Humans are a Cancer of the Earth Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Arg

Humans are a Cancer of the Earth Earth has undeniably suffered a rapid deterioration in health over the past few centuries. The symptoms of her illness, including global warming, water pollution, and deforestation, are ever-increasing and cannot be ignored. Dr. William Hern believes he has discovered the culprit behind this malady: Homo ecophagus, a newly-coined label for the present day humans that are devouring the environment in cancer-like fashion (Dr. William Hern, p. 8). His diagnosis involves drawing parallels between a malignant neoplasm and humans. My immediate reaction after reading this thesis was to reject a proposal that so debased the human race and exacted such a harsh blow to every human's ego. Upon further consideration, however, Hern's reasoning becomes less blatantly offensive and more plausible. Although his argument and its correlating implications contain some contradictions, his overall points appear regrettably compelling and difficult to refute. By medical definition, a malignant neoplasm is diagnosed on the basis of four main qualities: unrestrained growth, consumption of surrounding tissues, spreading to satellite regions and de-differentiation of cells. According to Dr. Hern, the human population reflects each of these characteristics in some way. He anchors his argument by systematically linking each of these four cancer indicators to the effect of humans on their environment. A summary of his points include the following: 1) Unrestrained Growth: Over the past two thousand years, the entire human population has displayed J-shaped growth, a model that demonstrates no leveling of growth rate in the proximate future (Southwick, 159). Through estimates of agricultural and energy resource cons... ...ntel's argument against the invincibility of the tech fix is thus more persuasive than Hern's perspective on the matter. This weakness in Hern's argument, however, does not rob his argument of its validity. The value of Hern's thesis lies in its capacity to clarify an otherwise vague concept - the scope of human damage to Earth - to the identifiable destructive properties of cancer. If nothing else, such a stinging view of human beings serves as a sharp warning, a red flag to call our attention to our destructive methods. Â   REFERENCES: Hern, Dr. Warren. "Why Are There So Many of Us?" http://www.drhern.com/fulltext/why/paper.html Southwick, Charles H., Ch. 15 from "Global Ecology in Human Perspective" Oxford Univ. Press, 1996, pp. 159-182. Pimentel, David. "Impact of Population Growth on Food Supplies and Environment." http://www.dieoff.org/page57.htm

Juvenile Justice Reform :: essays research papers

THESIS STATEMENT: The Great and General Court of Massachusetts has erred in reforming the juvenile justice system by implementing policies and procedures that will harm juveniles and place society at risk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On July 23, 1995, an intruder brutally attacked and stabbed Janet Downing approximately 100 times in her Somerville home. The revolting Downing murder and ensuing arrest of Edward O'Brien Jr., a 15-year-old juvenile whom prosecutors say committed the heinous crime, sent shockwaves through the state. When Somerville District Court Judge Paul P. Hefferman ruled that the Commonwealth try Mr. O'Brien as a juvenile, those shockwaves grew in intensity, and the citizens of Massachusetts, fed up with increasing youth violence and perceptions of an ineffective juvenile justice system, demanded the enactment of tough new laws to deal with repeat and violent juvenile offenders. The Great and General Court of Massachusetts headed these demands for reform of the juvenile justice system and enacted legislation that, among other things, abolishes the trial de novo system in the juvenile courts, requires the trial of juveniles charged with murder, manslaughter, aggravated rape, forcible rape of a child, kidnaping, assault with intent to rob or murder and armed burglary in adult court and permits prosecutors to open to the public juvenile proceedings when they seek an adult sentence. Although proponents tout these measures as a sagacious solution for the vexatious problem of juvenile delinquency, abolishing the trial de novo system, providing for automatic adult trials and opening juvenile proceedings to the public when prosecutors seek an adult sentence works to the detriment, not the benefit, of juveniles and society. Therefore, the policy makers of Massachusetts should repeal most sections of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act and develop other policies to deal with the rising problem of juvenile crime. I. A SINGLE TRIAL SYSTEM PREVENTS COURTS FROM PROVIDING RAPID ASSISTANCE TO JUVENILES IN NEED, DOES LITTLE TO SERVE JUDICIAL ECONOMY AND PLACES A SIMILAR BURDEN AS THE DE NOVO SYSTEM ON VICTIMS AND WITNESSES.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proponents of a single trial system for juveniles argue that the trial de novo system wastes judicial resources by giving defendants a second bite at the apple and traumatizes victims and witnesses by forcing them to testify at two proceedings. However, these proponents fail to acknowledge that the de novo system allows judges to quickly provide juveniles with the rehabilitative help they need. The proponents, unsurprisingly, also fail to acknowledge that a single trial system may place a greater burden on judicial resources and a similar burden on victims and witnesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The de novo system benefits juveniles by encouraging bench trials, which frequently result in the swift administration of rehabilitative

