Safety of stored information and easier retrieval Essay

Task 1: strengthen the information systems to enhance effective communication within the business and in all departments. Benefits of effective technological systems (Sanders & Bok 2013). This facilitates effective communication with the departments in the business. The daily operations of the business need effective communication. Senior departmental managers need to communicate with supervisors and other subordinates. Communication channels such telephones and computer links facilitates transmission of information from one area to another. This saves time as managers and supervisors don’t take time moving from one section to the other. Safety of stored information and easier retrieval (Target, Grimshow & Powel 2009). They facilitate better storage of information within the organization. It reduces paper work and bunch of files stored in the offices. Computers stores information which can be retrieved easily through use of logs and personal codes, when they are keyed information is displayed easily. Task 2: improve the existing markets and expand through opening new branches throughout the world. Benefits of proper marketing strategies (Kerin, Hartley & Rudelius 2009). Marketing is a very essential aspect in every business. Strategies such as integrate online and offline advertising, message adaptation and contests and discounts. Proper marketing facilitates better customer relations and increase in sales. This being the key goal of any business organization, it facilitates growth and development. Meeting customer needs (Bettencourt 2010). Organizations are required to meet the needs of the customers for competitive advantages. Customers’ satisfaction helps the business to maintain customers both in the long-run and short-run. Distribution of the products within the required time in the markets and proper pricing enhances customers’ maintenance are reaching the potential customers. Task 3: use of online marketing and product promotion                There are many ways of reaching out customers and promoting products in the market. Use of website links and online transactions enables an organization to reach more customers all over the world. Forms of product promotions such as advertising through electronic commutations such as radios and TV, use of billboards and personal selling also helps in reaching out customers. This is very beneficial to an organization as it gets enjoys economies of scale through increased production and sales. Value added by the role of my CPO.                My role adds a significant role in my CPO. For clear understanding of this role is added and what it is about, the learner have to be well informed on matters concerning proper marketing strategies, how to apply them and the benefits associated with such strategies. This comprises of the ways that a business put into consideration with an aim of reaching more customers and increasing the sales. Proper marketing strategies are very beneficial to the business both for proper control of internal and external environments (Fisher 2008). Some of the benefits involved include; market expansion both local and international, competitive advantages as the business is able to acquire large market share and meet the needs of the customers. My role in regard to adding value to my CPO is based on my knowledge concerning the marketing mix and segmentation. This is an area that is must have full knowledge concerning how a market is well segmented, the tools of marketing mix such as products, price, promotion and distribution. This knowledge will help me in preparing a good report to be presented to the marketing manager for better installation and implementation of the required strategies. The strategies should be based on the individuals and target groups in relation to their needs, knowledge and cultural activities (Augustine 2009). For my CPO to have a value addition, I must have full knowledge concerning the strategies used by other industries/competitors, the marketing trends and the needs of the customer. This will facilitate and enhance a better delivery of findings and recommendations to the clients and have qualities and important information that helps the marketing teams. My role is to ensure there is a proper interrelationship between the three departments that is IT, transport and marketing. They help the organization to pursue their interests effectively. Resolving allowed these departments adds value to my CPO as it enables me to come u p with better and effective strategies that are beneficial to an organization. LG3 Nature of relationships incorporated in my CPO during the completion of my task. Effective completion of tasks requires proper involvement of all the employees and the management. Employees are provided with the necessary skills across all the tasks carried out in the business. This enables an employee to perform any task across all departments. I always interacts with the marketing department when having a discussion with them on how to improve their operation or resolving an issue. I have acquired more knowledge through my team leader as I have always accompanied him when carrying out daily operations. This has enabled me to establish a strong marketing team and enhance good relationships. Proper communication that is done horizontally from the team leader to supervisors and the people on the ground. Receiving information concerning the progress of the market and the issues affecting them is another task I do carry in the organization. Organizational chart Ideas on how my CPO may effectively manage the organizational internal relationships. The marketing department has a well established IT and transport systems. This becomes an advantage as communication is well facilitated and goods are transported to the respective markets. Internal environment gaps; questions that will help me in developing an understanding of the internal environment. Are all the departments well resourced with the required facilitates? For effective implementation and carrying out of the activities, the overall departments have to be equipped well. Are all departmental managers well skilled with the required knowledge? This will help me in determining if there is need to have training of all the departmental attendants. What are the strategies used by the competitor? Are the strategies used in the organization more effective compared to those of the competitors? Key facts concerning my industry sector                Strategic market planning is a marketing body that is focused on the content of strategy and formulation process at the unit level of a business (Kumar 2010). It also compares the role of marketing in the organizational activity’s sphere. This marketing body helps me in analyzing key facts concerning key facts of my organization. Skills of employees                Employees are the key players in the organizational marketing. They need to be well skilled as they are the ones who interact with customers on their daily basis. Product packaging and branding                Product appearance is very vital to the eyes of the customer. The organization facilitates better packaging by using amounts affordable by the customers of all aspects. Issues faced by the business world                Political instability; Most of the countries in the world are faced with political instability. Such events are associated with chaos hence creating unfavorable marketing conditions. Market diversification: many businesses are located in different parts of the world. To have effective cooperation and proper management, the business world is facing problems of meeting the customer demands. My CPO provides strategies of ensuring that the organization has well manageable markets. External stakeholders and their significance in the relationship.                Governmental agencies of NZ, Agencies such as the tax authority and the licensing board influences the marketing operations of the business. Tax levies and restrictions imposed by the licensing board affects the rate at which the organization opens up new markets. LG 3.3 topic: entrepreneurship and communication Product promotion:                It is an area that has contributed a lot towards reaching out customers in different corners of the world. It is an area that requires a lot of skills and confidentiality as it can either assist the business in reaching more customers or can lead to loss of confidence towards the business. It has been an area of my interest, as it is closely associated with my CPO’s discipline in its industry sector. Online transaction                Carrying out online transactions assists the business to have safer operations. In AUT business school, I acquired knowledge and skills necessary for carrying out online transactions. It facilitates the growth of the business and should be adopted by the organization. I finds it easy to operate as it has closer connection with my CPO and its industry. Learning goal 4: ethical and social responsibility facing society and business                Ethical means to do with what is wrong and right, based on morality (Cafoliete 2010). Social responsibility is refers to an ethical theory that an individual or organization has an obligation to act for societal benefits (Amaeshi 2013). An ethical decision facilitates better services and creates a good image of an organization. My CPO and industry may consider offering training on how to ethical business characteristics and ensures customer needs are fully met (Bates 2013). Lack of enough skills may lead to a challenge in my CPO on making business decision that is ethical. LG 5: work collaboratively Developing business communication skills                Communication is a key factor in every business organization. Communication enhances better relationships with others in the industry thus facilitating work collaborations. My strength in this aspect is that my CPO consists of the largest communication department which links with other external organizations. The major weakness is on the poor communication skills currently displayed by many of the departmental attendants. My goal is to ensure that communication has been enhanced and effective channels installed. The strategies to be put in place include; in-service training and workshops should be held regularly, installation of communication devices in all departments and skilled managers employed. In order to assess whether the goals have been achieved, it should be measured in terms of profit margin and the number of customers. Aspect 2: working effectively in teams                Team work is a key tool in enhancing effective operations and increased productivity. It brings unity thus enhancing collaboration with others. The strengths in this aspect are that majority of the group members are of the same age thus works well as a group. The weakness is on the team leadership as my CPO industry has a few experienced managers. My goal is to develop the strongest working team in the industry. The strategies set include ensuring that more skilled managers are employed, workshops held to regular basis to train members on how to have strong working teams. Though it is hard to assess the strength of a team, my industry will check on the interrelationship between the internal and external environments to assess whether the goal has been met. References Amaeshi, K., & Nnodim, P. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Bettencourt, L. (2010). Service innovation how to go from customer needs to breakthrough services. New York: McGraw-Hill. Bok, D. C. (2013). Universities in the marketplace: the commercialization of higher education (45 ed.). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Kerin, R. A., Hartley, S. W., & Rudelius, W. (2009). Marketing (9/e [9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Kumar, D. (2010). Enterprise Growth Strategy Vision, Planning and Execution.. Farnham: Ashgate Pub.. Oliver, S. (2010). Public relations strategy (3rd ed.). London: Kogan Page/CIPR. Targett, D., Grimshaw, D. J., & Powell, P. (2009). IT in business a manager’s casebook. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Amaeshi, K., & Nnodim, P. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Augustine, C. H. (2009). Improving school leadership the promise of cohesive leadership systems. Santa Monica, CA: RAND. Bates, C. G. (2013). Global social issues an encyclopedia. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Bender, T. (2012). Discussion-based online teaching to enhance student learning: theory, practice, and assessment (2nd ed.). Sterling, Va.: Stylys. Source document

