History of American football Essay

Even though football is an American game its origins came from villages and schools in Europe for many centuries before America was even settled by Europeans. They played in the streets and oddly used a lemon as their ball. Soon many universities started creating their own teams and competing against each other. It took awhile, however, because it was a very rough and violent game so many colleges banned the game. Walter Camp is considered to be the â€Å"Father of American football†. He is widely considered to be the most important figure in the development of the game. When he was young, he excelled in sports like track, baseball, and soccer, and after enrolling at Yale in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered. Camp joined the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. He proposed his first rule change at the first meeting he attended in 1878. His idea was for there to be a reduction from fifteen players to eleven. The motion was rejected at that time but later passed in 1880. The effect was to open up the game and emphasize speed over strength. Camp’s most famous change, the establishment of the line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback, was also passed in 1880. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of the center. Later changes made it possible to snap the ball with the hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass. Camp’s new scrimmage rules revolutionized the game, though not always as intended. Princeton, in particular, used scrimmage play to slow the game, making very slow progress towards the end zone during each down. Rather than increase scoring, which had been Camp’s original intent, the rule was exploited to maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow, unexciting contests. At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed that a team be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards within three downs. These down-and-distance rules, combined with the establishment of the line of scrimmage, transformed the game from a variation of rugby or soccer into the distinct sport of American football Camp was central to several more significant rule changes that make the American football we know today. In 1881, the field was reduced in size to its modern dimensions of 120 by 53? yards. Several times in 1883, Camp changed the scoring rules, finally arriving at four points for a touchdown, two points for kicks after touchdowns, two points for safeties, and five for field goals. In 1887, game time was set at two halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials, a referee and an umpire, were required for each game. A year later, the rules were changed to allow tackling below the waist, and in 1889, the officials were given whistles and stopwatches.

Gender segregated schools Essay

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Single-Sex Education Schools in early 17th century America were fist modeled after English learning institutions after Puritans immigrated over to the English colonies. Originally only rich white males were allowed to attend school to learn how to read and write. In many cases, most parents placed their boys into the nine month long curriculum to keep them out of mischief. For the other three months of the year, students would be released from school during the summer months to lend a hand on their familys arms to help cultivate the land and raise animals. During the summer months, wealthy white girls attended these same schools often taught by a female instructor to learn to read and write. Of the girls who could attend the schools, many were kept at home to be taught the essentials for their future such as cooking, sewing, and the caretaking of babies and toddlers (A Short History). Fast forward one hundred years and the first coeducational schools can be found appearing in the American colonies, primarily the New England area. In these schools the major focus was to teach children how to read, specifically for religious purposes. The likely cause of the integration of boys and girls in schools is thought to be stemmed from â€Å"growing numbers of female church numbers and the practical requirements of finding enough children to support schools in sparsely populated regions† making schools more practical to spread religion (A Short History). After the revolutionary war, American citizens saw that women’s education was important and was needed to promote good citizens and great leaders in society. With this state of mind, many private schools opened their doors to coeducation and allowed both boys and girls to attend school together. Until the late 1840’s, only rich white boys and girls were allowed to attend schools because there was no government funded schools. That changed when reformers Horance Mann and Henry Barnard succeeded with their efforts to promote a free public school system. This finally allowed all white children to attend schools together for free. The only exception to gender-integrated schools where catholic families who â€Å"objected the practice of coeducation on moral and religious grounds†¦ and that males and females had profoundly different purposes to fulfill† (A Short History). Because of this many catholic schools remained segregated y gender. In the early 1900’s many schools created classes specifically to prepare boys and girls for their future. Girls were taught â€Å"home economics and traditionally feminine labor skills, such as secretarial work and or garment-making† while boys were educated in industrial arts, bookkeeping, and commercial geography (A Short History). These classes were introduced for the importance of the growing labor market of the time period. In todays society, some parents are faced with placing their children in gender- segregated schools or in public schools to better benefit their children. The problem brains of the two genders learn different subjects at different ages. So, with this, boys or girls have an advantage over each other. The same happens when puberty becomes a factor in adolescence as well as in high school with distractions. On the other side, there are also benefits to public schools such as socialization with the opposite sex and better preparation for the real world. Then there are gender segregated schools that better accommodate teaching methods and times for specific sexes as well as better grades, less competition, and fewer distractions. Again there re bad sides to this too, such as less socializing and less competition to prepare someone for their future Job. With all of these factors, any parent faced with a decision like this will have a hard time figuring out what type of education their child should receive. One of the major arguments people make supporting gender-segregated schools is the fact that boys and girl’s brains differ in many different aspects. Whether it is an emotional difference or the structure of the brain, one gender will do better in class than the other. In 2007, a team of neuroscientists from the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study on subjects ranging in age from three to twenty- seven years old both male and female. Their results showed that the occipital lobe of the brain where visual processing is mostly associated with is developed much more rapidly in six to ten year old girls, as opposed to the male brain where this lobe does the majority of its development after fourteen years of age (Novotney). Another major brain difference between the girls and boys is that a girl’s corpus callosum is twenty- five percent larger than a boys, making girls better at multitasking. A girl’s prefrontal ortex also develops earlier and larger than that of a boy, making girls better at abstract thinking and thought analysis as well as making better choices between right and wrong (McBride). Meanwhile, the cerebral cortex where mechanical and spatial thinking is conducted is used much more in boys. This results in boys having an easier time learning with movement and pictures as opposed to girls. With these different developed sections of the brain, girls gain an upper hand in classrooms over boys by ways of better listening, sensory memory, and especially reading and writing. However, boys gain an upper hand over girls in math as Leonard Sax a Ph. D. in psychology and author of Why Gender Matters explains: [the] fact that many middle-school boys seem to learn algebra better when you start with numbers, whereas many same-age girls seem to be more engaged if you start with a word problem. For example, if you are teaching equations in multiple variables, the typical 7th-grade boy will do better if you begin by asking â€Å"If x + 2y = 60, and 2x + y = 90, how do we solve for x and y? † But the typical 7th-grade girl will be more engaged if you begin by asking â€Å"If a sweater and two blouses cost $60, and two sweaters and a louse cost $90, how much does each blouse and each sweater cost? (Sax 15). By splitting boys and girls in school, a teacher can adjust a test to where the two genders of students both benefit from word or equation only math problems. According to Lisa Damour, Co-director of the Center for Research on Girls at Laurel school, a girls day school claims that â€Å"the benefit of single-sex schools†¦ is that they offer the dynamic of having only one sex in the classroom at a time, creating girls class that would not work as effectively in a boys class and vice versa (Novotney). That way boys and girls are taught the same subject at different times in a better gender specified manner. Many studies have statistically shown support towards gender-segregated schools as being better for students in both education and even personality. A study was conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania studying schools in Seoul South Korea that randomly assigned students to either attend a coed or gender-segregated school. In these schools, all students were from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The results of this study found that girls in gender- egregated schools were more likely to attend college after graduation as compared to girls at coeducational schools; the same appeared in boys of both types of schools. Both boys and girls in these gender-segregated schools made higher test scores than coed schools in the same city. In another study conducted by Betta Hannover and her colleague Ursula Kessels found that American girls in girl only schools were more comfortable with physics. The National Foundation for Educational Research in England also supports that boys and girls do better on test scores and overall grades as compared to coed students regardless of background factors. The study also backs up the Hannover and Kessels study by finding that â€Å"girls at single-sex schools were more likely to take non-traditional courses – courses which run against gender stereotypes† (Single-Sex). Student grades at single-sex schools could be better than expected by both boys and girls because boys and girls in the single sex schools are more comfortable enrolling in contradicting gender-stereotypical classes, like girls interested in computer science, and boys in art. These classes could seem a bit more difficult for some students bringing their overall grade down a bit even if it is in egard to students in different nations or here in America. Researcher for the Australian Council for Educational Research Cornelius Riordan found that most boys and girls who attend single-sex catholic schools were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, yet these students obtained better grades than coed students (Single- Sex). This backs the study done by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, that socioeconomic background does not play a major role on a student’s grades as thought by many people who oppose single-sex schools. Riordan also found that students in these catholic schools view learning in a more positive manner which ould be another reason as to why students in single-sex schools do much better than coed students. In another study conducted in Jamaica by Marlene Hamilton â€Å"found that students attending single-sex schools out preformed students in coed schools in almost every subject tested† which confirmed the research done in Australia, South Korea, England, and America (Single-Sex). With many studies on students all over the world being consistent, it proves that single-sex schools are better for a student’s education. Not only do single-sex schools benefit a student’s education, but their overall focus and character as well. At Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle, principle Benjamin Wright led the movement of the schools traditional coed classroom setting to single-sex classrooms. Before this transition he would address over thirty misbehaving children a day, eighty percent of which were boys. In regard to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the single-sex classrooms, there were on average one or two students sent to the office for misbehavior a day. The boys reading average rose to sixty-six percent while their writing average also went up to fifty-three percent (Single-Sex). All of this was done under the same teachers for boys and girls. At an inner-city high school in Montr ©al who underwent the same type of transition also saw positive results. The number of students skipping class dropped by thirteen percent to Just seven percent. Fifteen percent more of students passed their final exams as opposed to before where sixty- five passed. Finally, the rate of students continuing their education in college doubled what it used to be before the switch. With these consistent positive results, many schools will turn to the idea of following these footsteps and transition to single-sex schools or classrooms to benefit all students in their education and haracter. Although segregating students by gender has its positive results, it also has negative results in students psychologically and socially. New York Times writer Tamar Lewin stresses â€Å"the strongest argument against single-sex education†¦ is that it reduces boys’ and girls’ opportunities to work together, and reinforces sex stereotypes† (Lewinl). By splitting the two genders apart, students will not know how to properly work together or even communicate with one another. According to the American Psychological Association, â€Å"school is preparation for the adult life and how oys and girls learn to interact will dictate relationships formed in the workplace† (Saunders). As students are separated by gender, they miss vital chances to work with one another and build important social skills. By segregating students, they are missing out on learning those very skills needed outside of school such as an engineering firm where thoughts from multiple engineers take place. A female engineer who spent her entire school life including college in single-sex classes may feel a bit more uncomfortable speaking out her ideas to the male engineers. Not only oes this affect people in the work place, it affects their personal relationships as well, for example, a male trying to meet women to date, becomes much more difficult. If he has spent little or no time communicating with the opposite sex, he may feel shy or awkward. Elizabeth Danish explains: Part of the idea of going to school is to prepare your child for ‘real life’ when they leave. There is no doubt that the real world’ is mixed gender rather than single sex and so that means that the best way to do this would be to emulate that in school. Further, learning to talk to members of he opposite sex is a very important skill and one that can leave you at a significant disadvantage if you’ve never had a chance to practice. By experimenting with relationships now when things are less serious, your child will be better at managing and finding them when they leave (Danish). She also believes that in coed schools students become more understanding of each other and are more open minded of new conditions. Danish then suggests that building a feminine side to men could help them better understand girls and reduce the changes of sexism in schools. The problem with some single-sex schools is that he ideas of men are better than girls or in some cases women are better than men begins to circulate and lowers the self-confidence and self-esteem of some students. Another problem facing single-sex classrooms is lack of trained teachers to What could be done to better benefit students in single-sex schools is to have the two genders attend the same school in different buildings. With this, students could be integrated during lunch hours and for elementary schools even recess. This way the two genders can socialize with one another and not be completely segregated throughout all twelve years of school. This socialization can help prepare boys and girls for life outside and after high school in both work life and relationships with one another. In regards to single-sex classrooms, studies show how boys are encouraged or more engaged in learning subjects can be implemented in teaching methods for specifically boys and vice versa for girls. With this, teachers can know what method of teaching works better so they can use it only for boys and only for girls. The numbers of single-sex schools have been on the rise in the past fifteen years and will continue to go up because they are proving to better benefit student’s education and personality. However, many advocates believe that the psychological and sociological downsides to this form of education are harmful to students and outweigh the positives.

