Silabus Teori Ekonomi Mikro

MICROECONOMICS I Nurman Setiawan Fadjar, SE. , MSc. Room: E-19 Class: IE-DADay: Wednesday Email: [email  protected] unibraw. ac. idHours: 09. 30 – 12. 00 References: – Mankiw, N. Gregory, â€Å"Principles of Economics†, 4th Ed. , Harcourt College Pub. , 2006. – Case, Karl E. , Ray C. Fair, â€Å"Principles of Economics†, 6th Ed. , Prentice Hall, Inc. , 2003. Courses: I. Priciples of Economics and Think Like an Economist. (#1, 2) II. Foundation of Microeconomics: Consumer and Firms. a. Household Behavior and Consumer Choice. (#5,21, #4,5) b.The Production Process: The Behavior of Profit-Maximizing Firms. (#13, #6) c. Short Run Costs and Output Decisions. (#7) d. Costs and Output Decisions in the Long Run. (#8) e. Input Demand: The Labor and Land Market. (#18, #9) f. Input Demand: The Capital Market and The Investment Decision. (#10) g. General Equilibrium and the Efficiency of Perfect Competition. (#7, #11) III. Market Imperfection and the Role of Government. a. Monopoly and Antitrust Policy. (#15, #12) b. Monopolistic Competition and Olygopoly. (#16, 7, #17) c.Externalities, Public Goods, Imperfect Information, and Social Choice. (#10, 11, #14) d. Income Distribution and Poverty. (#15) Grades : 1. Attendance: 5 % 2. Participation: 10 % 3. HW: 15 % 4. Quiz: 20 % 5. Midterm Exam: 35 % 6. Final Exam: 35 % + 120 % Good Luck! TEORI EKONOMI MIKRO I Nurman Setiawan Fadjar, SE. , MSc. Ruang: E-3 (IE), B-1 (AK) Kelas: IE-AC, AK-CDHari: Senin (IE), Kamis (AK) Email: [email  protected] unibraw. ac. idJam: 07. 00 – 09. 30 Buku Referensi: – Mankiw, N. Gregory, â€Å"Principles of Economics†, 4th Ed. , Harcourt College Pub. 2006. – Case, Karl E. , Ray C. Fair, â€Å"Principles of Economics†, 6th Ed. , Prentice Hall, Inc. , 2003. Materi: I. Priciples of Economics and Think Like an Economist. (#1, 2) II. Foundation of Microeconomics: Consumer and Firms. a. Household Behavior and Consumer Choice. (#5,21, #4,5) b. The Production Process: The Behavior of Profit-Maximizing Firms. (#13, #6) c. Short Run Costs and Output Decisions. (#7) d. Costs and Output Decisions in the Long Run. (#8) e. Input Demand: The Labor and Land Market. (#18, #9) f.Input Demand: The Capital Market and The Investment Decision. (#10) g. General Equilibrium and the Efficiency of Perfect Competition. (#7, #11) III. Market Imperfection and the Role of Government. a. Monopoly and Antitrust Policy. (#15, #12) b. Monopolistic Competition and Olygopoly. (#16, 7, #17) c. Externalities, Public Goods, Imperfect Information, and Social Choice. (#10, 11, #14) d. Income Distribution and Poverty. (#15) Penilaian : 1. Absensi: 5 % 2. Partisipasi: 10 % 3. Tugas: 15 % 4. Quiz: 20 % 5. UTS: 35 % 6. UAS: 35 % + 120 % Selamat Berjuang!