Literary Criticism to: Little Red Riding Hood

All childhood stories have some origin and most have lost their way. Catherine Orenstein has discovered the original plot of Little Red Riding Hood. This original version teaches the reader lessons about life. Using the formalist approach I intend to show the reader how this old time fable can be informative to the reader and inspirational when making a decision that you only get one chance to make. The author starts out by capturing the reader’s attention he opens with, â€Å"Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood.†(Orenstein, 2004) during the initial paragraph the author allows the reader to make up a beautiful girl in their mind to focus the story around. The plot of this story was intriguing because you have a beautiful girl walking through the forest all alone on a mission to visit her sick grandmother. The surprise of the story was she was approached by a wolf. This wolf presented his self as a curious traveler who seemed to be friendly making conversation. This simple conversation that she carried out with the wolf would prove to be the most important lesson in the story. All parents always tell their children not to talk to strangers and never give personal information out. The wolf inquired several times information little red riding hood should not have afforded him for example, He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, â€Å"I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother.† â€Å"Does she live far off?† said the wolf. â€Å"Oh I say,† answered Little Red Riding Hood; â€Å"it is beyond that mill you see there, at the first house in the village.† (Orenstein, 2004) The author gives the wolf personification; he describes the wolf as a mysterious, dangerous character. He was presented as a clever hunter, who should be feared. He allows the wolf to actually mock being a human to hunt. This is shown in line 16 â€Å"The wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could, â€Å"Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.†Ã¢â‚¬  (Orenstein, 2004). He had gotten into the bed and was pretending to be her grandmother. Little Red Riding Hood was described as a beautiful, sweet, naà ¯ve young girl. The writer presents her as a gullible child with no teaching of stranger danger. This story is written in third person it gives the reader insight of all things going on. It’s going into details about the mother of the young girl, her sick grandmother, the environment with the wood choppers, and the deceitful hunting wolf. The most fascinating detail about this old time fable is knowing that this story referenced a young girl losing her virginity. The text states that the original story meaning was â€Å"According to the plot, she has just stripped out of her clothes, and a moment later the tale will end with her death in the beast's jaws—no salvation, no redemption. Any reader of the day would have immediately understood the message: In the French slang, when a girl lost her virginity it was said that elle [a] và » le loup—she'd seen the wolf.†(Clugston, 2010). There was some use of ambiguity; it could be perceived that little red riding hood lost her virginity to a pedophile. The wolf inquired about her destination, arrived there and staged waiting for her and then took her. In addition the grandmother was eaten to which can be perceived as her losing her virginity late. Not many people know the original origin of the old story Little Red Riding Hood. Knowing that there was a serious message behind this story allows your mind to think a little more in-depth about other popular folktales you grow up reading and loving as well. Catherine Orenstein made an old tale make a little more sense.

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay

Take a moment and imagine a family of six traveling from city to city in order to survive, their only home, a car. Suddenly as their driving along a women speeds into them crashing, and wrecking their home. They are all then taken to a hospital, where the family discovers that the mother has progressive cancer in her lymph nodes. After this discovery, the father decides to skip town leaving his wife, three young children and elderly mother homeless. Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott is an exceptional novel. Endicott won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best book in Canada and the Caribbean for Good to a Fault. Why might you ask? Each character is so extraordinarily developed and so well described it feels as if you know them yourself. Their emotions, thoughts and actions are so personal that at the end of the novel Endicott has created a wonderful and realistic person. Their conflicts are so profound, that they are crippling to the characters that suffer under them. And a theme that so important that the book is named after it. Like most novels Good To A Fault has a variety characters with an array of personalities, thoughts and behaviors. What sets it aside from others, is the vivid characterization of not only the fundamental characters of the story, but even the characters that are only introduced once. The rotation of perspectives gives the novel a whole new view on each character’s true personality and on the conflicts they face. As Mary Jo Murphy from the New York Times said, â€Å"it’s the quieter introspective dramas, provided by Endicott’s skillful rotation among the characters’ points of view, that hold your attention.† Each character’s thoughts are described by the author in exact correspondence with their personalities. For example; Paul, who is a pastor, often indirectly makes allusions to faith. Like when he and Darwin are fixing up Clara’s basement Paul says, â€Å"Today is a time for rejuvenation â€Å"pg.153 or when he is speaking to Clara about her generosity towards the Gage’s he says â€Å"You sacrificed yourself for others† pg.329 Through this, Endicott solidifies Paul’s personality, tying him to his religion. Making Paul a symbol of Christianity which brings into question the faith of many characters. Allowing the reader to experience the many sides of faith. Apart from that , appearance and reputation help to build complete characters. Take the protagonist Clara , Paul describes her as â€Å"†¦single, childless of course, took care with her appearance, fortyish, Christian, and not in good spirits for some time since her mothers death.† pg.26. This information helps develop a rounded character. It isn’t enough just to say that Clara is a nice person, so that is why she takes care of the Gage family. The author uses her faith, age and relationship status to give reason for her generous actions. It helps the reader gain a better understanding of Clara’s personality, and accordingly builds a relationship between the reader and the protagonist. Above all things what sets this book aside from any other is the conflicts. Unlike most books the conflict of this story introduces itself in the very first paragraph, â€Å"The other car came from nowhere, speeding through on the yellow, going so fast it was almost safely past when Clara’s car caught it.†pg. 7. Because of this you would think that there would be no rising action, no excitement and no great lesson for the protagonist to learn, but you would be wrong. This conflict originally appears as if it will have the most impact, but it does not. In fact it stems off into several other conflicts that characters struggle with individually, and as a group. For instance, Lorraine’s diagnosis with cancer. This leads to her husband, Clayton, struggling to find his family a safe home, which he fails to do on his own. This leaves him bitter because instead of him finding a solution through hard work, he is left to stay with the very women who put them in the situation, Clara. As he says when confronting Clara at the hospital, â€Å"Hard on you? Hard to sit and watch the results of what you did?†pg23. He decides to deal with this by leaving the family. His actions burden Clara with the care of the family he left behind. Leading to Clara’s guilt of driving the children’s father away and leaving the mother all alone. Ultimately she struggles with the idea that she cares for the Gage family either out of guilt or to fill the empty spaces not only in her spare rooms, but in her life. It only took Endicott one simple incident to create a million other problems throughout the novel. Each conflict faced, allows the reader to understand more about each character’s role in the story. Finally molding the novel into the theme. The theme I took from this novel was ; personal satisfaction of goodwill is the only payment for charity,for if it’s not, the deeds bring no true meaning. However when I contacted Marina Endicott on twitter she described the theme as follows; â€Å"How the debt of charity is redeemed; Love your neighbour as yourself.† After Clara divorces her husband, she is left wounded by their short, detached marriage. Her parents then become ill and she must care for them. But soon they both die leaving Clara alone with all their possessions and burdens. When Clara opens up her home to the Gage family and a friend’s daughter, she must decide whether her actions are truly pure and for others benefit, or greedy and only being used to fill the void left by her parents and husband. So she questions herself, â€Å"I see what they need, but I am unwilling to help.†pg 25 When Clara takes in the Gage family she originally believes she is doing it to make up for the car accident she caused. As the visit becomes longer Clara grows more and more attached to the family as she brings them into her life. Caring for them soon becomes less of an obligation, and more of a desire as she grows to truly love the Gage’s like they were her own. She becomes so attached that she does not wish that they leave her home, and when they do she is deeply angered. â€Å"She did not want anything, except Pearce back, and Dolly, and Trevor; except the life she had left this afternoon, to run over and help Lorraine- to help her again!†pg.327 .This theme is a great topic that adds depth the novel. The whole story Clara is faced with deciding whether what she does is out of loneliness or out of good will. It is a topic that we should all consider when we decide to do something charitable. And yet another reason why I believe this is a wonderful piece of litterature. Ultimately this book incorporates everything that makes a good, memorable novel . It’s realistic, likeable and relatable characters keep the reader the attached to the story. These characters face conflicts that challenge them physically and emotional but lead them to fulfilling rewards. Finally these elements are all summed up to create a concrete theme of charity versus selfishness, a topic rarely touched on in our society. These elements of the novel piece the story together as a whole and make it strong enough to last the test of time. This is a great novel.

The Role of Globalization in Promoting Inequality in the United States Essay

The Role of Globalization in Promoting Inequality in the United States and the World - Essay Example On the other hand, it has been highly criticize by those who view it as an advancement of uncontrolled capitalism, and as a threat to social cohesion, which undermines social welfare. In a bid to understand the role of globalization in promoting inequality, this essay seeks to answer the following question; what is globalization? What does unequal distribution of globalization effects around the world mean? What relationship exists between inequalities and globalization? By addressing this questions, the paper underpins the role of globalization in promoting inequality in the United States and in the world. Discussion Role of Globalization on Poverty and Inequality In John A. Powell and S.P Udayakumar’sRace, Poverty and Globalization, Powell and Udayakumar look into the role of globalization on poverty and inequality in certain nations. Powell and Udayakumar define globalism as the process by which capital, goods and services move freely among countries. As globalization advan ces, national boundaries become more permeable and less relevant, allowing multinational companies to open branches worldwide. In most developing nations, the cost of living is sky-rocketing every day; the consumer goods are expensive and the governments’ adoption of a market oriented economics translates to loss of consumer goods subsidies. People in South America are forced to work under poor work conditions with low pay if they are to earn a living due to globalism. Inequality exists because while the U.S and other first world governments report budget surpluses, the people of color in this poor nations and in the U.S in general are not able to meet their daily needs. The government does not help improve housing for the low income earners and the homeless; the public schools attended by these minority races are in poor condition; and the government still has not found a proper solution to provide medical attention and social services for the poor. Globalism in the U.S is p articularly hostile to people of color; civil rights movements, women’s movements and environmental movements are marginalized in an economic arena by the wealthy and political figures in the economy. Effects of Globalization on the U.S Worker A closer look at Wal-Mart, America’s largest retailer, and one is able to draw conclusions as to the revolutionary power of retailers over manufacturers in America today. Retailers are no longer dependent in the local manufacturer; they continue to push for the move of production offshore which translates to reduced costs on their part, â€Å"everyday low prices† for the customers and low wages for the local worker. This new policy of reducing costs to the minimum leads to loss of jobs in America to the globalization trend of moving production offshore, where the cost of labor is cheap and readily available. This puts thousands of Americans on unemployment. At the same time, â€Å"globalization has transformed retailers l ike Wal-Mart into the powers of the economy, the center of business, and the manufacturers have become the vassal, the serf, who has to bid for the retailers,† says Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Wal-Mart’s major strategy is to operate at the lowest costs possible and to go global; most local manufacturers have had to either abide by Wal-Mart’s policy or risk losing shelf volume. This translates to workers in these companies suffering due to low wages imposed by these manufacturers in a bid to fit in with Wal-Mart’s policy of low prices. Manufacturing companies like Rubber Maid have had to risk losing volume since Wal-Mart could not take the price increase proposed by Rubber Maid to counter the

