Pros and Cons of Fast Food Essay

The fast food industry has come a long way from its humble beginnings nearly a century ago. The first restaurant considered a fast food restaurant was called White Castle. White Castle was opened in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas by Billy Ingram. He opened it so that he could sell his slider-style burgers at a price of 5 cents per patty. White castle is in business today and its belief of selling cheap affordable food for all became the foundation for all the fast food places that were founded soon after. Places that include, Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1930, McDonalds in 1940, In-n-Out in 1948, Burger King in 1954, and Wendy’s in 1969 along with others became the well known cheap eateries that we have here today. All this fast food although cheap, they have clearly had a well documented negative effects of it as well. As more and more fast food appears and gets advertised in our lives it drives people to want to go and get some but causes the average weight of people to go up because of it and also leads to the fast food industry to make money off of it too. The fast food industry has its goods and consequences but ultimately it comes down to what position you are looking at the industry from to really identify your viewpoint. For example if you were a person looking for a job and all you could get was a job at McDonalds, you would think that the industry is good because you make money off of it. But if you were a person who has become obese as a result of eating too much fast food, you might not be a big fan of the fast food industry. There are many arguments that can be made for the fast food industry because of all the good that it provides to people. The first benefit that it has is that it provides cheap food to people since back when it first started it cost 5 cents at White Castle per burger and nowadays basically every place has a dollar menu like McDonalds or a value menu like Burger King. I’m not sure how long that the dollar menu will last with how the price of everything in the world is getting more expensive as time goes on, but I’m sure that it’ll stay at around a dollar or two so that it’ll be a lot cheaper then anything else for a long time. Another benefit of the fast food industry is that the food that it provides is quite convenient because it is so quick to make for us to be able to eat unlike restaurants so that it is a lot better for those who are on the go and need to eat very quickly at the place or even order through the drive-thrus available at most if not all fast food places if they want to save even more time to eat in the car. Another benefit of the fast food industry that some people may overlook is the employment opportunities it creates for people. According to howstuffworks. com, as of today there are about 2. 4 million workers that work in the fast food industry which his quite a large number. These jobs, although small, provide a steady source for those who work there to support their families, and I’m not too sure that all of the people employed within the fast food industry could find other jobs. A last minor benefit of the fast food industry is how they are adapting because of all the criticism they receive about fast food being unhealthy, places like McDonalds started serving things like fruits, salads and milk to stop a bit of the negative opinions. The main argument against the fast food industry is the health issues that result from eating the fast food. All the fast food is and has been for a while assembly line made. We don’t always know what the fast food is made of; it could be filled with random meats that we might not quite like if we ever find out. Fast food is usually higher in things like fat, oil, calories and sugar. All the nutrients get fried out of the food and eating a lot will result in many problems, like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and joint problems. According to Buzzle, people who live within walking distance of a fast food restaurant are 13% more likely of suffering a stroke then those who don’t. According to Ehow. com 33% of Americans are obese and a lot of it stems from the doubling of fast food restaurants since 1970. Simply put, if you eat a lot of fast food bad things will likely happen to you. Fast food also has a negative effect on our environment as well because the factory produced fast food is said to have a big impact on our environment causing a lot of damage and a lot of people consider it a major contributor to global warming. And according to EHow, they quote the EatingWell Magazine that worldwide meat production is said to emit more greenhouse gases then all the transportation and industrial processes combined. Another argument against the fast food industry would be that fast food industries are also being considered as a factor for making families spend less time together because people just want to eat quick and leave thus reducing the amount of family time that people get together. All in all just like everything else in the world, the fast food industry has its pros and cons. The pros of it would be that the food is cheap, the food is convenient to get and eat, and that it provides a lot of jobs for people. The cons would be that it’s bad for your health to eat, its bad for the environment to make and may likely decrease the amount of family time that families can get. I believe that these really balance each other out, but it really depends on the point of view of the individual as to whether they like or dislike the fast food industry. In the end opinions may differ, but it’s really up to you to decide. Reference Page: 1. Bose, D. (2012, March 9). Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food. Buzzle. Retrieved September 18, 2013, from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fast-food.html 2. Maire, L. (n. d. ). Pros & Cons of Fast Foods | eHow. eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More – Discover the expert in you.. Retrieved September 18, 2013, from http://www. ehow. com/info_8006832_fast-foods-pros-cons. html 3. Tannebaum, K. (n. d. ). Fast Food History – Original Fast Food Locations – Delish. com. Recipes, Party Food, Cooking Guides, Dinner Ideas, and Grocery Coupons – Delish. com. Retrieved September 18, 2013, from http://www. delish. com/food-fun/fast-food-history#slide-3 4. Wilson, T. V. (n. d. ). HowStuffWorks â€Å"The History of Fast Food†. HowStuffWorks â€Å"Science†.

Difference between active and passive forms Essay

Difference between active and passive forms Introduction Active forms            Inactive forms of the sentence, the doer or the thing that is doing the action is the subject of the sentence while the one that is receiving the action is the subject of the sentence. Most of the sentences in the real world are in the active forms. It is always in the form; (Action Doer or the subject)+(Verb)+( The action receiver or the object) Example John wrote the essay Here; John is the subject, wrote is the verb and essay is the object. Passive Form            In the passive form, the things that are doing the action are the subject of the sentences while the thing that is doing the action is the object and it is placed at the end of the sentence after the word â€Å"by†. The passive form is always used when one thinks that the object or the receiver of the action is to be emphasized or is deemed to be more important. This form is also used to exercise courtesy where one doesn’t want to mention the action’s doer or the doer of the action is not known. It is always in the form; (Action receiver)+(past participle of the verb in question)+(by)+(action doer) Example The essay was written by john Essay is the action receiver, written is the past participle of wrote, by precedes the doer, John References Courtland L. Bovee& John V. Thill, July 21, 2013. Business Communication Today (12th Edition. Source document

APN Professional Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

APN Professional Development Plan - Essay Example The discussion that follows will outline an APN professional development plan as well as give the role of the advanced practice nurse. The APN professional development plan would involve six aspects. First is the attendance of continuing education forums like conferences, workshops, clinical updates and rounds that target clinical treatment. Second, the APN can critically review relevant literature like academic journal articles that are targeting clinical treatment. The APN should after that consider how this study impacts their professional development. Thirdly, the APN can enroll for an academic credit course whose focus touches on their practice. Fourthly, the APN can teach other health professionals by offering educational seminars, lectures as well as presentations. Fifthly, the APN can write publications whose aim is to facilitate the integration of evidence-based knowledge into their practice. Lastly, the APN can conduct research that is relevant to their professional field. The scope of practice of the APN includes nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists and clinical nurse specialists. As a nurse practitioner, the APN can work as a licensed and self-regulating practitioner. He or she can conduct an examination on patients and establish the relevant medical diagnosis through the use of the medical history of the client as well as physical analysis. This nurse can command, conduct and deduce screening studies, checks, and diagnostic processes to evaluate and diagnose problems (Fagerstrom & Wangensteen, 2014). This will enable them to institute management and treatment plans. The nurse is in a position to induct consultation, cooperation and applications for a referral to other health professionals and specialists. The nurse can offer pieces of advice, counsel as well as educate communities, families and patients about the

Issues In Financial Reporting (Questions for the final exam) Essay

Issues In Financial Reporting (Questions for the final exam) - Essay Example There are few assumptions of a financial statement. Such as, a business entity is assumed to carry on its operation forever which refers to a going concern concept. Financial statements should be prepared periodically, basically after a specified interval which is termed as ‘accounting period’. All the transaction recorded in a statement should be at cost, not market price. As per the money measurement concept, the information recorded in the statement should be in monetary terms. The business entity concept says that the legal entity of a corporate business should be different from the owners. The method or the practice that has been adopted by a company initially for presenting an event should be followed life long in order to maintain the consistency. Preparation of financial statements is subject to quite a few regulations. For the purpose, Accounting Standards should be followed. Accounting Standards are issued by Accounting Standard Board (ASB). ASB is a part of Financial Reporting Council (FRC). It is a self -regulatory body in UK and is responsible for promoting quality corporate governance. ASB collaborate with the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) to ensure the acceptance of Accounting Standard at the international level. UITF plays major role of assisting the ASB while solving a conflicting and unsatisfactory interpretation regarding the requirements of Companies Act. Financial Reporting Review Panel (FRRP) is also a part of FRC, which check the financial statement of private and public companies to ensure that statements are presented as accordance with Accounting Standards and Companies Act, 2006. Accountability and transparency are absolute necessity for maximising long term share holder’s value. The rules and procedures of gathering data must be flexible and consistent; otherwise a scope of misinterpretation of data will

MUSEUM VISIT & ESSAY ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MUSEUM VISIT & ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example The painting depict Buddha seated on his throne while stepping on a tiger that seems to drink water from the stream below. Buddha is holding a golden scepter in his right hand. The scepter has a shiny lamp at the top and a flowing red cloth. Above Buddha’s head, wavy lines are used to depict cloud movements in the blue sky. The sun is depicted on the left side of the painting while the moon and stars are on the right side. This symbolizes that Buddha controls both day and night. On the left side of the painting, there are green mountains and valleys with a flowing stream of water (Tulachan 1). Down the mountain, a half body of a horse and two men seems to be enjoying their bountiful harvest. The right side of the painting depicts flowing air and human figures. A stream of cool water flows beneath Buddha’s legs. The tiger seems to be drinking from the stream and blooming flowers and green plants manifest the importance of the water. The artist combined shades and tints of red, blue and yellow and complemented them with brown color. The sky and the waters below are blue, symbolizing calmness. The light blue clouds have red tails symbolizing their energetic and strong movement in the sky. Part of Buddha’s garment is blue, signifying loyalty, order and peace. Buddha’s garment parts, throne decoration, center of the sun, and lamp are red orange to symbolize his power and strength, and love and energy on humankind. The golden yellow color of Buddha’s face, hands, sun and the environs signify the promise of an affirmative, happiness and enlightenments. The green color symbolizes fertility while brown signifies protection, security and wealth. The painter made use of line to create shape and movement. Wavy lines are used to depict movement and create outlines. Curved lines are predominantly used in natural forms to depict grace, softness, joy and flexibility that come with

Application and development of relevant business management knowledge Essay - 2

Application and development of relevant business management knowledge - Essay Example Moreover, in order to make the best use of knowledge, a firm is required to have a system for regulating and organising knowledge management processes and this invariably involves changing organizational culture, technological processes and methodologies (Bhatt). In other words, effective knowledge management manages people, technologies and methodologies and does not focus on one or the other. Gold, Malhortra and Segars argue that successful organizations have the ability to realize economic goals via stockpiling knowledge and distributing it throughout the organization. However, Argote and Ingram caution that while it is important to create and distribute knowledge within the firm, managing knowledge, particularly business knowledge is very important to safeguard against the risk of internally created knowledge is not leaked to competitors. Regardless, Wig maintains that organization managers are persistently looking for ways to enhance the firms outcomes and performance. As a result, managers are consistently attempting to understand â€Å"underlying, but complex mechanisms such as knowledge† which influence the firm’s effectiveness and efficiency (Wig, 6). According Wig: Knowledge is said to be divided among a number of categories. For example, knowledge can be â€Å"tacit† and â€Å"explicit† (Stenmark, 36). Tacit knowledge is that which possessed by individuals and is observed by their activities and behaviour. Explicit knowledge is that which is easier to express and is often contained in manuals, regulations, procedures and can be distributed. Knowledge can also be cultural, encoded, â€Å"encultured† and embedded (Stenmark, 36). Although business knowledge narrows the field, it is also complex. The Fraunhofer CCKM construct of business knowledge management is demonstrative of the complexities involved in the creation, application and distribution of business

