Psychology Notes Essay

1) Four big ideas in psychology: a. Critical thinking is smart thinking b. Behavior is a bio psychosocial event c. We operate with a two-track mind (Dual processing) d. Psychology explores human strengths as well as challenges 2) Why do psychology? e. The limits of intuition and common sense i. Enough to bring forth answers regarding human nature. ii. May aid queries, but are not free of error. iii. Hindsight Bias: the â€Å"I-knew-it-all-along† phenomenon. 1. After learning the outcome of an event, many people believe they could have predicted that very outcome. iv. Overconfidence: thinking you know more than what you actually know. f. The scientific attitude v. Composed of curiosity, skepticism, and humility. vi. Curiosity: passion for exploration. vii. Skepticism: doubting and questioning. viii. Humility: ability to accept responsibility when wrong. g. The science of psychology helps make these examined conclusions, which leads to our understanding of how people feel, think, and act as they do. 3) How do psychologists ask and answer questions? h. The scientific method ix. Construct theories that organize, summarize and simplify observations. x. Theory: an explanation that integrates principles and organizes and predicts behavior or events. (Example: low self-esteem contributes to depression). xi. Hypothesis: a testable prediction, often promoted by a theory, to enable us to accept, reject or revise the theory. (Example: people with low self-esteem are apt to feel more depressed). xii. Research: to administer tests of self-esteem and depression. (Example: people who score low on a self-esteem test and high on a depression test would confirm the hypothesis). i. Description xiii. Basic purpose: to observe and record behavior. xiv. How conducted: do case studies, surveys, or naturalistic observations. xv. Weaknesses: No control of variables; single cases may be misleading. xvi. Case Study: a technique in which one person is studied in depth to reveal underlying behavioral principles. xvii. Survey: a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes, opinions or behaviors of people usually done by questioning a representative, random sample of people. xviii. Wording can change the results of a survey xix. Random Sampling: when each member of a population has an equal chance of inclusions into a sample (unbiased). 2. If the survey sample is biased, its results are not valid. xx. Naturalistic Observation: observing and recording the behavior of animals in the wild and recording self-seating patterns in a multiracial school lunchroom constitute naturalistic observation. j. Correlation xxi. Basic purpose: to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how well one variable predicts another. xxii. How conducted: compute statistical association, sometimes among survey responses. xxiii. Weaknesses: does not specify cause and effect. xxiv. When one trait or behavior accompanies another. xxv. Correlation Coefficient: a statistical measure of the relationship between two variables. 3. Example: R = + 0.37 a. R is the correlation coefficient b. + is the direction of relationship (either + or – ) c. 0.37 indicates the strength of relationship xxvi. Correlation DOES NOT mean causation. 4. Examples: d. Low self-esteem could cause depression e. Depression could cause low self-esteem f. Distressing events or biological predisposition could cause low self-esteem and depression. xxvii. Illusory Correlation: the perception of a relationship where no relationship actually exists. (Example: parents conceive children after adoption). xxviii. Order in Random Events: 5. Given random data, we look for order and meaningful patterns. 6. Given large numbers of random outcomes, a few are likely to express order. k. Experimentation xxix. Basic purpose: to explore cause and effect. xxx. How conducted: manipulate one or more factors; use random assignment. xxxi. What is manipulated: the independent variable(s). xxxii. Weaknesses: sometimes not feasible; results may not generalize to other contexts; not ethical to manipulate certain variables. xxxiii. The backbone of psychological research 7. Effects generated by manipulated factors isolate cause and effect relationships. xxxiv. Double-blind Procedure: in evaluating drug therapies, patients and experimenter’s assistants should remain unaware of which patients had the real treatment and which patients had the placebo treatment. xxxv. Random Assignment: assigning participants to experimental and control conditions, by random assignment, minimizes pre-existing differences between the two groups. xxxvi. Independent Variable: a factor manipulated by the experimenter. 8. The effect of the independent variable is the focus of the study 9. Example: when examining the effects of breast-feeding upon intelligence, breast-feeding is the independent variable. xxxvii. Dependent Variable: a factor that may change in response to an independent variable. 10. Usually a behavior or a mental process. 11. Example: in the study of the effect of breast-feeding upon intelligence, intelligence is the dependent variable. 4) Aristotle l. 384-322 B.C. m. Naturalist and philosopher n. Theorized about psychology’s concepts o. Suggested that the soul and body are not separate and that knowledge grows from experience. p. â€Å"The soul is not separable from the body, and the same holds good of particular parts of the soul.† -Aristotle 5) Wundt q. 1832-1920 r. Studied the â€Å"atoms of the mind† s. Experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in 1879, which is considered the birth of psychology. 6) William James t. 1842-1910 u. American philosopher v. Wrote psychology textbook in 1890 w. James’s student, Mary Calkins, became the APA’s first female president xxxviii. She was not able to attain her PhD from Harvard. 7) Sigmund Freud x. 1856-1939 y. Austrian physician z. Emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior. 8) Psychology {. Originated in many disciplines and countries |. Defined as the science of mental life until the 1920s. }. 1920-1960: psychology was heavily oriented towards behaviorism. ~. Psychology: the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. 9) Pavlov, Watson and Skinner . Watson: 1878-1958 . Skinner: 1904-1990 . Emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology instead of mind or mental thoughts. . â€Å"Anything seems commonplace, once explained.† -Watson 10) Maslow and Rogers . Maslow: 1908-1970 . Rogers: 1902-1987 . Emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance. 11) The American Psychological Association (APA) . The largest organization of psychology . 160,000 members world-wide . Followed by the British Psychological Society with 34,000 members. 12) Current perspectives . Neuroscience: how the body and brain enables emotions xxxix. How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? . Evolutionary: how the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation on one’s genes. xl. How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? . Behavior genetics: how much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences xli. To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression attributable to our genes? To our environment? . Psychodynamic: how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts. xlii. How can someone’s personality traits and disorders be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives or as disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas? . Behavioral: how we learn observable responses. xliii. How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking? . Cognitive: how we encode, process, store and retrieve information xliv. How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? . Social-cultural: how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. xlv. How are we- as Africans, Asians, Australians or north Americans- alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ? 13) Psychology’s subfields . Biological: explore the links between brain and mind. . Developmental: study-changing abilities from womb to tomb. . Cognitive: study how we perceive, think, and solve problems. . Personality: investigate our persistent traits. . Social: explore how we view and affect one another . Clinical: studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders. . Counseling: helps people cope with academic, vocational, and marital challenges. . Educational: studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings. . Industrial/Organizational: studies and advises on behavior in the workplace. 14) Clinical vs. Psychiatry . Clinical Psychologist: (Ph.D.) studies, assesses, and treats troubled people with psychotherapy. . Psychiatrists: (M.D.) medical professionals who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients. 15) Three main levels of analysis

