“A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty Essay

Is Eudora Welty successful in showing how human beings can be more interested in their own personal gains than the needs of others? Marian didn’t really want to visit the home for the elderly but she is a Campfire Girl and by taking out the time to go, she will gain points for offering her time to charity work. A gift of flowers was something that Marian brought to the home in order to make her visit look more genuine, but the apple that she brought; she hid outside so that none would think it was also a gift. There was no special person that she wanted to visit, she only wanted to do the job that she came for, earn her point and leave. She wears her Campfire Girls cap to show who she is and she is very afraid to be around a bunch of older people that she has never met, before, but the added point means so much to her that she is willing to visit this strange home. She is more interested in what she can gain from this visit than what she can offer to others. Addie wasn’t thrilled by Marian’s visit. She was a cranky old lady who didn’t even like her roommate and couldn’t stand to hear her talk about a bunch of nothing, all the time. Marian had pretty, yellow hair which she wore a white cap over and she dressed in her red coat as she observed the two women in the nursing home. She had a job to perform and so much to do in her life as she watched the two ladies who had nothing but each other. (Welty, 1980) In â€Å"A Visit of Charity†, Eudora Welty uses Marian as a character who acts in ways that many of us do at certain times in our lives, in performing deeds that are solely for ourselves, and sometimes we forget about the feelings of others. Welty demonstrates in this story that we need to not only try to work toward our own goals but at the same time, we need to consider the thoughts and emotions of others who are less fortunate. Marian is the girl who Welty chose to show that people, especially young individuals, sometimes forget about more important things as we search for awards and points that make us look and feel better about ourselves. To truly feel better about ourselves, we must consider the feelings of others and then we gain the biggest reward of all; knowing that we made someone else’s day a little brighter and more fulfilling. Marian still had many lessons to learn, in life about human kindness, and as she takes a big bite out of the apple, she shows that she had been more interested in her own personal gain in this visit. The author made you think about others in her writing. Eudora Welty clearly showed the selfishness that one can see in Marian’s visit to the nursing home and how she had so much to learn about the true meaning of sharing and giving of yourself in helping others who are less fortunate. I believe that Eudora Welty clearly showed that human beings are sometimes very capable of seeking out their own personal gain in life and are highly capable of not considering the feelings of others, as we do. Reference Page Welty, Marian. (1980) â€Å"A Visit of Charity†. Library of America. A Visit of Charity by Eudora Welty Essay Irony is the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. Eudora Welty successfully uses this literary technique to elucidate the theme of the story, â€Å"A Visit of Charity†. The title â€Å"A Visit of Charity† is rather ironic. Charity means to show kindness and sympathy towards others; however, no one in this story does such a thing. There are no charity from Marian’s, the nurse’s, the two old ladies, and the whole society’s point of view. How can there be charity when the old ladies are isolated from the society. In the story, Marian, â€Å"a young Campfire girl†, sets out a visit to the Old Lady House. She wears â€Å"a red coat and her straight yellow hair is hanging down loose from the pointed white cap all the little girls are wearing this year.† This suggests us that she is not a self-conscious individual. She pays the visit for unquestioning duty since all other campfire girls do so. Her motive is also for the points, which reward on her project. The author also gives way to Marian’s selfish nature when she states to the nurse that â€Å"I have to pay a visit to some old lady.† She shows little respect in the way she phrases her statement. By saying she has to pay a visit reinforces us think that she is there not of her own free will. She does not care who she visits, just as long as the person is an elderly woman. Another irony is used to help explaining the theme of the story as Marian enters the old ladies’ room. When Marian looks around the room, she feels like â€Å"being caught in a robber’s cave, just before being murdered.† She thinks the old ladies are robbers who are trying to steal her perception of the world; however, do they really steal Marian’s view of world? No, I think Marian gets fear because the old ladies give her a broader and truer sense of the reality, which she is reluctant to accept. â€Å"A visit of Charity† by Eudora Welty Essay In the short story, â€Å"A visit of Charity† by Eudora Welty, a fourteen -year old Campfire girl whose name is Marian, visits an elderly home to earn points. The way Marian slowly makes her way from the bus stop to the nursing home shows reluctance. The author’s purpose was to describe a young child’s experience with the elderly through emotions and descriptions of her actions. The author encloses several lurid details to help the readers understand how awful this experience was for the child. The title contradicts the meaning of the story, charity means generosity or kindness towards others, and no one in this story carries that out. People’s selfishness and insensitivity can blind them from humanity and the needs of others. The setting is a winter’s day at a home for elderly women. Outside of the home, there are â€Å"prickly dark shrubs with which the city had beautified the home†. These surroundings imply coldness, and abandonment. The ambiance points to the feeling of fear. The floors inside the building illustrate the awkwardness. The room that Marian ends up visiting is dark, the shade is drawn, and excess amounts of furniture. The wet smell of everything and the wet appearance of the bare floor imply that the cramped room is a more suitable for barn animals rather than humans. Marian compares the room to a robbers cave and the two women as the robbers. The setting of a story assists in painting a mental picture, which draws the reader into the story. (42) Characters bring a story to life; they help the reader connect with the story and its surroundings. The story begins with the young girl who is fearful of the home. The story leads the reader to believe that Marian is the protagonist, and the elderly home is the antagonist. Marian is a self-conscious, submissive, and harsh. She refers to one of the elderly women as an object to be used and discarded when she announces the purpose of her visit. â€Å"I’m a Campfire Girl†¦I have to pay a visit to some old lady†. These words and her frequent thoughts about the points she will get for the visit reveal her real reason for coming, self-gain. An old woman â€Å"Any will do† is an impersonal thing with no identity or personality. She also refers to them as animals in their motions and appearances. When the  girl runs out, she notices that the nurse is reading a Field & Stream magazine. All of these descriptions help the reader to understand what the home is like, and how she sees the world. (42) Welty uses description, symbolism, irony to get across the theme. The theme of the story is selfishness, although it is portrayed through fear. Marian is apprehensive about going into the home, but maintains her state of mind and goes in. In the beginning, the story leads the reader to believe that she truly has compassion. Although, it is a lie, she is there only for points. The author is expressing self-interest. Fear is a part in life and to concur those fears is contentment, but running away is not concurring. Marian does not portray the best image of a kind, cheerful Campfire Girl. Welty further suggests in this story that fake charity can destroy the very humanity it pretends to acknowledge and uphold. People like Marian acting either out of duty or for personal advantages have created the Home and the conditions that have made the inhabitants irritable and unlovable. Marian left the women more lonely and distraught than she found them. This kind of charity is uncharitable indeed.

Memory †The mysterious phenomenon

Memory, a phenomenon which has been bewildering scientists and philosophers is san entity that needs to be analyzed very carefully for finding out the truth behind it. Going deep in to the subject, memory comes under a prominent branch of neuroscience called the cognitive neuroscience. The basic factors that lead to the phenomenon of memory are reception of information, processing, storage and recollection. There are various factors that affect each of these processes. Based on this memory is broadly classified in to three heads. They are: 1) long-term memory 2) short-term memory and 3) sensory memory Long-term memory Long term memory refers to those memories that are stored in the brain for a considerably prolonged period of time with out any loss. Here when an idea is stored in long-term memory, the information is stored in a semantically encoded format. As a result of this it is easier for us to remember a telephone number by virtue of repeating the same but it is difficult to memorize a random ten digit number. For the later case the encoding format is acoustic and hence the information is stored in short-term memory. Baddeley, the great researcher on human memory has found out that when given a test to recollect words uttered was given to a group of respondents the result was that people failed to recall words with same meanings like small, tiny, minute etc.. Short-term memory This is a much more volatile memory that stores information just for a period of several seconds to few minutes with out memorizing it by heart. George A. Miller, held various demonstrations and the conclusion was that the storage capacity of short -term memory was just 7  ± 2 entities (he presented a paper entitled â€Å"The magical number 7 ±2†). In the present day the projected capability of short-term memory is still less. But hen the same group of words or letters, for an example is presented in different order, greater are the chances for recollecting it. For example it is difficult to recollect the string FBIUNOASDFUS But when the same string is presented as below, greater chances re there for anyone to recollect it FBI UNO ASDF US. In the first combination of letters the information was lying stray with no order to memorise, whereas in the second one, they have an opportunity to memorise it as bits which could be identified to something that they know. Short-term memory relies on the phonemes and the acoustic symbols for retaining information. Visual codes are rarely converted to short-term memory. Conrad a renowned researcher on human memory found out that the subjects of his experiments had difficulty in identifying and recollecting acoustically confusing phonemes and words like he, ghee, bee, see, etc.. Sensory memory This kind of memory refers to the memory that is retained in the receivers mind for about 200 to 500 milliseconds, once the information is acquired. Hence this is highly volatile and short-life memory. Sensory Memory can be identified as the ability to identify the specific features of an item, let it be a sound or an object by virtue of an observation of the same for a fraction of a second. George Sperling is the pioneer to conduct experiments on Sensory Memory. Respondents were provided with a set of 12 letters, which were made into 3 rows of four each. After completing a small introduction, the candidates were then made to hear either a high, medium or low pitch tone, providing them info regarding which of the rows to report. On the base of this experiments, Sperling demonstrated that the range of sensory memory was about 12 items, but also found that it degenerated at a much more faster pace (it only had the life span of a few milliseconds and hence highly momentary). The main negative part of this kind of memory is that any sort of rehearsals do no not enhance the longevity. What is memory? Present day neuroscience and scientists are with the stream of thought that memory is a group of neural connections which are encoded so as to retrieve for future references. This sort of memory encoding may happen in different parts of the brain. Thus, a network of neural communication is likely to link various parts of the brain. The strength of the memory depends up on the strength of the neural connections. Recollection or calling back of any bit of memory can happen whenever a positive stimulus that trigger the particular part of the networked neural connections. As a result of this, when a part of the brain gets damaged, the neural network present there and obviously the memories associated with the particular neural connections is lost for ever. Why do we forget things? Forgetting can better be explained as an inability to keep memories secure. This is a condition when ideas and images perceived are either lost in full or part. The reasons for forgetting are many. The prominent factors that lead to forgetting include. 1. Poor encoding (this is why we forget dreams that we see while asleep. Encoding refers to converting the sounds, visuals, taste, smell tc. To corresponding chemical / neurological codes); 2. Unavailability of a retrieval mechanism (if there is no proper stimuli to trigger the memory, the information remains dormant); 3. Time factor : when a recent incident happens, the older data are sometimes wiped off from memory (We tend to forget exact dates of our vehicle insurance, when you have some 5 cars and 4 cruisers! ); 4. Continuous similar experiences (You may have memories of the first instance when you visited London, but if you fly London Every year, you many not remember when you landed for the fifth time! ) The Chemistry of memory! The human brain is a highly complicated organ with more than 20 billion nerve cells (neurons), about 150 trillion nerve connecters or synapses; an average of 7500 synapses per neuron within the brain, anyway, some neurons may have as many as 900,000 as well. Due to repair and safety from glial cells that protects the neurons, some nerve cells will be alive till the organism cease to live, however, it is calculated that about 85,000 neurons wear out everyday in the brain. The most prominent doubt regarding memory is the place / location where it is being stored. It was in 1960’s that the theory of Long-Term Potentiation (L. T. P) and it counter theory called opposite Long Term Depression came in to existence as molecularmemory postulates. Long-term potentiation refers to the reinforcement of neuron relations through elevating synaptic ion movements. In all connections of neurons there exists a synapse through which chemical neurotransmitters moves unhindered from the axonates and axons of the transmitting cell to the dendrites of the corresponding receiver cell. Neuro-transmitters like acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, serotonin, norepinephrine function in free flow of complex electrical signals between nerve cells, muscle cells and sensory cells. Where as in the mean time, inside the cell, the protein pumps located in the cell membrane and channels frequently retains a constantresting potential of – 70 m V by virtue of moving sodium cations on the outer part of the cell against a specific gradient. Presence of neurotransmitter into a receiver neuron located in the membrane part of a post-synaptic dendrite triggers and starts de-polarization of the specific membrane by the influence of calcium and sodium ions, this again results in the building of voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels to unlock, permitting rapid flow of calcium and sodium ions, this is then followed by the inflow of potassium ions . as a result of this ion flow, depolarization happens once again to + 40 m V. As a result of this continuous process, â€Å"action potential† rapidly happens in the cell membrane to the axon , axonates and the pre-synaptic cleft, thus repeating this each and every time the signal reaches a neuron. Once the action potential has completed, the voltage gated channels close by themselves, and the potassium and sodium pumps makes the cell membrane to return to their original potential. All these happens in milliseconds, thus permitting multiple contradictory signals in swift momentum.. Memory Disorders The branch of Human psychology and neurology is the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of many of the known memory disorders. In general the loss or degeneration of memory is termed as amnesia. Amnesia is of different categories. Analysing it can reveal the various forms of it and helps in the proper treatment as well. Many neuron related conditions like Alzheimer's disease may also result in full or partial memory loss. Hyperthymesia, also called hyperthymesic syndrome, is a serious memory disorder which has adverse effect on retention of personal memory. Some sort of memory loss can be symptom of hypothyroidism a severe medical condition. Increasing oxygen supply to the brain, is considered as one among the foremost techniques to improve memory. This can be achieved by doing exercises like swimming, bicycle riding, gymnastics etc.. Tips to improve memory Many factors to improve memory was furnished by the report published by ‘The International Longevity Center’ in the year 2001 (pages 14-16) The study recommends to stick to the following to improve memory stay intellectually active through learning, training or reading, keep physically active so as to make blood circulation in the brain more active, socialize, reduce stress to the maximum possible extend, observe regular sleep timings, avoid depression or emotional strain and good nutrition.

