Health Care Reform in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Health Care Reform in America - Research Paper Example The contention was supported by authors Siegel, Mead and Burke (2008) who revealed an analogous argument in the rising costs of healthcare services coupled with the increasing number of Americans who are uninsured. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) emphasized that â€Å"some  47 million U.S. residents have no health insurance, and the numbers keep growing† (AFL-CIO, 2011, par. 1). In view of this, the current administration has enacted the Affordable Care Act that envisions implementing â€Å"comprehensive health insurance reforms that will hold insurance companies more accountable, lower health care costs, guarantee more health care choices, and enhance the quality of health care for all American† (USDHHS: Health Care, n.d, par. 1). The purposes of the reform are as follows: to broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insurance programs or private sector insurance companies; to expand the array of health care providers consumers may choose from; to improve the access to health care specialists; to improve the quality of healthcare; to give more care to citizens; and to decrease the cost of healthcare, among others. (PLS CITE YOUR SOURCE) Health care reform is therefore important to all Americans in terms of making health care accessible to more affordable health coverage through the following strategies, to wit: â€Å"(1) sets up a new competitive private health insurance market; (2) holds insurance companies accountable; and (3) puts our budget and economy on a more stable path† (USDHHS: Health Care, n.d., pars. 6 to 8). 1965 President Lyndon Johnson Lyndon enacted legislation which introduced Medicare covering both hospital and general medical insurance for senior citizens paid for by a Federal employment tax over the working life of the retiree, and Medicaid permitted the Federal government to partially fund a program for the poor, with the program managed and co-financed by the individual states.  

Foreign Press vs. U.S. Press Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foreign Press vs. U.S. Press - Essay Example When people were still in shock the next bomb exploded creating wider chaos and fear everywhere. A lot of bodies were left in pieces with boots of police officers scattered all over the scene along with several severed hands. Thereafter ambulances began evacuating casualties of what remains of the dead bodies and injured people. The injured and victims were then taken to hospitals bloodied and bandaged they lay on the floor because of the beds that were already filled with patients. Chaotic scenes unfolded as the doctors and nurses tended to the patients and security officials who were also brought as more victims. Within an hour another bomb exploded taking the list to three bombs all in one day; the last bomb injured almost 8 more security officials. It was evident that this bomb along with other terrorist activities aimed at police officials only; however it was considered the worse since February. Comparison The news are reported by the USA press (Voice of America) and the Foreig n Press ( Khaleej times). Good comparisons of both are given below. Commonalities: There are various commonalities in facts and general information where both citations are mostly similar. Both reports clearly mention 27 people killing in northern city of Iraq. The area that was the blasted, that is, Kirkuk was even correctly identified. Other details that included, the bombs rushing the policemen out of their headquarters, three bombs all in one day, the location of bomb i.e. parking area near police station and the third bomb being planted on the road was even clearly pointed out by both press. The number figures mainly eight wounded security officers, second bomb occurring within minutes, the third within an hour were also some of the accurate approximates. Differences: The reports from US press (voice of America) had a very short note due to which places of disparities reduced naturally in the report. Still in some areas the problem was sighted this included mainly in the title. Whereeas th Foreign Press (Khaleej Times) mentioned two bombs killing 27 people the USA Press (Voice of America) mentioned series of bomb killing 27 people. At first side any addressee would comprehend the word â€Å"series† as more than two bombs, which could be a wrong view, thus the title could be said as an exaggerated one to draw attention. The second difference sighted were in the distance of Kirkuk from north of Baghdad. Where Foreign Press (Khaleej Times) mentioned 290 kilometers the USA Press (Voice of America) mentioned it as 250 kilometers. This was a factual data and such error must not have occurred. News # 2: At least 18 killed in Baghdad jail fight The article reported the killing in Baghdad prison flight. It all started when one of the Al-Qaeda leaders, Huthaifa al-Battawi, who was reported as the Emir of Baghdad and also the planned attacker at a Catholic Church, wrestled with one of the security guards in an attempt to flee off the prison with other of his inmates. In fighting between the security officers and the prisoners he got killed along with many others from security guards and prisoners either injured or killed. Commonalities: Both the USA Press (Voice of America) and the Foreign Press (Khaleej times) agreed on Huthaifa al-Battawi death, his wrestling for gun from a guard and him being the one who planned attack at Catholic Church back in October . Differences: There are various