Emerging Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Emerging Markets - Essay Example While developing economies are usually flooded with emerging markets, the concept is not novel to developed economies. It is these emerging markets, which when successful in the future, become economic giants in the industry (Garten, 1997). The emerging markets need to consider a lot of geographical and economic concerns before setting in a foreign country. They may be small enterprises or large projects. This paper seeks to evaluate the industry of emerging markets in the United States and see how successful it has been over the years. It would also analyze how these emerging markets have affected the economy of US and all related economies. Emerging markets have had positive impacts and some negative setbacks and this paper would state both sides of the picture. The US is the third largest country in the world comprising an area of 3.79 million square miles. It accommodates over 300 million people in fifty states, and being so, it remains the most populated region in the world. The US is the most ethnically diverse nation in the world with people from all over the world staying there for work, study or leisure. It has a GDP of 14.3 trillion US dollars which proves that it is a relatively economically stable country in the world. However, about 11% of the US population lives below the poverty line (Juster, 1997). It has a very high rate of productivity and high rate of scientific developments and innovations. Also, the unemployment level in the US is fairly low and inflation is under control too. The US is bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans making it a favorable site for water travel. Also, it has sufficient nuclear weaponry and a strong army to ensure its defense against the worldly enemies. The US also enjoys fairly good relations with most economies of the world and it stands as a much unbiased nation with a lot of

Mountain Dew Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mountain Dew - Essay Example It has gained the position of No. 1 competitor of Coke, which stands for kinship and a brand that nation cares for. Come year 2000 and Pepsi Co, along with BBDO, its advertising agency for decades are facing a challenge to change it advertising strategy to suit the market needs. Close rivals in CSD and non CSD segment are increasing their advertising bumdgets, which Pepsi Co. is reluctant to. Extreme sports and alternative sports have been over used and left with less fizz to be continued as an advertising strategy. The decision becomes even more crucial in light of decreasing sales of Pepsi and Diet Pepsi, partly due to increase in prices of 5% across market segment and partly due to the increasing awareness of the consumer base of what marketing strategies are and why brands are popular. On the other side, functional drinks market is fast picking up with brands like Redbull creating a niche for itself. The board of senior members of Pepsi Co and BBDO are brooding over the decision of selecting and producing adverts which will convey that idea of Mountain Dew standing for an Exhilarating experience without overexposing extreme sports. SWOT Before analyzing the situation in deep it is important to keep in mind what Mountain dew as a brand and as a product stands for. Following is the SWOT for Mountain Dew which will be considered while making the final decisions Strengths ïÆ'Ëœ Mountain Dew is a product offered by Pepsi Co., a company with very strong market presence and very high brand value ïÆ'Ëœ Brand can be identified with terms like ‘advernturous’, ‘exciting’ ,‘cool’, ‘Daring’, ‘Courageous’ due to which it has a niche in the market segment of 18 – 29 year olds... s The teen KPIs are encouraging & an opportunity to create a better brand awareness exists It’s a product in flavored drink segment which is growing unlike the CSD cola market Threats Other companies have used the Extreme sports as a communication medium and increasing their budgets for advertising and communication Introduction of functional and non CSD drinks which today’s consumer is drifting to provide its health benefits and current ethos Other copy cat flavored drinks More stress on the managerial judgment for selecting the best communication strategy rather than relying on hard data. Though it has worked in part, this decision might or might not lead to desired results and is risky. Issues 1) Eight years of exploiting the theme of Extreme sports has left it with no juice. Other companies have started to exploit it, even those who are not in the beverages industry like GE, Mars and FedEX. Mountain due is also in need of broadening its consumer base from 18 - 29 ye ars olds to overlap with 20 – 39 year olds. It needs a more generic appeal and hence use of extreme sports is questionable 2) Pepsi Co. since ages have believed in keeping the content right rather than flooding the media with its ads. They believe in game of content rather than volume. This means Mountain Dew has a limited budget to spend on its media communications as compared to nearest competitors who are ramping up their spends on the same. 3) When Mountain Dew was bought in 1964 by Pepsi Co. it had its own niche of ‘flavored’ soft drink. Today not only has it lost its niche, but also is facing competition from non CSD drinks like Getorage and functional highly caffeinated and sugary drinks like Redbull. It is hence crucial to take this brand to a next level by broadening the target market

Inspector Goole Essay Example for Free

Inspector Goole Essay I believe such cliff-hangers put the characters in a defensive and confused mood and they left wanting to know what is to happen next. Who thought the inspector knew a lot therefore they have to co-operate by telling the truth and this makes the jig-saw puzzle of the mysteries easily soluble. That is the scenes with each Act are easily identifiable as the initial atmosphere is established, as the focus moves from one character to the next and as the family seeks to explain the evenings events. At the end of the play, the audience are shocked and surprised that inspector Goole, who has acted professionally, so it seems, has turned out to be a fraud and a fake. Afterwards, the audience, I presume, becomes more confused and bewildered. The plan was a type of whos done it (by Agatha Christie) which progressively builds up and heightens the supernatural nature of the mystery surrounding the inspector. However, the inspector has successfully made Sheila and Eric confessed their guilt and irresponsible behaviour towards Eva Smith yet the inspector leaves the audience guessing who actually is responsible for the death of Eva Smith, and the audience having learnt that the inspector is a fake, makes them more surprised at his professional manner and style of his interrogation and enquiries. Initially, the role of the fake Inspector Goole, who visits the Birling family residence and to interrogate them about the supposed suicidal death of Eva Smith, tries to make the characters aware of the broader view of responsibility because before the entry of Inspector Goole in Act one, Mr Birling tells the two young lads Gerald and Eric that,  A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own After the inspector has given his speech of Love, the three; Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald are adamant and refuse to accept any responsibility on their part, which contributed to the death of Eva Smith. Before the end of the play, Gerald Croft rings the infirmary to confirm the death of Eva Smith and the falsehood of his cocked up story of the death of a young woman now on a slab at the infirmary. Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald are in jubilant and triumphant mood that they have been vindicated that no girl has died and the infirmary hasnt had a suicide for months. Just then, the phone rings. This time, it is a real inspector who confirms that indeed a young girl has died drinking disinfectant and is on the way to the infirmary. Then inspector wishes to visit the Birlings (second time round) for a fresh investigation. I therefore believe that this is proof of Priestleys use of time as element of his play. Now the audience are left in no doubt that the events of the play are going to start all over again because according to theory of nature of time, the cycle of identical lives will be repeated if people involved change nothing of significance. J.B Priestley wants to convey a moral and social message that we all should think, feel and act like responsible people in the community helping one another. I believe that the sort of audience who went to the theatre in 1945 were, naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and ignorant but rich and powerful. Despite the ignorance of the audience, they were wealthy and powerful people of the society at that time after the Second World War. Therefore, they could easily identify with the Birlings. These people are selfish, uncompromising and thought of themselves and their families and disregarded the plight of the poor and disadvantaged members of society. This is vividly in Mr Birlings advice to Eric and Gerald;   but I care. I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List-  Having identified themselves with the Birlings, I feel that the audience will feel guilty for being irresponsible and selfish towards the poor and disadvantaged in the society. Therefore I believe if injustice and inequality are allowed to flourish in the society, mistakes of the old generation will repeat itself in generations to come. The play encourages the audience to learn from the mistakes of the past and to recognize that selfish pursuit of riches and power can be destructive. J.B Priestley encourages his modern audience to see that capitalism has many victims. He also makes them aware that our lives are linked and that our behaviour affects one another to see the need to create a better society. Nevertheless, the modern society reacts to the characters in the same way in the sense that the rich are becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer, due to the selfishness and inward looking of the wealthy and powerful over the less advantaged members of society. I feel Priestleys use of surprise interrogations and inquiries do not work in modern times. This is because before an inspector of the police visits a residence to interrogate, he first makes himself known by producing his identity card. I believe the end is a surprise because after inspector Gooles speech, the real inspector of the police rings announcing the death of a girl who has drank a strong disinfectant and that the police inspector is on his way to ask questions. Despite the present of socio-political conditions, I believe Priestleys moral and social message is still relevant. For instance, inequality and class systems are prevalent in modern societies. For example, the labour party which is socialist inclined seems to stress the idea of interdependent community but fail to practice what they preach. The original audience are different from the present day audience, whereas the audience in 1945 were aristocrats, wealthy and powerful, the present audience have different social status therefore I think one should expect diverse reactions. Thus, the play does not affect them in the same way. However, I feel that the play is still worth performing because modern audience are still committing the old mistakes that the original audience committed. Morden society is still irresponsible and class system is also operative. Again the elite and affluent exercise power over the less advantaged and the poor, and they are business conscious more than being charitable. In this play, Priestley writes about social message, love and responsibility. Socially, the writer makes me feel and accept that people share a common humanity and that we are all interdependent.  Again Priestleys writing about love through charity which is faked by Mrs Birling encourages me as an audience to express true love.  I believe this play has encouraged me to look back to the mistake of our fore-fathers in all circumstances and live as a member of a community contributing and helping to build a society devoid of wickedness, irresponsibility and selfishness.  In conclusion, I must admit I have been overwhelmed by Priestleys use of time as an element of his plays ( The dessert Highway-1944 and The Linder Tree-1945), to demonstrate how in general; the behaviour of each member of a community can affect others.

Response Mc Graw-Hill Essay Example for Free

Response Mc Graw-Hill Essay With respect to the topic about the role of perception in a conflict, I am going to relate this to my personal conflict with a neighbor in the community that I live. I experience this conflict when our neighbor reprimanded my brother in a humiliating twice in different times for the reason that the latter used to play his radio component in high volume. Considering the distance of our houses, my mother believed that there was really no disturbance that was created by my brother. However, the said neighbor is still angry with us and tried to spread the issue around the neighborhood. That made my family more angry against our neighbor and we even showed disgust with him. As such, there are two things that are important for the same, and these include communication behaviors and the perceptions of these behaviors ( Hocker and Wilmot, 2001, p. 26). In addition to that, the way a conflict is characterized metaphorically creates a certain perception of what can happen, what will happen, what should happen and with what kind of feeling actions might take place (17). For instance, my perception with the conflict that I was involved was that, the constant show of utter disrespect my neighbor has shown me by wearing an angry face everytime I am around means that he disliked my presence. It may happen that I will do the same to my neighbor as a counter-reaction or maybe I will create a bad impression on him in my mind. I can detect that there are so many factors affecting my perceptions. The fact that I am also a guy, I hated my neighbor so much and his family background and cultural display are another factors of the conflict. Actually, my neighbor is a foreigner, particularly a Chinese. We have different cultural orientations and perceptions. He hates noise around him and knowing my brother who loves listening to loud music, they would really end up enemies by conflicting needs and likes. I am really affected to this conflict because it is a matter that affects my whole family. Reference Hocker, J. and Wilmot, W. (2001). Interpersonal Conflict. USA: Mc Graw-Hill.