Paper cut

Dynasty, paper cuts have a close relationship with the custom activities and the drama (#5). People are likely to watch drama so that there are lots of dramas in that period of time. For instance, â€Å"The Romance of The West Chamber† Rid) is one of the drama in Yuan dynasty. People usually cut red paper into different characters with background according to the drama for different uses, they may sell them or use as decoration. During Mining and King Dynasty, paper cuts become common among ordinary people, paper cuts are common to see in different festivals such as autumn festivals and drama.On the other hand, paper cuts are widely used in decorating the indoor part of the palace. The paper cuts designs include Dragon, Phoenix, and Bat, and these designs are used to decorate the ceilings of the hall and the walls of the corridors . Up to now, paper cuts is losing its status in the society, people are unwilling to participate in the inheritance of paper cuts. People therefore have fewer opportunities to reach this kind of folk art but they still can find paper cuts at old laces and some traditional buildings.Traditionally, women and girls in the countryside have to take in charge of making embroidery, let alone, the paper cuts. This is used to be a craft that every women must know how to do in their life. It even uses this craft to distinguish whether the bride is good or bad. Every year, they usually take part in the making embroidery after the harvest period, while they have spare time, they will start doing paper cuttings in order to do preparation for the coming year. These paper cuts are used to decorate the windows

Satellites in space

Jeremy Curtis is an engineer and business development manager for space science at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire. His job includes on the joint European telescope for X-ray astronomy (JET-X), due to have been launched in 1999 on the Russian Spectrum-X spacecraft. He says â€Å"I trained as a mechanical engineer, but I find space engineering exciting because I have to work with all kinds of experts such as astronomers, physicists, designers, programmers and technicians working around the world†. He was sponsored by RAL during his university degree and then spent several years on designs for a large proton synchrotron (a machine for accelerating protons to very high energies) before moving over to space instrument design. In the following passage he describes some of the aspects of space engineering. Why satellites? Getting spacecraft into orbit is a very expensive activity with typical launch costs generally measures in tens of thousands per kilogram. So what makes it worth the bother? There are three key reasons. First, a satellite is a good vantage point for studying the earth's surface and atmosphere – just think how many aircrafts would be needed to photograph the whole of the earth, or how many ships to monitor the temperature of the oceans. Second, if we want to study most of the radiation coming for distant parts of the universe we have to get above the atmosphere. The earth's atmosphere absorbs almost everything that tries to go through it – from X-rays to ultraviolet and from infrared to millimetre waves. Only visible light and radio waves can get through it. In fact, even visible light suffers – convection in the earth's atmosphere makes stars seem to jump about or twinkle, blurring telescope images, so a telescope in space produces sharper images than possible from earth. Finally, and not least, a communications satellite can beam TV pictures across the globe and link telephone users from different continents. The problem with space Once you've got through the huge trouble of expense of launching your satellite, a new set of problems confront you in space. First, a typical spacecraft may need several kilowatts of power – but where do you plug in? The only convenient renewable source of power is the sun, so most spacecrafts are equipped with panels of solar cells. You can see these on the Infrared space observatory (ISO). Unlike earth there is no worry about what to do on cloudy days, but batteries are still needed for periods when the satellite is in the earth's shadow (usually up to an hour or two per orbit) and the satellite has to be continually steered to keep the panels pointing at the sun. So now we have our spacecraft floating in orbit and pointing to face the sun all the time. Although the solar cells provide partial shade from sunlight the surface still starts to heat up, and with no air to convect the heat away the temperature can rise dramatically. To add to the difficulties, the other side of the spacecraft faces cold space (at about 3k or -270à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C) and so begins to cool down, unchecked; this would distort the structure, wreck the electronics and decompose the materials that make up the spacecraft. So most surfaces of the spacecraft are covered in â€Å"space blanket† – multilayer insulation made of metallised plastic which reflects the radiation away and insulates the spacecraft. This is crinkly shiny material. 1.2 Studying with satellites The UoSAT satellites are very small, relatively low-cost, spacecraft whose purpose is to test and evaluate new systems and space technology and to enable students and amateur scientists to study the near-earth environment. They are designed and built by the university of Surrey spacecraft engineering research unit. UoSAT, also known as Oscar 11 has sensors to record the local magnetic field, providing information about solar and geomagnetic disturbances and there affects on radio communications at various frequencies. Instruments on board also measure some 60 items relating to the satellites operation. These include; the temperature of its faces, its batteries and other electronic devices; the current provided by its solar arrays; and the battery voltages. It can also receive store and transmit messages to simple radio receivers anywhere in the world. UoSAT's orbit takes it over both poles at a height of about 650km above the earth's surface, and the spinning of the earth allows it to receive data about six times a day. Each UoSAT spacecraft is designed to last about 7 years. Even small spacecrafts such as these need electricity to run all onboard systems, form the computer that controls it all, to the radio transmitters and receivers that send and receive all data to and from ground stations on the earths surface. UoSAT's are small, each with a mass of typically 50kg and about 0.5m across. For comparison, JET-X is about 540kg in mass and about 4.5m long. Communications satellites are larger still, with masses of typically 2 to 5 tonnes. At the top en of the scale is the proposed International Space Station (ISS) – a co-operative venture between 13 nations, including the UK. Construction and testing started in1995 and completion is due in 2002. The completed station will have a mass of about 470 tonnes, measure 110m from tip to tip of its solar arrays, and have pressured living and working space for its crew of six almost equal to the passenger space on two 747 jet airliners. It will have a demand of about 110kw. 1.3 Spacecraft power systems Schematic diagram of a spacecraft power system The below figure shows three main elements in a spacecraft power system. The primary source involves the use of fuel to produce electrical power. Primary sources include fuel cells in which a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen produces electricity (with drinking water as a useful by-product), and radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG's) in which a radioactive decay process produces heating in a thermoelectric module that generates electricity. In spacecraft, the most common primary source s the photovoltaic cell, powered by solar radiation; here the initial fuel is protons in the sun, which undergo nuclear fusion. The secondary source is the energy storage system – usually a set of batteries. Sometimes regenerative fuel cells are used in which power from solar arrays electrolyses water to produce hydrogen and oxygen gases during the â€Å"charge† cycle, followed by hydrogen and oxygen recombining to make water during the â€Å"discharge† cycle. n electronic power control and distribution unit controls and adjusts the voltage and current inputs and outputs, often using primary and secondary sources together to boost the overall output power. There are other systems available and these are shown in figure 8 in the textbook, on page 69. Here are some listed: * Chemically fuelled turbines and reciprocating engines. * Chemical turbines and batteries. * Batteries. * Cryogenic hydrogen/oxygen expansion engines. * Cryogenic engines and fuel cells. * Fuel cells. * Nuclear dynamic systems. * Solar and nuclear dynamic systems. * Photovoltaic and radioisotope thermoelectric systems. A useful link to research this further is http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/ Question 1, Page 70 Using figure 8 on page 69, decide which would be the most suitable power source(s) for a spacecraft needing; (a) 1kw power output for just one week. Cryogenic engines and fuel cells. (b) 10kw for 10 years. Solar and nuclear dynamic systems. The most common primary source of energy used in satellites is the photovoltaic cell or solar cell. Hundreds of thousands of such cells are connected together to make up solar arrays. UoSAT 2 and the ISS have many arrays of solar arrays attached to them. Solar cells have one important characteristic; they only generate electricity when illuminated. Orbiting satellites undergo between 90 and 5500 eclipses, moving into the shadow of the earth, each year. The former is typical of a geostationary telecommunications satellite, the latter of a satellite is in a low orbit like UoSAT 2. The ISS will have sixteen thirty minute periods of shadow each day. The secondary power supply is therefore vital, because during eclipse electrical power has to be supplied by batteries. There are also occasions when batteries are needed to provide power in addition to that of the solar panels. The spacecraft's solar panels are used to recharge its batteries when it emerges into sunlight. To do this they must provide a high enough voltage – higher than the batteries own voltage. (A charger for a 12v car battery provides about 30v.) The power system must therefore be carefully designed to ensure that the solar panels can charge the batteries and that the batteries can operate the electrical equipment on-board. So what voltage does a solar cell provide? How does this voltage vary with the brightness of the light? How can we connect up solar cells in order to charge batteries and operate equipment? These are questions I will explore in part two of this unit.