Critical Approach on Calvin Klein X Essay

To analyse this advertisement campaign, we use the critical approach theory. The first principle of this theory states that, all media messages are constructed. Some information is included, but much is also left out. Questions are not asked. Using this approach, we realize that in the Calvin Klein X ad campaign we chose, we only see images of muscular men but not pictures of scrawny looking men. The question is, does wearing Calvin Klein X make you look muscular and hot? Is CK X the only way to make you look good? The way the X is placed on the men’s bodies brings the attention of the viewers to the body and not the product itself. What does this mean? The Ad is in black and white, is there a reason for this? The second principle of the Critical approach theory states that Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules. The typography of the X used in the campaign looks as if it is 4 arrows combined together, pointing at the product. The background colour of the Ad is white, to not draw the attention of the viewers away from the muscular men wearing the product. The way these models pose will engage the interest of viewers. Hard lighting is used in the Ad to make the models appear very strong. The shot size of the Ad makes the viewers focus on the big X right in the centre of the body. The third principle states that Different people experience the same media message differently. Men will think that wearing CK X will automatically make them look hot and women will think that if their boyfriends wear CK X, it will make them look hot. However, some men might think that this Ad objectifies men into eye candy. This Ad would be more directed to the adults, kids would not be interested in this. Furthermore, parents who are more conservative and people of the older generation, especially in the Asian context will think that this Ad is disgusting. People who are more religious and believe in that not showing your body to the public will not like this either. They would not be interested in the product too. The fourth principle states that the media consists primarily businesses driven by a profit motive. Because of the profit motive, the media will do anything to gain revenue. Thus at times, sensitive topics and images are brought up. This is because it will engage the interest of many people and when they are interested, they will automatically purchase the product. Even if they do not purchase, the â€Å"hot topic† will be spread around through word of mouth, gaining the attention of everyone. The fifth and last principle of the critical approach theory states that the media has embedded values and points of view. The Ad gives the point of view that in order to be hot and muscular, one has to wear CK X. The Ad is as though it is saying that is ok to be open about your body as the men in the Ad are not clothed. Not everyone will agree with this values and point of views and thus, this Ad will not be able to reach out to everyone except to those who are interested.

A Study of Homoeroticism in Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night is a major site for homoerotic discourse in queer studies. However, the play is largely concerned with the idea of love, like many of Shakespeare's comedies. In order to investigate his subject further, Shakespeare periodically uses homoeroticism in order to represent various forms of relationships. The pairings of Olivia and Cesario/Viola, Antonio and Sebastian, and Orsino and Cesario/Viola, demonstrate that same-sex erotic attraction is a major theme in the play. Viola's secretive cross-dressing causes Olivia to believe that both of them are participating in normal, heterosexual interactions, while in reality they interact in a homoerotic fashion. These complex, homoerotic representations serve to dramatize the socially constructed basis for determination of sexuality according to one's gender identity. I intend to establish that in this play Shakespeare dramatically criticises the idealized norms of heterosexuality (required by his society) through focussing his narr ative on representations of homoerotic pairings and deconstructing dominant gender categories.What is the difference between a figurative and a literal analogy? Viola's transvestism spurs various relationships that fall within the bounds of homoeroticism. Through the secret of her disguise, her actions illustrate the flaws of socially constructed gender identities, defined by the socially perceived opposites of aggressive, â€Å"macho† masculinity, and silent, yet coquettish, femininity, checked by behaviour of males. Viola's success in perpetrating her secret transvestism indicates that the construction and performance of gender is not dependent on one's physical characteristics but on one's behaviour, as well as upon a set of observed and internalised mannerisms. Viola's representation of homoerotic interaction in Olivia's love for her, and in her own love in Orsino as Cesario, disrupts the traditional, feminist â€Å"us vs. them† principle, and demonstrates that constructed, socially acceptable gender identities of the feminine and masculine are attributes that can be found in either male or female. In the final scene of the play, when Viola's act is exposed – â€Å"If nothing lets to make us happy both / But this my masculine usurped attire, [†¦] That I am Viola† (V.i.249-253), Sebastian, Viola's twin brother, easily steps into the vacuum left by the revelation of Cesario's identity marrying Olivia as he states, â€Å"So comes it, lady, you have been mistook. / [†¦] You would have been contracted to a maid, / Nor are you therein, by my life, deceived. You are betrothed both to a maid and man† (V.i.259-63). The twins' interchangeable nature demonstrates to us that even the natural perspective of the world is not a gendered duality. The differently-gendered identical twins show a collapse of sexual difference as a natural process, indicating that nature never intended man to be constrained by gender binaries. Orsino proclaims â€Å"One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons, / A natural perspective, that is and is not!