How Does Celebrity Culture Effect Our Behaviour Cultural Studies Essay

How Does Celebrity Culture Effect Our Behaviour Cultural Studies Essay The significant development of celebrity industry also contributes on those effects. As people see how easy to be or to do something, they will consider it a target to achieve. This is absolutely right with the many ones dream to become celebrities. Furthermore, when the celebrity content becomes daily, it also effects on all of us, especially the young. Their life styles, their behaviorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are often imitated. According to Robert van Krieken (2010) said in his article, celebrity which is usually seen as a frothy and unreal topic is also a measure of how superficial contemporary culture has become. However, the celebrity production industry has never ever significantly developed like it today. Also, there is no signal that the limits of the spread of celebrity culture have been reached (G.Turner, 2010). The continuously operating apparatus of celebrity industry along with the growth of digital media has made them the perfect partners who contribute in the expansion of each other. The production of reality TV shows, the rise of Idol, Master Chef, Australias got Talent and others take us to a point that all television formats are produced depending on exploiting people interest in the chance to become a celebrity (G.Turner 2010). It is the celebrity industry which first creates celebrity through the process called celebritisation (G.Turner 2010). For example, the reality TV shows like Idol that many contestants try to express themselves to be recognised through the performance process. This is one among many TV shows which offer people the opportunity to prove themselves to become famous. That is a very first step of the process of transformation (G.Turner 2010). Then, the expansion of digital media the producers and distributors of content through printed and electronic forms magazines, newspapers, television, and now with the development of the various kinds of on-line media would help the celebrities to hold their fame (G.Turner 2010). Those all contribute in the fact that news of celebrities is now full of magazines, newspaper, internet and other kinds of media. It is obvious that the development and efficiency of the media machine help to create a celebrity easier. That means many peoples dreams now easier to be real. Especially, the growth of the reality TV shows make people have more opportunity to appear on TV. Therefore, there are a lot of celebrities who are production of this type of celebrity production industry. A phenomenon called Susan Boyle is an example. A 47-year-old single woman has been the worldwide star just after only one appearance on TV. She had sung the song I dreamed a dream in the TV show Britains got talent (C.Cadwalladr 2010). Then it was like her dream come true when the video of her performance got more than 100 millions views on YouTube. After that, her first album I Dreamed a Dream sold more copies than any others. The story named Susan Boyle like a fairy tale has spread over the world about a talent woman and how easy to become a celebrity (C.Cadwalladr 2010). Furthermore, if someone is the winner in a show, wi th the support of many kinds of media, he could become a celebrity without doubt. What seems to come next to fame? It is wealthy. Statistics show that actors can be paid nearly $US20 million for making a single film (S.Bunbury 2009). But it is not the only source of their income. They are also paid to appear on advertising or to represent a brand. For many years, Australian celebrities efforts are trying to sell us things like hair replacement, air-conditioning, alcoholic drinks, house-and-land packages and fast food. Sarah Murdoch hustles for undies; Gwyneth Paltrow endorses cosmetics; Celine Dion used to represent a car company, Bruce Willis hawks vodka (C.Middendorp 2010). Hence, they can earn millions of dollar from these advertised campaigns (C.Middendorp 2010). Another example is Kylie Minogue who is a famous singer in Australia. She is also known as actress, childrens book author, underwear designer and perfumer. As a result, her net wealth in 2006 is approximately $55 million, according to James Thomson-the editor of BRWs Entertainer Rich List (D.Ziffer, L .Dubecki 2006). However, the obvious prices that most of them have to pay for the fame are their own privacy. The fact is that the celebrities always use media for their self-promotion. So, some people argue that it is unfair for them when the media reports some thing which they want to keep secret. Nevertheless, other said that celebrities take advantage from media to create the ideal figures of them no matter how inaccurate they are, so it has right to tell the truth (B. Haywood 2004). Therefore, some famous celebrities are always followed by the paparazzi and their privacy is exposed on magazines, newspapers. It is obvious that in a society that is obsessed by media and celebrity culture, celebrities have a great impact on everyone. From fashion trends to life style or political views, peoples behaviours, interests and beliefs are strongly affected by celebrities. Furthermore, these celebrity-culture-obsessions usually begin at an early age, therefore, other than adults, teenagers and children are most impressed. They often think of famous people as role model and try to become those figures (C. Shaffer, 2010). For example, there was a research done by the UK research organisation YouGov in 2005 which surveyed a group 800 of 16-19-year-age young people (Cassidy 2006). It showed that 10% of teenagers would leave school to appear on TV if they had opportunity. Sixteen in 100 of them believed they could find success through celebrity industry. Meanwhile, 9% think being famous is the best way to achieve wealthy without qualifications. The positive affects of celebrities are social and environmental effects. Many environmental topics and issues such as global warming, wildlife animal protectionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ could approach the publicity thanks to the celebrities. Tom Hanks, Al Gore, and Leonardo DiCaprio strongly believe in living green lifestyle (C. Shaffer, 2010). These advocacy-celebrities can positively influence people as they would live more eco-friendly and do good thing for environment protection. Furthermore, many celebrities campaigns concerning social issues like charity, helping poor people, HIVà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ also have good impacts on people recognition. One example is that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had adopted 3 orphans from different countries (Ethiopia, Cambodia and Vietnam). However, the bad effects also be accompanied by the good effects. The public, with so much exposure to celebrities, could strongly be influenced by their behaviour or even misbehaviour. The fact is that people are imitated by the behaviour associating with success and fame. So, that is the reason why they can have impacts on people, especially the young. Meanwhile, young celebrities can easily affect young people. However, two thirds of 1,007 people in a weekend USA Today Poll believe Hollywood stars are no more likely to get into trouble than other young people (K. Thomas, 2007). Paris Hilton and Linsay Lohan are example. Both of them had to go to jail because of using drugs and driving when they got drunk. Other scandals of the young celebrities concerning with sex, drugs, drunk, clubs, partiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. are exposed daily on many kinds of media. Hence, the downgrading lifestyles of celebrities are seriously affects on young people in general and the next generation in particu lar. No parents want those bad figures to become their childrens role but they could find no way to get rid of their effects. After the hardest work- choosing topic, I have to determine how I could approach it. I focused on how does celebrity culture affect our behavior, with three objectives: to examine the rising tide celebrity culture on newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet; to evaluate the cost to be a celebrity; to research the effects of celebrity culture on our behaviour. However, on the process I did the research, I had to change my second objective to to explain why many people want to be celebrities, which seems to be more suitable to my way of approaching the topic. At first, I found it not too hard to meet the deadlines. Because most of my resources for the research project are from Internet, so it was easy for me to collect everything. Then, the hardest and most time-consuming step is to read all of them and classify which articles; journalsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are suitable for which objective. Unfortunately, I was sick and absent 3 days from school, so, I could not hand in the second objective on time. Therefore, I did really hard to catch up with other friends and the deadlines also. From this part, I have learnt a lot about time management: to arrange work, to do the schedule, to catch upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. I think this very important for my future study in university. Also, this is the first time I write the reference list, so I found it is quite difficult. I had to do it many times and asked the teacher to make sure that I was on the right way. Thanks to him, I could finally finish it. Now I feel more confidence to write the reference list next time. To sum up, I have learnt many new things when doing this research project. They are not only academic, but also social and communicational skills: to do the oral presentation, to manage time, to arrange work, to write a report, to do a bibliography, to overcome unexpected problemsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Those skills are always important in both my study and my life in future.

Essay --

Witch-hunts occurred throughout England for centuries, so it was no surprise that the witchcraft hysteria eventually reach colonial New England in the late seventeenth century, but this wave of fear was different from any other. Beginning with two young girls, witchcraft affected every person living in the New World and by the end, over twenty men and women were convicted of witchcraft, as well as entire communities living in constant fear of being touched by the Devil. Puritans, a group of English settlers, held strong beliefs about the Devil which sparked ideas of witchcraft among the Salem community. The austere Puritan lifestyle left little room for creativity, resulting in accusations against innocent people. Women, in addition to children, were inferior and considered weak; it was believed that Satan used them to carry out his wishes, and as a result, these people became witches. The severity of Puritan religious beliefs indirectly caused the witchcraft hysteria to reach its p eak during the Salem Witch Trials. Prominent and influential among the colonies, mainly Massachusetts, Puritanism was not only a religion, but a lifestyle. Puritans left England in 1630, with the intent to reform the Church of England. These English Protestants were discontent on how the Church of England was run and they made it their mission to â€Å"purify† and eliminate the church of Catholic influences, as well as â€Å"invigorate daily practices of religion.† Overall, Puritans desired â€Å"England to be reformed as John Calvin (1509-1564) had reformed Geneva (Hall, 21).† By moving to New England, Puritans had the freedom to establish their own religious authority. Puritanism controlled every activity in order to maintain a constant unity between people and Go... ...ities. â€Å"Young women at that time had nothing at all to feed their imaginations. There were no fairy tales or stories, no art, theater, or classical music (Kallen 23).† In addition to restrictions of childhood, extreme pressure was placed on children to remain pure or suffer the potential punishments from the Devil. At young ages, fear was planted in children’s minds causing hyperawareness of Satan’s wrath to frighten a child’s consciousness (Hall 23). The combination of fear, lack of imaginative outlets, and pressures on children were catalysts to the uproar of witches and witchcraft. With little ability and opportunity to express any behavior other than obedience, it was understandable that young Abigail Williams and Betty Paris claimed that they were possessed by witches, and in turn, these accusations engulfed the entire settlement of Salem into the hysteria.

F.Scott Fitzgerald and George Orwell Essay -- comic books, marvel comi

A nation’s legacy is created by the people, for the people. The legacy fashioned by a nation is known as its cultural heritage which is defined by the withstanding creations of a society (â€Å"Cultural Heritage† Web). A civilization’s cultural heritage allows future generations to learn of the past and the present generation to express what is current. Written documents and literature are important aspects of a nation’s cultural heritage because of the various perspectives and opinions expressed (Kirk Web). The American society has a long history expressed by thousands of tangible artifacts and intangible stories, but some creations receive more respect as a part of our heritage than others. Literature, for example, allows us to gain a better understanding of the country, people, and feelings of the times. The classics are revered for its formal presentation and its withstanding presence, while other written pieces are cast aside. Comic books may not be considered in the same realm as the great novels of F.Scott Fitzgerald and George Orwell; some don’t even consider comics literary works but there is a viable argument to justify their presence as culturally important pieces of literature. Similar to the great novels of our time, comics express the difficulties of human nature and are timeless works (Kalstein Web). The content of these short stories can be used as primary sources of popular culture as they are filled with historical references and have been influential in guiding the thoughts of the nation through their patriotic content over time, leaving an impactful mark in history. Marvel Comics, an American publisher, is recognized for its release of many popular heroes. The writers of this publishing firm are known to be highly... ...t Superhero: Metaphors, Narratives, and Geopolitics. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 2012. Project MUSE. Web. 13 December 2013. Dittmer, Jason and Soren Larsen. â€Å"Aboriginality and the Artic North in Canadian Nationalist Superhero Comics, 1940-2004†. Historical Geography Volume 38 (2010): pages 52-69. Web. 13 December 2013. Kirk, Ashley. "The Importance of Historicism and Context in Literature." Web blog post. Words on a Page. N.p. 2 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. Kalstein, Nicole. "Comic Books: A New Kind of Literature." Examiner. N.p. 25 May 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. Scott, Cord. â€Å"Comics and Conflict: War and Patriotically Themed Comics in American Cultural History from World War II through the Iraq War.† Dissertations. Loyola University, Chicago. 2011. Web. 3 December 2013. "What Is Cultural Heritage." Culture in Development. N.p. n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.