An Overview of Delta Dental Insurance Essay Example for Free

An Overview of Delta Dental Insurance Essay This paper provides an overview of Delta Dental – one of the most successful health care companies in the United States. As good oral health becomes more essential of Americans’ healthy lifestyle, Delta Dental insurance plans help more than 59.5 million people to be covered on their plans. By describing the outline of Delta Dental’s history and current structure, this article focuses on how Delta Dental insurance has grown and improved access and overall health status. Also, this paper explores strengths and weaknesses (especially with healthcare delivery point of view) as well as makes comparison with other dental insurances companies to reveal that why Delta Dental is better and more successful than others. Finally, the future plans of Delta Dental about how to improve oral care delivery of services to clients and enrollees, as well as how it fared compare to its peer insurance companies are initialed at the end of the paper. Keywords: dental benefits programs, strengths and weaknesses, multiple types, expanding, effective benefits Many people in the world may have best access to oral health care, yet millions are unable to get basic dental care. Poor oral hygiene has significant impact on overall personal health. Researches show that poor oral hygiene increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and poor birth outcome. That’s why nobody can deny the importance of oral health care. According to many statistics insurance companies that play a pivotal role in improving oral health care of the communities, we will focus on the Delta Dental insurance and how growth of the company improved access and overall health status. Delta Dental insurance was established in 1966. Over the years it faces many challenges to expand and increase access of dental care in community. The efforts paid the Delta Dental as widely accepted by community. This paper focuses on challenges Delta Dental had to face to build its pillar in the market. After evolution, Delta Dental insurance exponentially expanded due to its benefits and low primer. Over the years it has made strategies so that many people prefer Delta Dental over other insurances for maximum benefits, which helped improve oral health care. This paper will also highlight some of those strategies. Compare to other dental insurance company, Delta Dental insurance provide wide coverage and offer maximum benefits. This is a unique characteristic of the Delta Dental. We will talk about current structure of the Delta Dental and its future about how to improve oral care delivery of services to clients and enrollees, as well as how it fared compare to its peer insurance companies. Finally, the paper will mention about the future plan of the Delta Dental. In order to increase access to oral health care, in 1954, a group of dentists formed a dental service corporation in California, Oregon and Washington. It was lead by Washington Dental Service (WDS), and initiated by providing service to organized labor unions. Later, it expanded its services to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Delta dental is now a fifteen billion dollar a year nationwide group providing dental insurance to 59 million Americans, making it one of the largest non-profits in the country (â€Å"Our Mission & History†, n.d.). Washington Dental Service was joined by more local organizations, which then created Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) in 1966. Shortly a year after, WDS partnered with the International Association of Machinists, which was the first step into creating a multi-state dental benefits program. There was a growing number of out of state subscribers, and therefore in order to meet their needs WDS worked with other Delta Dental member companies and Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association members, to continue serving its clients. It provided coverage until 1980’s this way (â€Å"Our Mission & History†, n.d.). The program continued as such until a bid was won by Delta Dental of California being chosen as the dental benefits carrier for the Office of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (OCHAMPUS) program. In order for the administration of this very large account to be centralized, other member companies agreed to share its provider data with Delta Dental of California sharing the administrative income and risk. As a result of this change, the National Provider File (NPF), and the establishment in 1990 of Delta USA — was created, the company responsible for overseeing dentist data and enabling the administration of national business (â€Å"Our Mission & History†, n.d.). Currently, there are 39 independent Delta Dental member companies operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. As one of the largest dental benefits provider DDPA provides coverage to more than 59.5 million people enrolled in more than 97,000 groups. The company was named Dental Care until 1970’s and then it officially changed its name to Delta Dental (â€Å"About Us Home†, n.d.). All Delta Dental companies are members, or affiliate of members, of the Delta Dental Plans Association – a network of 39 Delta Dental companies throughout the country. Delta Dental companies range from multi-state to single state (â€Å"About Us Home†, n.d.). The multi-state programs consist of the following: Started in 1969, it provides coverage to over 1.5 million residents of New Jersey and Connecticut (â€Å"Delta Dental of New Jersey†, n.d.). * Delta Dental Plan of Michigan Michigan Dental Service (MDS) was established in 1957, and in 1963 it received its non-profit status. In 1980 MDS expanded to Ohio and Indiana. In early 2006, Delta Dental of Michigan, with its affiliates in Ohio and Indiana, and Tennessee, signed an affiliation agreement under a new nonprofit holding company to strengthen their market positions and increase the number of Americans with dental benefits. In 2009, Delta Dental of Kentucky and Delta Dental of New Mexico affiliated with the family of companies. The newest affiliate, Delta Dental of North Carolina, joined the enterprise in 2010. Currently they cover 8.8 million individuals (â€Å"Delta Dental of Michigan†, n.d.). It was founded in 1969, and later expanded to North Dakota. It is the largest program in the upper Midwest, serving 7500 Minnesota based on purchasing groups and 3.8 million members nationwide (â€Å"Delta Dental of Minnesota†, n.d.). Delta Dental of Missouri started 50 years ago and has offered dental and vision benefits in the states of Missouri and South Carolina. More than 1,800 companies in Missouri and South Carolina have selected Delta Dental as their dental benefits carrier. The Delta-Vision plan started in 2011 (â€Å"Delta Dental of Missouri†, n.d.). Dentegra is not affiliated with Delta Dental Plans Association. However, this insurance company is authorized by Delta Dental Plans Association to market and underwrites certain national Delta Dental programs. This plan covers 23 million Americans. It serves the states of: Alabama, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah, Virgin Islands, West Virginia (â€Å"Why do more than†, n.d.). Hawaii Dental Service (HDS) is the first and largest nonprofit dental service corporation in Hawaii providing dental benefit plans to more than a half million members. This plan was incorporated on February 15, 1962, and soon 221 licensed dentists became charter members. HDS serves Guam, Hawaii and Northern Mariana Islands (â€Å"Caring, Visionary Dentists From HDS†, n.d.). NDD offers the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, providing quality dental care to millions of residents (â€Å"Northeast Delta Dental†, n.d.). This plan covers Alaska and Oregon. A research to find affordable dental health by Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, led them to find Oregon Dental Service in 1955(â€Å"A trailblazer in health†, n.d.). * The single state companies include: Delta Dental of Arizona that started in 1972. Delta Dental of Arkansas, Delta Dental of Colorado began in 1958. Delta Dental of Idaho, Delta Dental of Illinois, Delta Dental of Iowa, Delta Dental of Kansas, Delta Dental of Massachusetts, Delta Dental of Nebraska, Delta Dental of Oklahoma, Delta Dental of Rhode Island, Delta Dental of South Dakota, Washington Dental Service, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Delta Dental of Wyoming (â€Å"Delta Dental: Members†, n.d.). Delta Dental offers various plans for individuals, families and enrollees. There are 39 member companies of Delta Dental and each of them provides a variety of dental benefits programs. It also forms contacts with small and large business companies to provide dental insurance coverage for their employees (â€Å"Products and Plans†, n.d.). The various plans offered are the following: 1. Delta Dental Premier ®: This is their traditional fee-for-service plan with largest dentist network with more than four out of five nation’s dentist participating (â€Å"Delta Dental Premier ®Ã¢â‚¬ , n.d., p. 2). It allows patients to get treated by any licensed dentist and also can change dentists at any time without notifying Delta Dental. The main attraction for this plan is that you do not have to pay more than the co-insurance percentage specified by your coverage (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans†, n.d.). The participating dentists agree to accept pre-negotiated fees and are prohibited from billing more. 2. Delta Dental PPOâ„  : This is a mid-priced fee-for-service plan with the secondary largest dentist network. It has an option to get treated by any dentists and still have lower out-of-pocket costs because the dentists in this network have agreed to do so (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans†, n.d.). It also has a Delta Dental PPO plus Premier plan which includes all the benefits of Delta Dental PPO and also allows for a patient to see a Delta Dental Premier dentist with benefits of that dentist’s contracted fee (â€Å" Delta Dental PPOâ„   †, n.d.). 3. DeltaCare ® USA: It is a HMO-type prepaid plan with a large network of participating dentists. You must select a dentist from their network for this plan. The main features are there is no annual deductibles, no maximums for covered benefits and set copayments (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans†, n.d .). 4. Delta Dental Individual and Family: Individual and its family can get the same quality dental benefits as provided by the employers under this plan. Delta Dental offers different plans in different states (â€Å"Delta Dental Individual and Family†, n.d.). 5. Delta Dental Legion ®: It is also known as TRICARE Retiree Dental Program. â€Å"The first and only dental benefits plan created by Congress especially for Uniformed Services retirees and their family members and administered by Delta Dental of California.†(â€Å"TRICARE Retiree Dental Program†, n.d.). 6. Delta Dental Patient Direct ®: It is a dental discount plan for individual, families and groups that do not have dental benefits. The patients choose dentists from the network and pay them directly with the discount price at the time of their treatment. No paper work is required and it is available in the selected markets only (â€Å"Delta Dental Patient Direct ®Ã¢â‚¬ , n.d.). 7. DeltaVision ®: This is vision benefit plan, which is offered in the selected markets only. It includes various pre-negotiated pricing eye-care services, such as professional eye exams, eyewear, contact lenses and laser vision correction (â€Å"DeltaVision ®Ã¢â‚¬ , n.d.). 8. Delta Dental Member Companies: â€Å"They serve nearly one-third of the estimated 173 million Americans with Dental insurance, providing dental insurance coverage to more than 54 million people in more than 93,000 groups across the nation.