† (V.i.215-6), stat ing that nature is able to create two identical beings despite the natural sex difference between brother and sister, male and female. The same concept that allows a female Viola to be a male Cesario also allows male actors portraying female characters to seem authentic, despite their natural gender. Upon mistaking Sebastian for Cesario/Viola, Feste remarks: â€Å"Nothing that is so is so,† (IV.i.8), indicating that gender is not dependent solely on physical attributes. Feste later adds, â€Å"That that is, is† (IV.ii.15), commenting on his own dressing as a Parson while Feste is really a fool. This same phrase extends to comment on the fact that Viola is male so long as she portrays a male, that gender is dependant on society's perception and not on one's private parts. When Olivia queries Cesario for his identity, â€Å"What are you? What would you?† (I.v.207-208) and Cesario/Viola cryptically replies that what he is and would be is â€Å"as secret as maidenhead† (I.v.211)), Viola alludes to her true gender. However, in addition, she also hints at Sebastian's virginity that the latter admits to in the final act of the play, stating Olivia is â€Å"betrothed both to a maid and man† (V.i.263). When the effects of these statements at combined, it is interesting to observe that Cesario's response to Olivia's query refers to the maidenheads of Cesario, Viola, as well as the boy actor playing her! As Viola states later on: â€Å"I am all the daughters of my father's house, / And all the brothers too† (II.iv.120-1). Twelfth Night interrogates the exclusive nature of constructed gender categories and challenges the heterosexual hegemony by constructing representations of same-sex love. Viola's imitation of the male gender demonstrates to us that erotic attraction is neither inherently based in gender, nor a solely-heterosexual phenomenon – since Olivia becomes attracted to Viola (as Cesario), and Orsino to Cesario. In the play, homoeroticism does not follow gender stereotypes of the effeminate male or the masculine female, as in the case of Antonio's affection for Sebastian – despite Antonio's stereotypically-masculine identity, that Shakespeare shows to us when Antonio â€Å"took [†¦ Sebastian] from the breach of the sea.† Antonio's love for Sebastian is portrayed, when Antonio states, â€Å"If you will not murder me for my love, let me by your servant† (II.i.33-4) and, later: I have many enemies in Orsino's court, [†¦] But come what may, I do adore thee so That danger shall seem sport, and I will go. (II.i.51-4) Both Antonio and Sebastian are swordsmen, possessors of a very â€Å"masculine† skill, and yet both engage in homoerotic relations. It is interesting to note that, despite the fact that Sebastian is more resistant and feminine in comparison to Antonio – as he wishes to avoid causing harm, utilizing only his dagger's hilt, despite Sir Andrew striking him and paying the pestering Feste to leave Sebastian alone, instead of striking him, in the first scene of act four (lines 17-25) – Sebastian is the one who succumbs to the social constructions of masculinity and heterosexuality when he marries Olivia in the final act of the play. Meanwhile, the â€Å"macho† Antonio remains homosexual, as seen in his silence at Sebastian's wedding, which speaks louder than any vocal protest. Such relationship dynamics in the play disrupt the social notion, prevalent in Shakespeare's (and even current) time – that the heterosexual man is supposed to be a â€Å"macho† figure and homosexual man is meant to be effeminate. Similarly, Viola's feminine quality in playing Cesario inspires love in Olivia rather than the aggressive â€Å"male† traits of Orsino. Viola becomes a â€Å"better† man when she deviates from the behavioural script set out in Orsino's Petrarchan sonnet – a male form that silences the woman as an unattainable distanced goddess. The Petrarchan sonnet form, although addressed to females, was commonly read by males, used to solidify elite homosocial bonds (Marotti 396-428) as well as to promote a social discourse designed by and for men (Vickers 96). Viola's deviation from this male form creates a new female (perhaps lesbian) poetic within the pastoral setting that she constructs in her response to Olivia's refusal to love Or sino: Make me a willow cabin at your gate And call upon my soul within the house; Write loyal cantons of contemned love And sing them loud even in the dead of night; Hallow your name to the reverberate hills, And make the babbling gossip of the air Cry out â€Å"Olivia!