Game and Dynamically Generated World

Minecraft: A World at Your Mercy By If you're one of those people who quite likes computer games, but finds the endless mayhem and slaughter a bit unseemly, there is another option: putting imaginary things on top of other imaginary things. There are no scores, no obvious goals to aim for, no point at which you can punch the air and say that you've triumphed; you simply move around a randomly and dynamically generated world, collecting objects and building things. All at your leisure.Does that sound sufficiently exciting? Well, Minecraft allows you to do just that; it may have been billed as the â€Å"coolest game you've never heard of†, says Senior Emily Marchese, but it has about as much in common with Call Of Duty or Angry Birds as hopscotch or basket weaving. It's created by Markus â€Å"Notch† Persson, developed by a very small team, but has had more than 12 million people buy the 20 dollar game. But what exactly do you accomplish playing Minecraft?Head over to You Tube, where home-produced videos of Minecraft creations litter the top 10 most popular videos each month, and you'll find such delights as a 1:1 scale model of the USS Enterprise, roller-coasters, reconstructions of the Titanic and much else. FHS Alumni, Soham Roy gives us a few examples of what he thinks are his greatest accomplishments in Minecraft: â€Å"I have created a pyramid out of water, pushed Haroon Ahmad into a pit of lava, and tamed a gigantic pack of wolves to rip into the flesh of my enemi†¦I mean, to cuddle and play fetch. † How you make these structures is much like how you make things in real life. You need tools and resources. You use the wood from trees to make tools and then you mine underground and start looking through caves for resources. As you go deeper you’ll find rarer resources which you can upgrade your tools with or make structures with. And when you have the resources you need, like Legos, you start putting them all together and star t making anything your heart desires.You can also set up servers and create a massive world with your friends. Junior, Mike Salzarulo is one of the many students to own a minecraft server here at Freedom. â€Å"You can do anything you want. If you wanna be a nomad and travel the world you can do that. You can be like me and just set up camp and make a town with all your friends. I made a huge castle with them. † The comparisons with Lego have provoked a debate over whether Minecraft is even a game at all; maybe it should be considered more as a lowly â€Å"toy†?But when the sun sets over your Minecraft world every hour or so and darkness creeps in, monsters (or â€Å"mobs†) emerge – and if you're not tucked up safely within your construction – your game may well be swiftly curtailed. The different types of mobs include spiders, zombies, and skeletons that are equipped with bows. The two most infamous mobs in the game are the endermen and the creepe rs. The endermen are passive and non-hostile and sometimes cute creatures that only attack you if you look directly at them.And finally, the creepers are the most feared of all Minecraft mobs, because if you get too close they make a hissing sound and then explode. The explosion decimates everything around you. So be careful when you look out the window of your house made out of diamond, a creeper might be trying to creep on you. Minecraft is still being made and the full version will be out in November, but will then cost $30. If you buy the game now, not only will you be able save $10, but you’ll also be able to get your hands on the game that has everyone either sitting on their computer all day or designing buildings on graph paper.

Reproductive Health Bill Philippines Essay

When I hear the RH Bill, What comes to my mind? I must say that I am in favor to this law in the Philippines . This law means having control of the growing population in the Philipines and this will lessen poverty due to the lesser family members. The law states that the people has choices to pick in starting a family like contraceptives, condoms, pills, IUD. This Bill will help people much especially the uneducated ones to know more information about family planning, prevention of abortion, sex education, prevention of HIV/AIDS and others. The poorest family may have the biggest family, now is the time for them to give education about controlling by approving this bill. I think this bill was aimed to the poor ones because they are the ones who cannot support their family and most of them has no education, this means more problem. This helps us to make the lives of the filipino future to be more productive. We are already in a modern world, many of the people know about sex. Even out of wed lock have sex, even friends have sex but the bill helps to control having birth and being safe. Most especially teens, they are the one mostly who are engaging in sex. By giving them proper explanation by their parents to be responsible and do what is right, do you think that their children will listen? Well, it’s up to them but parents should always be reminding their children to do what is wrong from right. Why do others are against it? Maybe because it’s also against the Roman Catholic Church and the beliefs of other groups. But people has their own right what they will do and what they want to believe and use.

“Hills like White Elephants” Literary Analysis Essay

Trying to decide on a course of action when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, an American and a girl sit outside a train stop in the dusty part of Spain and drink on it. Indirectly approaching the sensitive subject of abortion, each member of the couplehood sets out to test the other in a verbal battle of the wills, engaging in a staccato like dialogue that offers some insight into the two main character’s personas. Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† churns out a hefty sum of symbolism in a very short story ultimately leaving the imagination free reign to interpret. While they wait for a train to take them to Madrid, the dangers of persuing happiness unfolds (choices – how bad do you want something – how restrictions help you to understand yourself†¦if you put yourself out of your element – thats when you learn the most about yourself) . The timeline of the story is significant. Post WW1, opulence has landed in Amerci a and 20’s reign Roaring 20‘s, post WW1 Although setting is not talked about at length, what is written says many things about the underlying psyche of the two main characters, the American and a girl he calls Jig. Immediately, Hemmingway establishes an obvious conflict between the couple’s interests with the line â€Å"[o]n this side†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is further emphasized with â€Å"two lines of rails†, symbolizing their inability to connect with each other. A beaded curtain is then introduced, â€Å"to keep out the flies†, in reality, it is a grounder representing the girl’s shifting state of mind; while everything seems to change and turn and dance about around her, the curtain – not solid, but as fluid as her decision making skills – appears whenever she makes an important decision. Here, the curtain is a means of concealing their current dilemma. The pair are also described as being â€Å"outside the building†, where they are supposedly waiting for the train – a justification for their underlying purpose of waiting on a decision to be made. The Mediterranean sun finds them somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid, two major cities in Spain, where there is â€Å"no shade and no trees† on their side of the valley. This represents the crossroad they’ve reached in their relationship: they are stuck in limbo, coming from beauty and going into it, but must first make their decision of whether they go together or not. Lastly, throughout the story the girl looks out at the valley and the hills  in the distance, which are â€Å"white in the sun†, while she and the American are stuck in a â€Å"brown and dry† country, hardly conducive to life at all. The fertile valley and the hills represent the unborn baby – the potential for life. She mentions these hills and looks over to them many times, whereas the man refuses to acknowledge them, ignoring her when she initially brings them up. This is highlighted later when the American refers to ‘the operation’, or the potential abortion, as being â€Å"perfectly natural†. The presence of the beaded curtain shows that she does not agree with him. This fundamental disagreement of the concept of something as basic as nature foreshadows the couple’s impending separation. Furthermore, while she is perfectly aware she speaks of the white hills metaphorically, he takes her literally; they do not operate under the sa me mode of thought. Throughout the story, the American behaves according to the traditional idea of masculinity: rugged, knowledgeable, and always in control of himself and the given situation. Even when vexed or confused, he maintains a relaxed exterior and feigns indifference; such as when he tells the girl â€Å"if you don’t want to you don’t have to†. He avoids directly voicing his opinions, but when pressured collapses, oversimplifying the operation and relentlessly pushing her to have it. Thinking himself to be the more reasonable of the two, even identifying more with the other passengers â€Å"waiting reasonably† at the station, he inherently fails to provide the sympathy and understanding she needs during the crisis. Compared to the American, Jig is portrayed as being naà ¯ve, helpless, and indecisive. Her nickname, Jig, subtly indicates that the two characters merely dance around each other and the issue at hand without ever saying anything meaningful. In fact, the girl, unable to speak Spanish, can’t even order drinks from the bartender on her own – suggesting a strong dependence on him. Although her mind is constantly changing as it receives new information, she still is being pressured to make a decision while under the influence of his persistent attempts to control her. Jig is very much like the following comment made by Hemmingway on the 1920s, when the story was published: The age demanded that we dance And jammed us into iron pants. And in the end the age was handed The sort of shit that it demanded. (Audre Hanneman, Ernest Hemingway: A  Comprehensive Bibliography: Princeton University Press, 1967) By the end of the story, Jig seems to understand that her relationship with the American has effectively ended, despite her earlier professed desire to make him happy. She knows that even if she has the operation, their relationship won’t return to how it used to be. In many ways, the girl’s realization of this fact gives her power over the American, who never really understands why they still can’t have â€Å"the whole world† like they once did. Imagery and symbolism are common themes throughout this story. When Jig first tries the Anis Del Toro, she comments â€Å"[i]t tastes like liquorice†¦ everything tastes of liquorice†. Liquorice is a popular sweet, but in medicine it used to induce vomit. This sort of duality runs throughout the text. Here, Jig speaks about how everything possesses two natures: a positive and a negative. One not able to exist without the other. The curtain appears at the beginning of this scene, when the American orders the drinks. This might mean that she is becoming aware of a truth the man isn’t picking up on. At the end of the forty minutes, it is implied the train has come to pick them up. This too has a hidden meaning: once a train comes, it goes. Symbolically, the train represents Jig’s choice. Like the coming of the train, if she decides to abort the baby, there is no turning back. The train will keep on going just as her life will keep going; but will she ever be the same? The American tries his best to make his opinion known that he and Jig’s life will be easier and go back the way it was if she just goes through with this â€Å"simple operation.† It is also interesting to see how the man reacts to the indecision of his girl when â€Å"he picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He looked up the tracks but could not see the train. Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the train were drinking†¦ He went out through the bead curtain. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him.† As the man takes both of their bags over to the tracks, he is hoping that Jig will go through with the surgery. He is still uncertain as to whether she will in fact go through with the abortion, but lets his opinion be known by taking their luggage and setting it by the tracks to be loaded on the upcoming train. He looks up the tracks, waiting for the train that is supposed to come, but does not see it. Similarly, he anticipates that Jig will listen to his suggestion but is still uncertain whether she will go  through with it. When the American comes back into the barroom, he hopes that Jig has made a decision, preferably in favour of the abortion, but when he reaches her she has still not made up her mind. The drinks that the couple share are another instance of symbolism regarding Jigâ€⠄¢s decision about the abortion. Even though it may not have been known that alcohol consumption negatively affects the fetus in the womb, Jig’s consistent drinking gives way to the thinking that she may have thrown in the towel on the possibility of having the child. For instance, the Anis del Toro is a drink that is illegal in many countries because those who gorge themselves on the drink can, and probably will, die of alcohol poisoning. Knowing this, Jig’s drinking the Anis del Toro symbolizes her thinking of the child as a separate entity, perhaps already dead. Jig’s drinking several alcoholic beverages points toward her decision to abort the baby as her American boyfriend wants. There is also the recurring theme of the number â€Å"two.† For instance, the train stopped for â€Å"two† minutes, the couple drinks â€Å"dos† cervezas, they receive â€Å"two† glasses of beer, â€Å"two† felt pads and the American carries their â€Å"two† heavy bags to the other side of the train tracks. This overemphasis of the number two could inspire two different readings. The first could be that the relationship between the couple is the largest the relationship can span; they can’t include a third person into their twosome because three’s a crowd. The other way to read this is that perhaps â€Å"two† refers to Jig and her baby. Jig is still weighing the possibility of becoming a mother because she has not yet made a decision as to whether she will abort the baby or not. The overuse of two is definitely symbolic within the story. Even Hemingway’s title is symbolic which alludes to a deeper meaning in the term â€Å"white elephants† than just scratches the surface. A white elephant is a saying meaning â€Å"a gift not recognized by the receiver, whose value is outweighed by its cost†. The girl’s comment in the beginning of the story that the surrounding hills look like white elephants initially seems to be a casual, offhand remark, which in reality represents her desire to speak about the issue at hand. Later, her comment â€Å"the hills don’t really look like white elephants† is a subtle hint at her defiance: perhaps she won’t have the operation at all. The term â€Å"white elephants† originally was used in Indian cultures where a white elephant is â€Å"a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of†. The term  originally came about in an apocryphal tale about the King of Siam who would â€Å"award a disagreeable courtier a white elephant, the upkeep of which would ruin the courtier† (Dictionary). Even though these elephants were beautifully ornate and were given as great gifts, the upkeep is atrocious. Basically the cost and care for the white elephant would supersede the actual joy of receiving it. In sum, a white elephant is an unwanted gift; much like Jig’s pregnancy seems, especially to the American: like an unwanted thing. Both the American and the girl drink alcohol throughout their conversation. They start by drinking large beers the moment they arrive at the station. Then, as soon as they begin talking about the hills that look like white elephants, the girl asks to order more drinks. Although they drink primarily to avoid thinking about the issue at hand, readers sense that deeper problems exist in their relationship, of which the operation is merely one. The girl implies this herself when she remarks that she and the American man never do anything together except try new drinks, as if constantly looking for new ways to avoid each other. By the end of their conversation, both drink alone- the girl at the table and the man at the bar- suggesting that the two are winding down their relationship and will soon go their separate ways.