Autopsy Examination and Tracking Gun Ownership

Autopsy Examination and Tracking Gun Ownership A. Introduction â€Å"The Long Goodbye† is a film in 1973, which was critically acclaimed as a story of humans’ morality in a self-obsessed society. Not being a scientific film, it however comprises few murder scenes and forensic investigation, which provide us with very good examples to study and perform analysis with our knowledge. B. Synopsis The story consists of two concurrent story threads, which first appear to be unrelated, but generally become connected by the stories end. It began with a night when private investigator Philip Marlowe (the main character) was visited by his close friend, Terry Lennox, who asked for a drive to Mexico border at Tijuana. Philip was convinced that Terry was in a fight with his wife, Sylvia, and agreed to help. However, he later discovered that Lennox was wanted by police and being accused of murder of his wife. Having refused to co-operate and provide any information, Marlowe was arrested as an accomplice. However, three days later, he was released after it was found that Lennox had committed suicide. The case was closed with Lennox’s death. The story continued with another story thread which Eileen Wade hired Marlowe to find her missing husband. Her husband, Roger Wade, was an author with drinking problems. He had disappeared on previous occasions, usually to rehab institutions, but not this time. Marlowe took the case and surprisingly discovered the relationship between the Wade couple and Lennox couple throughout the search. The suspicious connection and clues motivated Marlowe to find out the truth behind the death of Lennox couple. He started to conduct a thorough investigation. To obtain more information and prove Lennox’s innocence, Marlowe encountered a doctor, a gangster boss and a guard. He followed the leads, but more and more signs of suspicion were disclosed. Integrating pieces and pieces of puzzles, he finally discovered that Lennox had faked his death to cover his murder and possession of dirty money. Being used and betrayed by his best friend, Marlowe shot Lennox by himself at the end of the story. C. Evidence Gathered With Lennox’s death, evidences were collected for examination and documentation by the police force. Black and white photographs of crime scene were taken to record essential information or clues, condition and position of the dead body, possible weapons and other physical evidences were recorded. Photographs of the dead body in a bathtub (Screenshot from â€Å"The Long Goodbye†) Fingerprints were also collected in the crime scene of Lennox’s death for further identification and comparison. They contain individual characteristics, the identity of the dead body and those who had access to the crime scene can be distinguished and known. Multiple fingerprints collected in the crime scene (Screenshot from â€Å"The Long Goodbye†) Meanwhile, the gun used in the Lennox’s suicidal death was claimed to be retrieved. It was found to be registered under Lennox’s name which proved a possible suicide. Further examinations can be conducted to determine whether the weapon was connected to the death of Lennox. The physical evidences were further sent to examine with different techniques. D. Techniques Moving on to the techniques, autopsy examination and gun tracing were employed to investigate Terry Lennox’s suicidal ‘death’. Results concluded that Terry’s death was instantaneous by a gunshot triggered by a gun registered under his name. Should the investigation be free from bribery and bureaucracy, a forged harmless gun wound should not fool the coroner. Subsequent specimen analysis should reveal a high degree of intoxication through Terry’s injection of drugs to fake his death. A toxicology examination should thereby be carried out to determine the kind and type of drug that caused his ‘death’. 1. Autopsy Examination An autopsy is a medical examination carried out on both external and internal surfaces of a dead body, to determine the cause of death and what caused the death. It is performed when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly while in apparently good health. Thus, Terry’s instantaneous and suspicious death would surely be subjected to further autopsy investigation by a coroner. After proving the gun wound fake, Terry’s high degree of intoxication should deem suspicious enough for a toxicological analysis by a pathologist to confirm his cause of death. External examination Fingerprinting is carried out before any autopsy analysis of the dead body, for identification and the matching of the fingerprints found on weapons and other physical evidence. The method adopted in this process depends primarily on the condition of the dead body. If the body is in poor condition, like Terry’s body which has been soaked in water, fingerprints have to be recovered through first ‘degloving’ and removing the finger skin, placing them on the fingertip of one operator. Powdering will then be applied to the prints to enable their transpose onto paper for record and future comparison. After fingerprinting the body, the coroner will carry out systematic external examination of the body in terms of these few aspects. (i)Stature determination (height, gender etc.); (ii)Description of recent or old traumatic elements and congenital abnormalities; (iii)Phenotypic characteristics (hair color, axillar description etc.) The gunshot wound found on Terry’s body will therefore lie in the second category as a recent wound that directly contributed his death. However, had the coroner be free from bribery, he should be able to distinguish it as a harmless forged wound. This abnormality should create enough suspicion for internal examination to determine his real cause of death. Internal examination To reveal Terry’s high degree of intoxication, pathologists are responsible for collecting a variety of biological specimen necessary for toxicology tests. Conventional biological specimen includes blood, vitreous humour, urine, stomach and liver contents, which will be sent to toxicology laboratories for separation, identification and quantification. Lethality and toxicity in the concentration of drug molecules will thus serve as a determinant of one’s cause of death. 2. Gun ownership registration Gun ownership tracing has also been used to determine the ownership of the gun, which is suspected to be the weapon that directly caused Terry’s ‘death’. By tracing the serial number and registration record, the police officers confirmed that the gun is registered under Terry’s name in the counter of Los Angeles, thus, rendering Terry’s case as suicidal death. E. Addressing Toxicology in Autopsy in detail a) Specimen Collection (Postmortem Specimen some of them will be discussed below) According to The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), a forensic toxicology organization founded in London in 1963, there are some recommendations on sample collection, which are listed below: i) Blood – According to the â€Å"Laboratory Guideline† provided by the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (2006), it mentions, â€Å"in majority of the postmortem cases, blood is always the most crucial and single specimen for the toxicology analysis†. However, it also suggests that experts should collect at least 2 blood specimens if it is possible in each case. Flanagan, Connally and Evans (2005) suggests the method and procedures for blood collection that firstlyâ€Å" 30 ml of central blood (from the right atrium of the heart, inferior vena cava, or another large vessel) should be collected for qualitative analysis and secondly â€Å"10 ml peripheral blood from the left and right femoral veins should be collected by direct vascular access.† ii) Urine – Levine (2006) mentions that most of the drugs and metabolites will still remain in a relatively higher concentration and for a longer period in urine than in blood. Therefore, it is important to collect all the urine available from the specimen for analysis. iii) Vitreous Humor – According to TIAFT, vitreous humor is a biological fluid that can be collected from the lens of the eye. Drummer (2002) mentions that it has a desirable characteristic of being so stable that can be more resistant to any putrefactive changes than other specimens. Therefore, for a better analysis, if possible, it is suggested that all vitreous fluid should be collected from each eye (Levine, 2006). Apart from the above specimens, others specimens including gastric contents, bile, cerebrospinal fluid, tissues (liver, lung) are also needed to collected for further testing. Limitations: Time is a major problem. It is important that all the specimens are collected as fast as possible being put in separate containers for accurate analysis. For most specimens, Skopp (2004) suggests disposable hard plastic or glass tubes should be used for the storage of specimens. Also, Flanagan, Connally and Evans (2005) suggest that samples should be stored at a maximum of 4 ºC when being analyzed after autopsy, if not, they should be stored at -20 ºC. b) Analytical Process According to Fitzgerald, Rivera and Herold (2010), most of the drugs molecules cannot be distinguished directly through the post-mortem specimens, thus they have to be separated from the biological matrix before they undergo the toxicology analysis. For the separation, there are few steps. Firstly, the specimens need to undergo heating at 60 80 degrees in a sealed container. Secondly, it is the protein precipitation that we need to concentrate the proteins and purify them from various contaminants. Then, it is the liquid-liquid extraction. Sapkale, Patil, Surwase and Bhatbhage (2010) mention that this process is used to â€Å"separate compounds based on their relative solubility in two different immiscible liquids, usually water and an organic solvent†. After that, the analysts can be identified and quantified by techniques, such as spectrophotometry, chromatography and immunoassay. 1) Spectrophotometry According to Watson (2008), she states that color tests can able to test an unknown drug with a chemical or mixture of chemicals. Therefore, the change of the colour of the test substance can help find out the type of the drug it belongs to (See Table 1). Drugs like Heroin, Morphine, Cocaine, Barbiturates and Marijuana can be screened by the color test. Other drug tests include ultraviolet spectrophotometry is used to identify other drug classes. Wilkinson, Dale, Wayne and Martin (2002) mention that ultraviolent spectrophotometry can analyzes â€Å"how the substance reacts to ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light.† The spectrophotometry machine will emit UV and IR rays, and then it will measure how the sample reflects or absorbs these rays so as to identify what type of substance is present in it (Watson, 2008). (Table 1: Source from Westchester Department of Laboratories and Research) 2) Chromatography According to Pervez (2001), this technique is widely used because â€Å"it can distinguish the presence of a certain chemical in a highly complex mixture.† There are 2 types of chromatography, including Gas Chromatography (GC) and Liquid Chromatography (LC). GC is usually used to identify volatile toxicants and those that contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and halogen-carrying molecules. Comparing with spectrophotometry, Pervez (2001) also mentions that GC is a highly sensitive toxicology test, which is good at identifying the drug molecule. For liquid chromatography (LC), it is used to identify non-volatile and/or thermally labile toxicants. 3) Immunoassay According to ImmunoChemisty Technologies, LLC, immunoassays are â€Å"quick and accurate tests that can be used onsite and in the laboratory to detect specific molecules†. It also mentions that it is dependent on the inherent ability of an antibody to â€Å"bind to the specific structure of a molecule† so as to detect the presence of drugs in the specimen. Analysts in biological liquids like serum or urine are frequently measured using this method for medical and research purposes. F. Mismatch In the film, Lennox fakes his death by drug injection and bribing the policeman (who acts as the coroner too), who, interesting, simply takes photos of the dead body and announces his death of intoxication, without any surgical procedure to determine and evaluate the cause and manner of the Lennox’s â€Å"death†. But it is quite a mismatch in reality since: 1) bribing not only one policeman, but all the police, coroners and other all officers to fake one’s death sounds unreasonable and impossible. Moreover, according to Laws of Hong Kong, medicate practitioner shall provide certificate where cause of death of certain deceased should be clearly stated with proof. 2) Forensic toxicology for autopsy was widely used (even already available in 1970s). That means in the film, coroners should carry out drug test to further obtain and interpret the cause of death. As for tracking gun ownership, according to Laws of Hong Kong, no person shall possess any firearms or ammunition unless one holds a license for possession of such items. So we should look into the situation in other countries, for example, the U.S. where the murder case happens in the film. While the Gun laws nowadays in the United States are dependent on different states, they require owners including sellers and buyers to have specific license to possess firearms. In crime science investigation, these license for sure are used to trace the registration and ownership of guns. Instead of saying it as a ‘mismatch’, it, as similar to the ways in the movie, is still a very useful way in nowadays to solve crimes. G. Conclusion By investigating this film, we have examined the use of autopsy examination and tracking gun ownership, which are used in the movie. We address forensic toxicology in autopsy like Spectrophotometry, Chromatography and Immunoassay in detail. Finally we come to a conclusion that faked death is almost impossible to happen nowadays in reality, but tracking gun ownership is still made possible and useful nowadays. Bibliography Beauthier, J.-P., LefeÃÅ'â‚ ¬vre, P., De Valck, E. (2011). Autopsy and Identification Techniques. In N.-A. M. (Ed.), The Tsunami Threat Research and Technology. InTech. Drummer OH and Gerostamoulos J (2002) Ther. Drug Monit. Flanagan RJ, Connally G, and Evans JM (2005) Toxicol. Rev. 24:63-71. Pervez. F (2001). Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry. Bronx Science. Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.bxscience.edu/publications/forensics/articles/toxicology/f-toxi01.htm Immunochemistry Technologies, LLC (2013). What is an Immunoassay? Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.immunochemistry.com/what-immunoassay National Criminal Justice Information Center. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.ncjrs.org/DrugsandCrime.asp Levine B (2006) Principles of Forensic Toxicology. American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Washington, DC. Fitzgerald, Rivera and Herold (2010). Broad Spectrum Drug Identification Directly from Urine, Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Clinical Chemistry. Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.clinchem.org/content/45/8/1224.long Skopp G (2004) Forensic Sci. Society of Forensic Toxicologists/American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Forensic Toxicology Laboratory Guidelines. (2006).Retrieved April 24, 2014, from www.soft-tox.org. The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (2010). Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.tiaft.org/abouttiaft Valdes, R. (2004, August 03). How Autopsies Work, HowStuffWorks.com. Watson, S. (2008). Forensic Drug Testing. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-lab-technique2.htm Westchester Department of Laboratories and Research. Forensic Chemistry. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.westchestergov.com/labsresearch/forensicandtox/forensic/ Wilkinson, Dale, Wayne and Martin, (2002). Physics and Forensics: Synchotron Radiation is helping to Identify Tiny Amounts of Paint, Drugs, and Fibers Found at Crime Scenes. Physics World. Sapkale, Patil, Surwase and Bhatbhage (2010). SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION. Sadguru Publication.

Capuchin BiPedalism :: essays papers

Capuchin BiPedalism This experiment tested how posture affects the hand preference in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). The research indicated that in fact there may exist a preference for use of the right-hand when in an upright posture standing bipedally. This preference, according to the study is exhibited in the capuchins when reaching bipedally. However the monkeys did not necessarily exhibit a preference when using tools to probe for a treat. In addition the results showed that there was little or no bias in hand preference neither for reaching nor for tool use when standing quadrupedally. The authors link this finding with the human retreat from quadrupedalism and our subsequent right-hand preference that has been selected for almost exclusively, equally exemplified in all human cultures, through the use of complex tools. The experiment consisted of 11 male and 5 female capuchins at various developmental levels all of which contributed 50 trials each, over 8 months. In order to conduct the quadrupedal reaching analysis the researchers placed a piece of fruit on the base of the subject’s cage. To evoke the bipedal reaching response the fruit was instead place 40-50 cm above the floor on the cage mesh. The probing response was evoked using an apparatus which was filled with a sweet sugar syrup the apparatus was mounted to the cage both at the bottom of the cage (quadrupedal response) and at shoulder heighth (bipedal response). In all cases a researcher took note of the hand used for the retrieval or tool use actions. In order to more accurately and systematically measure each response the researchers developed a formula that yields a handedness index (HI), a score that indicates hand preference. The formula is as follows: [(R-L)/(R+L)] , R = the number of right-handed reponses and L = the number of left-handed responses. Next this HI score was used as an absolute value so that regardless of right or left hand preference a measure is reached that shows overall preference strength. This scale places a positive value to right-handed actions and a negative value to left-handed actions. According to this scale there was a significant rise in frequency of right-handedness in bipedal reaching and a greater frequency overall in bipedal action. Contrarily there was little interaction in the bipedal tool use. The authors offer several mechanisms through which bipedalism may affect a particular hand preference. One view offered is that the quadrupeds, not habitually standing bipedally, are influenced by the ‘greater specialization’ required in order to perform such manual actions.