The View on Relationships Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The View on Relationships - Essay Example And those are party or bar and sexual activity. Let me just clarify what sexual activity is in hook ups, it may be as simple as making out to sexual intercourse. There are several studies that focus on how the hook up culture impacts the sexual behavior of adolescents. Findings vary from hook up culture being prevalent in colleges, like a sort of baptismal ritual of college freshmen as this is more commonly found in freshmen, to the culture being limited in a certain group of people (Wade & Heldman, pp. 128-145; Regnerus & Uecker, ch.4). But what is common in the studies is that the hook up culture is a reversal of script with regards to building a romantic relationship. Before, a relationship starts with dating. Two interested people date each with the hopes of establishing a connection. With this script, the relationship is built on intimacy and emotional attachment. With the hook up culture, it starts with the hook up, usually based on physical or sexual relations. There are no ob ligations for both parties to continue on with building a relationship although both parties may be interested in dating afterwards. This shows how impersonal the hook up culture is. There is no intimate connection that is created between the involved parties. What happens is they hook up, and they part the next day. They may not see each other, talk to each other, or send email or SMS. It was a simple hook up and there is nothing more to it. But if they meet again, and still interested in each other they may go home together and have sex. It was as easy as that. But this setup actually makes things more complicated. Because of its impersonal nature, it degrades the value of relationships. And of the people involved in the hook up. It is even more dangerous for women than men since social values still place greater value on how a woman should be subordinate or should act in a proper or traditional manner compared to men. If a woman hooks up with several men, even if she is not neces sarily sleeping around with them, she may still be perceived as promiscuous, or worst she may be called a bitch or a whore. Men are more immune to these perceptions although there are still men who attract negative criticism when they hook up with several women. They may be perceived as men who cannot be trusted to be in a relationship. Because of these results, the hook up culture does not seem to be very attractive. Who wants to be called a bitch or a whore or a playboy with no concept of intimacy or love? It can destroy one’s self-esteem. And this is exactly what happens to the women and men involved in hook up cultures. Since there is no intimacy involved within the hook up culture, it demoralizes relationship and sex. There are three things that people usually look for in sex, meaningfulness, empowerment and pleasure. But the hook up culture distorts it. According to Wade and Heldman’s study (pp.140 – 144), the men and women they interviewed felt that their hook up sex was meaningless. Since there was no connection whatsoever, the sex was merely an action. It does not symbolize anything aside from the act of having sex. Those who were involved in the hook up culture wanted to have meaning when they have sex with someone. It doesn’t necessarily mean love. What they were looking for was some kind of bond that they can share. A connection wherein they can they are

Project innovation management--Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project innovation management--Samsung - Essay Example The innovative strategy of this company has come to rely on external scientific expertise as a means of ensuring that only the latest and the most viable ideas are taken into consideration and developed into products. In this way, Samsung has been able to pursue a strategy that is consistent with its innovative goals. Samsung has over the years come to develop an environment which is extremely receptive of the market forces. This environment has been developed in such a way that the company always remains conscious of the swift changes that are taking place in the business environment and instituting changes accordingly (Michell, 2010). The ability to foster change in such a large company has become enshrined in the company’s culture through it motto â€Å"Work Hard, Think Hard and Build Trust.† The result of Samsung’s putting into consideration the need for constant change has been that it has had to develop an environment where its employees are receptive to change. The Work Smart part of its motto seems to foster this new type of receptiveness because it suggests to employees that they have to ensure that they are conscious of the business environment and should be ready to make changes accordingly in order to cater for market demand. It further suggests that employees need to constantly be ready for any possible changes that might be implemented in order to increase efficiency. The Think Hard aspect of Samsung’s motto suggests that innovation has become a part of its corporate culture and it is this that has ensured the company’s success in recent years as a leader in the electronics market (Kim, 2011). Not only is innovation among its employees encouraged, but it has also become the basis upon which Samsung has been able to compete with its major rivals in the market, especially Apple. Think Hard suggests that the company has come to put

Western Culture. Portrayal Of Gender In Ads Essay

Western Culture. Portrayal Of Gender In Ads - Essay Example Many scholars and researchers of popular cultural analysis argue that advertising has contributed to Western society's beliefs and values of gender roles, sex and sexuality. Further, that advertisements represent across the decades reflect the ideals, activities and behaviors of Western culture that has adopted as its social norms, and so reflects the expectations of the genders within these societies (Hogg and Garrow, 2003). They contend that cultural constructions of gender impact on the lives of all people within a society, and that these cultural constructions cannot be differentiated from the lives and images of each gender. Importantly, that is essential for society to understand how advertising can contribute to attitudes about gender relations and the expected gender roles, as well as how these factors impact on individuals constructing their identities and sense of place. However, arguments exist within current discourse of cultural text analysis that advertising over the ye ars has been over-analyzed, so that interpretations of stereotypes and limiting of gender roles are exaggerated (Lukas, 2006). This paper aims to present a visual and textual analysis of advertisements over the past six decades, contending that ads have predominantly stereotyped and objectified women and men.Popular culture contributes to the ways in which society constructs the roles and identities of women and men on a day-to-day basis. In general, individuals within Western society tend to be unable to comprehend the significance of our cultural values as portrayed in advertising. Also, when a person is able to understand the underlying cultural meanings of an ad, they often do not have access to knowledge that would enable them to effectively respond to advertisements that objectify or stereotype gender relationships. Without active cultivation of an individual's cultural literacy, by way of critiquing and reflecting upon advertisements presentation of gender relationships, mean ingful social change is constrained. Hence, to live in a truly democratic society that values equality, respect for differences and the freedom of rights for all, critical and reflective skills need to be learnt by all members of society. An example of a lack of critical insight into the cultural values upheld in advertising is the argument that states 'Ads are fun' (Lukas, 2006). From this point of view, ads are not meant to be taken seriously as they are merely fun forms of entertainment. However, it is evident that many 'fun' ads have underlying messages that reflect and maintain unequal gender relations. In the 1940s it was not uncommon for women to be portrayed as being 'stupid' (see Figure 1, Appendix). During this era women were typically illustrated as belonging to the domestic realm, and as being intellectually inferior to men. To emphasize this characteristic of women, they were visually presented with faces that suggested stupidity. Text accompanying the ad reinforced the message that women say stupid things, or are unable to think for themselves, requiring a man to assist them. For example the text for Figure 1 reads as: You mean a woman can open it! In contrast, men during the decade of 1940-1950 were presented as having authoritarian, dominant and controlling roles as reflected in ads. Especially, they were depicted as being intelligent and as in control (see Figures 2 and 3, Appendix). Women were viewed as subordinate to men, and as having to concern themselves with what the male of the household thought of their efforts to maintain their appearance. As well, women were predominantly concerned with pleasing their man by