Govern safeguarding adults work Essay

Legislations The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 aims to prevent unsuitable people from working (either paid or unpaid) with children or vulnerable adult. Employers who work with these people have to be registered according to the act and The Independent Safeguarding Authority decides if people should be barred from working with any vulnerable person. Everyone gets checked before they are able to work with all vulnerable people for instance, a DBS check will be carried out to see if the person has carried out any criminal offences. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 supports the rehabilitation into employment of reformed offenders who have stayed on the right side of the law. All employers require full disclosure of pervious offences. The Police Act 1997 A CRB check is done under a Part V of the Police Act 1997, this protects vulnerable people from harm because employers will then know of any criminal convictions that have been done by particular people. http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/gmgr-annexe-c29 The Sexual Offenders Act 1976 The Sexual Offences Act 1976 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It made provision in relation to rape and related offences. This Act put the Sex Offenders Register in action for identification and tracking  purposes. This Act protects vulnerable people from danger, by tracking sex offenders. Care Standards Act 2000 This Act set the national minimum standards to protect the vulnerable, the standards include accommodation, services and good working practice. This Act established the Protection Of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme, this scheme helps protect vulnerable adults from abuse. People who are working with vulnerable adults have to go through POVA training, I have done so myself through volunteering. The training makes you more aware of different types of abuse, people that are abused and the abuser, and how this is identified. Care Homes for Older People- National Minimum Standards and Care Homes Regulations 2003 This regulation identifies the levels of care that vulnerable adults need in care homes. There are points in this regulation that all older people in care homes should always receive the standards that are set for example, having a choice of what they would like to eat for dinner. Mental Health Act 1983 This Act is to protect those vulnerable people who suffer with a mental illness and others that are caring for them. There are procedures to ensure that there rights are protected and not being abused. The Act also allows compulsory treatment for those with a mental illness. Mental Capacity Act 2005 This Act allows to help vulnerable people who cant make decisions for themselves because they lack the mental capacity, this is done by them having an advocate. It is established by The Independent Mental Capacity Advocates Service. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 People who have a disability are treated equally to those without, this should be done in any work place. This act not only covers physical disabilities but mental as well. The Act has an aim which is, ending discrimination that individuals face with a disability. People who have a disability now have the rights to many things including, employment, education access to goods, facilities and services and buying or renting land or property. http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/the-disability-discrimination-act-dda Race Relations Act 1976 The Race Relations Act is to protect people from discrimination, this includes a persons race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin. People should be treated equally and fairly no matter what race or colour they are. Human Rights Act 1998 Vulnerable people have the right to be treated correctly and cared for effectively due to the Human Rights Act 1998. This act gives every person the power to challenge perceived discrimination by any public body. Data Protection Act 1998 The Data protection Act is essential to follow in a health and social care setting, all personal details from an individual are to be kept safe and only seen by the people who care for them. Information will only be disclosed if there is a potential that a person is in danger. It is very important that every health care setting for vulnerable adults has strategies and procedures that reduce the risk of abuse, if this was not done effectively then individuals may be in danger. Recruitment of staff- The health care system is always recruiting new staff due to more and more people using the system every day, more elderly are getting ill and leaving their homes to go into a residential care home. Every person who employs a new member of staff has to make sure that they are save to work with the elderly as they are very vulnerable. The adults who are barred from working with the vulnerable are identified on the Adults Barred List. The list subdivides these people into two different categories which are, people who are automatically barred because they are a ‘risk of threat’ and people who offer a ‘very probable risk of harm’. The process of the Adults Barred list gathers information for many places including, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) , Health and Social services and employers. A CRB check is done before someone is employed, personal information is written down about a person and  then it is sent off to be checked by the police to see if they have any criminal convictions. Staff who work with the vulnerable have to register under the Vetting and Barring Scheme since July 2010. Sector guidance- Guidance is given to employers to reduce the risk of abuse in the environment they are working in. Two acts are included in this guidance and they are Dignity in Care Initiative 2006 and Human Rights in Healthcare. The Human Rights has a framework which assists local NHS Trusts to apply human rights approaches for the people using the services. FREDA values are focused on, Fairness, Respect, Equality, Dignity and Autonomy. Dignity and Care Initiative campaigns to end toleration of indignity in health care. Organisational policies- Every organisation must have policies and guidelines on expected behaviour from staff, this is done when an organisation develops there own policies from the guidelines that they have been provided with. Policies enable people who are using the services to know what is acceptable and unacceptable with their own care. Codes of practice- Codes of practice enables professionals to work effectively at high standards, respect and minimise risk to people that are in their care. Many care systems produce codes of conduct including The Nursing and Midwifery Council, nurses and midwives have to abide by these codes and put them into their practice to be able to care after individuals at the right standard. Multi-agency working and Closer working between professionals within organisations – Multi-agency working is when all different teams come together to care and meet needs for a person as a whole, an example of professional bodies working together would be, doctors, care workers, nurses, social workers etc. The support planning and single assessment has encouraged greater inter-agency cooperation. Working like this encourages sharing of an individuals information and together they can all look after that person very effectively. This has not been put into place with some agencies and in this situation an individual would not be taking care of  properly because of this, this could lead to harm with elderly people. The government has guidance on multi-agency working and this is a paper called ‘No Secrets’. Beryl Strecth (2010). Health and Social Care . Essex: Pearson Education. Close working between professionals and organisations enables better communication about the people involved. This could be done in staff meetings, team meetings etc. In care homes they have daily logs about individuals who they care for, this ensures that when a new member of staff is working they know for instance what they have ate that day and what sort of care they have provided for them. This can also detect a residents behaviour for example, if they act differently when certain members of staff are on shift. Working in partnership with adults using services- When agencies work in partnership with the adults, families or informal carers it makes them more confident about the situation, when confident they will be more likely to talk about there worries and people can then help them build their self-esteem back up. Decision-making processes and forums- Decision making is essential when looking after a vulnerable adult, when it is kept transparent and clear then everyone knows what is happening. Monthly meeting of residents in a care home encourages ideas that can be shared between one another, this will make people more confident at speaking out. Organisational policies and staff training- The role of the Care Quality Commission- Whistle blowing- Whistle blowing is when someone who is working in a care setting reports suspected wrongdoing in the work place. This is called ‘making a disclosure in the public interest’. Some things that may be reported include, someone’s health and safety is in danger, damage to the environment, a criminal offence, the company isn’t obeying the law (like not having the right insurance) and covering up wrongdoing. https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing/overview There is a chance that any individual will have to ‘whistle blow’ while working in a care setting, if the person thinks that what they have witnessed is ‘wrong’. A form has to be filled out by the person who has allegedly seen wrong doing and then it is sent off to get assessed and monitored for rooms of improvement. Complaint procedures- Complaint procedures will be in every care setting, this is important to protect vulnerable adults from harm or abuse and for them to have the best care possible. People are encouraged to use complaint procedures. Complaint services are there to improve the quality and life of the individuals in there care, but it is important that elderly people feel safe if there are going to complain about the care they are being given and not victimised.

Peer Pressure Speech Essay

â€Å"He who saves one life it is as though he saves the world†. You make the call, you have control over what you want to do or not do. Do you really want to do it, or are you too scared to stand up for yourself and just say no? You must stand up for yourself, and be confident with your decision. What if you say yes? What if you decide not to stand up for yourself? What if you are not confident? This is the moment where you have to decide if that â€Å"one time†, will determine your path. But you really have to stop and think for a moment. Is what you are doing a complete and true definition of you? Whose life are you really leading? There are two kinds of peer pressure. The Positive kind, and the Negative kind. The positive kind of peer pressure is, being pressured or convinced to do a certain task that you may not have had the confidence to complete or to do yourself. Another kind of positive peer pressure is when friends convince you not to do something that may not have been in your best interest. Negative peer pressure is just what it sounds like—It is when Peers try to make you think that they know what is best for you. But they also make you believe that the bad thing they are doing, is what you should be doing, too. They try to direct you down a path, which is not the correct one. They push for you to have JUST ONE drink. To smoke JUST ONE cigarette†¦. But, the thing that you can do to save yourself is not always the easiest thing to do– saying NO. But just saying no may or may not be the end of the problem. What it means is that you have to be certain and confident with your choice, and have the inner strength to know that you are doing the right thing. Being accepted by people who want you to be a follower, and to go down what may be the wrong path, is being accepted or thinking that you will be accepted by people who are not really your friends. Many people forget what the true definition of friend is. Why are people so willing to give into peer pressure? Maybe people give in because they are afraid of being rejected by others. Maybe they give in because they want to appear grown up. They don’t want to be made fun of; they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings; they aren’t sure of what they really want; they don’t know how to get out of the situation. We all feel it! We all do it! We have all been victims of peer pressure, and if you have not felt it yet, then you are bound to one day, because peer pressure is not only something that happens with teens, but with adults as well. Even adults feel peer pressure – to have a nicer car, a nicer house, different clothes†¦etc†¦ Unfortunately, negative peer pressure is never going to disappear. There will always be someone who will try to tempt you with something, try to convince you of something, use you for something. While we can’t change other people so easily, what we can change is how we react to negative peer pressure. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and walk away, when other people are doing something that you don’t want to do. It takes leadership to show the right path. It is so hard when â€Å"everyone† is drinking, when â€Å"everyone† is smoking pot, and you aren’t. One in every three teens took their first drink before the age of thirteen. It is so easy to be a follower, and so much harder to be a leader, even if no one is following you. People need to realize that forcing or badgering or humiliating someone into taking a drink, is not being a leader. You don’t know someone’s reasons for not drinking, you don’t know if they are taking medicine that might really affect them if they drink, or if they have a medical condition that would be affected if they drink. So they feel pressured, take a couple of drinks, then get really sick, or get in an accident. Pretty negative right? We have all heard about teen drug use since we were in middle school. We all remember that middle school was a really hard time, as we were trying to be so mature, and were still so young, and were trying to find an identity. Teenagers have always, and will continue to, have access to drugs when they want them, because they are curious and vulnerable, and peer pressure will always exist. The temptation to some how and some way, run away from things in our lives that cause conflicts, can let us become the victims of peer pressure, and drug use. Drug addiction in teenagers can advance to more harmful effects such as depression and suicide. One out of every three kids has been given, offered or sold drugs in High school and Middle School and one in every four of 17 and 18 year olds smoke regularly. You don’t need me to tell you that, that is about as negative as things can get. You have the choice, and you have the control to stand up for yourself. Here’s the thing, you’ll never be able to stop peer pressure. People will always want you to be like them, because they want someone to drag along—it gives them more confidence and strength. But you can only hope that there will be good people out there that will encourage people to do good things, instead of bad. If negative peer pressure was to end, and all we were left with was positive peer pressure, we would be living in a society that would be making great advancements in the right direction. For example, Relay for Life is a very important program that takes place not only in our community but also in communities all over our country. Kids raise money for, and awareness of cancer, by taking part in an all night walk-a-thon. By pressuring our peers to attend such an impressive community event, we are making a gigantic step toward finding a cure for all kinds of cancers. It is events and moments like these, which can change the world. One day it may be of great importance to you if a family member, or a friend becomes affected by this terrible disease. Pressuring your peers to take part in doing good for the world is the greatest form of positive peer pressure and leadership. Now, let’s say that negative peer pressure is allowed, and continues to be a growing problem. Imagine this scenario: You’re at a party, and you see a kid from your school, and it seems as though he is not doing much socially. You approach him, and start harassing him about how he isn’t drinking and that he’s too scared to have a drink. But to show you up, this lonely teen lets down his guard and has one beer, and then another beer, and then another beer, until he’s so drunk its unrecognizable who this person is anymore. You laugh, and walk away, not realizing that this kid who drove there all by himself does not have many friends, and none of them are at the party. The next school day you find out that one of your classmates is dead. He left the party, got in a car, and wrapped himself around a tree, resulting in his tragic death for which not only you but also everyone present at that party is to blame. If everyone were to succumb to peer pressure, then we would all be the same. For example, lets talk about the clothes we wear—if peer pressure said that everyone should wear only clothing from Hollister, then we would all look alike. Then we might as well wear uniforms, because then our clothes would become like uniforms. And if every one lived in the same kind of house, and drove the same kind of car, had the same kind of dog, went to the same places for vacation, it would seem like communist Russia, and not the free country that we live in. Although that is taking it to an extreme, and seems silly, that is precisely what peer pressure is, if there was no one to stand up for themselves. So, are you someone who wants to save a life or someone who wants to sabotage a life? Are you a leader or a follower? If you are a follower, or a life saboteur, do you want to change, and if not, why not? Are you happier making someone else unhappy? Remember, if you change one life, save one life, then it is something that can change the world, one person at a time†¦

