Education Programs for Gifted Students

Started in the 1970's, America's Gifted & Talented programs are used to enhance the curriculum of students included in either category in order to challenge and strengthen their unique abilities. These students are usually provided a separate class with specialized lessons in all areas and a teacher with a special degree in gifted education. I feel that it is important that the teacher was a gifted student who would know what the students must face as â€Å"above average† members of their school. The job market for gifted education offers a wide range of opportunity and gifted teachers are needed all over the country. One of the earliest programs for gifted and talented students was set up in 1974, at The Old Donation Center, in Virginia Beach. Students scoring within the top 3% of students on an assessment test are referred here to be further challenged. These students are considered gifted and have special teachers and classes to promote development of their talents and minds. Programs like this began to pop up around the nation in the 70's; however, gifted students were looked down upon by teachers,parents, and peers. Many people considered them to be â€Å"freaks† because they were different. They didn't understand the implications of the terms â€Å"gifted† and â€Å"talented†. Most people simply expected gifted students to act more mature or to be geniuses, even though gifted students are the same as other children in their needs as human beings. Some gifted students were forced to grow up too fast and some simply ignored the fact that they were smarter than others, thus, they were lost in the shuffle. The irony of it all is that gifted-ness seems to run in families and the children of these repressed gifted students are, themselves, gifted. But what exactly is a â€Å"gifted† student? Students (elementary & secondary) are given a repertoire of tests. These tests check IQ, psychomotor ability, specific academic aptitude/talent, creative and productive thinking, leadership ability, and skills in the visual and performing arts. The main requirement, the IQ, is tested by a standardized IQ test (remember, however, that IQ tests are not always perfectly accurate). Ratings are given to each bracket of IQ scores: If a student receives a rating of â€Å"gifted† or higher (130+), he/she is considered to be a gifted student and is introduced into the designated programs. These students are given the opportunity to choose classes that are meant to teach them how to use their minds for critical thinking, reasoning, and artistic pursuits. Students in these classes are also exposed to culture, literature, and other subject areas that are not usually covered in what they term â€Å"normal classes†. The gifted classes are mainly in an open format allowing the student to create the parameters of his/her work and allowing them to be creative in their learning experience. Each class is presided-over by a teacher that has specialized degrees in gifted education. Almost every school in the United States has a need for a gifted class, making job opportunities endless; there are never enough. Gifted teachers must have both a degree in education (secondary or elementary) and a degree in special education (gifted). These teachers are individuals that must have stamina, people skills, and open minds. It is also important (to the students) that the teacher himself/herself was also classified as gifted. It sets a common bond, shows them that the teacher understands the problems they face as so-called â€Å"smart kids†. These students are often ridiculed by their peers and looked-down upon by their teachers. They are often separated from others their age by a barrier that can only be described as their â€Å"intelligence†. This is why, often, gifted teachers have degrees in administration, counseling, or psychology. All teachers that I interviewed told me that a continually upgraded education is a must (as are additional degrees). In order to keep up with the students one must attend seminars, workshops, special classes, etc. There is no end to the amount of education that could help you to understand gifted students and the role of their â€Å"teacher†. Also, if a teacher has extra educational qualifications, he/she could be asked to step up to the position of administrator or, more often, counselor. This means pay raises. Though the average salary for teachers is approximately $27,500 per year, it is â€Å"a worthwhile undertaking† according to Jane Mansueto, â€Å"It is incredible to work with gifted students. They are incredible! † She went on to remark that it is fascinating to imagine that they are of the same level of intelligence as the teacher and what they must be feeling inside. She feels that the students are not bothered by what their peers think, but actually tend to understand that other's opinions mean little compared to their own. Mrs. Mansueto taught at Elm Grove Middle School for 5 years. She commented on her role as a gifted teacher to consist of â€Å"one part mentorship, one part hardship, and one part friendship†. When asked what kind of hours she keeps, she laughed and asked if she was supposed to have time off. According to Mrs. Mansueto, unlike a â€Å"normal† teacher, a gifted teacher has no books to go by or preset material to teach, or, for that matter, a preset subject to teach. They are given a blank page and, using input from students, must draw up lessons from every subject area and constantly challenge the inquisitive minds of the gifted. Jane Mansueto attended Trinity College where she majored in both elementary education and gifted education. Her favorite part of being a gifted teacher is being with the students, working hand in hand with them to plan and carry out projects and trips. Though the pay is average, and there is not much room to be promoted if you wish to remain in the classroom, gifted teaching has its personal rewards. Jeff Simpleton, a gifted teacher as well as a former gifted student, states, â€Å"I really think that by being gifted, I am in touch with what they have to go through. They know that I can understand. † Mr. Simpleton's class consists of 6 high school students, who have many problems due to the intelligence barrier and a kind of isolation that has built up over the years between themselves and their classmates. They seem to feel that they have a reputation that they must live up to. The students try to please everyone†¦ hey push themselves with sheer motivation and determination and drive. Mr. Simpleton feels that this is â€Å"what makes them so great†. He feels hat anyone with a sense of adventure and a need for something new day after day would find teaching a gifted class to be the perfect job for them. Gifted teachers are important to the development of their students minds. They are understanding individuals who must work hard to make the curriculum interesting and challenging. With the proper education it is possible to go far as a teacher of the gifted.

Personal Statement My Goals and Why Essay

This paper introduces you to my world. It explains my professional goals, including why I am pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). This paper addresses my current role as a registered nurse (RN) at St Mary’s hospital on the Neuro Trauma Intensive Care Unit (NTICU). I will explain how I got where I am today. I will inform you of my understanding of importance of integrity. I will express my importance of how ethics play a role in my life and how Fowler (2010) broadened my understanding of ethics. Lastly, I will cover why professional writing and communication is so important to the profession of nursing. Keywords: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, registered nurse, neuro trauma intensive care unit Personal Statement My Goals and Why I Am Pursuing My BSN My long term goal goes farther than just accruing my BSN. I potentially want to acquire my Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). I need to have achieved my BSN to apply for CRNA School. Regardless, if I planned on furthering my degree, I feel a BSN in needed in my profession as a nurse. A BSN opens doorways to climbing the clinical ladder, more leadership roles, and increasing responsibilities. A nurses’ back is quick to wear out doing constant patient care, having a higher degree will give me more options in my career. I currently work at St. Mary’s hospital on the NTICU. I spend my nights assessing my critically ill patients, carrying out nursing care, communicating with doctors and other nurses, and constantly using my critical thinking skills. New trauma patients I find most interesting. The adrenaline starts flowing and the fight and flight response takes over. Often in these moments I surprise myself. The knowledge horded in the back of my brain and life saving skills take over. This makes for an awarding and self gratifying night. Not all traumas end the way we intend them to. We are often reminded we are not the ones in totally control. I love my job and my current position but eventually I will have to move on. I graduated from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in December 2011. Previously I was enlisted in the United States Army. I served four years as a combat medic. I left for the army right out of high school. This decision was based on the fact I was living on my own and did not have any guidance in my life and knew this decision would set me off in the right direction. Not only did my enlistment open my eyes to the medical field but I also gained my values which I have displayed thru my life. The seven core values I was thought were as follows: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. I would not be where I am today without the army in my life. This experience was the molding of who I am today. My service to the army instilled my beliefs, morals, and ethics. Integrity and ethics play a valuable in my everyday life at home and at work. Integrity to me is to do what is right and expected of me, legally and morally. To understand integrity I had to understand my own beliefs and morals. The code of ethics for nurses is the profession’s public expression of those values, duties, and commitments (Fowler 2010). To uphold integrity and ethics to my work place I have be familiar with hospital policies, code of conduct, and my scope of practice. I have to educate myself on changes, make sure my certifications are up to date, and constantly continue my education. I have learned thru my experience as I strengthen these qualities I acquired more trust from others and have more trust in myself. Professional writing and communication is so important to the profession of nursing because in my profession it is used in many ways, unclear communication leaves room for error and all treatment is carried out by communication. As a nurse I communicate to coworkers, doctors, patients, and family members. I receive orders from doctors written and verbally, it is important I understand exactly what he is ordering. Written medical orders have their own universal formula to leave room for minimal mistakes. Verbal orders should be wrote down and read back to the physician. Along with receiving orders as a nurse I am the physician eyes, ears, and brain when they are not around. I have to be able to pick up on changes, new data, and intervene appropriately. I have to paint a clear and concise picture for the physician so that treatment can be done. I also communicate with the patient and family so that I have a clear understanding of what treatment my patient does or does not want. In my communication with the patient and family a lot of times I have to step out of the medical profession and explain things in different terms, so that they can develop a clear understanding. Communication with my coworkers is in a clear, respectful, and constant manner. I always keep my coworkers involved in patients as well as where I stand on finishing my tasks, so that I may be of help to others. I am beginning my journey to acquire my BSN and tackle my lifelong goals. I hope to by the end of this journey become a CRNA. With my understanding of the importance of integrity and ethics in my profession, and the promise to carry them out I should not have any problems meeting my goal. I have an understanding for the importance of communication as well and will continue to practice it as well. Overall, I want to continue to better myself and my knowledge in all aspects and know that if I apply myself thru this course and other I will gain exactly that. Reference Fowler, M. D. M. (2010). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses. (p. xiii). Siliver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.