What are the main constraints for the effective enforcement of the Essay - 1

What are the main constraints for the effective enforcement of the Antimonopoly Law in China - Essay Example The Antimonopoly law began operating in early August 2008, making China a vital competition law jurisdiction, for international and domestic businesses, or companies with running activities in China’s territory. Its three broad rules are based on prohibiting abuse of dominant market positions and restrictive agreements, mergers rules preventing mergers or joint ventures that restrict competition as well as control M&A activities, and rules forbidding abuse of administrative powers that end up in competition restriction (Rose, 2012). The application of the law is viewed differently among the people of China. Some think it applies to all businesses or organizations in dealings of providing goods and services, while others think the complexity of the law has something to enhance leniency in state owned enterprises. However, even after its initiation, several factors have dominated to restrict full enforcement of the law. They include limited transparency, concentration, influence from government involvement, outdated economic planning, unreliable market infrastructure, unnecessary enforcement of law, insider control, and general resistance. So far, the Anti Monopoly Law (AML) is being enforced by three bodies; MOFCOM, NDRC and SAIC, to ensure fair competition, safeguard social public and consumer interest, boost economic efficiency, and restrain monopolistic behavior. The enforcement agencies continue to experience challenges and problems in the law enforcement practice, limiting effective application and acceptance of the AML by the people. Over the years, the enforcement agencies have been handling many cases to do with monopolistic agreements, merger control, and price and non price related cases for the companies and businesses operating and showing interest to practice within China. The NDRC and SAIC have faced accusations

Strategic Information Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic Information Management - Essay Example This essay discusses that for any organisation, the strategic planning begins with clearly demarcated missions. The mission of an organisation defines the fundamental purpose of the company in the industry with respect to products or services it provides to the customers. It is the mission of an organisation which describes the cause for existence of the company in the market. Furthermore, the mission statement also tells about the abilities by which organisations seek to compete in the market and peruse success. On the other hand, strategies initiated by any organisation explain the limitations under which the company can conduct its business operations. The strategies of organisations are developed and implemented by management which describe the geographic restrictions, market operations, methods of conducting business and development of products or services. The mission of an organisation is translated in every deeds of organisation, and therefore the strategies are developed in such a way so that it can provide a framework about accomplishing the mission. There is a direct relationship with adoption of any strategy and mission. Apart from the mission of an organisation, the business environment on which the organisation operates its business also has direct relation with the adoption of strategy. The business environment levies several restrictions on an organisation and therefore has substantial impact on the possibilities and activities of organisation. Before developing a strategy, organisations need to identify the business environmental forces which can impact on the business. ... Numerous environmental aspects such as political, social, cultural, and competition among others have significant impacts on the strategies taken by organisation. It is significant for any organisation to understand purposes, scopes and objectives of business through mission statement, to recognise the internal and the external business environment and accordingly develop strategies which are consistent with the industry as well as the business. The following diagram will describe the relationship between strategy, organisational mission and business environment: Source: (Saleem, 2006). Strategic Planning Process A recognised strategic planning procedure has five basic steps which are illustrated in the following diagram: Source: (Hill & Jones, 2009). Formulate The Mission And Major Business Objectives: The first phase of strategic planning is creating the mission statement which delivers the outline or background within which the strategies will be framed. The mission statement of a n organisation has four key components which are: 1. Statement for cause of presence for an organisation in the industry 2. Statement of few anticipated future circumstances 3. Statement of crucial values that the organisation will promise to the stakeholders and, 4. Statement of main objectives The mission will provide what an organisation is for, such as the mission statement of Kodak provides customers with the solutions they require to capture, save, and share images, or in other words, the presence of Kodak in the industry is to deliver solutions reading photos to the consumers. The mission of Kodak is customer centric which concentrates on fulfilling the photo requirements of customers (Hill &

International Accounting Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Accounting Standards - Essay Example Many instances were reported by the relevant stakeholders, where the management had concealed liabilities by classifying a lease as an operating lease where it should have been classified as a Finance lease based on the economic reality. To cater these issues IASB drafted and enforced a proper standard â€Å"Accounting for leases†. As the objective indicates, the standard has been divided into two main sections, Operating Lease and Finance Lease. This particular classification has been based on the transfer of risk and rewards of the underlying asset to lessee or lessor. Further aspects distinguishing the leases are discussed below in detail. The scope of the standard proposes it's non – applicability on the following areas: â€Å"Leases to explore minerals, oils, natural gas and similar non-generative resources; Licensing agreements for items as motion picture films, video recordings, manuscripts, patents and copyrights (because they are under scope of IAS 38). IAS 17 shall not be applied as the basis for measurement for leases discussed under IAS 40 (Investment property) and IAS 41 (biological assets). The standard will not apply to contract of services that do not transfer the right to use assets from one contracting party to the other†. (Financedoctors, n.d.) The standard has been further segregated into two aspects. ... In the books of the Bank, it will appear as an Investment held as finance lease with its relating receivables. The classification is explained below in further detail with the criteria defined by the standard as to when a lease is described as a Finance Lease. (Deloitte, 2012) Let's consider the implications of a Lease agreement from the perspective of Lessee. An operating lease is fairly simple to understand and account for. Lease payments under an operating lease arrangement are documented as an expense in the Statement of Comprehensive Income. The distribution of expense is usually done on a straight line basis over the lease term, unless a more logical basis provides a better representation. In the case of operating lease, the asset is not recognised by the lessee in his books of accounts. Instead the asset remains the property of the Lessor, and only used by the lessee in exchange for rentals, recognised as expense for the lessee. (Deloitte, 2012; BPP, 2012) Finance lease become s a little tricky to curtail. As under a finance lease agreement the asset is recognised in the books of the Lessee and subsequently depreciation is charged for the asset in the books of Lessee. Simultaneously, a liability is constructed in the Lessees books in relation to the leased asset. The classification is subject to certain criteria laid down by the standard. An asset is classified as a finance lease subject to the agreements economic reality rather than its legal form. The main factor to be considered is the transfer of risk and rewards. (Deloitte, 2012; BPP, 2012) Circumstances that would lead to a lease being classified as a finance lease are; â€Å"transfer of ownership to lessee at the end of lease term, the Bargain Purchase Option at the end of lease term,

