before I have to return home. Me: Thank you so much for explaining all of that to me in such detail, Roger, I could see that it was difficult for you. I want to let you know that it is excellent that you are going out jogging whenever you have a nightmare, and I want you to continue you doing that whenever possible in place of drinking. Me: Together you and I will find a way to get you through this, all I asking is for you to be willing to work with me. Can you do that, Roger? Roger: Yes, definitely. I’m ready to move on with my life. After the interview with Roger, I was able to gain more insight about his situation and am able to confirm that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. As mentioned before, Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that is experienced by people who have been subjected to a traumatic, life-changing event such as being raped, in a car accident, combat, or witnessing someone else’s traumatic experience, such as a loved one or a friend, and even witnessing a violent death can cause acute and posttraumatic stress disorders. Individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder becoming sensitized to the event that caused the disorder, causing them to experience feelings of anxiety when exposed to certain things related to the traumatic event. One of the key symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder is involuntary flashbacks of the traumatic event which can lead to the development of more severe symptoms. Those symptoms include: * Nightmares- the event relives itself in the subconscious, usually leading to insomnia * Depression – not enjoying the things you once enjoyed, disassociation * Anxiety, panic attacks – negative reactions to situations or sights/events that trigger a reconnection to the trauma. * Avoidance – For a traumatic event such as a car accident, avoiding the area where the accident occurred. * Substance Abuse: The abuse of drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism to desensitize emotional response to flashback or other symptoms. The Cognitive model of abnormality realizes that everyone creates their own view of the world that comprises their reality (Comer, 2011). Unhealthy thoughts stemming from a traumatic event create the abnormal behavior individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder experience. Therefore, post-traumatic stress disorder is a behavior that is determined by how individuals perceive the life-changing traumatic event that they experience. Looking into the history of post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD was first discovered during the Civil War, with the development of battle PTSD, also known as ‘soldier’s heart,’ ‘shell shock,’ and ‘battle fatigue,’ becoming known officially as post-traumatic stress disorder after the Vietnam War. A study conducted by Brian P. Marx in 2010 discovered that soldiers developed PTSD regardless of how recently or how long they were deployed. The study also showed that the longer PTSD is left untreated, the worse it will get, showing that untreated cases will become more anxious, have a shorter attention span, and in general have much poorer mental health. The study also found that â€Å"the stress these soldiers were experiencing had a significant impact on their physical health such as immune functioning and cardiovascular disease (â€Å"The effect of PTSD and combat level on Vietnam veterans’ perceptions of child behavior and marital adjustment,† 2006, para. ). Today, about 50% of Americans experience a trauma during their life time and only 8% of those individuals suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. So what factors cause certain people to develop post- traumatic stress disorder, while other individuals remained unaffected? One of the most important factors to consider when determining what type of individual is more likely to suffer from PTSD is the nature of trauma the individual faced and whether the individual had preexisting anxiety issues before their traumatic event. Studies have shown that individuals who were exposed to severe, prolonged trauma or trauma affecting one’s family were more likely to develop PTSD than individuals who did not. Using the Cognitive model of abnormality as a guide, there are several options for treating posttraumatic stress disorder. The most effective treatment is cognitive therapy, in which â€Å"therapists help clients recognize the negative thoughts, biased interpretations, and errors in logic that dominate their thinking† (Comer, 2011). Cognitive therapy is most effective for individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because it teaches the individual positive ways confront the negative thoughts and emotions surrounding their experience with their traumatic event by showing them how to understand the trauma that they went through and the feelings that they are experiencing afterwards. Helping the individual suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder understand why they are feeling the way they do about their traumatic experience is also important, as well as identify the thoughts and actions that make symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder worse. There are also further treatment options for individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and most anxiety disorders, including: * Relaxation: an individual is taught how to relax certain muscles by themselves instead of relaxing as a whole. Relaxation treatments have been the most successful in the treatment of anxiety symptoms such as high blood pressure and headaches as well as insomnia and panic attacks. * Biofeedback: an individual is connection to a machine that reads involuntary body movements enabling the individual to learn how to control those movements. This treatment has been most helpful in those recovering from post-traumatic stress disorders. * Meditation: is achieved my turning one’s concentration inward and blocking everything surrounding out allowing the individual to obtain a sort of peace from blocking out stressors. Meditation has been successful in helping symptoms of anxiety such as high blood pressure, pain, and in some cases, viral infecti ons (due to having a weaker immune system as a side effect of constant stress and anxiety). * Hypnosis: individuals a guided by a hypnotist, who lulls the individual into a sleep like trance, similar to meditation. In this trance the subconscious takes over and individuals can sometimes be directed to act in unusual ways, experience unusual sensations, remember seemingly forgotten events, or forget remembered events. This method is helpful with post-traumatic stress disorder victims who are suffering from amnesia and are unable to recall the traumatic event in order to come to terms with what happened and learn how to recover from it. In conclusion, post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that is caused by a traumatic, life changing event such as being raped, in a car accident, combat, or witnessing someone else’s traumatic experience, such as a loved one or a friend, and even witnes sing a violent death. The most effective treatment option for post-traumatic stress disorder as per the Cognitive model of abnormality is cognitive therapy in which â€Å"â€Å"therapists help clients recognize the negative thoughts, biased interpretations, and errors in logic that dominate their thinking† (Comer, 2011). I hope that with my thorough evaluation of the origin, causes, symptoms, and treatments of post-traumatic stress disorder, I am able to help Roger overcome the symptoms that he is experiencing from his post-traumatic stress disorder and assist him with his therapy so that he can return back to a normal life. References Comer, R. J. (2011). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth. Faces of Abnormal Psychology Interactive. (2007). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder McGraw-Hill Higher Education Web Site, retrieved on February 2, 2013, from http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/psychology/faces/# The effect of PTSD and combat level on Vietnam veterans’ perceptions of child behavior and marital adjustment. (2006, Febraury). Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51(1), 4-12.