A Fierce Discontent

Indiana University’ Michael McGerr chronicles the development and eventual collapse of the American progressive movement in his 2003 work, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920. He employs various literary techniques in his attempt to draw the reader into the world that was America at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. More than a simple retelling of historical events, the book seeks to allow the reader to catch a glimpse of the emotions that swirled around at the time.Not only does McGerr give an insight into the lives of all the key players in the historical drama, but McGerr allows the reader to see an image of what life was like for the people who did not make it to the cover of history books, poor farmers and inter-city immigrants. McGerr’s book captures far more angles than you would expect it to. A Fierce Discontent is filled with many of the author’s own convictions about the progres sive era and the legacy it would leave.McGerr interestingly asserts that the excesses and overly-fervent radicalism of many of the leaders of the progressive movement would be responsible for events such as the Communist scare of the 1920s, the popularity of eugenics and racial tension in the coming decades. He uses the term â€Å"coercively reform† to describe the actions some radical progressives took in trying to affect the lives of the lower classes and eventually concludes that the folly of the progressive movement was in the fact that, â€Å"reformers should not try too much.† Furthermore, it is interesting to learn the McGerr believes that the meteoric fall of the progressive movement is still affecting our society and government today. He sees the overreaching of the progressive movement and its consequences as foreshadowing the overly liberal policies of Lyndon Johnson’s â€Å"Great Society† and the resurgence of American conservatism. When one l ooks at the political reality of both situations, there seems to be a sense of parallelism.The progressive administrations of Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson gave way to the laissez-faire conservatism of Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover. Similarly, the â€Å"New Deal† began by Franklin Roosevelt and continued by Kennedy and Johnson set the table for the â€Å"Reagan Revolution†. There is certainly a discernible economic pattern that exists between the two situations, although there seems to be noticeable societal differences. This can be attributed to the changing nature of what being â€Å"conservative† has come to mean in America.Whereas it was the progressives who fought so hard for prohibition and other â€Å"defenses of morality†, it would be the Reagan-era conservatives that would take up these causes a little more than half a century later. Another, and perhaps questionable, aspect of McGerr’s depiction is his vary assertion that the Ameri can progressive movement can be traced back to 1870. Most historians date the formation of the American progressive movement to the early 1890s.No where does McGerr rationalize the decision to date the movement to 1870, as there is almost no discussion of events or people before the early 1890s. While minor in the context of the whole work, it is unusual that such a seemingly arbitrary date was given for the origins of a critical period in American history. A Fierce Discontent is thoroughly enjoyable, a fact that is greatly contributed to by the author’s deliberate attempts to draw the reader into the period of history that McGerr is describing.Additionally, it is extremely comprehensive, covering each and every strike, â€Å"robber baron†, and anti-trust act you could possibly need or want to know about. While some of McGerr’s assertions seem to be questionable at times, He effectively brings to life the period around the turn to the 20th century, and makes the reader think about some of the lasting effects this turbulent time might have put into play. Bibliography: McGerr, Michael, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the American Progressive Movement,1870-1920, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 2005.

Health Reforms in USA Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Reforms in USA - Term Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that similarly as in the US, China has also seen many health reforms in the last decade, but the grounds on the basis of which the reforms have been made in the two countries differ quite considerably. Whilst in China, securing people from financial shocks resulting from high medical costs was the reason; in America, the attention was focused on reducing expensive emergency care by increasing access to health insurance and thereby reducing the burden from providers’ shoulders. The healthcare system of US was declared as ‘broken’ in the 1990’s, and since then the health-related concerns have only risen. One essential healthcare system overhaul in the USA was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed by President Obama in 2010. Since it became law, US has observed great debate on the national level about the ‘Obamacare’ Act; a term coined by people against the pas sage of the Act who see the Act as bringing benefit not for the citizen but for Mr. Obama solitarily. Similarly, an appeal was filed in the world’s top court for the repealing of the law but the Court on ruled the Obamacare is upheld – the ruling to which Obama referred to as the victory for the people of America. Comparing the US healthcare structure with that of China, things are much different. Although major reforms have been made and efforts have been put in to ensure the delivery of better health services to the people of China, a vast proportion of the total population still lives far below national socioeconomic average. Of particular importance, among these reforms, is New Rural Co-operative Medical Care System (NRCMCS), a restructure overhaul for China’s healthcare arrangement initiated in 2005. The essential provisions of this system are that the burden of an average Chinese patient is not borne by the patient alone, rather it is divided among the Cen tral Government, Provincial Government and the patient himself, the ratio is 40%, 40%, and 20% respectively.

Why are people still willing to live in primitive conditions in Research Paper

Why are people still willing to live in primitive conditions in today's modern society - Research Paper Example Thinking about primitive people makes us conjure up negative images of them and we think of those who probably lived prior to the rise of the civilization. â€Å"The images are often of people who are sickly, squatting half naked with stained teeth, scavenging through the jungle, short, poorly nourished, living desperate lives in a hostile environment† – Thom Hartmann (We Think Primitive People Live In Fear) Our assumption is that since such people do not have any settled agriculture they have to continuously look and struggle for food, that they are constantly afraid of going hungry and starving. Besides, they are also not acquainted with technology and thus they live at the whim of nature. They cannot protect themselves from their enemies and cannot make their life easier by using technology. From our understanding we do not consider such people as being completely human. The general view is that such people are not a part of our current world. Rather, they belong to the pre historic time which was a very murky period indeed. That was what led to the arrival of civilization when at last man achieved success and became a proper human being. The reason why such myths are present is because of the limited mindsets prevailing. The general population does not have any kind of an exposure and their minds are limited to what they have read and heard. From our history we know that colonization too pace and the savages bettered their lives to become what we are today. However, we do not really know how exactly those people had lived. Our thinking is that we do not have to understand the way they use to live because we do not need to. â€Å"It was an inferior lifestyle and we are good to be rid of it. There is nothing we can learn from these people† (We Think Primitive People Live In Fear). However, such is not the case in reality. If we actually try and look into the way they live we will find out that their lives are not at all the way we imagine them to be. In actuality those living in primitive conditions have a normal life; they are not struggling for food nor are they always angry, depressed or schizophrenic. They live a healthy life and when we compare our nutrition with theirs, we would find that they have a better and more varied diet. Besides, such people suffer from lesser diseases as we do and it is not necessary that they die early; they can also have a long life. They are not barbarians and do not grunt at each other. Rather, they have their own language which might be pretty complex for us but it is their language after all. Like us, they also have their traditions and customs and legal systems. Like every human being of curse there take place battles but they are not on such a huge scale. Their concept of war is not as cruel as is ours. Of course that doesn’t mean that their lives are perfect; there can definitely be problems. However, they do not have a brutish or savage life. They do not always keep f ighting with each other or hit each other. They do not have a very modern life like ours, but they are not the ones ruining Mother Earth; it is us. One such example of primitive people is the Bushmen living in the Kalahari Desert. They live in bands of about 50 people and together they travel and hunt. â€Å"For the Bushmen, education is the learning of survival skills† (Rogers and Feiss 12). They have to be able to understand that they have to take in at least as much calories as they burn. Therefore, it is according to this factor that they decide whether they should be hunting a particular animal in regard to whether it would be able to give them the same amount of energy as they would use up in hunting. Women, on the other hand,

Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film Critique Double Indemnity (1944) - Essay Example The protagonist cannot hear his steps, as if he were dead already. The greatest irony is that the crime which seemed to be perfect has been solved by the insurance company in order not to lose its money. The supporting character Keyes manages to outshine the main ones in some scenes. Anyway, there is one more reason to value this film – Barbara Stanwyck created an image of a femme fatale, who is impossible to forget. Could Wilder fancy his adaptation of a non-fiction novella by J.Cain to become one of the brightest examples of film noir genre, though it failed to win at least one out of seven nominations for an Academy Award? It is doubtful. However, Double Indemnity is a classic of the genre possessing all its indispensable attributes – low-key lightning, monochromic visual style, flashback framing of the narrative, voiceover intrusions, tense atmosphere of fatalism and desperation, urban setting with its labyrinth of streets (even the drugstore seems to be a small labyrinth), well-developed archetypal characters. The storyline is rather convoluted. Wilder understood the risk of letting the murderer confess his crime at the very beginning of the film – his hopes to hold viewer’s attention were put on the twists of the plot and constantly increasing tensions. Some elements of the storyline have many times been exploited by other directors working within this genre, that is why it may seem familiar or even predictable. Dealing with insurances of any kinds, the protagonist lacks his own one in case of meeting a femme fatale. The consequences are voiced as the film begins â€Å"I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman†. Perfectly elaborated dialogues cannot be left without attention – some phrases were destined to be quoted. Film characters and their relationship become canonical. A fatal blond with a

Managers in safety training Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managers in safety training - Research Paper Example The disparity between the emphasis on safety management between the underdeveloped and the advanced economies has had a corresponding effect on the curriculums of safety training. While in the technologically advanced countries like the UK and the USA, safety training is offered at graduate and undergraduate level through university courses, safety training in the underdeveloped countries is imparted through short courses in academies. Nevertheless, the role of such short courses in inculcating a sense of the need of safety management and compliance with the rules of health and safety in the workers cannot be underestimated. â€Å"A few simple steps learned in a training session can prevent a major crisis† (National Restaurant Association, 2009, p. 2). In developed countries, an individual needs at least a bachelor’s degree in health and safety along with preferably a 10 years of experience to be eligible to serve as a health and safety (HS) manager on a project whereas in the underdeveloped countries, a diploma or a short course in safety management might suffice. OSHA lists a range of safety training programs that individuals can take depending upon which suits them best (oshatrain.org, n.d.). People select the most suitable program depending upon the availability of time, funding, and such other factors. Over 20 universities and training organizations offer courses in safety training and management in the US (osha.gov, n.d.). Most training organizations offer certificates whereas universities offer Bachelor programs in safety management. Construction sites in the US require professional certification in safety course to consider a candidate for the post of safety manager on the site. Chances of recruitment increase with more experience and higher education in safety management. The HS manager is familiar with all procedures, concepts, and practices of the kind of work he/she is rendering the health and safety management services in because the

Gun control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gun control - Essay Example The most important point here is how are the citizens going to ensure their safety when they are told to turn in their guns, according to Boylan (130). People wish to keep guns to enjoy their autonomy and guarantee their safety when they meet robbers, criminals and terrorists. Armed citizens feel their strength in protecting themselves and their families from physically stronger criminals. If guns are banned, the wrongdoers will still obtain guns and ammunition from whatever illegal sources. And who will be in loss? The common man. Owning guns in one of people’s constitutionally protected rights and when one has a right upon something, one does not have to validate the need for it. Banning guns will lead an individual to look for other dangerous things to create violence, and when there are so many other dangerous things one can think of then why only gun control is thought to be the only measure to improve safety? When a common man will intend to kill someone, he can do so in an automobile accident too. So, gun control seems to be outdated. Nothing is good or bad but its use makes it so. Guns are merely tools. What these guns will be used for is decided by the hands that hold them. Guns are evil, or more guns means more crime, are only myths. According to NRA’s America’s First Freedom (qtd.