Notes on Lecture Principles of Economics

Book: Principles of Economics (N. Gregory Mankiw) http://admin. wadsworth. com/resource_uploads/static_resources/0324168624/8413/Mankiw_TenPrinciple_Videos. html Introduction economy: Greek: the one who manages the household scarcity: the limited nature of society`s resources economics: the study of how society manages it? s scarce resources economy: a group of people interacting with one another as they go about their lives important: management of society? s resources; resources are scare most societies, resources are allocated not by a single household, but through the combined action of millions of households and firms Economist: study how people make decisions: how much they must work; what they buy; how much they save; how they invest their savings, how people interact with each other; also analyze forces and trends that effect the economy as a whole, including the growth in average income and the rate at which prices are rising; Ten Principles of Economics: How people make dec isions: #1 People face tradeoffs â€Å"There is no such thing as a free lunch. † To get one desired thing, usually required giving up another desired thing: making decisions ( trading off one goal against another e. : How I spend my money (save/invest); The subject I want to study; The job I want to work in; The meal I am going to have; The place where I want to live or to study abroad †¦ classical tradeoffs: â€Å"guns & butter†; (e. g. reducing pollution vs. low wages and high producing costs) â€Å"efficiency & equity† : conflicts when government policies are being designed efficiency: the property of society getting the most it can from it`s scarce sources (size of economic pie) equity: the property of distributing economic prosperity fairly among the members of society (how the pie is divided) 2 The cost of something is what you give up to get it because people face tradeoffs, making decisions requires comparing the costs and benefits of alternative co urses of action; (often cost of some item not as obvious: e. g. all the incoming cost when decided to study: money & time) opportunity cost: whatever must be given to obtain some item (How much do I have to give up = measure for the trade-off) e. g. start a Master`s Course or not: alternatives (opportunity costs: working; work & travel; another Bachelor; Internship; (each decision causes new Costs. marginal costs? ); #3 Rational People think of the Margin e. g. examination: not black & white: blow of vs: 24h studying ( decisions are shades of gray (airline) e. g. average cots of seat: $500, marginal cost: bag of peanuts & soda (e. g. $20) marginal changes: small incremental (schrittweise, zunehmend) adjustments to a plan of action (adjustments around the edge of what you are doing) e. g. thinking of the alternatives of not proceeding with a Master`s course (opp. Cost), but start to work directly after the B. A. ( marginal costs: lower wage; less career possibilities; marginal benefi ts: a wage at all; BUT: only profitable when marginal benefit of the action exceeds the marginal costs #4 People respond to incentives although comparing costs & benefits (c & b) behaviour may change when costs or benefit change ( d. h. people respond to incentives effect of price on the behaviour of buyers & sellers is crucial e. g. price of an apple rises: buyer: decide to buy pears; fewer apples bec. cost of buying apple is higher; sellers: hire more workers & harvest more apples bec. enefit of selling one is higher e. g. policy changes: tax on gasoline: encourage people to drive smaller, more fuel-efficient cars or public transportation etc. ( when analyzing policy we must consider not only the direct effects but also the indirect effects that work through incentives (e. g seat belt law); if the policy changes incentives, it will cause people to alter their behaviour e. g. when receiving an income parents (money) for studying it might change the incentive to work and earn own mo ney How people interact: #5 Trade can make everyone better off rade bw. Two countries can make each country better off; e. g. each family in the economy is competing with all other families (despite comp: family would not be better off isolating itself; but gains much from its ability to trade with others) ( trade allows each person (country) to specialize in the activities he or she does best; by trading with others, people can buy a greater variety of goods and services at lower costs e. g. #6 Markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity . firms decide whom to hire & what to make ouseholds decide which firms to work for & what to buy with their incomes; ( these firms & households interact in the marketplace, where prices & self-interest guide decisions; in a market economy nobody is looking put for economic well-being society as a whole; free markets contain many buyers & sellers of numerous goods & services; all primarily own well-being; ( yet: despite decentraliz ed decisionmaking and self-interested decisionmakers; market economies have proven successful in organizing economic activity in a way that promotes overall economic ell-being ( invisible hand (Adam Smith: 1776): does not ensure that economic prosperity is distributed fairly ( prices are the instrument with which the invisible hand directs economic activity; ( price have to adjust naturally to supply and demand! ( Prices reflect both: value of a good to society & the cost to society of making the good ( bec. ouseholds & firms look at prices when deciding what to buy & sell: unknowingly consider the social benefits & costs of their own actions; ( prices guide these individual decisionmakers to reach outcomes that often maximize the welfare of society as a whole; market economy: an economy that allocates (zuteilen) resources through the decentralized decisions of many firms and households as they interact in markets for goods and services (vs: centrally planned economies, like in comm unism); #7 Government can sometimes improve market outcomes or two broad reasons: ( to promote efficiency and equity: most policies aim either enlarge the economic pie, or to change how it`s devided; invisible hand usually leads markets to allocate resources efficiently, but sometimes it does not work for various reasons: ( market failure: a situation in which a market left on its own, fails to allocate resources efficiently (Marktversagen) one possible reason: ( externality: the impact of one person`s actions on the well-being of a bystander (unbeteiligter Dritter e. g. pollution (external cost) or creation of knowledge (external benefit) (Externalitat) another possible reason: arket power: the ability of a single economic actor (or small group of actors) to have a substantial influence on market prices (Marktmacht) (e. g. only one well: monopoly ( regulation of the price by the government can potentially enhance economic efficiency) How they economy as a whole works #8 A country`s standard of living depends on its ability to produce goods and services the growth rate of a countries` productivity determines the growth rate of its average income productivity: the amount of goods and services produces from each hour of a worker`s time undamental relationship bw. productivity & living standards is simple, but: its implications are far-reaching! #9 Prices rise when the government prints to much money e. g. 1921: German newspaper: 0,30 Mark; 1923: 70,000,000 Mark ( inflation inflation: an increase in the overall level of prices in the economy (Anstieg des Preisniveaus der Volkswirtschaft) reason: growth in the quantity of the money: reduces value of the money bec. high inflations imposes various costs on society, keeping inflation at a low level is a goal of economic policymakers around the world 10. Society faces a short-run trade-off between inflation and unemployment Phillips curve: a curve that shows the short-run trade-off between inflation and unemployment r educing an inflation is often thought to cause a temporary rise in unemployment over a period of a year or two, many economic policies push inflation and unemployment both start out at high levels; short-time trade-off bec. some prices are slow to adjust; (prices are sticky in the short-run) ( various types of policy have short-run effects, that differ from their long-run effects: when gov. educes the quantity of money, it reduces the amount that people spend; Lower spending together with prices that are stuck too high reduces the quantity of goods & services that firms sell; Lower sales in turn, cause firms to lay off workers ( unemployment [pic] #1 People face tradeoffs #2 The cost of something is what you give up to get it #3 Rational People think of the Margin #4 People respond to incentives #5 Trade can make everyone better off #6 Markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity #7 Government can sometimes improve market outcomes 8 A country`s standard of living dep ends on its ability to produce goods and services #9 Prices rise when the government prints to much money #10. Society faces a short-run trade-off between inflation and unemployment Mon. 17/10/11 Lecture 2 THINK LIKE AN ECONOMIST Microeconomics: the study of how households and firms make decisions & how they interact in markets Macroeconomics: the study of economy-wide phenomena, including inflation, unemployment and economic growth (p. 7) ( since they address different questions, they sometimes take different approaches and are often taught in separate courses; Two Functions of Economists: – 1. (try to explain the world) scientists: devise theories; collect, evaluate & analyze data ( to verify or refute theory; have own terminology; – 2: policy adviser: if Economists try to explain the world, they are scientists; if economists try to change the world they are advisers. † (book) make positive statement (claim): describing real world, model, outcome†¦without valuing: claims that attempt to describe the world as it is: are testable with data †¢ make normative statement (claim): about how the world should be (personal opinion): claims that attempt to prescribe how the world should be: are not testable with only data (involves our views of religion, ethics, political philosphy) †¢ (may be related: our positive views about how the world works affect our normative views about how the world should be; essence of science: scientific method: the dispassionate development and testing of theories about how the world works – scientific method: observation, theory & more observation – Ec. use theory & observation but face obstacles when it comes to experiments; – Substitute for laboratory: attention on natural experiments offered by history (e. g. the effect on the natural resource of oil during a war on the prices all over the world and on policy makers, gives Ec. good opportunity to study