Determinism Versus Free Will Essay

Freedom is an ideal that many people in privileged society take for granted on a daily basis. Just because some people find themselves at home in a country where social norms have evolved to allow a rational sense of individualism and free will within its borders does not concede that free will is a universal right. In fact, many other countries such as Syria struggle to bring their policies up to speed with more progressive democracies such as Spain or the Australia, and their populace suffers backlash from corrupt legal systems and government. However, one thing that these countries stand to learn from successful nations such as the United States is that populations with more personal freedom tend to be happier with their lives as a whole than those who feel limited and stagnant in their development. At the same time, as freedom is important in making any group of people happy, there must be limits placed on their actions to avoid moral misconduct; that is, the concept of personal responsibility is a crucial one to keeping society clean, and it is commonly accepted that accepting responsibility for one’s actions is a way to keep society tidy. However, the weighting of moral codes and ethics is a difficult thing to do with accuracy because of the varying nature of such an abstract concept. In â€Å"Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility,† Harry Frankfurt describes a principle that states that â€Å"a person is morally responsible for what he has done only if he could have done otherwise. † Called the principle of alternative possibilities, this proposition purports that moral responsibility and choice go hand in hand; without one, the other can’t be just. As Frankfurt mentions in his writing, most people would take for granted this idea as a faultless constituent of the rationale behind lawmaking. However, Frankfurt conjectures a few obscure ways in which this principle could be contradicted. One example given was of a man named Jones who had decided to do something morally wrong, and when a second party was notified of his intent, Jones was forced to follow through with his actions. Here, Jones obviously would have been considered morally liable because whether or not the second individual had forced him to commit his crime of choice, he would have done so anyways. The logic stands to reason then, by the example given, that such a possibility does exist to make a similar situation happen. Whether by karma or by blackmail, myriad similar things could happen, and since moral fibre lies within the conscience and not in the physical realm, evil has been done as soon as one decides to act. At the same time, in this example, Frankfurt manages to give a proof that determinism and moral responsibility are compatible because, as he points out, it is possible to be responsible without the option to do otherwise. That is, in the case given, the threat of blackmail could have been so severe that Jones would have had no choice but to do what he had done. This would mean, then, that Frankfurt’s example would present a large hole in the way most people would see the intersection of free will and determinism; that is most would see it as incompatible, but by Frankfurt’s proof, they can sometimes run side by side practically parallel. While Frankfurt was quite perceptive to realize such a possible proof of compatibilism, this also presented a hole in his argument in that free will and determinism are not necessarily compatible because at the same time that one could be forced to do something without prior intent, if determinism were true, then the whole situation would have been predetermined, and if everything were predetermined then responsibility cannot exist as an option. Responsibility is defined as a state of having to deal with something, which in itself entails making certain decisions. However, despite the fact that determinism seems to dictate a timeline of events that completely eliminates the importance of making decisions, perhaps the brain’s ability to make decisions is a real one and decisions are, in cognitive terms, actually taking place. Determinism has merely caused one line of thought or line of decision making to necessarily end up coming true over the other. If determinism were true, then that would not entail that there is no such thing as a decision, it simply means that all our decisions would have been made beforehand. In that sense, the idea which Frankfurt presents is lent credence. If free will and determinism were indeed compatible, then every Christian, every latter-day saint, and every last-minute convert would be happy to know that they were much more likely to be granted a spot in heaven. According to the most popular scriptures, God is an all knowing, all powerful, and all good being, who granted the right of free will to all humans as an ultimate test to determine their destiny for better or worse. In this way, God is purported to be both liberal and deterministic; it only goes to follow that Frankfurt’s theory would be happily received by many religious believers. In some sort of real-world sequel to the book 1984, there would be signs all over the place proclaiming the existence of God based on some study created by Frankfurt’s constituents. Mass converts would line the streets of all the New York burroughs. Heaven would be a doorknock away. Though such an extreme scenario could only be conceivable in a novel, the image is clear. Sarcastic as it may be, such a magnitudinous occurrence in modern society could not be expected to occur based on some example with such abstract and intangible results. Perhaps in some warped space-time corollary the same would be seen in the science of philosophy. Perhaps a new theorem would be passed in its discourse, and textbooks with the same tired old vocabulary would be entirely rewritten to include Frankfurt’s new theorem. Though no one cares about philosophy as much as religion, still such a magnitudinous occurrence would be like an earthquake caused by everyone in the town of Athens jumping at the same time: difficult to conclude based on the lack of further evidence. Perhaps this pattern of occurrences is one of the holes in Frankfurt’s theorem. Well, not a hole in the sense that it disproves his logic, but a criticism nonetheless; it seems that his idea is too marginal to conclude something so physically contradictory as to say that just because a person could be forced to do something that he would otherwise not have done could prove determinism as right as the theory of relativity. Surely the scientific community would be all ears to Dr. Frankfurt’s dissertation as to why they should all wear underwear to work the next day: in a word, â€Å"who cares! † with determinism proved true, the scientists would probably feel a lot more relaxed for the next few weeks, however, when they tallied up all the evidence as to why they suddenly converted to Dr. Frankfurt’s new school of thought, they would have only one piece of evidence as to why: the mysterious case of Mr. Jones. Realizing that it was fate, they would rest their faces in their palms and wait for something else to happen. While Frankfurt’s logic is as technically true as is that of a Cartesian argument for the existence of reality all in one’s own imagination because of the lack of evidence to the contrary, perhaps the shoddy reputation of philosophical theories as being worth anything besides food for thought is nil. They are always careful with words, so as to traipse around the discerning and cold ears of the left-brained. There, they peacefully coexist with poets, artists, and other like minds. However, no matter the precision of their wording, it is always the popular decision to simply stay in the third dimension of thinking without bringing in any extraneous points of view that would go against common sense in an inherently immaterial way. â€Å"One nation, under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. † This famous verse marks the final few words of the American Pledge of Allegiance. Without prior knowledge of the country, one would probably be led to assume that Americans value freedom highly. In this case, they would most certainly be on to something. Freedom is a beautiful thing, yet it is powerful at the same time. Its power can be used for good or for evil, and that is why America (as well as every other model society) simply is not complete without a decent legal system. Obviously murder, rape, and theft are all violent crimes which must carry harsh penalties for those who commit them, and they all share one thing in common that no minor traffic violation does at heart: a morally wrong motive. Truly it would take a sick individual to commit any one of these things with intent to do so. So where does the idea of determinism in relation to the concept of free will fit into this picture? It is a tight fit in an ever-evolving jigsaw, but one of the obscure pieces nonetheless that must be considered to get the bigger picture. Laws are changing all the time, and morals have to remain at their core. When one remembers the addendum, â€Å"under god,† of the Pledge of Allegiance, it becomes ever clearer how determinism can fit into the moral scheme of the country as well. However, when it does in a legal sense, it goes against what is clearly stated in the constitution: America has secular laws unlike some other countries, and although some of the laws on the books are outdated and had better jurisdiction in a time when America is more religious, new laws as of late are much more secular. This adds to the point that determinism is becoming an increasingly abstract concept in society as times progress; that is, it has less place in law than it does in philosophical thought. Determinism is a concept that no proof, no theorem, and no scientific data will ever elucidate and validate before society. It would mark a monumental moment in the history of things, but if it were true, it would not matter very much what happened; all events thereafter would be destined to occur. For this reason and the reason of practicality, it is necessary to view determinism as an abstraction rather than reality. In such a dimension where determinism were held to be true, it would follow from assumption that free will would be merely an illusion. But why then, one would suppose, would humans have evolved to become such complex decision makers? If one believes in an omniscient and omnipotent God, then determinism’s validity seems much more promising, however for all other parties, it seems better left in the realm of abstraction. However, despite its realistic application, determinism remains as essential to philosophical abstraction as does the concept of good and evil. That is one reason it manages to justify itself in the vocabulary of philosophers worldwide — a broad vocabulary, indeed. Frankfurt happens to be like a Newton or Aristotle of his day and age, postulating truly genius and more importantly original ideas in such a relevant field as his own, A polite way to put it but an apt one as well. It is an inventive mind who decides to venture well beyond the blurred lines of the abstract and metaphysical in order to question an a priori truth so firmly believed to be accurate as the perpendicularity between determinism and free will; it is an inventive mind indeed. Works Cited Frankfurt, Harry. â€Å"Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility. † N. p. : n. p. , n. d. N. pag. 620pixeltable. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.