Using PESTLE framework, analyse the impact of external business and Essay

Using PESTLE framework, analyse the impact of external business and economic environment of your focal organisation that affect its strategic decisions and performance - Essay Example The factors analyzed using PESTLE model includes political, economic, social, technological, and legal and environment (Henry 2008, P.51). Political factors in this case include government policies, conflicts, and wars, pressure groups, trading policies, grand, findings and initiatives and government term and change. Economic factors include general taxation, situation of home economy and trends, market and trade cycles, international economies and trends, factors affecting industries, monetary issues, exchange, and interest rates among others. Social factors analyzed include demographics, lifestyle trends, media views, consumer’ patterns of buying, Company, brand and technology image, lifestyle trends, consumer attitudes and preferences, and religious/ethnic factors. Others include major events and influences, publicity and advertising and changes in laws that impact on social factors. Technological factors include technological advancement, maturity of technology, laws governing technology, and consumer purchasing mechanism among others. Legal factors on the other hand include current and future legislations, European/foreign legislations and regulatory processes and bodies. Finally, environmental factors include corporate social responsibility expectations and awareness, environmental legislations, consumer buying patterns, public awareness on issues affecting the environment and political issues pertaining to the environment (Allen 2010, P.54). Wars and conflicts are some of the elements of the political factors that affect an organization’s strategic decisions and performance. Wars and conflicts usually come because of political instability and lack of democracy in a country. The UK is one of the most stable countries politically, which has witnessed minimal incidences of wars and political unrest for more than 3 decades. This trend is expected remain constant in the future following the measures

Tuberculosis in HIV infected patients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tuberculosis in HIV infected patients - Essay Example This paper shall discuss tuberculosis among HIV patients, including its management, and expected patient outcomes. Discussion According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TB is the leading cause of death among HIV patients with almost one in four deaths attributed to tuberculosis. Statistics also indicate that about 20% of patients with TB and HIV have died in 2007; and individuals with HIV and TB account for 32% of patients having died during TB treatment (CDC). These figures indicate the impact of the TB on the HIV patient, how it exacerbates the patient’s condition and even places him at a significant and mortal risk. There are significant challenges which health professionals face with the treatment of TB among HIV patients. It is also important to note that multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) can manifest among HIV patients. This is unfortunate because these patients would often manifest resistance to two of the best anti-TB drugs – isonia zid and rifampicin (CDC). This type of TB is very difficult to treat and is sometimes a death sentence for HIV patients. Experts suggest that in order to control the occurrence of MDR-TB, the treatment has to be improved not just in the US, but all over the world. The most effective treatment for TB is still the DOTS treatment or the directly-observed therapy; and in order to improve the treatment of MDR-TB, the application of the DOTS must be expanded (CDC). The treatment of TB among HIV patients is more or less similar to the treatment of adult TB patients without HIV. However, managing this disease among HIV patients is complicated; moreover, these patients must also seek care from health professionals with expertise in managing HIV patients with TB (CDC). Since HIV patients are usually already taking in numerous medications, it is important for health experts to note which drugs would have negative interactions with each other, so as not to further exacerbate the patient’ s condition. These experts are also focusing their health programs towards preventing the spread of this disease among the non-HIV population, and more particularly among the HIV population (CDC). Various methods for the management of TB among HIV patients have been suggested. In a paper by Madhi, et.al., (p. 21) the authors sought to evaluate the use of isoniazid prophylaxis against TB among HIV infected children and uninfected children exposed to HIV during the their prenatal period. The authors considered about 540 HIV infected and 804 uninfected infants, assigning them to the isoniazid or the placebo group for 96 weeks. The respondents were assessed on tuberculosis disease, death among HIV-infected children and latent TB infection (Madhi, et.al., p. 21). The study established that the use of primary isoniazid prophylaxis among HIV-infected children and uninfected children did not improve their TB-disease free survival. In effect, even with the application of antiretroviral thera py, TB among HIV infected children remained high (Madhi, et.al., p. 21). There is a need to review the available treatment methods for these children, in order to establish appropriate preventative measures on the occurrence of TB. Martinson’s paper below provides an alternative to the isoniazid treatment. Martinson (p. 11) sought to evaluate the use of three new regimens for latent TB which may be more effective than the standard isoniazid treatment. The authors assigned respondents with HIV and TB and who were not

Medical Reimbursement Methodologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medical Reimbursement Methodologies - Essay Example The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans were really the blue prints from modern health insurance. That which started as a hospital plan for public school teachers at the Baylor University Hospital, became the model for Blue Cross Plans around the US. Essentially, these were prepaid plans for hospital services under a contractual agreement. Blue Cross dates back to 1933 where with support from American Hospital Association, this started as a nonprofit plan that covered only hospital charges. By 1946, this plan spread across 43 states and starting from 9% in 1940, in 1950, it covered about 57% of the population. In order to avoid conflict with the in-clinic private practice, to start with this was hospital oriented. This was endorsed by AMA, and later a new plan evolved in 1939, which was known as Blue Shield, and this evolved through development of active service plans. This was sign of commitment to private health insurance as the means to spread the financial risk of sickness without f ear of threatening personal interests of the physician. These plans were literally responses to challenge thrown by national health insurance. In due course of time, they started working together to provide both hospital and physician coverage. Now, these plans jointly provide a comprehensive care through either joint corporations or close working relationships. Since these plans were not for profit to begin with, the commercial insurance providers were skeptical to start with, but later, with the success of these plans, they also started providing health insurance. 3. Explain why the lack of universal health care coverage can raise health care costs. If there is a lack in universal healthcare coverage, there is cost involved in healthcare. Those who are uninsured and uncovered, they will have to pay from their pocket. Therefore, they try to tolerate symptoms and ignore

Public Service Broadcasting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Public Service Broadcasting - Essay Example Public service broadcasting is, probably, the only truly public service left which is truly accessible and comprehensible by viewers, but it is clear that even the most effective PSB structure is not secured from the influences of the postmodern age. Given the bright promise of digital television and the profound alterations it brings to the culture and ecology of mass media, public service broadcasting should undergo a series of changes, to make sure it fits in and meets the needs of new audiences. Public service broadcasting: Defining the term Understanding the pros and cons of public service broadcasting in Britain is impossible without trying to delineate what stands behind the very term â€Å"public service broadcasting† (further PSB). The controversy and vagueness surrounding the PSB term cannot be easily dismissed. That there is no single definition of public and public service broadcasting has been abundantly established (Syvertsen 1999). During the past 60 years in th e study of PSB no single definition of public service and its nature was developed and crystallized (Syvertsen 1999). Some definitions had considerable variations, whereas many others are obviously contradictory (Syvertsen 1999). For a long time, the term â€Å"public service broadcasting† was associated with BBC; but today, none of the existing definitions satisfies the changing demands of the media reality. The fact is in that the term â€Å"public service† is no longer limited to the community and those who are interested in this type of services. The terms â€Å"public service† and â€Å"public service broadcasting† have several distinct definitions, and all these definitions may help to explain the changing nature of PSB in the digital world. First, public service broadcasting can be treated as a unique and important type of public utility, namely, one of the many types of services provided by governments (Syvertsen 1999). In this sense, public servi ce broadcasting is similar to postal services, railroads and roads, and other public utilities used by citizens on a daily basis and for no fee. Treating public service broadcasting as a public service utility is the same as underlining its socioeconomic and technical ingredients: from the viewpoint of public utility, PSB must meet the basic criteria of efficiency and quality, which include the quality of signal, the breadth and sophistication of the distribution network, operations efficiency, etc. (Syvertsen 1999). This definition of public service broadcasting emphasizes the â€Å"utility† aspect of the service provision. Second, public service broadcasting can be viewed as something provided in the public sphere (Syvertsen 1999). This definition shifts the emphasis away from â€Å"utility† towards the â€Å"public† character of broadcasting. Here, the meaning and boundaries of the â€Å"public sphere† should also be delineated. Syvertsen (1999) writes that â€Å"the public sphere represents institutions in which members of the public take part as citizens and collectively make decisions for the common good† (p.7). The public character of PSB implies that everyone, irrespective of their status or position, have the right and can access the services provided by public broadcasters. Here, PSB is also depicted as an invisible eye monitoring the progress of society and providing citizens

West Side Story, Porgy, and Bess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

West Side Story, Porgy, and Bess - Essay Example Porgy and Bess is a musical movie that is set among the black residents of South Carolina. The black residents stay in a fishing village in South Carolina (Fisher, 29). Bess is a black woman who wants to break up with her husband become he is a murder suspect. Porgy is a cripple who stays in the town of Catfish Row, who falls in love with Bess. Bess is a beautiful woman who finds herself addicted to drugs because of frustrations. She has several suitors, and she is at the mercy of the community members. Porgy ends up killing Crown when he returns to try winning the love of Bess. The two movies talk about the theme of love. It is evident that the film West Side Story talks about the idea of love with the principal actor Riff falling in love with a girl from a rival group of individuals. The riff is born in the neighborhood, and his gang controls the streets (Lehman et al. 69). The Sharks is a rival gang from Puerto Rico, and they hate the Jet gangs. The two agree to meet secretly beca use of their respective positions in society. Their love grows deep, and this relationship hurts the people around them even more. On the other hand, Bess is the protagonist in the movie Porgy and Bess. It is because the whole plot of the movie revolves around her. She falls in love with Crown, who is a suspect in a murder. Crown flees and leaves Bess frustrated. She gets involved with drugs and later Porgy falls in love with her.   Catfish Row accepts the presence of Bess, and it makes her happy.   Nobody was willing to offer shelter to Bess except Porgy. Porgy goes jail and upon his return to the area he finds out that, there is no presence of Bess. He later finds out that Bess had left for New York with Sportin' Life.   Sporting Life is one of the suitors of Bess, who introduces her to drugs.