Maru: Love and Yellow Daisies Essay

Introduction Maru is a book that reflects on the life of an orphaned young girl of Basarwa tribe who gets an opportunity of teaching and she is sent to teach in a remote village in Botswana where her own people are kept as slaves. Her existence separates a community which does not recognise Basarwa people as human beings thus condemn her to the lonely life of an outcast. This Book Maru in a way reflects on the life of its writer Bessie Head who is recognised as one of the best African writers, she also went through traumatising life experiences of racial prejudice in the late South-African government. She fled South Africa seeking refuge in Botswana where she settled in a small village which was filled with tribalism and people of her tribe were in slaved Part One That year the rains were so late, though the atmosphere was mysterious and threatening with menacing dark clouds, the summer season climatically was hot and dry. The clouds brought confusion in people’s minds as each evening roaring sounds of thunders and lightning would be heard only to live people with empty promises of rain. The man was fully equipped with necessary tools planning for the seasonal ploughing ground breaking was done for easy sowing two brand new tanks were installed on the nearby houses waiting for the rains to fall so they catch and contain the storm water. He wanted to plough something that will signify his wife’s beauty and resemble his true love for her and for that he prepared a flower garden of yellow daisies. The man’s desire was to fulfil his destinies no matter how many he had; though he knew life was short he was a born leader with an affection of pleasing and archiving his goals no matter the consequences, even if attain his goals th reatened his position as a leader he will still go for the execution as planned. â€Å"I’ll be going now (Head, 1971)† quietly said Maru to a group of three working man who were building vegetable beds. He took his time as he was nervous to speak. The three men were not ordinary farm boys but close friends of Maru who shielded and have always been there for him through his entire life, he said some harsh words to them which annoyed them but because he was their leader they said â€Å"Maru is always impossible!† they spoke in a low voice out of respect behind him, fearing being heard. â€Å"Ranko† said Maru in a deep sharp voice of annoyance. ‘Didn’t I tell you not to break the up the clods? They are for conserving moisture in the soil’. (Head, 1971) Ranko stirred up the skies like he wished God will see his sorrows or he could see answers in the skies of what exactly his leader wants him to do, he wiped his nose with one arm out of confusion. In Setswana Ranko meant a person with a big nose, since when had people not had their vegetable garden raked in a decorated fancy way. Each and every new idea no matter how impossible it looked it had to be put into practise, making no allowance for preju dice. This to him was too much and painful like his big nose, the three men knew no other life but the one of serving and pleasing their leader Maru. Without him they were lost souls wuthering around with nowhere to go and this on its own inflicted fear into their lives. Maru was their king whom loathed the kingship like a husband who hated his annoying, most demanding ever complaining wife from the deep bottom of his heart, they knew he wanted to give up his leadership seat and it was a scary shocking secret to them which brought confusion and fear which they couldn’t be at peace with. The secret was kept among him and them, they knew it has to circulate around them only though they didn’t know the verdict none the less had answers to the outcome of events when the time comes only their leader who was planning to abandon them knew what he was doing. They knew when time comes they will just pretend as if their leader passed away. Maru paused for some time and looked up the skies, where the storm looked mysterious and threatening with dark clouds. The shrubs always looked and turned black in the evening when darkness was falling and sudden breeze swerved the very dry white grass. He was in his zone where he could communicate freely with his thoughts with less or total absence of distraction and interruption from his people. The place was filled with cemetery silence. His mind, body, soul and heart communicated freely with beautifully much appreciated desired feedback. He knew that people hated him though they thought they hid it so well behind their fake smiles towards him, he could tell of their evil deeds planned for him he could feel it in their blood running up and down their veins, only if they knew what he knew wouldn’t they have ripped, torn him to pieces a long time ago, just to keep their secrets and their evil safe where bad and darkness is the ruler and possesses all things? It was an anticip ated vision that slowly accepted or permitted one dream to rule and dominate his life. The small little brown, filled with dust walk path, turned a blind eye on the noisy fast highways of life. Alongside the dusty footpath grew the yellow daisies which always danced in the sun and wind, the sight and the beautiful rhythm of dancing movements of the yellow daisies will eventually dominate his fantasies, an overwhelming feeling, filled with joyful moments. So much it made his heart beat pound with everlasting joy. He promised himself that as soon as the first rain fell he will sow those yellow daisies alongside the walking path that leads to his house as he was reflecting and joyfully feasting on his dreams on which he brought to life for that peaceful moment, at least the present and the on-going moment was simple to interpret, though he kept a deep secret of things to happen which only him was holding like those black clouds which knew what they kept beneath them which no man could interpret but hope for the best out of them, he had that cloud coiled in him, waiting to be unleashed like clouds filled with plenty of water that will cause a storm so strong and heavy it will cleanse and wash away all those ugly undesirable bad things that he forever despised and bring forth happiness which was hindered by all those things he hated. As he walked on tortoise pace walking on a path that will land him at his house he was doing so with his eyes leaned towards the sky on which a clear display of beautiful fantastic vision of things to come were set resembling a beautiful tale. As he silently entered the house his wife fearfully gazed at him from the dinner table she was preparing. He sometimes had an angry and hurtful mood whereas every word he said was verbally abusive and repeatedly hurt one’s feelings. Most certainly she never kept into her heart all past experiences of pain and suffering. Most often she felt full of joy and hallucinated by happiness it was not an everyday thing for her to parade around the whole day with a very excited smile drown on her face, because the days of being deliberately been hurt and pain inflicted on her were few thus were over shadowed by the days of deeply showered and expressed love. The darkest days may have been there as to balance the situation. Maybe Maru had to face an d experience reality to know how bad man can be to one. He moved with confidence. He never took a second thought over his Godly conscious. The major threat in his life was Moleka. He was afraid that one day his anger will get the best of him and drive him to kill Moleka one way or the other. His wife’s heart had two rooms filled with love for both men Moleka and Maru. Maru feared and dreamt that his room of love in his wife’s heart would eventually be over taken on by Moleka. This fearful dream continuously occurred. He dreamt Moleka with a broken leg and bleeding from a wound that was from his mouth and heart. His wife always cried with pain whenever Maru had these dreadful dreams. He usually woke up to his wife’s tears pouring on him as her eyes were closed. ‘Why are you crying?’ asked Maru, in pretence that he did not know. She would see the tears but feared to account to them as to what they were for when she woke up as she was not aware of them when she was sleeping, except the tears she cried for Maru. He had no power over destroying the love his wife had for Moleka. He seemed to have no control over his wife’s affair as much as the raging jealousy he had that drove him crazy as much as it did on Moleka. No one else was. Maru allowed Maleka to do and as he pleased to avoid any further fights. He did not care about other people’s judgments. He allowed Moleka to have his most desired and best woman, his wife. She had all the good attributes of a real lady, intelligent, eye catching and caught everyone’s attention. These entire things seemed to have caught Moleka interests, as he also caught people’s eye. What did he want with a woman who did not suit people’s interest? In fact, after he married her she had turned into an infidelity woman of the village, well enticing men of her interest. Moleka did not want to live his life as a joke and anger and could have avoided exposing her wrong doings. The community was always around. A well-known man tried to please the people. When he decided to take charge he thought twice on what he thought would suit both him and Moleka. He thought hard about this. Perhaps he had under estimated Moleka’s power, That Moleka beard more quality than him who he had no control over .Was he loved the most? Or did he just have more power? He believed in love but not the power as power can change into anything. He would cry too, over that Moleka could have stronger love than him. His heart interpreted that Moleka had more power than him, and he felt no guilt over what he had done to his wife as Moleka beard feelings for her to. The intense thoughts and confusion made him have so much anger and hatred. Maybe his heart had forsaken him and one day he would end up giving up his wife to Moleka, as he had concluded that Moleka’s love was stronger than his. If this feeling was within him, he would go up to his wife and tell her that ‘I only married you because you were the only woman in the world who did not want to be important. But you are not at all important to me, as I sometimes say you are’. This could destroy the world. The worlds turned to darkness as his words were all coming to action. That night he was so jolly. The yellow daisies. As he walked through the door and said, softly ‘My sweetheart.’ Those were very beautiful words, if only one had the knowledge of what damage could the human heart. ; Horrible danger that seemed very dangerous because the main causers of it were so tender. Children adopted this behaviour from their parents. Parents spat on the ground to show belittlement and disgust, Low nation passed by. Children took over from the ir parents. They disrespected one. They hurt you. They danced very hard. Introduction Maru is a book that reflects on the life of an orphaned young girl of Basarwa tribe who gets an opportunity of teaching and she is sent to teach in a remote village in Botswana where her own people are kept as slaves. Her existence separates a community which does not recognise Basarwa people as human beings thus condemn her to the lonely life of an outcast. This Book Maru in a way reflects on the life of its writer Bessie Head who is recognised as one of the best African writers, she also went through traumatising life experiences of racial prejudice in the late South-African government. She fled South Africa seeking refuge in Botswana where she settled in a small village which was filled with tribalism and people of her tribe were in slaved Part One That year the rains were so late, though the atmosphere was mysterious and threatening with menacing dark clouds, the summer season climatically was hot and dry. The clouds brought confusion in people’s minds as each evening roaring sounds of thunders and lightning would be heard only to live people with empty promises of rain. The man was fully equipped with necessary tools planning for the seasonal ploughing ground breaking was done for easy sowing two brand new tanks were installed on the nearby houses waiting for the rains to fall so they catch and contain the storm water. He wanted to plough something that will signify his wife’s beauty and resemble his true love for her and for that he prepared a flower garden of yellow daisies. The man’s desire was to fulfil his destinies no matter how many he had; though he knew life was short he was a born leader with an affection of pleasing and archiving his goals no matter the consequences, even if attain his goals th reatened his position as a leader he will still go for the execution as planned. â€Å"I’ll be going now (Head, 1971)† quietly said Maru to a group of three working man who were building vegetable beds. He took his time as he was nervous to speak. The three men were not ordinary farm boys but close friends of Maru who shielded and have always been there for him through his entire life, he said some harsh words to them which annoyed them but because he was their leader they said â€Å"Maru is always impossible!† they spoke in a low voice out of respect behind him, fearing being heard. â€Å"Ranko† said Maru in a deep sharp voice of annoyance. ‘Didn’t I tell you not to break the up the clods? They are for conserving moisture in the soil’. (Head, 1971) Ranko stirred up the skies like he wished God will see his sorrows or he could see answers in the skies of what exactly his leader wants him to do, he wiped his nose with one arm out of confusion. In Setswana Ranko meant a person with a big nose, since when had people not had their vegetable garden raked in a decorated fancy way. Each and every new idea no matter how impossible it looked it had to be put into practise, making no allowance for prejudice. This to him was too much and painful like his big nose, the three men knew no other life but the one of serving and pleasing their leader Maru. Without him they were lost souls wuthering around with nowhere to go and this on its own inflicted fear into their lives. Maru was their king whom loathed the kingship like a husband who hated his annoying, most demanding ever complaining wife from the deep bottom of his heart, they knew he wanted to give up his leadership seat and it was a scary shocking secret to them which brought confusion and fear which they couldn’t be at peace with. The secret was kept among him and them, they knew it has to circulate around them only though they didn’t know the verdict none the less had answers to the outcome of events when the time comes only their leader who was planning to abandon them knew what he was doing. They knew when time comes they will just pretend as if their leader passed away. Maru paused for some time and looked up the skies, where the storm looked mysterious and threatening with dark clouds. The shrubs always looked and turned black in the evening when darkness was falling and sudden breeze swerved the very dry white grass. He was in his zone where he could communicate freely with his thoughts with less or total absence of distraction and interruption from his people. The place was filled with cemetery silence. His mind, body, soul and heart communicated freely with beautifully much appreciated desired feedback. He knew that people hated him though they thought they hid it so well behind their fake smiles towards him, he could tell of their evil deeds planned for him he could feel it in their blood running up and down their veins, only if they knew what he knew wouldn’t they have ripped, torn him to pieces a long time ago, just to keep their secrets and their evil safe where bad and darkness is the ruler and possesses all things? It was an anticipated vision that slowly accepted or permitted one dream to rule and dominate his life. The small little brown, filled with dust walk path, turned a blind eye on the noisy fast highways of life. Alongside the dusty footpath grew the yellow daisies which always danced in the sun and wind, the sight and the beautiful rhythm of dancing movements of the yellow daisies will eventually dominate his fantasies, an overwhelming feeling, filled with jo yful moments. So much it made his heart beat pound with everlasting joy. He promised himself that as soon as the first rain fell he will sow those yellow daisies alongside the walking path that leads to his house as he was reflecting and joyfully feasting on his dreams on which he brought to life for that peaceful moment, at least the present and the on-going moment was simple to interpret, though he kept a deep secret of things to happen which only him was holding like those black clouds which knew what they kept beneath them which no man could interpret but hope for the best out of them, he had that cloud coiled in him, waiting to be unleashed like clouds filled with plenty of water that will cause a storm so strong and heavy it will cleanse and wash away all those ugly undesirable bad things that he forever despised and bring forth happiness which was hindered by all those things he hated. As he walked on tortoise pace walking on a path that will land him at his house he was doing so with his eyes leaned towards the sky on which a clear display of beau tiful fantastic vision of things to come were set resembling a beautiful tale. As he silently entered the house his wife fearfully gazed at him from the dinner table she was preparing. He sometimes had an angry and hurtful mood whereas every word he said was verbally abusive and repeatedly hurt one’s feelings. Most certainly she never kept into her heart all past experiences of pain and suffering. Most often she felt full of joy and hallucinated by happiness it was not an everyday thing for her to parade around the whole day with a very excited smile drown on her face, because the days of being deliberately been hurt and pain inflicted on her were few thus were over shadowed by the days of deeply showered and expressed love. The darkest days may have been there as to balance the situation. Maybe Maru had to face and experience reality to know how bad man can be to one. He moved with confidence. He never took a second thought over his Godly conscious. The major threat in his life was Moleka. He was afraid that one day his anger will get the best of him an d drive him to kill Moleka one way or the other. His wife’s heart had two rooms filled with love for both men Moleka and Maru. Maru feared and dreamt that his room of love in his wife’s heart would eventually be over taken on by Moleka. This fearful dream continuously occurred. He dreamt Moleka with a broken leg and bleeding from a wound that was from his mouth and heart. His wife always cried with pain whenever Maru had these dreadful dreams. He usually woke up to his wife’s tears pouring on him as her eyes were closed. ‘Why are you crying?’ asked Maru, in pretence that he did not know. She would see the tears but feared to account to them as to what they were for when she woke up as she was not aware of them when she was sleeping, except the tears she cried for Maru. He had no power over destroying the love his wife had for Moleka. He seemed to have no control over his wife’s affair as much as the raging jealousy he had that drove him crazy as much as it did on Moleka. No one else was. Maru allowed Maleka to do and as he pleased to avoid any further fights. He did not care about other people’s judgments. He allowed Moleka to have his most desired and best woman, his wife. She had all the good attributes of a real lady, intelligent, eye catching and caught everyone’s attention. These entire things seemed to have caught Moleka interests, as he also caught people’s eye. What did he want with a woman who did not suit people’s interest? In fact, after he married her she had turned into an infidelity woman of the village, well enticing men of her interest. Moleka did not want to live his life as a joke and anger and could have avoided exposing her wrong doings. The community was always around. A well-known man tried to please the people. When he decided to take charge he thought twice on what he thought would suit both him and Moleka. He thought hard about this. Perhaps he had under estimated Moleka’s power, That Moleka beard more quality than him who he had no control over .Was he loved the most? Or did he just have more power? He believed in love but not the power as power can change into anything. He would cry too, over that Moleka could have stronger love than him. His heart interpreted that Moleka had more power than him, and he felt no guilt over what he had done to his wife as Moleka beard feelings for her to. The intense thoughts and confusion made him have so much anger and hatred. Maybe his heart had forsaken him and one day he would end up giving up his wife to Moleka, as he had concluded that Moleka’s love was stronger than his. If this feeling was within him, he would go up to his wife and tell her that ‘I only married you because you were the only woman in the world who did not want to be important. But you are not at all important to me, as I sometimes say you are’. This could destroy the world. The worlds turned to darkness as his words were all coming to action. That night he was so jolly. The yellow daisies. As he walked through the door and said, softly ‘My sweetheart.’ Those were very beautiful words, if only one had the knowledge of what damage could the human heart. ; Horrible danger that seemed very dangerous because the main causers of it were so tender. Children adopted this behaviour from their parents. Parents spat on the ground to show belittlement and disgust, Low nation passed by. Children took over from their parents. They disrespected one. They hurt you. They danced very hard.