† (I.v.263-8) Thus, Viola (as Cesario) creates a space for Olivia's reply, whereas Orsino's script (â€Å"Lady, you are the cruel'st she alive / If you will lead these graces to the grave / And leave the world no copy† (I.v.236-8) prevents response, thus portraying Olivia as an object incapable of response. Olivia anticipates her own objectification, interjecting to say: Oh, sir, I will not be so hardhearted. I will give out divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be inventoried, and every particle and utensil labelled to my will: as, item, two lips, indifferent red; item, two grey eyes with lids to them; item, one neck, one chin, and so forth. (I.v.239-44) She understands the ways in which she is reducible to an item, whose qualities consist of a checklist of characteristics, which, in turn, identify her as an unattainable, silent object of beauty. In contrast to such a mode of communication, Viola's encouragement for response causes Olivia to present her ring to Cesario/Viola. While attempting to win Olivia's heart, Cesario deviates from socially constructed male behaviour; ironically, this results in Olivia pursuing Cesario – in a masculine action. This scenario undermines the construction of categorical sex via the success of Cesario by acting as a female. Similarly, the portrayal of a supposedly heterosexual relationship, that puts the female in the place of power, counters the social norm that places the male at the helm of a relationship. One finds a similar situation in the fourth scene of the second act, where Orsino remarks that in love, a woman does not suffer so much as a man (93-118), to which Viola (as Cesario) vehemently responds, telling Orsino of her love for him indirectly: In faith, they are as true of heart as we. My father had a daughter loved a man [†¦] She never told her love, But let concealment, like a worm i'th'bud, Feed on her damask cheek. She pined in thought, And with a green and yellow melancholy; She sat like Patience on a monument, Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed? We men say more, swear more, but indeed Our shows are more than will; for still we prove Much in our vows, but little in our love. (II.iv.105-118). Viola aggressively and passionately describes her patience though a story, taking on the role of the man: she controls the discourse as she impersonates herself, and objectifies herself as allegorical â€Å"Patience on a monument† (II.iv.14), in a verbal tour de force. Paradoxically, Viola affirms her patience and feminine character by means of being masculine (according to the gender paradigms Orsino proposes). Viola strongly explains the patience and gentility of a woman, as a disguised woman, thus deconstructing the categories of sex in general, and those of femininity as â€Å"patience† and masculinity as â€Å"aggression,† in specific. As well, Viola challenges the patriarchal social order of her society by demonstrating how she, a transvestite, is capable of deconstructing gender categories. Further, the very fact that the action in the plot – the wooing of Olivia, unbeknownst to Sebastian, and the wooing of Orsino – is mostly attributed to Viola through her planning and action demonstrates the female in power instead of a male. This fact, combined with the inaction of the male characters in the play, destabilizes another traditional notion of gender identity: the female as the prized possession and the male as its conqueror. The final act of the play exposes the failure of the dominant, heterosexual regime to fully regulate its own narrative ideals, since, in order to achieve a â€Å"happy,† heterosexual ending, which befits a traditional comedy, a series of improbable plot turns must take place. This structural necessity indicates to us that Shakespeare is ambivalently invested in the heterosexual standards that he imposes upon his play. The unlikelihood of various irrational plot turns, and easily interchangeable affections, necessary to end the play with these successful, formed relationships shows the failure of imposing heterosexual ideals in society. Despite the absurd twists in the play, there remains some untouched deconstruction of gender as well as some latent homoeroticism in the play. In line 263 of the first scene of act five, Sebastian says that he is both man and maid, in reference to his virginity, but also in reference to his character traits being both male and female. This admission destabilizes the configuration of gender by attributing Sebastian with both male and female physical attributes, albeit figuratively. This also maintains a measure of homoeroticism in Sebastian's character. Further, Orsino comments that Viola is both man and maid as well – in that Olivia will remain a man so long as she dresses in man's garb: Cesario, come– For so you shall be, while you are man; But when in other habits you are seen, Orsino's mistress and his fancy's queen. (V.i.385-388) This remark concludes that identity, gender, and its foundations are simply as interchangeable as clothing, and gender depends on the character's actions and not their physical attributes. Ultimately, the ending of Twelfth Night is not entirely ideal, since many characters – Viola, Sebastian and Olivia – are not completely happy, having succumbed to the pressures of heterosexual conformity. The true homosexual union of male and female character pairs challenges the heterosexual dominance over homosexual interaction. Viola may have won Orsino; she may even marry Orsino, but she is not completely happy since Orsino mere moments ago was willing to destroy their friendship for Olivia's sake (â€Å"Farewell, and take her, but direct thy feet / Where thou and I henceforth may never meet† (V.i.166-7)). Likewise, Sebastian, although happy with Olivia, seems happier when he sees Antonio once again at the end of the play, and exclaims in a romantic manner upon seeing him, saying, â€Å"Antonio, O my dear Antonio! / How have the hours racked and tortured me / Since I have lost thee!† Finally, while Olivia is set to wed Sebastian, she seems more jubilant with regard to having Viola as a sister, â€Å"A sister! You are she† (V.i.327), thus expressing her deeper interest in Viola rather than Sebastian. Since Shakespeare's society chose to regulate the sexual and gendered expression of its people, Shakespeare comments on the â€Å"ideal† norms of heterosexuality in Twelfth Night, demonstrating, through carefully constructed contradictions, that gender is a mere social construction. That in actuality there are no boundaries to behaviour and that there is no such thing as â€Å"homoeroticism† or â€Å"hetero-eroticism† but only Eros, regulated by attraction, love and relationship. True homosexual union of male and female character pairs in this play (as both actors are male), challenges the heterosexual dominance over homosexual interaction. Having done so, Shakespeare, due to societal prejudice, reverts to heterosexual discourse, acknowledging that despite the truth of sex and gender, one must abide, for practical reasons, by the demands of social majority.