The Effects of Government Intervention Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Government Intervention Essay What is the government? What is the role of the government? How does the government influence the economy? What can we say about the effects of the government influence in Romania? These are some of the questions that we  will try to answer during our case of study. We are citizens of a society, and our society is based on proper rules enacted and enforced by the high powers of our states. We need to act responsibly and inform ourselves, as much as we can, regarding this problem. The people from the government, how did they get there? How is the government organized? How are they elected? By which criteria are these people elected? What are their attributes and what are their initiatives? We must know if they directly influence our lives, our economy! Taxes, import and export restrictions, tariffs, wholesale interest rates are only a part of the government’s duties to be established. Is the government’s money, in fact our money? And if they are our money, how do they spend it, on what, and why? These are some things that must concern us. And now, we should focus on our country, Romania, and, of course, on ourselves. Even though Romania is a country of considerable potential in most of the fields, its economy is very fragile. Our economy is strong related to the European economy, and some of these connections between our economy and the international economy are made by the government. Most of the people tend to blemish the president, the government, the parliament etc. for the fragility of our economy, and to us it might seem not to work, but we have to bear in mind that this is the effect of the whole nation’s actions and of the world’s as well. In the pages that follow we presented subjectively and objectively our ideas concerning the effects of the government’s influence on Romania’s economy, starting with explaining that is the government and which is the government’s role in the economy. The Government Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized. Government is the means by  which state policy is enforced, as well as the mechanism for determining the policy of the state. A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include regime type and system of government. The word government is derived from the Latin verb gubernare, an infinitive meaning to govern or to manage. The Government is the public authority of executive power that functions on the basis of the vote of confidence granted by Parliament, ensures the achievement of the countrys domestic and foreign policy and that exercises the general leadership of public administration. The Government is appointed by the President of Romania on the basis of the vote of confidence granted to the Government by Parliament. Objectives The Government has the role of ensuring balanced functioning and development of national economic and social system, and its connection to the world economic system while promoting national interests. The Government is organized and operates in accordance with constitutional provisions, on the basis of the Government program approved by Parliament. Organization The Government consists of Prime Minister and Ministers. Prime Minister leads the Government and coordinates the activities of its members, in compliance with their legal duties. The working apparatus of the Government is composed of the working apparatus of the Prime Minister, Secretariat General of the Government, departments and other similar organizational structures with specific tasks set by Government Decision. Legislative process The Government adopts decisions and ordinances. Decisions are issued for law enforcement organization. Ordinances are issued under a special enabling law, within the limits and conditions specified by it. The decisions and ordinances adopted by the Government are signed by Prime Minister, countersigned by the Ministers who are duty bound to implement them and are published in the Official Gazette. The non publication entails the absence of a decision or ordinance. Decisions with military character shall be conveyed only to the institutions concerned. Legislative initiatives The following public authorities have the right to initiate draft public policy documents and draft legislative acts for adoption / approval by the Government, according to their tasks and activity field: Ministries and other specialized bodies of central public administration, subordinated to the Government, and autonomous administrative authorities; specialized bodies of central public administration subordinated or coordinated by Ministries, by the Ministries under whose subordination or coordination they are; Prefects, county councils, the General Council of Bucharest, according to the law, through the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform. Governments Role in the Economy While consumers and producers make most decisions that mold the economy, government activities have a powerful effect on the Romanian economy in at least five areas. Stabilization and Growth. Perhaps most importantly, the federal government guides the overall pace of economic activity, attempting to maintain steady growth, high levels of employment, and price stability. By adjusting spending and tax rates (fiscal policy) or managing the money supply and controlling the use of credit (monetary policy), it can slow down or speed up the economys rate of growth in the process, affecting the level of prices and employment. The government could affect the economy in multiple ways, but the most common changes that can be made to influence the economy are: (1) Taxes; (2) Import Restrictions; (3) Wholesale Interest Rates; and (4) Government Speeding. TAXES Taxation understandably affects the economy by redistributing money from consumers and producers to the government coffers. The higher the tax, the less people have to spend, the less aggregate demand [total demand] there is in the economy. IMPORT RESTRICTIONS When a country uses protectionism to shield domestic producers from their own inefficiency and inability to compete with foreign firms, they may enact quotas or tariffs. A quota is when there is a maximum amount of a good that can be imported into the country, where imports that exceed the limit have either the responsible parties prosecuted for breaking the law or the goods being turned away. Tariffs are when the price of imports is artificially inflated with a tax, in order to make them less attractive to consumers that are price sensitive. The higher the quotas and tariffs, the higher the prices of those penalised goods in the economy, which in turn will negatively affect aggregate demand. WHOLESALE INTEREST RATES Wholesale interest rates are the rates at which the central bank loans out money to retail banks, which in turn loan out their money to consumers and producers at a higher rate (the difference, in a very basic sense, is their profit margin, or revenue minus costs). If the wholesale interest rates are increased, then retail banks must also increase their rates, otherwise their business would become less profitable (or unprofitable). For large purchases, producers (e.g. investments) and consumers (e.g. buying a home) need loans, since they do not have sufficient cash on-hand. Interest rates are effectively the price of borrowing money and hence affects the Consumption and Investment components of GDP (Consumption + Investment + Govt. Spending + Net Exports). (A small caveat, however, that central banks are created by legislation but are not run by government their actions are independent of politicians agendas.) GOVERNMENT SPENDING Government Speeding (revenues taken from taxes, mentioned above) creates what is known as the Spending Multiplier. When the government consumes, called Government Spending, it is demanding goods and services in the economy. However, that demand in turn generates more demand than a single consume, because of not only the size of the demand (the government has a lot more money than you do) but also the type of demand (e.g. building infrastructure benefits everybody, as opposed to building a private mansion); government spending affects aggregate demand. The spending  multiplier, or how much additional demand is generated from each dollar of government spending, is calculated as follows: Change in Equilibrium divided by Change in Investment. Case Study – Romania Romania is a country of considerable potential: rich agricultural lands, diverse energy sources (coal, oil, natural gas, hydro, and nuclear), a substantial industrial base encompassing almost the full range of manufacturing activities, an educated work force, and opportunities for expanded development in tourism on the Black Sea and in the Carpathian Mountains. The Romanian Government borrowed heavily from the West in the 1970s to build a substantial state-owned industrial base. Following the 1979 oil price shock and a debt rescheduling in 1981, Ceausescu decreed that Romania would no longer be subject to foreign creditors. By the end of 1989, Romania had paid off a foreign debt of about $10.5 billion through an unprecedented effort that wreaked havoc on the economy and living standards. Vital imports were slashed and food and fuel strictly rationed, while the government exported everything it could to earn hard currency. With investment slashed, Romanias infrastructure fell behind its historically poorer Balkan neighbours. Since the fall of the Ceausescu regime in 1989, successive governments sought to build a Western-style market economy. The pace of restructuring was slow, but by 1994 the legal basis for a market economy was largely in place. After the 1996 elections, the coalition government attempted to eliminate consumer subsidies, float prices, liberalize exchange rates, and put in place a tight monetary policy. The Parliament enacted laws permitting foreign entities incorporated in Romania to purchase land. Foreign capital investment in Romania had been increasing rapidly until 2008, although it remained less in per capita terms than in some other countries of East and Central Europe. Romania was the largest U.S. trading partner in Eastern Europe until Ceausescus 1988 renunciation of most favoured nation (MFN, or non-discriminatory) trading status resulted in high U.S. tariffs on Romanian products. Congress approved restoration of MFN status effective November 8, 1993, as part of a new bilateral trade agreement. Tariffs on most Romanian products dropped to zero in February 1994, with the inclusion of Romania in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Major Romanian exports to the U.S. include shoes, clothing, steel, and chemicals. Romania signed an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) in 1992 and a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1993, codifying Romanias access to European markets and creating the basic framework for further economic integration. At its Helsinki Summit in December 1999, the European Union invited Romania to formally begin accession negotiations. In December 2004, the European Commission concluded pre-accession negotiations with Romania. In April 2005, the EU signed an accession treaty with Romania and its neighbour, Bulgaria, and in January 2007, they were both welcomed as new EU members. Romania suffered through a deep economic recession beginning with the 2008 global financial crisis, but should return to positive if very modest growth by the end of 2011. Due to rapidly deteriorating economic conditions, a ballooning budget deficit, and large external imbalances, the Romanian Government was forced to conclude a 2-year, $27 billion financial assistance package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission, and the World Bank in March 2009. Under the terms agreed with the IMF, the Romanian Government embarked on a difficult austerity program to reduce the budget deficit, cut public sector employment, and restructure local and national government agencies. Austerity measures included a 25% cut in public sector wages, a hike in the national value added tax (VAT) rate from 19% to 24%, and thousands of layoffs. GDP declined by 7.1% in 2009 and a further 1.3% in 2010, but the government succeeded in meeting IMF-agreed deficit targets despite strong op position to the austerity measures from labour unions. In late 2010 and early 2011 the government also pushed several important pieces of reform legislation through Parliament, including  pension reforms, an overhaul of public sector pay systems, and modernization of the labour code. The final IMF review under the 2009 agreement, conducted in February 2011, declared the agreement a â€Å"success† in stabilizing the economy and setting the stage for a return to growth. A new 2-year â€Å"precautionary† agreement between Romania and the IMF, effective March 2011, focuses on deepening structural reforms and restructuring or privatizing unprofitable state-owned enterprises. Privatization of industry was first pursued with the transfer in 1992 of 30% of the shares of some 6,000 state-owned enterprises to five private ownership funds, in which each adult citizen received certificates of ownership. The remaining 70% ownership of the enterprises was transferred to a state ownership fund. With the assistance of the World Bank, European Union, and IMF, Romania succeeded in privatizing most industrial state-owned enterprises, including some large state-owned energy companies. Romania completed the privatization of the largest commercial bank (BCR) in 2006. Two state-owned banks remain in Romania, Eximbank and the National Savings Bank (CEC), after an attempt to privatize CEC Bank was indefinitely postponed in 2006. Four of the countrys eight regional electricity distributors have now been privatized. Privatization of natural gas distribution companies also progressed with the sale of Romanias two regional gas distributors, Distrigaz Nord (to E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany) and Distrigaz Sud (to Gaz de France). Further progress in energy sector privatization has been delayed as the government is contemplating the creation of two integrated, state-owned energy producers. However, this â€Å"bundling† scheme has been challenged in court and is also under review by the Romanian Competition Council and by competition authorities at the European Commission. Romania has a nuclear power plant at Cernavoda, with one nuclear reactor in operation since 1996 and a second one commissioned in the fall of 2007. The return of collectivized farmland to its cultivators, one of the first initiatives of the post-December 1989 revolution government, resulted in a short-term decrease in agricultural production. Some four million small parcels representing 80% of the arable surface were returned to original  owners or their heirs. Many of the recipients were elderly or city dwellers, and the slow progress of granting formal land titles remains an obstacle to leasing or selling land to active farmers. Financial and technical assistance continues to flow from the U.S., European Union, other industrial nations, and international financial institutions facilitating Romanias reintegration into the world economy. The IMF, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and European Investment Bank (EIB) all have programs and resident representatives in Romania. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs were phased out completely in 2008, except for Small Project Assistance Grants, which are still available through the Peace Corps. According to the National Office of the Trade Register, which measures foreign direct capital registered and disbursed to firms, between 1990 and November 2010 Romania attracted a total of $37.91 billion in foreign direct investment, of which the U.S. represented 2.59%. The actual level of U.S. investment, however, is underreported as much of it flows to Romania through European subsidiaries of U.S. companies. After years of consistently high inflation in the 1990s, Romanias inflation rate steadily decreased through 2004, only to rise again along with high GDP growth rates of 4% to 8% through 2008. The deep recession beginning in late 2008 dramatically reduced inflationary pressures, but the VAT tax hike from 19% to 24% imposed in mid-2010 reversed that trend and pushed prices higher. Stoked also by rising global food and energy prices, inflation hit an annualized rate of 8% at the end of 2010, the highest in the EU. The IMF has been critical of Romanias low rate of tax collection and poor enforcement mechanisms as a medium- to long-term impediment to growth. Tax arrears are slightly decreasing, but Romania still has one of the lowest percentages in the EU of revenues collected, at 33% of GDP in 2010. The current account deficit had been a concern, as it reached 13.6% of GDP in 2007 and 12.4% of GDP in 2008. However, due to the recession, the current account deficit dropped to 4.2% of GDP in 2010. Deteriorating education and health services and aging and inadequate physical infrastructure continue to be seen as threats to future growth. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words Conclusion As a conclusion we can say that government’s intervention in the economy can have both a positive and a negative influence on the market. Government intervention does not always end up the way it was intended or the way in which economist’s theories say it would. A fascinating part in the study of Economics is that the law of unintended consequences often comes into play – events can affect a particular policy, and consumers and businesses rarely behave precisely in the way in which the government might want! We will consider this in more detail when we consider government failure. One important thing to remember is that the effects of different forms of government intervention in markets are never neutral thus financial support given by the government to one set of producers rather than another will always create winners and losers. Taxing one product more than another will similarly have different effects on different groups of consumers. A concret example of too much government intervention is the following. Let’s assume that in a time of recession, a government makes and agreement with the banks to lower interest rates and people will start buying houses and other goods on loan. As time goes by, government debt also rises and thus they will be obliged to print out their own money. Printing their own money has a negative impact on the inflation rate and money value will go down. Also, after the recession, the interest rates will go up again and people will end up losing their previously bought goods. Nevertheless in most cases, the government’s intervention proved to be efficient and actually helped the market economy. It all depends on the people that take the decisions and they need to take into consideration any factors that can influence the result of their decision. The European Union provides me the best opportunity to connect with people Europe and to develop my ability of communication. I think is very important to get in touch with different people from different cultures and different countries.