Nursing and Self-Care Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 41

Nursing and Self-Care Management - Case Study Example The hands are to be washed and before doing anything to the patient it is vital to explain to Mrs Smith whatever action about to be performed. I will enquire medical records of in a bid to establish the medical history of the patient as well as her feelings and perception towards the recent diagnosis. Finally, it will also be vital to enquire if there is any information that may be of great help towards the determination of the ailment as well as any leading factors that may have contributed to the patient’s latest predicaments (Paraska, 2012). Mrs Smith previous history indicated that she had been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis and lately congestive heart failure. Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the joints of the human body. Normally the joints are cushioned with a cartilage that prevents friction between the joint bones during motion. However, when the cartilage deteriorates these bones rub on each other resulting in painful inflammation. The condition is common in women and children with the grossly affected age being the age of 40 to 60 years. Its characteristic symptoms are morning stiffness, pains at the joints, swell at the affected joints and reduced activities. Conversely, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a condition characterised by loss of or shortness of breath, fatigue, and reduced activities. This is due to the heart fails to supply oxygen and nutrients to other organs or to all parts of the body (Fawcett & Madeya, 2013). The self-care management goal that is related to the above-discussed ailments is by examining Mrs Smith’s lifestyle and giving appropriate advice on the need to readjust her lifestyle.In most cases, individual lifestyle is always the causative factors that lead to arthritis. This can be due to remedied through regular exercising, maintenance of proper diet, proper sleep and others (Williams & Hopper, 2011). The intervention strategies that can be employed in the above-mentioned cases factoring her age is by advising her to try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by continuously getting involved in light activities, ensuring that she adheres her eating habits to proper dieting.

Business ethics as contemporary management topic Term Paper

Business ethics as contemporary management topic - Term Paper Example The study has selected business ethics in order to understand following learning outcomes: Many companies (read Nortel, Enron, Layman Brothers and others) have suffered the ill effect of poor business ethics in last two decades hence discussing contemporary issues related to business ethics can help the author to gain knowledge about organizational sustainability. Business helps the organization to build sustainable representation in front of their stakeholders. Unethical business practice creates a negative impact in the mind of both shareholders and stakeholders. In many cases, it has been observed that government of a particular country takes legal action against organizations practicing unethical activities such as bankruptcy, fraud, misrepresentation of financial asset or fraud. Legal action against unethical organizations not only perturbs sustainability of them but negatively impacts shareholder’s interest. Studying business ethics will help the author to understand the importance of organizational sustainability in terms of financial perspective. Many companies of USA have understood the importance of business ethics hence they have created ethical assistance lines for stakeholders to report the ethical concern about the business practice to them. The following diagram will show an increase of concern related business ethics in recent times. There is a vast gap between ethics and self-interest in the business practice. Many business executives emphasize on self-interest in order to fulfill personal prosperity instead of doing business for the betterment of society.

Project 3 Information System Security Plans Research Paper

Project 3 Information System Security Plans - Research Paper Example Then, with todays rapidly changing political, economic, and importantly technical environment increasing the threat for the federal agencies, it becomes paramount for those agencies to adopt a strong security plan. In that direction, the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed guidelines on the ways to formulate and adopt a security plan. â€Å"NIST SP 800-53 contains the management, operational, and technical safeguards or countermeasures prescribed for an information system† (Swanson, Hash & Bowen, 2006). Among the various parts of the NIST’ security plan, the focus will be on the four sections of General Description, System Environment, Laws, regulations, and policies, and finally Security Control Selection. So, when a federal agency like Department of Defense (DoD) adopts a security plan, these four sections can contribute optimally to the process and so the discussion will about why are thes e sections are important and how they can be applied in DoD. All federal agencies or systems including DoD reflect some to extreme level of sensitivity and because of that it requires protection for its physical IS system and its virtual data as part of secured and good management practice. In that direction, DoD adopted a risk-focused security plan and guidelines of NIST in 2014 after dropping its longstanding DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP). DoD transitioned to NIST considering its effectiveness, in-depth focus and at the same user-friendly nature. â€Å"The NIST library of security controls (in NIST publication 800-53 Rev. 4), currently in use at most civilian agencies, are much larger and the controls more granular, yet easier to understand and implement, than DIACAP, say those familiar with both methods†

Epigenetics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Epigenetics - Research Paper Example Such environmental factors may include their lifestyles, the foods they eat or even the use of make up. Powerful abnormal persistent memories may lead to changes in one’s behavior. Chromatin modifications relate to learning and memory and could therefore help give an insight into relation between memory and drug seeking behavior (Malvaez, 2009). Individuals addicted to drug use may end up having memory lapses. After extended periods of abstinence, a relapse may occur. This is because relapse may be caused by exposure to external forces previously associated with the drug use like places, people or paraphernalia. (O’Brien, 1988) There may be no history of a disease like cancer in one’s family. However, if one lives a life that predisposes them to conditions that may facilitate spread of cancer, the disease will crawl into their systems. You are born with family history but your lifestyle dictates who you become. The Environment and lifestyle, it could be healthy or unhealthy largely affects the concept of epigenetics. Family history may therefore not play a big role in shaping what one eventually becomes. We’re born with genes of the family. However, our lifestyles end up dictating what we actually become. Besides, our environments end up playing a role in what we become. Environment can be social or natural. If identical twins adopt lifestyles completely different from each other, say one is physically active and the other is not, the physically active one is likely not to suffer from cardiovascular diseases unlike the physically inactive one. With regard to life expectancy, our grandparents may have lived longer than the subsequent generation. This may be due to the lifestyles the grandparents lived which could have impacted on their genes and thus were subsequently passed to the next generations hence manifested

Characteristics of a small business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Characteristics of a small business - Essay Example The first thing that is necessary for a small business is with respect to its ownership. A small business should be a sole proprietorship rather than a subsidiary or a branch. Within USA, the number of employees within a small business should range 500 to 1500 within a manufacturing firm; contrastingly within Europe, this range is limited to 50 employees to consider a business as small. Considering the revenue characteristic, the amount of revenue being generated annually should range from $5 million to $21 million (considering the business is within US and persists to retailing). If the nature of the business relates to a service industry, the annual receipts should range between $2.5 million to $21.5 million. General and Heavy construction businesses should generate annual revenue between $13.5 million to $17 million in order to be attributed as a small business. With respect to the industry and the businesses’ dominance, a business should not be operating within such an ind ustry where it is the only buyer or the lone seller. This would lead to the business being classified as a monopoly and hence the business may not be considered as a small business. Besides that, the legal environment within a country usually restrains a company from operating as a monopoly. This is a certain legal restriction imposed by the government of a country to serve the greater good of the public in order to ensure that businesses do not charge a high price. There is a strong belief within the US that small businesses help in generating the highest level of jobs. As small businesses are usually sole-proprietorship, its work life balance helps in reducing racial differences and it also helps in empowering the women of the country via increased self-employment. Small businesses help in stimulating the country economy. This stimulation is made possible by the creation of employment, hence eradicating

NARRATIVE story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NARRATIVE story - Essay Example Only that morning, after my brother’s compulsion, I decided to get out of my room to go with him and my parents to the beach for some fun. At first I was very annoyed as I preferred to stay indoors and watch some television as it was a weekend. During the weekdays, I had enough and more school work to be done and got very little television time. So weekends are usually a television marathon for me and I would never go out. My brother and my father have a weekend routine which I thought was lame. They would go for swimming at a nearby club and invite me all the time. I always felt very nostalgic to swimming pools and the blue colored water spread across as if it were a blue blanket made me uncomfortable. But today, as the club was closed due to some maintenance activity, my brother had planned for this trip to a beach nearby and had compelled me to come. I thought I will just get some sun and stay away from the ‘deep blue sea’. After reaching there and watching eve ryone have fun, I was not able to control my rising yearn to hit the water. Unfortunately, failed to notice the board which said ‘this area is for strong swimmers only’. So, here I am dragged inwards toward the horizon by the strong waves. I opened my eyes and found that everything around me was different and that confused feeling was still there. I was looking around to figure out whether I was in heaven (hopefully). I could hear the sounds of people talking outside. I woke up fully to get back to reality. My brother was walking towards me and paid no attention to me. I was little bit ignited with this act, as I expected him to come and ask me how I felt after coming in close encounters with death. Instead, he just started hitting me with his towel asking me to get up. I got up, now fully awake, and was staring blankly at my brother who was yelling, ‘are you coming with us to the swimming club at least today?’ Just then everything hit

Organization of Public Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organization of Public Health - Essay Example The closest to the definition of public health provided by IOM is the mission statement of North Dakota Department of Health which is â€Å"to protect and enhance the health and safety of all North Dakotans and the environment in which we live in.† On the other hand, the mission statement of Virginia Department of Health is â€Å"to protect and promote the health of all Virginians.† NJDHSS provides useful information that will enable the people to prepare themselves from biological agents like anthrax; chemical agents like ricin, sarin and VX; emerging infectious diseases like monkeypox, pandemic influenza, and SARS; radiological emergencies; as well as natural disasters and severe weather condition. North Dakota Department of Health and Virginia Department of Health offers a comprehensive information on responding to bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks like pandemic influenza and other public health emergencies. The website also teaches the people on NJDHSS provides more general information on child and adult immunization as compared to the local health websites. It also provides information related to travel vaccinations, immunization administrative code, useful weblinks, including annual immunization status report and statistics. To effectively address the specific needs of its target audiences, North Dakota Department of Health intentionally sub-divided its information into three categories known as: (1) health providers; (2) public; (3) schools/day cares. In the case of Virginia Department of Health, they chose to categorize immunization information for children and specific diseases like Hepatitis B prevention. Even though the Public Health and Environmental Laboratories (NJPHEL) provides test report on infected individuals, NJDHSS also utilizes different surveillance method in determining the widespread of the disease. Although North Dakota Department of Health and Virginia Department of Health provides useful

Disagreement case study Essay Example for Free

Disagreement case study Essay Disagreement between practitioner, child and a young person Sometimes children can be rebellious if there passing thru difficult time in their life or some stage, however we must not go into any argument with any child. Some times it’s good to give child and ourselves a little extra time alone to think again. Settings behaviour policy must be followed so the child or a young person will not be confused and they will know every consequence of their actions. We could call a another person to be with us at the time of talk to prevent any accusations, we must inform the manager just in case parent needs to be involved and also to allow communication between colleagues in setting to be up to date. Being informative and reasoning may allow child to understand further our point of view and in some case that may help issue to resolve. We must be sensitive, show them with our body language, that we are listening their point of view without interrupting their talk. Show child a respect and treat them like the adults, ask for mediator if you think that will be better for both side. Disagreement between Practitioner and adults In any work we all will have disagreement some point in our work life. Most of these disagreements are results of miss communication. To resolve this disagreement and prevent it to escalate we need to talk about them as soon as possible, the longer we leave the problem lye, becomes more difficult to get it resolve. It’s important to follow settings policies to make sure everyone behaves in an appropriate manner. Sometimes clash personalities, or our other qualities can make other side hard to cooperate with, in that case it’s good to arrange a mediator who can be voice of the both side and can mediate to resolve the issue. It will beneficial to be informative all the time, so other side can understand fully about the issue and the outcome of any actions. Other person can have their own personal problems so it’s good to show some sensitivity to their needs and questions may prevent lot of disagreements. Always we need to report our manager what happened and we nee d to keep manager up to date, so we will have the support we need if the thinks gets out of hand or escalates.