Political philosophy Essay

1)How does an agent reason about Lock’s options in a single-play dilemma? In the state of nature, there are four preferences. The first preference is to attack and not be attacked. The second preference is to not attack and not be attacked. The third preference is to Attack and be attacked. The fourth preference is to not attack and be attacked. 2)Was Bramhall justified in calling Hobbes’ Leviathan a â€Å"rebel’s catechism†? Yes. According to Bramhall, if everyone where to decide when to obey the sovereign and when to disobey the sovereign, then we would let ourselves be ruled over at our own pleasure. If at anytime we felt it was inconvenient to be ruled over because we felt threatened, then there is no stability, and thus we have a rebel catechism, or a doctrine and reason for us to rebel due to Hobbes rebellion cause of being able to succeed when threatened. 3)Why would agents in a Lockean state of nature want to leave it for a civil society? 4)What does Locke’s law of nature require of rational beings? Locke’s law of nature requires that you a being must preserve yourself at all costs and at all times. 5)How des Locke differ from Hobbes on the question of whether there is property in the state of nature There is no property in the state of nature in Hobbes, it is just man vrs man. For Locke, you can have a property in the state of nature, which is from the labor of your hands. Locke has two conditions which is you must leave as much and as good for others and you must not take more of God’s creations than you need. 6)What is the â€Å"paradox of being governed† and does Locke’s theory suffer from it? The paradox of being governed is how can a group of people being unruly, promote a person to rule them, if that person was original from that group of unruly people. Another point is how the people can be ruled by a ruler if they themselves appoint a ruler. Are you truly being ruled if you can hire an fire a person who is ruling you. Locke does not suffer form this relationship. 7)How does the agent reason about his options in a coordination game? A coordination game is a scenario in which society wins rather people win individual. Driving on the right side of the road is an example. 8)What is Hampton’s notions of a governing convention and how does such a convention come about? The governing convention comes about when you solve the coordination game. It comes of War and Majority vote and maintains unless it is undermined by the majority rule. It comes about when people come together. 9)In Hampton’s theory, what is the difference between convention consent and endorsement consent? Convention consent is I support Obama, he doesn’t win, but I still approve of the government Endorsement consent is I support John McCain, he wins, and I continue to support him. 10) What is Hampton’s Stratification solution to the paradox of being governed?

Business Ethics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Business Ethics - Article Example This week federal prosecutors arrested two men who were involved in merger and acquisition and secretly informing partners for over 17 years. They had made millions of dollars. 2. Surrounded with such large stakes of money in such big projects, is it possible to blame such individual traders for transferring inside information and getting a fee? Martha Stewart was busted for trading inside information. Trading firms have compliance departments to keep an eye on the patterns of their traders. When people do make a lot of money suddenly they tend to spend it. Is there any argument that could support this kind of behavior? 3. No, this activity is a clear violation of ethics. One can look at Aristotelian ethics which expresses virtue for the individual as a way of obtaining happiness. In this case virtue is acquiring and showing one's best skill in their profession. For agents and brokers in the merger and acquisition business, one of those skills is trustworthiness. To trade on insider information becomes a stark violation of Aristotelian ethics. The violator should go to jail. Jessica Hall, Greed and technology tempt insider trading culprits. Accessed from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/07/us-mergers-summit-insidertrading-bankers-idUSTRE7360BT20110407

American Identity Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Identity Paper - Essay Example e people live in a well established society and it carries all the negative aspects whereas in America the society is not well established and whatever it has, it displays more of positive aspects. In the very outset of the letter the author makes it clear that there is not much of disparity between the rich and the poor in America as the poor and the rich are far removed from each other in Europe; for him, one can find in America â€Å"no aristocratical families, no courts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion, no invisible power giving to a few a very visible one; no great manufacturers employing thousands, no great refinements of luxury in Europe† (Crevecoeur, p.49). In America people are after the primary needs of the society whereas in Europe people have already achieved the primary needs and they are after the secondary or tertiary needs of the society. In America all are equipped with ‘the spirit of an industry which is unfettered and unrestrained’ (Crevecoeur, p.50). As the Americans have no superiors to work for, they work for themselves and everyone adheres to the common goodness. No castles and no proud mansions can be seen here: on t he other way the perfect living of both cattle and men are here. J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur considers an American as â€Å"a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labour, he has passed toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence† (Crevecoeur, p.56). The life in the British colonies of the North America had contributed a lot to the unique identity of the American people. In the British North American colonies people migrated from various places like England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. In each and every place of the colonies people had different attitudes, aspects, and notions too. When these mixtures of people joined together

Mobile Technology in Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mobile Technology in Organizations - Essay Example Different ways have come up where an individual can have a discussion with another who is miles away (Huang, et al., 91). Change in technology has led to introduction of mobile phones as a means of communication. Many organizations in the society have opted in using mobile phones as means of communication. This paper discusses in depth the optimistic impacts of the use of mobile technology in business. Mobile technology refers to various types of cellular communication technology devices. These devices include palmtop computers, net-book computers, smart phones, which are the most common, global positioning devices, and wireless debit or credit cards. In most cases, mobile devices may greatly alter business transactions (Unhelkar, 27). For instance, mobile technological devices entail new ways of management, invention, and innovation of new products, and how service is given to customers. Mobile technology has subsequently enabled individuals to have extensive tours all over the worl d with no fear of business management. Moreover, staff that work away from their business locations benefit immensely from the use of mobile phones. Smart phones are not only used for communication but also serve a wide range of functions such as business transactions and research. ... Over years, usage of mobile technology has boomed and technology that is strictly for a particular business has been developed. Businesses have devised their own software where they can carry out business transactions. Moreover, businesses are able to solve quite a range of problems using mobile technology. The level of technology is one essential factor that people consider before purchasing any device. Apart from the ultimate goal of targeting customers, businesses use mobile technology to simplify their office operations and advance planning and organization. The impact of mobile technology on business economy has been highly optimistic (Simon, 157). Mobile technology has been a force that clears away barriers, promotes inclusiveness, and opens opportunities to all those who would otherwise not partake in the digital cost-cutting measures. Arguably, the use of mobile technology devices has enabled businesses worldwide to come up with strategies of solving their problems. The explo sion and expansion of mobile technology has benefited businesses, improved efficiency, streamlined processes, and enabled completely new businesses (Barnes and Scornavacca, 126). Mobile technology devices as depicted by scholars will in the new future take place of desktops. This is because businesses each passing day keep on inventing mobile software platforms that enhance the mode of information delivery and change the operation systems of both the businesses and customers. The most significant benefit that arises from the use of mobile technology in businesses is accessibility. As depicted by Simon (151), mobile technology enables a whole network of employees or offices in an organization to carry out business transactions no matter where they are

Zara Company Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Zara Company Analysis - Essay Example This marketing report presents a set for recommendations for the fashion retailer, Zara. These recommendations are based on the analysis of external and internal environment. The analysis of the external environment relies on theories such as the PESTLE Analysis and Porter’s Value Chain Analysis. The analysis of the internal environment relies on the analysis of the company using Resource/ Capabilities Analysis and Value Chain Analysis. Zara is a fashion retailer owned and operated by the Spanish company, Indetix Group. This fashion retailer has introduced a different strategy within the fashion market that goes against the existing strategies of the fashion industry (Anon, nd.). Despite this, or rather on account of this, the company has managed to record profitable growth since its inception. However, in order to pursue further growth, it is necessary to analyze the current strategy. ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT PESTEL Analysis PESTLE Analysis is a widely used analysis to understand the external environment of the company. It is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors that have an impact on the overall operations of the organization (Henry, 2008). Political Factors Since companies operate within a certain geographic boundary or boundaries, the government has an impact on the company. It impacts through the laws and restrictions placed on the companies. Since Zara operates mainly in Spain and the UK, which falls within the EU countries therefore the political landscape of this area should be understood. The EU is beneficial for the company as it has made the entire region work as a local market. This allows the company to get fair advantage in the entire EU market. Zara is also operating outside Spain and EU markets and in markets such as USA, Dubai and Singapore. In this regard, the company needs to ensure that such countries have friendly relations with the national base of the company which is Spain. Also such countries should have a politically stable government so that the company continues to enjoy friendly terms. Economic Factors In terms of the economic factors, companies all around the world have been seriously hit with the financial c risis that struck the entire world in 2009. This has hampered the buying power on the consumers and most