Find a story to write about and analyze the story Essay

Find a story to write about and analyze the story - Essay Example What makes the conflict more complicated is the age gap of the major people involved—the adult doctor and the ill child. Apparently, the child has no power to refuse medication; the right to resist is in the hands of her parents. But what happens if there is an element of harm involved? What if the child knows that she will feel pain or get hurt by the medical procedure based on previous experience? Is it still unjustifiable to allow the child to decide for herself? And, most importantly, is the use of force justified in a situation wherein a child with a possible life-threatening illness is uncooperative? It is a common knowledge that doctors are the people to go to in cases of life-threatening illnesses. These doctors avowed to the duty to preserve life. However, this duty has its limitations. The fatally ill patient has the right to resist medication, especially if s/he knows that it will bring him/her pain or harm. But what if the patient does not have the decisional capac ity, like a child? The release for consent goes to the parents or guardians of the child. In the story, the child’s parents obviously permitted medical intervention. However, the mother tried self-medicating her child first, and when her methods did not work, she and her husband decided to call a doctor. This fact alone shows how helpless the situation of the child is, which forcibly places her at the mercy of her parents’ decisions. It is obviously against the child’s will to call the doctor. Even at the very beginning of the incident, the child already showed signs of distress when the doctor arrived: â€Å"the child was fairly eating me up with her cold, steady eyes, and no expression to her face whatever. She did not move and seemed inwardly, quiet†¦. But her face was flushed, she was breathing rapidly, and I realized that she had a high fever† (par. 4). This observation alone may suggest that the child felt frightened seeing the doctor. As the s tory goes on, the resistances of the child becomes stronger. Despite of the reprimands of her parents, she continues to fight back and refuse medication. The child, as a human being, and not as an individual with adequate decisional capacity, is fighting for her right to avoid pain. Obviously, the child associates the image of a doctor with pain. She proves this when she shouts in frustration, â€Å"Don’t, you’re hurting me. Let go of my hands†¦. Stop it! Stop it! You’re killing me!† (par. 25) By firmly resisting, the child affirms her right to avoid pain, and her power to sway the decision of her parents. By showing them that she does not want to be treated medically, and that she is being hurt in the process, she effectively forces her parents to rethink their decision about the matter. Her mother finally said: â€Å"Do you think she can stand it, doctor!† (par. 26) Likewise, her father seems to begin to falter: â€Å"The father tried his b est, and he was a big man but the fact that she was his daughter, his shame at her behavior and his dread of hurting her made him release her just at the critical times†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (par. 23) But the doctor did not waver and insisted that he has to get a throat culture to save her from a possible fatal disease. While the child is fighting for her right to avoid pain, the doctor is strongly fighting for his professional oath—to preserve life. The doctor is trying his best to keep calm because he knows he has to fulfill his

Organizational and Technical Issues of Significance in the Essay

Organizational and Technical Issues of Significance in the International or Global Magagement of Information Systems - Essay Example However, over 60 percent IS projects have been failures (Goepp et al., 2008). Knowledge of people and organizational issues in the implementation and management of IS has been growing (Ash et al., 2008). Group problem solving approach has a positive influence on IS development and implementation (Tesch et al., 2009). In the context of several stakeholders, implementation of information systems is likely to be disappointing and troublesome, if stakeholders are not identified and their interests not taken into consideration (Boonstra & de Vries, 2008). A â€Å"fit† between organizational characteristics and business processes embedded in the system affects the likelihood of implementation success or failure (Morton & Hu, 2008). Management of information security has been a challenge, as it has been neglected and skills needed for organizational culture have not been adopted (Ashenden, 2008). Organizations should be able to evaluate implications of knowledge management (KM) within their technical infrastructure, and identify the role of tools in the flow of knowledge in organizational processes (Rodrà ­guez-Elias et al., 2008). KMS designed to support specific goals are more appropriate, as knowledge problems are divergent across organizations (Hahn & Wang, 2009). The quality of information and system integration were found to influence usefulness of IS; which was a good predictor of extended usage (Saeed & Abdinnour-Helm, 2008). While developing IS, business processes and supporting databases should be closely related (van Hee et al., 2009). Yen et al. found that the implementing team created higher level of integration and effective management of projects within the organization, influencing the success of IS (2008). Involvement of users and designing models of an integrated enterprise are necessary in the development of IS (Goepp et al., 2008). Development of organizational competencies helps in harnessing IT,

Individual Report on Fashion and Leather Goods Essay

Individual Report on Fashion and Leather Goods - Essay Example The paper "Individual Report on Fashion and Leather Goods" concerns leather goods and fashion. For instance, City Fringe, an area located in the inner part of London comprised of about 189 fashion business firms. Among these almost every firm was recorded to be stagnant or in the struggling stage. In other words, the fashion business firms were somewhat unable to cope with the industry changes resulting in inefficiency in terms of productivity, pro-activeness, and competency. Due to this reason, a better effective investment plan was adapted by the market players in order to achieve their desired goal and reward a feasible amount of sustainability to the business. This paper therefore shall concentrate on the significance of micro and macro economic environment of the UK, related to the fashion market. It is basically due to the reason that fashion market trends categorised as luxury goods are highly depended on the issue of customer affordability and preferences. Hence, the influenc es of fluctuations arise in the micro and the macro environment of a particular business firm, i.e., LVMH. LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA was incorporated in 1987 by merging two leading fashion business groups i.e., the Louis Vuitton and Moet-Hennessy. The group is among the world’s leading groups to trade luxury goods such as perfumes, cosmetics, wine and even designer fashion and leather goods. The company division related to the manufacturing and marketing of designer made fashion and leather goods.

Aston Martin's New Idea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aston Martin's New Idea - Essay Example The essay finally tells about the impact of the marketing plan on the sales of the company and the need for right strategy for developing the effective marketing plan. Table of Content Introduction 4 Marketing plan 5 Marketing objective 5 Target market and Segmentation 5 Marketing Strategies 6 Budget 7 8 Introduction Aston Martin, the iconic name in the world of cars, was founded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin. The car company is headquartered at Gaydon, Warwickshire in England. Aston Martin is known for its luxury and style around the world. There are various models of the car in the market but some of the famous models include Aston Martin DB series, Lagonda Marque, Aston Martin One-77, etc (Aston Martin, 2012). The company has recently decided to change the style and theme of the car to make it more attractive and appealing to the young people in the age group of 20s. This idea of developing a new style and theme for Aston Martin cars can be both advantageous and disa dvantageous for the company. The whole idea of the company with its plan is to increase its market share and profit by targeting new markets which would mainly comprise people of today’s generation, especially in the age group of 20s. ... Marketing plan The marketing plan based on Aston Martin’s new approach to attract a new target market requires a planned marketing strategy which can be discussed as follows: Marketing objective Marketing objective is related to the company’s objective associated with Aston Martin. The objective of the company should deal with its long-term plans in establishing Aston Martin as a brand not only for luxury seeking people but for younger generations. Young people who prefer the sporty look with style and luxury but with different theme and design can be a great market opportunity for the company in terms of market share. Target market and Segmentation Segmentation is important for any company because of reasons such as process of segmentation of products according to their life cycle, and finding which product is to be segmented as per the consumers whom the company is targeting. The target market strategy for the company would begin with the analysis of market opportunit y which would allow the company to estimate the sales and size potential associated with the market segment (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2008, p. 49). Target market strategy implies the importance of segmentation of market for Aston Martin in order to achieve the marketing objective. Marketing Strategies Marketing strategy for the company should be based on market penetration, market development and promotional tools. Market penetration for the company decides it strategy based on the pricing strategy. It is often seen that companies reduce their product price to penetrate the market and attain a considerable market share before planning for market development. Aston Martin can penetrate the new

Understanding Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding Argument - Essay Example The author’s argument can be summarised in one sentence as follows; Guns should be banned for civilians in the United States because they are too dangerous and kill too many people to be safe for non-professionals to use. She goes about supporting this point firstly by arguing that the Second Amendment of the American constitution does not confer upon American civilians the right to own a gun. Ivins quotes from the Second amendment, which states that guns can be kept by ‘members of a well regulated militia’. (4) This, she argues, does not mean that the average man on the street automatically has the right to own a gun, but rather that this right is specifically limited by the Second Amendment to the police and security forces. In Ivins’ view, ‘fourteen-year-old boys are not part of a well regulated militia. Wacky members of a religious cult are not members of a well regulated militia.’ (4) The licensing of guns to members of the public, therefo re, goes against the Second Amendment. Thomas Jefferson, quips Ivins, surely wasn’t aiming to uphold the right of gangs to kill innocent members of the public in drive-by shootings. Ivins then moves on to the argument that things other than guns kill people, but they are not made illegal. Her example is the car. A car, so the pro-gun lobby argument goes, is just as likely to kill you as a gun. There are many irresponsible drivers who kill people in traffic accidents, just like there are irresponsible gun owners who go out and shoot people, but the car hasn’t been outlawed. Ivins’ response to this line of attack is that we ‘licence them [i.e. cars] and their owners, restrict their use to presumably sane and sober adults and keep track of who sells them to whom’. (8) She argues that at the very least the same should be done for guns. In Ivins’ argument