†(â€Å"Delta Dental Member Companies†, n.d.). There are other plans which are available in few selected populations and states like the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Dental Insurance Plan which is exclusively for AARP members and the Costco Group Dental Plan for the Individuals and Families, which is available only in California (â€Å"Delta Dental’s plans, n.d.). Strengths and weaknesses (especially with healthcare delivery point of view): Delta Dental is the largest dental care carrier in the United States, and they provide coverage to more than 59.5 million people enrolled in more than 97,000 groups. The strengths are obviously regarding to the high level access of the dental care. Many years ago, most of people lost their teeth by middle age, but now many Americans have very good oral health because of the various Delta Dental Plans. They may keep their teeth throughout the lifetime. There are some strengths of Delta Dental according to a recent study (â€Å"Delta Dental by the Numbers†, n.d.): * Delta Dental’s nationwide dentist networks offer unprecedented access: * Delta Dental Premier ® offers the largest network of dentists in the country — encompassing more than 142,000 dentists and more than 251,000 office locations. * Delta Dental PPOSM has a national network of more than 83,900 dentists practicing in more than 168,000 locations. * DeltaCare ® USA provides more than 39,800 dentist office locations. * Delta Dental’s PPO Plan delivers the industry’s best effective discount — averaging 19 percent nationally — resulting in nearly $3 billion in annual savings compared to dentists’ average charges. * Delta Dental posted approximately $17 billion in premium revenue during fiscal year 2011, our 32nd consecutive year of financial gains. * Delta Dental’s unique cost-control measures and contractual agreements with dentists help to ensure quality care at moderate fees, collectively saving subscribers with group dental coverage more than $9.0 billion in 2011. * In 2011, Delta Dental member companies processed more than 90 million dental claims or approximately 1.7 million every week, with an accuracy rate of 99.7 percent. Delta Dental focuses on the practice shari ng, best services, performance guarantees, brand name recognition and reputation, whereas, it still have weaknesses such as geographic limitations, innovative practices. Through the numbers above, people might think that we have more and more dentists in large networks so that we would get easy access to dental care, but how do these dentists located? Low-income patients still feel hard to get access to meet one dentist regularly due to the inconvenient transportation, difficulties on appointments, and so on. The president and CEO of Delta Dental, Radine (2011) wrote on â€Å"Annual Report 2011†, â€Å"Delta Dental takes pride in being a single-line carrier with unparalleled expertise in dental benefits, our specialty.† Indeed, they against larger, multi-line insurance companies, and they use competitive strategies to survive during the worst of the economic downturn. However, this kind of single-line model can also be a weakness of dental health care, because coordination of dentists needed to reinforce to increase the quality of companies health care performance. Single-line service may hinder such coordination in between the large dentist network, although they meet the needs for restraining the continuous increased costs. As each program have dissimilar strengths and weaknesses and according to Access to Dental Care/Oral Health Care (American Dental Association, 2012), there are still barriers to getting oral health care: * The dental sections in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), which are supposed to provide health care to disadvantaged Americans, rarely have enough money budgeted to do so. Federal law requires that Medicaid cover basic dental services. But many state programs fail to deliver care to even half of their eligible children. * Adult dental coverage through public health programs is even worse; many states simply don’t provide it. It’s not just about the money. Patients covered under public programs still face hurdles, such as transportation to dental appointments and the difficulty of missing work to keep the appointments. Taking care of ourselves is the key to good oral health, and too many Americans lack a basic understanding of how to brush, floss, eat a healthy diet and drink water with fluoride in it. * About one-third of public water systems are not fluoridated, even though that is the single most effective public health measure to protect against tooth decay. And also, people need to treat what form of coverage they require most and make sure the selected plan provides a low price for the needed processes. Comparison of Delta Dental with all other dental insurances: There are many essential things to keep in mind when deciding on a dental insurance plan, such as prices and co-payment options, local dentist availability, actual coverage, whether it meets your needs and more (â€Å"Dental Insurance Review†, n.d.). Delta Dental Insurance ranking at number three after United Concordia and Ameritas Group Dental is one of the top ten insurance plans in the United States (â€Å"2013 Dental Insurance Comparison†, n.d.). As one of the largest dental coverage plans, founded by dentists, it creates dental coverage plans based on current research and designed to keep people their healthiest and most productive (â€Å"Choosing the Right Dental Plan†, n.d.). Delta Dental Insurance pursues their mission by increasing access to benefits, offering the largest national network of dentists, adding innovative new plan features, aggressively working to keep costs down, and supporting p hilanthropic programs that encourage better overall oral health. Delta Dental Insurance plans offer top of the line features and programs to make insurance services more accessible and convenient for its members. Some of the features that Delta Dental Insurance consists are secure and accessible sites for online enrollment, finding dentists and getting information about available plans. It offers Group/Employer plans, which is important as it gives companies information on the cost of getting dental insurance for their employees. This is important as well for families who wish to enroll other members of the family into the insurance plan. Also Delta Dental Insurance offers individual plans, provides up-front cost information for customers and has Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation (â€Å"Dental Insurance Review†, n.d.). Better Business Bureau accreditation is definitely a plus, because they provide ratings based on customer service and satisfaction of members. In addition, Delta Dental Insurance offers multiple types of different plans for its consumers. There is Delta Dental Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), DeltaCare ® USA (Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) option), Fee-for-Service (FFS) Plan, and they also used to offer Discount Plans. But the Discounted Plans are no longer offered by Delta Dental since majority of the members prefer PPO, HMO and FFS plans. The Delta Dental PPO plan is offered worldwide, and for that reason it is more accessible even if the customer relocates (â€Å"Choosing between a PPO and HMO†, n.d.). When choosing a PPO dentist, the out of-pocket costs of customers are often lower because PPO dentists have agreed to charge Delta Dental PPO patients reduced fees. The plan also pays enhanced benefits when patients visit a PPO dentist, so they pay only 20 percent of the PPO dentist’s contracted fee after their deductible for such services as fillings, oral surgery, root canals and treatment of gum disease in addition to other benefit enhancements (â€Å"Types of Dental Plans†, n.d.). Delta Dental PPO does not cover teeth bleaching and other cosmetic procedures (â€Å"University of California†, 2009). The good thing about a PPO plan is that customers have the freedom to choose any licensed dentist, anywhere in the world, each time the member or a family member requires treatment. And there is no referral required for specialty care. On the other hand, DeltaCare ® USA (HMO option) customers must be residents of California to enroll. It provides individuals and their families with inclusive plans and easy referrals to specialists and even has a benefit for teeth bleaching. The plan emphasizes preventive care; so many services are provided at no cost. There is no annual plan maximum for DeltaCare ® USA (â€Å"Types of Dental Plans†, n.d.). As an HMO member, customers are assigned to network dentist that accept the plans and they must be referred specialist by their assigned dentists. Fee-for-service plans, also known as indemnity or traditional plans, typically offer the greatest choice of dentists. It is up to the customer what dentist to choose or procedure they would like to purchase. Like PPO plans, when you visit a network dentist, you typically pay a certain percentage for each service (called coinsurance) and the plan pays the rest. The percentage usually varies by the type of coverage, such as diagnostic and preventive, major services, etc. (â€Å"Types of Dental Plans†, n.d.). However with FFS plan the member might pay a little extra than the PPO plan. And finally, the Discounted Plans are insurance plans that are offered at reduced rates. There is generally no paperwork, annual limits or deductibles, but you must visit a participating dentist to receive the discount. Also, you may be responsible for a greater portion of the treatment cost compare to PPO or HMO plan. The downside of this plan was the fact that there was a possibility of the dentists being changed annually, and new dentists would be assigned to the customers. But on the plus side, the rates that the customers would receive would be unbeatable. Figure 1 shows the continued growth in enrolment throughout the recession. This also proves that Delta Dental is the largest dental carrier in the United States and it has more than 26 million enrollees at present (â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report2011†, n.d., p. 10). Figure 1: Shows the increase in the enrollment of Delta Dental plans by the population. The Y-axis shows the number of enrollees in increasing order and the X-axis shows the years starting from 2008-2012. Adapted from: â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report 2011.† (n.d., p. 10). Why is Delta Dental better and more successful than other insurances? Delta Dental offers some of the best dental insurance plans in the United States and around the world since 1954 and as the first company exclusively specializing in dental benefits, Delta Dental has been working hard to improve oral health around the world by providing access to the largest network of dentists, great service, top of the line care plans and developing relationships that emphasize prevention and positive oral health care results over the long term (Delta Dental, 2010). Over 56 million enrollees trust Delta Dental Insurance plans with their oral health and the numbers of satisfied members keep growing (â€Å"Why do more than†, n.d.). â€Å"In 2011, the vast majority of surveyed enrollees from our open network plans said they would recommend Delta Dental to a family or friend. That loyalty is also evident in our exceptionally high enrollee retention rate.† (â€Å"Delta Dental 2011 Annual Report†, n.d., p. 11). Figure 2 which is adapted from the â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report 2011† (n.d., p. 11) shows the percentage of enrollee satisfaction and enrollee retention in 2011. Figure 2: The percentage of Enrollee satisfaction and Enrollee Retention. 95% of the Enrollees were satisfied with their Delta Dental Plan and 99% of the Enrollees retained their Delta Dental plan. Adapted from: â€Å"Delta Dental: Annual Report 2011† (n.d., p. 11) Delta dental has proven itself as one of the good companies in the market but still they are working diligently to make it better. Delta Dental supports projects in conjunction with major universities and other leading research organizations that are designed to advance scientific knowledge and improve health. Among the projects, recently supports are: a study on the potential for dentists to play a greater role in the detection of health conditions such as diabetes; the cost impact of oral cancer; the application of salivary diagnostics to dentistry; and the development of biotechnology to advance health (Carruth, 2012). All these are the major projects of Delta Dental. Delta Dental is trying to identify ways to improve offerings in ways that will reduce costs while still covering the treatment our subscribers need to stay healthy. Delta Dental will focus on expanding their network in remote places and provide oral care. They are planning continue creating dynamic product lines that provide effective benefits to improve oral health–and overall health – while reducing costs. Delta Dental would concentrate on providing good customer service staff as well as an automated phone line for inquiries. Delta Dental has received many awards in improving oral health care. Their current plans are focused on expanding their network and providing good care for the patients. Delta Dental’s strategies are such that not only patients but also dentist and employees are benefitted. They also focus on many researches to improve quality of care. Moreover, their future plans are focus on reducing cost and providing quality of care for patients. They are providing funds for incurable diseases like cancer and other malignancy. References: A trailblazer in health. n.d.). and your family. r local member companies. Retrieved form: http://www.deltadental.com/Public/PlanInfo/planAddressStart.jsp Delta Dental (n.d.). DeltaVision ®.