Managerial Economic Decision Making Essay

From the e-Activity, assess how business leaders use managerial economics to make business decisions indicating how profits may be impacted. Analyze the principal-agent problem to determine how the relationship could be less adversarial. Provide support for your rationale. ECO 550 Week 1 DQ 2: Fundamental Economic Concepts Pick a recently released good or service. Then, determine the factors that must be evaluated regarding the product’s supply and demand. Analyze how these factors impact the decision to supply the product indicating the significance of each in the decision-making process. Using the same product example above, analyzing how the risk tolerance factors play in supplying the good or service and how this should influence management’s decisions ECO 550 Week 2 DQ 1: Demand Analysis From the e-Activity, if you were a manager in a tobacco company, analyze the elasticity of demand for tobacco products. Evaluate the factors involved in making decisions about pricing tobacco products indicating which would be the most influential. Using the same scenario above, discuss how the elasticity influence the short-term and long-term decisions of the company and the impact to the decision made related to profitability. ECO 550 Week 2 DQ 2: Estimating Demand Provide an example when it would be appropriate to conduct a time-series or cross sectional data. Discuss the potential problems that may arise with your example and identify strategies for minimizing the impact of the potential problems. Discuss the meaning of the regression coefficient of the independent variable(s) and how it could be used to estimate the elasticities of each of these variables. Discuss how managers use the elasticities measurements to make managerial decisions. ECO 550 Week 3 DQ 1: Business and Economic Forecasting From the e-Activity, develop a regression equation using the data you  collected from your research. Use the regression equation to focus the demand for the product you chose for the next three periods. Assess what the results of the regression equation tells managers and how it is likely to impact decisions made related to maximizing profitability. †¢ Imagine you are a manager for the good or service used above. From the results of the regression equation, suggest strategies to either maintain demand (if an increase over three periods occurs) or improve demand (if a decrease over three periods occurs). Provide support for your recommendations ECO 550 Week 3 DQ 2: Managing in the Global Economy Evaluate the relationship between the European Euro crisis in 2012 and the American economy. Assess how this affects American businesses and decisions made by mangers related to sustainable profitability. Provide examples with your response. Aside from maximizing profits, assess the factors that managers must consider when making the decision to outsource or integrate forwards or backwards considering which factor would be most influential for decision-making. ECO 550 Week 4 DQ 1: Production Economics From the e-Activity, determine the environmental variable most likely to affect the short-run production over the next 12 months. Determine what managers can do to prepare for the possible change in short-run production. Pick a real or fictitious business. Create a scenario around this business in which a manager would decide to either stop operations in the short-run or going out of business in the long-run. Provide a rationale with your response ECO 550 Week 4 DQ 2: Cost Analysis Pick a good or service. Distinguish between the short-run and the long-run production and cost function for that good or service. Discuss how price plays a role in short-run and the long-run decisions and how managers are likely to respond in each case. Using the same good or service from above. Identify the fixed and variables costs are for the good or service. Based upon the costs identified, recommend whether to produce or not produce the good or service. Provide a rationale with your response ECO 550 Week 5 DQ 1: Applications of Cost Theory Imagine you are a manager of a chemical company. An accident has occurred in which chemicals leaked into the ground water nearby, the community is unaware. Assess the costs involved in cleaning up the water immediately (confessing) versus hiding the fact and possibly paying more in the future. Discuss the impact on profitability in both situations. From the first e-Activity, assess the factors involved in conducting a break-even analysis. Determine the conditions that may exist for a manager of this good or service may decide to move forward with operations even with the initial costs of operations is more than the potential revenue ECO 550 Week 5 DQ 2: Prices, Output and Strategy Pick a good or service you are familiar. Speculate how the price for that good or service may have been set and how well this price maximizes profit for the company and determine what shifts the company should made in its pricing strategy. Provide support for your recommendations. From the second e-Activity, discuss how the company you selected should increase its competitive stance in the marketplace and how management would implement the recommendations. Provide