Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math Essay

Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math word problems - Essay Example The data that has already been collected on the subject is a good starting point for further, more specific, research. In attempting to create a better learning environment for third grade second-language students, in particular those whose first language is Spanish, this basic research is most useful in devising a methodology conducive to higher achievement in school. The reason for undertaking such a project is simply due to the sheer numbers of students and citizens in the United States whose first language is Spanish, who are struggling to pick up English and use it effectively. Understanding the complexities of teaching bilingual students their second language will not only help them with daily conversation and interpretation of English but it will allow them to come to better terms with subjects that are not directly related to language learning, such as mathematics. To solve a mathematical word problem, the student must not only have the mathematical skills necessary to do so but he or she must also possess the ability to properly interpret the language. Word problems in math can be tricky because of the language itself; students who are fluent in English reading and writing can better interpret the meaning of these questions because they are so familiar with the language and its nuances. Second-language students will struggle to interpret the same problems, however, simply because they are working from restricted vocabularies and in transferring the words directly from English into Spanish for better comprehension may lose sight of the real meaning. Word problems are notorious for including extraneous information that fluent Anglophones are more capable of identifying; second-language students can find this process not only much more challenging but they also may not realize that extra information has been included at all. It is important in a ll cases for

Police and Education Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 13250 words

Police and Education - Dissertation Example Different groups have different and often incompatible interests in the society which give rise to conflicts and eventually results in the incidence of crime. Police are the inevitable component of an ideal criminal justice system. They are primarily concerned with the responsibility for the maintenance of peace and enforcement of law and order. Of late, police duties have increased enormously and are becoming more and more diversified. The modern police force is to protect the public against physical dangers, rescue lives, regulate traffic and preserve law and order in the streets and public places. It has also a definite duty with regard to the prevention of juvenile delinquency and atrocities against women and children. The emergence of police has a historic context. With the upsurge of the modern scientific invention and improved living standard, the crime rate has drastically increased in the society. The necessity of curbing crimes has led people taking a serious note for the formation of Police force for the purpose of the protection of their lives and property and eliminates the criminalities from the society. The historical backgr ound of the origin of Police traces its back much earlier. The word Police has been derived from the Greek word politeia or its Latin equivalent politia. The term politia stands for the state or administration. In the present context, the term police connote a body of civil servants whose primary duties are the preservation of order, prevention and detection of crimes and enforcement of crimes.... With the upsurge of modern scientific invention and improved living standard, the crime rate has drastically increased in the society. Consequently, the necessity of curbing crimes has led people taking a serious note for the formation of police force for the purpose of the protection of their lives and property and eliminates the criminalities from the society. The historical background of the origin of police traces its back much earlier. The word Police has been derived from the Greek word politeia or its Latin equivalent politia . The term politia stands for the state or administration. In the present context, the term police connote a body of civil servants whose primary duties are the preservation of order, prevention and detection of crimes and enforcement of crimes. Marine police in London and the Napoleonic Police of Paris established in 1800 can be regarded as the first Modern police forces of the world. However, with the rise of FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and Lo ndon Metropolitan Police in US and UK respectively, police forces started to be seen as the prime law enforcement agency of the State. Although policing involves a huge variety of activities, the prominent ones are law and order maintenance and the stipulation of services (Cohen, 1972). Police forces are given different names like police department, police service, constabulary, gendarmerie, militsiya, etc. Police in United States of America Before United States came under the influence of the Britain, the civilians performed the function of night-watchman by rotation with a view to protecting the society from crimes and criminals. These watch and ward arrangement proved ineffective to control growing incidence of crime and disorder in