At the Construction Summit held in 2001 it was agreed that there was Essay

At the Construction Summit held in 2001 it was agreed that there was no quick solution to the industry's health and safety problems - Essay Example d on the Health and Safety Commission since 1974, after the Health and Safety at Work (HSW) Act; an Act based on the belief that ‘disease leads to the cure’, hence the bodies that create risks also carried the means to ridden themselves of them (Robens, 1972). This Act introduced a goal-oriented, practical approach that paved the way for local bodies to employ new regulatory frameworks which led to the promotion of Health and Safety. The HSW Act led to the creation of two new bodies, which were: The HSC served to secure health, safety and the general well being of the workers whilst creating general public awareness and HSE works alongside HSC and enforces health and safety laws and regulations. Since 1974, noticeable progress has been made and has led to impressive results such as the total and complete elimination of the hazard of construction yet issues such as Construction remain unabated which keeps the situation at a standstill. Management and workers need to be made aware of the impending risks of construction. In an effort to create concrete and substantial targets the government along with HSC launched the ‘Revitalising health and safety strategy’ in 2000. This was to directly highlight the occupational hazard in the work place. After the introduction of this strategy, the Construction summit took place on 27th February 2001, led by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. The poor record of care and safety in the construction sector led to the realisation that measures needed to be taken to reform the state of affairs. The industry was obliged to commit to a change in performance that would practically be demonstrated. The intention behind this summit was to, catch the attention of the higher officials of the Construction Industry and to engage them in matters of health and safety which were a serious cause of concern for the work force. The government was encouraged to propose and adopt their own plans of dealing with matters that were

Food Culture or food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Food Culture or food - Essay Example There are people that say that Africa has the largest range of food. This is attributed to the fact that the continent has many rural areas where people carry out substantial farming to produce different foods, but they have not been able to make it available to the outside regions due to poor infrastructure. Egypt is one of the countries known to have a wide range of foods and most commonly known for a dish known as ful. Countries such as Morocco have a reputation for dishes such as Couscous (Albala 27). This type of food is served with vegetables and to add flavor an individual can add meat to the mixture. Kenya is another country in the African continent that amazes many people. This is because restaurants in the country know how to mix the dishes such that they can get a combination that can leave the visitors wishing to get some more. In a country such as Botswana, sorghum and millet is one combination that has led to the vast acknowledgment of the country’s porridge. How ever, if you compare the Biltong in South America that is their staple meat shows a kind of superiority in South American culture and their cuisine. A continent such as North America is one that is argued to have the least number of dishes, and the reason is the fact that the continent only has three countries and thus limits the number of dishes that the continent can produce. Moreover, it is argued that most of the dishes present in the country are imported and that for the people that cook these meals they have the meals got from different regions in the world and get to mature or rather grow the food with adjusted environments given the continent’s advancement in technology (Albala 32). For example, Corn is one of the most recognized meals in the United States. Researchers have argued that the growth of corn is an aspect that came from Africa and particularly from countries that grow maize. The

Risk Management and Policy Decision-Making Essay

Risk Management and Policy Decision-Making - Essay Example It inculcates â€Å"planning of the risks, identifying the risks, analysing the risks, developing risk response strategies and controlling and monitoring risks to determine how they have changed.† 1 in large and complex, multinational financial organizations like MF Global, several players play an integral role in the risk management in the firm as well as oversight role that is played by the regulator. Diagnosis of the situation leading to the filling of bankruptcy on Halloween, October 31, 2011, by futures and options broker MF Global, reveals lapses of key players in the risk management process, which led to the giant company going under with reportedly over $ 1.2 Billion of customer money missing.2 2.0. MF GLOBAL: FAILURE OF KEY PLAYERS Various players had a role to play in the risk management processes. They included the management, regulators, investors and credit rating agencies. The management led by the CEO Jon Corzine had the primary role to identify, analyse and pla nning for the risks, as well as developing risk response strategies and constantly monitoring them to ensure their effectiveness as well as adherence to the legal and regulatory framework. Within the organization, these duties are spread within several departments, and individuals to ensure an internal control mechanism. Consequently, the CEO, directors and risk managers had a direct role to play in risk management processes. On the other hand, the regulators role prior to the filling of the bankruptcy was one of oversight to ensure that MF Global complied with the legal framework including accounting, and disclosure requirements. Following the disclosure that the firm had problems, the regulators intervened, and when it was clear that the damage had been done, a decision was reached that to protect the customers; it was paramount for the company to liquidate.3 With regards to the investors, the panic in taking their money from the company put the company in cash strapped position t hat led it to engage in panic selling of its assets. Credit rating agencies such as Moody’s and standard and poor’s also contributed to the downfall. They were under fire for waiting, until the last few days, to flag MF Global’s exposure to European debts even though disclosure had been made in May.4 By the time the agencies worked, there were serious doubts among MF Global trading partners and the downgrading the rating agencies only accelerated the downfall of the firm. 3.0. BEGINNING OF THE END: DEFECTS, WEAKNESS IN RISK MANAGEMENT AND EMERGENCE OF THE PROBLEM Upon the appointment as the CEO, Corzine embarked on an aggressive European strategy,5 investing heavily in sovereign debts of other countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Ireland (which, at the time, were thought to be super -safe.6) The uncertainty of these debts made their yield even more than that of the U.S treasuries. Under his watch, MF Global discovered means to twist the accounting rules . The rules made it to be legitimate for a firm, say MF Global, to purchase an asset, for example, the debts of Spain paying for it using a loan that was secured by the asset. MF Global would derive its earnings from the difference between the interest rate it was earning on the Spain debt and