MASSED PRACTICE AND DICTRIBUTIVE PRACTICE essays

MASSED PRACTICE AND DICTRIBUTIVE PRACTICE essays Running head: MASSED PRACTICE AND DICTRIBUTIVE PRACTICE The Effects of Massed Practice and Distributive Practice on Motor Skill Task. Queens College/ City University of New York Over a century scientist have wonder if massed practice conditions are superior to distributive practice conditions or visa versa. According to a mete-analytic review scientists have researched this very phenomenon and have concluded that distributive practices conditions are superior to those of massed practice conditions in a variety of situations. These results are supported by Maureen Bergondys experiment on team practice schedules as well as William C. Chaseys experiment on distribution of practice on learning retention and relearning. This experiment deals with the relationship between conditions of massed practice and distributive practice with respect to task performance. The motor skill task performed by subjects in this study wrote the English alphabet upside down fifty times. One group was given the massed practice motor task; while subjects from the five other groups practiced the motor task under five different distributions of time. However, our findings do not support those of previous findings. Our mixed factorial experiment with 51 subjects indicates that neither massed practice conditions or distributive practice conditions were superior. Therefore, the subjects acquisition of the motor task did not improve as a result of massed or distributed practice, but rather as the result of practice alone. Massed Practice and Distributive Practice Massed practice conditions are those in which individuals practice a task continuously without rest. While distributive practice conditions are those in which individuals are given rest intervals within the practice session. This mixed factorial experiment with 51 subjects deals with the effects of massed practice and distributive practice with respect to acqui...

7 Great Online Research Resources for Writers

7 Great Online Research Resources for Writers 7 Great Online Research Resources for Writers 7 Great Online Research Resources for Writers By Mark Nichol Doing research to strengthen a current story or article, or to get ideas for a new one? You can google all you want and hope for a productive return, but to engage in a focused search, try one of these mediated experiences instead: 1. Infoplease From current events to reference-desk resources to features about history, this site puts a remarkable array of information within reach. Guides to the nations of the world, timelines of political, social, and cultural developments, special quantitative and qualitative features like â€Å"The Worlds Most Corrupt Nations† and â€Å"Color Psychology,† and more cover just about anything you could think of. 2. The Internet Public Library Unlike the other reference centers on this list, the IPL is a portal to other Web sites, brimming with directories of links in topics like Arts Humanities. (Dictionary of Symbolism? Check. Ask Philosophers? Right. Legendary Lighthouses? We got your legendary lighthouses right here.) If you need background information on either fiction or nonfiction projects, stop by for a visit I just dare you to leave without a digressive click or ten. 3. The Library of Congress The online presence of the official repository of knowledge and lore of the United States is an indispensable resource not only for nonfiction writers seeking background information for topics but also for fiction authors seeking historical context for an existing project or inspiration for a new one. 4. Merriam-Webster Online The publishing world’s dictionary of record is at your fingertips online as well as in print, with a thesaurus and Spanish-English and medical compendia, to boot. The dictionary also includes refreshing can’t-we-all-just-get-along usage commentary. (That and which, as pronouns that introduce restrictive clauses, are interchangeable.) You’ll also find video tutorials on usage from dictionary staff, a Word of the Day feature, word games, and a variety of language-watch features. 5. Refdesk Refdesk.com, like Infoplease, is a clearinghouse for online research, with links to headline news and timeless information alike. You can easily get lost in its Daily Diversions directory, which includes links not only to humor, games, and trivia sites but also to more respectable resources like DailyWritingTips.com (whoo!). If you have a question, chances are you can find the answer on this site. 6. Snopes How do you verify that this self-described â€Å"definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation† is what it claims to be? Go to the site and find out. The fine folks at Snopes.com will set you straight about any one of hundreds of posts each with a prominent judgmental icon, and commentary to back it up about that one thing you think you remember you heard about that one thing. (For example: Posh comes from an acronym for â€Å"port out, starboard home† the ideal respective locations for accommodations on a luxury liner right? Cue the buzzer. Bogus.) TruthOrFiction.com is a similar site. 7. Wikipedia This user-generated online encyclopedia got a lot of flak a few years ago for some inaccurate information posted by someone with a grudge, but that was an isolated incident. Also, many sources warn against using Wikipedia as a primary source for research. That said, don’t hesitate to avail yourself of the wealth of information available on the site much of which is written by subject-matter experts in the field in question. Then click on one of the online sources linked in the footnotes, or take your search to one of the other sites in this list. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1Writing the Century45 Idioms with "Roll"