Marketing analysis of Bupa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Marketing analysis of Bupa - Essay Example Bupa is the leading provider of private health care insurance and health care services in the UK. Based on your assessment of Bupa’s intermediate and longer term Objectives, and an analysis of their business and marketing environment, please prepare a full Marketing Plan for Bupa. Your Marketing Plan must cover all key elements including: 1. the corporate and marketing objectives 2. key macro and micro considerations, including SWOT 3. target markets selected and corporate/brand position 4. main aspects of your recommended marketing mix strategy, including o Product/Services strategy o Pricing strategy o Channel management o Promotional (Integrated Marketing Communications) strategy o the extended marketing mix 1.0 The corporate and marketing objectives at Bupa Bupa identifies its strategic priorities as: †¢ The development of differentiated products and services, through the provision of health care and health care promotion to allow customers to take control of their own healthcare as a lifetime partnership (Bupa, 2011, p.1). †¢ Building leadership in healthcare: Focus is given to relationship management related to individuals, companies, government and health care providers to improve quality and governance of the health care system and improve affordable health care services (Bupa). †¢ Improving quality of healthcare expertise internationally.... Assessment Task A: 2200 words Bupa is the leading provider of private health care insurance and health care services in the UK. Based on your assessment of Bupa’s intermediate and longer term Objectives, and an analysis of their business and marketing environment, please prepare a full Marketing Plan for Bupa. Your Marketing Plan must cover all key elements including: 1. the corporate and marketing objectives 2. key macro and micro considerations, including SWOT 3. target markets selected and corporate/brand position 4. main aspects of your recommended marketing mix strategy, including o Product/Services strategy o Pricing strategy o Channel management o Promotional (Integrated Marketing Communications) strategy o the extended marketing mix 1.0 The corporate and marketing objectives at Bupa Bupa identifies its strategic priorities as: The development of differentiated products and services, through the provision of health care and health care promotion to allow customers to ta ke control of their own healthcare as a lifetime partnership (Bupa, 2011, p.1). Building leadership in healthcare: Focus is given to relationship management related to individuals, companies, government and health care providers to improve quality and governance of the health care system and improve affordable health care services (Bupa). Improving quality of healthcare expertise internationally. Bupa has experienced significant revenue growth in the last five years, with current equity at $4.37 billion. $1.18 billion of this revenue comes from care home services sustaining resident care for elderly and those with specialized needs (bupa.com, 2010). Because of the diversity and vastness of the products and services offered, Bupa’s marketing objectives consist of: Improve revenue

Volunteer report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Volunteer report - Essay Example Education is a very strong factor that determines individual and community success. These means that the society needs to be able to educate about life and any other important knowledge that they need to have. But people are not all the same. Some of the American people are less fortunate, and they need the help of other Americans who are willing and can offer help. This goes a long way to helping the needy in the society by being uplifted financially and also helping them to have a good meal. United way also looks at minimizing the level of school dropouts by helping them to solve issues that affect them. Having all this in mind, I took part of my time and volunteered to offer my help to the organization. I dedicated my 5 hours at the organization and during this time, I was able to decorate a Christmas tree which was actually my first time to, I distributed turkeys for Thanksgiving Day that was to be given to the homeless, I helped to fold some T-shirts as well as arranging book fits for boys and girls and this all was to help the kind to enjoy their Christmas in style. The children were so kind and respectful and I they made me enjoy the 5 hours that I spent in the United

The Role of Social Medias Influence (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) on Essay

The Role of Social Medias Influence (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) on the Lives of Children and Young Teens Today - Essay Example Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are considered as the most popular social media networking sites among the children and young teens. These social media websites provide the young teens and children with the ability and scope to communicate with people within the society. Moreover, social media websites provide several entertainment aspects, such as fun games, comic videos, and several gaming options that effectively attract the children and young teens. The essay will discuss the influence of social media networks on the lives of young teens and children. Moreover, it will discuss several positive and negative effects of social media. Several benefits and features influence the young teens and children to access their favorite social media web sites. Undoubtedly, social media networking sites are the most fast and powerful form of media for social communication. Several social media websites, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Whatsapp provide various entertainment aspects, other s than social communication. In this digital age of globalization and advanced technology, social networking sites allow teens and children not only to meet old friends, but also to make new friends. Moreover, they help to share videos, photos, and ideas with friends, family members, and associates. Several positive aspects of these social media networking sites influence the teens and children to become members of these social media networking sites. ... YouTube helps the young students to collect several online study materials and practical learning experiences. Social media networks have several key advantages that can help the society in many ways. For example, social media networking sites can develop opportunities for community engagement (O’Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson 1). Online fund raising activity through social media can enhance the charity programs. Volunteering and charity programs for local philanthropic events to help the people who are affected by several disasters are a great positive utilization of social media networking sites. Apart from all these aspects, social media networking sites help to foster unique social skills and individual identity of a skilled and intelligent teen and child (Deihl and Toelle 1). Several leading business organizations use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to promote their products and services. Various organizations target young teens and children by providing attractive and emotiona l social media advertisements to develop a potential customer base and achieve a competitive advantage in the global business market. The organizations are used to provide exclusive designs along with discounted price tags that influence the young target customers to consume the product. These aspects motivate the young customers to avail these kinds of products. In spite of several advantages, these social media networking sites have several negative influences that can affect the life of children and young teens. The intensity of online world is increasingly rapid. Facebook depression is one of the negative consequences of these social media websites. It can affect the teens and children both