The words and actions vivid Essay Example for Free

The words and actions vivid Essay Some incidents in the play take place in the public streets, others in other private settings. Choose two incidents, one public and one private and show how the settings help to make the words and actions vivid The two incidents I have chosen to compare are act one scene one and act one scene two. I have chosen these two scenes because in both scenes it shows clearly which one is public and which is private. Act one scene one is set on a Sunday morning in the streets of Verona, which is a charming city in Italy, where Two Capulet servants enters into the scene. The two servants, Sampson and Gregory are wondering about in the streets, were bored and miserable with nothing to do. As they walked in the streets, They run into two montogue servants. Sampson bites his thumb at them. This is considered an insult to the Montague servants. Without their masters, the servants were cowards, but when the masters came a big riot commenced between the two families and the rest of the town. The riot got so bad the prince arrives reinforced, which builds up the tension dramatically and makes the scene a lot more vivid. The prince comes out with a fine speech that has a great impact on the servants and the streets. Here is a extract of the script clearly showing this If you ever disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. Within this line, the prince said that if another fight is made in public streets then there will be death as a consequence. The riot ends. The result of his speech was something he expected, silence. Another scene I will analyse is Act two scene 2. at the beginning of this scene Romeo begins to speak about his love for Juliet by saying that he pretended to love Rosaline: Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick with pain and grief, That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. At this point Romeo is talking poetically to himself, he is saying that Juliet is the sun and Rosaline is the moon. When Juliet came out to the balcony she did not know that Romeo was downstairs hearing her every word. When they talk they tease each other. At that moment the nurse calls breaking the flow of the conversation. Juliet makes a proposal of marriage to Romeo: If that thy bent of love be honourable, Thy propose marriage, send me word tomorrow, To conclude from this analysis I have found that in a public place a character can not be themselves as it is not the right place to express their intermit thoughts and feelings out into the open. It is only when a character is secluded from the rest of the world where they can express these feelings. So Shakespeare has made some characters vivid by using a setting that doesnt allow characters to express their feelings. This is so that the audience only gets a slight impression of the characters. I think that this is a really good way of making characters vivid.