Local Cycling strategy and promotion Assignment

Local Cycling strategy and promotion - Assignment Example Local Cycling strategy and promotion: The former strategy is focused on developing a transportation system that is balanced and safe for bicycles as well. This plan includes the strategies for next 30 years. The later strategy is focused on promoting and establishing the fact that bicycles are safe, popular and accepted transportation and recreational mode. Components of Perth Bicycle Network: The two main local transport networks that come under the jurisdiction of PBN are: 1) Local bicycle routes 2) Principal transport routes Local bicycle routes: This concept is focused on making every street reasonable and safe for bicycle which includes linking quite residential streets by making them safer, attractive and continuous for longer journeys too. The routes developed under the local strategy should have proper pavement markings which do not require the cyclists to hold a map along for navigational guidance. These routes require low cost for implementation and have higher usage. Principle transport routes: This route is dual and of high standard as it includes full separation with lighting in order to ensure safe journey for users. It offers comprehensive and high safety to cyclists as it provides complete separation from motor traffic due to high standard of designing. These routes are generally found in freeway reserves and suburban railway. Although under this strategy, the existing paths and roads network has been improved but there are still some deficiencies. These problems are due to lack of maintenance generally. The hindrance in this strategy and its implementation is due to the development of facilities that are unsuitable to the cycling network development. Following are the problems that require immediate action: 1) Traffic calming leads to the squeeze points 2) Lack of maintenance 3) Kerb ramps of unfriendly nature 4) Traffic signals with unresponsive sensors 5) Dangerous and rough drainage grates 6) hindrance in the use of dual paths 7) spills on the road 8) green routes unsafe due to changes 9) design problems of underpasses and bridges All these issues need consultations with local government and development of different projects would be required for countering these issues (Garrard and Rissel, 2006). Implementation of the network: This is the stage which is focused on developing the route continuity by su ccessive upgrading in the next two stages. Stage one will offer the continuous bicycle routes for allowing access throughout the network by ensuring safety. The second stage will provide increased safety and service level along with enhancing the network. The third and final stage will focus on developing ultimate network by considering and eliminating issues like grade-separation, generic issues, parking facilities, cycle lockers and expansion. Bike Ahead: Bicycle Strategy for the 21st Century (Western Australia) Cycling is increasingly becoming an essential transportation mode in Western Australia. Cycling no more is considered a recreational activity but an alternative for people who cannot drive or own a motor vehicle. The basic document, Metropolitan Transport Strategy (1995), focuses on the importance of alternatives to motor car. Bike Ahead on the other hand suggests several actions required to prove the importance of cycle by ensuring that people would have access to high li ver of services, goods and activities without sacrificing the environment. Perth Bikeplan of 1985 had

NHS Direct Phone & Internet Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NHS Direct Phone & Internet Healthcare - Essay Example Data collection has larger ramifications in this system of healthcare than it might in a traditional or commerce-based system. Apparently, despite the availability of this healthcare, there have still been segments of people who have fallen into the cracks and have received less care than others, generally in a higher level of income. A study in the 1970's showed up problems in infant mortality, death rates of mothers in childbirth and a deathrate from tuberculosis that was higher than in the 1930's. In addition, this system of healthcare is subject to the economic decisions of the government from year to year, and is currently being cut back in some areas (Dworkin 1997). The NHS Direct web page, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk, includes: 1) enquiry page, 2) health encyclopaedia, 3) self-help guide, 4) common health questions, 5) interactive tools, 6) newsletter subscription, 7) directory of physicians and medical practitioners, 8) NHS services link and links in several languages as well as many other helpful links. It also refers people to their phone line which is available 24 hours a day, which is how NHS Direct first started. In 2005, a newspaper article (Evening Chronicle) stated fears that the Tories would "pull the plug" on Tyneside's call centre if they were elected. The fears were dismissed by the Tories and the Conservatives. The call centre employs about 200 people. The Tories insisted that they rather aim to improve the system. The Tyneside centre was one of the original sites that was begun in 1998. They handle over 30,000 calls a month. Since the system went national, it has handled more than 10 million calls. According to Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley (2005) the Conservatives plan to reconfigure NHS Direct with a more integrated emergency care network that will enable doctors' out-of-hours services, ambulance trusts, walk-in centres and NHSD to be used as is best for each network, and better local service. The main point of NHS Direct is to reduce hospital queues (Gibson 1999) by giving people access to medical information. The phone operators and nurses in the call centres are trained to diagnose symptoms and offer information on available treatments. "Cyber docs" and "net nurses" online (Gibson 1999) offer health advice after the 'patient' types in their symptoms. They, too, can suggest possible medical treatments, if needed. The year that NHS Direct was begun, the National Health Service had 50 years of service yet the UK was still behind other European countries in dealing with health issues such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. So in addition to the internet service, NHS Direct also set up "observatories" to monitor facts and figures across the country, called the "White Paper". Question 2: What contributions can the internet make to effective service operations With reference to S. Ghosh's article "Making business sense of the internet" in the Harvard Business Review of 1998, the same opportunities and threats that traditional businesses face on the internet are also true for a government-run site such as the NHS Direct internet site. Ghosh wrote that setting up a web presence is easy but creating the business model is very difficult (Pandya 1999). Since the inception of the internet, there have been a

Contemporary Theories of political Economy Essay - 1

Contemporary Theories of political Economy - Essay Example his writings was that the shift of power and the resultant emergence of liberal democracy stifles further growth and advancement in human political organization. He contended to the notion that liberal democracy leads to the onset of the end of history as proposed by the nineteenth-century German philosopher Georg Hegel. He studied Hegel extensively by way of Alexandre Kojà ¨ve and came to the conclusion that the revolution of 1989 to 1990 proclaimed the end of history in the shape of triumphant liberal democracy (Kimball). By suggesting that the end of the Cold War marked the end of history, Fukuyama did not mean that it was an end to the big events; rather, his perspective bolstered the argument that the end of history was â€Å"an end to humanitys long ideological evolution toward a stable form of political organization† (Crawford 415). According to Fukuyama, if there is a growth of liberal democracy, coupled by its successful implementation in different places and acceptance by a wide range of people, and if human societies move â€Å"towards or converge on a single form of socio-political organisation like liberal democracy†, with no practical substitutes for liberal democracy, then the â€Å"[ideological] dialogue† has come to an ultimate and perfect conclusion. Fukuyama agrees with Kojà ¨ve that the end of history implies an end of wars and blood revolutions since humanity will not have any large causes to fight for (Forrester 28). The outcome of the Cold War was that liber al democracy was to become the sole form of government for all countries. In my opinion, the end of the Cold War did not mark the end of the history. The events that have unfolded during the subsequent years do not establish the Western liberal democracies as the absolute rulers of the world. Samuel P. Huntington came out as a direct opponent of the End of History. He was of the view that although liberal conflicts will not occur after the Cold War, there is a possibility of the occurrence

Ethics Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics Case - Essay Example n the case study, manly construction company, to eliminate and avoid the situation of insulating the vault with asbestos that may lead to health issues of the workers. The principle of fidelity reveals itself in the case whereby the manager ignores the commitment to remove and clean up the fallen asbestos insulating the overhead pipes and the vault. The principle of honesty is manifested by the manager’s constant implication that the asbestos cannot cause harm unless they are disturbed, while in reality, the asbestos naturally release particles to the environment causing lung cancer to those exposed. The inspection done by the county inspector on the building violation reveals the principle of lawfulness, which requires the individuals running a company obey the rule of law to uphold a free and democratic society. Rocky the manager for manly construction deserves all the blame from any worker in the company who gets a lung infection because of vault asbestos particles; hence, the revelation of the principle of autonomy. The management forces the workers to work under unhealthy condition posed by the presence of asbestos in vaults, which is a wrong move for the company by threatening to suck any workers who complains of the asbestos. This is wrong because it denies the workers freedom and democratic rights. The main conflict in this case is the differing issue of health risk posed by the asbestos by the workers and the company’s management, which affect the employees, county inspector and the company’s president, Rocky. The process of resolving a problem through the perspective of consequentialist involves the evaluation of the rightness of the consensus among the parties involved in the conflict based on the consequences, also referred to as utilitarianism. Applying utilitarianism to the Blow the Whistle or Breathe Insulation case, there a two options that can be considered. The first option is removing all the asbestos lining the wallboard and overhead

Dental Amalgam and the Risks Essay Example for Free

Dental Amalgam and the Risks Essay What is amalgam? Amalgam is a combination of metals that has been used in dentistry for more than 100 years. It is still commonly used today. Although it sometimes is called silver amalgam, amalgam actually consists of a combination of metals. These include silver, mercury, tin and copper. Small amounts of zinc, indium or palladium also may be used. How safe is amalgam? Many studies on the safety of amalgam fillings have been done. In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluated this research. It found no reason to limit the use of amalgam. The FDA concluded that amalgam fillings are safe for adults and children ages 6 and above. Why is mercury used in amalgam? Mercury is used in amalgam because it helps make the filling material pliable. When it is mixed with an alloy powder, it creates a compound that is soft enough to mix and press into the tooth. But it also hardens quickly and can withstand the forces of biting and chewing. Why the concern about mercury in amalgam? Everyone is exposed to mercury through air, drinking water, soil and food. Concerns have been raised, for instance, about the amount of mercury building up in fish as a result of pollution. Mercury enters the air from industries that burn mercury-containing fuels. Mercury from all sources can build up in body organs. As with most substances, the degree of harm caused by mercury in the body is related to the amount. Very low levels dont cause any ill effects. At higher levels — for instance, when workers are exposed to mercury through their jobs — mercury can cause several symptoms. These include anxiety, irritability, memory loss, headaches and fatigue. Studies have shown that the amount of mercury you are exposed to from your fillings is less than the amount that most people are exposed to in their daily environment or in the food they eat. Do some people have reactions to amalgam? In rare cases, people have allergic reactions to the mercury in amalgam. The American Dental Association says that fewer than 100 cases of this type of allergy have ever been reported. People allergic to amalgam can receive other filling materials. Should pregnant women be concerned about amalgam feelings? Research has not shown any health effects from amalgam fillings in pregnant women. However, mercury can cross the placenta. In general, dentists advise pregnant women to avoid unnecessary dental care. Women should not get amalgam fillings during pregnancy. Dentists can suggest other materials for any pregnant woman who needs a cavity filled. If amalgam is safe, why does my dentist take precautions when handling it? Because dentists work with mercury almost every day, they must take safety precautions. Without protection, dentists can inhale mercury vapors. Over time, this exposure can produce symptoms of mercury toxicity. How is dental amalgam made? To make dental amalgam, dentists mix liquid mercury with a powder containing silver, tin and other metals. Dentists buy special capsules that contain the powder and the liquid mercury, separated by a membrane. They use special machinery to puncture the membrane and mix the amalgam while it is still in the capsule. Once mixing is complete, the capsule is opened. By the time the amalgam is placed in your tooth, the mercury has formed a compound with the other metals. It is no longer toxic.