Research Critique of Qualitative Research on Registered Nurses

Research Critique of Qualitative Research on Registered Nurses All healthcare professionals are required to understand and promote evidence based practice, and therefore are required to identify and evaluate primary research which is relevant to their own areas of practice and professional activity (Rycroft-Malone et al, 2004 p. 81-82). Nurses can critique evidence for practice that is available within peer reviewed publications, and can choose from a spectrum of research evidence derived within qualitative and quantitative contexts. While it has long been established that within medicine and healthcare, the scientific paradigm and the quantitative domain are considered to provide the best evidence to inform practice, (Upshur, 2001 p. 5; Sackett et a, 1996 p. 71), there is an increasing drive for the recognition of the contribution of qualitative research to the evidence base of an essentially human-oriented discipline (Rycroft-Malone et al, 2004 p. 81, Upshur, 2001 p. 5; Stevens and Ledbetter 2000 p. 91). In this essay, the author will undertake a critical evaluation of an identified qualitative research study. The article will be reviewed using the Cormack (2000) framework for evaluation of primary research articles, and will draw on other published research on qualitative methodologies to evaluate the article and its importance for nursing knowledge and practice. Critique of the Article The chosen article is Pang et al (2009, p. 312), a study of professional values of Chinese nurses, published in the journal Nursing and Health Sciences. It is published in a reputable, peer-reviewed publication, which would suggest that it is likely to be of sufficient quality to warrant a full critique. Title The title is concise: Nursing values in China: the expectations of registered nurses. (Pang et al, 2009, p. 312). As such, it informs the reader of the focus of the study, and its subject matter. However, it does not indicate in this title the nature of the study. Authors The authors qualifications and places of work are given. All are registered nurses, and four out of the five have doctoral qualifications, while the fifth has a masters level qualification. This suggests that they have both the clinical knowledge and experience and the research expertise to carry out such a study. They are all employed in academic settings, and four out of the five are employed within the Chinese/Asian context, while one is employed at an American university. This could be argued to be a positive strength of this study, because the authors have the local and contextual knowledge to research within this cultural arena, but have a non-partisan author as well to provide balance and a wider perspective. Abstract The article starts with an abstract which immediately introduces the reader to the purpose of the research, which was to identify the essential professional values of Chinese nurses and their manifestations in the current health-care environment (Pang et al, 2009, p. 312). This is a positive aspect of this article because it clearly indicates to the reader the focus of the article. The abstract then summarises the sample, data collection method and method of analysis, followed by the results and an evaluation of the findings and their implication for practice. However, this abstract does not at any time discuss the qualitative approach used in this study, or make reference to ontological framework or any influencing models or theories (Silverman, 2001 p. 85). Introduction/Literature Review The introduction contextualises the research by introducing the reader to the Chinese context, in terms of cultural change and its relationship to a global context. They link the evolution of professional ethics to reform and the working conditions of nurses within China, with specific reference to values (Pang et al, 2009, p. 312). This author would argue that it would have been better to perhaps provide more detail here so that the reader could better understand Chinese culture and politics. The authors introduce key concepts within the introduction, which is a strength of the reporting of this study. This relates to their focus on values, and they explore this concept with reference to relevant literature, linking values to key aspects of nursing knowledge and practice. This allows the reader who is a nurse to understand and identify the importance of this study for their own practice, and the relationship between their practice and professionalism and this analysis of values. They further discuss the rationale for the research by making reference to nurses awareness of their values and how these values impact their behaviour and link this to humanistic nursing practice (Pan et al, 2009, p. 312). They then show that the issue of professional values in China is something reasonably novel, and therefore, worthy of investigation. Because the concept of professional values is relatively new in China, there is limited research to guide professional development. (Pang et al, 2009, p. 312). This introduction, therefore, is the only aspect of the study which involves a critical review of the literature, in terms of contextualisation of the research and providing a rationale for the study. While this is appropriate, there is no evidence of any real critical analysis of the quality of the research cited within this section, although more research is referred to later on in the discussion section of the paper. This author would argue that a wider range of research which demonstrates the importance of the concept of values in nursing should have been included here. Cormack (2000) argues that the literature review should identify the underlying theoretical frameworks and present a balanced evaluation of material which supports and goes against the position that the authors propose, and in this paper, there is not enough exploration of the theoretical frameworks, and certainly no attempt at a balanced evaluation of the focus on values here. The hypothesis There is no hypothesis in this paper as this is a qualitative study, and qualitative studies do not use hypotheses these are a characteristic of quantitative studies (Silverman, 2001, p. 80). Operational Definitions The authors do identify terms used in relation to nursing values, and to the Chinese context, but this author would argue that there is not enough exploration of operational definitions, particularly in relation to the methodological approach which has been used. Methodology Cormack (2000) suggests that the methodology section should provide a clear statement about the chosen research approach, and the authors clearly state that they have used a qualitative approach to obtain thick description of nurses perceptions and experiences of professional values (Pang et al, 2009, p. 313). However, this is the only reference to the nature of the study. Sandelowski (2009 p. 77 states that using qualitative description as a distinctive research methodology in its own right is erroneous. It does justify the choice of approach, because of the paucity of related research in China (Pang et al, 2009, p. 313). However, the authors have made no attempt to describe, explore or evaluate any philosophical orientation, research paradigm, framework, ideological underpinnings, or qualitative theories which relate to the work they are carrying out. The field of qualitative research methodology is vast, complex and full of a wide range of methodological frameworks and theoretical models (Silverman, 2001 pp. 85-102), and there are a number of ways in which qualitative research principles are applied to research projects. Therefore, it could be argued that this paper has a serious lack of methodological explanation and transparency, which would not only limit the ability to replicate and reproduce this study, but also limits its transferability to populations beyond the study sample (Blaxter et al, 1996 p. 185; Dale 2005 p. 184). The reporting of the study does not provide enough transparency to allow this author to evaluate its methodological rigour, as there is no exploration of any of the above concepts, and no evidence that the authors of the study have attempted to justify their approach or evaluate the pros and cons of their methodological framework. However, the use of a qualitative method is justified. Subjects The authors of the study do clearly identify their subjects (Cormack, 2000). Sample Selection The sample is described as a purposive sample (Pang et al, 2009 p. 313), and this is an appropriate method of sampling for a qualitative study such as this (Dale, 2005 p. 183). However, the authors could have explained the nature and rationale for purposive sampling, to make this report more accessible to the reader who is less familiar with research terms and concepts. The sample size is described, but no details are given of how the participants were recruited, which does not allow the reader to evaluate this process and its appropriateness. Data Collection Cormack (2000) suggests that the reader should consider whether data collection procedures are adequately described. Pang et al (2009 p. 313) have used focus groups and in-depth interviews to collect data, and they justify their use of focus groups. They describe their individual interviews as semistructured, which is an appropriate approach within most qualitative methodologies (Bowling, 2000). However, they further state that the participants were allocated to either method according to their interests. Based on the available time, the focus group participants were assigned to homogenous groups. (Pang et al, 2009, p .313). While this is not necessarily outside the remit of a qualitative study, it does suggest that the ordering of the data collection process may include or introduce some bias, particularly as participants who preferred it went into focus groups. There is good clarity about the process of data collection, but it would have been useful, particularly for replication studies, if the authors had included a table or chart with the questions used, and provided examples of the additional probing questions that were used to explore the answers to the main questions (Pang et al, 2009, p. 313). Silverman (2001 p.85-101) supports the use of supplementary questions within semistructured interviews, and certainly this is a valid way of eliciting as much information as possible from the participants. Ethical Considerations The authors of the study do include a section on ethical considerations, which is crucial in nursing research which involves vulnerable individuals, including nursing staff themselves. There appears to be ethical approval from appropriate bodies, and some level of review. The authors state they gained informed consent, maintained confidentiality and assured participants of the right to withdraw (Pang et al, 2009 p. 313). Results The results are presented within the text, under sub-headings. The authors provide demographic data, and then an exploration of the themes which were found under the sub-heading of Essential professional values (Pang et al, 2009, p. 313). There is a good level of detailed description of each theme, and there are several direct quotes from the research data, which aids transparency and auditability of the research (Dale, 2005 pp. 183-186). However, there is no graphic representation of findings, or modelling of themes or how themes were arrived at. Using models or other graphical representations of thematic findings can enhance accessibility. Data Analysis In the case of qualitative research, it is important that the reader can identify the processes involved in arriving at thematic results such as this (Silverman, 2001, pp. 85-101; Kearney, 2001 p. 145). The process of thematic analysis is described in detail, which not only shows a degree of methodological rigour but also enhances replication. However, this author would argue that more detail could have been included here for even greater clarity, and there could have been some explanation of the justification for this methodological approach, showing the provenance of this type of analytical process, as well as usefulness of the measures used to promote rigour. The trail of the analysis could have been made clearer (Koch, 2006 p. 91). Discussion The discussion included in this article is very interesting, particularly to the non-Chinese reader. It presents some of the issues in relation to culture and ideology. Cormack (2000) asks whether the discussion is balanced, and reading this, there does appear to be a balanced evaluation, especially of conflicts between Chinese or personal ideologies, and professional ideologies. Each theme is discussed sequentially in this section, making reference to key literature, and to other research which is relevant to the findings. The differences between Western and Chinese values are highlighted, as would be expected given the focus of the article. Limitations of the study are described and discussed in a separate section, but there is not really much explicit evaluation of the implications for practice. The discussion clearly links the findings of these studies with a number of universal concepts and concerns of the nursing profession and healthcare practice. Nursing values are linked wit h nursing ethics (Arman and Rhensfeldt, 2007 p. 372). This is closely linked to viewing patients as individuals, and with the concept of caring (Arman and Rhensfeldt, 2007 p. 372), which is also a central theme of the critiqued article. Issues of conflict with personal and professional ideologies also appear elsewhere in nursing research and debate, and can occur outside of cultural conflicts (Juthberg et al, 2007 p. 329). There are ongoing debates on how much nurses change during their professional lives, in relation to their personal and professional values, and Lindh et al (2007 p. 129) argue that nurses should not have to compromise their values in order to practice their profession. Pang et al (2009 p. 315) show that nurses in China were entrenched in positive ideologies and that nursing values relate closely to the identified themes. Conclusions The article presents a small conclusion, but no separate recommendations for practice. The conclusion summarises the findings, of identifying these seven essential values of Chinese nurses, and their correlation with established codes of ethics for nurses (Pang et al, 2009 p. 315). They state that professional values are influenced by traditional Chinese culture and the current socioeconomic trends (Pang et al, 2009, p. 315). They recommend the development of a culturally sensitive professional values scale for China, for use in future quantitative or mixed methods designs, suggesting that this study provides useful information for development of such an instrument (Pang et al, 2009, p. 315). This author would argue that this is a sad state of affairs, to only see these qualitative findings as contributing to future quantitative studies, but it reflects the general perception of qualitative research being of significantly lower status than quantitative in relation to evidence for pra ctice (Upshur, 2001 p. 5). This author would argue that this study provides a good exploration of Chinese nursing ethical and value-based meaning, and as such demonstrates the commonality of nursing practice across what are considered to be significant and clearly demarked cultural boundaries. Conclusion This review has highlighted the relevance of this article to wider nursing theories and concepts, and has shed light on the values possessed by Chinese nurses which appear to be similar to those of other nurses. There are issues with the quality of reporting of this study, particularly in relation to methodological transparency, but this author would argue that the study does contribute to nursing knowledge in a very real way. The type of reporting may be the limitation, not the research itself. 