Apple Inc Development Essay Example for Free

Apple Inc Development Essay Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had withdrawn from Reed College and UC Berkeley, respectively by 1975. Wozniak designed a video terminal that he could use to log on to the minicomputers at Call Computer. Alex Kamradt commissioned the design and sold a small number of them through his firm. Aside from their interest in up-to-date technology, the impetus for â€Å"the two Steves† seems to have had another source. In his essay From Satori to Silicon Valley (published 1986), cultural historian Theodore Roszak made the point that the Apple Computer emerged from within the West Coast counterculture and the need to produce print-outs, letter labels, and databases. Roszak offers a bit of background on the development of the two Steves’ prototype models. In 1976, Wozniak started attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club. New microcomputers such as the Altair 8800 and the IMSAI inspired him to build a microprocessor into his video terminal and have a complete computer. At the time the only microcomputer CPUs generally available were the $179 Intel 8080 ($773.00 in present-day terms[11]), and the $170 Motorola 6800 ($734.00 in present-day terms[11]). Wozniak preferred the 6800, but both were out of his price range. So he watched, and learned, and designed computers on paper, waiting for the day he could afford a CPU. When MOS Technology released its $20 ($82.00 in present-day terms[11]) 6502 chip in 1976, Wozniak wrote a version of BASIC for it, then began to design a computer for it to run on. The 6502 was designed by the same people who designed the 6800, as many in Silicon Valley left employers to form their own companies. Wozniak’s earlier 6800 paper-computer needed only minor changes to run on the new chip. Wozniak completed the machine and took it to Homebrew Computer Club meetings to show it off. At the meeting, Wozniak met his old friend Jobs, who was interested in the commercial potential of the small hobby machines. The Apple I was sold as an assembled circuit board and lacked basic features such as a keyboard, monitor, and case. The owner of this unit added a keyboard and a wooden case. The very first Apple Computer logo, drawn by Ronald Wayne, depicts Isaac Newton under an apple tree. The Apple logo in 1977 created by Rob Janoff with the rainbow color theme used until 1998. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had been friends for some time, having met in 1971, when their mutual friend, Bill Fernandez, introduced 21-year-old Wozniak to 16-year-old Jobs. Jobs managed to interest Wozniak in assembling a machine and selling it. Jobs approached a local computer store, The Byte Shop, who said they would be interested in the machine, but only if it came fully assembled. The owner, Paul Terrell, went further, saying he would order 50 of the machines and pay US $500 ($2.04 thousand in present-day terms[11]) each on delivery.[12] Jobs then took the purchase order that he had been given from the Byte Shop to Cramer Electronics, a national electronic parts distributor, and ordered the components he needed to assemble the Apple I Computer. The local credit manager asked Jobs how he was going to pay for the parts and he replied, â€Å"I have this purchase order from the Byte Shop chain of computer stores for 50 of my computers and the payment terms are COD. If you give me the parts on a net 30 day terms I can build and deliver the computers in that time frame, collect my money from Terrell at the Byte Shop and pay you.†[13] With that, the credit manager called Paul Terrell who was attending an IEEE computer conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove and verified the validity of the purchase order. Amazed at the tenacity of Jobs, Terrell assured the credit manager if the computers showed up in his stores Jobs would be paid and would have more than enough money to pay for the parts order. The two Steves and their small crew spent day and night building and testing the computers and delivered to Terrell on time to pay his suppliers and have a tidy profit left over for their celebration and next order. Steve Jobs had found a way to finance his soon-to-be multimillion-dollar company without giving away one share of stock or ownership. The machine had only a few notable features. One was the use of a TV as the display system, whereas many machines had no display at all. This was not like the displays of later machines, however; text was displayed at a terribly slow 60 characters per second. However, this was still faster than the teleprinters used on contemporary machines of that era. The Apple I also included bootstrap code on ROM, which made it easier to start up. Finally, at the insistence of Paul Terrell, Wozniak also designed a cassette interface for loading and saving programs, at the then-rapid pace of 1200 bit/s. Although the machine was fairly simple, it was nevertheless a masterpiece of design, using far fewer parts than anything in its class, and quickly earning Wozniak a reputation as a master designer. Joined by another friend, Ronald Wayne, the three started to build the machines. Using a variety of methods, including borrowing space from friends and family, selling various prized items (like calculators and a VW bus) and scrounging, Jobs managed to secure the parts needed while Wozniak and Wayne assembled them. But the owner of the Byte Shop was expecting complete computers, not just printed circuit boards. The boards still being a product for the customers Terrell still paid them.[14] Eventually 200 of the Apple I’s were built. Wozniak had already moved on from the Apple I. Many of the design features of the I were due to the limited amount of money they had to construct the prototype, but with the income from the sales he was able to start construction of a greatly improved machine, the Apple II; it was presented to the public at the first West Coast Computer Faire on April 16 and April 17, 1977. On the first day of exhibition, Jobs introduced Apple II to a Japanese chemist named Toshio Mizushima who became the first authorized Apple dealer in Japan. The main difference internally was a completely redesigned TV interface, which held the display in memory. Now not only useful for simple text display, the Apple II included graphics, and, eventually, color. Jobs meanwhile pressed for a much improved case and keyboard, with the idea that the machine should be complete and ready to run out of the box. This was almost the case for the Apple I machines sold to The Byte Shop, but one still needed to plug various parts together and type in the code to run BASIC. Building such a machine was going to be fiscally burdensome. Jobs started looking for cash, but Wayne was somewhat gun shy due to a failed venture four years earlier, and eventually dropped out of the company. Banks were reluctant to lend Jobs money; the idea of a computer for ordinary people seemed absurd at the time. Jobs eventually met â€Å"Mike† Markkula who co-signed a bank loan for US$250,000, and the three formed Apple Computer on April 1, 1976. The name Apple was chosen because the company to beat in the technology industry at the time was Atari, and Apple Computer came before Atari alphabetically and thus also in the phone book. Another reason was that Jobs had happy memories of working on an Oregon apple farm one summer.[15] With both cash, and a new case design in hand thanks to designer Jerry Manock, the Apple II was released in 1977 and became the computer generally credited with creating the home computer market[citation needed]. Millions were sold well into the 1980s. A number of different models of the Apple II series were built, including the Apple IIe and Apple IIGS, which could still be found in many schools as late as 2005.[citation needed] While the Apple II was already established as a successful business-ready platform because of Visicalc, Apple was not content. The Apple III (Apple 3) was designed to take on the business environment. It was released on May 19, 1980. The Apple III was a relatively conservative design for computers of the era. However, Steve Jobs did not want the computer to have a fan; rather, he wanted the heat generated by the electronics to be dissipated through the chassis of the machine, forgoing the cooling fan. Unfortunately, the physical design of the case was not sufficient to cool the components inside it. By removing the fan from the design, the Apple III was prone to overheating. This caused the integrated circuit chips to disconnect from the motherboard. Customers who contacted Apple customer service were told to â€Å"drop the computer on the desk†, which would cause the ICs to fall back in to place. Thousands of Apple III computers were recalled and, although a new model was introduced in 1983 to rectify the problems, the damage was already done. In August 1980, the Financial Times reported that â€Å"Apple Computer, the fast growing Californian manufacturer of small computers for the consumer, business and educational markets, is planning to go public later this year. [It] is the largest private manufacturer in the U.S. of small computers. Founded about five years ago as a small workshop business, it has become the second largest manufacturer of small computers, after the Radio Shack division of the Tandy company.†[16] On December 12, 1980, Apple launched the Initial Public Offering of its stock to the investing public. When Apple went public, it generated more capital than any IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956 and instantly created more millionaires (about 300) than any company in history.[17] Several venture capitalists cashed out, reaping billions in long-term capital gains. In January 1981, Apple held its first shareholders meeting as a public company in the Flint Center, a large auditorium at nearby De Anza College, which is often used for symphony concerts. (Previous meetings were held quietly in smaller rooms, because there had only been a few shareholders.) The business of the meeting had been planned (or choreographed) so that the voting could be staged in 15 minutes or less. In most cases, voting proxies are collected by mail and counted days or months before a meeting. In this case, after the IPO, many shares were in new hands. Steve Jobs started his prepared speech, but after being interrupted by voting several times, he dropped his prepared speech and delivered a long, emotionally charged talk about betrayal, lack of respect, and related topics. Apple Inc Development. (2016, Dec 09).