Should English Be The Global English Language Essay

Should English Be The Global English Language Essay Today, the world has shrunk to the size of a handheld electronic device. In nanoseconds we can stream through cyberspace and reach the other side of the earth. More and more, we are becoming a global economy, interdependent upon each other for trade and commerce. That means interacting with people in foreign lands we may never visit. It would only make sense that we all learn to communicate in one language to save time and effort, to reduce the possible miscommunication diluted through translation, and to streamline transactions. But is it feasible, and if so, is it really the best course of action? The concept of a global language is hardly new. Throughout the centuries, to the conquerors went the spoils, which means they became economically superior. In order to trade with those in power, one had to speak their language. Colonization became the norm, first by Rome, then Spain, then France, then England. That is how the US was settled. In the 19th and even into the 20th century, the English speaking powers of Great Britain and the United States ruled the world of commerce, power and trade. Both World Wars were won largely due to the efforts of these allies. Though communism was on the rise at the end of World War II, within forty years it was no longer deemed a threat. Capitalism ruled, and so did the language of the capitalists English. The fact is this: English is present worldwide and is spoken on every continent. As of 1995, it was deemed to be the official language in sixty countries and was prominent in twenty more  [i]  . Approximately 500 million to 1.8 billion people are estimated to speak English, or at least be able to successfully carry on a conversation in it according to an article by Debateopedia.  [ii]  David Crystal estimated in his Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (1995) that the number of English as a second language speakers (i.e. people who lived in a country where English was the assumed official language but not their native tongue) in the world equaled close to 98 million while those who spoke it as a foreign language was estimated to be, as low as 100 million and as high as 1,000 million.  [iii]   So, the concept that English should become the new global and internet language seems logical to many people. But is it? Or is that an antiquated, narrow world view left over from the British colonization era that both globalization and Internet communication has begun to dissolve? In order to analyze this in a neutral light, it is necessary to look at both sides of the argument and weigh it against the global economic and population trends of today and for the next forty or fifty years. It is, however, necessary to note that this article is originally written in English Americanized English, which many website providers today prefer to use because of its universal appeal. That being said, it is hard to remain totally unbiased. The Argument For English as a Global Language One cannot argue that English has dominated many forms of literary expression in the last seventy years thanks to the silver screen, radio and television. In literary works, from poetry to scientific research papers, English continues to be dominant if the author wishes his or her work to get international recognition, according to MÃÆ' ¨litz (2004).  [iv]  He states, in an internet article published by the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), If you want to reach a world audience, write in English those who strive to make a mark in their discipline strive to publish in English. By and large, the ones who stick to their home language English accepted of course have lower ambitions and do less significant work.  [v]   The article goes on to state that with the advances in telecommunications in the last thirty years, the dominance of English in auditory and audiovisual entertainment has become far greater than books. In 1960, English represented about a quarter of the world publishing market, yet translations into English equaled about 50%, according to the CEPR. Twenty years later, while the share of English publishing had dropped to only 17%, translations still remained at or over 50%. If their facts are accurate, it shows English was, at that time, still the academically preferred language. This was written long before the introduction of Kindle and I Pads which to date cannot yet handle the characters of Hebrew, Russian, Chinese, Japanese or Arabic and have limited downloadable options in French, Italian or Spanish. Whether or not these two inventions will increase English domination of the written word or not remains to be seen. Still, English appears to be the most dominant language into which others are translated. If you want to reach the world, even on the web, your website needs to be in English. After all, English has been the official language of the UNO since 1945 as well as NAFTA, NATO and other international trade and diplomatic organizations. It is the official language of the Council of Europe even though there are a total of eleven languages represented. In the Olympics, English shares dominance with French. Athletes are expected to know English in order to be interviewed by television reporters. English is the language of Microsoft, Coca-Cola, MacDonalds and Hollywood. English is the language of pop-culture, or tourism, of markets and trade, of the Internet.  [vi]   In a blog offered by Ronald Hilton of the Hoover Institution in Stanford, CA, Madhukar N. Goagte of India points out English is the language all pilots must use no matter what airport they are communicating with in which country. In international airports, in fact, all announcements are in three languages the universal picture symbols, the native tongue and in English if it is not the native tongue.  [vii]   Dr. Ali S.M. Al-lssa states that English language teaching (ELT) has been a global activity and a large business and industry for the past five decades or so. This has been concurrent with the international role English language has been playing on the world arena in the postcolonial/neocolonial age dominated by the USA.  [viii]   He goes on to reference his point by stating what Dua (1994) said, i.e. that British promotion of English as a second language was solely in an effort to protect and promote capitalism, an effort that the US took over in the postwar era.  [ix]  Despite the rise of manufacturing in China, Mexico and elsewhere, the majority of commercial buyers remain those from the USA and other English speaking countries. Therefore, it is only natural to speak, advertise and trade in that language. One could argue, therefore, since the trend to make English the universal internet language is already established out of popular demand and commercial dominance, it should be allowed to continue. But will this always be the case? Will the decline in recent years of the European and American economic markets versus the rise of the Chinese markets tip the scales in favor of everyone learning Mandarin? Is it arrogant to state that reading and speaking English is the only way to achieve economic success on a global level? Barbara Wallraff (What Global Language, 2000) reported what an international information technology expert she interviewed named Michael Dertouzos relayed about the mood at a conference he attended in Taipei. Chinese traders were grousing about the fact they had to use English in order to make money on the Internet. Ten years later, they still do. The Argument Against The Tower of Babel The ancient story of the Tower of Babel exists in the Torah, the Koran and the Bible. It tells of a time when all people spoke the same language and became so arrogant that they decided to build a tower up to God, in essence to become equals. As a result, the tower was sent tumbling to the ground. As a punishment for this audacity, the people began babbling in incomprehensible languages. Since they could not intercommunicate, they were rendered powerless. Is the same thing happening today? Goethe is quoted to have said, Wer keine andreren Sprachen kennt, weiss nichts von seiner eigenen. (He who knows no other languages, knows nothing of his own.) Just because an American business person or tourist is monolingual, to assume that everyone else he meets should speak English borders on the same arrogance as the people of Babel, does it not? Over 70% of Europeans are at least bilingual. In fact, most of the world outside of the USA speaks more than one tongue. It is not uncommon for a country to have several native languages within its borders. Throughout history, as tribes and villages were conquered, the dominating victors language become predominant, but native tongues were not eliminated. The predominance of one universal language was first proposed as far back as 1887 by L.L. Zamenhof in his treatise on Esperanto. This was a language he created to facilitate international trade communications. It is a blending of many European based languages and is supposedly designed to be learned quickly. Over 120 years later, it is a viable international language and is spoken by many people, but because it has no culture attached to it, it is lifeless. It hasnt really grown in vocabulary. There are few idioms or colloquialisms. It lacks color and culture, which language is designed to express. Does English domination thwart the creative development of other cultures? Language is one of the cornerstones of a civilizations culture. The more you use that tongue, the more you become absorbed into the societys mores and customs. Even MÃÆ' ¨litz does go onto argue that having English as the dominating factor, is as limiting as having all music written for a cello (English Language Dominance, 1999). Translations cannot pick up all the idioms, nuances and beauty of a language or the culture to which it belongs. Scholars such as Rasool (1999) agree. She sees language is a developmental feature of a culture. . . . people must be provided with the skills, knowledges and expertise to shape their own development priorities. Literacy defined within the framework of sustainable development would therefore include a broad and critical knowledge base, an understanding of how societies function. . .  [x]   Language is the fabric that interweaves a culture together. To take that away and make one language a universal one would be like diluting a teaspoon of sugar in a gallon of water. The hint of the sweetness may remain, but it is not very noticeable. The result is a watered down version that loses its heart and soul. The flavor of the culture is absorbed and almost disappears in the common denominator of a universal language. One may point out that is what the colonization mentality of the British empire was in essence all about, and American commerce has become the offspring of that concept. Alistair Pennycook would be the first to agree. In his article, Development, Culture and Language (1999), he showed how parental demand for learning English can backfire Hong Kong has been a good example of this: parental demand produced extensive schooling in English, which did not have an effect of giving people greater access to resources; rather, it gave people an inadequate education both of and through their first language.  [xi]   Parents want their children to succeed and have all the advantages they did not have. But, does that mean learning a new language and absorbing another culture? Along with English comes Western culture, which has not always been proven to be a wonderful improvement. Japan is evidence of this. Obesity, once rare, is now rampant among younger Japanese who have developed a taste for hamburgers, chocolate candy, pizza and fries. Smoking related diseases continues to be on the rise. Acne plague the faces of the youth. A generation is being lost as young Japanese in their twenties and thirties literally bow out of society unable to reconcile their thirst for Western ways with the traditions of their parents. Known as the dead children, they literally lock themselves away in their rooms for years on end. Depression and suicidal rates are escalating among this age group. Is English the Official Language in the US? Few people realize that the US federal government has never established an official language of the country, and only twenty-five out of the fifty states have.  [xii]  Perhaps because the Founding Fathers all spoke English it was never considered an issue. However, today, that is not the case. According to the United States Census Bureau, between 1980-1990 the number of Spanish speaking people residing in the US rose by 50% and Chinese speakers grew by 98%.  [xiii]  Hispanics make up almost 1/3 of that population, and where as English is becoming the preferred language of the younger generations born there, many still claim it as a second language. Spanish is still the primary one of the home among a majority of Hispanics living in the US. It is estimated that 2.4 million Chinese now live in the US and most speak their native tongue as a first language. Add to that Koreans, Vietnamese, Japanese and Arabic nation immigrants, and this melting pot becomes more like a mixed salad . Everything blends, but little cross culture is absorbed. It is just saturated by the dressing called Americanism. Whats more, the trend is world-wide. David Graddol, of the English Company, a British based firm that deals in international commerce, has written extensively on this subject of English and its decline as a global language. He states, . . . the globalization of English isnt going to happen the way people expect it to.  [xiv]  In another paper called Decline of the Native Speaker(1999), he explains that the percentage of native English speaking people in the world will shrink dramatically by the year 2050 to 5%. Chinese Mandarin will be the primary language with 1,384million speakers. Hindu and Urdu will be the next most popular as will Arabic. English will run fourth or fifth, followed closely by Spanish.  [xv]   However, others like linguist K David Harrison believe English will continue to rise globally as more and more people become literate through the internet despite the fact it is declining as the primary language.  [xvi]  Yale linguist, Stephen Anderson, in the same AP article, pointed out that all over the world, being multilingual is more of the norm than the exception. Therefore, learning is English easier for them? Will that make English as a global language more doable? David Crystal, in Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language(1995), states that two thirds of the worlds children are multilingual, yet only 98 million know English as a second language. That would include children in the USA. Graddol puts the estimate even higher to more than 350 million. It is hard to tell because census questions do not necessarily ask that, nor are they conducted worldwide. The point is, English as a language is becoming less and less dominant, even in English speaking countries like England and the US. It is only a matter of time before knowing English will become less and less a necessity in the world market. Today, it is estimated that over 1.6 billion people are non-English speaking. Commerce and trade are the main factors in establishing the universality of a language, as Pennycook and Dua have expounded, as well as the main factor in governmental and educational dominance. Pennycook (1994) states In some way, it might be said that the English language class may be less about the spread of English than the spread of certain forms of culture and knowledge. . . through the very practices of English language teaching. (pp.178-179)  [xvii]   Phillipson (1990,1992) concurs. He says ELT (English language training) was seen as a means towards a political and economic goals, a means of securing ties of all kinds with Third World Countries.   [xviii]   As those countries continue to become rich off American and European commerce, will the balance of power shift? And if so, will the need to speak English topple as well? Surely, anyone who listens to the evening news realizes how precarious the economy is in the US and Europe. The Federal government now owes trillions of dollars to China alone, especially after the recent bailouts of banks and mortgage companies. The US is now beginning to feel the full wake of the economic tsunami of 9/11 and the military response to that attack. The more we become economically dependent on Asian loans and Arabic oil, the more diluted our dollar and possibly our global influence will become. Couple that with the population decline of native English speakers juxtaposed with the rise in Hispanic, Chinese and Arabic ones in so called English countries, and it seems the future remains wide one for determining which language, if any, will reign supreme. Will History Be Repeated? In conclusion, it seems that man has an instinctual desire to communicate. Whomever dominates is the one who speaks while others listen. In order to listen, they must learn the language. If international commerce, fueled by the internet, is to continue, there must be a common economical language in order to buy, sell and trade. Pictures may be better than a thousand words, but words are an intricate part of deal making and economics, much less culture. If we are truly moving towards being a global culture, religion and society, then it follows that a global language is a natural development. At this point in our history, it is English. It is doubtful it will ever be Esperanto. Still, students of economics have longed learned that knowing a foreign language can be the key to higher salaries. Up until the mid1800s it was Latin, the language of science, medicine and culture. Then it became German. Next, especially after the world wars, it became popular to learn French. In the 1960s, particularly in the Southwestern US, Spanish became the language to learn. In the 1970s, it was Russian. When the USSR splintered, college and high school students began to clamor to learn Japanese. Today, Mandarin Chinese is on the rise as the language to master. Will visual pictures replace words? Will sign language become the universal, non verbal form of communication as more and more of us become visually orientated instead of literate? Whatever the future is, one thing is for certain. If history serves as an example, man will always strive to regain the elusive power he lost centuries ago at the Tower of Babel.