The Role of a Quantity Surveyor

The Role of a Quantity Surveyor Quantity Surveyors are also widely known as construction economist or cost manager. They are known as one of the professional advisers to the construction industry. As an advisory, Quantity Surveyors estimate and monitor all construction cost thought the whole development process which is shown as below:- In each phase there consists of many stages. Quantity Surveyors are also involve with tax depreciation schedules, replacement cost estimation for insurance purposes and if necessary intervention and negotiation. Quantity Surveyors are mostly employed as consultants to the clients on major building and construction projects. In the development process Quantity Surveyors tend to work closely together with architects, projects owner, accountants, insurance underwriters, lawyers and judges and also with all levels of government authorities. These are the stages in each phase:- However, the Quantity Surveyors mainly involved themselves from the feasibility stage of a project to the completion of the construction period. Inception Phase During the inception phase, clients instructions are given to Quantity Surveyors. Also, Quantity Surveyors will advise the client on the need to obtain statutory approvals and of the duties of the client under the CDM regulations. After they received information about the shop lots from the client, then they will visit the shop lots and carry out an initial appraisal. Appraisal The appraisal stage is the first stage in the development process which involves both identifying the clients requirements and the possible constraints on development. Studies will be undertaken to enable a client to decide on whether to proceed and if so which procurement route should be selected, on the basis of the outcomes required. In the other words, Quantity Surveyors will carry out studies to determine the feasibility of the Clients requirement. Strategic Briefing The strategic briefing stage, which is done by or on behalf of the client, identifies the key requirements and constraints involved. It identifies the procedures, organizational structure and the type and range of consultants to be used. It is important during this early part of the process to consider a range of issues that are going to determine whether the project has any chance of coming to fruition. Feasibility and Viability At feasibility stage, Quantity Surveyors use their knowledge of construction methods and costs to advise the owner on the most economical way of achieving his or her requirements. They may use techniques such as Cost Planning, Estimating, Cost Analysis, Cost-in-use Studies and Value Management to establish and control a project budget. Accurately determining the construction cost at project inception is the key to setting an achievable budget and assessing project feasibility. This is available for any proposed development including subdivision, construction, refurbishment or maintenance concept. Construction Phase During construction phase, Quantity Surveyors are called on to fairly value Progress Payments at regular intervals. They will also value changes to design or quantities which may arise by reference to appropriate Bill of Quantities rates. The contractors Quantity Surveyor/contract administrator will have prepared claims for progress payments and additional work. Mobilisation Mobilisation is the award of the building contract to the successful firm and the formal appointment of the contractor. During mobilisation, Quantity Surveyors provide production information as requested for the building contract and for construction of the shop lots. Construction to Practical Completion Construction to Practical Completion is the stage when the contractor commences the work on the shop lots. Throughout this stage, formal written instruction order are given to the contractor for changes in the design and valuation of the partially completed works are prepared and agreed for the purpose of interim payment certificates. Quantity Surveyors will make visits to the works in connection with the Architects design and provide further information reasonable required for construction. Upon completion, the formal signing over the project to the responsibilities of the client is made. Assessment, preparation and negotiation of the final account statement with the contractor, completes the projects construction financial status. When construction is completed, Quantity Surveyors can produce depreciation schedules of the various project components and advise on realistic insurance replacement costs. In the case of construction disputes the Quantity Surveyors are often called on as an expert witness, and some quantity surveyors act as arbitrators. Both the contractors and owners quantity surveyors will be involved in this. Finally, on completion the contractors hand over the building to the developer. Usually a defects liability period is written into the contract, and the contractor remains liable for repairs for a specified period. Finally, all outstanding payments will be settled and the building will be, hopefully, put into its intended use. Occupation Phase After Practical Completion After Practical Completion is one of the stages during occupation phase. One of the main tasks of Quantity Surveyors is to ensure that the project can be completed to the specified quality, the calculated costs and within the appreciate time scale. Besides that, they have to identify defects, make final inspections and also settle Final Account. Demolition Phase Demolition phase is the final stage in a projects life cycle. It may also a possible new beginning of the life cycle on the same site. In addition to new projects, Quantity Surveyor s also uses their skills in refurbishment of old buildings, alterations to existing buildings and insurance replacement estimates. In public authorities Quantity Surveyors maintain cost statistics on a state or nation-wide basis, and there are opportunities for academic careers in the building disciplines. Design Phase When this shop lots project approaches design phase, Quantity Surveyors involve themselves a lot in this phase. Outline proposals, detailed proposals, final proposals, production information, tender documentation and tender action are the stages in design phase. Outline Proposals As this stage progresses towards finalized plan, comparison and preparation of several alternative schemes are done in order to determine the general approach to the layout, design, and construction. Quantity Surveyors have to closely collaborate with all the members of the design team and the clients. An approximation of construction cost on shop lots is provided by Quantity Surveyors. Therefore, the Quantity Surveyors must maintain close contact with contractor as well as other professionals such as Architects and Engineers in order to determine the cost suggestion of the alternative proposals as they are prepared. Detailed Proposals At this stage, the shop lots design is getting more settled with more details which are contributed by all members of design teams. This detailed proposal is derived from the outline proposal. The specification, method of construction, and the preparation of a cost plan are critically examined. The cost plan prepared by the Quantity Surveyors shows the proposed distribution of costs over the elements or components of the shop lots. All the relevant design information such as ground floor plan, roof floor plan and ground beam details of the shop lots is collected. A detailed report regarding the design and the cost plan can be submitted to the clients before the detailed proposal is developed. The cost estimation, including both initial and future cost, of the shop lots is provided by the Quantity Surveyors. Final Proposals The detailed design of shop lots is finalized at this stage in order to move to the end of a set of final tender documentation. A variety of ideas from the members of design teams contribute greatly to final outcome. A fully estimation of cost on shop lots is prepared by Quantity Surveyors to provide clients with a possible tender price and cost checks for specific items in order to confirm that the cost required for the items is not over budget. Providing accurate cost estimation is crucial in this stage because there might have any changes in the design which will result in abortive work. Production Information Production information is prepared for tender purposes. The preparation of final drawings, schedules, and supporting specifications on the shop lots will be now preceded by the architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors. Preliminary tendering procedures is determined by Quantity Surveyors during this stage in order to prepare a list of potential main contractors, enquiries to sub-contractors and suppliers, invitation to tender, and information to tender documents. Tender Documentation At this stage, Quantity Surveyors play an important role to ensure that the project is carried out smoothly. The tender documents such as condition of contracts, specification, drawings and Bills of Quantities (BQ) are going to be finalized. These tender documents are provided by Quantity Surveyors to contractors, clients, and sub contractors for tender purpose. Quantity Surveyors prepare and collect the tender documents in adequate details to enable tenders to be attained. The role of Quantity Surveyors in this shop lots