You choose the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

You choose the topic - Essay Example In Summa Theologiae, Aquinas makes an emphatic philosophical analysis to prove that God exists, and his existence can be deduced from what is around, suggesting that Gods existence is self-evident and does not require any emphatic proofs. Therefore, from Aquinas’s philosophical arguments in Summa Theologia, the truth that cannot be known from existence can be known from a cause-effect relationship in that judging from what can be perceived, there has to be a higher order that causes what can be experienced in reality. The paper investigates Aquinas attempt to construct what is not known through that which is known in a cause-effect relationship to understand the existence of God. Aquinas borrows his main arguments from the Ontological argument of St. Anselm, who argued that God is the end beyond which nothing else can be conceived to exist. As such, God being the greatest being has to exist, for existence is much higher than non-existence. Consequently, Aquinas borrowed heavily from the existence of truth to explain that God exists. If the truth exists, then God being the absolute truth itself has to exist. The truth is self-evident in that there has to be that which is true and that which is false, suggesting that an absolute truth has to exist. Therefore, God exists in reality and is the direct cause of the truth, which can only be attributed to him. Aquinas refers to John 14:6, which states that â€Å"Am the truth the way and life.† As such, though we may not know God, it is clear that the truth exists. The truth emanates from an absolute truth much higher than itself, which is a proof that God exists in reality. Aquinas argues that every whole is greater than its parts. As such, everything that exists is a part of some whole at which everything has to intersect to make whole. The thing that exists so that

Is the hotel postmodernist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is the hotel postmodernist - Essay Example The reason I like Atlantis, the Palm hotel Dubai is due to its ideal location and huge infrastructure. It’s not only the building, the architecture and the interior of the building that enchants my soul but the location and the theme of the hotel mesmerize me. The entire hotel is based on a resort theme; a world surrounded by water and marine life as well as it provides a world of recreational activities for the people staying on board which makes it different from other hotels all around the world. It is a post modern hotel as mentioned earlier that it is a 5 star resort which is surrounded by Aquaventure themed water park on 40 acres. The hotel also has a conference center for high end executive class meetings and conferences. What makes this hotel interesting is the presence of Dolphin Bay which gives a lifetime opportunity to the guests to swim and play with dolphins while enjoying their stay at hotel. Each corner of the hotel represents the unique taste of Arabia with the sea-facing sights and an insight to marine life from the corner of every wall within the hotel. Interior Design: The interior of the hotel is designed by the efforts of internationally known designers and interiors. It was a joint effort by Jeffert Beers of JBI (Jeffery Beers International) along with the skilled team of designers from David Rockwell from the Rockwell Group and Adam D. Tihany. Others including Wilson and Associates, WATG, EDSA and Wimberly have given the best of their efforts in creating an excellent masterpiece. The hotel also features the works by the world class interior artists Dale Chihuly and Albino Gonzalez. The lobby of the Royal Towers at arrival greets the tourists and the guests with its magnificent artwork and murals. The 19 meter high ceiling of the lobby welcomes the guests with splendid hand artwork painted by Albino Gonzalez; a Spanish artist. The murals on the ceilings depicts four seasons of the year along with the fine representation of solar cal endar’s development. The ceilings finely tell the story of Arabian legends and their splendor to the visitors. The entire interior of the hotel makes it uniquely different from other hotels around the world. Location Atlantis, the Palm is located at The Palm, Dubai which is an artificial sand island. The island itself is shaped like a palm tree which makes the location interesting for the visitors and the tourists. The hotel has a total of 1539 rooms. It was a huge project which cost 1.8$ billion during its construction. The relationship between the construction sector and the Dubai’s hotel industry has been extremely positive. Ideally, the Northern corridors of Dubai including its favorite tourism destinations have become the focus of modern designs. The implementation of a number of tourism concepts across the Arab Peninsula has become an answer to the country’s bristling hotel industry. The Dubai historical factor as well as the stylistic-semiotic study which covers the development of the country’s hotel architecture indicates that the focus is based on the hotel-casino complexes and the self-styled postmodernist buildings. Their impact is significant because the modernist attitude include the changing trends that mirage the International Styles and rarely defined traditional Dubai Architectures. Introduction The relatively short Dubai coastline provides a symbolic history that explains the country’s is strategically located and it has been found to be

Women in Ancient Times Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women in Ancient Times - Essay Example It was only when the Macedonians subjugated the Hellenistic world that the position of women became comparatively prominent and some were provided formal education just like what was given to the males of that era (Marrou 35). For Athenians, "citizenship" was significant, particularly after political restructuring was implemented and democratic transformations were in place. Being a citizen meant that an individual can own land, and when that person reaches the age of thirty, he can hold political office. Citizens could also have a voice in the ecclesia and they can cast their votes on all state affairs. Unfortunately, men were the citizens of Athens and all women were barred (Just 13). This segregation of women signified that women had no political rights, it likewise implied that they could not own land (something which represented power in the ancient world) and that they could never hold political office. In primeval Israel, as in most of the ancient world, marriage was the ultimate aspiration. Arranging marriages were the "in thing" of those times as parents exert effort in searching appropriate husbands for their daughters from the same tribe or from a neighboring village.In those ancient civilizations, the husband was compelled to sustain the needs of the wife, however, unlike their Athenian counterpart; Israeli women can keep their own property. In addition, during those olden days, it was understood that a married couple was in reality an economic partnership; if and when the man becomes insolvent or incapable of meeting his financial obligations, the woman will be sold into slavery along with him. Similarly, in that era, a woman's primary obligation (and considered to be her ultimate bliss) was to give birth, if possible to a son to carry on the man's name and ancestry. It was so important for a manto have a son that a recurrent ground for divorce---something that is not diffic ult to attain for a man---was a woman's incapacity to bear a child. In fact, in wealthy families, if the wife couldnot conceive, she could give her slave to her husband. The child produced from that union would provide the legal wife as much status as just like giving birth herself. In some circumstances where a married man died without leaving a son, the man's brother or the closest male relative, was anticipated to marry the widow; in this manner, she would have a husband to support her and still produce a son closely related to the dead husband and continue his lineage (Lualdi n.p.; Clancy-Smith 1-56). In Babylon, the most popular and the most comprehensive of the primordial Roman law codes was the Hammurabi.As one remembers, it was the Hammurabi Code which decreed that the one who demolishes the eye of another should have his own eye snuffed out as retribution and the one who murders another should himself be put to death, hence giving rise to the idiom "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." In old Babylonia, women's position was comparatively elevated as they could be in possession of and become heirs to properties. In addition, a widow has lawful privileges to acquire and utilize her late husband's assets as long a she continues to live in his house; also, she has the right to leave and remarry, however, she could