Transnational corporations in developing world

Transnational corporations in developing world Introduction Transnational corporations have spread their operations around the entire world and are frequently violating the most basic human rights. This paper will discuss the negative impact of transnational corporations (hereinafter: TNCs) on the natural environment in host countries. It will focus on corporations operating in developing countries. Environmental degradation is closely interlinked to health, but due to restrictions, the paper will only focus on the environmental aspect. As a result of the global impact of TNCs operations and the negative effect on the environment they may cause, environmental protection is a very relevant topic. It is very concerning that there are only a few international legal documents which lay down TNCs responsibilities regarding this matter. Due to the voluntary nature of those, TNCs can very often operate in their own way, without any regard to the environment and what is more, in many cases the host states are reluctant to take any measures to prevent pollution done by TNCs. The working hypothesis of this paper is as follows: TNCs and host countries have certain responsibilities regarding environmental protection. However, they are reluctant to take measures to prevent environmental pollution, the former because they are driven by profit and the latter because of a lack of will or means. Developing countries where TNCs operate frequently lack sufficient funds for environmental management or are unwilling to put pressure on TNCs because they do not want to lose TNCs investment. The paper will be divided into three sections. In the first one, the recognition of the right to a healthy environment will be examined. This section will include some global and regional documents which recognize that right and it will briefly present how the right to environment is recognized at the national level of states. The second part will contain an overview of TNCs impact on the environment and research their legal and moral obligations with regard to environmental protection. In the third part, responsibility of states to protect peoples right to the environment from being violated by TNCs will be examined. Throughout the paper, cases of environmental pollution by TNCs will be presented. Good practices will be mentioned as well. The paper will among others, look into the following documents: UDHR, ICESCR, Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights. Furthermore, constitutions of some countries regarding the environment will be mentioned. As examples of certain claims, cases will be presented and statistical data used to support some statements. The Right to a Healthy Environment Consequences of environmental degradation have increasingly started to attract international attention in the second part of the 20th century. Many attempts to develop regulations for environmental protection were made, but at first, environmental protection was not directly linked to human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights for example recognizes the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family[1] which emphasizes more the social care. The Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, adopted in 1972 in Stockholm (hereinafter: Stockholm Declaration) made a significant step towards environmental protection by stating: Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being, and he bears a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations.[2] Fr om this formulation it can be understood that environmental protection is a precondition to the enjoyment of human rights. In other words, human rights are seen as a goal and environmental protection as means to achieve it. The Stockholm Declaration influenced the development of a number of documents and organizations concerned with the environmental protection. Important to mention is the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development which proclaims the right of human beings to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature[3] and states further that the environmental requirement of future generations is a basic human right: The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations.[4] There exist a number of international and regional documents, principles and norms relating to the concept of the environment[5]. However, no global human rights treaty which includes the right to environment has been adopted so far. There are several regional documents which explicitly recognize the human right to a healthy environment, for instance African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights[6] and American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights[7]. It is worth mentioning that the European Convention on Human Rights does not include the right to a healthy environment but this might change in October 2009 the Parliamentary Assembly issued a recommendation that this right be included in an additional protocol to the convention. On the national level, the right to a healthy environment is today codified in numerous constitutions[8] and national laws. The formulations of the right vary but in general they include the principle that the human right to a healthy/clean/secure/safe environment provides each individual a right to an environment that enables him/her well-being and development.[9] Environmental degradation is closely linked to some other human rights. Pollution of resources such as water, air or soil is violating the right to health and can have an impact on the right to life. Forced evictions caused by consequences of corporations projects for example are connected to the violation of the right to the property, just to name a few. As stated above, this paper will only focus on the environmental aspect. Transnational Corporations The impact of TNCs on the environment In the past century, transnational corporations have expanded their activities throughout the entire world. They operate in many sectors such as extractive industries, footwear and textile production, manufacturing, electronics, construction etc. Most TNCs are registered in developed countries[10] but usually move their operations to developing countries. They are attracted by less stringent environmental regulations and bigger tolerance to the pollution they cause, which is closely connected to tolerance to other human rights violations arising from the environmental degradation.[11] Corporations are capable of contributing to better local living conditions by increasing the standard of living and some surely do. They stimulate development by for example providing jobs, training or modern technical equipment. There are cases where corporations operating in a host country which has lower environmental standards compared to those in their home country, operate under stricter standards. This, however, is not a universal practice. TNCs often move their operations to developing countries precisely because they can get away with the bad conduct prohibited elsewhere. In developing countries corporations frequently use potentially dangerous technologies and outdated machinery which are highly pollutant. In 1985 for instance the Westinghouse Electric Corporation from U.S. sold a nuclear reactor to Philippines which did not meet U.S. safety standards.[12] What is more, examples can be found of TNCs which do not meet neither the standards of the home nor the host country. Such was the outdated equipment in the pesticide plant in Bhopal which was the reason for the worst industrial accident in history. Mining and oil industries are contributing to large-scale environmental pollution. Those, along with other industries cause soil degradation, deforestation, pollution of the atmosphere, contaminate water supplies and have a heavy impact on biodiversity as well. Such degradation is long-term and heavily impacts health. Among other diseases it causes respiratory and lung problems, skin rashes, allergies, tumors and can even result in death. Environmental damage is often irreversible or it takes long time for the nature to renew. As it has been recognized in the Rio Declaration, it has an impact on future generations as well. Legal obligations of TNCs The international system for protection of human rights is a state-based system. That means that states are primary duty-holders of human rights obligations but they are not exclusive duty-holders. A question arises if TNCs have any obligations[13] to comply with these laws. The International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights[14] for example refers to any State, group or person[15] as having duties so from this statement it can be deducted that TNCs have duties as well and should therefore refrain from violating human rights through their activities. The problem arises with the accountability. Under current international law namely, states are the ones which are required to impose standards that TNCs must adhere to and states are the ones which will be held liable for human rights violations by corporations.[16] In the 1970s several codes of conduct concerning the duties of TNCs have been developed, such as OECD-Declaration on International Investments and Multinational Enterprises (1976), which includes Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. In regard to environmental protection, the guidelines state that enterprises should take due account of the need to protect the environment and avoid creating environmentally related health problems. They should furthermore provide timely information regarding the potential impacts on the environment and health, take measures to minimize the risk of accidents and damage to health and environment and cooperate in mitigating adverse effects of their operations.[17] The guidelines can be used as recommendation to TNCs but they are not legally binding. Today there are 42 countries which have signed the document.[18] A more recent voluntary standard developed for promotion of human rights by corporations is the United Nations Global Compact, an initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.[19] The abovementioned initiatives are both voluntary and it is true that they are a step into the right direction but due to the fact that they are voluntary and not legally binding they have proven not to be effective, which can be seen in cases mentioned throughout the paper. In 2003 a significant document was adopted: the UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights (hereinafter: the Norms). The Norms are the first international legal instrument to recognize the obligations of TNCs regarding the protection of human rights. With regard to the environmental protection, it is clearly stated that TNCs shall carry out their activities in accordance with national laws, regulations, administrative practices and policies relating to the preservation of the environment of the countries in which they operate.[20] The commentary of that clause states that corporations shall respect the right to a clean and healthy environment in the light of the relationship between the environment and human rights.[21] The Norms impose obligations on TNCs to assess the impact of their activities and deliver reports to competent bodies.[22] TNCs are furthermore to adopt internal rules of operation which ar e in compliance with the Norms[23] and respect and protect human rights within their spheres of their activity. Nevertheless, as it is stated in the text, the primary responsibility still lies within the states.[24] As can be seen from the way the Norms are formed, they are not purely voluntary. They namely foresee a monitoring and reporting mechanism to determine if TNCs comply with the obligations they have under the Norms. What is more, according to the text TNCs shall provide adequate reparation to communities which have been affected by TNCs failures to comply with the Norms.[25] In April 2004 though, the Commission on Human Rights affirmed that Norms have no legal standing and that Sub-Commission should not perform any monitoring.[26] That means that Norms are only a consultative document. The same as the abovementioned regulations, the Norms are of voluntary nature and therefore its provisions cannot be enforced upon TNCs. It can be concluded that just as any other voluntary document, they will only be observed by a few corporations and these tend to be the ones which are already operating in a positive manner. The international community has so far been unable to reach an agreement on a legally binding document recognizing the right to environment which is strictly directed at TNCs. That, however, does not mean that there are no environmental standards TNCs must adhere to while conducting their practices. TNCs must respect national laws of host countries regarding those standards. Moral obligations of TNCs There is an increasingly strong view that TNCs have ethical or moral duties to respect fundamental human rights in the countries in which they do business. The NGO sector expects TNCs to engage more in their environmental responsibility and that they act to ensure that their impact is positive, not negative.[27] If companies are observed from the perspective that they are created to make profit and that profit maximization is the only force that drives them, then it is contradictory for them to have any additional expenses which are not strictly necessary. Milton Friedman in his article on social responsibility of businesses argues that the responsibility is to conduct business in accordance with their desires, which generally will be to make as much money possible.[28] He points out that a company engages in certain activities which are good for the community just for its own purposes and profit.[29] Can it be deduced that ethical conduct is only in the economic interest of a corporation? From that perspective it would mean that TNCs invest money into something that is not strictly necessary for business, but they do it only because they believe they will have some economic benefits from the investment. And if ethical conduct would not be beneficial, would TNCs still consider it? Not all corporations can be blamed for polluting the environment. Many are operating in positive manners but as already mentioned above, due to the restrictions, this paper is only focusing on those which have a negative impact on the environment. From the latter group, there is a number of TNCs which have improved their policies. The question that arises in this respect is if they do that because they realized that due to new practices they would have a greater economic benefit. Is the change genuine or are the efforts being made just for the sake of gaining competitive advantage? In times of globalization, companies cannot escape the scrutiny of media for their misconduct even if it is taking place at the other side of the world. There are many campaigns calling for consumers attention to irresponsible operations of TNCs which give them bad publicity that may consequently reduce the sales.[30] Organizations like Corporate Watch, Global Exchange or CorpWatch are constantly exposing TNCs for the environmental damage they cause. TNCs do not want consumers to think of their brand as a bad brand because of their negative practices and may change their conduct for that reason. The importance of public scrutiny is growing. What is more, this might be the main tool for forcing TNCs to become more responsible towards the environment since they may want to avoid negative publicity which can affect their sales. On the other hand, what they might do is to advertise their good practices when in fact they continue to work in environmentally destructive practices. Unilever for example portrays itself as a business which exercises the same concern for the environment wherever it operates and whose policy is to ensure safety of its operations for the environment.[31] Greenpeace on the other hand has accused Unilever of double standards because the company had allowed its Indian subsidiary to dump several tones of highly toxic mercury waste in a surrounding protected nature reserve.[32] Another case worth mentioning is Royal-Dutch Shell which now portrays itself as a good corporate citizen by announcing it operates in environmentally and socially responsible ways.[33] According to Corporate Watch however, the corporation continues, behind the greenwash, with many of its old ways.[34] States As already mentioned above, states are primary duty-bearers of human rights and have obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of their citizens in accordance with their national laws and with international documents they are parties to. States are the ones who establish treaties, they are the ones who sign them and must play the central regulatory role over activities within their territory.[35] With regard to the subject of this paper that means that states should have an overview of TNCs operations on their territory and make sure that corporations respect national environmental regulations. The implementation of environmental laws largely depends on each countrys efforts to enforce them. Frequently when dealing with TNCs, host countries on one hand lack the capacity or on the other hand, the political will to enforce the laws and consequently fail to respond to threats of TNCs to the environment. As mentioned above, many TNCs operate in Third World countries and these often do not have sufficient means for environmental management. There might be a lack of funding and lack of mechanisms needed to monitor compliance with laws. Therefore states are frequently unable to pressurize TNCs into adhering to their environmental laws. Operations of the U.S. corporation Newmont Mining and Peruvian firm Buenaventura in Yanacocha in Peru can be given as an example. Mining activities have resulted in depletion and pollution of water supplies, which led the local community to organize numerous protests. In 2006, with the change of government, an agreement between the TNC, communitys representatives and the government was concluded. The three parties agreed that the TNC would build a water purification plant and carry out studies of the local water supply. Upon that, a local NGO insisted that the government must act to stop the environmental pollution and got a response of the Minister of Energy who claimed that government would take steps to ensure that the rights are respected, but he pointed to the lack of funds for setting up an autonomous oversight body.[36] Some truth definitely lies behind the fact that developing countries are restricted in their funds and thus may not be able to perform certain activities. Stil l it has to be taken into account that the country profits from TNC activities as well so the lack of capacities can in many cases be connected to the lack of will. The second aspect of non-enforcement of environmental laws is, as mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, that states might be unwilling to put pressure on TNCs. One of the reasons is because of the fear that corporations might transfer their investments to other countries. Less stringent environmental laws or failure of states to enforce the laws might be more attractive to TNCs. States namely have economic benefits from TNCs investments and some put priority on those over environmental issues and consequently over their citizens rights. It is not rare that countries give out concessions to TNCs even though they are aware of the environmental pollution the TNCs cause. What is more, governments frequently even actively help TNCs, sometimes with use of violence against their own citizens. This has been the case in the example that follows. Freeport Indonesia has been operating a gold and copper mine in West Papua since 1970s and polluting irresponsibly almost without any liability. At the time when Freeport started its mining operation this was the cornerstone of the countrys economy. In order to lead the country towards economic stability, the government had given the corporation generous concessions. In exchange, the company provided employment, infrastructure and technology. The mining company, operating in the way it chose, with little regard for environmental consequences, and the government have therefore both benefited from the activities. While operating, Freeport has been disposing hazardous waste into the nea rby rivers, polluting the water and the surrounding environment which has caused severe health problems of the local population. When opposition to the TNC started gaining power, Freeport relied on the state military for security. It was claimed that Freeport financed Indonesian military to violently repress protests against its environmental crimes.[37] This case is very complex and it is evident that Freeport is involved in the political issues as well. Both parties profit from the situation to the detriment of the environment and local communities. The government with its power is able to repress any opposition and it seems that it has no intention to stop the environmental degradation because the profits it has from Freeports operations are too significant. The environmental harm caused does not seem to be of much importance and the same holds true for the health of the population. As can be seen from the cases mentioned throughout the paper, implementation of laws on the sate level in many cases proves to be insufficient. Some governments take the exact opposite role to what they are supposed to be doing instead of preventing TNCs environmental pollution and protecting their citizens they take an active role and support TNCs misconducts. Laws are too often not enforced and TNCs can continue exploiting the resources and polluting the environment without any limitations. Conclusion In the past few decades the initiative to recognize the right to a healthy environment has become stronger. The progress can be seen from the increasing number of documents recognizing the importance of environmental protection. At the regional level, there are a few treaties recognizing the right to a healthy environment, however no global treaty exists yet which recognizes this right. The international law is in this perspective lagging behind some national laws many states have namely recognized the right to a healthy environment in their constitutions. Activities of transnational corporations around the world have become unavoidable. TNCs are mostly registered in developed countries and often operate with harmful business practices in the Third World. There is no global binding treaty directed at TNCs regarding their conduct towards the environment and this proves to be a weakness of current international law. TNCs can therefore often get away with the pollution they cause. Many voluntary regulations exist but these cannot be legally enforced. They can only be seen as guidelines which TNCs are not obliged to follow. Only corporations that want to adhere to them will do so and it can be expected that those will probably be the ones which already operate in ethical ways. Voluntary guidelines will therefore not impact corporations which are responsible for the worst abuses. The importance of media in this regard is growing. Criticism of TNCs behavior might be the main weapon against their misconduct since they may want to avoid negati ve publicity which can affect their sales. It remains the fundamental role of each government to enforce environmental laws. It is up to each state to ensure that TNCs operating under its jurisdiction do not operate in an environmentally harmful manner. In the case of developing countries these often lack sufficient funds for environmental regulation or mechanisms to monitor TNCs performance. At the same time, they are often reluctant to act because of the fear of losing TNCs investment. Countries frequently place priority on economic benefits over environmental protection and it is not rare that they even help TNCs in their environmental exploitation by violently repressing resistance of their citizens. It can therefore be concluded that national governments of developing countries can in many cases not be relied upon to play their role in environmental protection. Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Buttefield, Fox: Philippines Expected to File Suit Against Westinghouse New York Times, 1 Dec., 1988. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/01/business/philippines-expected-to-file-suit-against-westinghouse.html?pagewanted=1 (accessed 5 Dec. 2009). Business and Human Rights Resource Center. Freeport Indonesia. Several Articles. http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/Individualcompanies/F/FreeportIndonesiapartofFreeport-McMoRan (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Cleaver, Harry. Freeport McMoRan And Human Rights Violations In West Papua. UT Watch. http://www.utwatch.org/corporations/freeportfiles/cleaver.html (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Commentary on the Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights, U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/38/Rev.2 (2003). http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/links/commentary-Aug2003.html (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Corporate Watch. Royal-Dutch Shell Group. http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=302 (accessed 12 Dec. 2009). Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 16 June 1972) UN Doc. A/Conf.48/14, reprinted in 11 ILM 1416 (1972) http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=97ArticleID=1503 (accessed 9 Dec. 2009). Forsythe, David P. The Political Economy of Human Rights: Transnational Corporations. Lincoln, University of Nebraska, 2001. Fortune. Global 500. 2009 Annual Ranking of the Worlds Largest Corporations. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2009/full_list/ (accessed 11 Dec. 2009). Friedman, Milton The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits. New York Times Magazine, 13 September 1970, 32. http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/libertarians/issues/friedman-soc-resp-business.html (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Gallagher, Kevin P. and Lyuba Zarsky. Rethinking Foreign Investment for Development, 2006. http://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue37/GallagherZarsky37.htm (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Greenpeace. Several Articles on Unilever. http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/tags/unilever?page=1 (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Grow, Brian Social Responsibility: Fundamentally Subversive? Business Week, 15 August 2005. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_33/b3947115_mz017.htm (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (New York, 16 Dec. 1966) 993 U.N.T.S. 3, entered into force 3 Jan. 1976. International Law Programme Discussion Group. Norms on the Human Rights Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations: where next? 17 June 2004. http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/3244_ilp170604.pdf (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Jà ¤gers, Nicola The Legal Status of the Multinational Corporation Under International Law. In Linking Human Rights and the Environment, ed. Romina Picolotti and Jorge Daniel Taillant, 31-56. Tuscon, The University of Arizona Press, 2003. Kiss, Alexandre The Right to the Conservation of the Environment. In Linking Human Rights and the Environment, ed. Romina Picolotti and Jorge Daniel Taillant, 31-56. Tuscon, The University of Arizona Press, 2003. Maggio, Greg and Owen J. Lynch Human Rights, Environment, and Economic Development. Existing and Emerging Standards in International Law and Global Society. CIEL Home Page, 15 Nov. 1997. http://www.ciel.org/Publications/olpaper3.html (accessed 11 Dec. 2009). Marsden, Chris In Defence of Corporate Responsibility. URL (accessed 8 Dec. 2009). OECD-Declaration on International Investments and Multinational Enterprises (21 June 1976) OECD Press Release A (76), 20. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/56/36/1922428.pdf (accessed 9 Dec. 2009). OReilly, Paddy and Sophia Tickell TNCs and Social Issues in the Developing World. In Human Rights Standards and the Responsibility of Transnational Corporations, ed. Michael K. Addo, 273-287. The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1999. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (14 June 1992) UN Doc. A/Conf.151/5/Rev.1, reprinted in 31 ILM 874 (1992). http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=78ArticleID=1163 (accessed 9 Dec. 2009). Salazar, Milagros  »PERU: Leaching Out the Water with the Gold «. Inter Press Service. CorpWatch webpage. http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14157 (accessed 14 Dec. 2009). Sende, Analia Marcella The Responsibilities of States for Actions of Transnational Corporations Affecting Social and Economic Rights: A Comparative Analysis of the Duty to Protect. 15 Colum. J. Eur. L. Online 33 (2009) http://www.cjel.net/online/15_2-marsella-sende/ (accessed 14 Dec. 2009). Shell. Webpage. http://www.shell.com/ (accessed 12 Dec. 2009). Tonkin, David. The Complex Story of Freeport. Inside Indonesia. Dec. 2004 http://www.insideindonesia.org/content/view/219/29/ (accessed 13 Dec. 2009). UN Commission on Human Rights, Round-up of 60th Session, U.N. Doc. HR/CN/1099 (26 April 2004). http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2004/hrcn1099.html (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). UN Human Rights Commission Resolution 2004/11, U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/2004/L.73/Rev.1 (20 April 2004). URL UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights (13 Aug. 2003) U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/12/Rev.2 (2003) http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/links/norms-Aug2003.html (accessed 10 Dec. 2009). Unilever. Unilever Environment Policy. http://www.unilever.com/images/sd_Environment-Policy_tcm13-173498.pdf (accessed 12 Dec. 2009). United Nations Organization. UN Global Compact, The Ten Principles. 2000. http://www.unglobalcompact.org/AboutTheGC/TheTenPrinciples/index.html (accessed 9 Dec. 2009). Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 Dec. 1948), U.N.G.A. Res. 217 A (III) (10 Dec. 1948). http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html (accessed 13 Dec. 2009). University of Michigan. The Curse of Oil in Ogoniland. http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/cases_03-04/Ogoni/Ogoni_case_study.htm (accessed 20 Dec. 2009). Zarsky, Lyuba (1997): Stuck In the Mud? Nation-States, Globalization and the Environment. The Hague. OECD. Woodroffe, Jessica Regulating Multinational Corporations. In Human Rights Standards and the Responsibility of Transnational Corporations, ed. Michael K. Addo, 131-142. The Hague: Kluwer Law Inter