Supermarket Information Systems

Supermarket Information Systems INTRODUCTION Following the development of technology, Supermarket information systems have been improved from time to time. From the beginning of buying product from supermarket, to internet shopping system, up to now, Supermarket information system, customers behaviour have changes a lot. However, as retail system need high business analysis procedures, the ePos system and decision support system and Customer Loyalty System has been overlooked. This project aims to improve these Supermarket information systems in human factors perspective. History China Resources Vanguard Shop (CRV) is one of the largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong. It is a member of China Resources Enterprise, a wholly owned subsidiary of State-owned enterprise. China Resources Vanguard Shop, or CR Vanguard, is a flagship operating supermarket chains of China Resources. It is the third largest supermarket chain in Hong Kong. It operates approximately 450 stores in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing. PROBLEM DEFINITION DSS: For the decision support system, Traditional Invoicing system based on single database system, usually including management Information systems and decision support systems, business processing subsystem and decision support systems with a database. Composed of a single database-centric database systems often can not satisfy the diversification of modern supermarket data processing requirements. Specifically manifested in the following areas: Cannot integrate internal and external aspects of data. Cannot meet transaction processing and analysis and processing needs. Difficult to adapt to various types of users of different levels of data integration requirements. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY SWOT [B2] A tool that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization. SWOT analysis determines what may assist the firm in accomplishing its objectives, and what obstacles must be overcome or minimized to achieve desired results. Strengths Part of the China Resources Enterprise 2926 stores in Hong Kong and China. Provide wide range of products No. of Staff 14500 in China ; 1000 in Hong Kong Weaknesses Founded in 1984 Branch store less than PARKnSHOP Wellcome in HK. Manpower: -Only 1000 in Hong Kong Product or service: Undifferentiated in relation to supermarket. Location. Opportunities Developing market: China Merger: Alliance with Manka (Supermarket) Theaters Price war. Negative impression a new competitor in your own home market Substitute: Competitor also has a new, innovative substitute product. Porters 5 Forces [B3] A tools is a simple but powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. This is useful, because it helps you understand both the strength of your current competitive position, and the strength of a position youre considering moving into. Threat of New Entrants (Low Pressure) High capital and investment requirement High likelihood of retaliation from existing industry players Threat of Substitutes (Low Pressure) Not easy to have substitution Modern family and office lady dislikes the traditional market Online supermarket / phone order is not popular No delivery delay Power of Supplier (Low Pressure) Many supplier sources Many kind of goods Supermarket has much bargaining power for price negotiation Power of Buyers (Medium Pressure) Not easy to order the goods from supplier directly Various customer group Easy to switch to other competitors Competitive Rivalry (High Pressure) Many equally sized competitors Parkn, Wellcome, DCH, Jusco and etc Price Wars DATA GATHERING juki CRC Business Manager, Roland said: We spent a few days, and open business meeting, the Preparatory trend analysis of customer loyalty to a few months, so we prefer to focus on the rush for our products than our competition Opponents and the development of our business. Questions Asked The questions that were asked from the Manager of Business ¼Ã…’Mr. Rolando, are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How many sales staff do you have? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How many customers do they cover daily? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What is the process of registering a new customer in your organization and how do the sales people introduce the company products? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The way of keeping the customer history? The questions that were asked from the Head of IT are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Describe the current environment in the supermarket industry? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Current IT capability and infrastructure of the company? RECORD REVIEWING AND ONSITE OBSERVATION xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PROPOSED SYSTEM In the chart, we will be able to see the whole flow of the supermarket system situation, first by the RFID received the data by the customer and sales and supplies and the production warehouse, and then save into the traditional Database, the data have been re-organization store into the Data warehouse, used to support decision analysis (OLAY), at the end, Customer Loyalty system can collect the right information use for the promotion. RFID, OLAY and Customer Loyalty are the object of our study. We recommend the following three ways: DSS Data warehouse [B2] and Technology in the application of DSS on decision support systems has become a new trend. OLAP [B1]decision-making method according to demand in the process of multi-dimensional view [Figure1]of various types of information to the data stored in the warehouse, to provide decision makers with a wide range of business analysis. Data Warehouse environment supermarket Invoicing System Architecture Traditional Invoicing system has been built with a single database-centric data organization model, decision analysis has been unable to meet the system requirements on the database, but the emergence of data warehouse technology and Development of the above-mentioned problems provides a powerful tool and Means . Data warehousing is a kind of multiple distributed, heterogeneous databases to provide a unified query technology. Data warehouse management system of enterprises from outside the original data and collate the data together into a data warehouse, on this basis, through smooth, rational, comprehensive information management, so that end users can extract data directly from the data warehouse, associated data analysis. Data warehouse is not a substitute for traditional databases [Figure 4], but on the basis of a traditional database, the data re-organization, used to support decision analysis. Data warehouse and traditional database systems assume different tasks, play a different role. That is based on the traditional database, business processing system to complete the daily business of data entry and processing, the data processed are sent to data warehouse; based on data warehouse decision support system implementation analysis and processing, in order to provide decision makers with complete, timely and accurate decision-making information. In this way, transaction processing environment and analytical processing environment to achieve the separation, the relative independence, constitute new system environments, while the data warehouse is a system of core-based environment . Data warehouse environment at a supermarket invoicing system Structure shown in [Figure 1]. System is composed of business processing subsystem, support decision-making subsystem, and data management subsystem consists of three parts. Business processing subsystem in which the background for the traditional database (can be multiple distributed, heterogeneous database), foreground is a business application systems, the completion of all Invoicing business day processing, the entire Invoicing system data entry, and to support decision-making subsystem provides the raw data; support decision-making subsystem, the background for the data warehouse, front from the on-line analytical tools, data mining tools, etc., and the completion of statistical analysis and forecasting capabilities to achieve decision-making support; data management subsystem is responsible for the entire system of data management, in particular data from various data sources (traditional database) to the transfer of data warehouse and data warehouse data structures and business rules management. GOLBAL SUCCESS STORIES PROPOSED SOLUTION ADVANTAGES DSS Carry out market analysis Trend analysis Subgroups of commodities, layout, purchase of the analysis, recommendation and merchandise The analysis of the effectiveness of promotional activities carried out Customer loyalty analysis PROPOSED SOLUTION DISADVANTAGES DSS Higher initial capital investment Staff should need a special training. Difficult to integrate with other management information system. OVERALL BENEFITS OF THE SOLUTION DSS Data warehouse and multi-dimensional analysis with comprehensive data on capacity and can be fast and accurate analysis of the data to help managers make better business decisions, you can bring a competitive advantage for enterprises. The current data warehouse and data mining technology in domestic applications is not very extensive, but because of commercial enterprises have complex business structures, there are a large number of Invoicing business data, there is a specific need for decision analysis, the data warehouse technology in the business enterprise applications has broad prospects. GAINING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGRE DSS. Carry out market analysis Trend analysis Subgroups of commodities, layout, purchase of the analysis, recommendation and merchandise The analysis of the effectiveness of promotional activities carried out Customer loyalty analysis RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx MAIN RESEARCH OUTCOMES Given below are the main research outcomes that we came across. The figures however are derived from observing past data of the organisation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ This project can be deployed with an initial cost of around US$.1 million à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ ROI Expectation time within 18-30 months à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Expected sales growth up to the maximum of 25%-35% à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clear competitive advantage with the new system BIBLIOGAPHY Book references: [B1]Jun Chen, Sheng Yi-chi, CHEN Mian-yun. OLAP-based data warehouse DSS application in the study of .2003 (1) :30-31 [B2] WHInmon. Data warehouse. Mechanical Industry Press, 2000,5 [B2] SWOT Analysis I: Looking Outside for Threats and Opportunities [B3] Australias Construction Industry Porters Five Forces Strategy Analysis by Aruvians Rsearch Web references: [E1]