Critiquing a mixed-method study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critiquing a mixed-method study - Essay Example Because it allocates money for expensive operations on the elderly. Such a statement indeed rises up a lot of comments and touches a lot of conflicting attitudes. For one thing it can easily slip into the political arena. The point is that the statement draws upon an important issue the United States is presently facing, the expense of health care. It makes this point as it draws up another important issue, that of the sanctity of life and one's ultimate responsibility in medical care which is to respect that sanctity. Getting back to the theme, apparently the concern which the article lies upon is one shared among several countries in the western world. A recent World Health Publication revealed that in some countries the health system would not think twice about transplanting a kidney to an elderly person. There was a recent program on the radio in which the South African health care system specifically denied such transplants to older age groups. The point is that there are pre-un derstandings behind the Goodridge et al article and they definitely lie upon or assume a western system of values. Is this okay? What does this mean? For one thing this means that there is no 'disembodied intellect' as Horsburgh points out. There is no neutrality here that could take in the position of countries outside the Western realm, such as South Africa. But this view doesn't say the study is wrong on in fault. It simply means, as Flemmings points out, one’s knowledge does come from our social interaction and experiences, and, from then stance of this article, these happen to occur in the Western world. The dominant theme in the United States part of this western World happens to be sensitive questions dealing with health care. Hence the main research question would immediately become suspect, as it would recall the political sphere where such confusing issues as 'death panels' were raised. But it is not the United States. The article is based on Canadian experiences. B ut still, there is a hidden assumption in the article. The assumption is that quality of care can be measureable as significant when one is dying in an intensive care unit and when one is dying of an obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The assumption appears that life can be extended in the case of COPD. Life should, of course, when possible, be extended. It is an assumption that is usually accepted. It is important that this assumption, and if it lies also in the authors, be reflexibly revealed. What would the hypothesis of this article be? Would it be that 'the care needs of people with COPD who die in the ICU' are different from the care needs of people receiving end of life (EOL) care who die in 'critical care settings' without COPD? One cannot be sure. This is a mixed methods study, combining both qualitative and quantitative data. The authors seek to measure the quality of EOL care in the ICU, but have many challenges. One challenge is that the 'ICU patients experience alter ed cognition and are unable to participate directly in quality of care assessments'. 2. The literature review is concerned with describing the difficult state of the patients. It speaks of how depression, anxiety and other illness contributed to the comorbidity state of the patients, explaining the complexity of the care provided. The background reviews literature dealing with the many issues concerning EOL critical

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

International Relations - Essay Example The Great Debate of Realism vs. Idealism: The North Korea Nuclear Problem Since the introduction of International Relations Theory during the World War I era, two conflicting arguments have helped to shape and guide the United States' foreign policy. Realists advocated seeing the world as it is; a conglomeration of self-interested states where military might and economic strength produce positive results. In contrast to the realists, the school of idealism advocated a foreign policy based on what the world could become; a cooperative system of member states and an international code based on freedom and order. US foreign policy in the last 100 years has ebbed and waned in and out of realism as a second World War, a Cold War, and a post-Cold War period challenged the State Department for a coherent policy theory. Nuclear capability in the hands of rouge nations has made it even more difficult to define the two theories. The North Korea nuclear problem is a product of the US's dual nature of realism and idealism. Since the Clinton administration, the US government has taken a hard line against the North Korean nuclear capability. The US was not working to persuade North Korea to become democratic or hold free elections. In addition, there have been few credible attempts to bring North Korea out of isolation, with the exception of South Korea's unification policies.

Sociology SGY360 - Weekly answers (weeks 2 to 12), info ready and easy Essay

Sociology SGY360 - Weekly answers (weeks 2 to 12), info ready and easy to do - Essay Example cording to Beck and Beck-Gernsheim the daily life of parents is becoming instrumentalized as brining up a child is considered a science and every move of the parents even playing and cuddling are a part of learning. 2. Children are valued and loved and get a lot of affection from parents, however they create distress for parents as well, since usually children in a home increase economic pressure and, interfere with support between spouses and create marital tensions. 2. According to Loseke, the sociological perspective of domestic violence is less popular than the psychological view because the psychological view gives simple ideas to complicated situations. Also, according to Loseke psychological theories pertain only to people who are objects of extreme violence. Lastly, he believes that sociological theories are less popular than psychological theories because they do not challenge people to think of the relationship between violence and a social