Effects of Illegal immigration on Staffing Essay Example for Free

Effects of Illegal immigration on Staffing Essay Illegal immigration is the scenario where people travel from a different country and enter another country using false documents or means that and makes it hard for the authorities to trace those who do so. The level of illegal immigrants to developing countries like the USA has been increasing tremendously in the recent past causing increased debates about their causes and effects. The most outstanding effect of illegal immigration basically touches on cost of public service and labor thus forcing several states to enact policies that may ultimately in reducing the number of public services available to the immigrants. Their number of illegal immigrant to the US has been gradually increasing until it has made it hard for the authorities to ascertain exactly their numbers or their exact residences (Yoshida, 2000). Background A lot of inconsistencies exist between affluent and poor nations both in wages and employment opportunities and this is responsible for the mass influx of residents from poorer countries to wealthier countries like the US. This has resulted in the illegal immigration from the poorer developing and less developed countries causing the problem of labor importation to the host country. This research will focus and analyze the effects of illegal immigration on the income, labor, and the process of recruitment and selection of labor on the host country like the USA. It is also important to note that, a problem is created in the country of origin of the immigrants (Scullion Collings, 2006). The size of population in most poor countries usually exceeds the rate of employment and when this is coupled with political, ethnic and religious instabilities the rate of emigration is accelerated and this results in unending problems on the host country. Staffing is the process in which an organization acquires new and qualified employees to work in order to achieve their objectives and goals. This process entails among other steps replacement, recruitment and selection. Recruitment is usually done when jobs have been analyzed according to the tasks that have been performed and then writing them to suitable job descriptions. This requires the selectors to have basic knowledge on academic qualifications, skills and abilities of those to be selected and the undesired characteristics identified. When it comes to replacement of staff very critical questions are asked to the would-be employees with the help of expert consultants. It is necessary for the experts to handle the process professionally to ascertain the suitability of the job seekers (Dale, 2003). The most important sources of recruitment that may be used for global staffing include internal promotion and introductions, used of recruitment agencies and advertising especially the use of local and the international media. The firm that seeks to recruit individuals as their employees will always try their best to discrimination by race, sex among other forms and this will help in upholding their reputation. When they do this, they always ensure that the candidate they select meet all the requirements that qualifies them to be employed for the particular job that they seek. However, in the developed countries like the USA, there are a lot of illegal immigrants and this affects the recruitment and selection process to the extent that the concerned firm or company may have its reputation tainted. They will however be following what is required of them by the legislation since a country requires all people who work to pay taxes but in this case, the illegal immigrants will be a burden to the government since they do not pay any federal tax (Haines Rosenblum, 1999) Findings and Discussions It is apparently clear that illegal immigration has both positive and negative effects to the general economy and the process of staffing. It is important to note illegal immigration affects the country of origin and the country of destination but the effects are severe on both sides. In this research we are going to consider the United States as the country of destination and Mexico as the country of origin where people emigrate from. Statistics from the Pew Hispanic Center indicate that more than 50% of illegal immigrants in the U. S. originate from Mexico and they supply low-skilled labor to farmers and employers. It is clear that no formal steps and procedures of staffing are followed by the employers who higher the immigrants (Bean Vernez1989). The effects of this illegal immigration that were identified are as follows; burdens the tax-based resources, leads to shortage of labor in the country of origin, fake document mills, tax evasion, distortion of the law of demand and supply in a capitalistic market, drags down the compensation of workers welfare and negative effects on working and middle class citizens. The other effects of illegal immigrations that generally affect the economy and workers is the fact that it makes it hard for a country to raise the minimum wages, it makes the unscrupulous employers to pay alien in cash, increase in crime, overpopulation of the host nation, remittance of money to their country of origin, lack of government reimbursement and mortgage and loan fraud (Bean Vernez1989). It is however important to state that illegal immigration has some positive effects to the economy and includes; provision of cheap labor making harvesting in agriculture relatively cheap, increase of cash flow to retail business, increase in profits of auto insurers, creates a market pool for local foods produced, they purchase real estate, some of them may open bank accounts may make the bankers earn some revenue. Immigrants may also spur economic growth and provides better lifestyles to those enter the country illegally. It is noticeable therefore that illegal immigration has both negative and positive effects (Yoshida, 2000). This raises a very fundamental question whether those found as criminals for being in a country illegally with no valid documents should be judged considering the difficult times caused by the pressures of unemployment, lack of homes, poverty, disillusion, lack of education and low-paying jobs in their country of origin (Daugherty Kammeyer, 1995). As initially stated, illegal immigration causes shortage of labor in their home country because they prefer going to the developed countries. This will ultimately affect the economic growth of the country negatively because there is no labor force to drive the economy. Lack of labor will force the staffing agencies of those countries to lower the minimum job requirements so that they can be able to get the required employees to work for them. This lowers the credibility of the recruitment agencies and the human resource managers who are involved in global staffing. This may make a country to have poorly qualified staffs that do shoddy work and this will lead to poor performance of the economy and ultimate increase in poverty. Illegal immigration promotes brain drain; a situation where the best knowledgeable staff and educated move to other developed countries to look for ‘greener pastures’ for the careers. This will therefore affects the process of recruitment and selection in a negative way (Haines Rosenblum, 1999) Illegal immigration also has a direct effect on the tax-based resources due to the burden exerted by the illegal immigrant. In the United States, all people who work there are taxed by the federal government. Such money obtained as taxed are later used to improve other public facilities among them hospitals, schools among others. However, the government does not have clear-cut measures to ensure that those being treated in such hospitals or using other facilities are the true citizens. This will therefore lead to exerting too much pressure on the resources and may ultimately lead to provision of poor quality services to the genuine citizens. This may have a negative impact of on the labor productivity and the morale of the workers. When this happens, the work done by the citizens may not be well done basically because their esteem has been undermined. This will later make staffing encounter a lot of difficulties in trying to identify the best employees to be promoted since this is always done on the basis of customer performance. The affected organizations or firms may have to use other terms and methods to carry out various staffing processes and this will obviously taint the reputation of the recruitment agency since staffing ethics may not have been properly followed (Daugherty Kammeyer, 1995). This clearly indicates that illegal immigration by straining the resources has a direct impact on the performance of worker. It is clear that illegal immigration leads to an influx of workers to the country of destination like the United States. This will lead to a greater supply of jobs in the market more than it can be absorbed or taken in by the recruitment agencies who work on behalf of companies who are in need of employees. This will lead to the distortion of the law of demand and supply for labor in the market. This may happen in two ways: the first scenario is a situation where the immigrants provide cheap labor for whoever needs it. It is obviously certain that some firms and companies may lay off the workers in preference of the cheap labor in the market. By doing so, they will not have followed any ethics that entails the staffing procedures. The act of dismissing qualified workers with preference of employing those with lower qualifications does not entail any staffing ethics. This shows therefore how illegal immigration may negatively affect the process of recruitment and selection (LeMay, 2007). The other way in which the law of supply and supply is distorted happens especially when more qualified workers immigrate illegally to a country. This will force companies or firms to lay off its workers in preference of the more qualified workers. This automatically makes the companies to lower the minimum wage so as to indirectly discourage workers and some will later resign thus creating opportunities for the cheap labor. When they resign, employment opportunities are created and the human resource managers will rush for the cheap labor. When they do so, they staffers and recruitment agencies may not necessarily follow the correct staffing or recruitment procedures and in the long run, may negatively affect the reputation of global human resource and the entire process of staffing. This indicates that illegal immigration is a vice that must be avoided and checked at all cost (Adler Gielen, 2003). The United States has registered an increased crime in the border between it and Mexico due to a lot of immigrant who enter the two neighboring states. In most of those who enter illegally believe that New Mexico is part of Mexico itself and some even engage in cross-border crime and drug-trafficking as they try to enter the United States. Any crime and a rise of the same will obviously affect adversely the productivity of the citizens who have previously been enjoying the serenity of the working environment. It is important to note that the whole process of staffing is not done over-night. Some processes like promotion and selection may require the monitoring of the employee performance over a certain period of time. It may therefore happen that the period to review the employee performance was when there was rampant crime within the place of work or within the vicinity. The performance the employee at that time will obviously be poor and should any of the process of staffing be mandatory then the rules and regulation of such a process may not have to be necessarily followed. This therefore directly points out that the process of staffing is affected by illegal immigration due to the creation of crime (Haines Rosenblum, 1999). The existence of illegal immigrants in an economy makes it hard for the U. S government to raise the minimum wage required of any worker. It has been noted that the illegal immigrants on most occasions engage in menial jobs like maids and nannies where most Americans are not ready to offer their services. A further complicated scenario is when they work in industries and paid cheaply payment for the services rendered. In the event that the genuine residents of the United States demand any increase in their minimum wage, it would be rhetoric to do so because some cheap labor is available within the same market. Since this is part of the staffing process, such happenings may put staffers in a tight spot because those who would want to increase their revenue earnings will not at any time do so. They will therefore have failed to perform their duties of genuine staffing procedures and this may encourage development of bogus recruitment agencies that may not really care about the ethics of staffing. This will therefore affect the process of staffing negatively and this may further affect the performance of workers and a further effect on the entire human resource (Dale, 2003). Illegal immigration may lead to emergence of unscrupulous employers who may not pay them well. Since the immigrants are consciously aware of their crime of being illegally in the country, they virtually have no voice to press for compensation of damages due to injuries met at work. This is because of the fear that they may be traced, tracked and taken back to their country of origin. The workers are therefore left to perish with their own perils since their employers only want to profit themselves out of cheap labor. The workers in this case are not able to claim any compensation that may arise due to the tasks or work that they do. When such things happen, it is not usually part of staffing or human