specific examples to support your response ECO 550 Week 6 DQ 1: Monopolies From the first e-Activity, imagine this company acting as a monopoly was to have a new competitor arrive in the marketplace. Assess how the monopoly would likely change its pricing strategy to compensate for the new competition. From the first e-Activity, speculate how the monopolist could be more efficient in the long-run considering new competition has entered the marketplace ECO 550 Week 6 DQ 2: Oligopoly From the second e-Activity, assess the marketing and pricing strategies, for example rebates, to determine the goal(s) of the marketing and pricing strategies for one of the companies you researched. Make one recommendation for changes that the company should make to better maximize profits. The Internet has made shopping for airline tickets efficient for the consumer. As a result, the industry overall is price sensitive. Suggest how the airlines can maximize profits while avoiding price wars. ECO 550 Week 7 DQ 1: Game Theory Please respond to the following: †¢ Demand for airline tickets fluctuates throughout the year, which affects the price of an airline ticket. Suggest the type of game that may be most appropriate for a specific airline to play to address the differences in demand and elasticity and the resulting impact on profitability. Provide support for your reply. †¢ From the first e-Activity, propose a short-term and long-term pricing strategy for the product or service you researched including how the strategies would be implemented. Assess how your proposal ultimately maximizes profits ECO 550 Week 7 DQ 2: Pricing Techniques From the second e-Activity, propose the new target market segment for the product and its accompanying pricing strategy (for example, bundling and couponing). Provide a rational for why you feel the new target market and pricing strategy would be successful and the likely impact to the profitability of the firm. The pharmaceutical industry often has the luxury of implementing pricing strategies that appear high to consumers. Take a position on the fairness of the industry’s approach to pricing pharmaceutical products including offering an alternative strategy that may be more palatable to consumers. Provide a rationale with your position ECO 550 Week 8 DQ 1: Contracting From the e-Activity, propose a methodology for assessing the risk in business contracts. Assess the economic impact this methodology may have for the organization. Analyze a situation in which both parties entering into a contract could benefit, economically or otherwise, from slightly ambiguous language contained in the contract. Provide specific examples to support your response. ECO 550 Week 8 DQ 2: Organization Form Analyze the potential downfalls of any team effort and make at least one recommendation for minimizing risk. Provide specific examples to support your response. Evaluate the organization form that would be most efficient in minimizing the principal-agent problem. Provide a rationale with your response ECO 550 Week 9 DQ 1: Government Regulation From the e-Activity, take a position on whether more government regulation is needed in the banking industry. Support your position with evidence or examples. Provide an example of how government regulation is either constraining or enabling for a particular company indicating the impact to the operational efficiency of the company. Discuss how your response impacts maximizing shareholder wealth ECO 550 Week 9 DQ 2: Antitrust and Licensing Imagine how managerial decisions may be easier or more difficult if there were no antitrust restrictions in the U.S. Provide an example to support your response. The IT industry is full of patents. There are some companies, referred to as patent trolls, whom purchase these patents in hopes of making money by enforcing patents against alleged infringers. Determine the impact of government regulation against patent trolls. Identify who wins and who loses if regulation was adopted ECO 550 Week 10 DQ 1: Capital Investments With the current U.S. economy in a weakened state, many companies are reluctant to implement any capital improvements or capital expenditures in fear of the economic uncertainty that exists that may negatively impact the cash flow of the organization. Assess the impact of this behavior on productivity, cost efficiency, diversification of assets, or impact to future cash flows that may emerge if companies continue this mindset indicating the long-term risk to profitability. Provide an example or scenario to support your response. Analyze the challenges that companies face in entering global markets. Identify the potential impact to capital budgets in making the decision to move into a global market ECO 550 Week 10 DQ 2: Cost-Benefit Analysis Provide a cost-benefit analysis for a company which has to decide whether to hire more staff or hire temporary workers to meet production schedules. Determine how managers would use your cost-benefit analysis to make this decision. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of obtaining a graduate degree. Assess both the short-term and the long-term costs and benefits to determine why some people obtain the extra education while others do not Copy this link to your browser and download: http://www.oassignment.com/ECO-550-Week-1-to-10-Discussion-Questions-1322.htm

Electronic Medical Records Essay