the effects of a key natura l resource on the world`s economies; The role of Assumptions: – can make the world easier to understand – e. g. to study effect of international trade, we may assume the world consists of only two countries with each producing only two goods ( to focus our thinking ( helps understand the real more complex world – the art is, which assumption to make: different assumptions for different problems ( e. g. for studying the short-run and long-run effects of a change in the quantity of money requires different assumptions (p. 22) 3 types of models: abstract, formel, simplification of reality to understand basic correlation: if it does: good model) 1. purly theoretical (statistical) 2. purly empirical (with data, data drift) 3. combination of the two – In the model: own terminology is incorporated; built with assumptions (not judging on the assumptions; realistic: think of paper airplane; judge by the output not by the input), irrelevant questions are assumed away 1. First type of model: most simple model of market economy: THE CIRCULAR-FLOW DIAGRAM pic] ( a visual model of economy that shows how money flows through markets among households and firms – 2 types of decisionmakers: households & firms – firms produce goods & services using inputs (labor, land, capital) ( factors of production (natural resources, land, knowledge, labor, human capital, machinery.. ) – households own the factors of production & consume all the goods & services the firms produce – households & firms interact in 2 types of market inner loop: represents the flow of goods & services between households & firms: households sell the use of their labor, land & capital to the firms in the market for the factors of production; firms use these factors to produce goods and services, which in turn are sold to households in the market for g & s; ( the factors of production flow from households to firms; goods & services flow from firms to households; – outer loop: represents the corresponding flow of money to buy g & s from the firms; firms use some of the revenue from these sales to pay for the factors of production (e. . wages of workers); what is left is the profit of the firm owners, who themselves are members of the households; – value of factors of production is same as value of g & s – if that is true: value of goods & services = value of factors of production – (green is so called: real economic activity) – causality runs in both ways (no real beginning or end ( circle) – economic models are often composed of diagrams and equations ——————————- Why do economists disagree: . Disagreement about validity of alternative theories about how the world works; disagreement about positive statements (differences in scientific judgments); but also often about the data; when no data exists that supports ones theory or when different data are used 2. Scientist s have different values; different normative statements about what policy should try to accomplish ( but choosing the positive statement and theory and specific type of date etc. s already bec. of normative reasons (sort of mixture exists); Lecture 3, Mon 24/10/11 2. Second Type of Model: THE PRODUCTION POSSIBILITY FRONTIER (PPF) Fig. 1 [pic] ( shows the combination of output that economy can possibly produce given the available factors of production and the available production technology. The economy can produce any combination on or inside the frontier. Points outside the frontier are not feasibly given the economy`s resources; – e. g. n economy that produces only cars and computers; – if all resources were used in the car industry ( economy would produce 1000 cars & 0 PCs – if all resources were used in the PC industry ( economy would produce 3000 PCs & 0 cars – if economy were to divide its resources between the two industries ( 700 cars & 2000 PCs à ¢â‚¬â€œ outcomes at point D are not possible because of scarce resources: economy does not have enough factors of production to support that level of output; – efficient outcome: when economy is getting all it can get from its scarce resources that are available; points ON the frontier represent efficient levels of production (rather than inside); – when economy is producing at such a point (on the frontier) e. g. point A, there is no way it could produce more of one good, without producing less of the other – inefficient outcome: all combination of outcomes inside the frontier, e. g. point B; for some reasons e. g. idespread unemployment, the economy produces less than it could from the resources it has available: (300 cars & 1000 PCs); if source of inefficiency were eliminated, economy could move from point B to A, increasing production of both cars & PCs; ( People face tradeoffs: PPF shows one tradeoff society faces: once we have reached the frontier, the onl y way of getting more of one good is producing less of the other (e. g. producing more PCs at the expense of producing less cars) ( The cost of something is what you have to give up (opp. cost): PPF shows the opportunity cost of one good as measured as measured in term of the other good (e. g. the opportunity cost of producing 200 more PCs is a 100 cars); Fig. 2 [pic] ( A SHIFT IN THE PPF: an economic advance in the computer industry shifts the PPF outward increasing the number of cars and computers the economy can produce – Fig. : PPF is bowed outward (can also be bowed inward): means: the opportunity cost of cars in terms of computers depends on how much of each good the economy is producing; – When economy uses most of resources to produce cars ( PPF is quite steep – Because even workers & machines best suited to making PCs are being used to make cars, the economy gets a substantial increase in the number of computers for each car it gives up; – By con trast: when economy is using most of its resources to make computers the PPF is quite flat; resource best suited to make PCs are already in the computer industry and each car the economy gives up yields only a small increase in the number of PCs; ( – Slope of the PPF represents how much of one item you have to give up to produce the other item Videos for PPF: – http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=KPHyvOn8i6s&feature=related – http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=a5rxIY46J7s TRADE No. 5: Trade can make everyone better off: WHY ( – We have specialization, which has a downside: we are interdependent! e. g. I`m depending on someone who is making bread; – why should people be willing to depend on the behavior of others: because. people choose freely to become dependent ( so there must be some sort of benefit from it e. g. 2 producers (agents) – one producer: potato farmer ( potatoes (2 goods) – cattle rancher ( meat |Good |Minutes/hours |8 hour s/day |Marginal opportunity cost of | | | | | |meat/potato | |Farmer |Meat |60 min. = 1 oz = 1h for 1 oz |Meat = 8 oz |- 4 oz of pot. = 32/8 | | |Potatoes |15 min. = 1 oz = 1h for 4 oz |Potatoes = 32 oz |- 1/4 oz of meat = 8/32 | |Rancher |Meat |20 min. = 1 oz = 1h for 3 oz |Meat = 24 oz |- 2 oz of pot. = 48/24 | | |Potatoes |10 min. 1 oz = 1h for 6 oz |Potatoes = 48 oz |- 1/2 oz of meat = 24/48 | | | | | |Unit: | | | |oz of potato | |oz of potato | | | |oz of meat | |8h (48/24) | | | | | | | ( How do people decide on what to produce? – more time for farmer to produce meat ( rancher is better/more productive – what are the marginal opportunity costs: how much meat does a farmer have to give up i. o. to get 1 unit of potatoes; – by reducing production of potatoes he would have more time to produce meat; but 1 oz meat requires. 4 oz of potatoes; – but it`s just a linear relation ship – how much has the farmer to give up in order to get 1 more unit of meat! (what is opportunity cost)? rancher has a comparative advantage: is less productive in producing potatoes; but farmer is even less productive in producing meat: derived from comparing the marginal opportunity cost ( Comparative advantage: the comparison among producers of a good according to their opportunity cost (who has the lower one? ) ( or absolute advantage for one product, when both produce more in time: ( Absolute advantage: the comparison among producers of a good according to their productivity 1. Marginal opportunity cost of meat for each person is the inverse of the marginal opportunity cost of potatoes! ( try to measure one good in terms of the VALUE of the other good 2. Production & consumption are no more equal like in autarky |Good |Minutes |8 hours/day |Marginal opportunity cost of | | | | | |meat/potatoes | |Farmer |Meat |60 min. = 1 oz = 1h for 1 oz |Meat = 8 oz |- 6 oz pot. = 48/8 | | |Potatoes |10 min. = 1 oz = 1h for 6 oz |Potatoes = 48 oz |- 0. 16 oz o f meat = 8/48 | |Rancher |Meat |20 min. = 1 oz = 1h for 3 oz |Meat = 24 oz |- 1 oz of pot. = 24/24 | | |Potatoes |20 min. 1 oz = 1h for 3 oz |Potatoes = 24 oz |-1 oz of meat = 24/24 | | | | | | | | | |oz of potato | |Unit: oz of pot | | | |oz of meat | |8h (48/24) | | | | | | | ( The rancher has an absolute advantage because he is more productive than the farmer Production Possibility Frontier (PPF) oz of meat 8 4 16 32 oz of pot ( p = c ( production = consumption) without trade (autarky) ( c bigger p (with trade consume more than can produce) – if I already produce y meat, I can only produce y below the line is a waste of time; and the line shows efficiency in terms of productivity and time, – slope is opportunity cost; usually slope changes depending on where I am already ( Overall conclusion: farmer should produce potatoes while the farmer should produce meat; Assuming each of persons would split the time of production Farmer Rancher (without trade) p = c autarky meat prod. 4 oz 12 oz consumption 4 oz 12 oz potatoes prod. 16 oz 24 oz consumption 16 oz 24 oz meat pot. 0 oz = 30 oz (or changing the price: 34 oz; but relative price must be higher than opportunity cost to trade at all; if he gets more from the trade than in the production, he would not produce and just trade) farmer rancher with trade meat prod. 0 oz 24 oz (18 oz) consumption 5 oz 19 oz (13 oz) potatoes prod. 32 oz 0 oz (12 oz) consumption 17 oz 15 oz (gives up 15 oz) (27 oz) although the farmer has to give up something, he is a little bit better off with trade – the rancher is not better of because he consumes less potatoes than in autarky ( (now: the rancher gets more in term of meat AND in terms of potatoes) – can be applied to countries as well; rough explanation for international trade patterns (e. g when countries exporting cars and importing oil ( country has comparative advantage in producing cars) Questions to be answered: – so define what comparat ive & absolute advantage – show in production possibility frontier – who is producing what NOTES FOR EXERCISES FROM OTHER E. G. CHAPTER 2: Demand – How to define these words properly (definition can only be appropriate or not; not right or wrong); it`s not a question of personal disposition What is a Market: A group of people: suppliers (sellers) and buyers (demand) of particular good or service (does not mean that it`s particularly defined or unique; – no general identification strategy; – competitive market: each buyer and seller (individual) has a negligible effect on the market outcome (infinite no. of sellers and buyers) – implications of perfect competitive markets: buyers and sellers operate economically perfect (take price as given)? ( e. g. we have no influence over the price: take the price as given in a supermarket (no bargaining; no negotiation) ( buyers and sellers are both price takers – in monopolies: price taker vs. pr ice setter Perfect Market and Competitive Market Monopoly, Oligopoly, Monopson, Monopolistic Competition DEMAND Quantity Demanded: is the amount of a good, that buyers are willing and able to purchase (now) Law of Demand: States that, other things equal, the quantity demanded of a good falls when price of the good rises (slopes downward) Demand Schedule: The demand schedule is a table that shows the relationship between the price of the good and the quantity demanded. Demand Curve: Q(p) = p ( function of p (y (x) = 2x): if price changes, the Qd changes MARKET DEMAND vs. INDIVIDUAL DEMAND ( everybody has a single demand: the sum of it = market demand (for a special good demanded) ( demands are added horizontally [pic] Changes in Quantity Demanded: ( result in an movement ON the curve, caused by a change in the price of the product [pic] Examples for incentives that induce a changed Qd: 1. PRICE (given as a variable on the demand curve) 2. Consumer income:normal good: I increase ( Qd decrease; I decrease ( Qd decrease inferior good: I increase ( Qd decrease; I decrease ( Qd increase Normal Good: a good for which, other things equal, an increase in income leads to an increase in demand Inferior Good: a good for which, other things equal, an increase in income leads to a decrease in demand 3. Price of related goods: Substitutes: two goods for which an increase in the price of one leads to an increase in the demand for the other (e. g. orange juice & apple juice): P increase ( Qd increase; P decrease ( Qd decrease Complements: two good for which an increase in the price of one leads to a decrease in the demand of the other (e. g. DVDs & DVD-Players): P increase ( Qd decrease; P decrease ( Qd increase 4. Tastes (fashion, food): economists only examine what happens when tastes change 5. Expectations: may affect demand of a good or service today 6. Number of Buyers: determines the Qd in a market: NoB increase ( Qd increase; NoB decrease ( Qd decrease [pic] ( result in a shifts in the demand curve: when Qd changes because of certain circumstances. But price doesn`t change!!! ( not only price can change demand: a shift in the demand either to left (decrease) or the right (increase) ( caused by any change that alters the demand: everything except the price!! [pic] SUPPLY Quantity supplied (Qs): is the amount of a good that sellers are willing or able to sell (now) Law of supply: states that, other things equal, the quantity supplied of a good rises when the price of the other good rises (slopes upward: positively related) Supply schedule: is a table that shows the relationship between the price of the good and the quantity supplied [pic] – usually the small â€Å"q† refers to the individual supply (a firm) and the â€Å"Q† refers to the market supply (all firms in the market – market supply: refers to the sum of all individual supplies for all sellers of a particular good or service: ( individual supply curves are summed horizontally to obtain the market supply curve – ( S(p) = S1(p) + S2 (p) +†¦ Sm(p) [pic] the sum of 2 individual supplies ($2 ( 3 cones; $ 2 ( 4 cones = $ 2 ( 7 cones in the market supply – if the suppliers (sellers) drop out of the market, the supply would increase with the price â€⠀œ (the supply curve represents the set of profit maximizing quantities for firms) – e. g supply function: q(s) = -4 + 8p; 0 = -4 + 8; 8p = 4; p = ? ( is the minimum price required to get any firm to produce at all (within this given supply curve) ( if the price would be below ? the quantity supplied would be 0, so there would be no firm to produce at all; – slope: change in price divided by change in quantity: e. g. 0 – ? : 4 – 0 = 1/8 (slope), which doesn`t change when the function is linear!! Change in the quantity supplied: – A rise in the price of ice cream results in a movement along the curve (law of supply), so when price changes nothing shifts!! – Shifts of the upply curve: Determinants of change in supply: – Any change that raises the quantity that sellers wish to produce at a given price shifts the supply curve to the right. Any change that lowers the quantity that sellers wish to produce at a given price shifts the supply curve to the left [pic] 1. Input prices: (labor, material, land, rent: anything that goes into the manufacturing process of the item in question): Input Pr. increase ( S decrease; Input Pr. decrease ( S increase 2. Technology: Technology increase ( S increase; Technology decrease ( S decrease: Techn. In economic terms is the process by which inputs are converted to outputs; 3. Expectations: supply today depends on future expectations: e. g. when higher price of ice-cream expected in future ( store some ice cream ( supply less today! 4. Number of sellers (only relevant in market supply) [pic] Supply and Demand together: Equilibrium: a situation in which supply and demand have been brought into balance (quantity supplied equals quantity demanded Equilibrium Price: the price that balances quantity supplied and quantity demanded. On a graph it it’s the price, where demand and supply curves intersect Equilibrium Quantity: the quantity supplied and the quantity demanded when the price has adjusted to balance supply and demand [pic] Ceterius Paribus: other things being equal (latin): all variables other than the one being studied are assumed to be constant Markets Not in Equilibrium A)B) [pic] [pic] Surplus: A situation in which the quantity supplied is greater than the quantity demanded Shortage: A situation in which the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied Law of supply and demand: the claim that the price of any good adjusts to bring the supply and demand for that good into balance – A): when price for ice cream is over the equilibrium price ( quantity demanded is still 4, but the quantity supplied rises to 10 ( there are too many cones produced which can`t be all sold (surplus) bec. f the low demand; ( sellers have to reduce the price again; (prices continues to fall until market reaches equlibrium) – B): when price for ice cream is below the equilibrium price ( quantity supplied 4 exceeds quantity demanded, which is now at 10 (shortage of the good); ( sellers can raise the p rices without losing sales; as prices are rising the market moves again toward the equilibrium – market activity of many buyers & sellers automatically pushes prices toward equil. (law of s & d) – Once equil. is reached all buyers & sellers are satisfied & no upward or downward pressure on price Three Steps to Analyzing Changes in The Equilibrium analyzing the change in the market equilibrium through comparative statistics – comparing two statistics: new and old equilibrium – Three steps to decide: – 1. Does event shift the supply curve, the demand curve, or both? – 2. Does the curve shifts to the left or the right side? – 3. Using the supply-and-demand diagram to examine how the shift affects equilibrium price and quantity A) HOW AN INCREASE IN DEMAND AFFECTS THE EQUILIBRIUM. An event that raises quantity demanded at any given price shifts the demand curve to the right. The equilibrium price and the equilibrium quantity both rise. He re, an abnormally hot summer causes buyers to demand more ice cream. The demand curve shifts from D1 to D2, which causes the equilibrium price to rise from $2. 00 to $2. 50 and the equilibrium quantity to rise from 7 to 10 cones. A)B) [pic][pic] B) HOW A DECREASE IN SUPPLY AFFECTS THE EQUILIBRIUM. An event that reduces quantity supplied at any given price shifts the supply curve to the left. The equilibrium price rises, and the equilibrium quantity falls. Here, an earthquake causes sellers to supply less ice cream. The supply curve shifts from S1 to S2, which causes the equilibrium price to rise from $2. 00 to $2. 50 and the equilibrium quantity to fall from 7 to 4 cones. Shifts in the Curve vs. Movements along the Curve: Notice that when hot weather drives up the price of ice cream, the quantity of ice cream that firms supply rises, even though the supply curve remains the same. In this case, economists say there has been an increase in â€Å"quantity supplied† but no change in â€Å"supply. † â€Å"Supply† refers to the position of the supply curve, whereas the â€Å"quantity sup- plied† refers to the amount suppliers wish to sell. To summarize, a shift in the supply curve is called a â€Å"change in supply,† and a shift in the demand curve is called a â€Å"change in demand. † A movement along a fixed supply curve is called a â€Å"change in the quantity supplied,† and a movement along a fixed demand curve is called a â€Å"change in the quantity demanded. † [pic][pic] A SHIFT IN BOTH SUPPLY AND DEMAND. Here we observe a simultaneous increase in demand and decrease in supply. Two outcomes are possible. In panel (a), the equilibrium price rises from P1 to P2, and the equilibrium quantity rises from Q1 to Q2. (bec. large increase in demand and small decrease in supply) In panel (b), the equilibrium price again rises from P1 to P2, but the equilibrium quantity falls from Q1 to Q2. (because small increase in demand and large decrease in supply) [pic] [pic] NOTES: Elasticity – measures the responsivness for to the quantity demanded and the quantity supplied to a change in the market price by 1 % – measures percentage change in the quantity to a percentage change in price (or other determinants) Price Elasticity of Demand: a measure of how much the quantity demanded of a good responds to a change in the price of that good, computed as the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price. Determinants of Price Elasticity of Demand: (How do we react to price changes? ) 1. Necessities vs. Luxury goods (depends on personal perception but in general terms: inelastic vs. elastic); e. g. Food, shelter, clothes vs. diamonds, sailboats etc†¦ 2. Availability of close substitute (few vs. less = inelastic vs. elastic) 3. Market Definition (broad vs. narrowed; e. g. Cars vs. Ford Focus; Food vs. Bread†¦) 4. Time Horizon (short vs. long; e. g. the adjustment over a short period of time to gasoline price changes vs. long period of time)