resource to deny the workers what is genuinely theirs and this may greatly affect the reputation of the staffing companies who may have been involved in the process of selection of the workers in question. This may further affect the compensation of other workers and the eventual work performance (LeMay, 2007). It is important to note that, workers are entitled to join workers and trade unions which may in turn help them in solving problems or issues that arise as it concerns their work. However, it is necessary to understand that workers are able to join such unions when they earn a certain minimum wage which may not be practically possible owing the fact that the illegal immigrants are in abundance and law of demand dictates that they be paid less so that the entire pool of workers may be absorbed. This therefore raises a problem of lack of enough voice to articulate for their rights and this affects even the genuine residents of a country. This is because their will be a seemingly large number of workers but when it comes to those who are dully represented a problem arises. This will therefore be negatively affecting the performance of the genuine immigrants and may influence the way their employers handle them. Any friction that may arise between the employer and employee may affect the work performance and any handling that does not favor the welfare of the worker will be unethical and against the basic expectations from a human resource manager. This will ultimately affect the process of staffing on one way or another (OECD, 2000). Illegal immigrants have their own problems in their home country and there is a possibility that they may transfer such problems to the host country. Such problems may include contagious diseases, overpopulation leading to traffic jam and infection of the genuine residents of a country. This will affect the productivity of workers and this may force the human resource managers to hire other workers to replace those who have fallen sick from infection. As it is usual, the process of recruitment and selection is always carried out after stipulated period of time by the human resource managers and not any arbitrary time. It therefore means that the affected company may be forced to re-adjust their schedule so as to replace the sick employees. it is apparently clear that during such time, the companies are desperately in need of quick labor force to replace the on that is missing (Adler Gielen, 2003). As they do this, it would be absurd to think that the process of recruitment and selection is properly followed and this affects the overall process of staffing. The negative effects of illegal immigration can not really be exhaustibly discussed. The other effect includes emergence of individuals who undertake the crime of providing illegal document (visas) to the illegal immigrants. Such people may end up providing documents to illegal immigrants who end up being terrorists who carry out attacks to the harmless citizens. Such attacks like that of 9/11 were carried by illegal immigrants and this has greatly affected the job market in different ways. First is the fact that it has led to the victimization of people of a particular race or origin. Such people may be subjected to unnecessary scrutiny by the authorities thus discouraging them from searching for jobs in the U. S market (Seltser, et al 1998). This may be an additional task to the recruitment agencies that carry out recruitment and selection of employees and may not be part of what they are supposed to do. This will ultimately affect the quality of staffing processes undertaken by global human resource managers who may be dictated to follow recruitment procedures that does not correlate with the staffing ethics. It therefore links illegal immigration, terrorism and staffing (Djajic, 2001). The second effect of terrorism linked to illegal immigration is that, the nation may end up losing personnel and expatriates needed to drive the economy. This usually happens when the country become too obsessed in fighting terrorism. People may also flee from a country for fear of further terrorist attacks and this will reduce the number of qualified employees that are needed. This may force the global human resource managers to lower the qualifications of the needed job so as to acquire the necessary people required to run the economy. This will ultimately distort the common professional techniques of carrying out interviewing and appraising of candidates which is essential for any recruitment process. It will render it hard to get the best people with the correct mental capabilities, motivation and prospective potentials. The other problem that arises due to illegal immigration is tax evasion and loan and mortgage default. This is because the immigrants do not have identification documents that may help in tracing them and eventual lose the money and also tax. The effect does not end there because those employees of the bank may lose their jobs or incur loses themselves since it is assumed that they should have taken thorough vetting of customers before releasing any funds to them. If this happens it may indicate recruitment process may not have been sufficiently done to acquire the best employees who cannot fall for the fraudsters or the defaulters in this particular case. This may require the organization, bank affected to recheck their methods of recruitment and selection in the future. It may also result in the loss of credibility of the recruitment agency that may have been used by the bank to acquire its employees. This will therefore influence the overall mode of staffing (LeMay, 2007). Despite the negatives results of illegal immigration however, there are positive aspects of the illegal immigration to the economy. The most obvious one is the provision of cheap labor to the industries and agriculture. Most immigrants who come from poor countries do menial jobs like maids, cultivating for the flowers and other jobs that residents of the United States may see it necessary for them to do so. This labor when also provided in farms is relatively cheaper than that of the qualified people who reside in that country. This will ultimately minimize the cost of production an ultimately raises the profits margins of the company or the farmer thus influencing growth positively (OECD, 2000). In relation to staffing, it will be realized that no formal recruitment is done when acquiring such form of cheap labor. This therefore shows that, illegal immigration has the positive effect of reducing the cost of recruitment and selection. This will reduce the cost of production and an overall rise in the revenue of the employer. As has been stated earlier, most of the illegal immigrants who are employed prefer cash payment for their work that they have done than the use of credit cards. This is simply because they want to avoid being tracked since it is very possible with the use of credit cards. The cash payment will increase cash flow in the retail business because they will make most of their purchases there. Increase in cash flow will mean that the business in question has made larger amount of sales and it leads to greater revenues and profits. The firm that has made profits may think of expanding its premises and this creates employment opportunities to other people who have skills in the market. The issue of staffing arises here since recruitment agencies may be called in to carry out the exercise and will be required to do so with diligence as to ensure that the best employees are chosen and that they will be able to serve in a better manner that will enhance the profitability and service delivery. It is clearly indicated that cash paid to the illegal immigrants directly or indirectly influence the employment opportunities for other workers in the economy (Djajic, 2001). Immigrants who move to another country though illegally provide a larger market for the locally produced goods. This is because their living standards will improve compared to their home country. This will obviously spur economic growth of the entire nation with increase in the level of growth. This includes creation of a variety of job opportunities to all the people in that country. A further positive aspect that illegal immigration may bring is the purchase of real estate by the immigrants. They may also buy vehicles and this will enhance the growth of the insurance industry. Growth will obviously include the increase in the number of workers in the industry in question and this will influence staffing just as discussed in the cases studied initially. Illegal immigration is a complex issue but we cannot assume that it has no solution (Brings, 1984). The government of the United States and that of Mexico should start by imposing hefty fines to those found in the crime of illegal immigration and the money that is collected should be used to implement efficient security at the border. When this is done, those planning to do so will be discouraged because they will obviously not be able to pay and the only option they will have are to use genuine means to gain entry to the United States. We should not always assume that is cheap but rather have this in mind that it is a source of problems that are very harsh to the economy. Most immigrants in Mexico come over illegally or from other countries in search for jobs in the United States and they prefer the low pay in the United States than a relatively well paying job in their country of origin like Mexico (Seltser, et al 1998). Conclusion The process of staffing constitutes recruitment and selection of the best qualified personnel with the use of the best ethics in acquisition of employees. This is usually done by global human resource managers or recruitment agencies on behalf of companies or individuals and it is their duty to ensure that the best recruitment procedures are followed so as to obtain the qualified personnel (Scullion Collings, 2006). However, illegal immigration has brought in a lot of problems that affect the quality of the recruitment procedures. As it has been seen in this research, illegal immigration may affect the process of staffing in several ways chief among them, shortage of labor in the country of origin, increase in crime that lead to lowered self esteem of the workers, and distortion of the law of demand and supply. In addition to this there is a further use of public facilities like hospitals and schools in excess of what they may be able to do so. This results in influencing the attitude of workers towards work. It has also been reported that there is increased crime, smuggling of goods and drug trafficking between the border of Mexico and the United States (Lee, 1996). It is however important to not that that illegal immigration has some positive effects and this may include the provision of cheap labor to companies and individuals by lowering the operational cost thus enhancing the market revenue. The laborers also provide ready market for the very local goods that may have otherwise have been wasted and this will influence labor supply in one way or the other. Anything that influences labor supply also influences how and when the recruitment and selection process is carried out (Brings, 1984). Furthermore, it determines how best the ethics have been executed since the greater the degree of ethics that been followed the better the staffing procedures and one is sure to get the best qualified employee out of the others. It is apparently clear that the past history of illegal immigration has been pronounced and has affected the process of economic growth in one way or the other in the United States and Mexico. The effects extend up to affecting the quality of labor in the market and unequal economic growth between the two countries. It is necessary therefore for the leaders of the nations affected to put up measures that will end up this vice once and for all. Illegal immigration is also rampant in Europe evidenced by the number of ships originating from Africa but are regularly arrested though some are unfortunately drowned in the event that they meet strong waves and tides of the sea. This problem can be solved by ensuring that the mother nations have improved economy so that its citizens may not see the need to immigrate to other well developed countries (Seltser, et al 1998). References: Adler, L. L. Gielen, U. P (2003). Migration: Immigration and Emigration in International Perspective. Greenwood Publishing Group. Bean, F. D Vernez, G. (1989). Opening and Closing the Doors: Evaluating Immigration Reform and Control. The Urban Insitute Publishers. Brings, V. M (1984). Immigration Policy and the American Labor Force. Johns Hopkins University Press Dale, M. (2003). Managers guide to recruitment and selection. Kogan Page Publishers. Djajic, S. (2001). International Migration: Trends, Policy and Economic Impact. New York. Routledge Publishers Daugherty, H. G Kammeyer, K. C. W (1995). An Introduction to Population Guilford Press. Haines, D. W Rosenblum, K. E (1999). Illegal Immigration In America: A Reference Handbook. Greenwood Publishing Group.. Lee, R. D (1996). Local Fiscal Effects of Illegal Immigration: Report of a Workshop Compass Series. National Academies Publishers. LeMay, M. C (2007). Illegal Immigration: A Reference Handbook Contemporary World Issues. ABC-CLIO Publishers. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2000). Combating the Illegal Employment of Foreign Workers: International Migration. National Academies Publishers. Seltser, B. J. , Rezmovic, E. L. Stolz, B. A (1998). Illegal Immigration: Southwest Border. DIANE Publishing Scullion, H. Collings, D. G. (2006). Global Staffing. New York. Routledge Publishers. Yoshida, C. (2000). Illegal Immigration and Economic Welfare. Springer. .