The Hogan Personality Inventory Commerce Essay

The Hogan Personality Inventory Commerce Essay The Hogan Personality Inventory is a personality test which is a measure of normal personality and is used to predict job performance (http://www.hoganassessments.com/hogan-personality-inventory). This tool has many uses and is used by both organisations and individuals. The HPI was specifically designed to aid business and commercial use and can be used throughout the recruitment process and to identify areas of a person which could be developed. The HPI was the first personality inventory to be based on the Five-Factor Models; openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. These factors are generally accepted by psychologists as the distinct personality factors (http://www.advancedpeoplestrategies.co.uk/Hogan-Personality-Inventory-HPI.asp), although other models have been identified. These five personality traits were defined by Costa and McCrae in 1992 and they are used for understanding the relationship between personality and the behaviours of people. The HPI uses the seven primary scales to help assess personality. The HPI analyses these scales which are believed to influence managerial performance. The seven primary scales are: Adjustment. This is necessary for managers to be able to react well under pressure, remain calm in tense situations and not take problems or criticism to heart. Ambition. Managers also need to display this as this shows how decisive a person is and how they would cope with taking the lead. Managers with high ambition scores know how to communicate effectively as well as encouraging team work and leading teams well. Sociability. This reflects a managers ability to communicate with their staff, how warm, outgoing and talkative they are. Likeability. A managers ability to charm and use their communication and interpersonal skills to talk to clients and their staff. This will improve a managers skill at building teams and maintaining trust between colleagues. Prudence. Managers need to display this attribute to be dependable, conscientious and hard working. This means the leader will be loyal to their company and will treat their team members fairly. Inquisitive. This is necessary for managers to be practical and imaginative while thinking strategically about the businesses plans and goals in the long term. Learning Approach. This includes a managers desire to learn and their aptitude in their training and their school work. It can be shown that School Success is steadily and moderately correlated with measures of cognitive ability (http://www.drbobhurley.com/pdf/HPIManual.pdf). The HPI originates from a man called Robert Hogan and is sold by his company Hogan Assessments. Robert Hogan is a well known expert and international authority in psychology. According to his own website he is widely credited with demonstrating how personality factors influence organisational effectiveness in a variety of areas (http://www.hoganassessments.com/executive-team). He has a Ph.D from the University of California and is a fellow of many different universities. Robert Hogan has quoted that between 50-75% of managers are bad managers and this is due to the fact that they can interview well based on technical knowledge but they have bad leadership skills. Therefore he believes his personality test can help to differentiate the good leaders from the good interviewees. Figure 1 shows an example output report generated by the HPI. According to the Hogan Personality Inventory Brochure the reports give the following information; how a candidate may react in various circumstances, the characteristics of participants and summarises the recommendation for job fit and potential hiring (http://www.hoganassessments.com/sites/default/files/assessments/pdf/HPI_Brochure.pdf). The graph in figure 1 shows how the person taking the test scores on each of the seven scales and shows whether the score is in the high, low or average percentile. Figure 1: An example HPI output report http://www.linkageinc.com/pdfs/Assessments/LFR_Potential.pdf%20HPI.pdf The report goes on to explain each of the scales in more detail, giving examples of characteristics of leaders with similar scores. For example in this sample report the person has a score of 72 for adjustment which is in the high percentile meaning this person can handle pressure well, not take criticism personally, expect to succed, be hard to coach and may overlook their mistakes. The report gives some of the implications of this type of leadership and for this example it is: compared to other leaders, your scores suggest that you usually maintain a positive attitude, stay in a good mood, remain patient with staff errors and mistakes, and persist in the face of challenges, frustration, and reversals. On the other hand, you may not realize when others are stressed, and may be reluctant to listen to negative feedback. (http://www.linkageinc.com/pdfs/Assessments/LFR_Potential.pdf%20HPI.pdf). There are 4 report formats which can be generated from the HPI. These are: a data report does not interpret the data in any way, career builder which gives the applicants strengths and weaknesses as well as improvement tips, management builder which gives suggestions on how the individual may be managed and the leadership forecast challenge report which analyses how an individuals scores are likely to affect their work and their leadership style (http://www.pantesting.com/pro ducts/Hogan/HPI.asp#). The HPI test consists of 206 true and false questions and one of the main features which the HPI boasts is that its questions are non-intrusive or invasive (http://www.hoganassessments.com/sites/default/files/assessments/pdf/HPI_Brochure.pdf). The HPI was created along the lines of the socio-analytic theory. The test therefore assumes that getting along with and getting ahead of others become the dominant themes in social life (http://www.psychpress.com.au/psychometric/talent-psychometric-testing.asp?hogan-HPI) Uses of the Hogan Personality Inventory Personnel Selection Finding the right person for the job Organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of finding a person who fits with their values, ideals and ways of working. Organisations are able to identify what skills a person has by looking at their qualifications and past experience but personality tests such as the HPI are able to help identify whether an applicant has the right personality to suit their organisation. Individual Assessment Individuals may use the HPI to help decide whether they are suited to a specific occupation or to decide whether they should consider further education (http://www.workreview.co.uk/whatis/whatisthehpi.asp). It can also be used to assess personal strengths and weaknesses determine the best method to develop careers by focusing on which skills need to be developed. Management Development Management could use the HPI to assess where their staffs skills could be developed to create a better and more productive work force. It can also be used to place people in teams, perhaps with one person more suited to leadership and the others with complimentary skill sets. Strengths of Using Personality Tests Personality tests are becoming more popular for selecting good employees. Rodney Warrenfeltz of Hogan Assessment Centres said hiring practices are commonly neglected as a key aspect of professional facility maintenance. Many now believe that the selection of the right employees is of key importance and the personality test industry is now worth $400 million-a-year as employers have begun to realise the value of good employees and costs of bad employees, one company estimated the cost of one bad employee as being an astounding $2.5M (http://www.csi-executivesearch.com/executive-search/cost-of-a-bad-hire.html). Personality tests can also withstand legal challenges meaning organisations can use this method to reject people without the risk of being sued for discrimination. Weaknesses of Using Personality Tests The validity and reliability of personality tests is often called into disrepute and some job seekers complain that having their whole personality judged on a couple of questions, does not show potential employers the scope of their whole personality. Personality tests are very costly to run and if the validity is dubious then organisations need to consider whether the results are worth the expense. A flaw affecting the validity of personality test results is that respondents may alter their answers to reflect what they believe the company is looking for. For example if a company an employee is applying for a job at has a reputation for having an autocratic leadership style then the applicant may alter their answers to a personality test to say they follow instructions well even if they dont. This would make the results of the test inaccurate and may end in the wrong employee being accepted. Detection of such inaccuracies is difficult as there is no way for an applicant to explain the reasoning behind their answers meaning that the organisation will not get the full picture of an employee. Strengths of the HPI The Hogan Personality Inventory is a popular test used by recruiters and in 1980, the HPI was the first instrument designed to measure personality and predict resulting behaviours in the workplace. A strength of the HPI is that it predicts the reputation and the opinions others have of a persons leadership style, not what the applicant thinks of their own management style. The HPI is very practical and according to the Hogan Assessment website the tests have a relatively short 15-20 minute completion time (http://www.hoganassessments.com/sites/default/files/assessments/pdf/HPI_Brochure.pdf). Other practical advantages include its online platform making it cost and time effective. The multiple choice format enables automated marking, making human interaction minimal. The test is available in a number of languages so the same test can be completed world-wide. This helps multi-national companies as applicants can be tested using the same platform increasing the validity of results as applicants can complete the test in their native tongue. The HPI is based on the Five-Factor Model. According to Costa and McCraes Theory when an individual is scored on these factors they will produce a complete picture of that persons personality (http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13139/1/What-Is-the-Five-Factor-Model-of-Personality.html). Extensive research has been carried out on these factors and statistical evidence demonstrates that the Five Factor Model is high in validity and useful as a predictive tool (http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13139/1/What-Is-the-Five-Factor-Model-of-Personality.html). The HPI has been based on over 500000 working adults, this is a fairly large base for the inventory to be normed on making the results more valid as these people have been tested from over 200 of the main industries. The validity of the tests is further proved with retest reliabilities ranging from .74 to .86. HPI archives have been kept since 1970 and it continues to be ones of the most widely accepted and used inventories for resear ch on personality (http://www.psychpress.com.au/psychometric/talent-psychometric-testing.asp?hogan-HPI). Weaknesses of the HPI The Hogan Personality Inventory is based on a series of true and false questions which doesnt allow people any allowance for expressing other opinions. In other words the answers that the people give when they are taking the test are very constricted. This means that the potential employees are unable to express their true feelings or explain their answers. As the Hogan Personality Inventory is validated on over 200 industries it could be argued that this is a key weakness of these personality tests. These assessments were designed to be general, apply to a wide range of situations (most were not specifically created for workplace application), and are not amenable to customisation. This approach means that the tests are to general to create a valid overview of a persons leadership capability for a specific role. Such measures employ a one size fits all approach, which (similar to clothing) does not provide a very good fit in most cases (http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3147/Trouble-with-Personality-Tests.html) Another weakness of the Hogan Personality Inventory is that it is based on the Five Factor Model which has been reviewed as not explaining the whole of the human personality. Some argue that models such as the Cattells 16 Personality Factors (1946)Â  are more reflective of the humans personality as they take into account more aspects of a persons personality. These extra traits could involve religion, political views and other environmental factors. It could be argued that the Five Factor Model only provides a snapshot of a persons personality not a full picture (http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13139/1/What-Is-the-Five-Factor-Model-of-Personality.html). Findings and Conclusions When researching the Hogan Personality Inventory it is very important to remember that it is a commercial entity and a lot of articles which I have read have been very biased and aimed at making the reader buy the product. Following on from this, there is very little literature outlining the weaknesses of the HPI, although there is a fair amount about the disadvantages of personality tests based on the Five Factor Model. Table 1 shows the British Psychological Societys review into the major psychometric tests, comparing them on their main ratings and their cost information. From this table the HPI scores highest against the other tests with a score of 19 while the only other test to come close to this is the Personality Inventory which scored 17 stars. Tech Overall quality of technical information, Valid Validity, Rely Reliability, Norms Normative Information, Cover Overall clarity and coverage of content. Table 1: The British Psychological Society (BPS) Review of Personality Instruments 2nd Edition Personality tests can have huge benefits for both organisations and the individuals. It can help management with employee selection and employee development and they can help individuals to identify areas of themselves which need improving. The practical nature of these tests can help to weed out unsuitable candidates quickly and easily and it is also a form of selection which can stand up in court. The HPI itself is a well known and trusted brand of test, due to the model which it is based on and the amount of working adults it is normed on. On the other hand, many individuals disagree with the use of personality tests in the selection process. The lack of ability to express reasoning behind answers means that many applicants feel constrained when answering the tests and many people are prone to faking their answers although Robert Hogan believes he has solved this problem with the HPI as he states that the data are quite clear-even when motivated to fake, peoples scores on the HPI dont change. (http://www.hoganassessments.com/blog/robert-hogan-phd/how-faking-impacts-personality-assessment-results). Instead he claims that instead of faking, people are engaging in a form of impression management and these results are more valid given the fact that they are gauging a persons reputation as a manager not their opinions of their own leadership styles. After evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of people using personality tests I can see organisations continuing to use them for the foreseeable future, especially as unemployment continues to rise and the ratio of people applying to the number of roles increases. It is a quick way to reject potentially unsuitable people and reduce an applications list easily. I would also conclude that the Hogan Personality Inventory is a valid test to use especially when used in conjunction with the other Hogan Assessments.