Legal Reference Concepts of Contracts Coursework

Legal Reference Concepts of Contracts - Coursework Example Biblical worldview refers to human perception of the events in the world from the lens of the inerrant, perfect God. Through the perception, human beings define reality and human relationships as influenced by biblical morals and teachings. For example, biblical worldview regards natural, flawless life and the moral human activities as the work of God. In light of these arguments, all contractual successes are attributed to God while any failures are regarded as the work of evil. Sometimes failures within the context of the biblical worldview are regarded as lessons which if taken positively will avoid bad consequences of one’s actions in future. Contracts are very common and form an important part of modern law. A contract is an agreement between two or more parties, giving each side clear obligations to perform towards its success. For proper apportioning of obligations, a contract must meet all of the primary conditions such as: the parties being competent; seeking or giving out a subject matter; a legal consideration by the offeree; mutuality of agreement and of obligation (Huffman, 2012). The most important condition to the formation of a contract is consideration, which generally involves money changing hands. A definite value of the subject matter or compensation is normally an imperative element of a valid contract, and in cases where the value is not fixed, the contract must provide a clear procedure for determining the price. So it is a common principle that the contract will lack the enforcement power when the price is not specified and the strategy of arriving at the value is also lacking (Jindo, 2011). Regardless, there are clear reservations in applying the doctrine. The contemporary contract normally involves money. In biblical worldview, a contract does not necessarily involve money. Biblical scriptures say even if all the worldly elements of a contract have been met, the parties will still face problems with performing

Review of a Pathological Condition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Review of a Pathological Condition - Essay Example In this case, the most probable cause for these symptoms could be uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or/and other long standing endocrine disorders therefore co-morbidities, leading to complications or death due to not being treated appropriately. The review of these pathological conditions, are presented by discussing categories of common causes of symptoms and disease progression, most susceptible individuals, utilising diagnostic imaging procedures for treatment and prognosis. Causes of the symptoms Genetics, environmental factors, poor diet, obesity, medications, infections and sedentary lifestyle have been cited by Chapman and Nakielny (2009) and William and Christine (2005) as some of the possible causes of diabetes as indicated in Richard and Neil (2007). Diabetics require strict dietary control to minimise the impact on lifestyle, as observed by Launer (2009) as the body fails to produce or utilise insulin properly. The islets of Langerhans of the pancreas contain four types of c ells, but two cells, alpha cells producing glucagon, which opposes insulin and beta cells responsible for producing insulin (Scobie, 2007). In Type 1 diabetes, there is a lack of insulin with only glucagon present inducing hyperglycemia. With the absence of insulin to absorb glucose in the bloodstream to metabolise complex sugars, glucose levels in the body increases leading to uncontrolled diabetes with hyperglycemia affecting the kidneys. The abnormal structural condition of this individual with a plethora of signs and symptoms, i.e., diabetes, fatigue, an insufficiency fracture of the femoral neck, oliguria and pruritus, all indicating uncontrolled diabetes leading to renal failure attributing to calcium/mineral abnormalities and toxicity in the body. Parathyroid disorders may also exacerbate the condition if this is present or initiated through renal failure. Disease Progression Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases with characteristic hyperglycemia associated with defects i n insulin secretion, insulin action, or both (Launer, 2009). Type 1 diabetes is characterized by beta cell destruction, usually leading to absolute insulin deficiency. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand presents as a spectrum of metabolic abnormalities with prominent insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency (William and Christine, 2005). The effect of diabetes is not limited to carbohydrate metabolism, but lipid and protein metabolism play an important role in its progression as noted by Launer (2009). Diabetic progression is initiated through numerous metabolic events that occur over a period of years. Repeated hyperglycemic attacks or chronic hyperglycemia, results in damage to other organs such as the kidneys leading to other complications or death. Hyperglycemia affects the kidneys causing diabetic nephropathy and glomerular filtration reduction. This result in the following manifestations: uncontrolled diabetes causing renal failure, resulting in oliguria, pruritus, fa tigue and insufficiency fractures. It is a chain effect. Controlling metabolic events make it possible to slow or stop the progression of the disease. There are three main types of diabetes. The symptoms are similar although there are differences in the way they develop. In Type 1 diabetes, the signs and symptoms are usually very obvious and can develop

Sociology SGY360 - Weekly answers (weeks 2 to 12), info ready and easy Essay

Sociology SGY360 - Weekly answers (weeks 2 to 12), info ready and easy to do - Essay Example cording to Beck and Beck-Gernsheim the daily life of parents is becoming instrumentalized as brining up a child is considered a science and every move of the parents even playing and cuddling are a part of learning. 2. Children are valued and loved and get a lot of affection from parents, however they create distress for parents as well, since usually children in a home increase economic pressure and, interfere with support between spouses and create marital tensions. 2. According to Loseke, the sociological perspective of domestic violence is less popular than the psychological view because the psychological view gives simple ideas to complicated situations. Also, according to Loseke psychological theories pertain only to people who are objects of extreme violence. Lastly, he believes that sociological theories are less popular than psychological theories because they do not challenge people to think of the relationship between violence and a social