The Pros And Cons Of Desalination

The Pros And Cons Of Desalination Desalination is a technological solution that some believe would provide ample supplies of additional water resources.   Discuss the pros and cons to this technological solution and whether or not you support it.   Less than 3% of the earths natural water is viable for human use and consumption. This brings light to the need for a solution to the quickly depleting resource in the rapid growth of population, industry, and increased overall use of water. What is desalination? Put simply, desalination is the conversion of seawater and or brackish water into consumable quality water. To elaborate, this process can be done through a few different methods depending on the location and need for quality, the main process being distillation and reverse osmosis (preferred method). Of the more than 7,500 desalination plants in operation worldwide, 60% are located in the Middle East. The worlds largest plant is in Saudi Arabia. In contrast, 12% of the worlds desalination capacity is in the Americas, with most of the plants located in the Caribbean and Florida. To date, there are currently 23 proposed desalination plants on the coast of California. With these facts in mind it is the responsibility of human kind to weigh the benefits and the consequences of this somewhat deceivingly simple solution. Pros: There is no doubt that an answer to the ongoing discussion of the potential exhaustion of water is indeed overdue. With that in mind, facts supporting the use of desalination as a good alternative remains to be seen. One factor supporting the use of desalination is that desalination can provide a backup water source and a partial solution to a growing problem. While some believe that the use of desalination plants can provide an infinite supply of water and make it possible to put an end to the depleting resource, in reality, as idealistic as this illusion may be, it is far from true. Another favorable point includes the idea that desalination can remove drug contaminated water and other substances such as arsenic and fluoride which is an ongoing issue in places such as Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It should be noted however, that the use of desalination is not currently present in either place, and the likelihood of implementing a plant, anytime in the near future, is most lik ely unattainable due to topographical and economic limitations. Another supporting idea proposes that desalination may reduce the need to take additional water from the environment and, in some cases, offers the opportunity to return water to the environment. In some areas it is proposed that desalination facilities may help reduce the dependence of local water agencies on climate sensitive sources of supply. Furthermore, desalination is currently an efficient and reliable water source in use among military operations world wide including naval ships. It is also used on some cruise ships as a reliable source of potable water. Cons: Desalination is costly not only ecologically but economically. Desalination costs are subjective due to many factors, which include location and methodology, making comparisons complex and estimates vague. For example, Tampa Bay Floridas desalination plant ended up $48 million dollars over its original estimate and is still not in full working capacity due primarily to poor planning. Previous desalination plants have cost in upwards of an estimated $100-$150 million dollar range, just to start the facility, this does not include what it costs to run after it is already built. Although Costs have come down over the past decade, as technology has become more efficient, desalination still perpetuates a cost of approximately $500-$2,000 per acre foot of water (325,000 gallons), compared with approximately $250 per acre foot for water in urban Los Angeles, and $10 per acre foot paid to the federal government by farmers in the Sierra foothills, according to Haddad, the author of Rive rs of Gold: Designing Markets to Allocate Water in California (Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000). Furthermore, the assumption that desalination costs will continue to fall may be false, in fact future costs may actually increase. Another negative factor is that more energy is required to produce water from desalination than from any other water-supply or demand-management option in California, this in turn brings to light the concern of further dependence on fossil fuels. Conversely, it should be noted that the use of fossil fuels can and has been reduced in many facilities by using solar, wind and wave energy to power the facility. According to an executive summary by the pacific institute desalination can produce high-quality water however it may also introduce biological or chemical contaminants into our water supply this will weigh heavily on the design and location of the plant and should be monitored heavily by local government agencies to ensure consumer safety. Desalination produces highly concentrated salt brines that may also contain other chemical pollutants. More specifically, seawater contains approximately 35,000 parts per million of salt. During the reverse osmosis, water molecules are strained through membranes while the salt particles are retained by the membrane and result in a reject stream nearly twice as salty (70,000 ppm) as seawater. Safe disposal of this effluent presents a significant challenge. Additionally and perhaps of the most devastating of the negative aspects to this process is the Impingement and entrainment of marine organisms. This is among the most significant of the environm ental threats associated with seawater desalination. Impingement occurs when marine organisms are trapped against intake screens by the velocity and force of water flowing through them. The inevitable outcome of impinged organisms varies between intake designs as well as marine life species, age, and water conditions. Some resilient species may survive impingement and be returned to sea; however the 24-hour survival rate of less healthy and/or juvenile fish is potentially less than 15%. Entrainment happens when smaller organisms pass through an intake screen to the processing equipment. Organisms entrained into processing equipment are projected to have a mortality rate of 100%. The number of affected organisms will, of course, vary with the volume and velocity of feed-water as well as the mitigation measures developed to minimize impact. Lastly, the use of desalination is a concern because with its implementation and commercialization, the general public could potentially begin a m ore relaxed view of water use than they already do. Meaning, if people think that we have manufactured a solution to the need for conservation there will not be a need to be water use conscious e.g. the more we have the more we spend. This can lead to higher costs to the environment, more unnecessary development and less environmental consciousness. While desalination is what some have considered the holy grail of water scarcity issues, the reality seems quite the contrary. One of the most difficult factors being faced in light of desalination seems to be the idea that desalination has not been in use long enough to perpetuate actual evidence of overall environmental impacts. With that in mind, an environmental analysis conducted under CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) should consider the assessment of cumulative impacts not only of the proposed project but future projects (and existing facilities) in the area. These impacts would include the cumulative entrainment/impingement impacts, cumulative energy consumption, cumulative growth-related impacts, and cumulative wastewater urban runoff impacts. These factors are especially important in areas where pre-existing air quality, water quality and ecosystem health are already compromised. More specifically, developed areas wher e water use is higher and environmental impacts are considered / monitored, have the potential of being the proverbial guinea pig when it comes to testing the idea at max capacity. This information should also be part of heavy public education to ensure a full public understanding of its costs and benefits as part of most growing problems in the world come with the lack of education and understanding. Furthermore, there is little evidence that desal plants are any more or any less of an impact than other alternatives, not because they are incapable of causing issues but more because the potential issues have not been fully investigated. Primarily the concern is that the pressing issue and urgency may prematurely cause major environmental impacts (especially long term) to be overlooked or dismissed as something we can conquer at the time it becomes an issue. This vary idea is precisely the reason why most, if not all, environmental catastrophes currently exist. Question is, when is t he woops factor going to cause all parties involved to finally get a clue? In closing, the benefits and consequences of desalination are vast and seem to be vaguely understood. While on some levels desalination should be considered as a supplemental potable water source, many other alternatives which are far less costly economically and environmentally do exist. These alternatives include treating low-quality local water sources, encouraging regional water transfers, improving conservation and efficiency, accelerating wastewater recycling and reuse, implementing smart land-use planning and fixing leaks in already existing distribution pipes and plants. Furthermore a tax deductible option to home owners encouraging water wise appliances and repair allowances should be considered as an encouragement to fix what we already have. For example it is estimated that US Homes Leak 1 Trillion Gallons of Water Annually, which is said to be enough water to supply the entire state of Colorado for three years! Is desalination the answer? To me, it seems a desperate attem pt to band-aid a far larger and blaringly obvious issue. If we continue to use and waste, as a human species, regardless of the solutions we find, our existence will inevitably be self limiting.