The Insanity Of Hamlet :: essays research papers

In William Shakespeare?s Hamlet, Hamlet leads an antic disposition that causes his downfall and leads him to insanity. His antic disposition affects his judgment, destroys relationships and creates a belief that he is truly mad. Throughout the play, Hamlet is consumed with anger which causes him to act through emotion and without reason. Hamlet?s main goal is to avenge the death of his father but, his actions to do so are hindered because of the irrational decisions he has made through the antic disposition he has put on. Hamlet?s antic disposition began with the death of his father. Hamlet returns to his home, Denmark, to find King Hamlet, his father, dead. As any normal human being would be allowed to grieve, Hamlet was not. Hamlet was expected to accept the death of his father and move on. (Do not forever with thy vailà ¨d lids/Seek for thy noble father in the dust./Thou know'st 'tis common. All that lives must die,/Passing through nature to eternity.)(1.2.68-73). Without the ti me to grieve, Hamlet was left with the echo of his mother?s and Claudius?s hurtful and unsympathetic words of advice. While Hamlet was forbidden to ?useless mourning? (We pray you, throw to earth/This unprevailing woe, and think of us/As of a father.)(1.2.106-108), his mother quickly marries to his uncle Claudius and undoubtedly moves on with her life. In T.S. Eliot?s The Sacred Wood, Hamlet?s ?disgust envelops and exceeds her. It is thus a feeling which he cannot understand, he cannot objectify it, and it therefore remains to poison life and obstruct action.? With little time to grieve and a mother that seems to care less about her deceased husband, Hamlet?s mind was given the perfect recipe for insanity. In mid night, a mysterious ghost appears to Prince Hamlet in the shape of his 2father, King Hamlet. The strange and mystifying ghost guides Hamlet away from Horatio and Marcellus, as if wanting privacy. Hamlet becomes defensive and mad and believes his fate is to follow the ghos t, ?My fate cries out/And makes each petty artery in this body/As hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve./Still am I called.?Unhand me, gentlemen.?(1.4.86-89). Hamlet is determined to hear the words of the ghost and threatens Horatio and Marcellus to death if they do not let him go. Horatio and Marcellus follow him for his safety but believe ?He waxes desperate with imagination.?(1.4.92). The ghost is the first obvious sign that Hamlet?

Julius Caesar Seminar Questions

Julius Caesar Seminar Questions 1. When Caesar says that Cassius thinks too much, I agree. Cassius tends to look into the details and over think simple situations. He becomes very meticulous about how the group of the conspirators is organized. Also, while Cassius is the one who originally comes up with the idea of the conspiracy and that he wants Brutus to be in charge, he thinks through the plan, yet does not want to take responsibility. Cassius just about argues with himself, due to too many thoughts running through his mind. He thinks about so vile a thing as Caesar! But, O grief, where hast thou led me?I perhaps speak this before a willing bondman. Then I know my answer must be made. But I am armed and dangers to me indifferent,† (1. 3. 11-115), proving that his thoughts are all over the place. 2. Brutus does not want the conspirators to swear an oath of allegiance because he feels that it is bad â€Å"to think that or our cause or our performance did need an oath; when e very drop of blood that every Roman bears, and nobly bears is guilty,† (2. 1. 136-139). Brutus obviously feels that if their intentions and motivations to carrying out the assassination of Caesar, they do not need an oath.An oath causes people to get lazy because they begin to lean on the idea that, no matter what happens. 3. Caesar’s response to Calphurnia’s fears adds credence to Brutus’ and Cassius’ fears about Caesar because he does not heed warnings. This response might add to the pattern Caesar might follow when other senators bring up new ideas. This can be very serious for others that want to have somewhat of a say when it comes to their opinion on a serious matter. Calpurnia notes that his â€Å"wisdom is consumed in confidence,† (2. 2. 49), showing that Caesar has the idea that what he thinks is what is to happen, without any other opinion. 4.The significance of Caesar’s â€Å"north star† speech at the Capitol is that Caesar establishes his ideals around his role in power. Caesar frames his arrogance and stubborn nature by stating â€Å"there is no fellow in the firmament,† (3. 1. 62). In his eyes, he walks on water to all of those that are his supporters and followers. Caesar is overly confident, providing reason to the motivations of the conspirators in their quest to assassinate Caesar. 5. The third plebeian’s cry of â€Å"Let him be Caesar,† (3. 2. 52) is ironic because, while the people do not know of the truth being the conspiracy, the goal was to take out Caesar, not replace him.While their quest seems successful, the true hardships have yet to begin. 6. In the play, Shakespeare portrays the common man as almost incoherent. The people constantly seem to be easily swayed by the words of each and every important character. Also, all of the common people are followers. Not one stands up to the officials. At one moment, they are saying, â€Å"This Caesar was a tyrant,â₠¬  (3. 2. 74) and the next they say that they must â€Å"tear him to pieces! He’s a conspirator,† (3. 3. 29), now angered with the retaliation against Caesar. 7. Shakespeare portrays the noblemen in the play as gallant but also cowards.While they follow through with what they originally decide to believe in, in the end, they are left questioning their motives. While I commend them for following through with their original endeavors, they begin to get rather brutal. An example is when Antony creates a hit list and says that, â€Å"these many, then, shall die; their names are pricked,† (4. 1. 1-2). The noblemen want to be noble and honorable, yet they go to such brutal extremes. 8. The idea that Brutus never gives in to Cassius shows a little bit of stubbornness, but it also shows determination. Brutus feels that he knows what is best for the conspirators.The difference between the ways Brutus is resilient and that of Cassius is how firm Brutus is. He makes his p oint, but shows its advantages to different members. He shows compassion when he says that â€Å"when every drop of blood every Roman bears, and nobly bears, is guilty of a several bastardy if he do break the smallest particle of any promise that hath passed from him,† (2. 1. 134-140). Brutus is saying that an oath would be pointless because if a man were held responsible for every promise he ever broke, the consequences would be endless. 9. Calpurnia and Portia both seem like protective and honorable wives.Calpurnia is more focused on her husband taking his warnings seriously. She is not focused on the details of everything that happens, but is focused on the main idea that Caesar’s, her husband, life is in danger. Portia, on the other hand, is more focused on what Brutus is doing. She wants to be informed of the action rather than simply protecting her husband from what is happening, whether she as an explanation or not. She is angered that, at the moment, apparently , â€Å"within the bond of marriage†¦it is expected I should know no secrets that appertain to you [Brutus},† (2. 1. 280-282). She feels wronged by this.Portia is driven by facts and information, while Calpurnia is driven by intuition and her feelings. 10. Cassius tells Brutus that if he himself fears the reign of Caesar, that he, Brutus, must stop it. Cassius provides Brutus with logical and emotional factors for reasons as to why Brutus should lead the conspiracy. Cassius informs Brutus that, â€Å"There was a Brutus once that would have brooked th’ eternal devil to keep his state in Rome as easily as a king,† (1. 2. 159-160). Cassius makes the point that Brutus would never let Rome fall by the hands of Caesar. Cassius is basically telling Brutus what to think and what to feel.While this is cleverly manipulative of Cassius, it shows that Brutus has some mental weakness due to the fact that he is even able to be subject to mind games. 11. Brutus and Cassiu s are both leaders. While Brutus takes charge and responsibility of the conspiracy, Cassius is the one who took responsibility of persuading Brutus to join in and become the leader. While this shows a manipulative side of Cassius, Brutus has the same. He manages to convince all of the conspirators that an official oath is not necessary, when, in reality, it is often used as a sacred promise to follow through with a plan.In my mind, a sacred oath would have been somewhat important to the success of the plan, but, as Brutus points out, â€Å"what other oath than honesty to honesty engaged that this shall be,† (2. 1. 126-128). In Brutus’ mind, honesty and honor is all that is needed in a group decision to proceed with the assassination of Caesar. Cassius strongly disagrees, but, while both men have conflicting ideas, their core values are quite similar, showing in their agreement to create the conspiracy. 12. Cassius wants to create the conspiracy for more personal reason ing.Cassius, speaking about Caesar, notes that â€Å"this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature and must bend his body,† (1. 2. 115-117). From this, one can tell that Cassius is more focused on his personal aspirations to be free of Caesar’s grip on politics. Brutus, on the other hand, is more focused on the well being of the people of Rome. He wants them to have a fair, focused, and just ruler. While Brutus and Cassius’ motives for enabling the conspiracy could not be more different, the men find common ground on which they agree to attempt a successful assassination of Caesar.