project is to ensure all the drawings, schedules, and specification particulars are correct. The BQ are designed principally as tendering documents, yet a valuable aid is also provided to the pricing of variations and computation of valuations for interim certificates. Besides, BQ which is prepared by Quantity Surveyors provides a good basic for cost planning and help in identification of work to ensure the cash flow in a correct way. The Quantity Surveyors also hav e to prepare the Prime Cost Sums and Provisional Sums of the shop lots. If there has an argument between clients and contractors regarding their interest on the shop lots, the Quantity Surveyors appear to solve this kind of conflicts. Tender Action The main purpose of the tender action is to choose the appropriate contractor to carry out construction work diligently. Various methods, which the client and his adviser may use to obtain offers, are covered in tendering procedures. The tendering procedures are divided into two parts which are open and selected tendering. In open tendering procedure, any firm that may be interested in this shop lots construction project is being invited through the press advertisement to submit a tender. On the other hand, the selected qualified contractor is contacted based on the financial background and other features in the selected tendering procedure. The Quantity Surveyors will ask the opinion of the selected contractor. Quantity Surveyors will also recommend the most suitable contractor to the client. The contractors who have more experiences in shop lots construction project are the first choice to be selected. This stage typically is approached about one month before the tender documents a re circulated. Conclusion The existence of Quantity Surveyors are getting more and more important in the construction field such as building construction , heavy construction or civil construction and industrial construction. Basically, Quantity Surveyor is the person who is responsible for figuring out just what a building is going to be cost and in some cases for making sure that the construction costs and production are managed as efficiently as possible such as the shop lots that in mentioned in Question 1. Shop lots are one of the examples of the commercial development. In order to build shop lots, millions of dollars which is depend on the client need is needed. Quantity Surveyors should be aware that the materials price of some important materials such as cement, iron, ready mix and others will always changes. Besides acts as the financial overseer of a particular project, Quantity Surveyors translate the plans into detailed costs. Quantity Surveyors also help to minimize the time scales, the costs of a project and enhance value for money, while still achieving the required standards and quality. Through negotiation, successful Quantity Surveyors can save large amounts of money for the companies th ey work for. In the current economic climate, where the construction industry is booming and construction companies are under increasing pressure to meet the needs of developers, and given the shortage of personnel, it is no surprise that Quantity Surveyors have expanded their role in this way. However, this practice must be monitored closely to prevent the integrity of the profession ever being called into question. Besides, Quantity Surveyors also must be flexible to any kind of work conditions such as site and office. For example, Quantity Surveyors are not only required to help the client in calculating the costs for a projects such as shop lots, they still need to go to site to ensure that the job had be done by the contractor according to the agreement that had be done before passing the project to the contractor. This can avoid contractual disputes to happen. In construction and development projects where the watch word is VALUE FOR MONEY , the Quantity Surveyors must be involved from the inception phase to . Last but not least, it is a truth that Quantity Surveyors professional skills are highly respected and often achieved top managerial status.

Copyright in Cyberspace Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Papers

Copyright in Cyberspace That cyberspace has had and will have a significant impact on our lives is fact. People, however, love to take this effect to the extreme, saying that cyberspace is tending more and more toward lawlessness and anarchy. Popular phrases include: â€Å"Cyberspace will render law ineffective.† â€Å"There is no way to police cyberspace.† â€Å"The government cannot penetrate cyberspace with its laws and regulations.† These are all relatively common views. Part of this trend is the belief that intellectual property cannot be protected on the Internet because of perceived inherent characteristics of cyberspace. Some even believe this to be a good thing, that there should be no barriers that hinder the flow of information, no protection over an author’s publications. I argue the contrary. Cyberspace can and will become the subject of some sort of regulatory force. We are compelled to erase anarchy from the confines of cyberspace. We are impelled to pro tect the laws of copyright—the laws of real space can and should be made to apply to cyberspace. We have the technology and insight to do so. Now we must begin the process of breaking the code of lawlessness and replacing it with the code of order. The Social Value of Copyright A copyright is a federal property right granted for original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible medium. To qualify as original, the work must exhibit only a modicum of originality; that is, it must only be slightly original. As long as the work was not copied in its entirety from another source, it qualifies as original. The work does not have to be novel or unique or ingenious, just independently created.[1] The first copyright statute, launched in 1790,... ...ns/jec/html†¦, 2. [17] Ibid, 3. [18] Lessig, 138-139. [19] â€Å"Of Governance and Technology,† Inter@ctive WeekOnline, 2 October 1998. [20] Lessig, 25. [21] Ibid. [22] Lessig, 6. [23] National Research Council: Committee on Intellectual Property Rights and the Emerging Information Structure, The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age, (Washington, DC: National Academy Press 2000) 152-156. [24] Ibid 157-161. [25] Peter Albert, Jr and Laff, Whitesel & Saret, Ltd, 281. [26] The Digital Dilemma, 167. [27] Mark Stefik, â€Å"Letting Loose the Light: Igniting Commerce in Electronic Publication,† in Internet Dreams: Archetypes, Myths and Metaphors, ed and compiled by Mark Stefik (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1997) 227. [28] Lessig, 129. [29] Cohen, 29-33. [30] Stefik, 243. [31] The Digital Dilemma, 167.

Bullying and Violence in Public Schools Essay -- Religion in Public Sc

Bullying and Violence in Public Schools Although bullying has always been a problem in schools, it has more recently become a bigger crisis with vicious consequences. â€Å"However it is defined, bullying is not just child’s play, but a terrifying experience many schoolchildren face everyday. It can be as direct as teasing, hitting or threatening, or as indirect as exclusions, rumors or manipulation† (Garrett 2). Most kids do not think certain actions are classified as bullying, yet they do not realize the severity of the way they treat their peers. What they may see as â€Å"joking around† can be viewed as them being a bully, and they may even be hurting someone’s feelings without realizing the effect that they have. This can then lead to school violence, which is a prevalent issue in today’s society. There are many causes to bullying and school violence and many effects as well. However, if dealt with properly, there are ways to solve these prevailing problems. â€Å"One in seven children is a bully or the target of a bully, according to the National Association of School Psychologists† (Garrett 34). Therefore, it is important that everyone understands what causes this much bullying to occur. One of the first things influencing kids is violence in the media. â€Å"Countless studies have determined that there is an irrefutable link between violence in the media and violent behavior in children, argues former secretary of education William J. Bennett† (Grapes 57). Popular culture seems to have an enormous effect on the young, and a lot of times it is not in a positive manner. For example, many television shows and movies show violence in school. The movie Scream is about two high school students who are trying... ...or problems, especially in today’s society. There are many reasons why these issues arise, and many negative effects that stem from them. It is pertinent that solutions are brought about so that children can stop being hurt. â€Å"In our quest to provide the quality education that our children deserve, this problem can no longer be treated lightly† (Garrett 2). If this problem of the present can be turned around to make a brighter future, school will be a safer place where all students can be comfortable and able to succeed. Bibliography Garrett, Anne G. Bullying in American Schools: Causes, Preventions, Interventions. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2003. Grapes, Bryan J. School Violence: Contemporary Issues Companion. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Hurst, Marianne D. â€Å"When It Comes to Bullying, There Are No Boundaries.† Education Week. 24 (2005): 8.