Personal Identity and Its Effect on Pre-procedural Anxiety

Personal Identity and Its Effect on Pre-procedural Anxiety 1.0 Introduction In contemporary healthcare systems, one of the key ways of diagnosing and treating medical conditions is through invasive and minimally invasive procedures on patients. Some of these procedures are accessing the intravenuous system for treatment (venipunctures), blood collection for investigations (phlebotomy), lumbar punctures and biopsies. Regardless of age, sex or ethnicity, patients endure anxiety and pain associated with these invasive procedures (American Pain Society, 2001). In spite of minimal tissue damage in these procedures, anxiety about the procedure and associated pain, may cause considerable distress in patients. This may affect the coping mechanism, even in a well functioning individual. This has been studied by McCleane and Cooper (1990), Augustin and Haynes (1996) and Garbee (2000). A number of researches have been conducted to determine and control anxiety in patients who are subjected to such procedures. Based on these studies, patient education programs (McDonald and Green, 2002), alternative therapies (Noreed, 2000), pharmaceutical therapies (Smith and Pittaway, 2002) and musical therapies (Elliot, 2004) have been proposed to a varying extent. An important point to note is that musical therapies, education programs and patient educational programs may be time-consuming and may be of limited practicality in a busy hospital environment. On the other hand, pharmaceutical therapies may cause side-effects associated with drugs. Therefore, a simplistic approach, which could provide comfort and relieve the pre-procedural anxiety, is the need of this surgical era. No research has been found on invoking personal identity and its effect on pre-procedural anxiety. Therefore, this research aims to fulfill this gap. Hospitals and health care institutions are unpleasant environments with a general appearance of illness and death. It is an environment where one is separated by friends and family and is surrounded by strangers. A person who is being subjected to a procedure at a hospital may already contemplate on the potential illness that the person may be subjected to. This may lead to a temporary feeling of anxiety (Coyle, 1999). According to Spielberger et al (1970) anxiety is divided into two factors, state anxiety (also known as somatic anxiety) and trait anxiety. State anxiety is temporary or circumstantial arousal and trait anxiety is the permanent change of personality characteristics associated with anxiety. According to Kent (1998), state anxiety may cause physiological arousal, and activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. This is characterized by increased pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and increase cardiac output (Bally et al, 2003). Research by Hayes et al (2003), asserts that reducing the state anxiety is important before a diagnostic procedure to promote relaxation and to prevent possible complications; such as procedure becoming more painful, difficult, prolonged and increased probability of after effects. When a procedure becomes difficult to administer, doctors may also postpone or cancel the procedure, placing the patient at a dis advantage. Addressing patients’ emotions through an evidence-based management is important for nurses to increase the patient outcome. Psychosocial nursing interventions, emotional presence and establishment of trust between the nurses and the patient, has the potential to mitigate patient’s fear and anxiety or stress to a greater level. 1.1 Pain and Anxiety Associated with Invasive Procedures Studies have concluded that pain associated with a procedure may be severe than that actual illness that needs investigation (Finley and Scheter, 2003). The procedure itself may have an effect on the pain that is experienced by the patient, which is based on the patient’s perception, which in turn, can be influenced by factors including past experience, psychological state, hearsay knowledge and the patient’s level of understanding (Rawe et. al., 2009). According to Brennan, Carr and Cousins (2007), effects of pain can be short and long-term, which are not gender, age or ethnicity-specific. A number of studies have confirmed the psychological effects of pain, which include anxiety, anger and fear as well as physical effects, such as changes in metabolic functions, heart functions and functions related to blood (Ferrell, 2005; Gordon et al., 2005; Mertin, et.al., 2007). Most common long-term effects of pain are, insomnia and depression (Berenholtz, et. al., 2002). Several studies have noted that there is a positive relationship between anxiety and pain, in a clinical setting (Sternbach, 1968; Melzack, 1973). According to Kain et. al. (2001), severity levels of pain are directly proportionate to anxiety levels due to activities in the hippocampal network, which causes behavioural conflict in the brain. This is resolved by sending and amplification signal to the neural representation of the painful event, which causes anxiety in the pe rson. This was verified by Ploghaus et. al. (2001) using a series of event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) studies, which concluded that anxiety-induced hyperalgesia is associated with activation in the entorhinal cortex of the hippocampal formation. Van den Broek, Hejimans and Van Assen (2012) focused on the emotional distress caused by the procedure of implanting a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), an invasive procedure, in 343 patients.. All subjects demonstrated distress through anxiety and depression immediately after the procedure as well as during follow-up timelines. 1.2 Psychological Techniques used to Reduce Pre-procedural Anxiety Healthcare personnel have discovered a number of methods to reduce anxiety of patients through psychological intervention techniques. One of the methods employed by clinical nurses is through therapeutic touch. Cox and Hayes (1997) performed a quasi-experimental study based on patients at a district General Hospital in East London, which concluded that therapeutic touch aids in reducing anxiety of the patients. Another method which has been researched is, on the effect of music as an intervention for reducing the pre-procedural anxiety in hospitalized adult patients (Gillen, Billey Allen, 2008). This was performed through Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) of 832 adult patients The researchers concluded that psychological outcomes show anxiety was reduced to a greater extent as a result of music listening interventions, demonstrated by reduction of blood pressure, respiration rate and heart rate. A study performed by Hawley (2009), explored nurse strategies which were perceived as comforting by patients. The sample size was 14 patients in the emergency department of a hospital in New York. The study concluded that positive talk, vigilance and attending to physical discomforts were among the top five factors that reduced anxiety. Hawley (2009) concluded that the study â€Å"supports the provision of comfort as an integral part of emergency nursing practice and a critical aspect of care.† A research with 580 mentally alert adults were selected for a study by Whelchel (2004) to identify the effect of caring behaviour by nurses on ED patients. At the end of the study and data analysis, the researchers reported that treating the patients like an individual, was considered to be the most important trait in reducing the anxiety of emergency room patients, followed by knowing what they were doing, being kind and considerate, treating the patient with respect, giving the patient their full attention, knowing how to administer injections and insert intravenous catheters. 1.3 Self Esteem and Anxiety From the beginnings of scientific psychology, the idea that people wish to maintain high levels of self-esteem has been a central theme in many studies (Horney, 1937; James, 1890). The idea of self-esteem generally means one’s own evaluation of him or herself. Self-esteem is also seen as a critical function for social and mental well-being of a person. Self-esteem induces and maintains personal goals and motivations and according to a study by Mann et. al. (2001), conclusive evidence exists that self-esteem leads to better mental health. Mann et.al. (2001) assert that a series of psychological problems, both internalizing and externalizing can be caused by poor self-esteem. The researchers conclude that self-esteem acts as a protective factor and is a core element in the promotion of mental health. Greenberg, Pyszczynski and Solomon (1986) argue that self-esteem provides a buffer against anxiety, focusing primarily on the fear of human beings towards mortality. Through empirical evidence, the researchers have concluded high-level of self-esteem reduces anxiety and behaviour that relates to anxiety. Three studies were conducted by Greenberg, et. al. (1992:1, 1992:2, 1993) to identify the direct evidence for the effect of self-esteem on anxiety. In the first study (Greenberg et. al., 1992:1), participants received positive and negative feedback about their personality, which was false. Then one group was shown a video which threatens of death, whereas the second group was shown a neutral video. The dependent variable in this study was state anxiety and the hypothesis was that bolstering self-esteem would reduce anxiety in response to the threat. The study concluded that participants with low self-esteem had the highest anxiety. A second study was partaken with participants being given bogus feedback on an intelligence test (Greenberg el. Al. , 1992:2). Following the feedback, participants were told that they would receive an electric shock or a neutral stimulation. The dependent variable was physiological arousal and the hypothesis was that the participants with bolstered self-esteem would experience reduced physiological arousal in anticipating electric shocks. The conclusion of the study was that neutral self-esteem-threat the participants having highest anxiety. A third study by Greenberg et. al. (1993) was with participants, who were provided with either positive or neutral feedback regarding their personality and a emotionality scale test, where the dependent variable was emotionality and the hypothesis was high self-esteem would reduce the participants’ anticipation of a short life-expectancy. The study concluded that participants with negative feedback information led to low self-esteem. Based on these studies, researchers Greenberg et. al. (1992:1, 1992:2, 1993) developed anxiety-buffer hypothesis which led to the conclusion that self-esteem provides protection against anxiety and one who has an increased self-esteem becomes less-prone to anxiety when exposed to threatening situations later. 1.4 Personal Identity and Name Personal Identity deals with oneself and issues that arise by the virtue of being an individual and it has its own attributes that make a person unique and different from the rest. Personal identity has its own properties, such as name, appearance, preferences which make a person unique. At present, an estimated 120 million babies are born on earth in a year (Deluzain, 1996). Sooner or later, they undergo the process of receiving a name. Names are part of all cultures and they are equally important to the person who receives the name as well as the society which the person lives in. The most important part of a person’s identity is the name. It is of important for the individual and the society as a whole. Inspite of its importance, not many people know or interested in knowing the effect of name on us and our children in this world although we are considered as the â€Å"consumers of names†. Researches show that one of the reasons for couples to have children is to perpetuate the family name (Arnold and Kuo, 1984; Callan and Kee, 1981; Ramu and Tavuchis, 1986). A research by Howard et. al. (1997) concluded that students felt proud when professors in their university remembered them by the name. A century ago, anthropologists identified that there has never been an ancient civilization, which did not allocate first names to people, in the recorded history. Many ancient cultures believed that not having a name is equivalent to not having an identity or honour (Frommer, 1982). At present, in most countries, parents are required to register the birth of a child through the child’s name. This is a legal requirement, which is the first time a child is given a legal identity. The birth certificate received by the parents becomes an essential document for admitting a child to school, obtaining healthcare and other basic services from the society. The existence of a name of a person is not only important to the person psychologically, but it is also of religious, social and legal importance because our identities are associated intuitively through the name. When one’s name is mispronounced, it may sound resentful to the person. Most people, especially when communicating with persons of different cultures, take extreme care to ensure the names are not mispronounced. Studies have revealed that mispronunciation of the name amounts to distortion of one’s identity (Deluzain, 1996). Freud identified the psychological effects of distortion of one’s name, deliberately or accidentally. According to Freud’s observations, people of aristocratic class, who wielded economic and political power tended to mispronounce their doctors’ names (Deluzain, 1996). The explanation for this was the aristocrats’ psychological need to show their superiority over the doctors, who wielded the power of one’s life and death. A similar event is seen in Shakespeare’s play, King John, where the character Philip Faulconbridge was found to be the illegitimate son of Richard the Lionheart, which made him King John’s half-brother. In the aftermath, King John orders Philip Faulconbridge’s name to be changed to Richard Plantagenet and deliberately refers to Philip as Peter (Shakespeare, 1623). This is a clear example of how Shakespeare presented the idea that mis-representation of a person’s name amounts to mis-representation of the person. The psychological significance of names are so high, that two separate researches have concluded that people have a strong affiliation with letters of the alphabet in their own names than ones which are not in their names (Koole, Dijksterhuis, and van Knippenberg, 2001; Nuttin, 1985; Greenwald and Banaji, 1995). The research by Greenwald and Banaji (1995) concluded that people positively associate themselves with letters in their names, as they are considered to direct reflection of the person, although there doesn’t appear to be any pragmatic reason for this association. This positive association of one’s name and even the letters of the name with oneself has a general tendency to make a person feel good (Greenwald and Banaji, 1995; Hetts and Pelham, 2001). The connection between name and identity is also emphasized by research that portrays changing of one’s name leading to changing of one’s personal identity (Lawson, 1984; Kang, 1972). In certain villages in China, men are allocated an additional name based on the social transitions, such as marriage. On the contrary, women do not receive additional names, which imply that they never attain complete personhood (Watson, 1986). A research by Howard et. al. (1997) concluded that students felt proud when professors in their university remembered them by the name. A century ago, anthropologists identified that there has never been an ancient civilization, which did not allocate first names to people, in the recorded history. Many ancient cultures believed that not having a name is equivalent to not having an identity or honour (Frommer, 1982). 1.5 Self-Esteem and Personal Identity The idea that people strive to keep a high level of motivation maintain high-level of self-esteem is widely accepted and is considered as a postulate or an accepted fact. Theories suggest that behaviours such as aggression, love, deviance and even altruism are due to ultimate belief that humans wish to be seen as valuable (Heine et al, 1999). Studies have been done only recently to determine whether this is always true and whether it is universal (Baumeister, 1998; Heine et al, 1999). However, still, a significant majority of psychological theories consider the need of humans to maintain high-levels of self-esteem as a postulate. Coyle (1999), presented a concept called personal identity threat in healthcare settings which is one of the key concepts of patient dissatisfaction in healthcare. According to Coyle’s research, people who were generally unhappy with the overall healthcare experience they receive, is mainly due to them being treated as non-persons, which is also termed dehumanization. This study asserts that the person’s name has a significant effect on one’s own identity. According to Coyle’s research (1999), people who were generally unhappy with the overall healthcare experience they receive, is mainly due to them being treated as non-persons, which is also termed dehumanization. 40 out of 41 patients interviewed by Coyle stated that they were treated as, an ‘object’ and on deep exploration, Coyle identified that the patients were referred by numbers on a file (such as patient number 49) instead of the name, which gave the patient the notion of being dehuma nized. This study asserts that the person’s name has a significant effect on one’s own identity. The above studies indicate that self-esteem is connected with personal identity, where invoking personal identity increases one’s self-esteem. One of the most key attributes of personal identity of an individual is the name. A number of studies, particularly by Greenberg et. al. (1992:1, 1992:2, 1993, 1996) concluded that self-esteem acts as an anxiety buffer. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of addressing a patient by name on pre-procedural anxiety level of in-ward patients, who are undergoing basic blood investigations in a large private hospital in Colombo. The hypothesis tested in this research was, talking to patients by addressing them by name, before an invasive procedure, reduces the pre-procedural anxiety level of hospital patients, than talking to them without referring by name or not talking to them at all.