Review of a Pathological Condition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Review of a Pathological Condition - Essay Example In this case, the most probable cause for these symptoms could be uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or/and other long standing endocrine disorders therefore co-morbidities, leading to complications or death due to not being treated appropriately. The review of these pathological conditions, are presented by discussing categories of common causes of symptoms and disease progression, most susceptible individuals, utilising diagnostic imaging procedures for treatment and prognosis. Causes of the symptoms Genetics, environmental factors, poor diet, obesity, medications, infections and sedentary lifestyle have been cited by Chapman and Nakielny (2009) and William and Christine (2005) as some of the possible causes of diabetes as indicated in Richard and Neil (2007). Diabetics require strict dietary control to minimise the impact on lifestyle, as observed by Launer (2009) as the body fails to produce or utilise insulin properly. The islets of Langerhans of the pancreas contain four types of c ells, but two cells, alpha cells producing glucagon, which opposes insulin and beta cells responsible for producing insulin (Scobie, 2007). In Type 1 diabetes, there is a lack of insulin with only glucagon present inducing hyperglycemia. With the absence of insulin to absorb glucose in the bloodstream to metabolise complex sugars, glucose levels in the body increases leading to uncontrolled diabetes with hyperglycemia affecting the kidneys. The abnormal structural condition of this individual with a plethora of signs and symptoms, i.e., diabetes, fatigue, an insufficiency fracture of the femoral neck, oliguria and pruritus, all indicating uncontrolled diabetes leading to renal failure attributing to calcium/mineral abnormalities and toxicity in the body. Parathyroid disorders may also exacerbate the condition if this is present or initiated through renal failure. Disease Progression Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases with characteristic hyperglycemia associated with defects i n insulin secretion, insulin action, or both (Launer, 2009). Type 1 diabetes is characterized by beta cell destruction, usually leading to absolute insulin deficiency. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand presents as a spectrum of metabolic abnormalities with prominent insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency (William and Christine, 2005). The effect of diabetes is not limited to carbohydrate metabolism, but lipid and protein metabolism play an important role in its progression as noted by Launer (2009). Diabetic progression is initiated through numerous metabolic events that occur over a period of years. Repeated hyperglycemic attacks or chronic hyperglycemia, results in damage to other organs such as the kidneys leading to other complications or death. Hyperglycemia affects the kidneys causing diabetic nephropathy and glomerular filtration reduction. This result in the following manifestations: uncontrolled diabetes causing renal failure, resulting in oliguria, pruritus, fa tigue and insufficiency fractures. It is a chain effect. Controlling metabolic events make it possible to slow or stop the progression of the disease. There are three main types of diabetes. The symptoms are similar although there are differences in the way they develop. In Type 1 diabetes, the signs and symptoms are usually very obvious and can develop

The Crucible would Essay Example for Free

The Crucible would Essay From your study of THE CRUCIBLE would you say that Miller intended there to be a hero and/or a villain? Justify your answer by close reference to the play.  I think Arthur Miller did mean there to be both a villain and a hero in his play. However the way he wrote his play made it so you would not have guessed some of their identities straight away.  I consider John Proctor to be the hero of this play and Abigail Williams to be the villain.   The characteristics that I think Miller believes a hero must have, beyond any other, is loyalty, and Proctor has that trait. He also must be brave and, in most respects, honest. He does not show these qualities when he appears in the beginning. At the start of the play Proctor shows little promise of heroism, he seems aggressive, violent, especially towards Mary Warren and Abigail, threatening to show you a great doin on you arse and asking if they look for a whippin?. However he has a reason to be angry with Mary Warren as she is his servant and she has disobeyed his orders.  We can tell that he does not mind threatening people that he believes are lower then him but he does not let people who believe that they are higher then him push him around. He stands up for himself and for what he believes in, even if it means going against authority, I like not the smell of this authority. He understands and admits what he had done wrong, even though he does not tell everyone until a point of crisis (when Abigail prays in the court: Whore!). He tries so hard to keep away from Abigail and temptation and tells her that We never touched and that he never give you hope to wait forhim.  As the play progresses we watch as he tries to save his wife and friends while trying to stop Abby. Even when he is offered his wifes freedom, by the judge Danforth, on the condition that he will drop this charge? he replies that he cannot, as that means he would have to forget about his friends, proving to us how deep his loyalty to his friends is especially when we realize that he is willing to doom his good name in order to prove his case against Abigail. He prefers to sacrifice what is most precious to him rather than leave his friends in the lurch. He gives up his reputation, that he tried to keep righteous and worthy, to save his wife and friends. He tells the judge that A man will not cast away his good name. He cast aside something that he felt was so important to him for the love for his wife, showing us how strong his emotions are and his sense of guilt.  But even though he admits to lechery with Abigail he cannot bear the thought of confessing to something that is a lie to save his life (Act 3). He could not bring himself to betray his friends so that he could live a liars life, for he believes that he is not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!. He keeps his loyalty to his friends intact by dieing a heros death and his personal integrity. It is this that Miller stresses most: How may I live without my name? While Proctor is not the conventional hero he at least tries to help people instead of being like Abigail who seems to have no morals and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.  Although there are many people in this play that could be called a villain Abigail Williams stands out as the worst, at least in my opinion.  The former maid of the Proctor house, she was turned out when Elizabeth Proctor found out about the affair between John and Abigail. None of them told anyone about the relationship and because of that Abigail was able to use against Elizabeth and tells Parris she hates mefor I would not be her slave! In the first scene she acts as though she is an innocent in the crisis but she quickly shows herself to be manipulative and a liar, no one was naked!he saw you naked.  She is revealed through Betty to be capable of murder too- You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!; she hides this, understandably, from the authorities, but not from the girls that danced with her. She frightens them into submission and lets them know that if any of them breathes a word she will bring a pointy reckoning tat will shudder them. She proven to be violent, smashs up Betty ad is menacing toward the other girls and later on to Danforth, telling him to beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits?, warning him not to cross her. She shows no remorse for anything she does and feels no guilt for accusing all those innocent people of witchcraft just so she can accuse Elizabeth Proctor.  She blames everything on someone else never taking the blame herself, She made me do it!.. when asked by Hale whether she had done magic in the forest. She betrays the man whom she claims to care about to save herself when Proctor is accused of witchcraft she does not say anything to help him (Act 3) Even though she claims to care for Proctor and love Betty (I would never hurt Betty. I love her dearly, she does not, she cares for no one but herself.  She is also a thief and a coward. After Proctor is arrested she no longer has anything keeping her in Salem and, as the judge no longer trust her, she and Mercy Lewis run away with thirty-one pounds stolen from Parriss safe.  In short Abigail is a lying, manipulative, murderous woman whom will do anything to achieve what she wants.  In conclusion I believe that Miller intended there to be many different characters that could be the villain or the hero but that Abigail and John stood out more than the others.