Early Medieval Wales :: British History

Early Medieval Wales Towards the end of the 6th century the Angles and Saxons in eastern Britain began to entertain designs on the western lands. The inability of the independent western peoples to unify against this threat left the most powerful kingdom, Gwynedd, as the center of cultural and political resistance, a position it has retained until today. The weaker groups were unable to hold the invaders and after the Battle of Dyrham, near Gloucester in 577, the Britons in Cornwall were separated from those in Wales who became similarly cut off from their northern kin in Cumbria after the Battle of Chester in 616. Though still geographically in a state of change, Wales could now be said to exist. At this point, the racial mix in Wales was probably little different from that to the east, where Saxon numbers were small, but Wales was held together by the people's resistance to the Saxons. The Welsh started to refer to themselves as Cymry (fellow countrymen), not by the Saxon term used by English-speakers today, which is generally thought to mean either foreigners or Romanized people. Wales, like England in the Dark Ages, was a land of multiple kingships. The rugged terrain, with impenetrable mountain massifs and inhospitable upland ranges, broken by river valleys, did not make for a unified control or a unified development. The boundary with England was not marked by natural defences, and productive lowland areas as well as profitable upland pastures were open to frequent attacks. Not until Offa of Mercia built his dyke in the second half of the 8th century was there a definable frontier, and that was designed mainly to deter Welsh attacks and control trade across the new border. It was much the longest as well as the most striking man-made boundary in the whole of western medieval Europe, and clearly came to play an important role in shaping the perception of the extent and identity of Wales. Small local communities acknowledged a ruler whose principal function might seem at times to wage war on his neighbors and to plunder their lands. In general, war made them defensive. The principal divisions of Wales (right) were the four major kingdoms or principalities. Gwynedd was based on the Snowdonia massif and on Anglesey. Powys stretched from the borders of Mercia into central Wales. Dyfed, in the south-west, has been thought to represent the survival of very early traditions, some pre-Roman, some linked with the settlement of those who spoke the Goedelic form of Celtic.

abraham lincoln Essay -- essays research papers

Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky on February 12, 1809, to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. Thomas had been apprenticed as a carpenter after the death of his father and the passing of the family property to his eldest brother as required under the system of primogeniture. Thorough dint of hard work or with funds from his family, Thomas acquired enough money to purchase a farm, but his ownership was soon challenged. Kentucky had been surveyed in such a primitive manner that boundaries were never certain. After having the titles of two other farm parcels challenged, Thomas tired of Kentucky and in 1816 moved his family to southern Indiana. The federal government had surveyed Indiana in a manner that insured sound titles. Abraham Lincoln later explained his father's move as "partly on account of slavery; but chiefly on account of the difficulty in land titles." If distaste for slavery motivated Thomas Lincoln to leave Kentucky, it was probably anger at the in fluence of the planter class rather than concern for the lot of the slaves, as Thomas never expressed any moral qualms about the institution. The Lincoln family's problems in Kentucky were not atypical for frontier settlers. Traditionally, the frontier has been portrayed as an agrarian idyll, a vision of sturdy and prosperous yeomen farmers serving as a bulwark of democracy. In fact, the frontier provided as many opportunities for failure as for success. Settlers were plagued by sickness and dea...

Catholic and Jewish Rituals Stemming from Sacred Texts

In the last few thousand years, various religions have made the choice to record their various stories and teachings, to eliminate the â€Å"Chinese Whispers† effect that alters the details of these important themes. These writings are often utilised by those who follow the religion as a reference point to base their rituals on. The monotheistic religions of Christianity, more specifically Catholicism, and Judaism are both largely founded in their respective sacred texts and rely on these as a story to live by that guides and directs them through their ritualistic lives.Some rituals comprised from elements in religious texts are the community worship, a day of rest and the use of bread as a spiritual symbol. The form of community worship used by Catholics is the mass. Traditionally, it occurs on Sunday morning, and it attended by the Catholics of the community (The Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, 2008). However, in more modern times, it is only the more devoted worshippers that regularly attend mass at a cathedral/church/chapel. Within the mass are many rituals comprised from bible stories, such as the reciting of the Our Father.It is in the bible when Jesus is asked how to pray by his disciples, Luke 11: 1-13 (The Catholic Youth Bible, 2004). It was here that the Messiah first prayed the most well known Catholic prayer, which is used routinely by not only Catholics, but all of Christianity. The recording of this incidence in the scared text provides a reference point for the ritual of prayer in Catholicism. Jewish peoples attend the Synogogue, where they also pray as a community. This community is split, men and women must worship separately, as combining the two genders will cause a distraction and reduce the focus the individuals may place on their prayer (Chabad. rg, 2012. During the time that is spent in the Synagogue, ritual dictates that the Torah is read at various points throughout. The Torah is made up of the five books of Moses, as it is said t hat on Mount Sinai, God tells him what to record. Among these books, are the 613 commandments. The most famous of these are referred to by the Jewish people as the 10 Statements (BBC, 2009), while Catholics name them as the 10 Commandments, as they place less importance on the other 603 than the Jewish people do.The day of rest used by Catholics originated in the book of Genesis, where it is stated that God rested on the seventh day and sanctified it (Genesis 2:2) (The Catholic Youth Bible, 2004). In present times this has been adapted to the expression, â€Å"Even God rested on the seventh day,† reinforcing the theory that this ritual of rest is still observed in modern times even by those who do not follow the religion. This day of rest is called the Sabbath and happens every Sunday. Catholics take this to mean that if even God had to rest on the seventh day, so should they.Those in Judaism also have the day of rest for the same reason, thought the scripture reference diffe rs though they call it the Shabbat and it happens from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. During this time, they must fast and everyday chores and work are not executed (Judaism 101, 2011). Despite both rituals both being derived from the same text, they have branched throughout time to form the state they are both currently in, thanks to the numerous influences that have been placed on each. While, in one sense it could be said these originated from the same ‘book’, this is incorrect.Both of this sacred days began due to the direction God gave in the creation story, however, the two religions have significant difference in their sacred texts. From a Catholic perspective the story begins in Genesis 2: 1-3 (The Catholic Youth Bible, 2004), though a Jewish person would it is in Bereshit 2: 1-3. These are the same stories, being told under different names – Bereshit being one of five books of the Jewish Torah (Volker Doorman, 2008) and Genesis being one of si xty-six books in the Catholic Bible.In Catholicism, bread is used in the Eucharist in memory of the Last Supper (Luke 22: 1-23) (The Catholic Youth Bible, 2004), when Jesus gave the bread of his body and wine of his blood to his apostles to symbolise giving himself to them, as he would be the next day when he was crucified. This meal was made immortal in the painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, which is known to most of the Western World. The current significance of this painting commemorates the importance of that night to Catholic peoples.However, the bread is used on Judaism for an entirely different reason, during the Passover/Pesach (Exodus 12/ Sh’mot 12). During this time, they may not eat anything leavened, as is set out in Leviticus 23:5 (The Catholic Youth Bible, 2004). The unleavened bread, which is usually braided to form a pattern in the bread, is the only bread that they are allowed to consumed in this time. The Passover meal has enormous significance to the Jewish and Christian peoples, it marks the time that the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt by the 10 plagues sent by God.The most well known of these plagues was one that killed the first-born of the Egyptian families. The name comes from the presence of the lamb’s blood on the door, which alerted the spirit that it was not an Egyptian inside, but an Israelite – therefore it must ‘pass over’ that dwelling (Historic Jesus). The various aforementioned rituals, comprised from elements in religious texts are community worship, a day or rest and the use of bread as a spiritual symbol.They are all used by the monotheistic religions of Christianity, more specifically Catholicism, and Judaism – founded in their respective sacred texts and partially reliant on these stories as a guide and to provide direction to them through their ritualistic lives. Without the sacred texts, these religions would lack the structured way that they now operate and the true meaning of the stories would be lost among the many different tales.