The Decline of Napoleon Bonaparte Research Paper

The Decline of Napoleon Bonaparte - Research Paper Example He willingly served during French Revolution while only few trained French officer did. With nationalistic uprising in Corsica, Napoleon and his family had to flee to France since they were pro-French and Corsican nationalists had won. He became prominent during the siege of Toulon for his performance while serving in artillery. Later, his career rose meteorically. Probably one of the very first and greatest mistakes of Napoleon was that he consistently placed personal interest ahead of everything. He redesigned a heredity aristocracy in which he was the head and his immediate family was leading nobles. Moreover, he awarded states and kingdoms to his brothers and brother-in-laws and alienated France’s strongest ally, Spain. With his disposition of Spanish king, Spain rebelled and became an ally with Britain. With his continuous conquest, Napoleon solely controlled Europe by 1806, except Britain. When both the powers couldn’t beat each other, they started an economic war fare. Through Continental System, Napoleon tried to chock British trade, but both neutrals and allies ignored these sanctions at every opportunity they found. Napoleon’s insistence on ensuring French authority at any cost led to his invasion of Russia in 1812 that resulted in his eventual downfall.1 Despite his greatness and genius leadership, Napoleon shaped his reign for failure through flaws in his generalship that led to his consequential downfall. By 1805, Napoleon became the supreme warlord and head of state. His perception of strategy was unconventional,2 as Joly de Maizeroy states, â€Å"Strategy†¦combines times, places, means, various interests, and consider all†¦ [Tactics] reduces easily to firm rules, because it is entirely geometrical like fortification.†3 In order to achieve strategic objectives, the use of diverse resources, such as, diplomacy, economic power, information war, and military power are not very

The Utilization of Reversible Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Case Study

The Utilization of Reversible Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors - Case Study Example Apparently, there is the need for more data to confirm current preliminary findings, as well as for more data on head-to-head comparisons of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature on the utilization of reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the management of Alzheimer’s dementia. The review will address issues of current interest surrounding the mechanism of action of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, the difficulties associated with designing appropriate clinical trial methodologies, issues concerning the relevance of current trial methodologies to long-term care settings, the current state of knowledge with regard to a putative neuroprotective effect of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, new technological methods for assessing efficacy of reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and issues with available information on parallel comparisons between the commonly used reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Finally, practical issues surrounding the clinical use of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors will be reviewed, with a focus on associa ted adverse drug reactions and optimization of dosage regimens. In the United States, there are estimated to be possibly up to 4.8 million cases (Brookmeyer, Gray, & Kawas, 1998). It is predominant among the people over 65 (Hebert et al., 1995) with a prevalence of about 6% to 8%, and more than 50% of people aged 85 years and older experience bouts of dementia (Jay M. Ellis, 2005; Samanta et al., 2006) . Given the current population demographic trends in the United States and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, the National Institutes of Health has projected that, by the year 2030, there could be 8.5 million Alzheimer’s patients in America (J. M. Ellis & Ellis, 2005) . Alzheimer’s dementia incapacitates the sufferers from performing normal activities of daily living (ADL), and as the disease worsens, they become unable to function without assistance and have to rely on other people for their everyday care, whether family caregivers or nursing home care providers (Bullock & Bullock, 2004; Jay M. Ellis, 2005).     

The Similarities and Differences of Two Early Civilizations Essay

The Similarities and Differences of Two Early Civilizations - Essay Example There are various characteristics of civilizations, including the type of subsistence, form of government, economic system, education, social stratification, and human settlement patterns. Moreover, civilizations are characterized by religious beliefs, art, and architecture among other aspects (Trigger, 2007, pp. 57-65). This paper is a critical examination of the Nile valley and Mesopotamia ancient civilizations. Discusion The Nile valley civilization existed back in the 3000 BC and it consisted of three major civilizations, namely Nubia, Egypt, and Kush (Ikram, 2009). Geographically, the Nile valley civilization was located in the Lower Egypt in the river Nile’s delta and in the Upper Egypt along the river in Africa’s interior. The rich alluvial and silt deposits of River Nile provided the Nile valley civilization with rich agricultural land for farming along the banks and the delta. The inhabitants dug complex channels to irrigate their crops from the waters of the r iver. The government of the Nile valley civilization became theocratic after the unification of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms in 3100 BCE (Ikram, 2009). Pharaoh became the ruler of the unified Egyptian kingdom after establishment of the first dynasty in the civilization. Theocratic government implies that pharaohs were regarded as gods, and they served as political and religious leaders (Scarre & Fagan, 2007). Egyptians believed that pharaohs were omnipresent and continued ruling after death. Consequently, their bodies were mummified, preserved, and buried in special tombs enclosed in huge pyramids. The Nile valley civilization was polytheistic and believed in life after death. The society of ancient Nile civilization was stratified and consisted of four classes, namely the royal family (Pharaoh), upper, middle, and lower classes. The upper class consisted of priests, government officials, landowners, and military leaders while the middle class consisted of traders and other skilled people. The peasant farmers and other unskilled people belonged to the lowest class (Trigger, 2007). Nile valley civilization provided social mobility – people from the lower class could rise to middle and upper classes through hard work or marriage. Men and women had almost equal rights, sharing privileges such as education, seeking divorce, and property ownership (Ikram, 2009). According to Scarre and Fagan (2007), Mesopotamia was located between Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Persian Gulf and it is the oldest recorded civilization. The rivers provided water for irrigation and fertile silt, which formed rich agricultural land for the Mesopotamians. These favorable conditions amidst the harsh desert climate in the region attracted the settlement of Sumerians. Sumerians are credited for the creation of the earliest civilization in Mesopotamia and for introducing city-states, education, and better technology in addition to foundation of organized institutions. Though city- states shared the same culture, they were autonomous. Each city-state had its own government that was led by its own leaders (Trigger, 2007). Temple priests led early Sumerian governments. In an economy that relied heavily on agriculture, farmers believed in appeasing the gods to enhance agricultural production. Therefore, the priests were regarded as the appropriate leaders to mediate between the farmers and the gods. However, military rulers later took over the leadership of Mesopotamia civilization

The Heart and Christian Bernard Essay Example for Free

The Heart and Christian Bernard Essay The Heart and Christian Barnard Christian Barnard, the man who performed the first human heart transplant. Christian Barnard was born in Beaufort West, South Africa on November 8, 1922. He was the fourth of five sons. His father was Adam Hedrick Barnard who was a reverend in the Dutch reformed church, he preached to a non-white congregation. His mother was Maria Elisabeth Deswart Barnard who had been a school teacher before marriage. Both parents were also Afrikaner missionaries. Christian Barnard grew up in a poor environment in Beaufort West, a town on South Africa’s semi-arid Great Karroo plateau. Christian Barnard attended a local high school he went on and received an M. D. degree from the University of Cape Town in 1953. He received a Ph. D degree from the University of Minnesota in 1958. He returned to the University of Cape Town in 1958 to teach surgery. He specialized in open-heart surgery and in designing artificial heart valves. The first human heart transplant was performed on December 3, 1967, transferring the heart of a 25 year old woman into the body of Louis Waskansky , a 55 year old grocer. He died 18 days later due to double pneumonia as a result of his suppressed immune system. The second transplant was on January 2, 1968 which was for Philip Blaiberg, who lived for 563 days after the operation. Christian Barnard spent the beginning of his adult life in the United States where he gained recognition for research in gastrointestinal pathology and later went back to South Africa and introduced open-heart surgery to that country and designed artificial valves for the human heart. Christian Barnard made a huge impact and contribution to healthcare when he attempted and accomplished the worlds first human heart transplant which was a huge success in the medical field. His accomplishment led to further investigation in heart transplants and which now is a normal surgery that is performed all around the world today. Christian Barnard had been bothered by rheumatoid arthritis since he was young, and advancing stiffness in his hands forced his retirement from surgery in 1983. He took up writing, however, and wrote a cardiology text, an autobiography, and several novels, including a thriller about organ transplants. He passed away on September 2, 2001. Christian Barnard has made a huge impact on healthcare and the study of medicine. Christian Barnard is a hero to me because he was brave enough to take a chance and put his reputation on the line to make a difference. Christian Barnard’s contribution to health care has changed the years to come in medicine and his contribution will always be remembered.