The Impact Of Social Media Media Essay

The Impact Of Social Media Media Essay In the era of everything instant, the perception of living life has dramatically changed. From the perspective that life is to too hard to live, it has now become an adage that life is easy and living it is should be much easier. Thanks to the comfort of modern technology and globalization, people are becoming more interconnected and interdependent. One of the great features of the unprecedented rise of the global cultures is attributed to the revolution of the Internet and social media. Almost everything has become so easy and so instant. Currently, the worlds by which define our reality have been changed by social media. We can do anything and everything through a globally wired network that enables instant communication. Socialnomics is the value created and shared via social media and its efficient influence on outcomes (Qualman 2010, p. xxi). Moreover, socialnomics is a revolution driven by people and enabled by the social media. A case in point is the most popular social networking site called Facebook. According to a blog in Birds Eye Media (2010), Facebook recently celebrated its six-year online presence. Its growing presence has enabled people to communicate more freely and have access to news and important updates. Information exchange occurs within and among the people we interact with in this new media platform. It provides the opportunity to reconnect with friends and loved ones. Social media works like a digital word-of-mouth where information dissemination is just a click away. In this age of globalization, social media networking has significantly altered the way we view realities and handle our relationships with other people. The Impact of Social Media Social media affects the way we write and speak the written word (Sherman 2010). Sherman noted that writing is more concise because the presence of a limited character spaces in Facebook and Twitter. People are challenged to convey their message to friends and the world within a 140 character limit. The task of writing something in a shorter and concise manner in Facebook as well as in SMS has changed how we communicate using different spellings and abbreviations (Sherman 2010). In another website article, Laurie (2010) cited six aspects in which social media has arguably made permanent effects on the lives of the people and the manner in which it is lived. The first aspect is child literacy. Children of today are more literate than in previous years, according to a survey made by The National Literacy Trust where over 3000 children were included. It was observed that a correlation existed between childrens engagement in social media and literacy. Today, even school-age children have active Facebook profiles. This has become a major turning point as users of social networking media vary from the very old to the very young. Social networking has enabled easy access for children in searching for answers on educational or social questions and in sharing what they know by posting links and videos gathered from the Web. Secondly, social networking has led to ambient intimacy since it allows people to be in touch with loved ones with a different level of regularit y which people would not normally have access to. Communication has become so ambient that we can use it wherever we want it. Facebook culture paved the way for the development of new levels of behaviors in relationship in general. Moreover, relationship statuses can be instantly changed and somehow be regarded that relationships can be had easily. It also becomes a venue for groups and various advocacies to form a niche and have their own chatroom and discussion board. In this manner, information is spread like a viral infection. Another aspect of change impacted by social media is the evident accessibility of knowledge (Laurie, 2010). The quote knowledge is power applies greatly in this Information age. The way information is produced and shared has changed with the advent of the Internet. Instant information can be viewed from popular search engines and knowledge in this manner has become a collaborative effort. The same thing with the advancement in the literacy level of children, anyone can be as knowledgeable as the person speaking in front of a lecture. Our own desire for knowledge is there and we can only ask ourselves if we want it (Laurie 2010). Social media has also reinvented politics (Laurie 2010). Accordingly, younger people are encouraged to be actively participating in matters of politics. Obamas successful election was helped by the proliferation of advocate groups created in support of his candidacy. Different countries used the networking culture to share their political ideologies via Facebook. Fan pages where created where the number of likes is akin to the number of hits in YouTube. This also enables the exchange of dialogues between politicians and the common citizen. Someone can just post a comment and share his sentiment over a wall in a Facebook page and this could be read by all. All these are just signs of the influence of social media in politics and it is not surprisingly increasing from users all over the world. Marketing in the age of Facebook has greatly contributed to the immense popularity of products advertised on it. Businesses now are compelled to engage in social media for marketing and advertisement because the economic potential of social media increases marketability in an easier and cheaper manner (Qualman 2010). Subscriptions to costly newspapers are not relevant when consumers are pushed to a timelier and free service in the net done at the comfort of your home or in the exact point where you are. Marketing and advertising is transforming itself from an industry reliant on mass market channels to one which must embrace the power of the consumer and attempt to engage in conversations (Has Social Media Changed Us 2010). While advertising is not a dying industry, is has changed dramatically in its platform and in that consumers now have the power. The last areas in which Laurie (2010) addressed on the effect of social media is the usage of the news as a cultural currency. Consumers are viewed as active participants of the network created. News can be gathered and can be passed around people within the network. Facebook is a perfect example of this tool as it is our tendency to connect first with our loved one and the people we encounter on a daily basis. Faster than the speed of light, gossip can be spread easily, status updates can be a source of a heated online argument where everyone on the network can track and read the long thread of dialogue. With all these, we have become more sociable, and somehow it is making us an epitome of social (Laurie 2010). Greene (2010) stated that social media has changed the lives of people in three ways. The idea of traditional media being replaced by social media makes it a biased look on how this revolution changed lives. Older people need not be scared of these new social media as the assimilation of both can be done without hints of failure because this is the direction our world is heading (Greene 2010). Moreover, the possibility of making friends around the world other than your workplace opens up your horizons to a better understanding of how to live in the 21st century. That is what Facebook does. Making friends and socializing becomes much easier compared to outside of the networking world. Some may be apprehensive but others are learning the ways and means on becoming more socially active and visible. Engaging social media encourages conversations and exchanges of ideas. A timid person who is afraid to say his opinions can now share his side without the fear of talking to someone in person al way. The efficiency of work and the level of productivity has also increased with the use of social media (Greene 2010). Cohen and Feld (2011) stated that social media has made business world more collaborative, fun and dynamic for everyone. But a level of inclusivity is on the rise in the exclusive world of networking (Greene 2010). The last important area which Greene (2010) tackled was the death of privacy. Today, 92 percent of two-year olds have an online record in the United States. Everything in life can be archived as the years pass. The issue of privacy is a matter that was taken seriously by Facebook administration as well as other popular networking sites. It is an advantage to take a look at the disclaimers popping out when creating an online account as this could cost someones private life. Privacy settings can be changed and the level of privacy in Facebook can be customized according to your restrictions. Even reporting abuse and fraud is incorporated in the interface of the networking sites so that people can block and delete hasty, violent and abusive language. As quoted from Brian Solis, we are entering an era of publicness or publicy, where are solely responsible for creating and defining our online persona (Greene 2010). Casciato (2010) believes that social media has changed the way social discourse is made between and among individuals. Conversations on the Internet are mediated and are available in real time. Social media allows one to make status updates, tweets, and blogs and text messages, without worrying about traditional social conventions such as dress. Conversations initiated over Facebook allows one to interact with another person from another part of the globe even in ones underwear. Social labels have also been change because of social media. In the past, people who are glued to computers for more than the 8 hour a day requirement for jobs are either labeled as geeks or nerds. Nowadays, being cool is being equated to how much time you spend on Facebook and how updated you are in posting status, pictures, or links. Moreover, the dynamics in Facebook can be considered narcissistic because speaking in the third person while updating what you are doing, feeling, or thinking is like staging o nes own reality show (Casciato 2010). Social media networking has also changed the way personal relationships are handled. Casciato (2010) stated that breaking up in the digital age has become unbelievably messy. The dilemma of removing someone from the network friends list, untagging someone from a post in order to separate ones identity from a past love would create a heavy burden of distinguishing reality from the virtual world. Social media has also made an impact on workers productivity. Procrastination in the workplace has become efficient ever since social media networking sites became popular (Casciato, 2010). The first thing that occupies the mind at work is to check and update ones status in Facebook. Meanwhile, features have a tendency to distract, whether it is a chatbox that pops up and engages you in a conversation or a red notification flag which appears to tell you that somebody posted on your wall. The cycle eventually goes on with hours of productivity lost in the process (Casciato 2010). Conclusion Social media or the so-called Facebook effect has changed how we socialize, gather information, and work in many ways. Communication, literacy, business and marketing, relationships, politics and culture are the key areas noted to have been greatly affected by this vast and growing social media hype. It has become a company that has changed social life in the United States and around the world (Kirkpatrick 2010). It has been visible and powerful in shaping how we look at the world. While it has its numerous benefits, social media should be used responsibly without disregarding the basic principles of ethical conduct.