Marketing Interface with other Functional Areas

Marketing's Relationship with other Functions Functions within an organizationThe marketing function within any organization does not exist in isolation. Therefore it's important to see how marketing connects with and permeates other functions within the organization†¦. marketing interacts with research and development, production/operations/logistics, human resources, IT and customer service.Research and developmentResearch and development is the engine within an organization which generates new ideas, innovations and creative new products and services. For example cell phone/mobile phone manufacturers are in an industry that is ever changing and developing, and in order to survive manufacturers need to continually research and develop new software and hardware to compete in a very busy marketplace. Think about cell phones that were around three or four years ago which are now completely obsolete. The research and development process delivers new products and is continually inn ovating.Innovative products and services usually result from a conscious and purposeful search for innovation opportunities which are found only within a few situations.Peter Drucker (1999)Research and development should be driven by the marketing concept. The needs of consumers or potential consumers should be central to any new research and development in order to deliver products that satisfy customer needs (or service of course). The practical research and development is undertaken in central research facilities belonging to companies, universities and sometimes to countries.Marketers would liaise with researchers and engineers in order to make sure that customer needs are represented.  Manufacturing processes themselves could also be researched and developed based upon some aspects of the marketing mix. For example logistics (place/distribution/channel) could be researched in order to deliver products more efficiently and effectively to customers.Production/operations/logisti csAs with research and development, the operations, production and logistics functions within business need to work in cooperation with the marketing department.Operations include many other activities such as warehousing, packaging and distribution. To an extent, operations also includes production and manufacturing, as well as logistics. Production is where goods and services are generated and made. For example an aircraft is manufactured in a factory which is in effect how it is produced i.e. production. Logistics is concerned with getting the product from production or warehousing, to retail or the consumer in the most effective and efficient way. Today logistics would include warehousing, trains, planes and lorries as well as technology used for real-time tracking.Obviously marketers need to sell products and services that are currently in stock or can be made within a reasonable time limit. An unworkable scenario for a business is where marketers are attempting to increase sal es of a product whereby the product cannot be supplied. Perhaps there is a warehouse full of other products that our marketing campaign is ignoring.Human resourcesHuman Resource Management (HRM) is the function within your organization which overlooks recruitment and selection, training, and the professional development of employees. Other related functional responsibilities include well-being, employee motivation, health and safety, performance management, and of course the function holds knowledge regarding the legal aspects of human resources.So when you become a marketing manager you would use the HR department to help you recruit a marketing assistant for example. They would help you with scoping out the job, a person profile, a job description, and advertising the job. HR would help you to score and assess application forms, and will organise the interviews. They may offer to assist at interview and will support you as you make your job offer. You may also use HR to organise a n induction for your new employee. Of course there is the other side of the coin, where HR sometimes has to get tough with underperforming employees. These are the operational roles of HR.Your human resources Department also have a strategic role., human resources sees people as a valuable asset to the organization. they assist with a global approach to managing people and help to develop a workplace culture and environment which focuses on mission and values.They also have an important communications role, and this is one aspect of their function which is most closely related to marketing. For example the HR department may run a staff development programme which needs a newsletter or a presence on your intranet. This is part of your internal marketing effort.IT (websites, intranets and extranets)As marketers we are concerned with how technology is used to treat information i.e. how we get information, how we process it, how we store the information, and then how we disseminate it a gain by voice, image or graphics. Obviously this is a huge field but for our part we need to recognise the importance of websites, intranets and extranets to the marketer.A website is an electronic object which is placed onto the Internet. Often websites are used by businesses for a number of reasons such as to provide information to customers. So customers can interact with the product, customers can buy a product, more importantly customers begin to build a  long-term relationship with the marketing company. Information Technology underpins and supports the basis of Customer Relationship Management (CRM),An intranet is an internal website. An intranet is an IT supported process which supplies up-to-date information to employees of the business and other key stakeholders. For example European train operators use an intranet to give up-to-date information about trains to people on the ground supporting customers. An extranet is an internal website which is extended outside the org anization, but it is not a public website. An extranet takes one stage further and provides information directly to customers/distributors/clients. Customers are able to check availability of stock and could check purchase prices for a particular product. For example a car supermarket could check availability of cars from a wholesaler.Customer service provisionCustomer service provision is very much integrated into marketing., customer service takes the needs of the customer as the central driver. customer service function revolves around a series of activities which are designed to facilitate the exchange process by making sure that customers are satisfied.Today customer service provision can be located in a central office or actually in the field where the product is consumed. For example you may call a software manufacturer for some advice and assistance. You may have a billing enquiry. You might even wish to cancel a contract or make changes to it. The customer service provision might be automated, it could be done solely online, or you might speak to a real person especially if you have a complex or technical need.Customer service is supported by IT to make the process of customer support more efficient and effective, and to capture and process data on particular activities. So the marketer needs to make sure that he or she is working with the customer service provision since it is a vital customer interface. The customer service provision may also provide speedy and timely information about new or developing customer needs. For example if you have a promotion which has just been launched you can use thebcustomer service functions to help you check for early signs of success.Finance departmentThe marketing department will need to work closely with the finance department to ensure that: There is an adequate budget to meet the needs for research, promotion and distribution. The finance department has a whole organisation brief to ensure that all the busines s operates within its financial capabilities. They will want all departments to work within their allocated budgets.Like all departments, marketing may wish to overspend if profitable marketing opportunities emerge over the year. The marketing department is likely to concentrate on sales volume and building market share, while the finance department may be more focused on cash flow, covering costs and paying back investment as quickly as possible. The Marketing-Finance approach has been helpful to understand better the impact of the crisis on firms and at the same time provide tools for firms to respond to the crisis so that firms can turn it (at macro level) into an opportunity for the firm to create value.

Expository Essay Sample on Accounting Informational Systems

Expository Essay Sample on Accounting Informational Systems Just several years before, people, whose work consisted in conducting the financial account of organization, were engaged in much more tedious work than now. Now, these workers are helped by machines – computers, the computer programs are specially created for the conducting of such kind of work. Some people can say that before also existed such  «machines », but do you remember how much nerves it cost for you just to reprint this miserable payment because of casual jamming of the keys?! Before, work which was conducting during the whole day by several workers, computer makes immediately, you just need to enter information and all is done. So what does it mean actually It is the golden age for small and middle-size business? It means that for the conducting of business, businessmen dont necessary need to hire a lot of skilled employees, they can simply purchase good computer with specialized, for their type of business software. In this way owners of the business will save money (decreasing amount of money spending on salaries and production) and produce more free time in oder to do something else for earning more money. Now, I would like to turn your attention to an accounting information system and explain what it is. So, accounting information system is database which emits bookkeeper to meet his engagements. Bookkeepers engagements means record keeping in accordance with the legislation. It is principally significant that an accountant will make actions only having on hands an agreement or writing active document about transferring of the money to a supplier or the extract of an account to a buyer. For posting, i.e. reflectioning in an account, on the accounts of record-keeping, for example receiving materials, an accountant can with help of a computer network get information from a storage which is, maybe, hundreds or thousands kilometers away, that materials are acted on a storage. So for accountant, regard to Accounting IS, for him it is not necessary to wait till papers will be brought. Development of computer technologies influenced very much on the whole world not speaking just about separate part accountings information systems. With development of computers, develops software under each type of computers. For example about 5 years before accountants prepared the annual accounting in OS DOS that was an innovation for many and a little bit difficult because far not all people could afford a computer, and work in DOS required from a user certain skills of work in it. Nowadays appeared more powerful computers as a result appeared other operating systems, accordingly other programs. Today, practically everybody is able to use a modern computer, and the use of accounting’s programs became simple and clear for the people who work in this sphere. Creation of machines able to get and pass the enormous volume of information influenced in sharp reduction of time for treatment of information and terms of making a decision, reduction of amount of people working for an enterprise. Before on storages worked a lot of people which wrote down the name, amount, cost of got and given out materials in the paper cards of account. Then they made themselves Financial report after ____________ month ____year. In this gaps were put information about arrival and expense of materials. In conclusion it is obvious to point out that today, each business conducts all this work with help of programs: informational, accounting and etc. Technique development allowed to create such structures of bookkeeping programs which allow to take into account everything to the little things in the mode of the real times. If some years before for treatment of accounting payments people required a month, than now, if you have all required documents, acts, payments it is matter of two days. Only regard to development of techniques opportunities we can take into account and process more large amounts of information. Development of technique results in possibility of creation of more difficult (I mean detailer) informational systems, including book-keeping, complicating (going into a details) the structure of the informative systems of accountant, and simplifying book-keepers life. If you need custom essays, research papers, term papers, thesis, dissertation on Accounting, Technology or other discipline feel free to contact our professional custom writing service.

Recount where you found it useful and applied a mathematica essays

Recount where you found it useful and applied a mathematica essays Simple sums, subtractions, multiplications and divisions have been a part of our daily life since the time which isnt recorded in history. It is in human nature to apply math to transactions and other such situations. The earliest use of mathematics in history is counting perhaps, so is the case with my life. The earliest math I remember I applied was related to counting. I used to count the toffees my mother would give me for lunch while throwing the sandwich in my lunchbox. When the teacher would return me results for any test, I like all the other children, would count my marks making sure the teacher did the counting part right. In todays highly economized world, where everyone wants to maximize his profit, even a child, intentionally or unintentionally, would do his mathematics and economics properly while buying some sweets. He would consider the trade-off between quality and taste seriously if given a choice of some tasty toffees at one toffee per buck or some other common sweets at two for one buck. Life is full of such instances for everyone. The earliest I remember when I was caught in a similar case was when I went to buy a cycle with my parents. Because I was buying it of my own pocket money, I had to make sure Im not spending too much. For this reason I bought a simple cycle leaving the one with shocks and a meter, making sure Ive enough left to buy video games. I remember I used to count seconds before a signal would turn from red to green, and then later I would tell my father not to take some particular route because the signals over there took longer then some other road. I remember the way I used to impress my younger cousins asking them to count the number of squares in a big square divided into many smaller squares. While they would count every single square, I would multiply the number those on length side with those on the breadth one. The concept of angles, though use...