The Moral Acceptability Of Passive Euthanasia

The Moral Acceptability Of Passive Euthanasia This paper will discuss the moral permissibility and acceptability of passive euthanasia, especially with regard to active euthanasia. The aim of the paper is to argue for the thesis that passive euthanasia is morally acceptable under certain conditions. I will present a defense of this thesis by defining its terms, distinguishing the various forms of euthanasia, especially between active and passive, as well as voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. I will cite concrete cases and also consider various factors that may affect the euthanasia decision, such as the pain and suffering of the patient. The arguments will be evaluated from utilitarian perspectives, taking into account the views of Kant and Aristotle. Strictly speaking, the term euthanasia refers to actions or omissions that result in the death of a person who is already gravely ill. (Moreno). There are two important features of euthanasia. First, that euthanasia involves the deliberate and premeditated act, of taking away a persons life; and, second, that it is an act of mercy, which is taken for the sake of the person whose life is unbearable from pain or has an incurable disease. This notion of mercy distinguishes euthanasia from most other forms of taking life. Euthanasia is a controversial concept, which evokes heated moral, medical, legal, and social debates. The term has both positive and negative connotations: the fundamental idea is, that a suffering person will be relieved by means of an act of mercy, but at the same time there are numerous abuse cases where people have been killed or murdered under the euthanasia pretext. There are various forms of euthanasia. Although the topic of this paper is the discussion of moral acceptability of passive euthanasia, it is important to distinguish between active and passive forms of euthanasia: actively causing a person to die (for example by intentionally giving some medication) or passively allowing them to die by withdrawing or withholding their treatment, or taking away something they need to survive. Typical examples of passive euthanasia are switching off life-supporting machines, such as feeding tubes, respirators, or not carrying out life-extending operations and treatments or not giving life-extending drugs. Another categorization of euthanasia is along voluntariness or by consent: voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia are both in the patients interest, freeing him/her from unbearable suffering. The difference between the two lies in the patients ability to make the decision. In the case of voluntary euthanasia (which is also often referred to as assist ed suicide) the terminally ill patient is mentally competent and makes the decision about terminating his/her own life. In the case of non-voluntary euthanasia (which is also often referred to as mercy killing) the patient is not mentally competent to make a decision about his/her fate (for terminal brain damage or coma, for example) and a proxy, the guardian or physician makes the decision on his/her behalf. Finally, involuntary euthanasia though not in the focus of this paper needs to be mentioned as a conceptually different form of euthanasia. In this case euthanasia is administered without the consent, and against the will of the person. In the following I will compare and contrast passive and active euthanasia, discuss whether there is a moral difference between them, and mount a defense of the thesis, that in most cases there is no real moral difference between helping someone die and letting someone die. I will also argue that there is a more profound moral difference between voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia, and there need to be clear guidelines to ascertain that no one gets killed against his/her wishes. By explaining that there is, in fact, no relevant moral difference between omissions and acts, I will prove that active euthanasia is not immoral and is fundamentally no different than passive euthanasia, and in some cases passive euthanasia is more moral than active. The utilitarians emphasize that when deciding an acts morality we should only consider the consequences (Mill). To validate this point, first, we may argue, that it is not exactly correct to say that omission is a non-act (Rachels). Letting t he patient die is also an act. There is an active decision of not to perform certain other life-saving actions. However, whether it is considered an act or not, the outcomes are the same, thus regarding morality they should be approached in the same way. From a moral perspective pulling the plug of the respirator, withdrawing the feeding tube or withdraw a life sustaining treatment is an act itself, which means, that omission is also an act itself. Thus passive euthanasia is subject to moral appraisal in the same way that active euthanasia, a decision to directly act would be subject to moral appraisal. Since utilitarians are only concerned with the consequences of an action, not with the motives or the action itself, there does not seem to be any reason to distinguish between active and passive euthanasia, since they both lead to the same ultimate conclusion (the death of the patient). If we consider the amount of happiness or pain that either form of euthanasia creates, however, o ne may even argue, that withholding a treatment (passive euthanasia) may take the patient longer to die, and so lead to more suffering, than if more direct actions would be taken (active euthanasia). This suggests, that from a utilitarian perspective once an initial decision not to prolong the patients life and agony has been made, active euthanasia would actually be preferable to passive euthanasia, because it would decrease overall pain. If we examine the difference between passive and active euthanasia from a deontologists (Kants) point of view we can come to a similar conclusion. One of his basic insights is that morality is a matter of motives and intentions, and not a matter of consequences (Kant). If we accept that the intent of an action determines morality rather than the effects, omissions would be subject to the same moral evaluation as acts, since the underlying motives would be similar (to end the patients suffering). This argument also suggests that there is no morally relevant difference between act and omission, that is, between active and passive euthanasia. In fact, if we proceed with this argument and develop the logic that morality is a matter of intentions further, we can conclude, that passive euthanasia leads to more suffering rather than less, and is contrary to the motivation that prompts the initial decision of not to prolong the patients life and agony. Thus, active euthanasia is not only not morally inferior to passive euthanasia, but may indeed be preferable. (Current) So far we have looked at the possible differences between the various forms of euthanasia and came to conclude, that, although there are some valid arguments from the causality perspective, and also the current practices worldwide might allow passive euthanasia, but not, or only very rarely allow active euthanasia, we see no major moral distinction between the two forms. From a utilitarian perspective they both lead to the same conclusion, and we even terminate that in some cases active euthanasia may be preferable to passive form, because it brings less suffering to the patient. We have, however, came to conclude that there is a more significant distinction between voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia, since in the latter the patients will may or may not be carried out which can lead to potentially killing someone who either wouldnt have wanted to be killed in this way. The subject of euthanasia is filled with room for interpretation. In the analysis above we have proved that there are various and contradictory approaches, and it seems to be difficult to come to a conclusion about the moral rightness of euthanasia. A different approach could be to study the concept of euthanasia case by case and determine the ethical values and the major factors that need to be considered in an attempt to establish some criteria for moral acceptability. In the next part of this paper I will discuss the various factors that influence the euthanasia decision through some concrete cases and evaluate their moral acceptability. Human life itself is commonly taken to be a cardinal good for people, often valued for its own sake. But when a competent, terminally ill patient decides that the best life possible for him/ her with treatment is of such bad quality that it is worse than no further life at all, than continued life is no longer considered a benefit. Human life should not be degraded by reducing the quality of life for the sake of artificially extending the quantity of life. When a person has no quality of life any more because of unbearable pain, then they should not be forced to live, they should be able to choose to die, because at one stage continued attempts to cure are not compassionate any more. However a deontologist would disagree with this argument. Kant emphasizes that it is persons duty to live, even if you have an untreatable illness. You have to act from duty and not give in to the easier path and chose euthanasia. The following example shows how it is possible to think this way and deny euthanasia: I no longer accept this enduring pain, and this protruding eye that nothing can be done about, Chantal Sebire 52 years old French schoolteacher said. I cant take this anymore. I want to go out celebrating, surrounded by my children, friends, and doctors before Im put to sleep definitively at dawn. When she was offered the possibility of passive euthanasia she objected: that passive form of euthanasia was neither dignified, humane, or respectful of me or my children. From these lines we can see how Sebire insists that she stays alive, since it is her duty. In this context euthanasia should be a natural extension of patients rights to life allowing them to decide the value of life and death. Through the next example we will see some difficulties we can come across when trying to enforce non-voluntary euthanasia. Current medical ethics seem to implicitly legitimize or legally accept passive euthanasia in many parts of the world with the moral argument of letting nature (the underlying disease) take its course, and accepting that human active (medical) intervention would simply lengthen this process unnecessarily (Moreno, 1995). This seems to be acceptable if that is what the patient wants (voluntary) or would have wanted (non-voluntary). Of course, the case of voluntary euthanasia is more straightforward: the patient is conscious and can actively give consent and confirm his/her wishes. In the case of non-voluntary euthanasia, however, when the patient is unconscious and incompetent, the decision makers must rely on former statements or comments of the patient where they had indicated they would not want to live hooked up to a machine or when it is hopeless. An example is the well known and much debated Eluana Englaro case. The Italian woman had been in coma for irreversible brain damage that she had suffered in a car accident at the age of 20. For 17 years she was in a vegetative state, while her father, ultimately successfully, fought for passive euthanasia (having her feeding tubes removed), saying it would be a dignified end, and this is what her daughter would have wanted. His argument was that her daughter had visited a friend in coma before her own accident, and stated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾she did not want the same thing happen to her if she was in the same state (CNN.com, 2009). In absence of such former statements, the consenting proxy (guardian or physician) must rely on their own judgments and that has the possibility to lead to as it is called slippery slopes. This also brings up the problem of involuntary euthanasia, when euthanasia is administered without the consent, and against the will of the person. In our example how can we be sure th at the father is telling the truth? Or is he only saying this to help his own suffering? It is also important to see how the physicians role is crucial. It is them who know the patients condition well, who have access to drugs who have specialized knowledge or appropriate methods, and it is also them who can provide emotional support for the patient and the family. Equally importantly, it is also the physician who has been directly and intimately connected with and responsible for the persons care, and who the patient typically trusts. The physicians role is controversial too. One approach is that euthanasia is fundamentally incompatible with the physicians role as healer. This is one of the main arguments of the anti-euthanasia movements, which often cite the Hippocratic Oath, that clearly states: I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it (Hippocratese) This explicitly forbids killing patients. However, we must understand that Hippocrates did not explicitly say that doctors must preserve life at all costs. Also, we may argue the real word-by-word rel evance of the Oath to modern medicine and to the current rights of patients and doctors. The Oath can also be interpreted as a duty of the physician to alleviate pain and suffering. If there is no other option, the doctor, in fulfilling this duty, should be allowed to actively end the patients life. Throughout this essay we have had a look at the different types of euthanasia, and how different moral approaches accept them. We managed to conclude that morally there is no difference between passive and active euthanasia, and in some cases active euthanasia would even be advantageous. We also saw how it is hard to come up with a universal law how to judge euthanasia, since each case is extremely different and there are a lot of perspectives that have to be considered. Therefore when deciding on the moral acceptability of euthanasia we have to view each case separately and then with regard to each theory decide on its morality.