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are becoming more widely used across the healthcare spectrum. One of the reasons for their popularity is the potential that is presented for increasing the quality of care delivered to patients by decreasing handwriting interpretation errors, reducing medication administration errors and eliminating lost charts. Time management is a crucial skill to have as a nurse. It allows for a smooth workflow which translates into quality patient care. Much time can be wasted not only by the nurse signing off illegible handwritten orders, but also by the other nurses that have to help interpret the handwriting. The EMR requires the physician to enter orders electronically, thereby eliminating handwritten orders. Electronic orders are more precise and more accurately followed (Sokol, 2006). Fewer errors make it to the patient, reducing unnecessary tests and increasing the quality of care that patients are receiving. Electronic medication administration records (MAR) are useful in displaying medications due at specific times. Not only is it possible to sort the medications due at one time, the MAR will also alert the nurse to potential drug interactions. Late medications will be displayed in red to be easily seen. If bar coding is implemented, medication errors can be reduced by a range of 60%-97% (Hunter, 2011). A lost chart can be very frustrating while trying to deliver seamless care to a patient. Paper charts are easily misplaced. Since there is only one, if a single provider is using it, no one else of the medical team can view the chart. The EMR can be viewed from any computer with secure internet access or on a handheld device. When the internet is down, a downtime view only access is available. Nursing Involvement Nurses are known as patient advocates. In advocating for their patients, nurses strive for what is best in their patient’s care. Since nurses will be using the EMR most frequently, it is imperative that they are part of the selection and implementation on an EMR. A nurse, on the EMR team, will represent all nursing. Nurses will be accessing the EMR through their shift several times and will become familiar with the layout and workflow and will be able to provide insight into what would work best to ensure quality of care. There is a saying that you don’t know what you don’t know. A nurse knows what she will need and is the best to supply this information. While researching which EMR would be the best for a facility, a nurse can provide information on time saving workflows between systems. Nurses must also be trained as super users to provide a seamless change from paper charting to electronic charting and provide support to fellow nursing staff. A nurse on the EMR team will be able to deliver new information in a way that other nurses are more receptive to. Handheld Devices If nurses were to use handheld devices in delivery of patient care, there would be a noticeable savings of time as well as more accurate charting. Nursing personnel carrying a handheld device would have immediate access to their patients chart to notice new orders, lab results, or medication admission records. The need to review the paper chart repeatedly throughout the day would be eliminated along with the long search that commences every time you have to look for the paper chart. This could add several minutes to a nurse’s time at the bedside, improving patient satisfaction. When vital signs are taken, written on a slip of paper and then transcribed into the paper chart, there are many opportunities for error and delay. Numbers can be transposed, written incorrectly or the wrong patient’s information could go into a chart. With the immediate availability of a handheld device, the information from the vital signs monitor would have the ability to interface into the patient’s chart virtually eliminating late charting and errors. Security Standards The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was initiated in 1996 as a standard for protecting individually identifiable health information (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services). HIPAA requires that all information, either written or electronically, that falls under the criteria is protected from unauthorized viewers. An EMR carries more stringent HIPAA guidelines than a paper chart due to the risks associated with computer based files and there are a few key steps that must be taken to ensure compliance with this act. Access control: each user will have a unique user name and password that must not be shared. Firewall protection must be used on the internet server the hospital utilizes to prevent hackers from obtaining access to protected information. If users are authorized to access patient information from home, there must be a secure server used (Arevalo, 2007). Storage: Data must be encrypted to enhance the security while information is being stored and while it is transferred. Encryption entails protection of files and data that is only viewable to authorized users. Compliance of these regulations should be audited on a regular basis with any violation being swiftly remedied (Medical Records, 2013). Healthcare Costs Purchasing an EMR can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In order to justify such a large purchase, one must examine the potential ways that money can be saved while using an EMR. After spending hours training users and with a little practice, nurse’s workflows will improve and less time will be wasted. A chart will not have to be searched for, double or triple charting is eliminated by using handheld devices for immediate charting. The quality assurance team will be able to run reports on compliance of core measures and be able to recommend changes to nursing personnel to implement. Fewer medication errors will be made by using the electronic MAR. Most importantly, these time and money saving factors will enhance patient safety. With fewer paper charts to store, valuable space can be remodeled into patient care areas that offer services not previously offered due to space issues (Power, 