12th Night Essay

To what extent? The majority of Shakespeare’s characters did not get what they deserved in the end, there definitely is a strong scent of injustice that hangs in the air around Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. This, however, does not mean that it made life harder for his characters. In quite a few cases, it actually leaves them better off. Nevertheless, this is not to say that they are not punished for their wrong deeds, sometimes in ways that are completely unfair. Shakespeare shows us painful truth of the injustice that exits within humanity. In the case of Malvolio, we are quick to act, but not to investigate. We also learn that love can fix many things, but it can also tear them apart, as we see with Olivia, Orsino, Sebastian and Viola. Also, as seen through the character of Antonio, bad things can be forgotten if a good enough deed replaces it. As many of us know, humanity is infamous for their willingness to judge and act against a person before they fully investigate the situation; Malvolio is just one example of this. We are aware that Malvolio did treat others in a derogatory manner, â€Å"Go hang yourselves all! You are idle, shallow things; I am not of your element,† – Malvolio, Act 3 Scene 4. He never actually incapacitated anyone; he never broke the law or strayed from his duties. He was simply just a spiteful individual and did not deserve to be imprisoned in a cage for however many hours of his life. I feel that this was an extreme measure and in the end, it may have inflicted more anger and discourtesy towards Sir Andrew, Sir Toby and Maria, reversing the entire effect their ‘plan’ was intended to make. When the truth was eventually exposed, and Malvolio freed after facing an invalid punishment, he was understandably furious, proclaiming, â€Å"I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you! † – Malvolio, Act 5 Scene 1. Perhaps this was a harsh act of karma, all we know is that Olivia was quick to accuse him without further evidence, proving that for once and for all that humanity is unjust. Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and romantic love is the play’s main focus. Despite the fact that the play offers a happy ending, in which the various lovers find one another and are married, Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain. Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and disruptively. Various characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love. At one point, Orsino describes love miserably as an â€Å"appetite† that he wants to satisfy and cannot, Act 1 Scene 1; at another point, he calls his desires â€Å"fell and cruel hounds,† Act 1 Scene 1. Olivia more bluntly describes love as a â€Å"plague† from which she suffers terribly, Act 1 Scene 5. These metaphors contain an element of violence, further painting the love-struck as victims of some random force in the universe. Even the less melodramatic Viola sighs unhappily that â€Å"My state is desperate for my master’s love,† Act 2 Scene 2. This desperation has the potential to result in violence, as in Act 5 scene 1, when Orsino threatens to kill Cesario because he thinks that Cesario has abandoned him to become Olivia’s lover. Love is also exclusionary: some people achieve romantic happiness, while others do not. At the end of the play, as the happy lovers celebrate, Malvolio is prevented from having the objects of his desire. Malvolio, who has pursued Olivia, must eventually face the realization that he is a fool, socially undeserving of his noble mistress. Love, therefore, cannot overcome all obstacles, and those whose desires go unfulfilled remain no less in love but feel the sting of its absence even more severely. Sometimes in life, we can make up for our crimes, merely by doing respectable deeds instead. This is what Shakespeare demonstrates for us through the character of Antonio. We become conscious that Antonio’s past is shadowed with unlawful activity when he voices to Sebastian of â€Å"many his enemies in Orsino’s court,† Act 2 Scene 3. Nevertheless, he still follows Sebastian, showing courage and loyalty. He then defends Viola (Dressed as Cesario but identical to Sebastian) from Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, bringing himself to the attention of the officers, who recognise him from his shady past and drag him away. Yet it is when Orsino sees him and Viola takes Antonio’s side, reimbursing the favour he did for her, that Orsino concludes that Antonio is free to go, insisting that he is a, â€Å"Notable pirate† and wonders how he, â€Å"Hast made thine enemies? Act 5 Scene 1. So he is pardoned of all of his corrupt deeds, purely because he was kind and displayed courage and determination. As a result, it is quite clear that no one in Twelfth Night truly gets what he or she deserves. Shakespeare’s plays are just as unjust as the world itself, perhaps this is why we love to read and watch his works, we can relate to them. Twelfth Night has helped to show me just how one-sided life can be, but also that that unfairness can also work in my favour.

Psychosocial Needs of Patients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Psychosocial Needs of Patients - Essay Example This means the illness-associated events that create problem through the patient's perception and responses may lead to care needs of addressing unmet psychosocial needs in order to ensure healing. In this assignment, I will discuss and critically analyse a care incident delivered by me to a patient. I was assigned the care of the patient in my placement in a hospital ward. This assignment will frequently refer to this patient, whose identity will remain undisclosed throughout this work. Thus, this patient will be referred to anonymously, although to facilitate ease of discussion, a pseudonym, Mrs. Jennings, will be used to address her. This requirement of confidentiality and identity nondisclosure is an ethical requirement in healthcare associated professional and academic documentation as prescribed and required by NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) guidelines, competency standards, and practice ethical standpoints to respect the client confidentiality (NMC, 2008). As suggested this assignment would very closely examine the episode of care provided by me from the psychosocial angles, mainly to see if the care provided by me during her hospitalization took adequate care of t he psychological and social needs of this patient. These can be examined more closely from the policy perspectives of the need for adding psychosocial elements in care. Therefore, relevant policy will also be examined in order to justify conformity in practice. Definitions Haralambose and Holborn (2008) defined sociology to be a science involving study of human being in the context of society where impact of relevant economics, psychology, and demography is given due consideration in the endeavour to explain and understand the human behaviour in the societal scenario. From that point of view, sociology is a broad discipline where various methods of empirical investigations and critical analyses are deployed to define a body of knowledge and theory about human and social activities, with a goal often being application of such knowledge in the pursuit of social welfare (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008). On the other hand, psychology has been defined by Michael (1998) to be a discipline that studies mind and behaviour of individuals in different life contexts which also seeks to understand and explain thought, emotion and behaviour (Michael, 1998) in response to different experiences that they encounter. Main Body Psychological and social factors have been known to play important roles in initiation and progression of any disease process. As a care provider, the nurse must understand their nature and intensity. Since these are known to affect motivation, these will affect the outcome of care. Longstanding suffering or advanced illnesses disturb the psychosocial milieu sufficiently so the patient may be disturbed motivationally. These could cause psychological maladjustment and affect the course of the disease in a profoundly negative way. A thorough assessment of these situations and the factors is therefore necessary, and being in a position of provider of care the nurse must assess these factors keeping the

Before and After School Care Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Before and After School Care Program - Essay Example Before and After School Care Program At present, many parents are able to give care to their children before going to school and after coming home from school. However, due to the financial crises that have been hitting the country for a long time, the number of children whose parents are both working to fulfill financial needs of the family, including single parents that also work, has increased up to 62% (Theobald, 2000). This shift also caused the changes in the people who interact and care for children, and mostly these are non-family members such as nannies or baby-sitters, school teachers, child care center workers and before- and after-school care providers (Sonenstein, Gates, Schmidt, & Bolshun, 2002). The before- and after-school programs provided education and care for children in an effective way so that parents would be able to work and add to the financial stability of the family, and for the children to have an enhanced development of their social and academic statuses (Blau & Currie, 2006). It was also reported that such programs that were designed to provide adult supervision to children by as much as two hours a day on average, depending on the age of the child. These activities are seen as extra-curricular activities that provide enrichment to a child’s development (Kleiner, Nolin, & Chapman, 2004). While most young and preschool children are sent to public day care centers or made prior arrangements to schools for extra-curricular activities by their parents, some companies also started offering child day care centers and other before- and after-school programs for working parents’ children, for their peace of mind during work hours (Working Mother, 2003). Companies are also able to assist working parents of school-aged children by providing flexible work hours and even working at home in order for them to be able to both work for financial stability as well as to be able to supervise their children’s growth and developme nt. Another example on how companies are able to help working parents is by providing parental leave privileges for those who just had a baby either by birth or through adoption. Such benefits offered by the employers not only increase the morale of their employees, but also gives the company a good public image, which in turn could increase their workforce and decrease worker turnover (US Department of Labor, 1994). An example of a company that gives its parent employees a chance to work for longer hours with less hassle is Intermedics Co., whom in 1979 built and opened a high-quality child care center in Freeport, TX. Even if there is a charge of $15 a week for full-time child care, the job turnover rates decreased up to 37% and the reduced absenteeism resulted in the company saving more than $2 million for the first two years (US Department of Labor, 1994). Some companies do not provide child care services, but are able to assist their working parent- employees through other mean s. A center for mildly ill children named Chicken Soup collaborated with employers in such a way that employees who brought in their children to the center instead of letting them stay at home were still able to go to work due to the proximity of the center to the workplace. Absenteeism was reduced and the employers were able to save up to 85% of the cost of having an absent employee (US Department of

The Exploitative Nature of Beauty Pageants Essay

The Exploitative Nature of Beauty Pageants - Essay Example The author researched the subject and acquired statistics demonstrating the malevolent influence of beauty pageants on young vulnerable girls as well as mature women. He was also able to locate and speak with a number of former beauty queens who were quite frank in giving the details of how their lives had been affected by their participation in the beauty pageants. The author’s friends were somewhat skeptical about his choice of topic because they are all models. Moreover, all the information he got about what life really is like for a beauty queen convinced him that the benefits of the title ‘beauty queen’ are far outweighed by the drawbacks caused by it. The researcher’s aim was to inform the audience, which consisted of young women and men in their twenties and thirties about the many emerging beauty queen competitions in the area and convince them that these pageants were destructive and would ruin the self-esteem of any woman or girl that agreed to pa rticipate in them. The author had done a lot of research and documented his discussions with former beauty queens who gave him permission to use their stories. The author was able to use such information in his speech with astounding success. He also mentioned the dates on which he had conducted the interviews so as to demonstrate how recent the issue is. Usually, the researcher is quite nervous before delivering a speech. However, this time he was pleasantly surprised to find that he was excited and could not wait to deliver his speech; particularly when the author saw the gathering audience. Corporate workers and a large group of models sat at the front while the youth occupied large spaces in the back. The researcher’s model friends and he had sat up arguing about the reasons why beauty contents are destructive, and he was still charged for that experience. The author launched into his speech with gusto, though he tried to avoid speaking too fast in order to cover all the points in his speech. The author asked a few models he recognized in the audience about what they did o a daily basis to maintain their low weight. This sparked immediate discussions among the audience members; with some shouting answers and others murmuring about anorexia. From the stance adopted by nearly all the members of the audience, the author could tell that his subject was very interesting.