Langston Hughes Essay

Of the major black writers who first made their appearance during the exciting period of the 1920s commonly referred to as â€Å"the Harlem Renaissance,† Langston Hughes was the most prolific and the most successful. As the Harlem Renaissance gave way to the Depression, Hughes determined to sustain his career as a poet by bringing his poetry to the people. At the suggestion of Mary McLeod Bethune, he launched his career as a public speaker by embarking on an extensive lecture tour of the South. As he wrote in his autobiography: â€Å"Propelled by the backwash of the â€Å"Harlem Renaissance† of the early twenties, I had been drifting along pleasantly on the delightful rewards of my poems which seemed to please the fancy of kindhearted New York ladies with money to help young writers. . . . There was one other dilemma–how to make a living from the kind of writing I wanted to do. . . . I wanted to write seriously and as well as I knew how about the Negro people, and make that kind of writing earn me a livin† (Hughes, 1964:31). Alain Locke, the leading exponent of â€Å"The New Negro,† announced that the black masses had found their voice: â€Å"A true people’s poet has their balladry in his veins; and to me many of these poems seem based on rhythms as seasoned as folksongs and on moods as deep-seated as folk-ballads. Dunbar is supposed to have expressed the peasant heart of the people. But Dunbar was the showman of the Negro masses; here is their spokesman (Killens ed. 1960:41). Though much of the poetry Hughes was to write in the thirties and afterward was to differ markedly in terms of social content from the poetry he was producing in the twenties, a careful examination of his early work will reveal, in germinal form, the basic themes which were to preoccupy him throughout his career. Hughes’s evolution as a poet cannot be seen apart from the circumstances of his life which thrust him into the role of poet. Indeed, it was Hughes’s awareness of what he personally regarded as a rather unique childhood which determined him in his drive to express, through poetry, the feelings of the black masses and their questions of identity. In â€Å"The Weary Blues†, Hughes presented the problem of dual consciousness quite cleverly by placing two parenthetical statements of identity as the opening and closing poems, and titling them â€Å"Proem† and â€Å"Epilogue. † Their opening lines suggest the polarities of consciousness between which the poet located his own persona: â€Å"I Am a Negro† and â€Å"I, Too, Sing America. † Within each of these poems, Hughes suggests the interrelatedness of the two identities: the line â€Å"I am a Negro† is echoed as â€Å"I am the darker brother† in the closing poem. Between the American and the Negro, a third identity is suggested: that of the poet or â€Å"singer. † It is this latter persona which Hughes had assumed for himself in his attempt to resolve the dilemma of divided consciousness. Thus, within the confines of these two poems revolving around identity, Hughes is presenting his poetry as a kind of salvation. If one looks more closely at Hughes’s organization of poems in the book, one finds that his true opening and closing poems are concerned not with identity but with patterns of cyclical time. â€Å"The Weary Blues† (the first poem) is about a black piano man who plays deep into the night until at last he falls into sleep â€Å"like a rock or a man that’s dead. † The last poem, on the other hand, suggests a rebirth, an awakening, after the long night of weary blues: â€Å"We have tomorrow/ Bright before us/Like a flame† (Hughes 1926:109). Hughes viewed the poet’s role as one of responsibility: the poet must strive to maintain his objectivity and artistic distance, while at the same time speaking with passion through the medium he has selected for himself. In a speech given before the American Society of African Culture in 1960, Hughes urged his fellow black writers to cultivate objectivity in dealing with blackness: â€Å"Advice to Negro writers: Step outside yourself, then look back – and you will see how human, yet how beautiful and black you are. How very black – even when you’re integrated† (Killens ed. 1960:44). In another part of the speech, Hughes stressed art over race: â€Å"In the great sense of the word, anytime, any place, good art transcends land, race, or nationality, and color drops away. If you are a good writer, in the end neither blackness nor whiteness makes a difference to readers† (Killens ed. 1960:47). This philosophy of artistic distance was integral to Hughes’s argument in the much earlier essay â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,† which became a rallying call to young black writers of the twenties concerned with reconciling artistic freedom with racial expression: â€Å"It is the duty of the younger Negro artist if he accepts any duties at all from outsiders, to change through the force of his art that old whispering ‘I want to be white’ hidden in the aspirations of his people, to ‘Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro – and beautiful! ’† In this greatly thought-out manifesto, Hughes attempted to integrate the two facets of double consciousness (the American and the Negro) into a single vision-that of the poet. His poetry had reflected this idea from the beginning, when he published â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† at the age of nineteen. Arna Bontemps, in a retrospective glance at the Harlem Renaissance from the distance of almost fifty years, was referring to â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† when he commented: â€Å"And almost the first utterance of the revival struck a note that disturbed poetic tradition. † (Addison ed. 1988:83). In Hughes’s poetry, the central element of importance is the affirmation of blackness. Everything that distinguished Hughes’s poetry from the white poets of the twenties revolved around this important affirmation. Musical idioms, jazz rhythms, Hughes’s special brand of â€Å"black-white† irony, and dialect were all dependent on the priority of black selfhood: â€Å"I am a Negro/Black as the night is black/Black like the depths of my Africa† (Hughes 1926:108). Hughes wrote in his autobiography: â€Å"My best poems were all written when I felt the worst. When I was happy, I didn’t write anything† (Hughes 1991:54). When he first began writing poetry, he felt his lyrics were too personal to reveal to others: â€Å"Poems came to me now spontaneously, from somewhere inside. . . . I put the poems down quickly on anything I had a hand when they came into my head, and later I copied them into a notebook. But I began to be afraid to show my poems to anybody, because they had become very serious and very much a part of me. And I was afraid other people might not like them or understand them† (Hughes: 34). These two statements regarding his poetry suggest deep underlying emotional tensions as being the source of his creativity. And yet the personal element in Hughes’s poetry is almost entirely submerged beneath the persona of the â€Å"Negro Poet Laureate. † If, as Hughes suggested, personal unhappiness was the cornerstone of his best work, it then follows that, in order to maintain the singleness of purpose and devotion to his art, he would be required to sacrifice some degree of emotional stability. The persona of the poet was the role Hughes adopted in his very first published poem, as the Negro in â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers. † It was a persona to which he would remain faithful throughout his lengthy career. The link between his personal experiences and his poetry has been always evident. References Addison Gayle, Jr. , ed. (1988). â€Å"Negro Poets, Then and Now,† in Black Expression: Essays by and About Black Americans in the Creative Arts, New York: Weybright & Talley Langston Hughes (1964). I Wonder As I Wander, New York: Hill & Wang Langston Hughes (1926). The Weary Blues, New York: Alfred A. Knopf Publishing, reprinted, 1982 Langston Hughes (1991). The Big Sea: An Autobiography. 1940. New York: Hill & Wang Killens, John O. ,ed. (1960). â€Å"Writers: Black and White†, The American Negro Writer and His Roots: Selected Papers from the First Conference of Negro Writers, March. New York: American Society of African Culture