Unique memory

Each individual has unique memory for oneself shared with no one else in the world. Such memory makes one different from others. Therefore I am curious to know what memory is. Right now I am Just a bundle of â€Å"memories† in my mind and body. Psychology defines it as a process in which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. But is memory limited to the define domain? If so, how do millions of atoms that could be flying through the cells randomly stay to gather in a double helix structure in order to create a DNA molecule in a way so that it is unique to every vying creature on earth?It is difficult to explain this without knowing how memory truly works. Memory must be evolving at a much deeper level,perhaps even from the physical level and could manifest into chemical, biological and psychological levels. Perhaps physics has an explanation. Memory could be more fundamental than physics, and as a result memory can help us understand physics better. This notion may dra stically transform the way we have been looking at physical aspects of the universe. This shift In thought among physicist is because of their Inability to explain the random nature of elementary articles.KM (Quantum mechanics) the most successful theory In physics, can Just give us the probability to find a particle In a given location and time. The Idea that nature Is inherently probabilistic–that particles have only Likelihood, until they are observed– Is directly Implied by the standard equation of KM. This Is the central problem In KM. Element rejected this Idea by saying, † I am convinced God does not play dice†. He believed there must be some hidden variable or property of the particle that gives rise to such weird behavior.After nearly 100 years, a few physicist are at the verge of proving that there could be hidden variables associated with elementary particles. They call It â€Å"path memory†, because particles seems to carry the ‘mem ory† of the path they have traveled and the Interaction they have undergone along the path. Therefore two electrons that are Identical In terms of all known physical properties need no react to an experiment the same way because their path memories can be different. I can now say that atoms carrying unique combination of path memories stick together to form my DNA, defining who I am.Memory could be the basis and rolling of everything-Who knows, one day we might even prove that â€Å"empty space† Itself can hold memory. MEMORY By Capricorn been looking at physical aspects of the universe. This shift in thought among physicist is because of their inability to explain the random nature of elementary KM (Quantum mechanics) the most successful theory in physics, can Just give us the probability to find a particle in a given location and time. The idea that nature is inherently probabilistic–that particles have only likelihood, until they are observed– s directl y implied by the standard equation of KM.This is the central problem in KM. Einstein rejected this idea by saying, † I am convinced God does not play dice†. Hidden variables associated with elementary particles. They call it â€Å"path memory†, the interaction they have undergone along the path. Therefore two electrons that are identical in terms of all known physical properties need no react to an experiment together to form my DNA, defining who I am. Memory could be the basis and origin of everything. Who knows, one day we might even prove that â€Å"empty space† itself can

Compare and Contrast Television Essay

There are so many TV’s to choose from now days it is so hard to pick the right one. Maybe this guide will help you out. The first color TV was introduced into the world in the year of 1966. It has taken 25 yrs for a mass acceptance. In today’s society majority of the homes have the up to date television. The newer versions of TV’S are a better choice to make when picking out a TV. Here are list of some web sites for you to look at before buying any TV’s. http://shop. panasonic. com, www. bestbuy. com, www. rca. com. Television sets in the early nineties were pretty cool then even though a TV had a price tag of: $750 for a 1997 28 inch Samsung. The graphic was ok but still needed so much work on it to make it clearer. The other thing about the TV’s back then is it’s bulky and not to mention heavy. There are great advantages to having a TV in the 90’s. You can hook up RCA jacks to use a DVD player or video games. People in the 90’s gave someone a new TV for a gift for Christmas or birthday or even a graduation present. In the year of 2012 there are so many ways to see the world of televisions. One of the ways is through the TV set of Panasonic VIERA HDTV. One plus is that they have a new sleek and thin look to them not to mention the price tag of more or less than $2,999. 99. New up to date Graphics are so exciting. There are taking the original 2D and turning it into 3D eye popping full high definition. Smart phones in the last 5 years and now for the year of 2012 there is a smart TV out there called : SMART VIERA ® 55†³ Class WT50 Series Full HD 3D LED HDTV (54. 6†³ Diag. ). These TV’s still have some of the basics that are on TV. You can still plug RCA jacks and also hook up cables for game playing. You can also give these TV’s as Christmas, birthday, wedding, or even a graduation present. Knowing these facts about televisions you should have enough confidence to go out and buy a new TV. Even go to a goodwill store and get a good used TV there. If you were to go out and buy a new one you should get a newer model like the new 2012 models so you can get the most up to date technology. With the older TV’s being obsolete due to the technology in the year 2012. The pawn shops don’t even take them . with them being older than the year 2001. TV’s are like cars they are always changing over a year’s time. There are so many TV’s to choose from now days it is so hard to pick the right one. You just have to keep looking for the right information for your own needs not everyone has the same needs that is also why there is so many models of TV’S. The way the technology is increasing and moving forward in this short amount of time make you wonder how the next 20 years of technology is going towards.

Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Have you read any Agatha Christie yet? Because she is extremely awesome and not boring and conventional like you might think. In fact, her 1926 novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was so controversial when it came out (due to a twist ending that I'm not going to reveal) that critics were divided and other mystery writers aghast. In this mystery a widow has apparently committed suicide one year after her husband's mysterious death. The town doctor confirms the death and later dines with a friend (and the wealthiest man in town), who was also close with the widow.After the doctor leaves the man's house for the evening, he is called back only to find his friend has been stabbed in the neck. And there we have the murder of Roger Ackroyd. Lucky for (almost) everyone, a strange foreigner has recently moved to the town for his retirement. He is none other than the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, and after a little coaxing from Ackroyd's niece, he takes on the case and begins investi gating the murder with the good doctor as his sidekick. There are a whole household of intriguing suspects, each of which would benefit from Ackroyd's death and every one of them seems to be hiding something.In this book, as in the other Agatha Christie novels I've read, the strength lies in the balance between a great mystery (lots of clues, red herrings, and teasing hints) and a masterful sense of character and psychology. Truly a perfect mystery. This is the first Hercule Poirot book that I've read, and although I've seen some TV adaptations of Poirot stories and had a general familiarity with his character I've been told by a friend that I would get even more out of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd if I had a little more Poirot under my belt. Which is great because I can't wait to read some more†¦

Allocating Scarce Resources and Alternative Medicine Essay

1. Sympathy Rule: Impartiality rule: â€Å"health care professionals should usually be impartial in helping patients† (p. 189) But the rules used must be appropriate for people with ordinary human sympathies and feelings, example, biases toward friends or relatives. So the rules should allow for some bias – It was okay for Alice to send her aunt in first. Argument for the sympathy rule * The sympathy rule would not permit HC providers to help their relatives/friends in any way they like. It would permit them to give priority to their relatives only in very extreme, life and death situations. * From society’s point of view this rule is okay b/c society values both impartiality and close ties between relatives and friends. The sympathy rule is a kind of compromise between the two. Objection to the sympathy rule * We know from experience that people will already be biased toward their relatives and friends, and will have a tendency to give them priority where possible. * So, to counteract this innate bias, there must be a very strict rule against nepotism. However difficult it may be to be completely impartial as between your mother and a perfect stranger, this is what morality requires of HC professionals. 2. Innocents First Rule: Was Alice justified in sending her innocent aunt in before Terrance who caused the accident by his negligence? â€Å"Patient A, who is innocent and who cannot wait for care, ought to be given priority over patient B, who is known to be at fault for the injury and who also cannot wait, other things equal.† (p. 206) Third Party Interests 1) Childless person vs. parent of young child (dependents case) 2) Drunk vs. doctor (the public good case) 3) Person with highly infectious disease vs. person without infectious disease (the innocent threat case) 3. Public Interest Rule â€Å"Where the public interest is great enough, a patient may be given priority over those who came earlier.† (p. 208) Example, treat the Pope or the Prime Minister before the ordinary person. Discussions: 1. My answer to your question is this: No, it is not ethical to use non medical â€Å"social worth† factors to favor one patient over another. The use of such a criteria to choose between candidates for scarce medical resources can be critiqued both from Kantian and Utilitarian perspectives. I believe the most basic and powerful objection to â€Å"social worth† is that such a criteria reduces patients to their potential for maximizing social benefit. Kantian ethics argue that people should never be treated merely as a means to an end. By selecting between patients based solely on their potential contribution to society, they are being reduced to merely a means of achieving the most possible social good. They are not regarded as people with basic intrinsic value that goes beyond their ability to contribute to society. Any patient that does not have the ability to contribute much to society, because they are elderly, mental, or physically handicapped, automatically is unfairly at a disadvantage. On the face of it, Utilitarianism would seem to favor the use of such a criteria. Choosing people to save based on their potential future contribution would seem to produce the most net benefit. However, the physican/patient relationship would suffer greatly if patients felt that their physicians were continually looking past their personal welfare to the potential for social benefit. Distrust and suspicion would result if patients perceive that physicians were making treatment decisions based on their potential social value. Thus, over a longer period of time, the eventual erosion of the physician/patient relationship could result in less net benefit for society, a result not favored by Utilitarianism. Additionally, there are a host of other practical difficulties with appalling a â€Å"social worth† criteria. Use of such a criteria would require some type of ranking of respective social worth. How does a professional athlete rank against a priest, or an insurance salesman, or a physician. How much should patients’ personal life be involved in selection decisions? Given the pluralism of our society, development of such a list is nearly impossible. And even assuming that such a list could be compiled, whose ideas of social value should we use to make the list? Inevitably, personal bias would influence the ranking of â€Å"social worth†. Ultimatley, the use of medical factors, such as need, amount of resources required, and potential for success, should be used for patient selection, not non mendical â€Å"social worth† criteria. 2. As a physician for 30 years, practicing medicine from a perspective of â€Å"hearing the story† of the person, trying to ascertain the depth of their understanding, what motivates them to live, go on, do the unfinished, resolve those difficult relationships, be productive, make a difference, I find that those patients who have had transplants as adults have risen above the flat line of their lives and choose to see life as something to be lived and not something to be chased. â€Å"Social worth† has the unfortunate connotation of value, of something to be contributed, something that inherently gives a sense of future. We the elders decide who and again unfortunately are imperfect yet our decisions are irreversible. Committees are convenient because the decisions take on a vote situation based on the facts of the particular case. Sometimes I think that we do too much cerebrating and not enough feeling and deciding from the heart. The heart knows, where the brain has too much debris and stereotype to render fair decisions in who gets what organ. The system is flawed because we try to make sense out of something that exceeds our understanding and we forget what our hearts are telling us.