Bacterial Culture Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bacterial Culture Techniques - Essay Example Bacteria have been often termed as being the primitive beings and are said to help with the nitrogen cycle. In a wider view if looked at bacteria are all those unicellular organisms that belong to the category of Schizomycetes they may have a difference in their requirements for oxygen and nutrients and have difference in morphology as well as have varying motility and be free-living. Bacteria are also known as prokaryotes in general and these are known to be grouped together as they all do not have nuclear membranes. The growing of cells in a synthetic environment is known as cell culture. That could very well refer to either types of cells be those prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. Culture can also be called the in vitro growing of cells of either plants or animals in a nutrient artificial medium. In the process of cell culture the cells used are no longer in an organized tissue form rather they are separate and grown in a simulated environment. The materials that are necessary for culturing bacteria cells are (a) culture tubes that are made of glass and that have their own labels and metal covers. (b) Media room or customized growth medium for simulation. (c) Para Film is also needed and (d) Pipette tubes that are also made of glass. Other necessary equipment includes Bunsen burners, motorized pipettes and micropipettes along with sterile tips. The first step in culturing bacteria cells is to streak an Agar plate and then incubate that until there begins a growth in colonies. Some bacteria have a temperature sensitive mutation rate and there fore would require the incubators to be set at 30C however in the case of E.coli the desired temperature for incubation is 37C. In order to be certain that the beginning of this culture has been from a single population of cells streaking of the plate is necessary. It is not necessary that you use an Agar plate as they are only

Module 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 9 - Essay Example The plants often used in these designs are stylized versions of the acanthus, with emphasis on the leafy forms, the vine, and the twining stems. It is claimed that arabesque is used for its theological significance, but there are no documents validating this, probably because of the ancient origins of the design. The intricacy of the arabesque reflects the Islamic world view: the repetitive, mathematically precise patterns of foliage and geometric designs signify infinity that extends beyond the visible material world. Its infinite patterns symbolize the perfect nature of the creation of the one God (Arabesque, 2007). The mathematical and exacting complexity of the design creates a visual appeal that may be read within the context of the philosophical, theological and political discourses on God’s nature and that of the universe (Campo, 2009). There are some writers, however, who are convinced that since the Arabesque style preceded Islam, its value in Islamic architecture and art are little more than ornamental, with little implication on the Islamic world view (Brill, 1987). References Arabesque (23 January 2007) ‘The meaning of Arabesque’. Retrieved 15 October 2012 from http://arabesqueflair.blogspot.com/2007/01/arabesque-is-element-of-islamic-art.html Brill, E.J. (1987) Brill’s First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. ... wiki/File:Sheikh_Lotf_Allah_Mosque.jpg Video Review: Arabic Architecture Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZAuMJqYag The video on Arabic Architecture did not have any narrative, but provided a unique experience with breathtaking sites and exotic music. The video showed scenes of Islamic mosques and their surrounding courtyards, characterized by domes and minarets. The arabesque inlays in the panels and ceilings complemented the repeating arches that capture a geometric exactness that conveyed infinite perfection. The majesty of the architecture was well highlighted in the grand structures and rich artwork. More surprisingly, however, the same exotic architecture was shown in the common areas such as sidewalks where vendors sell their wares and pedestrians hurry about their business. In these places, the colors may be a bit more worn, nevertheless the hint of grandeur remains in the form of arches and arabesque designs in the ceilings and posts. Many of the mosques and palatial structures are reportedly from as early as the 8th century, a testament to the longevity and universality of the artwork as well as the durability of the structure. However, included in the video are pictures of the more modern buildings such as Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers. Looking every inch the modern high rise building that it is, the cross-sectional design of the towers make use of the geometric patterns used in the more ancient Islamic architectural works. In many of the buildings, a clear continuity with the surrounding natural environment helps to enhance the beauty of the buildings at night as well as during the day. Locating the structure over or close to a body of water allows for the reflection to extend the image and underscore the repetitiveness and continuity of the

Logical Fallacies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Logical Fallacies - Essay Example She convinced me to go to school the next day. But I did not listen to her, instead, I stayed in my room and kept away from other people. I believed that if my family are going to see me and make an eye contact, they will catch sore eyes from me. What my mother did was to search the internet about my condition and look for information on how to treat sore eyes. After few hours, she knocked on my door and told me to go out fast. I was avoiding her gaze when she said that it’s not true. I did not understand what she meant by that. She told me that people don’t get sore eyes by making eye contact with people suffering from sore eyes. She directly looked at me and explained that sore eyes can only spread by contact of dirty and contaminated hands with the eyes. Hands can get infected if they get in contact with contaminated or infectious objects and surfaces. Therefore, sore eyes are brought about by viral infection and not by looking at someone with sore eyes. The popularity of something does not make it true. It is very popular among children and even in house hold that people get sore eyes by making eye contact with someone suffering from the same infection. It is therefore a common and popular misconception among the people not only in the United States but also in other countries. If not because of my mom and her eagerness to help and convince me to go to school, I will not find out that everything my friends and I believed in about sore eyes were not true. Thus, the very next day I attended school. But it took a lot of my day to explain to my friends and classmates that they will not catch sore eyes by just looking at

Module 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 9 - Essay Example The plants often used in these designs are stylized versions of the acanthus, with emphasis on the leafy forms, the vine, and the twining stems. It is claimed that arabesque is used for its theological significance, but there are no documents validating this, probably because of the ancient origins of the design. The intricacy of the arabesque reflects the Islamic world view: the repetitive, mathematically precise patterns of foliage and geometric designs signify infinity that extends beyond the visible material world. Its infinite patterns symbolize the perfect nature of the creation of the one God (Arabesque, 2007). The mathematical and exacting complexity of the design creates a visual appeal that may be read within the context of the philosophical, theological and political discourses on God’s nature and that of the universe (Campo, 2009). There are some writers, however, who are convinced that since the Arabesque style preceded Islam, its value in Islamic architecture and art are little more than ornamental, with little implication on the Islamic world view (Brill, 1987). References Arabesque (23 January 2007) ‘The meaning of Arabesque’. Retrieved 15 October 2012 from http://arabesqueflair.blogspot.com/2007/01/arabesque-is-element-of-islamic-art.html Brill, E.J. (1987) Brill’s First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. ... wiki/File:Sheikh_Lotf_Allah_Mosque.jpg Video Review: Arabic Architecture Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZAuMJqYag The video on Arabic Architecture did not have any narrative, but provided a unique experience with breathtaking sites and exotic music. The video showed scenes of Islamic mosques and their surrounding courtyards, characterized by domes and minarets. The arabesque inlays in the panels and ceilings complemented the repeating arches that capture a geometric exactness that conveyed infinite perfection. The majesty of the architecture was well highlighted in the grand structures and rich artwork. More surprisingly, however, the same exotic architecture was shown in the common areas such as sidewalks where vendors sell their wares and pedestrians hurry about their business. In these places, the colors may be a bit more worn, nevertheless the hint of grandeur remains in the form of arches and arabesque designs in the ceilings and posts. Many of the mosques and palatial structures are reportedly from as early as the 8th century, a testament to the longevity and universality of the artwork as well as the durability of the structure. However, included in the video are pictures of the more modern buildings such as Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers. Looking every inch the modern high rise building that it is, the cross-sectional design of the towers make use of the geometric patterns used in the more ancient Islamic architectural works. In many of the buildings, a clear continuity with the surrounding natural environment helps to enhance the beauty of the buildings at night as well as during the day. Locating the structure over or close to a body of water allows for the reflection to extend the image and underscore the repetitiveness and continuity of the