Stereotypes and Stereotyping in Invisble Man :: Invisible Man Essays

Powerful Stereotypes in Invisble Man Ellison creates many stereotypes of African Americans of his time. He uses this to bring less informed readers to understand certain characters motives, thoughts, and reasoning. By using each personality of an African American in extremes, Ellison adds passion to the novel, a passion that would not be there if he would let individualism into his characters. Individualism, or lack there of is also significant to the novel. It supports his view of an anti-racial America, because by using stereotypes he makes his characters racial these are the characters that the Americans misunderstand and abominate. Dr. Bledsoe is the stereotypical submissive African American. He seemingly is peremptory, but this is just a façade. Though all of the African Americans in his community hold him in a high regard, he has no such respect in the "white-mans" world. College students tell stories about how when in the north, he is called Mr. Doctor Bledsoe. Yet in his letter addressed to Mr. Emerson, he ended the letter with, "I am your humble servant." It is this cowardly submission that Bledsoe uses to "gain power." He enjoys what little power he has in the African American community, so much in fact that he says that he would rather see every black man in the country lynched than give up his "power." Ras the Exhorter (later the Destroyer) is the stereotypical black supremacist. One of the most memorable characters to me, Ras battles for social equality; literally. Literally meaning prince in one of Ethiopia's languages and mimicking the sound of Ra, the Egyptian sun God, Ras encompasses the stereotypical black-nationalist. By using these allusions, Ellison is establishing the character's personality even before he acts. Ras's philosophy, one that was unorthodox at the time of publishing, is that blacks should cast off oppression and prejudice by destroying the ability of white men to control them. This inevitably leads to violence. This anti-segregation from blacks was unheard of. These two offer the reader a sense of variety and contrast. Both causes conflict with the Invisible Man, yet they also offer an inspiration and wisdom. Bledsoe taught him to not be so naïve, even to his own people.

The Oak Tree: A Symbol For America :: essays research papers

America, our great country, is strong, powerful, and influential. Americans exemplify positive values, selflessness, hospitality, and the American way of life. The mighty oak tree that stands taller, bigger, and older than all others best represents this grand country. Each part of the tree illustrates a facet of our nation. Shapely emerald leaves covering the tree symbolize the values many Americans hold concerning themselves, others, and their nation. Leaves help the tree grow and flourish just as our value of caring for our neighbors help us to unite and become more successful as a whole. The beautiful shade and distinct shape of these leaves make the tree more attractive and unique. Our values often differ from values of other countries due to cultural contrasts such as with religious, racial, and education issues. We give much more freedom than many other countries do to those of different races and religions. Also, he hold education in a much higher regard than other countries. It is these differences which sometimes make our country seem more appealing to those of foreign lands. Without leaves in the spring, the mighty oak would have no means of nourishment and would die. Our common American values bind us together as one unit just as all the leaves work together to benefit the oak. Without them we would be millions of separate bodies aimlessly wondering about a common ground, and our country would fall to pieces. Thus, there would be no country as there would be no tree. The lonely oak's long, gnarled limbs seem to reach out as far as they can just to touch another tree. One limb reaches far to the east until it finds a maple. Our brave troops fought in the east to fend off the Czechoslovakians and Serbians from nearly defenseless Bosnia. Another limb bends down and softly touches the fresh buds of a young sapling. Many Americans give years of their lives in South Africa to the Peace Corps to touch the lives and hearts of many villagers. Yet another limb seems to branch out in all directions with its twigs reaching both up and down and side to side. Every year, many Americans donate money to the Christian Children's Fund where it is then used to heal, feed, and educate poverty-stricken children all over the world. Just as our branches stretch out, so do our American arms to help those less fortunate.