Providing An Enabling Environment Children And Young People Essay Essays

Providing An Enabling Environment Children And Young People Essay Essays Providing An Enabling Environment Children And Young People Essay Essay Providing An Enabling Environment Children And Young People Essay Essay The rule of supplying an enabling environment is that kids learn and develop in enabling environment, the environment plays a critical function in back uping kids s single demands in acquisition and development, strong partnerships between practicians and parents is a positive start to supplying an enabling environment. The wellness and safety of the environment is critical to guarantee the safeguarding and well-being of the kids. Babies and kids will experience emotionally safe and secure and will develop and larn most efficaciously. A genuinely enabling environment provides the stimulation and the positive relationships that support kids to experience safe plenty to research. A good early childhood environment meets the kid s basic demands and supports and encourages kids to prosecute in activities that implement the plan s course of study. Further, the environment is designed to enable staff to ease the optimal acquisition for their kids. Finally, the envir onment makes parents and defenders feel welcome, involved, and empowered. In this essay I will look at how to organize a safe, but disputing environment for kids. Explain the practician s function within the wider multi-agency environment. Describe the regulative demands that must be followed when organizing an environment for kids in the early old ages. Measure the effectivity of the environment in run intoing kids s single demands. There are a figure of of import rules to believe about when you are be aftering for a safe environment for kids and immature people. When fixing environments for kids, it is of import to see their age and phase of development. We besides need to see whether the environment meets the demands of the single kids. Children develop at different rates. Some kids need more ambitious activities while others may necessitate a different type of activity or different resources detecting single kids to see how they engage with the environment will assist us to be after suitably. Every kid is an single with different demands depending on their age and abilities. You must believe about this when planning activities, for illustration when they involve physical drama, or if more consideration must be given to the demands of a kid who has merely become nomadic than to an older kid, when be aftering room layouts. Some kids have specific demands such as centripetal damages ; for illustration think abou t the challenges to a kid with limited hearing understanding accounts about safety. The different demands of households and carers must be considered. You should ever see the kid s safety and public assistance in your head when planning. Every kid and immature individual has a right to a safe and unafraid environment. Before get downing any activity it is of import that you take into history the wellness and safety demands of all kids, guaranting that the environment is free of any jeopardies and it is safe for kids to play. Health and safety is the most valuable factor to see when be aftering a safe and ambitious environment for kids s acquisition and development to take topographic point. Developmental demands of kids are besides a factor to see ; as kids grow and develop in different phases, so it is of import to see the developmental demands and abilities of kids when be aftering an environment for kids. Thingss we should see when planning is: Physical Emotional Social Intellectual Handiness Safety and supervising of babies and yearlings is a cardinal function to supplying a safe environment. All registered suppliers must run into the lower limit demands for infinite within their environment and staff ratios. Meeting staff ratios ensures the safety of kids, failure to run into these ratios could do accidents and hurts ( Open Study College Early Years Level 3 PG50 ) By following all these points we abide with the legal duty to the responsibility of attention. Staff ratios as follows: 1:3 kids under 2 old ages 1:4 kids aged 2 old ages 1:8 kids aged 3-5 old ages When be aftering for a healthy and safe indoor environment suites should be organised to restrict the safety, infinite is besides a critical factor to see, by guaranting there is sufficient infinite in relation to the figure of kids who will be utilizing it within the environment. This allows kids to travel around easy and comfortably. Child from birth to two old ages require 3.5m2 infinite per kid, kids aged two to three old ages old require 2.5m2 infinite per kid, and kids aged three to five old ages require 2.3m2 infinite per kid. ( Open Study College Early Years Level 3 ) Multi bureau working is when a figure of professionals work together to supply support in run intoing the single demands of kids. The wider community plays a critical function in kids s acquisition and development. Practitioners need to work together across services for illustration working in partnership with wellness visitants, general practicians, societal workers, physical therapists, and address and linguistic communication healer. To outdo support kids and their households all these groups need to pass on good, listen carefully to all concerned and to set the kids s demands first. ( Open Study College- Early Years Level 3 -V1.0 PG 40, 66 ) Harmonizing to ( The CAF procedure 26 April 2012 ) The CAF is a four-step procedure whereby practicians can place a kid s or immature individual s demands early, assess those demands holistically, deliver coordinated services and reexamine advancement. The CAF is designed to be used when a practician is worried about how good a kid or immature individual is come oning ( e.g. concerns about their wellness, development, public assistance, behavior, advancement in larning or any other facet of their well-being ) a kid or immature individual, or their parent/carer, raises a concern with a practician a kid s or immature individual s demands are ill-defined, or broader than the practician s service can turn to. The EY. Statutory model provides ordinances that all early old ages puting must follow with when supplying an environment for kids. Health and safety statute laws play a cardinal function on the proviso of an environment and must be followed by all employers with the scene. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974- all employers have legal duties under the Health and Safety at Work at 1974. Employers must run into certain regulations to guarantee that wellness and safety is implemented and to do certain everyone at work is safe within the environment. As practicians everyone in the child care puting must cognize what their wellness and safety policies in the scenes are. In a child care puting the undermentioned guidelines apply: edifices should be in good status and designed with the safety of users in head edifices and milieus should be clean and safe and equipment must be safely used and stored. This act helps keep healthy, safe and unafraid environments as is precautions both the kids and the grownups working with them. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health ( COSHH ) COSHH is the jurisprudence that all employers must follow in respects to harmful substances. ( COSHH Regulations 1999 ) states Hazardous substances are anything that can harm your wellness when you work with them if they are non decently controlled. Most scenes use cleaning merchandises or have other merchandises that are risky. While caring for kids early twelvemonth s workers may hold to manage crisp changing, or clean up after toileting or other accidents. In order to understate the hazard to wellness, it is of import to be cognizant of jeopardies in the environment. It is indispensable to utilize protective equipment such as baseball mitts and masks, if utilizing risky substances. All merchandises that are used by kids, including playthings, must be in a good status and moderately safe to utilize. All kids are protected by safety Torahs. Assorted symbols are used to bespeak playthings and equipment are safe and suited for kids of peculiar ages. The kitemark symbol is used in the United Kingdom to guarantee that merchandises are safe and suited. Harmonizing to Writer: John Rowlinson 21 December 2012 ) when you see a plaything or merchandise with a Kitemark this means that the British Standards Institution has independently tested it, has confirmed that the merchandise conforms to the relevant British Standard The CE Mark symbol includes the name and reference of the first provider, was required by jurisprudence to look on all playthings placed on the market in the European Union on and after January 1990. The Lion Mark was developed in 1988 by the British Toy A ; Hobby Association as a symbol of plaything safety and quality for the consumer. The king of beasts grade for retail merchants By exposing this mark the retail merchant is stating that all merchandises in the store meet a certain criterion of safety. This symbol displayed in the store, in catalogues and in retail merchant advertisement, indicates that the retail merchant has agreed to the Code of Practice. Practitioners need to see that the playthings they provide for kids to play with meet their demands of their single age and phase of development. Practitioners should see when taking contributions or purchasing 2nd manus playthings, excess attention is needed to guarantee that they are safe and run into the current ordinances. Avoid plaything which are a hazard to kids choking e.g. , toys with little constituents or parts which detach, avoid plaything with crisp points, and borders or finger traps, besides check playthings have non become perilously worn. Safety equipment is used within the early twelvemonth s scenes to advance the safety and well-being of the kids. Regular cheque on all safety equipment should be carried out, and the industries instructions should be closely followed. It is considered as good pattern to purchase new equipment, as it will corroborate with the latest safety ordinances. Below is a list of the safety equipment normally found in the early twelvemonth s scenes: Stair gates- prevent babes and kids from falling down the steps. Electric plus covers- prevent kids from seting their fingers or objects into sockets. High chairs- helps immature kids to sit safely at mealtimes, they will hold safety harnesses to maintain the kid secure. Window locks- prevent kids from falling out, opening or go forthing the premises. Radiator covers- to forestall kids from touching the radiators when switched on and firing themselves. Early old ages premises should guarantee high degrees of security around the edifice to maintain kids safe at all times. Entrance doors should be kept locked at all times and controlled by staff members to guarantee the safety, scenes are required to maintain a record of visitants, doing certain they are subscribing in an out at all times staff should to the full oversee visitants at all times whilst on premises. Children should merely be allowed to go forth the scene with an authorized person that has been identified by the kid s parents prior to get downing the scene. In my scene where I antecedently worked we had to guarantee that all kids in our edifice are safe and have a secure environment, we had certain security agreements in topographic point, we had two mechanical doors which can merely be opened from the interior of the edifice and as a security dismay system fitted which sounds whenever the door opens, we besides had a policy about acquiring information from parents who c an roll up the kid, names and images were taken prior to the kid get downing the babys room. Environments need to be suitably heated and ventilated to forestall the spread of infection and to guarantee a good supply of fresh air to kids. Lighting should be appropriate for clear visibleness and to enable kids to work in comfort. The administration of the furniture and activities is of import in advancing the safety of the kids and supplying an enabling environment. When be aftering the scene of the environment fire issues should be clear of obstructions to enable safe emptying if necessary, the layout of the environment should be adaptable for kids with disablements, the layout of the furniture and resources should let sufficient infinite around the scene for kids to travel about more easy. Hazards and jeopardies hazards and jeopardies are found within all workplaces ; within an early old ages puting there can be hazards and jeopardies for kids, staff members and visitants. A jeopardy is something a kid does non see, is something that has the possible to do injury, whereas a hazard is a challenge a kid can see, and chooses to set about it or non, hazard is the likely or possible result of the jeopardy. A hazard appraisal is a legal demand which is used to place possible jeopardies within the environment. Hazard appraisals are of import within the early twelvemonth s scenes to guarantee the safety and public assistance of all the persons in the scene of kids. Hazard pickings is of import for kids it gives them a opportunity to take on a personal duty when kids learn how to take hazards ; they besides learn how to believe independently. The function of the practician in hazard pickings is decide what is safe for the kids and so to oversee the kids in taking the hazard. A s kids become older practicians can promote kids how to maintain themselves safe. Practitioners working with kids need to be the 1s to command the hazard, taking history the single demands of kids. Babies and immature kids have basic demands that must be met for them to develop and maturate. For kids, these indispensable demands include warm, lovingness, and antiphonal grownups ; a sense of importance and significance ; a manner to associate to the universe around them ; chances to travel and play ; and people to assist construction and back up their acquisition. The emotional environment is more than physical infinite because it contains the emotions of the kids who spend clip in it, the staff that work at that place and the parents who leave their kids. Keeping positive feelings is of import for kids to experience safe in the emotional environment. The emotional environment plays a cardinal function in run intoing kids s single demands. Practitioners within the scene should guarantee that the scene is warm, loving, secure and accepting topographic point to be for everyone, non merely for kids. Practitioners should promote kids to show themselves by giving them opportunity to speak and by actively listening to them. Harmonizing to ( Martine Horvath Sunday March 03 2013 ) When kids know that their feelings are accepted, they feel safe. The indoor environment will hold an immediate consequence on kids larning and development. The indoor environment should be good equipped with high quality resources ; indoor infinite demands careful planning as it needs to be flexible to suit kids s single demands. Environments should be attractive and do kids experience safe and unafraid and happy to be at that place. Children learn through drama, researching their environment and get downing to happen out about the universe around them. Play theorist Bob Hughes identified 16 different types of drama. Early old ages scenes need to supply a separate room for babes, but should be given regular contact to see older kids to assist advance their societal and emotional development, as kids some older, they require a balance of structured activity every bit good as the ability to originate their ain drama. The out-of-door environment holds equal value to the indoor environment and provides many chances for larning and development. Children gain tremendous benefits from larning out-of-doorss, ideally they should hold entree to outdoor infinite on a day-to-day footing, non all kids will derive entree to a garden or outer infinite within their place, and hence they should be given the chance to research the out-of-door environment whilst at their scene. The outdoor can supply development chances for kids socially intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Bing out-of-doorss supports assurance and self-pride. Outdoor drama chances will be different depending in the age of the kid. Child development theoretician Jean Piaget ( 1896-1980 ) , believed Children concept an apprehension of the universe around them, so see disagreements between what they already know and what they discover in their environment ( by Saul McLeod published 2009, updated 2012 ) Decision When it comes to kids and immature people, both the safety and the stimulating facets of the environment should be considered at the same clip. Every kid and immature individual has the right to a safe environment and kids must hold the chance of turning up and developing in an environment that is as healthy and safe as possible. An enabling environment will back up and ease acquisition and development for kids. Children within the early old ages scenes are actively encouraged to research the indoor and out-of-door environment every bit, painstaking practicians and cardinal workers will back up acquisition as kids freely engage and interact with their milieus. Referecences hypertext transfer protocol: //www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Development-Matters.pdf Greenman, J. ( 1988 ) .A Caring infinites, larning topographic points: Children s environments that work.A Redmond, A WA: Exchange Press. Available online: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx? ArticleID=294 By Martine Horvath Sunday March 03 available online: hypertext transfer protocol: //eyfs.info/articles/article.php? Enabling-Environments-64 The CAF procedure updated 26 April 2012 available online: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/strategy/integratedworking/caf/a0068957/the-caf-process hypertext transfer protocol: //www.lboro.ac.uk/research/design4health/outputs/d4h_main_home/Intro/Legal/COSHH/coshh.html OPEN STUDY COLLEGE EARLY YEARS LEVEL 3 STUDY GUIDE NCFE INVESTING IN QUALITY hypertext transfer protocol: //www.practicalpreschoolbooks.com/Content/Site120/FilesSamples/742978190724118_00000000380.pdf Writer: John Rowlinson Updated: 21 December 2012 Safety Marks: What Do They Mean? onlineA hypertext transfer protocol: //www.safekids.co.uk/toysafetymarks.html

Technology Advances and Effect essays

Technology Advances and Effect essays Technology Advances and Effects in WW1 As we advance in our everyday life technology the government advances in its warfare technology also. Warfare tactics changed and advanced vastly during the world wars. The damage and the effect of weapons increased as the technology increased causing these two wars to very high death counts and leave my wounded for life. In World War 1 the atomic bomb was introduced as the new form of warfare weaponry. The atomic bomb could produce heat millions of degrees high, and visible ultraviolet and inferred rays. Everyone and everything exposed to their blast is affected. When the bomb was dropped only one mile away from ground zero, the blast cracked walls over twelve inches thick. The shockwave after the bomb was felt over a mile away. Heat incinerated everything within a 500-yard radius of the hypocenter. One of these bombs was dropped on a city in Japan called Hiroshima. The immediate effects on Hiroshima people were just a foreshadowing of the ones to come. 150,000 people were killed instantly. Those who survived the initial blast, died later from high doses of radiation, which burns off skin and hair and destroys almost all internal organs. After the blast, those who survived it had no clothes, hair, or skin because they had been totally burned off. In many cases, the injuries from buildings collapsing were as bad as those from the actual radiation blast. Years after the blast, children whose parents had been exposed to the radiation, had an extremely high rate of mental retardation leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In World War 2 new techniques, weapons, and forms of transportation were introduced helping this war to have even more causalities then the First World War. The atom bomb was a big part of World War 2 this is because now people could be killed from a bomb sent from a long distance away. This bomb also covered a large area killing more people and leave people f...