Development of Anna Fitzgerald Character Essay Example for Free

Development of Anna Fitzgerald Character Essay Adolescence development relies upon many factors. In order to accurately examine its growth, it is useful to look at some developmental theories. Anna Fitzgerald is thirteen years old; however, she is not like any other teenager with some ordinary problems. Anna was born for a specific purpose she was born to save her sister’s life and to serve as a matched tissue donor. When Anna was born, her umbilical cord was collected and since then she was constantly donating blood, stem cells or bone marrow. That resulted in her undergoing more serious and risky procedures. But when she reaches the age 13, she is being told to donate one of her kidneys. Aware of the fact that she was conceived to be a perfect match and ongoing donor for her sister, she wants to have the chance of living her own life. This is when Anna decides to hire a lawyer and to sue her parents to be â€Å"medically emancipated† from her family. Because she loves her sister unconditionally, Anna struggles with her decision. Developmental theories of Piaget, Ericson, Marcia and Freud are very useful, in order to examine the development of Anna Fitzgerald, the character from â€Å"My Sister’s Keeper†. Nature vs. nurture is the first theory that can be applied to Anna’s life. Nature refers to the human biological inheritance and nurture to the environmental experience (Santrock, MacKenzie-Rivers, Malcomson Leung, 2011). Since she was born for a specific purpose, her parents had already planned her future. To some point of her life, Anna felt it was normal to be a donor and to be in the hospital three to four days a week. Whenever her sister had an emergency, Anna had to be present. The environment Anna lives in is unusual for a teenager. Anna thinks of herself as a total freak. As it is common for teenagers to complain about her look, she states that God must have had some sort of a moody day on her birthday. She sees a big picture of her household. She knows that the environment which she was born in, did not allow her to be a kid. She had to mature fast and act as an adult. It is clear that Anna is going through identity crisis of moratorium. Moratorium stage according to James Marcia is defined by individual exploring different possibilities, yet not being ready to make a commitment to one. In Anna’s case she had plenty of ideas who she would like to be. When asked by her lawyer, where she sees herself in ten years period, she responds: â€Å"There was a time when, like Kate, I’d wanted to be a ballerina. But since then I’ve gone through a thousand different stages: I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to be a paleontologist. I wanted to be a backup singer for Aretha Franklin, a member of the Cabinet, a Yellowstone National Park ranger. Now, based on the day, I sometimes want to be a microsurgeon, a poet, a ghost hunter† (Picoult, 2004, p. 412). What strikes the most in her young, yet mature personality is that in ten years period, she would like to be Kate’s sister. Based on Piaget operational stage theory, Anna is clearly capable of using abstract thought. Abstract thought is an adolescence possibility to think outside of the box and see likely outcomes and consequences. Anna knew exactly that by starting the lawsuit, she has a chance of wining the right to decide for her own. Deep inside her, she still wants to help her sister, but knowing the fact that she cannot make her own decisions, made her to go to the extreme and sue her own parents. She is aware of the fact that her decision may have a huge impact on her sister’s life. Perhaps, she will die; however, she is looking at the long term goal. How is the transplant going to affect her life? Is she going to be able to function normally? What if something goes wrong? All this questions were building up inside of her head and did not want to stop. This process of thoughts indicated her ability to think logically by looking at cons and pros of her situation. Based on Ericson psychosocial developmental theory, Anna is going through identity vs. role confusion stage. She is confused of her role in the family. Often reflecting of who she is, and what is the purpose of her life, besides being a perfect match for her sick sister. Anna once said: â€Å"I used to pretend that I was just passing through this family on my way to my real one† (Picoult, 2004, p. 49). This shows how confused she is in terms of her life. Furthermore, this identity confusion grows into her even more upon receiving a long awaited letter of acceptance, into a two weeks hockey summer camp. She is not allowed to go because of her sister’s condition. There is a big chance of Kate going into some health crisis while Anna is gone. It is a difficult time for a thirteen year old girl who is full of energy and is not being able to be just an ordinary adolescence. One can also relate Freud’s theory of development to Anna. The id is one of the structures of human personality. It operates on principles of pleasure and immediate satisfaction regardless of societal rules or other surrounding context (Santrock, MacKenzie-Rivers, Malcomson Leung, 2011). Anna’s id arises from her frustration to all medical treatments which are done in order to save her older sister, Kate. Frustration is added by her mother who pushes her to donate the kidney for Kate. Yet, from the start of the novel Anna knows the reality which she refuses to face, as result of her inner id: â€Å"On other hand, I was born for specific purpose†¦ I was born because a scientist managed to hook up my mother’s eggs and my father’s sperm to create a specific combination of precious genetic material†¦ specifically, because I could save my sister, Kateâ€Å"(Picoult, 2004, p. 7-8). This inner id, pushes her to rebel against her parents wishes, and results in Anna seeing a lawyer to help her end the suffering and release her from the heavy responsibility towards her sister. This unconscious part of her personality resurfaced, in her reply to the lawyer, when she says: â€Å"Because, she says simply, it never stops† (Picoult, 2004, p. 22). Some may find this very selfish, with total neglect for her sister’s future well being. It results in confrontation with her mother, who tries to make her realize â€Å"You went to a lawyer and made him think is all about you – and it’s not. It’s about us. All of us –â€Å"(Picoult, 2004, p. 54). Thus, her id rises up and does not care if it destroys other people – parents, brother and her sister. In Anna’s case her id prevails over ego. The ego is supposed to negotiate a compromise between her id, current reality and constraints. Anna feels some guilt, as her ego makes her think over and ask herself about her decision regarding kidney. â€Å"I started thinking about this. Would I have to be in the hospital? Would it hurt? Could people live with just one kidney? What if I wound up with kidney failure when I was, like, seventy? Where would I get my spare?†(Picoult, 2004, p.377). Anna’s superego, is supposed to be her moral guide, conscience to do the right thing. It rises up, specifically, when Anna looks at Kate who is becoming weaker and sicker than before and worries about her future and a possibility of her dying. â€Å"What do you think is the best way to die? I don’t want to talk about this, I said. Why? I’m dying. You’re dying. When I frowned, she said, Well, you are. The she grinned. I just happen to be more gifted at it than y ou are†¦ †¦You know, normal people don’t sit around thinking about dying. Liar. Everyone thinks about dying. Everyone thinks about you dying I said. The room went so still†¦ Then a twitchy smile crossed her face. Well, Kate said, at least now you’re telling the truth† (Picoult, 2004, p. 134-135). From this quote it is clear than Anna has difficulty hearing things from Kate, and that her superego is present and possibly regretting the lawsuit action. Perhaps, this is what prompted Anna, to write in her diary that in case of her death, she wants all of her organs to be donated to Kate. In the end, Anna has a car accident and dies, the lawyer who has won the case and got power of attorney, decides to honor Anna’s last wishes: â€Å"I have power of attorney for Anna, he explains, not her parents. And there is a girl upstairs who needs the kidney† (Picoult, 2004, p. 416). Anna’s life ends up tragically. One can assume that she fulfilled her purpos e in her short life, she saved her sister. Since Anna was born, she was a regular donor to her sister. One can observe it as continuity vs. discontinuity development. â€Å"The first time I gave something to my sister, it was a cord blood, and I was a newborn†¦ The next time she relapsed, I was five and I had lymphocytes drawn from me, three times over, because the doctors never seemed to get enough of them the first time around. When that stopped working, they took bone marrow for a transplant. When Kate got infections, I had to donate granulocytes. When she relapsed again, I had to donate peripheral stem cells† (Picoult, 2004, p. 21). One can explain continuity as a process involving a gradual accumulation of behavior or knowledge. Anna, throughout her short life was exposed to medical procedure, terms and responsibilities from the moment of her birth. She was growing up among those circumstances and she never got a chance to be a kid. She had to mature faster. Even her vocabulary was unusual for a thirteen years old girl. In his mind, her lawyer thought â€Å"This girl’s medical vocabulary would put some of my paid experts to shame† (Picoult, 2004, p. 21). Discontinuity is defined as a passing through life stages in a qualitative way. Since Anna’s character is presented just as she is thirteen years old, one can assume that for her to be able to think abstractly, indeed she was at concrete thinking stage in her earlier age. Anna would go through many different stages, perhaps having her case won; she would still donate her kidney. Anna’s life ends abruptly in a car accident. The logical sequence of life is death but to Anna it was way too early. In conclusion, Piaget, Ericson, Marcia and Freud theories were helpful to examine Anna development by using the appropriate key issues. Based on their theories, it is clear to observe Anna’s life and struggles that she is going through. The young age was not an obstacle to deal with some serious adult problems to which Anna was exposed to from an early age. Throughout the story she has dilemmas concerning her sister’s life. By combining the work of these theorists, it was possible to analyze her life from psychological perspective. References Keenan, T. (2011). Developmental psychology lecture. Intro To Developmental Psychology. Niagara Collage. Welland, Ontario, Canada Keenan, T. (2011). Developmental psychology lecture. Theories of Development. Niagara Collage. Welland, Ontario, Canada Keenan, T. (2011). Developmental psychology lecture. Adolescence. Niagara Collage. Welland, Ontario, Canada Picoult, J. (2004). My sisters keeper. New York, NY: Atria Books. Santrock, J. W., MacKenzie-Rivers, A., Malcomson, T., Leung, K. H. (2011). Life-span development. (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.