The Middle East And North Africa Mena Economics Essay

The Middle East And North Africa Mena Economics Essay Economic Integration is the elimination of  tariff  and nontariff barriers to the  flow  of  goods,  services, and  factors of production  between a group of  nations.  The purpose of Economic Integration is to allow the free flow of goods and service between nations that can benefit from the economic resources of partner nations. The Economic Integration Model used for this paper is MENA; commonly known as Middle East and North Africa. The countries and regions included in MENA are labeled in the map below http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/MENA.png The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an economically diverse region that includes both the oil-rich economies in the Gulf and countries that are resource-scarce in relation to population, such as Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen. The MENA region includes the following countries: Algeria | Bahrain | Djibouti | Egypt | Iran | Iraq | Israel | Jordan I Kuwait | Lebanon | Libya | Malta | Morocco | Oman | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Syria I Tunisia | United Arab Emirates | West Bank and Gaza | Yemen The MENA countries have signed a series of multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements. Multilateral agreements are within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), of which, with the exception of Syria and the West Bank and Gaza, all countries in the region are members or have observer status. Ten MENA countries have signed European Union-Mediterranean Association Agreements (EMAAs) with the E.U. These agreements replace the preferential access to European markets for goods from African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries with a reciprocal reduction in tariffs on many goods. However, these agreements generally exempt agricultural commodities. The MENA region is also an oil rich region and the regions economic fortunes over much of the past quarter century have been heavily influenced by the price of oil. During the recession of 2008 that effected global economies and the demand for oil, it led to increase uncertainty for the MENA region because of its high dependence on oil price in the international market. As an integrated unit MENA has been able to cope with global recession because of its combined trade policy. In the years to come, integrated regions similar to MENA might be the answer to future problems and hence makes it important to look at costs and benefits of economic integration in the light of MENA. The paper will firstly look at the current problems and challenges faced by the MENA region and then look at the benefits of integration to the region Challenges faced by the MENA region In order to understand the challenges faced by the MENA region collectively, it is important to divide the region into groups and look at these problems in a coherent segregated manner. According to a report by OECD titled Opportunities and challenges in the MENA region these classifications are: Resource-rich, labor-abundant countries are producers and exporters of oil and gas and have large native populations, which represent almost the totality of their residents. This group of countries includes Algeria, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Resource-rich, labor-importing countries are producers and exporters of oil and gas and have large shares of foreign or expatriate residents, who represent a significant percentage of the total population, even the majority in some cases. This group of countries comprises the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) and Libya. Resource-poor countries are small producers or importers of oil and gas. These countries include Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and the Palestinian Authority. (OECD, 2003) Unemployment The challenges faced by MENA include high unemployment levels (in particular among youth); pervasive corruption and lack of accountability and transparency; bloated public sectors with state-owned enterprises that crowdout the development of private enterprise and investment; low levels of enterprise creation; and, for a number of countries, a high dependence on fuel and food imports generating extensive exposure to commodity price volatility. Given that these challenges are both structural and interconnected, they can be addressed only through a coordinated and comprehensive strategy that involves governments, the private sector, civil society, and the international community which I will show later in the essay. The chart below from the World Bank shows unemployment rates for 2000 and 2009 in the MENA region, indicating the change in unemployment over nine years. (World Bank, 2011) Arab Spring Revolution Immigration is expected to increase in those countries most affected by the Arab Spring. Immigration to GCC countries, which already host significant shares of Arab immigrants, is expected to rise. Numerous accounts have been reported of Immigrants fleeing from Northern Africa to Europe. Furthermore, a survey of Egyptian young people by the International organization for Migration found that the onset of protests and instability may have acted as a primary push factor for youth who reported prior intentions to migrate. The surveys results showed that two-thirds of respondents with migration intentions who were working prior to the start of the protests were negatively affected by the events: 26 percent lost their jobs, 20 percent were asked to take unpaid leave, and 19 percent witnessed a reduction in their working hours. (International Organization for Migration, 2011) Inflation Data from OECD indicated that high inflation which is the product of a high dependence on fuel and food imports represents a major challenge for resource-poor countries. For the MENA region; consumer price inflation has remained high since the oil and fuel price spikes of 2007-08. This is particularly the case in Egypt, which registered an inflation rate of 5 percent during 1996-2005 and a significantly higher rate of 11 percent during 2006-10. A notable exception to high inflation has been Morocco, which has kept consumer price increases below 3 percent. (OECD, 2003) Costs and Benefits of Economic Integration in MENA Although the MENA region has registered a relatively high economic growth during the last few years, However;the absence of a vibrant private sector which would have been able to create more and better jobs, has meant that economic performance has not been reflected in improved living standards for the majority. As discussed earlier, some factors causing this deficiency are rigid labor markets, skills mismatches, the crowding out of private enterprise by SOEs and high corruption. But there are also other economic and structural factors, such as low levels of competitiveness in manufacturing sectors, lack of export-market diversification, and low intraregional integration which still exists in the region. Furthermore, although the Arab Spring provides an important opportunity for economic reform, although its immediate effects will be negative for those countries most affected by social and political instability Transition examples from other regions suggest that the medium-run gains from moving to more open and accountable governments are sizable. Income growth tends to stabilize at a higher average rate in the decade after transition, and income volatility at a lower rate, as compared with the previous period. The results will depend on how swiftly and credibly governments can commit to reform. In the meantime, as investors wait for political uncertainty to be resolved in countries affected by political turmoil, it is inevitable that investment will be delayed and economic challenges will emerge. Evidence from earlier transitions shows that these difficulties tend to be limited; growth typically dips for only one year and then returns to or exceeds previous levels. Integration via Trade in Goods Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferatedin the MENA region in the past two decades. Such agreements can make it possible to reap benefits from internationalintegration, while tailoring the provisions ofthe agreements to the particular needs and adjustmentcapacities of the countries involved. They canalso have beneficial indirect effects. Opening domesticmarkets to partner countries, for example, can increasecompetition in sectors with previously highlyconcentrated industrial structures. Such precompetitive impacts are particularly important for countriesthat have only a nascent domestic competition policy.Also, regional cooperation can be effective in harmonizingcustoms procedures and domestic regulations.Adopting common rules on investment, forexample, has the potential to encourage increased inflowsof foreign direct investment by enhancing thecredibility of FDI-related policies and providing a restrainton sudden policy reversals. According to the World Bank many MENA countries have recently seen the share of intraregional trade in total merchandise trade increase dramatically over the past two decades. Compared to this; the extent of intraregional trade remains lowerthan in all other regions of the world, except for South Asia. Though the ratio of intraregional trade to GDP exceeds 15 percent in the Syrian Arab Republic and Jordan, in most MENA countries the ratio remains in the low single digits. In particular, resource-rich, labor-importing countries generally show a very low level of intra-MENA exports in relation to GDP, despite high total export-to-GDP ratios. (World Bank, 2005). Integration through Services For an economy, services typically contribute a major portion to the GDP. Therefore, it is important to remove barriers to entryfor both domestic and foreign firms and increasethe efficiency of services. The current regional integration agreements inMENA generally do not cover services trade, and in areas where the agreements do cover services, it is in the terms of intentions and tacit agreements. Moreover, there still exist differences in regulations and at times limits on the physical movement of individuals. In these cases it is currently creating a situation in which it is often easier for MENA countries service providers to operate in countries outside the region than within. The chart below from the World Bank represents the service exports for selected countries in the MENA region. Integration through Labor reforms If we compare the regions integration through trade and labor we can see that the MENA region is more integrated in the globaleconomy through labor mobility than through tradeand investment. According to a report by the World Bank on the MENA region titled Economic Developments and Prospects it has outlined that the regions share of global trade flows is below 5 percent, andthe region receives an even lower share of globalFDI flows. However, about 16 percent of all remittancespaid out to migrants in the world originate inthe MENA region, essentially the GCC countries,and 10 percent of global remittances are received byresidents of MENA countries. (World Bank, 2008) They have also explained a recent trend where MENAs share in remittances has come down significantly since the 1990s, at atime when remittances to India, China, Mexico, andthe Philippines have increased exponentially. Thus looking closely at these huge labor flows in the past it becomes important to ask here if immigrations are entirely conflict-driven flows. This is not the case if we look at the chart below where the share of refugees as a portion of Migrants has decreased dramatically. One of the primary factors favoring the increase in immigration still appears to be demographics. According to population projections from the United Nations in context with labor force participation rates, show that, if there is no migration then the labor force in GCC countries will keep growing at 2.2 percent per yearbetween 2005 and 2010, but after 2010, this growth rate will decline. Thus, without additional migrant workers, two GCC workers would still have to supportthree inactive persons over the foreseeable future. This shows that if there are no drastic changes then underlying demographic factors will continue to favor more migration. Integration through Capital Flows Two developments frame the context for recenttrends in capital markets in the MENA region: countriessuch as Syria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisiahave begun to deepen structural and institutionalreforms, increasing the demand for capital The oil boom has generated massive liquidity in theGulf states, thus increasing the supply of capital. Compared with conditions in previous oil boomperiods, a higher amount of the surplus is now availableto the oil-exporting MENA countries and is beingchanneled into project-based investments in the region.GCC countries have already allocated over$1.3 trillion in infrastructure and manufacturing investmentsover the next 5 years according to the EIU outlook for 2007 (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2007) On the other hand, Project-based investments have recently been increasingespecially in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, andTunisia. These intra-MENA investments are mostly basedon telecommunications, infrastructure, real estate,tourism, and banking. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency has list of multibillion-dollar investment projects in MENA which is getting longer. According to them some recent investment projects include: A$9 billion tourism project by Dubai Holding and Emaar Holding in Morocco, Kuwaits Telecom Group (Wataniya) expanding into Tunisia, DubaiHolding acquiring 33.5 percent of Tunis Telecom ($2.25 billion), and the Bukhater Groups $5 billion City Complex project in Tunisia. To date, there are 15MENA national investment promotion agencies,most of which were established in the past decade.New investments are facilitated by private groupsand finance houses, and governments are closelymonitoring reform indexes published by internationalagencies to analyze the effects of greater investments intra-region. (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, 2011) Integration through Infrastructure Investments In terms of Infrastructure investment recently, there have been cross-border infrastructure projects that are becoming more prominent in the region. Some of the examplesinclude cross-border electricity grids, gas pipelines,transport links, and telecommunication networks. However, there are still many regulatory and financial challenges.In the past, interconnection of power grids in theMENA region was primarily driven by governmentsconcerns about preserving power supply securityin their respective markets. On the other handother benefits,such as capital investments saving, are also considered,though these are not yet the main drivers fornetwork interconnection. The amount of exported and imported power still remains low in many cases. For instance reports from the World Bank show that only 12 percent of total capacity of theAlgeria-Morocco links is used, 17 percent in the case of the Algeria-Tunisia interconnection. (World Bank, 2011) With the exception of Yemen and Djibouti, transportsystems are well developed in MENA countries. Most countries have been able to develop extensiveroad networks, with high capacity in some areas, and modern facilities for air, sea, and railtransport. The key issue in the region is the quality of the transport assets as a result of the lack of appropriatemaintenance or of poor service operations due to institutional deficiencies. Cost-effectivetransport services, efficient facilitation, and transport infrastructure supplemented with good intermodalconnectivity are required to accommodate the growth in global and intraregional trade. However, regional integration initiatives still remain at an early stage of development in the transport sector.As a result of the closure of several borders in the region, land-based transport plays a minor role inintraregional trade in MENA. Conclusion In light of the recent developments and the challenges faced by the MENA region we can accurately see that there is still room for more substantial development in the region as a result of greater intra-regional economic region. Looking at results from the development of intra-regional trade and services we can see that the benefits outweigh the costs and it is important the reforms are taken at a governmental level to allow for greater de-regulation of markets and policies effecting trade flows between countries. Nevertheless, the recent oil boom and global commodity boom does leave tremendous room for development and growth in the region.