Accidents at Home Essay Example for Free

Accidents at Home Essay We’d all like to believe that our home is a secure, comfortable environment, but we tend not to notice that this very place holds the potential to become very dangerous. In fact, most accidents occur in and around our homes, with the consequences involving anything from minor abrasions to a fatality. Believe it or not, water one of our most valued necessities in life, can not only provide life but also take it. Young children are often the victims of this hazardous feature. All it requires is for the parents to look in the other direction and the next moment, a curious child can wander in the direction of the family swimming pool. An unsurprised toddler can easily fall into the pool and drown. Due to the alarming increase in infant deaths due to drowning, a change in council legislation now demands the presence of childproof fencing around all pools. However there is always the slightly older and more mischievous lot of children who have managed to overcome the barriers of the fencing around pools. As a result, child drowning cases have continued to occur. These numbers have led to a council initiative of childproof safety gates to be manufactured. This requires an adult to open these gates, ensuring parental supervision. See more: Old Age Problem essay In response to the broken bones and concussions that have occurred around pool areas due to older children and teenagers running and playing carelessly around the pool, there has been the further implementation of non-slip pool pavers and surrounds. Nevertheless water inside the home can also be the cause of various accidents, especially in the bathroom which often have wet floors. Wet tiles that may cause a soothing sensation under the feet on a hot day, can instantly become the source of harmful falls, for people of all ages. A slip on a wet floor can lead to bruises, a broken bone or even concussion. In order to prevent these incidents from occurring, households are being urged to make use of the vast array of non-slip mats and non-slip stick-on designs that can even add colour to assist the visually impaired elderly residents. As we age, the activity of our nervous systems tends to function at a lower rate, causing our bodies to react more slowly, so in the event of an accidental fall, the time taken for the brain to send out signals to alert the effectors is lessened as we age. When an elderly person falls, there is the potential for severe injuries because their fragile bones can easily be roken. To ensure their utmost safety, hand rails around the bath are becoming common. Furthermore as water is heated, the hot liquid and steam that results can cause severe scalding accidents that can inflict a single burn or a serious injury. This is especially true for the elderly, with their delayed sensory reaction times, because they can be under a hot shower for several minutes before realising that they’re burnt. As a result, water temperature regulators have been installed in hospitals and the homes of the elderly, in an attempt to minimise the burns caused by hot water. Children can also be subject to similar types of burns when left unsupervised for a moment in bathrooms. Being fascinated by the motion of a rotating tap, these young minds may find themselves running hot water long enough to accidently burn themselves. For this reason, there are childproof tap covers that prevent the tap from turning on, to prevent curious children from scalding injuries when handling hot water. In the kitchen, a slip of the hand is all it takes to cause severe third degree burns. Therefore community service advertisements appear from time to time on television and on the radio to inform people about the hazards present in the kitchen. Even the steam that arises from the kettle poses certain threats. Top-opening kettles posed a potential risk for steam burns on the hand, arm and face and as a result kettles have been redesigned to open and fill at the front, thereby directing steam away from the user. Microwavable food has also proved to be a problem, because when opening the packaging, steam rushes out quickly, causing steam burns. This is why, instructions on the packaging is now mandatory alerting people to delay the time before opening. By doing this, the steam is allowed to dissipate, greatly decreasing the risk of steam burns. Nevertheless, burns are not only the result of hot liquids, because household heating poses a major threat to those who reside in the home. Open fires were once a common source of heating in many households, however the alarming number of house fires caused by curtains or furniture igniting has increased public awareness and also initiated government actions. Thus pressure has been placed on manufacturers to produce burn resistant carpets and curtain material in an attempt to reduce the risk of a stray spark causing a house fire. In order to further minimise the risk of burn injuries from open fires, a ban on installing fully open fires has been passed through government, and slow combustion fires which are a safer alternative, are readily available in many retail stores. However, during cold nights, there is an urge to leave the heater on for the entire night. This action, and the increased use of nylon sleepwear, posed a major threat of house fires while the family was asleep. Consequently, several steps have been taken by the government to ensure the safety of all individuals while they sleep. For instance, sleepwear sold to customers must have the required level of flammability labelled, in order for them to make an informed decision and about avoiding unnecessary burns. The advancement of technology has also allowed for artificial intelligence to be implemented in heating appliances in the form of temperature regulators, causing the heater to either turn on or off in order to maintain the temperature of the room without the risk of overheating and causing a fire. There has also been the danger of accidentally knocking over a heater, especially by children or pets, and this has been responsible for severe burns or even a fatal house fire if the heater came in contact with the carpet and began to burn. However the use of cut-off switches in these portable heaters has greatly minimised the risk of burn injuries and house fires, as the heater simply stops working the moment its sensors realise that it has fallen over. Yet accidents involving electricity can involve more than just electrical heating because there are many appliances used on a daily basis in the average home. Even the simple toaster or hair dryer can cause severe injuries when not correctly handled. For instance when a wet hand decides to grab the nearby hair dryer, water can seep into the electric circuit causing various degrees of electric shock. In order to minimise the risk of this occurring, safety instructions have been attached to such appliances that highlight the dangers that can arise. The toaster is another classic example, where burns have occurred simply by sticking metal cutlery into the toaster in an attempt to remove a piece of toast. Safety instructions have therefore been stuck onto these appliances in order to make people think twice before performing harmful actions. Furthermore, community service advertisements have also been appearing, informing viewers on the dangers that household electrical appliances can pose. Because curious young children can unwillingly stick a finger or a fork into the holes of a power point, safety plugs for power points have been introduced onto the market. When inserted, they prevent easy access, reducing the risk of electrocution especially amongst the younger children. Most importantly, with vast areas of the modern home powered by electricity, the possibility can always arise for a circuit overload or shortage. However being completely engrossed in our busy lives, we tend to not notice, so circuit breakers have been introduced that instantly shut down all power to the house when a threat arises, saving people from serious injuries or even a fatal house fire. Even when electricity is not present, tools and implements also increase the chance of obtaining cuts and lacerations. The preparation of any dish requires the use of knives, peelers and sometimes graters, yet these are some of the many implements that can cause accidents. For instance, the knives when kept in a drawer can see unsuspecting fingers close over their sharp teeth, whilst searching for a particular item. The cuts that result from this incident can be severe and as a result knife boards and jackets have been designed to allow knives to be safely stored. As with knives, peelers and graters only require a slight slip or fumble to cause deep lacerations. Due to these alarming occurrences, manufacturers have improved the design of these implements to include firmer bases and safety blades, in an attempt to minimise any injuries they may inflict. Children are once again victims of the many implements in the kitchen, involving cutlery and scissors. Although they might consider such items to be enjoyable to play with, the number of cuts that have been inflicted has increased rapidly. This is why plastic cutlery and scissors have been produced to allow children to continue playing in a safer environment. Outside the house, there are a variety of tools that can inflict even worse damage. Garden tools can cause severe lacerations if carelessly touched or used, due to their sharp edges. For example, the saw with its sharp teeth can inflict severe cuts so to minimise the likelihoods of such injuries, safety packaging now accompanies these potentially dangerous products, allowing them to be stored safely. In the garden shed, specially padded gardening gloves are also found which help prevent unexpected cuts from thorns or sharp branches that are incurred while performing regular garden jobs. Besides the tools on the shed or garage shelf, there are a wide range of substances, some more dangerous than others. Apart from the cuts, bruises and burns that are inflicted from appliances and various activities around the home, the improper storage of such dangerous substances have accounted or the numerous incidents involving rushing young children to hospital. This may occur after children are attracted to the brightly, coloured tablets and consume them, thinking they are lollies. Similarly with liquids, unsupervised children can easily open and drink a colourful dishwashing liquid or shampoo, thinking it is cordial, but this can lead to serious vomiting and diarrhoea requiring medical attention. For this reason, childproof caps have been introduced on many dangerous liquids which require bo th motions of pressing down and twisting. To ensure the child’s safety when parents are busy, childproof cupboard locks have appeared in many homes, restricting children from accessing dangerous chemicals or medications. To further protect people from the dangers of overdosing or mixing pharmaceutical drugs in an unsafe manner, such as when a headache is so severe that a victim takes three different kinds of painkillers, it is now mandatory to label all substances with both safety instructions and medical advice if for example, a dangerous substance like weedkiller is absorbed, breathed or comes in contact with the skin. Bruises, broken bones, scalding and lacerations are just some of the injuries that can be inflicted on residents, in and around the home. Surely it is clear, that with the numerous cases of severe injuries, which occur in and around our homes every day, it is in fact a very dangerous place to be in.