The Lutheran Hymnal Essay -- Observation Essays, Descriptive Essays

There it is the blue book. It used to be red, but in 1982 a new book was made. The blue book has a cross with a circle behind it on its spine. Also on the spine are the words Lutheran Worship. At the bottom of the spine is the logo for the Concordia Publishing House. On the front cover is another cross with a circle behind it and the printed name David Edward Mahen. This is the modern Lutheran Hymnal used by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. This Lutheran Hymnal is not just a symbol of Lutheranism but the moderate views of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. In the Lutheran Hymnal, are principles of Lutheran Theology according to the Missouri Synod. There are ceremonies for Baptism, Confirmation as well as Divine services. The Divine Service is from Lutheran tradition and is the same service that Lutherans practice today. There are also prayers, chants, psalms with music, and Luther's Small Catechism. There are hymns which span the entire year including: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passion Week, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. There are also hymns for other times of service and year: Trinity, Morning, Evening, Beginning of Service, Close of Service, Holy Baptism, and The Lord's Supper. This was all based on the practices that Martin Luther created during the Reformation. Martin Luther, was â€Å"temperamental, peevish, egomaniacal, and argumentative† (Hooker, www.wsu.edu), but played a pivotal role in history. During Luther's time as a monk, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences. Luther took notice to the corruption and began to reason that men can only get their salvation through Jesus Christ, not the Pope or indulgences, let alone the Church itself. Luther began ... ...e symbol of the male tradition as pastors and the symbol of women giving the Eucharist. It is the symbol of Lutheranism in the middle of a conservative and liberal world. Bibliography Hooker, Richard. Martin Luther 1996. September 25, 2004. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/REFORM/LUTHER.HTM> Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand: A life of Martin Luther. New York. Abington Printing Press. 1950 Harm F. R. Sola Fide, Solafidianism. September 27, 2004 < http://mb-soft.com/believe/txc/solafide.htm > Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Luther's Catechisms. A.D. 1529 01/04/2003 September 27, 2004 < http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds1.viii.iv.html > Multiple Authors. Definition of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. November 1, 2004

International marketing management Essay

‘Self- Reference Criterion’ 1. Define problem or goals in terms of home-country cultural traits, habits and norms 2. Define problem or goals in terms of foreign cultural traits, habits and norms 3. Isolate the SRC influence in the problem and examine it carefully to see how complicates the problem 4. Redefine the problem without the SRC influence and solve for the foreign market Self-reference criterion (SRC) as an unconscious reference to ones own cultural values, experiences and knowledge as a basis for decisions. The SRC impedes the ability to assess a foreign market in its true light. For example, Americans may perceive more traditional societies to be â€Å"backward† and â€Å"unmotivated† because they fail to adopt new technologies or social customs, seeking instead to preserve traditional values. In the 1960s, a supposedly well read American psychology professor referred to India’s culture of â€Å"sick† because, despite severe food shortages, the Hindu religion did not allow the eating of cows. The psychologist expressed disgust that the cows were allowed to roam free in villages, although it turns out that they provided valuable functions by offering milk and fertilizing fields. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one’s culture to be superior to others. The important thing here is to consider how these biases may come in the way in dealing with members of other cultures. Self-reference criterion importance to a marketing firm planning to enter international markets for the first time. Importance of Self-reference criterion as a topic of research Self-reference is a topic whose theoretical foundations have so far primarily been studied in the context of logic, the philosophy of language, systems theory, and post-modern culture. In computer science it has been a topic in the context of the recursively of Turing machines. In semiotics, there have been only few studies which have dealt explicitly with this topic, although marginal reflections on self reference can occasionally be found in the context of the theory of reference. Levels and degrees of self-reference criterion: Examples from advertising Just as signs may self-referentially refer to the world of signs, the media may refer to the world of the media in a self-referential manner. Citations, intertextuality, intermediality, met textual references, repetitions, recursions, and references to the communicative situation are some of the symptoms of self-reference in the media. Various degrees of self-reference must be distinguished, from the sign that refers to nothing but itself to the sign that refers only partially to itself and partially still to something else. Furthermore, self reference occurs at different levels of the message in which it occurs. Beginning with the smallest elements of the message, the first three levels of self-reference are derived from Peirce’s trichotomy of the interpret ant: 34 rheumatic (equivalent to the unit of a word), dicentic (equivalent to a proposition), and argumentative self-reference. In extension of this Peircean triad, textual, intertextual, intermedial and communicative self-reference will be distinguished. Communicative self-reference criterion Communicative self-reference pertains to pragmatics, the situation of text production and reception. The roles of the readers or the spectators and the enunciative roles of the authors, the producers, the actors or the players become the topic of the message. Instead of presenting or representing ideas or events in the world beyond the message, the text deals with its own communicative context, its communicative function, and its presuppositions. The text has thus its own pragmatic dimension as its topic. For example, the audience of a film is reminded of the fact that it is participating in the film while sitting in the film theatre. 38 Peter Greeanway’s actors that step out of their role as actors and mingle with the audience, or Alfred Hitchcock, who steps out of the role of a film producer to become an actor are further examples of communicative self-reference. B) International marketer must have knowledge of sub cultural groups Introduction Culture is concerned with social behaviour and attitudes, and this paper aims to highlight its significance for entry into foreign markets. Culture has been defined as â€Å"the integrated sum total of learned behaviour traits that are manifest and shared by members of a society†. Cultural factors have been itemized in the existing literature, but clearly among the most important are: customer beliefs and attitudes; morality, ethics and religion; social and consumption values; language and literature; social systems and social behaviour (especially the family); historical background; arts and aesthetics. Two authoritative studies have identified concepts of culture both as barriers to entry and as dynamic movers (Herkovits, 1970, Clutterbuck 1980). Furthermore, insufficient research attention has focused on defining more conceptual approaches to the internationalization of retailing and there is an even greater paucity of research into strategies for retailer entry modes; this is the main justification for this paper. In researching their approach to overseas markets, retailers must consider that culture can have an impact on their merchandising and promotion. The culture in which a person lives affects his/her consumption patterns and also the meaning that is attached to specific products. When promoting merchandise in a new culture, it is easier initially to appeal to existing culture requirements or expectations than to try to change them. Merchandising and promotion must be sensitive to the basic values of the country and the differences in patterns of consumption. Case Example (1) Entry into the Swiss Market In Switzerland, foreign dishwasher manufacturers and retailers expected the same rapid sales they had first obtained in other West European markets; but sales in Switzerland were so slow that research had to be done to find out why (this research should, of course, should have been done before, not after, market entry). The research showed that the Swiss housewife had a different set of values to, for example, her French and English counterparts; she was very conscious of her role as strict and hardworking, and her responsibility for the health of her family. To the Swiss housewife dishwashers simply made life easy, and this conflicted with her Calvinistic work ethic. As a result of this research, dishwasher manufacturers had to change their advertising – promoting, instead of ease-and convenience, hygiene-and-health. They did this by emphasizing that because dishwashers used temperatures higher than hand hot the process was more hygienic than washing up by hand. Thereafter retailers had no problem selling automatic dishwashers in Switzerland. Source: Author Cultures across countries High context culture – the meaning of individual behaviour and speech changes depending on the situation – nonverbal messages are full of important meaning (Read between the lines) – e. g. Saudi Arabia and Japan, written contracts are not always enforceable as new people move into executive positions (Chile, Mexico) Low context culture – intentions are expressed verbally – the situation does not change the meaning of words – e. g. India, China, Australia, New Zealand Cultural Assessment International retailers need to communicate meaning through the transmission of messages to people of different cultures if they are to succeed in the promotion of their products to enter foreign markets. Misunderstandings caused by cultural differences can seriously damage the image of a firm or product; therefore, in order to ensure the message transmitted is received in its correct form, the retailer needs to be completely aware of the implications of all the elements of the message in the foreign culture. Failure on behalf of the retailer to adapt to the intricacies of national customs and develop a rapport will lead to inadequate market entry strategies. Accurate communications are so vital that any risk of cultural misunderstanding needs to be eliminated. Firms must identify key management positions and insist that they are held, whenever possible, by someone of the same culture. Many firms make the mistake of putting nationals from the parent companies in charge of key positions within their foreign subsidiaries, often on the basis that fluency in the language is sufficient. In attempting to understand the most significant elements of the foreign culture, companies have to be vigilant and ensure a balance is maintained. There is no one method to adopt in the evaluation of other cultures for retailing purposes as the nature of the goods being offered should govern the method of assessment. The retailer must be sufficiently perceptive and guard against the over-exaggeration of the differences or the similarities between the foreign culture and its own. For example, in analyzing the United States market, a UK retailer may overemphasize a perceived common culture stemming from the common language and close political and economic relations. â€Å"A common language cannot indefinitely set the seal on a common culture when the geographical, political and economic determinants of the culture are no longer the same throughout its area. † The withdrawal of Marks and Spencer from the Canadian market in 1999 is a case in point; their precept was that the aforementioned â€Å"perceived† cultural affinity would facilitate acceptance of the St Michael brand name; in short the common language or heritage does not guarantee a common culture. A further complication in determining the important facets of a country’s culture is the existence of more than one culture or sub-culture within many nations world-wide. Table 1 lists a few states with cultural differences based along linguistic groupings and the problems these present to the international retailer. A cultural assessment will reveal a modal pattern, but a truly useful evaluation will also expose considerable variations within a group or a subset group. In fact, for some cultural characteristics, there may be a wider range within a given society than between societies. For example, young professional 25-30 year olds in Spain, France and Italy may have more in common, in terms of values, tastes and aspirations, than with their non-professional compatriots of the same age group. A cultural evaluation can be either static or dynamic. A static assessment serves only to identify the differences in variables between cultures, whereas a dynamic appraisal seeks to indicate which variables will change in the future, in what order and with what speed. For the international retailer, the identification of which changes would be readily accepted or rejected can mean the difference between success or failure. The analysis of a culture to ascertain the peculiarities of the population can be extremely expensive, time-consuming and unwieldy. Therefore, having conducted a rapid survey of key cultural elements of a nation, the international retailer with limited resources may choose to carry out a Partial Cultural Assessment which focuses on key elements fundamental to the success of its operations in any country. Table 2 shows several cultural factors, which could frustrate the progress of the operations in the event of a retailer failing to obtain accurate data from the assessment of the foreign markets; if a single element is incorrectly assessed, the effectiveness of the strategies will be diminished.