2. Research Critique (on Quantitative research) Nurses are expected to provide the best standards of care possible for their patients and clients, and in order to do this, they are required to provide evidence-based practice wherever possible. Part of this process of providing care based on the best available evidence involves appraising primary research (Elliott, 2001, p. 555). If nurses are to improve their practice, and apply evidence to improve their clinical and theoretical knowledge and skills, they must be able to assess the quality of the available research which is relevant to their practice (Freshwater and Bishop, 2003k p23; Hek, 2000, p. 19). According to Hek (2000 p. 19-21), evidence based practice incorporates professional expertise, patient need and preference, and the best available evidence. But in order to identify this best evidence, the nurse must undertake an evaluation and critical review of research studies, to see if the research is useful and of sufficient quality to be applied to their practice (Fink, 2005 ). This essay evaluates a quantitative research article which has relevance to nursing practice, because it deals with a chronic condition and one which is prevalent in worldwide populations. The author will review Tangkawanich et al (2008 p. 216) Causal model of health: health-related quality of life in people living with HIV/AIDS in the northern region of Thailand. This article is published in a reputable journal, The Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences which addresses issues of interest and concern to nurses internationally, and as such, offers specific insight into HIV/AIDS and nursing within a global context. There are a number of appraisal tools available to healthcare practitioners to assist them in analysing and critiquing primary research articles. Such models are developed over time in relation to standardised conceptualisations of what constitutes quality and rigour in research and in its reporting. For the purposes of this essay, the primary tool used is that proposed by Cormack (2000), but the author will make reference to other critiquing guides and information, including the popular CASP tool (PHRU, 2009, online) Discussion 1. Title The title is concise (Cormack, 2000) and describes the focus of the research itself. While it clearly indicates what the purpose of the study was (Cormack, 2000), it could be clearer and more indicative of the nature of the study. While the nature of the research in setting out to examine the causal relationships between age, antiretroviral treatment, social support, symptom experience, self-care strategies and health related quality of life (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 216) in the chosen sample and population, is apparent in the abstract, there is little indication of these particular variables in the title, although the description of the causal model (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 216) does indicate the nature of the research. The use of the word causal (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 216) also suggests that this is a quantitative research article. It does not clearly indicate the research approach used (Cormack, 2000). To the less research-aware reader, it would be difficult to divine this information from the title alone, and it could be argued that it would be better to include in this title a clearer indication of the nature of the study. This would then help the reader to identify if this is the type of research study that would be applicable to their own practice or learning. 2. Authors The authors qualifications are provided, and they all are registered nurses, all of which have postgraduate degrees, and two of which have doctorates. They all work within nursing education within a University context. This would suggest that they have the research skills and expertise to carry out such a study. However, there is no indication in the author list whether or not any of them have the statistical expertise for the study. 3. Abstract Tangkawanich et al, (2008 p 216) provide an abstract, which is identified by Cormack (2000) as an important introduction to the article. The study effectively summarises the research, by identifying the variables being tested. The authors do not, however, present the hypothesis in the abstract (Cormack, 2000). The abstract contains a summary of the study sample, and also identifies the research tools that have been used. They include the results and a summary of conclusions from these findings. As such, the abstract does represent the article itself (PHRU, 2009, online), and for the reader, it does make it easy to identify whether or not the article is relevant to their interest. In particular, it does indicate clearly that it is a quantitative paper which uses recognisable data collection tools. 4. Introduction and Literature Review Although Cormack (2000) separates these two into distinct subheadings, within this article, the introduction and literature review are contiguous. The author has noted that this is often the case in the reporting of such studies, but this may simply be a convention of the publication itself, and not the preference of the authors of the study. The authors use the introduction to contextualise the problem in relation to published research, stating the importance of health-related quality of life (HRQL) for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), because of the impact of the disease on these individuals daily lives (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 216). They discuss changes and advances in treatment options for this condition, and relate this to HRQL, and then discuss the disease itself, and how these impact upon HRQL (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 216). They summarise some research about this topic, and also look at self-care strategies, symptom management and treatment (Tangkawanich et al, 200 8 p. 216). There is some exploration of HRQL and its relationship to nursing and to existing literature on this topic, which aids understanding of the concept prior to reading the rest of the article. They highlight some important topics in relation to the focus of the article, including treatment, social support, and other issues (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 216). Although the introduction/literature review contextualises and introduces this study, this author believes that a more detailed critical analysis of the literature would be warranted here. It is not enough to cite previous research as a means of establishing the credentials of the study, as it were. A wider range of research could have been included (Gerrish and Lacey, 2006, 38; Fontana, 2004, p.93), and this research could have been evaluated to identify its quality. It is left to the reader to pursue this matter and determine the quality of the research upon which they base the premise and justification for this study. This could be considered a limitation in the reporting of this research. 5. The Hypothesis The authors do not state a hypothesis (Cormack, 2000), as such, but instead present a research question. The purpose of this study was to examine the causal relationships between age, antiretroviral treatment, social support, symptom experience, self-care strategies, and the HRQL in Thai PLWHA ((Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 217). The nature of this statement would suggest that it is not an experimental study, but that it is within a quantitative research paradigm. 6. Operational definitions Cormack (2000) suggests that people appraising research question whether operational definitions are clearly presented. In this study, operational definitions are explained within the introduction but in language that would make it inaccessible to the less experienced or less knowledgeable reader. 7. Methodology The methodology section does not clearly state or discuss the choice of a quantitative approach (Cormack,2000). The focus of the section on Methods is rather on the instruments that are being used. The quality of this study seems to rest in the choice of a quantitative approach, and the choice of data collection instruments. Quantitative research approaches offer a better standard of evidence, with generally greater ability for replication and greater rigour (Kitson et al, 2000 p. 149; Duffy, 2005, p. 233). As far as research for healthcare practice is concerned, quantitative studies hold better status than those based with a qualitative paradigm (Hek, 2000 p. 19; Newman et al, 1998 p. 231; Pepler et al, 2006, p. 23). There is however no real discussion of the underpinning principles of quantitative research (Parahoo, 2006). It is good that the research instruments are explained in such detail, because it helps overcome one of the limitations of quantitative research, that of not asking the right questions to elicit answers that relate to person al experience (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004 p. 14). 8. Subjects There is very limited detail given of sample selection, save stating that eight hospitals were randomly selected using a lottery method without replacement and that the 422 participants were randomly sampled (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 217). This could constitute a limitation of this research, as it is not possible to identify if there was any sampling bias, how participants were recruited, who recruited them, and any ethical issues in relation to participant recruitment (Hek, 2000, p. 20; PHRU, 2009, online, Bowling, 2002). This author would argue that this is a weakness of the study, as these are crucial elements of quality measurement in primary research within healthcare (Austin, 2001 p. 1; Cooper, 2006, p. 439; Nuremberg Code, 1949, online). 9. Sample selection Sample selection is not discussed in any detail, which could be a weakness of the study, as mentioned above (Cormack, 2000). Sample size is stated, but it is not stated whether this was statistically determined, which could also be considered a weakness, as achieving a statistically sound sample size is important within quantitative research (Daggett et al, 2005, p. 255; Donovan, 2002). 10. Data Collection Data collection procedures are not adequately described in this study (Cormack, 2000). This would be problematic for replication and for rigour. There is no indication who administered the questionnaires, whether or not they were self-report in the participants own time and convenience, or whether a researcher was present at the time of completion. This could be considered a weakness of this studys reporting. The issue of researcher bias is important in the completion of data collection tools, and while questionnaires may be considered a way of avoiding this, if they are remotely administered, it is not always possible to check they are full, or honest, or completed by the intended target (Gillham, 2000, p. 48). Having the researcher present, however, could introduce bias or influence of some kind, particularly in vulnerable people (Bowling, 2001). As these are vulnerable adults attending clinics for their chronic condition, not discussion how the data was collected from them is a se rious failing and may also constitute an ethical issue. However, a strength of this study could be considered to be the use of multiple data collection instruments, and the detail with which they are described, and their provenance accounted for. They have used the Social Support Questionniare, the Symptom Experience Questionnaire, the Self-Care Strategies Questionnaire, and the Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 217). These are described in detail, and where they are based on previously developed research or derived directly from previous studies, this is also described. As these are established research data collection tools, this would suggest they have been previously validated, which adds to the quality of the research (Yu and Cooper, 1983 p. 36; Oppenheim, 1992; McDowell and Newell, 1996; McColl et al, 2001 p. 1). The demographics of the sample are addressed to some extent, and the use of multiple tools also helps to address potential confounding variables or factors (PHRU, 2009, online). 11. Ethical Considerations It is clearly stated within the study that ethical approval was derived from an appropriate body, and that informed consent was achieved, both of which signify good ethical consideration here (Cormack, 2000). However, there is no explanation of what information was given to the participants, how informed consent was achieved, or if there was any issue with communication or accessibility for people with different communication needs. It does not specifically address issues of anonymity and confidentiality (Cormack, 2000), but instead seems to focus on safety (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 218). 12. Results The results of this study are presented in tables, diagrams, and in great detail within the text of the paper. The key results and demographic issues are presented, but data presentation is summarised in a results section and then in more detail in the discussion. The findings are not very accessible, but p values are clearly stated, which is important in a study of this kind. PHRU (2009, online), within the CASP tool, poses the question of do you believe the results?. This is an important question. The results seem plausible, and relate to established statistical analysis procedures (see below). But because of the lack of detail about the sample, and the selection method, it is not possible to eradicate the doubts about these findings, in relation to potential bias. But in the context of the authors wider knowledge and understanding about people living with HIV/AIDS, the results seem believable. However, the issue of bias cannot be overlooked. More transparency in reporting of key e lements of this study would have made it easier to determine whether these results constitute good evidence for practice (Rosswurm and Larrabee, 1999 p. 317; Pepler et al, 2006, p. 23). 12. Data analysis The authors carried out the statistical analyses using SPSS, which is an established statistical programme, and LISREL, which is not a programme this author is familiar with. They describe generating descriptive statistics for each of the variables under consideration, but do not present these in any detail (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 218). They then describe the use of multivariate analysis for specific model development, and using other tests, some of which are familiar to the author, some of which are not. While the multivariate analysis and X2 tests are acceptable tests of inference or relationships between variables (Duff, 2005 p. 234), anyone who does not have the specialist knowledge of the other tests would find it hard to determine their appropriateness here. The level of specialist statistical knowledge required to understand this would be significant. More transparency could have been achieved by including an explanation of these tests. 13. Discussion The discussion appears quite balanced (Cormack, 2000), and is very detailed, which is good, given the complexity of this study, involving as it does multiple data collection instruments. The study relates the findings back to a wide range of other research studies, which is a strength of this part of the report, showing congruence with many other findings in relation to quality of life, age, socioeconomic status, social support, antiretroviral treatment, symptoms, and self-care (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p. 219). Limitations of the study are also acknowledged (Cormack, 2000). However, the implications for practice are presented in a separate section. 14. Conclusions The conclusion supports the results obtained (Cormack, 2000), although it is not a very detailed summation of the complexity of the findings. H