2013). This will increase revenue for the facility. Comparison Epic offers a computerized management system that is utilized by everyone in the healthcare setting including, nurses, nurse aids, physicians, dietary, radiology, emergency department and the business office. Each department will have a unique look and functionality to their program. There is no need to use multiple systems to gather information on a patient. It can be used in medium size ambulatory settings such as a clinic as well as in a hospital setting for either inpatients or outpatients. With all departments having access to the same information on a patient, errors will be reduced in delivery of patient care. The chance for entering erroneous lab results or miss- documentation will also be reduced with department specific workflows. Not only will this result in better patient care, but also in a nurse’s ability to delivery effective, efficient, quality care without delay. In addition, all physician order entry is electronic, every time. Order sets can be customized for each prescriber, saving time and hassle while maintaining meaningful use and following core measures. For added security, the system can be set to automatically sign a user out after a specified length of time of non-use. And while all of the patient’s information is available to each user, audit trails are left enhancing patient security. Epic has pre-loaded patient teaching materials available as well as the option to custom make information. After visit summaries are easily printed upon discharge and an electronic copy is permanently attached to the chart. Patient would benefit from a facility the uses the Epic system by having access to MyChart. MyChart is a portal of access between a patient and their provider for communication as well as a portable computerized health record. IF a patient were to access care from a facility that does not utilize the Epic system, that patient would have access to MyChart and would then be able to provide critical information that would enhance their care. Another computerized management system available is one from Cerner. This system can be used in all settings in a hospital including nursing. For medication administration, Cerner has available barcode identification of medication to help nursing staff complete their five rights verification prior to administration. It also allows charting at the bedside to enhance accuracy either through a handheld device or a stationary computer. All order entry by physicians is done on the computer allowing the providers to follow built in prompts for allergy information and adverse drug interactions as well as prompts that will aid in the order of care protocols to enhance patient care. Cerner also has a portal designed for patient to have access to their records no matter where they are as well as tracking information for health goals a patient and their provider have established. The portal allows progress tracking and provides information on steps that can be used to help the patient reach their goals. This gives patients more responsibility for their health while providing the incentive needed. Nursing care will be escalated similarly to the way it would be in Epic. Patient information is easily accessible through intuitive workflows allowing nursing staff to make responsible decisions regarding patient care. My recommendation for a computerized management system would be the one available from Cerner. It is the most user friendly for staff including nursing and offers intensive training and yearly upgrades. The different departments systems appear to work together seamlessly resulting in increased savings of time and money (Cerner, 2013).

Unemployed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unemployed - Essay Example Moreover, the individuals must be â€Å"seeking work† using different strategies to secure paid employment or become self-employed. In addition the individuals have to be â€Å"Currently available for work† in that if work was available they would take it or are willing to become self-employed. The â€Å"without work† criterion distinguished between the employed and the unemployed and it literally means being is situation where a person is lacking work or not being employed is a specific period. Therefore, persons without work are those who have not been working during the time of reference. For example, if a person was engaged in any sort of work even if casual, during the reference period, they are considered employed. Therefore, they do not suit the definition of unemployment even if they were seeking other forms of employment. The other criteria â€Å"current available for work† and â€Å"seeking work† are used to distinguish the unemployed persons from the economically inactive. For example, an old person who have retired cannot be considered unemployed since they are not currently available for work and are not seeking employment. Therefore, the unemployed are those within the economically active age and lack work, are available to do work, and are seeking for work (Hussmanns, Mehran and Varma 95-100). Mankiw and Taylor (564) argue that the â€Å"unemployed person is someone who is without a job and who is willing to start work within the next two weeks and either has been looking for work within the last four weeks or was waiting to start a job.† Therefore, a person who has not been making any efforts to get a job cannot be considered unemployed. Moreover, if a person has other commitments at the period of survey, for example pursuing academic goals, he or she cannot be considered unemployed. Those people with work and are seeking for some other form of work cannot also be considered as unemployed (Mankiw and Taylor 562-565). Conclusively, the