Barriers to Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Barriers to Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Communication is a process and has many aspects to it. Communication is a dynamic process by which information is shared between individuals (Sheldon 2005). This process requires three components (Linear model Appendix figure 1.1), the sender, the receiver and the message (Alder 2003). Communication would not be possible if any of these components are absent. While Peate (2006) has suggested that communication is done every day through a linear process, Spouse (2008) argues that it is not so simple and does not follow such a linear process. He explains that due to messages being sent at the same time through verbal and non- verbal avenues, it is expected the receiver is able to understand the way this is communicated. Effective communication needs knowledge of good verbal and non-verbal communication techniques and the possible barriers that may affect good communication. The Nursing and Midwifery council (2008) states that a nurse has effective communication skills before they can register as its seen as an essential part of a nurses delivery of care. (WAG 2003) Reflecting on communication in practice will also enforce the theory behind communication and allow a nurse to look at bad and good communication in different situations. This will then enforce the use of good communication techniques in a variety of situations allowing for a more interpersonal and therapeutic nurse patient relationship. This assignment discusses health care communication and why it is important in nursing by: Exploring verbal and non-verbal communication and possible barriers By exploring the fundamentals of care set out by the Welsh assembly and the nurse and midwifery councils code of conduct a better understanding of the importance of communication is gained. Reflecting in practice using a scenario from a community posting. VERBAL COMMUNICATION Verbal communication comes in the form of spoken language; it can be formal or informal in its delivery. Verbal Language is one of the main ways in which we communicate and is a good way to gather information through a question (an integral part of communication) and answer process (Berry 2007; Hawkins and Power 1999). Therefore verbal communication in nursing should be seen as a primary process and a powerful tool in the assessment of a patient. There are two main types of questioning, open-ended questions or closed questions (Stevenson 2004). Open-ended questions tend to warrant more than a one word response and generally start with what, who, where, when, why and how. It invites the patient to talk more around their condition and how they may be feeling and provoke a more detailed assessment to be obtained (Stevenson 2004). The use open-ended questions make the patient feel they have the attention of the nurse and they are being listened too (Grover 2005). It allows for a psychological focus to be given, this feeling of interest in all aspects of the patients care allows for a therapeutic relationship to develop (Dougherty 2008). Closed questions looks for very specific information about the patient (Dougherty 2008). They are very good at ascertaining factual information in a short space of time (Baillie 2005). There are two types of closed questions: the focused and the multiple choice questions. Focused questions tend to acquire information about a particular clinical situation (e.g. asking a patient who is been prescribed Ibuprofen, are you asthmatic?) whereas multiple choice questions tend to be more based on the nurses understanding of the condition being assessed. It can be used as a tool to help the patient describe for example the pain they feel e.g. is the pain dull, sharp, throbbing etc (Stevenson 2004). For verbal communication to be effective, good listening skills are essential. Sharing information, concerns and feelings becomes difficult, if the person being spoken to doesnt look interested (Andrews 2001). Good active listening can lead to a better understanding of the patients most recent health issues (Sheldon 2005). Poor listening could be as a result of message overload, physical noise, poor effort and psychological noise. Therefore being prepared to listen and putting the effort and time are essential in a nurses role (Grover 2005). NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION This type of communication does not involve spoken language and can sometimes be more effective than words that are spoken. About 60 65 per cent of communication between people is through non verbal behaviours and that these behaviours can give clues to feelings and emotions the patient may be experiencing (Foley 2010, p. 38). Non-verbal communication adds depth to speech; to re affirm verbal communication; to control the flow of communication; to convey emotions; to help define relationships and a way of giving feedback. The integration between verbal language and paralanguage (vocal), can affect communication received (Spouse 2008) Berry (2007, pg18) highlights the depth of verbal language due to the use of paralinguistic language. The way we ask a question, the tone, and pitch, volume and speed all have an integral part to play in non verbal communication. In his opinion, personality is shown in the way that paralanguage is used as well as adding depth of meaning in the presentation of the message been communicated. Foley (2010) identifies studies where language has no real prevalence in getting across emotional feelings, in the majority of cases the person understands the emotion even if they dont understand what is being said. Paralanguage therefore is an important tool in identifying the emotional state of a patient. Non-verbal actions (kinesis) can communicate messages, such as body language, touch, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact. By using the universal facial expressions of emotion, our face can show many emotions without verbally saying how we feel (Foley 2010) refer to Appendix table 2. For example, we raise our eye brows when surprised, or open our eyes wider when shocked. First impressions are vital for effective interaction; by remembering to smile with your eyes as well as your mouth can communicate an approachable person who is open. This can help to reassure a patient who is showing signs of anxiety (Mason 2010). BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION An understanding of barriers in communication is also very important. The Welsh Assemblys fundamentals of care (2003) showed that many of the problems associated with health and social care was due to failures in communication. These barriers may be the messenger portraying a judgmental or power attitude. Dickson (1999) suggested that social class can be a barrier to communication, feeling inferior to the nurse may distort the message being received, making communication difficult to maintain. Environmental barriers such as a busy ward and a stressed nurse could influence effective communication. This can greatly reduce the level of empathy and communication given as suggested by Endacott (2009). People with learning disabilities come up against barriers in communicating their needs, due to their inability to communicate verbally, or unable to understand complex new information. This leads to a breakdown in communication and their health care needs being met (Turnbull 2010). Timby (2005) stresses that when effectively communicating with patients the law as well as the NMC (2008) guidelines for consent and confidentiality must be adhered to. This also takes into account handing over to other professionals. He suggests that a patients rights to autonomy should be upheld and respected without any influence or intimidation, regardless of age, religion, gender or race. The use of communication in practice is essential and reflecting on past experience helps for a better understanding of communication, good and bad. REFLECTION Reflecting on my experience while on placement in a G.P with a practice nurse in south Wales Valleys, has helped me understand and gain practical knowledge in communicating effectively in nursing practice. The duration was for one week and includes appointments in several clinics to do with C.O.P.D (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). I will be reflecting upon one appointment using the Gibbss reflective cycle (1988). Description Due to confidentiality (NMC, 2008) the patient will be referred to as Mrs A.E. The Nurse called Mrs A.E to come to the appointment room. I could see she was anxious through her body language (palm trembling and sweaty, fidgety, calm and rapid speech). The nurse asked her to sit down. The nurse gained consent for me to sit in on her review (NMC, 2008). The review started with a basic questionnaire the nurse had pre generated on the computer. It was a fairly closed questionnaire around her breathing including how it was, when it was laboured. Questions were also asked around her medication and how she was taking her pumps. Reflecting on these questions, I feel the questions did not leave much opportunity for Mrs A.E to say anything else apart from the answer to that question. The nurse controlled the communication flow. The Nurse did not have much eye contact with the patient and was facing the computer rather than her patient. I wondered if the nurse had notice the anxious non-verbal communication signs. The patient seemed almost on the verge of tears, I wasnt sure if this was anxiety, distress from being unwell, or she was unhappy about something else. I felt quite sorry for her as all her body language communicated to me that she was not happy. She had her arms crossed across her body (an indication of comforting herself) and she did not smile. She also looked very tense and uncomfortable. The Nurse went on with the general assessment and did the lung test and I took the blood pressure and pulse, gaining consent first as required by the NMC. Once all the questions had been answered on the computer the Nurse turned to face Mrs A.E and I noticed she had eye contact with her and had her body slightly tilted toward the patient (non verbal communication). The Nurse gave her information on why her asthma may be a bit worse at the moment and gave her clear and appropriate information on how she can make manage her COPD at this time of year. The Nurse gave her lots of guidance on the use of her three different pumps, and got her to repeat back to her the instructions, to make sure she understood. I could feel the patient getting more at ease as the communication progressed and also on the confirmation that she understood the instruction. The Nurse knew this patient well and then set the rest of the time talking to the patient about any other concerns she had and how she was fe eling in herself, using a more open question technique. The nurse used her active listening skills and allowed the patient to talk about her problems and gave her empathy at her situation as well and some solutions to think about. She gave the patient information of a support group that helped build up confidence in people with chronic conditions and helped them deal with the emotional side of their condition. Feelings After the patient had gone, my mentor explained that the patient was a regular to the clinic, she had many known anxiety issues which werent helped by her chronic asthma. Through-out the beginning of the review I felt very awkward. I thought, because I was sitting in on the review, may have been the reason the lady had not said why she seemed so anxious and upset. I also felt the nurse was not reacting to the sign of anxiety from Mrs A.E and this made me feel uncomfortable. I felt like I wanted to ask her if she was ok, but felt that I couldnt interrupt the review. However by the end of the review I felt a lot better about how it had gone. I did feel that by building up a relationship with the patients allowed the nurse to understand the communication needs of the patient and also allowed her to use the time she had effectively. She used empathy in her approach to the lady and actively listened to her. I understand that the start of the review was about getting the facts of the condition using a lot of closed questions, whereas the later part of the review was a more open questions and non verbal communication approach, allowing the patient to speak a bout any concerns and feelings about those questions asked earlier. Evaluation Effectively using closed questions allow for a lot of information to be gathered in a short space of time, and can be specific to the patients review needs. These pre-generated questionnaires are good at acquiring the information needed by the G.P. and also for good record keeping which are essential in the continuity of care delivered to the patient (NMC 2008). It can also protect the nurse from any litigation issues. The use of open and closed questions also allowed for the review to explore the thoughts and feelings of the patient, thus allowing for empathy from the nurse and is considered a vital part of the counselling relationship (Chowdhry, 2010 pg. 22). However the use of the computer screen facing away from the patient, did not allow for good non-verbal communication skills to be used. The lack of eye contact from the nurse may have exacerbated the anxiety felt by the patient. Hayward (1975, p. 50) summarised in research that anxiety highlighted an uncertainty about illness or future problems. This link to anxiety was also linked to increased pain. Nazarko (2009) points out, it is imperative that a person has the full attention of the nurse when they are communicating. He states that being aware of ones own non-verbal behaviours, such as posture and eye contact can have an effect on how communication is received by the patient. As evident in the reflection, the patient at the beginning of the review was anxious, upset and worried. By the end of the review her body language had significantly changed. The patient looked and felt a lot better in herself and had a better understanding of how her condition was affecting her and understood how to manage it. However if this information was badly communicated, the patients anxiety could have been prolonged (Hayward, 1975). This also links back to the need to understand medical conditions so that communication is channelled to the patients needs at the time. The fundamentals of care set out by the Welsh Assembly Government (2003), states that communication is of upmost importance in the effectiveness of care given by nurses. By looking at all the fundamentals of communication and the effect on patient care we can understand and recognise that the communication in this reflection was good communication in practice. Analysis The closed questions were used at the beginning of the review, had their advantages. They allowed the nurse to focus the on the specific clinical facts needed. The start of the review used mainly closed questions to get all the clinical facts needed to be recorded, such as Personal information, Spirometry results, blood pressure, drug management of COPD (Robinson, 2010). The structured approach allows the nurse to evaluate using measurable outcomes and thus interventions adjusted accordingly (Dougherty, 2008). The closed question approach allows the consultation to be shortened if time is an issue. However the disadvantage of this as identified by Berry (2007) is that important information may be missed. The use of closed questions on a computer screen hindered the use of non-verbal communication. Not allowing for eye contact, which is an important aspect of effective communication. The use of open questions in the review allowed the patient to express how they were feeling about their condition or any other worries. The nurse used active listening skills, communicated in her non-verbal behaviour. It gave the opportunity to the patient to ask for advice on any worries they might have. The use of open questions can provoke a long and sometimes not totally relevant response (Baillie, 2005), using up valuable time. Eye contact is another important part of communication in the reflective scenario. The eye contact at the start of the review was limited. The nurse made slight eye contact when asking the closed questions, but made none when given the answer. This may have contributed to the patients anxious state. However, the eye contact given during the open questions section. At this stage, there were several eye contacts between the nurse and patient and information was given and understood. The value of eye contact in communication is invaluable and has great effect at reducing symptoms of anxiety (Dougherty 2008). Reflection conclusion The use of communication in this COPD review was very structured. The use of closed questions helped to structure the consultation and acquire lots of information from the patient. The open questions allowed for the patient to express any feeling or concerns. The nurse used verbal and non-verbal communication methods, to obtain information about the patient; assess any needs and communicate back to the patient, within the time period. However in my opinion, if the computer screen was moved closer to the patient during the closed question section, better interaction could have been established from the beginning. It would also allow the nurse to look at the patient when asking the questions leading to a more therapeutic relationship, whilst still obtaining and recording a large amount of information. Therefore, the use of effective communication skills as seen in this review along with a person centred approach can significantly increase better treatment and care given to the patient (Spouse, 2008) and thus signifies good communication in practice. Action Plan The goal of the plan is to increasing patient participation in the use of the computer as an interactive tool. By allowing the patient to see what is on the screen and being written, allows the patient to feel more involved in the assessment and takes away any feeling of inferiority from social class difference. In attempt to achieving these goals, the following steps would be taken: Set up a team to investigate the issue which could involve nursing staffs or other hospital staffs. Drawing up a feedback questionnaire, to investigate how patients feel about the closed questions on the computer, including a section on how they would feel if they were allowed to look at the screen. Collation, analysis and review of the results of the feedback Identify barriers to the implementation of the plan (e.g. willingness of nurses to this change). Inform the NMC on the issues and the findings from the feedback questionnaire. Implementation of the plan. Set up a monitoring and evaluation team to see if the plan is being implemented appropriately. CONCLUSION This assignment has looked at communication and its importance in nursing practice. Communication is thus an important process involving the interaction between one or more persons using verbal and non-verbal methods. Understanding the barriers to communication contributes significantly to how effective a nurse communicates in practice. The use of questioning in nursing has been a valuable tool in assessing a patient and obtaining information. However the way this is done can have an effect on the development of empathy, trust, genuineness and respect, between the nurse and the patient. It is imperative for nurses to however reflect on their communication in practice to further improve the therapeutic relationship between them and the patient as has been identified as essential in the delivery of care (WAG 2003). REFERENCES Alder, RB. Rodman, G. 2003. Understanding human communication: (8th edition). USA: Oxford university press Andrews, C. Smith, J. 2001. Medical Nursing: (11th edition) London: Harcourt Publishers limited Berry, D. 2007. Basic forms of communication. In: Payne, S. Horn, S. ed. Health communication theory and practice. England: Open university press. Chowdhry, S. 2010. Exploring the concept of empathy in nursing: can lead to abuse of patient trust. Nursing times 160(42), pp. 22-25 Dickson, D. 1999. Barriers to communication. In: Long, A. ed. Interaction for practice in community nursing. England: Macmillian press LTD, pp. 84-132 Dougherty, L. Lister, S. ed. 2008. The royal marsden hospital manual of clinical nursing procedures. Student edition. 7th ed. Italy: Wiley-Blackwell Egan, G. 1990. The skilled helper: A systematic approach to effective helping. 4th ed. California: Brooks /Cole Ekman, p. Friesen, WV. 1975. Unmasking the face. Englewood cliffs, NJ: prentice-hall INC Endacott, R. Jevon, P. Cooper, S. 2009. Clinical Nursing Skills Core and Advanced. Oxford : Oxford University Press. Foley, GN. 2010. Non-verbal communication in psychotherapy. Psychiatry (Edgemont) 7(6) pp. 38-44 Gibbs, G. 1988. Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Oxford further education unit. Grover, SM. 2005. Shaping effective communication skills and therapeutic relationship at work. Aaohn journal 53(4) pp.177-182 Hawkins, K. Power, C. 1999. Gender differences in questions asked during small decision-making group discussions, small group research.(30) pg.235-256 Hayward, J. 1975. Information A prescription against pain. London: Royal college of nursing. p. 50 Marie- Claire Mason 2010. Effective interaction: Nursing Standard 24(31) p 25. Nazarko, L. 2009. Advanced communication skills. British journal of healthcare assistants. 3 (09) pp 449-452 Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)2008. The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London. NMC Peate, I. 2006. Becoming a nurse in the 21st century. England: Wiley and Son Robinson, T. 2010. Empowering people to self-manage COPD with management plans and hand held records. Nursing times. 106(38) pp. 12-14 Sale, J. Neal, NM. 2005. The nurses approach: self-awareness and communication. In Ballie, L. ed. Developing practical nursing skills. 2nd ed. London: Oxford university press. Pg. 33-57 Sheldon, L. 2005. Communication for nurses: Talking with patients. London: Jones and Bartlett publishers. Spouse, J. Cook, M. Cox, C. 2008. Common foundation studies in nursing (4th edition). London: Churchill livingstone. Stevenson C, Grieves M, Stein Parbury J. 2004. Patient and Person: Empowering Interpersonal relationships in Nursing London. Elsevier Limited. Timby, BK. 2005. Fundemental Nursing Skills and Concepts Philadelphia. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Turnbull J, Chapman ,S. 2010. Supporting Choice in Health Care for People with Learning Disabilities. Nursing Standard 24 (22) pp 50 55 Welsh Assembly Government 2003. Fundamentals of Care Guidance for Health and Social Care Staff Cardiff: WAG