Quantitative Research in Patient Safety Literature Review

Quantitative Research in Patient Safety Literature Review Recently, research has occupied a crucial place in nursing that is identified as â€Å"the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems† (American Nurses’ Association, 1980 p.9); thus, an appropriate understanding of research literature is a prerequisite for every individual who works in this area (Rees, 2003). Unfortunately, despite the fact that most of nurses acquire specific skills in research, only some of them manage to apply research data or research findings to practice (Bostrum Suter, 1993). This can be explained by the nurses inability to critique a research, evaluating its pros and cons (Krainovich-Miller et al., 2002). The aim of the present essay is to critically analyse two quantitative research literatures in patient safety. The first research is â€Å"Relationship between complaints and quality of care in New Zealand: a descriptive analysis of complainants and noncomplainants following adverse events† by M. Bi smark et al. (2006), while the second research is â€Å"Comparison of three methods for estimating rates of adverse events and rates of preventable adverse events in acute care hospitals† by P. Michel et al. (2004). Although many nursing studies have been conducted in the last decade (e.g. Johnson Lauver, 1989; Conlon Anderson, 1990; Norman et al., 1991; Brennan et al., 1995; Gross et al., 1995; Fieler et al., 1996; Bennet, 1999), they implicitly dealt with the issues of patient care; however, the studies discussed further directly relate to the quality of medical care in New Zealand and France. The research conducted by Bismark et al. (2006) evaluates the extent of injuries in the patients cured in public hospitals of New Zealand, or more precisely (as the title reveals), a correlation between patients’ complaints and quality of medical care. While the title is clue to the focus, the abstract gives more detailed information, identifying the major aspects of the research (objectives, design, setting, population, main outcome measures, results and conclusion) in a clear scientific style. However, the abstract does not indicate the research questions of the study; they are stated further in the research and are the following: 1) Do complaints track injuries, or are they prompted by more subjective concerns? 2) Are complaints the â€Å"tip of the iceberg’ in terms of quality of care problems and, if so, how representative are they of broader quality problems? (Bismark et al., 2006 p.17). Although the research by Michel et al. (2004) also refers to patient safety, neither the title, nor the abstract uncovers the theme in an explicit way. Actually, the theme is exposed further in the research; in particular, the study analyses rates of unintended injuries (defined by the authors as adverse events and preventable adverse events) in the patients cured in care hospitals of France. Similarly to the first research, the abstract in the second study briefly summarises the research and is divided into the same categories that uncover the essence of the investigation. In this regard, the abstract is an obvious strength of the analysis and it can serve as an example to other researchers who investigate various aspects of nursing. But the research does not specify the research questions either in the abstract or in the introduction section of the paper. Such a lack of specific questions certainly complicates the overall apprehension of the study. The authors could have proposed some research questions, such as 1) What are the major aspects of reliability, acceptability and effectiveness? Or 2) How rates of adverse events and rates of preventable adverse events can be properly assessed with each of three methods? These questions are of primary importance to the research, as adverse events and preventable adverse events can not be rightfully evaluated, if the major criteria of reliability and effectiveness are not properly discussed in the context of the research. However, the authors pay little attention to these aspects of the analysis. Despite the fact that the introduction section in both studies provides a valid explanation of the importance of the problem, neither of the two studies includes an overview of the previous research or specific reports. This neglect decreases the overall presentation and reduces the value of the presented data. However, the problems of statement are formulated in a concise way and reflect that the researchers narrowed the areas of research to the issue of adverse events in the clinical setting in order to get more accurate findings. In fact, this issue is especially relevant today when patient safety has become worse in many countries of the world. The justification for the chosen topic in the research by Bismark et al. (2006) is that the recent accident compensation system in New Zealand does not adequately examine patients’ complaints in all cases of adverse events. Pointing at the fact that â€Å"there is growing international interest in harnessing patient dissatisfaction and complaints to address problems with quality† (Bismark et al., 2006 p.17), the authors concurrently put crucial questions that inspire readers’ interest in the issue of patient safety from the very beginning. In the research of Michel et al. (2004) the underlying reason for initiating an investigation is that the limitations of the employed methods reduce the validity of the received findings in regard to patients’ injures within the hospital setting. However, the lack of appropriate background, theoretical frameworks, hypotheses and definite aims in the introduction section considerably limits the studies. This especially regards the non-inclusion of specific theories that usually back up the presented data. In this respect, both studies are theory-free; unlike theory-testing research and theory-generating research, this kind of research is less popular because it does not analyse any theoretical concepts that constitute the basis of practical nursing. On th e other hand, the studies of Michel et al. (2004) and Bismark et al. (2006) specifically focus on a practical problem-solving framework; that is, the present researches are aimed at identifying practical solutions to the discussed problems rather than discussing theoretical implications. The research of Michel et al. (2004) uses a quantitative research method that â€Å"emphasizes objectivity through statistical analysis† (Santy Kneale, 1998 p.77) and the quasi-experimental design that is considered to be more adequate and less biased than an experimental method, if an investigation is conducted within the clinical setting (Polit Hungler, 1995). Though objectivity is crucial for such kind of research, it would also be appropriate to combine quantitative and qualitative methods, that is, to combine objectivity and subjectivity (Phillips, 1990). The fact is that due to its quantitative method the study appears to be too analytical, too objectively-oriented; thus, there is a necessity to introduce some aspects of the subjective realm into the research. However, Parahoo (1997) supports another viewpoint, exposing the inadequacy of a qualitative method, especially in regard to a nursing research. The author points out that, applying to a quantitative method, rese archers are able to predict the final outcomes, while a qualitative method may generate unpredictable results. The data in the study are collected in care hospitals of Aquitaine with the help of three research techniques – a cross sectional method, a prospective method and a retrospective method. Such triangulation is aimed at â€Å"relat[ing] different sorts of data in such a way as to counteract various possible threats to the validity of analysis† (Hammersely Atkinson, 1983 p.199). In the present study triangulation corresponds with the terms of reference that provide appropriate relevance to the whole research (Shih, 1998). Identifying both advantages and disadvantages of all three methods in Box 2, the researchers contribute much to the reliability of the findings, despite the fact that they have not conducted a pilot study that, according to Carr (2003), intensifies the credibility of the employed research techniques. On the other hand, a pilot study is crucial for the investigations that utilise unchecked tools for research, as is the case with the present study, where the researchers conduct an evaluation of methodology. In this regard, a pilot study â€Å"helps to illuminate some of the problems of the research tool† (Santy and Kneale, 1998 p.80). The research of Bismark et al. (2006) is also quantitative with descriptive design. The baseline data are taken from the medical records of the New Zealand Quality of Healthcare Study (NZQHS) and the Commissioner’s complaints database. Further, multivariate and bivariate analyses are applied to the research to identify certain dissimilarities between complaints and non-complaints. Overall, the explanation of the research techniques and methods is a great strength of this study, as the authors provide a thorough description in regard to data collection and study design. Although the researchers do not define a hypothesis of the analysis, they, nevertheless, use dependent and independent variables to differentiate complainants from non-complainants. However, the limited space of both studies has not allowed the researchers to insert the samples of medical records and questionnaires that served as the basis for the research; thus, the methodology of both investigations can not be fully assessed in terms of the quality. Actually, the research of Bismark et al. (2006) and the research of Michel et al. (2004) employ primary sources (including official records) that explicitly relate to the subjects. But according to Burgess (1991), even primary sources should be critically assessed and â€Å"it is essential to locate them in context† (p.124). But neither the first nor the second study provides a critical evaluation of the utilised sources. In regard to ethical issues, they are not openly addressed in the studies; however, in the research of Bismark et al. (2006) there is a mentioning that the investigation was endorsed by the Wellington Ethics Committee. For Robinson (1996), such ethical approval is a necessary part of a nursing research, as any investigation deals with human beings who may experience certain difficulties during the research. On the other hand, due to its descriptive nature the present study does not necessarily need an informed consent or ethical considerations (Cutcliffe Ward, 2003), while the research of Michel et al. (2004) requires a discussion of certain ethical issues because of its quasi-experimental design. Some of these issues are patients’ confidentiality, defence of their rights and risk control (Pranulis, 1996). In regard to the latter factor, it is necessary for researchers to increase potential benefits and decrease potential risks, especially in such studies that involve a great number of participants, as is just the case with the research of Michel et al. (2004). Thus, it would have been proper for the researchers of the present study to discuss in detail subjects’ conditions and potential harm, particularly in view of the fact that nursing directly relates to patient safety within the clinical setting (DHHS, 1981). However, the ethical rights of samples are implicitly defended in both studies, as no personal details of participants are revealed. But the researchers provide no information of the ways the data were stored and protected before or during the investigation. Similarly, neither of the studies refers to informed consents, while this is a prerequisite for any nursing research (Alt-White, 1995; Berry et al., 1996). As for sampling, the study of Bismark et al. (2006) analyses two groups of patients: the first group includes people who made complaints to the Commissioner and the second group includes people â€Å"identified by the NZQHS as having suffered an adverse event who did not lodge a complaint† (Bismark et al., 2006 p.17). A two stage sampling process is initiated by NZQHS on the example of 6579 medical records. Although inclusion and exclusion criteria are not explicitly identified in the study, the researchers make it clear that they only choose the patients who suffer adverse events. In the process of analysis these patients are divided into two categories – complainants and non-complainants, though both groups are typical representatives of the larger population. In the research of Michel et al. (2004) the sampling includes 778 patients from medical, surgical and obstetric wards. This number of samples is appropriate for a descriptive study. Initially, the researchers chose 786 patients with the help of a two stage cluster stratified process, but excluded 8 persons â€Å"because they were still present on day 30, precluding the review of their medical records† (Michel et al., 2004 p.2). In this respect, the study does not clearly define inclusion and exclusion criteria, but some samples are excluded in the process of investigation. No obvious bias is found in regard to the samples; similar to the previous research, the samples belong to typical representatives of the larger group. In view of this fact, the sampling can be considered as fully reliable. In addition to authors’ comments, the results in the research of Bismark et al. (2006) are presented in figures, tables and boxes that are introduced as additional tools for clarification. This visual information reflects how the data are collected and measured (Figure 1 is especially accurate in revealing the cases of injured complainants and non-complainants). Although the authors do not specifically explain such a choice, they provide a detailed justification for the use of correlation tests that define dependent variables (a distinction between complainants and non-complainants) and independent variables (age, ethnicity, sex and other factors). Besides, the researchers weight the bivariate and multivariate analyses to acquire more accurate findings. The results in the study of Michel et al. (2004) also appear in both textual and graphic forms in order to enhance explanation. But the researchers do not attain the balance between figures and comments, putting too much emphas is on figures. Unlike the previous study, the authors do not use dependent and independent variables in their analysis; however, they employ paired X2 tests for the comparison of retrospective and prospective methods. Discussing their findings, Bismark et al. (2006) draw a parallel between the received results and the findings of the previous studies. Actually, many findings of the prior research are consistent with the present research (e.g. Burstin, et al., 1993; Studdert et al., 2000), while some findings contradict the earlier results (e.g. Tapper et al., 2004). To some extent, such a comparison justifies the lack of literature review at the beginning of the research and provides more validity to the overall outcomes. In general terms, the findings of Bismark et al. (2006) directly relate to the objectives of the study, gradually introducing the evidence that proves the authors’ initial suggestions. In particular, the researchers find out that 79% of all injures can be identified as preventable adverse events. In the case of the Commissioners analysis, 64% of the complaints are made by the patients who suffer adverse events, of which 51% are preventable adverse events. In regard to the NZQHS review, 315 cases of adverse events (out of 850 cases) are preventable, 124 cases are serious and 48 cases are serious and preventable. As for instigators of complaints, 41% of complaints are made by the patients, while 59% by their relatives or friends (13% spouse, 16% parent and 17% child). Evaluating the independent variables, the researchers reveal that the age of complainants is lower than the age of non-complainants; moreover, non-complainants mainly live in the regions with poor economic conditions. The findings in the research of Michel et al. (2004) also relate to the terms of reference, providing evidence that â€Å"the prospective method has several advantages over retrospective and cross sectional methods† (Michel et al., 2004 p.3). In particular, the prospective method better recognises preventable adverse events and is more trustworthy than two other methods. This is clearly seen in Venn diagrams that demonstrate the number of adverse events identified by each of three research methods. Overall, the findings in the present study are not properly discussed; however, the researchers discuss in detail the strengths and limitations of the research in the discussion section. For instance, as the authors reveal, reliability and effectiveness of adverse even ts rates are successfully estimated because the samples are assessed with the help of three methods. On the other hand, the researchers point at the possibility of bias that â€Å"may have been present due to the small number of hospitals and wards† (Michel et al., 2004 p.3) and because of the participation of the care teams in the prospective method. Besides, the reference list that the researchers utilised in the process of investigation might have errors that were not identified. Finally, the aspects of reliability, effectiveness and acceptability are not discussed in detail by the authors, though these are the major assessment criteria of the study. However, there are some obvious strengths of the research; unlike the studies that analyse adverse events either in surgery or medicine (e.g. Mantel et al., 1998; Waterstone et al., 2001), the present study examines various cases of adverse events in three areas – medicine, surgery and obstetrics. Similarly to this research, Bismark et al. (2006) also identify certain limitations of the study; in particular, the analysis of adverse event rates is rather confined, if medical record reviews serve as the basis for the research. The research also lacks definite ethnicity data for all complainants; thus, there is a â€Å"potential for measurement error† (Bismark et al., 2006 p.21). In addition, the authors do not provide any information as to the alternative research methods that can be used for the assessment of the relations between complains and quality of medical care. Drawing a parallel between the employed methods and the alternative methods, it will be possible to enhance the validity of the received findings. The conclusion in the research of Bismark et al. (2006) directly responds to the terms of reference; based on the received results, the conclusion suggests that elderly or economically poor patients rarely initiate complaints processes. The same regards the pati ents who belong to ethnic minorities (in this case – to Pacific ethnicity). The authors recommend to conduct a further study that will profoundly investigate the reasons for people’s refusal to make complaints in the cases of poor medical care. Moreover, the complaints greatly depend on the severity of injures and whether the event is preventable or unpreventable. In this respect, as the researchers conclude, â€Å"complaints offer a valuable portal for observing serious threats to patient safety and may facilitate efforts to improve quality† (Bismark et al., 2006 p.22). Unfortunately, no recommendations for practice are made at the end of the study, thus reducing the relevance of the received findings. On the other hand, as Santy and Kneale (1998) claim, â€Å"all research has some implications for practice even if the results have proven to be inconclusive† (p.82). In the research of Michel et al. (2004) the conclusion summarises the results that, in the authors’ words, â€Å"provide new insights into the epidemiology of adverse events† (p.4). Such a viewpoint is explained by the fact that the findings of the present study reveal the ways to intensify the implementation of prospective assessment in the clinical setting. However, the researchers only suggest the answers to the posed questions, avoiding any insisten ce on specific concepts or notions. Comparing three methods, the researchers recommend to use the prospective method for different purposes that implicitly or explicitly relate to the evaluation of adverse events rates. Finally, Michel et al. (2004) briefly discuss the prior knowledge on the topic and the knowledge acquired in the process of investigation. In regard to the prior knowledge, the assessment of adverse events was conducted in an analytical way that considerably limited the findings. In the present study the researchers receive more feasible results and identify that the causes of adverse events and risk reduction programmes can be successfully evaluated by the prospective method rather than by the retrospective or cross-sectional methods. However, further research is required, if the evidence received in this research is applied to practice (Barron Kenny, 1986; Scott Thompson, 2003). Overall, both researches are well-structured and are written in a scientifically concise style; however, as was stated above, the study of Michel et al. (2004) provides too much technical details, while analysing the results. Therefore, it is slightly difficult to read the research and, consequently, there is a chance that its findings may be ignored by a practitioner on the premise of misunderstanding. Although the research of Michel et al. (2004) is logically constructed, an unqualified person may fail to rightfully apprehend the presented data. On the contrary, the study of Bismark et al. (2006) is easy to understand because it lacks much unexplained jargon. Another strength of the research is the appropriate use of quotes in the discussion section; these quotes are directly related to the analysis and correspond with the ideas expressed by the authors, either refuting or confirming them. Employing this or that quote, the researchers provide a detailed interpretation of a certain concept; and for all that, the number of quotes is reasonable and they are rather short. On the contrary, Michel et al. (2004) do not utilise quotes in the discussion to support their arguments, though they use certain references. Despite the fact that the researchers do not explicitly recommend their studies to nurses, the overall findings can be especially relevant to nursing staff, as well as to the researchers who are involved in health care. Within a complex clinical setting nurses experience various difficulties because of the lack of appropriate practical knowledge (Treacy Hide, 1999; Polit et al., 2001). Thus, the studies of Michel et al. (2004) and Bismark et al. (2006) can inspire nurses’ interest in the ways of patient safety, as, despite their limitations and certain inadequacies, the studies pose vital questions that may increase the quality of medical care not only in France and New Zealand, but in other countries as well. Due to the fact that nowadays nursing staff is usually required to implement various aspects of research into practice (Christman Johnson, 1981; Burnard Morrison, 1990; Street, 1992; McSherry, 1997; Cormack, 2000; Rodgers, 2000; Hek et al., 2002; Cluett Bluff, 2004), the present studies are especially valuable, as they provide useful and valid information that extends the prior knowledge in patient safety. 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