Overview of Cnidarians

Overview of Cnidarians A cnidarian is an  invertebrate  in the Phylum Cnidaria. This phylum includes  corals, sea anemones, sea jellies (jellyfish), sea pens, and hydras. Pronunciation: Nid-air-ee-an Also Known As: Coelenterate, Coelenterata Characteristics of Cnidarians Cnidarians  exhibit radial symmetry, which means their body parts are arranged symmetrically around a central axis. So, if you drew a line from any point at the edge of a cnidarian through the center and to the other side, youd have two roughly equal halves. Cnidarians also have tentacles. These tentacles have  stinging structures called cnidocytes, which bear  nematocysts.  Cnidarians got their name from these stinging structures.  The word cnidarian comes from the Greek word  knide  (nettle).   The presence of nematocysts is a key feature of cnidarians. Cnidarians can use their tentacles for defense or for capturing prey.   Although they can sting, not all cnidarians pose a threat to humans. Some, like the box jellyfish, have very potent toxins in their tentacles, but others, like moon jellies, have toxins that dont have enough power to sting us. Cnidarians have two body layers called the epidermis and gastrodermis. Sandwiched in between is a jelly-like substance called  mesoglea. Examples of Cnidarians   As a large group comprised of thousands of species, cnidarians can be pretty diverse in their form. Overall, though, they have two main body plans: polypoid, in which the mouth faces up (e.g., anemones) and medusoid, in which the mouth faces down (e.g., jellyfish). Cnidarians may go through stages in their life cycle in which they experience each of these body plans. There are several major groups of cnidarians: Anthozoa:  sea anemones, sea pens, and corals. These animals have a  polypoid body plan and attach to a substrate, such as other animals, rocks or algae.Hydrozoa:  hydrozoans, also known as hydromedusae or hydroids. These organisms alternate between polyp and medusa stages and are usually colonial organisms. Siphonophores, which include Portuguese man-of-war and by-the-wind sailors, are examples of animals in the Class Hydrozoa. Most cnidarians are marine organisms, but there are some hydrozoan species that live in fresh water.Scyphozoa or Scyphomedusae:  true jellyfish  are in the Class Scyphozoa. These animals are known for their bell shape with dangling oral arms. Some jellyfish have tentacles also. The lions mane jellyfish is the largest species, with tentacles that may stretch more than 100 feet.Cubozoa:  box jellyfish. These animals have a cube-shaped bell, with tentacles dangling from each corner. The sea wasp, a type of box jellyfish, is said to be the most venomo us marine animal.Staurozoa: stalked jellyfish or Stauromedusae.  These strange-looking, trumpet-shaped animals arent free-swimming like regular jellyfish.  Instead, they attach to rocks or seaweed and are typically found in cold water. Myxozoa:  Ã‚  parasitic microorganisms that evolved from jellyfish  There has been debate over the years over where these animals should be classified - the latest research places them in the Cnidaria phylum, and an important piece of evidence is that these creatures have nematocysts.  Myxozoa species can affect fish, worms, amphibians, reptiles, and even mammals. One economic impact is that they can affect farmed fish such as salmon. Smallest and Largest Cnidarians The smallest cnidarian is a hydra with the scientific name  Psammohydra nanna. This animal is less than half a millimeter in size.   The largest non-colonial cnidarian is the lions mane jellyfish. As mentioned above, the tentacles are thought to stretch more than 100 feet. The bell of this jellyfish can be over 8 feet across. Of colonial cnidarians, the longest is the giant siphonophore, which can grow to over 130 feet. Sources de Lazaro, E. 2015. Myxozoans: Widespread Parasites Are Actually Micro Jellyfish. Sci-News.com. Accessed February 27, 2016.Ocean Portal. Jellyfish and Comb Jellies. Accessed February 27, 2016.  Sadava, D.E., Hillis, D.M., Heller, H.C. and M. Berenbaum. 2009. Life: The Science of Biology, Volume 2. Macmillan.University of California Museum of Paleontology. Introduction to the Hydrozoa. Accessed February 27, 2016.WoRMS. 2015. Myxozoa. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species. February 27, 2016.

Performance Incentive Programs in Healthcare Research Paper

Performance Incentive Programs in Healthcare - Research Paper Example In the second report of the Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, the â€Å"quality gap† of the healthcare practice in America was revealed with over 70 studies documenting quality shortcomings.   The quality gap was more prominent in the care that people should receive and the care that they do not receive.   In the second report of the Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, the â€Å"quality gap† of the healthcare practice in America was revealed with over 70 studies documenting quality shortcomings.   The quality gap was more prominent in the care that people should receive and the care that they do not receive.    B. Flaws in the structure of the current health care payment system- fee for service part of the structural flaw that led to quality gaps and the deteriorated state of US healthcare system was partly attributed to the systems of payment to medical providers that do not encourage quality but rather volume.1. Fee for service does not consider quality, efficiency, and cost management quality gaps and deteriorated state of health care that is susceptible to error that accounted for 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year in the US could have been attributed to the fee for service payment system that does not consider quality, efficiency and cost management (IOM, 2001).   The fee for service payment systems stresses more on quantity and volume rather than the quality of care that a medical provider gives to a patient. 2. Managed Care Organizations differHMOs, PPOs are third-party managed care organizations that also differ in payment to medical providers.   This payment system is not driven to provide quality care but to reduce its cost which could be inimical to the quality of care rendered since the fees are already predetermined.

Four pillars of a hyper-social organization Essay

Four pillars of a hyper-social organization - Essay Example The four pillars are based on the need to abandon concepts that were applicable in the previous marketplace, but can be harmful when held onto during hyper-social strategy development. Essentially, the theme of the four pillars theory is addition by subtraction, as the elimination of outdated beliefs will only help to strengthen the development of appropriate hyper-social business strategies. The four pillars approach states that four ideas need to be forgotten: market segmentation, company centricity, processes/hierarchies, and discrete information channels. Each of these previously integral guidelines have been compromised by the development of hyper-social societies. Market segments are no longer relevant as groups have become associated in non-traditional ways, such as due to ideological beliefs (Gaines & Mondak, 2009), that require the focus to shift from the behaviour of markets to the behaviour of people. Accordingly, the next pillar requires businesses to change their operations to be human-centric as opposed to the traditional company-centered structure. Lastly, information channels have become similarly irrelevant due to the vast availability of information through group resources, and structure in general has become unrealistic as a characteristic principle of socially-influenced

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To what extent is regional integration in North America part of globalisation - Essay Example Occupying such a vast geographical area and sound population in the three countries of NAFTA, the regional integration at this level certainly helped in the globalization. Globalization is defined as a process of complex series of economic, social, technological, cultural and political changes with increasing interdependence, integration and interaction between people and companies in different locations. It involves internationalization, deterritorilization, universalization, westernization and liberalization. The term globalization was used in 1940s but scholars began applying it in early 1980s. It is reported that Theodore Levitt coined the word â€Å"globalization†. Globalization also means the process of moving close to each other by different countires with a sole objective of collective benefit in terms of trade (Colas Alejandro, 2005 and Hulsmeyer, 2003). Globalization can also be described as the the intensification and integration of the consciousness of the world as a whole. It is also used to refer to these collective changes as a process, or else as the cause of turbulent change (James, 2005, Jones,2000 and Randall,2000). Globaliza tion stimulates economic reforms whose economic efficiency and political acceptability are increased through regional cooperation (Schrim,2002). New Regionalism contributes positively for globalization in three aspects: it offers a new theoretical approach to integration theory; it develops a distinct interpretative model for the impact of globalization on states; and it compares systematically the influence of globalization and the preferences for cooperation cross-regionally in Europe and the Americas. Regional integration and globalization coexist with other and they have both positive and negative effects (Perkmann and Ngai-Ling Sum, 2002). Positive effects include higher rate of export growth, faster capital accumulation and improvement in other economic

Individual skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual skills - Essay Example (Cantor and Blanton, 1996) Currently, I am undertaking a Bachelor degree and I am in my second year undertaking a degree program is geared towards applied business sector and equips students with necessary skills and knowledge that will enable them to work in the business and industry sector. The program is a four year course and I m thus reaming with two more years. School is easy for me; I am naturally a smart kid. Even though, I have many assignments and homework to do I rarely seek assistance from my friends. Luckily, for me I am very independent and capable of doing them myself. I got straight A's throughout my first year in college. In the second year where I am currently have continued to get good grades in all my subjects. Severally reasons have continued to contribute to my current success in education; some of them are underlined below; I understand how important education is. I was raised to be respectful to adults and follow direction of teachers. I have very good conduct in school, very good grades and I always try to please my teachers. I have formed a strong belief in following rules and laws of the school. I balance my work with playing various games such as basket ball and hockey I attribute my current status in life to how I develop as a child as far as being independent and carrying forward a strong sense of self esteem. I also remember that in order for an individual to be successful in any field one has to be disciplined and respective. Thus I have continued to be disciplined in school by avoiding behaviours and company which may mislead me. Discipline has helped me in achieving my school targets and also ensuring that I remain focused on education. Good communication and interpersonal skills Communication in any field remains the most important aspect in achieving a good relationship with various groups. In a college situation good and effective communication leads to a student being able to understand and be understood by both his/her teachers and also his/her fellow students. I have been able to cultivate good communication skills and interpersonal skills to be able to get the maximum from my teachers and my fellow students. This has also enabled me to create health relations with my lecturers and also fellow students. Thus being able to understand and be assisted by the lecturers in any area that I need assistance. This has highly contributed to my good performance both in class and outside class. I intend to improve my communication skills in order to enhance my understanding of subjects and people. This will of course improve my overall education performance. Time management Proper management of any resources will greatly ensure the success of the manager. For me, time is the biggest resource I have in school. I realize that if I managed well the time I have then I will definitely succeed in my education to this end I ensure that I do my assignments in the specified time and that I also attend my lectures without being late. This time management skills are also utilized when I am doing an exam, I ensure that I answer all my questions in the specified time. Certainly this is one sure way of any student to succeed. Short term educational objective My