Geography of Environmental Injustice and Health Inequalities

Geography of Environmental Injustice and Health Inequalities Geography of Environmental Injustice and Health Inequalities in the Nigeria Abstract The unfair distribution of toxic wastes and other acute and chronic health hazards on vulnerable populations, which have contributed to negative health inequalities in less developing nations, such as been observed in Nigeria is term as global health inequalities. The link between environmental injustices, risks, and health inequalities has not been well established in Nigeria, in understanding its impact on futures health outcomes. The issue of environmental injustices and health inequalities is treated as a distinct issue from the problems associated with health, well-being and environmental sustainability. This research aims to understand health outcomes and its associated future health burden taken into consideration in the link between pursuing environmental injustice, and health inequalities in the oil producing region of Nigeria. Ultimately, examine the conceptual issues relating to environmental injustices, health inequalities, and non-communicable diseases that challenges the development of better future health outcomes programmes and planning for environmental justices in Nigeria. Introduction Global Environmental Injustices, is the unfair circulation of toxic wastes and other acute and chronic health hazards on vulnerable populations, which have contributed to negative health inequalities in less developing nations, such as been observed in Nigeria (Schroeder et al., 2008: 551; Roberts, 2007: 286; Adeola, 2000: 686, 2001:45) has been observed in Nigeria for over 50 years due to the exploration of crude oil. According to Roberts (1985), the industrialization of any region is greatly influenced by the presence of rich mineral deposits, resulting in the heavy industrialisation of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Niger Delta region is the location for most of the oil exploration activities in Nigeria, resulting in many people and companies attraction to the area. The migration flow and influence of the various companies has adverse impact on health outcomes. In addition, environmental risks such as oil spillage, gas flaring, and other wastes resulting from oil production polluting the environment could affect health and well-being on the residing communities (Nabofa, 2011). Another major cause for concern is the cumulative effect of the crude oil contents on the health and wellbeing of the people over a long period of time (Khursid et al., 2008). Ajayi et al., (2009), revealed in a study carried out on natural radioactivity and trace elements in crude oils implications for health, that Niger Delta oil, although, has low metallic contents; however, the cumulative effects of the radioactivity and metallic properties on health outcomes is alarming. Therefore, communities in the oil producing areas live with a lot of externally generated factors; resulting from additional pressure to highly stressful ways of living, leading to specific risk related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), for instance skin cancer and psychological disorders (Ilo, 1998; Loewenson, 1998; Kathari and Nababasing, 1996; Fuentes et al., 1994). According to Ana et al. (2010), It is apparent that populations living in highly industrialized communities such as Port Harcourt with higher environmental risk factors may be more vulnerable to pollution-related morbidities including a higher predisposition to cancers of the lung, skin. and eye. It is thus, apparent, that the major driver of environmental injustices is the activities of Multinational/Transnational Corporation engaged in the oil business. As the major revenue generation for the country, oil production had been followed by countless environmental problems, associated with other broad inequalities in livelihood, wealth, well-being, poverty; interactions and inequalities in the distribution of burden and responsibilities of the health outcomes. Statement of Problem Literature on environmental justice have emphasised that there is growing concern about the health outcomes associated with intensive oil and gas activities in many communities (Palinkas, et al.,1993) as well as concentration of these occurrences in poor communities (Gill, et al.,2011). The link between environmental injustices, risks, and health inequalities has been established internationally but in Nigeria, this link has not been established in understanding its impact on health outcomes. The issue of environmental injustices and health inequalities is treated as a distinct issue from the problems associated with health, well-being and environmental sustainability. Are the questions of health outcomes and its associated future health burden actually taken into consideration the link between environmental injustice, and health inequalities? Can Nigeria (Government, Multinational companies, and the communities) especially the oil producing region achieve health equity without promoting environmental justice and empowerment of the vulnerable population as a result of the burden of NCDs? These questions will be examined with conceptual issues relating to environmental injustices, health inequalities, and NCDs that challenges the method of developing better future health outcomes programmes and planning for environmental justices in Nigeria. Objective of the Study According to Pearce et al., (2010), One potential driver for the increasing geographical differences in health is the disparity in exposure to key characteristics of the physical environment that are either health promoting or health damaging. Thus, the objectives of the study are: to examine linkages between environmental injustices, health inequalities and health outcome; to study and understand the reasons for the prevalence increase in health inequalities and the consequences on the future especially in the Niger Delta region; to clarify conceptual issues relating to environmental justice and inequalities as it relates to Nigeria and to evaluate what considerable impact establishing the link will have on the goal of environmental justices. Justification of study The politics of oil in the Niger Delta region have promoted the lack of transparency and accountability throughout the region. There are inadequate environmental assessments on the impact of the oil industry on the health of the people. While NCDs rates of causing respiratory ailments, and other illnesses are increasing, the government do not want to fully acknowledge their contribution to these health outcomes. It is imperative to undertake a conceptual clarification of what environmental justice and health inequalities mean in the context of the oil producing communities in Nigeria within the theoretical framework of justice theory, and health inequalities. This will lead to a more imperatively comprehensive spatial distribution studies with a multi-disciplinary approach to identify health consequences within the oilÂÂ   and non-oil producing regions (Ogri, 2001: 20; Dung et al., 2008; Ana et al., 2009) so as to properly assess environmental health disparities through the use of Geospatial techniques. The research will contribute to literatures on the global environmental injustices and health inequalities and the growing need for environmental justices. In addition, understanding these linkages would assist regulators and operators in the oil producing regions to address questions of social and environmental justice; through suitable allocation of scarce resources for rapid response, distribution of cost and benefit and promote community level participation for sustainable development and better health outcome and well beings Time scale Schedule The first year will be devoted to the review of relevant literature, proposal writing, and fulfilling additional training requirements. Included in the first year is the initial generated data period (initial generated data period for the literature review and data collection). The second year will be for the actual fieldwork and the analysis of the data; the first six months will be used for data collection and the next six months for data analysis. The third will be devoted to writing up of the thesis. Methodology Study area The Niger Delta region of Nigeria, consist of 37 million inhabitants, constituting about 22% of Nigerias population (Aaron, 2005), with a population density of 265 per square km. it is made up of nine states with more than 1500 communities hosting several oil and gas companies. The oil and gas resources of the Niger Delta accounts for over 85% of Nigerias gross domestic product (GDP), over 95% of the national budget, and over 80% of the nations wealth (Forest, and Sousa, 2006). The region is home to the oil wealth that made Nigeria the highest producer of petroleum in Africa, and the sixth in the world (Yakubu, 2008). Methods Spatial clustering methods and Quantitative risk assessment methods will be used to explain the first and second objectives of this research. Spatial clustering methods will be used to make sense of the complex geographic pattern between the environmental risk and health records in this research. Knowing whether this pattern and cluster exist and where they are located will provide important information for policy formulation and health research (Cromley and McLafferty, 2002; Croner et al., 1992). To avoid the bias of latency and migration, that can present itself in the cause of the research, only information on long term residents in the communities will be used. The spatial distribution of environmental risks will be used to provide a means for determining communities likely to become susceptible to health inequalities and NCDs. For this assessment, communities in the area were treated as substitute for human population and settlement while land, vegetation and rivers were considered the medium of land use. The thiessen polygon will be developed in ArcGIS environment to demarcate boundaries of the communities (because there are no community boundary shapefiles available) and determine the number/different environmental risk sites in each thiessen polygon that represents a community. Quantitative risk assessment will be used to characterise the effects expected from the exposure to an environmental risk, estimating the probability of occurrence of health effects, while estimating the number of occurrence in the population and recommending acceptable concentration of the risk in the air, water or food (Hallenbeck, 1993) Overlaying cluster maps with other spatial maps will provide clues about the cause of disease, while identifying variations in health outcomes linked to differences in the physical and social environment. Clarification of conceptual issues, (the 3rd objective) will be achieved by discussing the results of the analysis carried out within the study and existing studies on environmental injustice and health inequalities to provide justification for the research. Data and Source Secondary data will be collected from published government statistics from the states that make up the sample communities such as maps, etc. Data were also collected from relevant government agencies such as the health board and teaching hospitals information, and local government and chieftaincy affairs. The data will majorly focus on the use of some selected indicators of development vital for health well-being and basic amenities needed to support effective living. The local government areas will serve as aerial units of analysis while the choices of socio-economic indices will be based on the appropriateness of the variables and the availability of the data covering all the LGAs in the study region. The selected indicators that cut across health include number of NCDs, hospitals; doctors; midwives; hospital beds/ 000 populations (2014 census). In addition, GPS data of all environmental risks sites from 1985-2015, will be acquired from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Nigeria (DPR, is the regulatory agency of oil and gas activities in Nigeria). The data were used to assess the environmental risks spatiotemporal distribution and determine exposure susceptibility in the areas. The datasets will contain information on geo-coordinates of individual risk sites, date of occurrence, date of survey and quantity of discharge. Analysis Spatial Analysis description for Average Nearest Neighbour Analysis, Getis-Ord General G tests for High and Low Cluster, and Cluster and Outlier Analysis will be performedin the study (see Appendix A). These spatial analyses were undertaken to measure the spatial pattern and relationship between risk that are spread over a given geographical region (Ebdon, 1985). It helps in assessing and determining the closeness and patterns of the environmental risks sites near settlements. The methods with generate geographical distribution, cluster and pattern analysis of environmental risk and spatio-temporal nature of the incidents. To examine the degree of deprivation among the local government areas in health variables, the Gini index descriptive statistical technique of date analysis was used. The Gini index of concentration examines the extent of concentration of each of the indicators among the local government areas. The Gini Coefficient ranges from zero to one, (0-1) with zero representing perfect equality, and 1 total inequality Intellectual and User Benefits The intellectual contribution of the study will be to enhance the understanding of the effects of socio-economic and cultural characteristics upon the spatial pattern of environmental injustice and health inequalities. The benefits of this research are a direct contribution to developing policy on health management strategy and planning for equality, environmental policy and its applications especially within vulnerable populations. For the researcher, there will be the academic benefits of doctoral research and training in health geography and the development of expertise in research methodology techniques. By working closely with interested parties, the researcher will gain insights into the relationships between academic research and the needs of users. Ethical considerations Full consent will be provided to all research participants with the full research disclosure and confidentiality according to the ethnical research procedure of the University of Edinburgh. Summary and conclusions As the major revenue generation for the country, oil production had been followed by countless environmental problems, associated with other broad inequalities in livelihood, wealth, well-being, poverty; interactions and inequalities in the distribution of burden and responsibilities of the health outcomes. The research aims to undertake a conceptual clarification of what environmental justice and health inequalities mean in the context of the oil producing communities in Nigeria within the theoretical framework of justice theory, and health inequalities. Leading to a more imperatively comprehensive spatial distribution studies with a multi-disciplinary approach to identify health consequences from the oil industry versus non-oil producing areas. Thus, properly assess environmental health disparities through the use of Geospatial techniques. The research will contribute to literatures on the global environmental injustices and health inequalities and the growing need for environmenta l justices. About me Right from my secondary school, Geography had been an extremely interesting field of study to me because of the vast range of topics involved and how it relates to every subject in one way or another, for instance, Health Geography and Public Health. Geography is the study of the world, and geographers proudly holds the keys to the worlds problems. These problems extend to, injustice, health, eco-systems, development, globalisation and natural disasters, all of which are areas which attract me. Geography has been essential for interpreting and solving the concerns of the world, and by furthering my geographical knowledge through the PhD studentship, it will enhance my ability to tackle the imminent problems relating to environmental injustice, crime, pollution. I have a particular interest in the human side of Geography and especially the topics of: health, medical, hazards and the environment. My interest in the PhD research which will covers processes functioning in time as well as space, linking health over the life course with processes of environmental change, human migration, human relations and length of exposures to different environmental risk factors. I am keen to explore the various spatial questions of how and why human health/environmental injustices varies from one area to another at the rate of population increase. I will be interested in examining how individual health- related practices and health outcomes relate to mans varying experience of physical and social environments and injustice. Dissemination The research outcome will be communicating with colleagues and your supervisors as well as with the wider community and, the funding body supporting your research. The dissemination activities include internal seminars, publications, conference presentations and exhibitions. References Aaron, K. (2005) Perspective: Big Oil, Rural Poverty, and Environmental Degradation in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 11, 127-134. http://dx.doi.org/10.13031/2013.18178 Adeola, F. (2000). Cross-National Environmental Injustice and Human Rights Issues: A Review of Evidence in the Developing World. American Behavioral Scientist, (43), 686-705. Adeola, F. (2001). Environmental Injustices and Human Rights Abuse: The States, MNCs, and Repression of Minority Groups in the World System. Human Ecology Review, 8(1), 39-59. Ajayi, T., Torto, N., Tchokossa, P., and Akinlua, A. (2009). Natural Radioactivity and Trace Elements in Crude Oils: Implication for health. Environ. Geochem. Health 31(1):61-69. Ana, G., Sridhar, M., and Asuzu, M. (2010) Environmental risk factors and hospital-based cancers in two Nigerian cities. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology Vol. 2(8), pp. 216-223. Ana, G., Sridhar, M., and Bamgboye, E. (2009). Environmental risk factors and health outcomes in selected communities of the Niger Delta area, Nigeria. Perspectives in Public Health, 129(4), 183-191. Cromley, E and McLafferty, S (2002). GIS and Public Health, Guilford Press. Croner, C., Pickle, L., wolf, D., and White, A. 1992. A GIS approach to hypothesis generation in epidemiology. In A. W Voss (Ed.), ASPRS/ACSM techinal papers, Vol 3. GIS and cartography (pp. 275-283). Washington, DC: ASPRS/ACSM DOI: 10.5897/JTEHS12.056 Dung, E., Bombom, L.; Agusomu, T. (2008). The effects of gas flaring on crops in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. GeoJournal, 73, 297-305. Ebdon, D. (1985) Statistics in Geography. 2nd Edition, Blackwell Publishing, Hoboken. Forest, J., and Sousa, M. (2006) Oil and Terrorism in the New Gulf: Framing U.S. Energy and Security Policies for the Gulf of Guinea. Lexington Books. Fuentes, A., Ehenreich, B., and Boston, M. (1994). Women in the Global Factory. Philadelphia: South End Press. Gill, D., Picou, J., and Ritchie, L. (2011) The Exxon Valdez and BP Oil Spills: A Comparison of Initial Social and Psychological Impacts. American Behavioral Scientist, 56, 3-23. Hallenbeck, W (1993). Quantitative risk assessment for environmental and occupational health (2nd ed.). Boca Raton. FL: Lewis. http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/ajp.150.10.1517 Ikporukpo, C. (2004). Petroleum, Fiscal Federalism and Environmental Justice in Nigeria. Space and Polity, 8(3), 321-354. International Labour Organization ILO (1998). Economic and Social Effects of Multinational Enterprises in Export Processing Zones. Geneva: ILO Kathari. U., Nababsing, V. (1996). Gender and Industrialization. Port Louis, Mauritius: Editous de I Ocean Indeen. Khursid, R., Sheikk, M., and Igbal, S. (2008). Health of People Working/Living in the Viccinity of an Oil-polluted beach, near Karachi, Pakistan. East Mediterr. Health J. 14(1):179-82. Loewenson R 1998. Assessment of the health impact on occupational risk in Africa. Current situation and methodological Issues. Epidemiology, 10(5): 632-639. Nabofa, O., and Suoke Onohwosafe, P. (2011) The Need for Environmental Epidemiological Studies in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria, Ethno Med, 5(3): 201-204 Odigie, O. (2012) Environmental Justice and Poverty Alleviation: Roadmap to Sustainable Development in Nigeria NIALS Journal of Law and Public Policy Vol. 1 NJLPP, pp. 152-180. Ogri, O.O. (2001). A review of the Nigerian petroleum industry and the associated environmental problems. The Environmentalist, 21, 11-21. Palinkas, L., Petterson, J., Russell, J. and Downs, M. (1993) Community Patterns of Psychiatric Disorders after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1517-1523. Pearce, J., Richardson, E., Mitchell, R., and Shortt, N. (2010). Environmental justice and health: the implications of the socio-spatial distribution of multiple environmental deprivation for health inequalities in the United Kingdom. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 35(4), 522-539. Roberts (1985). Biology: A Functional Approach. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd. Roberts, T. (2007). Globalizing Environmental Justice. Environmental Justice and Environmentalism: The Social Justice Challenge to the Environmental Movement, 285-321. Salako, A., Sholeye, O and Ayankoya, S. (2012) Oil spills and community health: Implications for resource limited settings. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences Vol. 4(9), pp. 145-150. Schroeder, R., St. Martin, K., Wilson, B., and Sen, D. (2008). Third World Environmental Justice. Society for Natural Resources, 21, 547-555. Yakubu, L. (2008) Nigeria Loses N5.8b Daily to Gas Flaring. The Guardian, 5th August Appendix A Average Nearest Neighbour: Getis-Ord Genral G Test: Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis (Global Morans I): Outlier Analysis:

Nazi Prosecution :: essays research papers fc

What has been achieved by prosecuting Nazis alleged to have committed crimes against the Jews? "While fighting for victory the German soldier will observe the rules for chivalrous warfare. Cruelties and senseless destruction are below his standard" , or so the commandment printed in every German Soldiers paybook would have us believe. Yet during the Second World War thousands of Jews were victims of war crimes committed by Nazi's, whose actions subverted the code of conduct they claimed to uphold and contravened legislation outlined in the Geneva Convention. It is this legislature that has paved the way for the Jewish community and political leaders to attempt to redress the Nazi's violation, by prosecuting individuals allegedly responsible. Convicting Nazi criminals is an implicit declaration by post-World War II society that the Nazi regime's extermination of over five million Jews won't go unnoticed. Many of the alleged Nazi war criminals that were captured had attempted to evade prosecution shortly before the end of the war. Some opted for suicide, rather than risk capture while others used the Austrian and German Underground offers of fake passports and other means of forged identification to assume a new identity . A choice opted for by many, that virtually guaranteed them a new life with remote chance of detection was to travel to the Anglo-American countries after immigration quotas were raised. Over 4000 Nazi criminals sought refuge in Australia . Many lied about their history to gain entry into their new home and proceeded to blend in, unnoticed by our government. They were no longer Nazi criminals but new citizens with a hidden past. Lists of suspected criminals were compiled and alleged perpetrators systematically captured and put to trial. In 1943, under Soviet leadership the first war crime trials were conducted, however the first trial to involve the Allied powers was the Nuremburg International Military Tribunal in 1945 . The International Military Tribunal (IMT), set out to prosecute 22 defendants comprising largely of the administration arm of the Third Reich . The American's initially wished to indict whole Nazi organisations for their crimes. This focus was soon altered to determine the accountability of particular individuals. The accused were tried under at least two of the following four headings devised for indictment. The first count was the "formulation of a common plan or conspiracy"; two, "crimes against peace (planning and waging a war of aggression

The Third Bank of the River Essay -- Third Bank of the River

The Third Bank of the River      Ã‚  Ã‚   Confusion, embarrassment, and guilt can all be found throughout Joà £o Guimarà £es Rosa's short story "The Third Bank of the River." Rosa forces the reader to analyze his words and delve deeply into the hidden meanings behind them. Upon first glance, a story unfolds of a father who seemingly abandons his family and chooses to live out the remainder of his life rowing a small boat back and forth along a river. There are circumstances leading up to this behavior, which new insight to the author's psychological meaning.    The story develops through the narration of one of the children in the family. His recollection of the days which lead to his father's absence brings a clear image of the family structure he knew when he was a child. The narrator describes his father as "dutiful, orderly," and "straightforward"(200). He is quick to point out, however, who has the final say in the household: "It was mother, not father, who ruled the house" (200). When the father decides to order a boat, made specifically for him, the mother "carriedon plenty about it" (200). When the boat arrives, the father says goodbye to all, and the children expect their mother to carry on about this, but her reaction is mixed. The effectiveness of her orders to her husband, "If you go away, stay away. Don't ever come back," is weakened as she bites her lip and turns very pale. Her authority is reduced further when her son follows his father to the river, feeling "bold and exhilarated" because he risks the wrath of his mother and wins (200). The child feels so vindicated by his rebellious actions that he asks to accompany his father in the boat. However, his father gestures to him to return, and r... ...the son, the father is nothing, and without the father, the son is nothing.    A riverbank can be found where two worlds, earth and water, connect. Any river will have two banks, one on either side of the water. Rosa has created a character who has found a "third bank on the river," a third way to separate land from the sea. This bank belongs to an entirely different world. Rosa has found a way for the father to exist, yet not exist, within the family. He is connected to his family and weighs heavily upon their minds even though he is a part of an entirely different world. He has discovered this link by establishing a "third bank of the river."    Work Cited Rosa, Joà £o Gumarà £es. "The Third Bank of the River." Trans. William Grossman. Angles of Vision. Ed. Arthur W. Biddle and Toby Fulwiler.   New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992. 200-203.

Era of Globalization

This century is an era of globalization and with the high technology and transformation. As of 2011, one-third of the 2.26 billion of the world's population are having internet access and this will be risen up to 40% by this year 2016 as projected by the Broadband Commission (Dron, J. ; Anderson, T., 2014:3). The development of technology today and the integration of this modern technology into the learning process lead to educational evaluation and enhancement (Ataie F. et.al, 2015:47). The impact of the technology in the education of today is not new in the education process. The internet and other related technologies bring information, research, and literature direct to the classroom (Fewkes A. M. ; McCabe M., 2012:93). Technology gives the students free access to information and resources twenty-four hours in seven days (24/7), that enables them to create multimedia content and share it with the world, and that allows them to participate in online social networks and communities where people from all over the world share ideas, collaborate, and learn new things (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). Most of the students today are defined by their reliance on social media, their technological multitasking capabilities, and their propensity toward all things new (Mills N., 2011:345).The social media has become an integral part of modern society (Web Designer Depot staff, 2009) and also known as Web 2.0 (Dewing M., 2010 ; Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T., 2011).). Social media are computer-mediated technologies that allow individuals, companies, NGOs, government, and other organization to view, create, and share information, ideas, career interests, and other form of expression via virtual communities and network (Wikipedia contributor, 2016). There are many kinds of social media, social networking (Facebook), micro blogging (Twitter), video sharing (YouTube), news aggregation (Google reader), social search (Google), and instant messaging (Yahoo! Messenger, Skype) (Zafarani, R., Abbasi, M. A., ; Liu, H., 2014). These social media tools produce information every day (Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T., 2011; Al-rahmi, W. M., Othman, M. S., Yusof, L. M., ; Musa, M. A., 2015:267) and provides collaboration learning process by looking at the contributions of other students in the collaborative working space and by reflecting on their own contributions as well (Hopkins B., 2016, Balakrishnan, V., 2016:36). Through social media the students are able to interact with one another, build a sense of community, develop content, as well as require students to be active in their own learning through participating, thinking, and contributing (Casey and Evans, 2011; Al-rahmi, W. M., Othman, M. S., Yusof, L. M., ; Musa, M. A., 2015:265). The students are able to upload their ideas in a social media sites and receive feedback from others (Balakrishnan V., 2016:35). Social media become both medium of formal and informal learning process (Balakrishnan V., 2016:35).Collaboration becomes easy because social media makes connection and interaction of one another easily anytime, anywhere and it provides the chance to understand individuals and human behavioral patterns (Zafarani R. et.al, 2014). Learning through social media with others, therefore, is an opportunity, Dron J. ; Anderson T., 2014:9). Facebook specifically can be considered as way of communication for learners to exchange information (Al-rahmi, W. M., Othman, M. S., Yusof, L. M., ; Musa, M. A. 2015:266). Facebook is a social networking service launched on February 4, 2004 and was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. He founded Facebook while studying psychology at Harvard University (Phillips, S., 2005). Facebook has gained extreme popularity among the internet users over the past few years. This social network was intended for personal communication among individuals yet today many other organizations use it for their advantage (Alhomod, S. M., ; Shafi, M. M., 2012:52). In the first quarter of 2015 Facebook revealed that it had more than 1.44 billion monthly active users (up 13 percent year-over-year). Of those, 1.25 billion were mobile users; an increase of 24 percent year over year (Protalinski, E., 2015). Facebook was the first social network to surpass 1 billion registered accounts and currently sits at 1.59 billion monthly active users (Statista site, 2016). As of the fourth quarter of 2015, Facebook had 1.59 billion monthly active users. In the third quarter of 2012, the number of active Facebook users had surpassed 1 billion (Statista site, 2016). Mostly, people use Facebook for chatting, for sharing photos, for posting videos, for staying in touch and sharing personal news, plan meetings and get-together, do homework and business to gethers, find and contact long-lost friends and relatives (Collier, A., ; Magid, L., 2010:2). For the young users, they use Facebook for day-to-day news about their friends, acquaintances, relatives, and peer groups, collaborating on school work, validation or emotional support, self-expression and the identity exploration and formation that occurs in adolescent development (Collier, A., ; Magid, L., 2010:2). There are a lot of studies already conducted to know the connection between Facebook and educational process and these studies have established that Facebook can act as a tool of communication in the modern educational system (Alhomod, S. M., ; Shafi, M. M., 2012:52). Facebook, as social network, provides positive impacts in the educational sector. It creates a group or network, builds educational, integrates into current educational tools, and develops an educational application, shares topic information with other users of the Facebook (Alhomod, S. M., ; Shafi, M. M., 2012:53).A recent study of the attitudes of 107 students toward Facebook provides some insights and this study found out that Facebook was preferred over eLearning Commons as a classroom supplement. Many of the students were already familiar with Facebook, used it frequently and found it easy to navigate (Barczyk, C.C. ; Duncan, D.G., 2013:2). This means that one contribution of Facebook in the educational system is it serves as the source of knowledge and information outside the classroom where formal education process is done. Furthermore, the study provided that if used appropriately, Facebook may help to increase student engagement by cultivating classroom community and stimulating intellectual discourse, (Barczyk, C.C. ; Duncan, D.G., 2013:2). This means that Facebook can be used effectively for academic discussions (Barczyk, C.C. ; Duncan, D.G., 2013:2).Facebook enhances the learning process. This is the reason why most Facebook widely used by college students and colleges. As we mentioned already, the students can upload videos, pictures, post to bulletin boards, and participate in communication via e-mail and instant messaging (Toland, R., 2013:41). Then Facebook is a social network that connects students with other students and creating an indirectly learning community which is vital components of educational process (Toland, R., 2013:41). Finally, Facebook can be used as learning tool to develop cognitive learning skills of the students (Toland, R., 2013:41). How does collaboration happened in social media, in Facebook to be specific? According to Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T. (2011) collaboration in social media involves academic research cycle, namely:Identification of knowledge,Creation of knowledge,Quality assurance of knowledge, and  Dissemination of knowledge.Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T. (2011) defined collaboration as the work of all the people who might be involved in research including researchers, librarians, funders and the general public. Identification of information in social media is possible because of the connection with other people. Information also can be obtained through comments coming from the people you are connected through social media. Creation of knowledge is possible in social media through share ideas and/or advices coming from learned individual. Quality assurance of knowledge in social media is possible because of peer scrutiny and/or peer review. Dissemination of knowledge involves communication and/or engaging with the public and discussing related controversial issues.