truthhod Quest for Truth in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

The Quest for Truth in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is set in Africa's Congo region, and his descriptions of that place are stark yet full of the wonder of discovery as well as the shock that comes from uncovering ugly truths. Conrad was purposefully vague in his setting for Heart of Darkness; he never actually named the destination to which Marlow journeyed. This may be because Heart of Darkness was more an inner journey than a journey between places.   Conrad juxtaposed his protagonist's inward quest with an outward journey through the wilderness of   "dark" Africa. The novel's climax was not comprised of actions, but of moral discoveries and intellectual awakenings.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A stylistic device utilized by Conrad throughout the novel is the highlighting of themes by setting certain symbolic elements in opposition to contrasting symbolic elements. In order to accomplish this, he relied heavily on metaphors. Metaphors only gain meaning, as they are associated in the reader's mind with images or ideas that are beyond the intrinsic meanings of the words themselves (Searl 1979). In reference to the title Heart of Darkness, Ian Watt said " . . . Both of Conrad's nouns are densely charged with physical and moral suggestions; freed from the restrictions of the article, they combine to generate a sense of puzzlement which prepares us for something beyond our usual expectations: if the words do not name what we know, they must be asking us to know what has, as yet, no name" (Watt 1963).   Resonating throughout Heart of Darkness was the contrast between elements, which may be represented as being light, and elements, wh ich may be characterized as being dark. Light carries with it the metaphorical meanings ... ... Cox, C. B. Conrad: Heart of Darkness, Nostromo, and Under Western Eyes. London: Macmillan Education Ltd., 1987. Guetti, James. ‘Heart of Darkness and the Failure of the Imagination’, Sewanee Review LXXIII, No. 3 (Summer 1965), pp. 488-502. Ed. C. B. Cox. Ruthven, K. K. ‘The Savage God: Conrad and Lawrence,’ Critical Quarterly, x, nos 1& 2 (Spring and Summer 1968), pp. 41-6. Ed. C. B. Cox. Street, Brian V. The Savage in Literature. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1975. Thornton, A. P. The Imperial Idea and its Enemies. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985. Watts, Cedric. A Preface to Conrad. Essex: Longman Group UK Limited, 1993.   Wiley, Paul L. Conrad's Measure of Man. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1954. Wynne-Davies, Marion. Ed. The Bloomsbury Guide to English Literature. New York: Prentice Hall General Reference, 1990.

Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Males from Muslim Countries :: Terrorism

Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Males from Muslim Countries The terrorism attack on the United States of America on September 11, 2001 has not only greatly affected American citizens, but it has also made a huge impact on the lives of people in Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Hence, because I am an international student from Indonesia, the attack has greatly affected my life in the United States of America. Since the terrorist attack, the American government has created a number of regulations that have to be followed exactly by the male citizens of Muslim countries who are currently staying in the United States. Every male has to report to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to be interviewed, and only if he passes the interview will he be able to continue living in the United States. However, in the event that he fails the interview, he will be immediately deported back to his own country. The government did not show any mercy even for those who have already built stable lives with their families here in America. The government’s act of eliminating any potential threat to the United States may seem patriotic and glorious in the eyes of many Americans. However, Americans also have to be reminded of the civil rights movement that successfully ended racially discriminatory laws and practices against African Americans and other minorities. The government’s act of discrimination against individuals from Muslim countries is simply not right. The government does not have the right to judge an individual by his or her nationality, race, or religion. Even though the terrorist attack on America may have been carried out by Osama Bin Laden, a Muslim leader from Afghanistan, the American government should not perceive every single citizen from Muslim countries to be a threat to this country.

Wal-Mart Case Study Essays -- Business Analysis Wal Mart

Wal-Mart Case Study Case Review and Recommendations As we have reviewed and studied the strategy, culture, finances and the challenges and successes at Wal-Mart, there are many strategies we see that the company must undertake to hold its dominate position and drive further growth. Herein, we define our top four. These core strategies include: rebuild and recreate its reputation in the face of recent challenges; continue to show price leadership; improve the customer experience; and drive international growth. The financial performance of Wal-Mart continues to be strong. It delivered another record year in 2008 as total net sales increased 8.6 percent to $375 billion. Yet, earnings growth rates and same store sales have slowed. And, the company faces a number of challenges to its operating procedures, reputation and growth prospects. Given the company’s stated objectives of â€Å"growing operating income faster than sales† and increasing shareholder value, the strategies we recommend will directly affect the company’s ability to overcome present challenges and meet these primary financial objectives. Reputation and Brand A key strategic objective, perhaps the most critical for the company going forward, is to rebuild and recreate its reputation. While brand and reputation are closely interlinked, author and business consultant, John Foley, differentiates the two attributes in this manner: â€Å"Brand is inside out. Reputation is outside in† (Foley 3). Wal-Mart’s reputation has waned in the past several years and, according to Foley, â€Å"the... ...and - its promise, image and emotion that it creates - remains relatively strong. The Wal-Mart mission of â€Å"saving people money so they can live better† is clearly and consistently communicated. However, Wal-Mart’s reputation, the â€Å"outside in† view, built on direct experiences, outside opinions, rumors and judgments, must be strengthened. The pillar of its overall business strategy – price leadership – must be maintained. The company’s power and influence can be used to create positive affects in consumers’ lives, not only in their wallets. Finally, growth opportunities exist in the US and beyond. In order to deliver growing shareholder value, the company must continue to reach into emerging markets.