Causes of the Easter Uprising :: Essays Papers

Causes of the Easter Uprising The British occupation of Ireland began in the 1640’s and lasted until 1922. No other occurrence throughout Irish history has had a greater impact on the lives of the citizens of the country. Along with the act of occupation came the emergence of Protestantism, which conflicted with the traditional religion of Ireland, Catholicism. The English occupation of Ireland affected many aspects of Irish history from the potato famine to the War for Independence. However, Irish nationalism came to a boiling point April of 1916, in what is now known as the Easter Uprising. The uprising lasted 6 days and resulted in massive casualties, but furthered the liberation cause for the Irish. During the mid 1840’s, blight in the potato crops in Ireland caused widespread starvation and migration of Irish citizens to the United States. Yet, the massive loss of life and massive exodus could have been avoided if British taxation upon the working class of Ireland was nullified. Though the struggle for liberation was already taking place, the potato famine furthered the cause and helped spread awareness. Furthermore, the potato famine made the average Irish family more reliant upon the government for subsidies and supports to get by. Thus began the emergence of Socialist and Communist activism within Ireland. For example, the Socialist Republican Party of Ireland formed in 1889 (Connolly 13). However, this growing need for socialism in Ireland was in stark contrast to the capitalist economy employed by England at the time (Colum 54). As a result of the Industrial Revolution in the 1850’s, capitalism spread quickly throughout much of Europe. At the center of the capitalist boom was England. Many cities in England at the time were very industrialized and still are to this day. Manchester and Liverpool were the centers of English industry. In fact, Leon Trotsky, a very powerful leader in the Russian Revolution, wrote a book entitled, Where is Britain Going? The book documented the troubles with British capitalism (Crawford). Moreover, the English prevented the Irish from keeping a fair amount of what they did produce (Connolly 153). Ireland is not nearly as rich with resources as the British, so t hat furthered the need for government support.

A Precious Gift :: Personal Narrative Essays

A Precious Gift Education has always been considered very important in my family. Prior to the earliest time I can remember I am told that my mother and father read to me nightly. My family has a deep background in books, my father being a collector, and my mother working at a library. My father loves books, in every way I can think of. He loves to read them, as do the rest of my family, but he has a collector's interest in books that we lack. He once wondered to a local library to check if they had a book sale. They did indeed have a book sale, and he bought quite a many books from their shelves. Soon he became a volunteer, and then the organizer, and soon had his own key to the library. As the relationship between my father and I goes, I started going with him to the book sale. I loved reading and I helped him a little also. We discovered that the special semiannual book sale was coming up. I came with my dad that morning and we began carrying boxes of books out to the tables. We observed a tag sale across from us that apparently went hand in hand with our sale. I was given the job of collecting money, and the day was going well, for we had already made nearly four hundred dollars for the library. At one point a small boy began his ascent up the small hill from the tag sale. He was only seven or eight by my estimate, and went directly to the table marked 'children.' After a minute or two he had found four or five books that he liked, put them in a neat pile and started his way back down the hill to the tag sale. Nearly a minute later he came back with a rather sad look on his face. "What's the matter?" I asked him as he took the pile and placed the books back on the table. He shrugged and I pushed. "You don't want those books?" I asked. I could tell he was shy. We already had something in common. "No, I can't get them." "Oh? Why not?" I asked. I could sense that he wanted them. "Because my mother won't give me the money for the 'stupid books.