Onus of Ethical Lapses Lies on Business Schools

construct Paper Seminars in HRM Final catch Bushra Fatima, MBA 2k8 13 May, 2010 th Bushra Fatima, NUST disdain School, 2010 2 Ethical Lapses in agate incepti mavins Onus lies on B Schools? I joined NUST by adopt School ii geezerhood bear come forth, later on I did my engine room form. The logical premise, I gave to advantageously(p)ify my choice to enter a transmission line instructho intent was non that I was fadate ab break(predicate) exacting demarcation administration in solely focusingsing, b atomic public figure 18ly was the special(prenominal) that the MBA is a good add-on to my degree, ensuring break up and well construct a bun in the ovening cargoner options in the presbyopic run.In my outwit back then, a profession schoolho put on was meant to travail go forth pluckrs, interchange competent so some medical and engineering schools that churn out doctors and engineers. By the end of my consider-go semester of MBA, my erudition was change overd. Getting an MBA doesnt lead you a manager. Management is to a greater extent(prenominal) than of a pr accomplishmentice, something that c tot whollyy for to be d iodin immaterial the beneficial environment of none school. According to angiotensin-converting enzyme of my professors Its like swimming you female genitalianot choose it by sitting cozy in an air-conditi sensationd schoolroom listening to the talking.How of all time, like approximately tradings you need to eyeshot the guess tooshie the practice. Hence, the case with belief morals in condescension schools and the tariff of the institute to in legato honor suitable pass judgment in the disciples is altercated. Business deal act in wrong ways when they conk evaluating the risk and rewards of existence a lesson person. Business school should t to each one that scotchal analysis is only helperful and worthy when all of the options macrocosmness considered ar virtuously cor rect.Aristotle believed ethics was more than however acquaintance a pock of rules. Ethics was a way of accompaniment. One sticks a lute symboli run throughr by philandering the lute, one becomes a ramp uper by structure likewise, one becomes adventuresome by doing courageous acts (a virtue for Aristotle) Before I fox the railway line schools prudent for the good lapses that betide in the run earth, let us delve into some authorizedity check. quite a little ethics be taught? Studies show that MBA alters how assimilators view occupationes and their social occasions and responsibilities as managers.Students nonplus in their ethics and moral set which whitethorn be sullen to transform all together simply a slight change in em em turn outmentments may be infused in them during the course of study. However, in time if the bookman learns free theory associated with ethics, thither is no batten down that what he does outside the class would be in conforma nce with what he has learnt in class. Unless, the class learning is supported by a value structure of the learners environment on campus and at home, a message of double standards is sent.That brings me to what the learner really learns in the argument school and what is wildnesse upon during his tenure there. When a school-age child is taught about lead for object lesson, the stress is on crinkle leaders crystalize in depots of wealth and structure multibillion dollar enterp jump ons rather than what they bewilder contributed to the nightclub or what change they perplex drive for the betterment of gentlemans gentlemanity. The wrinkle schools tend to fork up a myopic view of achiever and leadership to the students equating achiever with pecuniary constitute hence monetization of the sentiment of leadership.A profitable enterprise gibe to the business schools argon ones which make ups towards change magnitude mindless term monetary gains for the shargonh old kind of of emphasizing on sustainable crop and deriveing all s mystifyholders in long term. Thus, indoctrination of money mindedness in through with(p) to the achievement of poisoning the unexampled mind to speak up ethics as old school philosophy which stands in the way of achievement. boilers suit business schools convey a pestilent but lethal message of privilege. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 3The business school command methodology that puts too much emphasis on case study schema blesss a false confidence to the student that he gos how to solve real bread and butter problems. He is encouraged to make use of the economic models without taking into account the miscellany of problems and issues that may arise as a result of those decisions. The application of the cognition is swayn as a means to a definite end without enabling him to do full of life analysis. He is taught how to solve problems but he is not taught entail about the side effects of his decisions.The cases highlight achievement stories and emphasize on numerical and monetary aspects without focalisation much on the nitty mettlesome gentleistic detail. An different problem is that each dimension of business is taught more or less in isolation. The marketing good deal emphasize on marketing aspects, the finance mountain emphasize on the financials and the benevolent election stack see things with their own colored glass thus isolating the student from the intricate details of implications resulting from their skewed decisions.The ethics aspect in approximately case discussions is never emphasized and students ar seldom told what not to do. It is great for the students to come up with smart solutions and strategies and they should be able to state their financial viability but nobody oral sexs the ethical viability. For many students ethics equals to averages. Norms they say is how things are siree commonly which drive out mean that deal f aeces thoify their actions just because it is largely acceptable. This leads us to the bandwagon and group think mentality which exists among students. As a smart set we ladder collectively.So if it is socially acceptable to bribe, people are going to do it without nousing religion of the action. Business schools, or for that matter any school of learning is responsible to bring a change in the bm of blind followership and enable deprecative persuasion thus, contributing to evolution of societies. We live in an ethically dys fital society. We dont tutor our children to be responsible citizens quite we emphasize on competing and being the best. We get wind children that its a jungle out there where survival is that of the fittest.When it comes to making a career choice, we impose that career is one which receives a better return on the money institutionalizeed on education thus, forcing them to take up careers not out of passion but out of economic need. This beastly round which starts at home makes young minds believe that being happy is similar to how much money somebody makes. The educational system alike reiterates the same fact, when children are divided into art and science group, on the basis of the grades they get. Aptitude and intelligence is quantified by how much marks a s have gotr gets.If somebody is in a profession such(prenominal) as pedagogics it is on a lower floorvalued, because it pays less, and is oftentimes the perception that somebody who is a too-ran otherwise, ends up teaching. Little emphasis is situated on how one hatful benefit the society by adopting a trustworthy profession same is the case with people going to business schools. Business school students are there to benefit themselves. with their induction systems business schools hunt for the overtly ambitious, people who are aggressive and who test to reach the moderate at all tolls.People who once out of the morose and fierce system seek agile advantage and try to win plant of importance in top of the bourn firms. While business schools have excelled at producing grades that demonstrate competence in engineering investment products base on conglomerate mathematical models and implementing students exceptional ability at marketing and optimizing productiveness, little has been done to illume the Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 4 student as to how to use his/her acquired bright virtues in a manner which promotes morality.Although students leave the university environment excelling with intellectual choices, there is no attempt being make to demonstrate how these attributes can be used to habituate excellence of character. Business schools tend to minimize their responsibility to inculcate students with a sense of moral financial obligation or a proclivity towards the credit line of moral excellence. I am not saying that being ambitious is wrong. person who is taking up MBA is supposed to be ambitious but that ambition tally into raw edacity is dangerous.The lust for victory and narrow selfish gain is when a person is forced to resort to unethical manner. The economic models taught at roughly business schools take out the sympatheticistic member and talk about bottom line and how important is it to achieve that. It infuses a dog-eat-dog attitude among students. Altruism and social responsibility is ridiculed and called well-to-do aspects and are often ignored. The responsibility of business schools starts from the induction process of candidates.They need to survey that people they are lining up to take up positions of power are ethically sound people and are bent on doing good for all the stakeholders preferably of just making money and fame for themselves. Ethical value should be made trigger of the selection criteria and should have more weightage than brilliant academic credentials and qualifications. This is under the premise that you cannot transform ethical se t of a person by teaching him ethics in classroom. So this is a better way to take out the bad eggs in the low place.The selection committee should see that the student is allowing to excogitate for the betterment of the society and this should reflect on his profile as part of his credentials. too the candidates reference checks should be made and the training given on his profile should be verified in browse to make a correct character assessment. However, make up if the corrective system is in place it doesnt run across hundred pct that ethical lapses wont happen. As long as there is bigger personal stake involved, unethical practices leave alone take place.One would always question what is in it for them to act ethical, when the bigger gain and recognition goes to someone who cut corners and got outside(a) with it. The importance of teaching ethics cannot be ignored as it makes us question e truly actions ethical validity. However, the responsibility of business school s is not just to preach ethics in the classroom but to infuse ethics at all directs and balancing the values taught with values practiced. The predominant belief of innocent until be guilty gives a chance to students to play around with the system and to get away with questionable behavior.Cheating for that matter is a tolerable action until you are caught. The contention is so tough that students tend to use all means whether fair or unfair to get good grades. For them, ethical are all those actions for which they dont end up punished. The business schools like any other master trigger should have a Hippocratic professional code of conduct and anybody found to be going against it should be made to pay by dismissal from the profession altogether. In Pakistan where corruption has become a average an element of change is needed and business schools can play their image in this regard.Top dent business schools should have the power to scrap the degree of those graduates who get involved in unethical behavior such as our ex-prime minister who was an IBA graduate and was alleged of being involved in money laundering. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 5 The political program in the business schools should not teach ethics as an isolated course, thinking on philosophy, which end up making the young minds more confused. Rather, ethics should be order to instruct students to make ethically sound decisions establish on coherent thought measuring the implications in the real world.Students should be aware of the examples of those who did not accede with ethics and ended up losing everything including their composition so that they know the dire consequences and think twice in the first place engaging in questionable behavior. The system class for example should teach the students not just to build a strategic direction of the connection in order to maximize little(a) term profits but likewise to make choices which go hand in hand with companys v alues that can guide their overall socialisation on the basis of which sustainable growth of an enterprise is achieved.The curriculum in business schools should be such that it encourages out of the incase thinking instead of limiting and snug the thought to achieving profits that are investor and company centric. Courses should enable formulaing at the bigger picture, looking at not short term gains but long term implications on economic, valet and environmental instruction. The objective of business studies should not be just to prepare students to excel in the prevalent business world but also to find faults in it and try to originate the system for the better.Business students should be able to criticize business models viability, they should be able to challenge the staple fiber as totalityptions and redesign and re-engineer theories, which in the first place are responsible for the current economic crisis faced by instantlys world. The business school curriculum shou ld compass courses that ignite students creativeness and encourage him to innovate and come up with viable solutions which benefit the society. Projects with focus on solving global problems such as energy crises or greener planet should be encouraged, as they infuse a life sentence of global leadership which is meant to bring a corroboratory change.For a developing state like Pakistan such a focus is imperative as we have been a victim of the capitalist mind set in which the wealthy have become wealthier and the poor have become poorer. We are a debt ridden country and sustainable development is answer to all our problems. So, the top notch business schools are responsible to give back leaders who are rivet on creating wealth not just for themselves but create an opportunity of living a better life for millions.To sum it all, the burden of responsibility of ethical lapses of business leaders lie on business schools as the system somewhat creates an unharnessed greed for perso nal succeeder. This needs to be controlled through and through redesigning the curriculum and the existing environment, which teaches them to be responsible and creates ethically sound leaders instead of shrewd businessmen. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 6 MBA In Spirit The MBA is meant to be a holistic degree one which infuses analytical ability, provides a sound ground of hard-nosed fellowship on basis of which decisions can be made.The two year MBA program is challenge and loaded which does not only infuses a spirit of competition in the student but teaches him to collaborate and work in teams to get greater success. The program is meant to machinate a students leadership qualities and gives him courage and knowledge to pursue his ambitions. The MBA is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. It is a degree knowing to give you the ability to develop your career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace. What will you get out of an MBA?Aside from a d ecent life experience, the MBA degree should supply common chord main value propositions Skills, Networks, and Brand. Skills These include the hard skills of economics, finance, marketing, operations, trouble, and accounting, as well as the aristocratic skills of leadership, teamwork, ethics, and communication that are so critical for in effect(p) vigilance. MBA students acquire these skills inside and outside the classroom. Since MBA programs attract people from very various industries and coatings, a program should be able to leverage these differences and translate them into learning opportunities.Networks An MBA degree program offers admission price to a profit of MBA students, alumni, aptitude, and business and community leaders. This network can be very useful when reference a job search, developing a career path, building business relationships in your current career, or pursuing expertness outside your current field. For example, entrepreneurs need access to capita l, business partners, vendors, and clients. Artsrelated businesses need access to financial support and strategic heed in order to position themselves to be relevant in the marketplace.Global businesses need access to local anaesthetic business purifications as they expand their enterprises to bare-assed territories. Brand The MBA degree is a acknowledge brand that signifies solicitude and leadership training. The particular school and type of MBA program you flow also have brand associations that can help open doors based on the schools reputation. The strength of a schools brand is based on the programs history, its ability to provide students with adept skills and opportunities for personal growth, and the reach of its alumni and industry network.A powerful brand can give you the flexibility to make changes throughout your career. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 7 Concluding Note I believe that MBA should not have specializations in it. It should be a holistic degree in every sense book binding courses critical in making presidencyal strategies. There should be emphasis on leadership and ethical practices. The intent of MBA should be to give the student confidence and help him in career growth. Critical abbreviation of gentlemans gentleman Resource Management Its a cliche for organizations in immediatelys groundbreakinge high mental process corporate world to say that people are our greatest assets.But today the importance of it is all the more accepted. charitable capital is a emulous usefulness that competitors cannot imitate. So, tender-hearted being choice centering and the practices associated with it have become accepted by managers in all forms of organizations as one of the most important strategic levers to ensure keep success. The Origins Traditionally known as force guidance, was largely an outcome of change magnitude government regulations regarding employment conditions, discrimination, employments right s, health and safe concerns etc.In many organizations today, this older depression of force play administration still holds sway with its emphasis on rules and regulation. The modern concept of human pick commission finds its roots in the 19th and twentieth century by the end of the industrial revolution in United States. The feel of employee wel furthermoste came into light when managers started to face issues with work force control mainly ascribable to influx of immigrants in the workforce. During this time methods of workforce control were devised and F. W. Taylor came up with the concept of scientific way.Later Henry Ford use this concept in his automotive factory. He also came up with the first ever employee welfare plane section which ensured that no part of employees life effected his/her productivity in the workplace. However the methods were more force play control oriented. By the 1960s, the flavor of forcefulness concern had become well- open with a number of candid areas of responsibility attached to it including filling and recruitment Training and development get and conditions Industrial relations Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 8 Employee welfare Occupational health and safety. In the 1980s, the concept of human mental imagery anxiety began to gain ground. At the root of the young thinking about the counsel of people in organizations was the perception of the increasing fight of the global economy. The success of large Nipponese corporations in export markets for traditional occidental sandwich products such as cars and electronic goods in the 1970s and 80s took many western corporations by surprise. Studies of Japanese corporations emphasized the importance of effective people management in the competitive strategies of these organizations.The studies showed that Japanese employers performed far better than their western competitors in terms of labor productivity and in process foundation garment. The k ey to this success lay in the human resource management practices adopted by Japanese corporations such as Toyota and Matsushita. These practices became evident in western countries as Japanese corporations established manufacturing plants throughout Europe and North America. The human resource management practices which had been so successful in Japan were transplanted with great success to these overseas transplants.The practices included Strict and rigorous selection and recruitment High level of training, especially induction training and on the job training Team works Multi-skilling Better management-worker communications Use of tint circles and an emphasis on right first time quality Encouragement of employee suggestions and innovation Single status symbols such as common canteens and corporate uniforms. The integration of these human resource management practices was to create an organizational culture that allowed workers to identify their own success with that of t he corporation.Thus, organizational or corporate culture became an important element in mind the competitive success of firms and was a major theme of management thinking in the early 1980s. These new human resource management practices and the emphasis on the being and maintenance of corporate culture stood in sharp contrast to the regulatory view of personnel management that had emerged in the mid-20th century. In fact, many of the new practices were not seen as the exclusive country of the human resource manager but were viewed as the responsibility of line managers in organizations. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 The objurgation Although the roots of human resource management might be relatively clear historically, the term itself and the meaning of human resource management has been the subject of fierce reason amongst practitioners, academics and commentators since its emergence in the early 1990s. close to have simply substituted the term human resource mana gement for personnel management and claimed that everything has remained the same. In some cases, this can be seen in the migration of job statute titles that took place in the last decade as the title of human resource manager has replaced that of personnel manager.Others have argued that human resource management represents a fundamentally new way of managing people at work that goes well beyond the old functional tactual sensation of personnel management and emphasizes the creation of a culture in the workplace that harnesses the commission of individuals to the organization. Yet others, exasperated with the endless definitional controversy that seems to surround human resource management, have argued that it is simply an illusion, a hologram behind which we may see many techniques and practices in operation but which is essentially primed(p) by the observer.However, the notion of employee commitness is one which appears to be intact to many of the models and theories of h uman resource management that have appeared. This notion of harnessing the commitment of employees in organizations was first furnish strongly by Walton (1985) who described how modern organizations were moving their management styles from one based on control, to one based on commitment. Human resource management understandably encompasses the older regulatory hangovers, but goes much further in embracing the management of change, job design, socialization and appraisal as the key levers to achieve organizational success. ultramodern Human Resource Management The aims of human resource management today are not just integration with the business scheme of the organization, employee commitment, flexibility and quality, but takes commitment as a major integral element. Human resource management is a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly connected and capable workforce using an take of f of cultural, structural and personnel techniques. The main assumptions underlying the modern concept of human resource management shows how much the concept has progressed from the ld notion of personnel management. Firstly, human resource management is clearly not simply the province of the human resource manager. Line managers play a critical role in human resource management and, in fact, could be argued to be the main Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 10 organizational exponents of people management. Secondly, human resource management is firmly insert in business strategy. Unlike the personnel manager, the HR manager is part of the top level strategic team in the organization and human resource management plays a key role in the achievement of business success.Thirdly, the shaping of organizational culture is one of the major levers by which effective human resource management can achieve its objectives of a committed workforce. Thus, human resource management is t ouch on not only with the formal processes of the management of people but also with all the ways in which the organizational culture is established, re-enforced and transmitted. Challenges faced by HR as a Profession The sense that HR is somehow failing to deliver is a central theme in the writings of a number of influential American writers.Jeffrey Pfeiffer (1997), for example, writing about the future day of Human Resource Management, suggests that it would be wrong to cerebrate that the growing avocation in HR and Human Resource Management inescapably means that the future of the HR function (in its departmental form) is bright My advice is to resist the lure to believe that HR managers and staff in organizations have a rosy future or a future at all, because there are some turbid problems facing human resources as a function within organizations, as contrasted with the study of human resources as a case area that makes its viability and continued survival problematical. What has emerged so far in this critical attitude on HR is that many of the activities that HR professionals interest in appear not to be valued by managers and employees. This is because there is either no evidence that the activities in truth achieve things that matter or because it is very difficult to prove that what HR does rattling results in improvements in behavior and performance.If the latter(prenominal) is the reason, then the task of HR is to look carefully at the way in which it measures and evaluates effectiveness if the problem is more to do with what HR does and how it carries out these activities, then the challenge it faces is more fundamental. The HR function is mainly criticized to be an accomplice in trends such as downsizing and contingent work arrangements that are often blamed to reverse much of the progress made in managing employee relationships in the past several decades. as well HR professionals are accused of wake lack of leadership in demonstra ting the business impact of managing people effectively.Writers such as David Ulrich have suggested redefining HR role not by what it does but by what it delivers results that ameliorate the organizations value to customers, investors and employees. The tetrad key roles that HR professionals need to play to deliver the contributions are as follows ? A partner in strategy work This doesnt mean that HR should take responsibility for HR and business strategy, which is justifiedly the domain of the chief executive, but that the headword Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 11 of the HR department should be an equal partner with other senior managers and should have a do-nothing at the top table. An administrative expert This is about getting the rudiments right and adopting a much more instrumental approach to the use of procedures. The emphasis needs to be on the skill of the HR department reducing its cost base and speeding up its cycle times, without compromising on qua lity or effectiveness ? An employee champion This is about HR recognizing that work intensification and an increased sense of peril are becoming the new truthfulness for many people and that this is associated with weakened levels of employee commitment.This, in turn, affects the preparedness of employees to contribute more than their contract level of effort and performance. The role of HR here is to ensure that employees remain engage and committed, or become re-engaged, either instanter through the activities of HR or by HR working with line managers to ensure that they can create a positive psychological and emotional working environment. ? A change agent According to Ulrich (1997), this role involves HR in building the organizations capacity to embrace and to benefit on change.Given that change is the norm for most organizations, the ability to implement and manage the change process is seen as critical to the organizations ability to function during the change process and to reap the benefits from the changes that have been made. Reducing resistance to change is seen as a key HR contribution. Gaps mingled with HR Academics & Practice Theres an incontestable go between whats happening in critical seek and whats happening in the world of practitioner.However, theres consensus among academics and research-savvy HR professionals, that HR managers who follow evidence-based principles are best positioned to optimize the success of their organizations. Still, most HR professionals have little time, interest or tolerance for reading researches. Practitioners focus on solving problems and getting tasks done in time- and pressure-packed settings. Academics explore, contemplate and pursue research that can take three years or more before culminating in a journal article. HR practitioners dont care about the theory behind the practices.They dont care why processes, tests, or other instruments or procedures work, just that they do. If corrosion plaid instea d of polka dots on Tuesdays increases retention, theyll do it. According to a business school professor, People motivation to Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 12 see cost-benefit analyses before they implement. Its not enough to know integrated interviews will give you better-quality people. Practitioners want to see how it affects the bottom line. Research and academic findings may not always have cover outcomes.For practitioners ambiguity doesnt help. They want concrete solutions supported with business outcomes something translated into profits, often lacking in HR research. Academics tend to be interested in different subjects than practitioners. For practitioners, those subjects may be too theoretical or too esoteric, or may not be a need-to-know priority. But for academics, whose careers rise or fall on their success at achieving tenure and promotion, the topics are influenced by what the academic reward structure requires. blot lies with HR curriculums. HR curric ulums should develop the cleverness in all HR professionals to know what is and is not a scientifically based finding or conclusion. We need to take stock our curriculums to make sure students are being taught to appreciate the importance of evidence-based management and the role of research in advancing HR. That requires raw material understanding of math and statistics. Most undergraduate business and industrial psychology curriculums trace at least one course in statistics, and some observers say that should suffice.In recent years, faculty members have been antipathetic to add more quantitative requirements to HR curriculums for fear of losing students. According to my observations most people choose HR because they are math-phobic. Also there is little emphasis on doing research and supporting it quantitatively. In most MBA programs graduate students are not being asked to do research or even read it. When I asked an MBA student his evidence of view about research, he ve rbalize MBA students dont like reading research, so instead students are just discussing cases and practicing being a leader. The HR curriculum should be knowing in a way that forces students to engage in consulting. Thus, forcing them to connect the taught courses with field knowledge and enabling them to do hands on research and get comfortable with statistics. This will force them to do analysis and make interpretations. Academics who moonlight as consultants are more likely to relate to the realities of the workplace. Encourage faculty and practitioners to develop and partner in research. put together conferences or thinktank sessions that bring them together. Encourage exchanges. louse up attendance does occur, but not in enough numbers to create a shared comfort zone. Businesspeople should also cooperate with researchers to enhance body of knowledge and include practical aspects rather than unworkable theories. Another way to increase practical knowledge base is to support sponsored research. Corporations should invest in academics doing research that practitioners need. Experts agree that utilise research should meet three criteria. It should be ? ? ? Rigorousconducted scientifically so the results can be validated and replicated.Relevantdirected at learning more about, furthering or solving some HR-related problem. Readable amicable to practitioners who stand to benefit. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 13 expiration As a profession HR needs to defend its value by aligning itself with organizations strategy and focus on achieving business strategy instead of just working as a support function. The HR academia suffers in terms of creating practical value because of its lack of collaboration with HR practitioners. The two can benefit each other and enhance body of knowledge which is far better applicable in real work environments.