Reagan Revolution Through President Obama

Strayer University 2012 ‘Reagan Revolution through President Obama† Prof. Jahangir Salehi Alesia Cleveland maitland campus Introduction Will the Obama Revolution advance America’s interest Washington, March 1, 2012-Thomas Jefferson once observed, â€Å"Every generation disserves a new revolution. † Depleted in war and facing economic collapse, America embraced Barrack Obama as a vanguard of the revolutionary hope in 2008. Where candidate Obama had a thin substantive record to assert the claim for highest elective office in 2008, Obama has laid down numerous markers since January 2009 that deserve and should get close scrutiny through Election Day.Turning Points in History Turning points in history can mean that changes in the ways things are done in the past, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse. Two notable turning points in history were the Industrial Revolution and also World War I. These both had some political and social impacts. The I ndustrial Revolution was a time of great change and increased efficiency. No more would be goods be produced by individual means of farming and agriculture, but now by the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with the food supply as well as the population.However, this increase in population would be a greatly impact the social appearance of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming overwhelming crowed and there was an increase in disease as well as severe child labor. Although child labor would be reduced somewhat due to unions, the Industrial Revolution still controlled both its posture and negative results. World War I was another turning point in history. The turning point consisted in the way war fought and how it has changed due in the advances in technology that took place during this time in the 1900s.War was triggered in the Balkans were the Ottoman Empire had once maintained control industrializati on and technology had both contributed in the advances n the development of weapons. The devastatingly was the cause of millions of deaths in World War I. War was fought in trenches and they used machine guns as well as tanks and hand grenades. There was definitely a turning point in the way of war would be fought. However, the most important turning point in the war had to be the involvement of the U. S. The U. S. tried to remain neutral in the war that ended up joining Allies.Thanks’ to the U. S. ’s involvement; however, the Allies received the help needed to win the war. In conclusion we can see the revolution and wars can be lead to positive and negative. How the Aids Epidemic was shook America’s HIV/AIDS continues to take a disproportionate toll on Americans, and Unites States leaders must take action now to address the disease’s devastating effect according to a new report. â€Å"(Arias) throughout history of the epidemic, HIV/AIDS has been a persi stent cause of death in African American community. Reports say that blacks have been affected by HIV/AIDS epidemic and more than half of the new disease diagnose, despite being only 13% of the United States population†. (Arias 1) the HIV/AIDS epidemic is an extremely serious cause of death in the African American community, but its spread can be prevented with the roper treatment and life practices. Many causes have been given on how African Americans are so seriously affected by the disease. The most suggested cause of African Americans contracting the disease is through sexual practices.Some of the sexual practices include unprotected activity. The disease is not just coming from one race but all races of people. The motivation For us to go to war with Iraq and Afghanistan the Bush administration has justified its war against Iraq on the grounds: Saddam Hussein’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, his links to so-called terrorist including the notorio us terror network al-Qaeda, which carried attacks on American interests and soil, and liberating Iraqis from oppression and tyranny and bring it in the fold of democracy Advocates of war in the U.S. administration claimed that Iraq had continued to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD’S), and with Saddam Hussein capable of making them available to terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda, it put the U. S. at a imminent risk. The Iraq carried on to seek as well as build weapons of mass destruction further holdup by the U. S. will simply allow Saddam to build up a larger and deadly armory.The Middle East and the Muslim world in wide ranging did not together in carry of al Qaeda history. The Americans public is at the moment trained for war, willing to admit causalities as well as strongly supports the president. In the past seven years there has been immense treaty of tension to the United States and Iraq the United States have been converting demeanor. References www. dail ykos. com www. aei. org/the Reagan revolution www. iv3. newsmax. com/a/real_obama

Therapists Role in Gastric Bypass Procedure

A Therapists Role in A Pre-Surgical Interview for a Gastric Bypass Procedure Abstract The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of the psychologist when evaluating a patient seeking a gastric bypass procedure. To this date there is no standard avenue given to those conducting the interview. Due to the limited knowledge of long term success post-surgery a guideline is given for psychologists to follow. Continued research is needed to determine what may be needed in the interview that is not being addressed at this time.A Therapists Role in A Pre-Surgical Interview for a Gastric Bypass Procedure A huge problem in the United States for the average individual is obesity. While traditional weight loss programs are failing and more extreme methods are being used, psychologists are being called upon to determine if individuals are mentally fit to have a procedure called Bariatric surgery (ie, gastric bypass). This procedure is used for populations of people whom are extremely obese . Therefore extremely obese patients are turning to this unconventional method to lose weight.Unlike traditional weight lose methods whose risks are low, gastric bypass procedures have high health risks involved. In order for this surgery to be successful patients need to reframe their thinking after surgery to continue to maintain the weight that is lost due to the procedure. There have been no clear assessment tools psychologists’ use for pre-op assessment but many psychologists are using a standard assessment to determine if the individual is a candidate for bar iatric surgery.Even though a patient may not want to undergo a psychological evaluation it is a necessary criterion in order to undergo this extreme weight loss procedure. The information a psychologist collects in the pre-op procedure is why they are seeking surgery, diet and weight history, what are their habits currently in regard to eating, educating patient that future lifestyle changes associated with behavio r modification therapy, history and current social supports, and any psychiatric symptoms (current and past) (Snyder 2009).The psychologist’s 3 responsibilities during the assessment is to collect a history about the patient, act as an educator providing information to patient about the psychological aspect of the surgery, and the therapist motivating the patient to seek post surgical behavior modification treatment while helping the client deal with emotions that may come up during the evaluation (Snyder 2009). The psychologist’s initial question is the patient’s reason for surgery and what are they hoping to accomplish.The therapist therefore will determine the clients expectations to assess if the client has unrealistic expectations centered around the surgery results (ie. motivation due to only changing physical appearance). The results may suggest the patient may not be a candidate for surgery. Researchers have learned the motivation for surgery should be s trictly for health reasons (Bauchowitz, A. , 2007). Patients that have unrealistic expectations regarding weight loss are prone to issues of depression when the surgery and outcome is not what they expected. The second area assessed is a review of the patients eating habits past and current.Researchers found that clients learned messages from family that were contributing factors to weight gain (ie. eat everything on your plate) (Gibbons, L. M. , et al. , 2006). Psychologists’ also determine if a client has had past failures with diets and if not the client is encouraged to try dieting before seeking surgery. The philosophy behind this way of thinking is due to getting used a healthy lifestyle with food intake. The role of the psychologist here is to educate the patient with what will be needed in the future to maintain their ideal weight.They are warned going back to old behaviors with eating behaviors and habits could result in gaining all their weight back. Also, psycholog ists help the patient if they are dealing with shame for failed diet attempts in the past. Another area of assessment is determining the patient’s current eating behavior. It is important for the therapist to determine the motivation for behavior modification and also seek out eating disordered clients. The patient is also questioned about their plan for exercise post surgery.The biggest finding about non-compliance among failures with post treatment was the lack of motivation for exercise (Snyder 2009). Psychologists also determine if a client is bulimic due to the dangers of a bulimic client can have with gastric bypass procedures. Psychologists at this point educate the patient on the importance of exercise for long term benefits of surgery (Snyder 2009). The psychologist also educates the patient to help them to understand what they are agreeing to when seeking gastric bypass. The therapist also should point out the consequences of going back to the past ifestyle with eat ing behavior (Snyder 2009). Another area of importance is the social network of family and friends the patient has when having surgery. The social network can make or break a patient’s success or failure. Therefore, it is important for the psychologist to understand the patient’s social network in the past and present. Negative consequences of the surgery (ie. affair) can lead to jealousy of the spouse and present sabotaging behavior of the spouse. Therefore it is important for a psychologist to address issues that could present themselves if applicable (Snyder 2009).One of the primary reasons an interview is conducted pre-surgery is to determine if there are any psychiatric disorders that might interfere with success of surgery. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, psychosis, mania, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, history of abuse, family history of mental disorders, and any treatment regarding mental health issues are assessed. An examination called a Mini-Mental Sta tus is given to the patient to determine any psychiatric complications that can present themselves (Fabricatore, Crerand, Wadden , et al. 2006). The MMPI-2 is a psychological test given to pre-surgical candidates for a gastric bypass. This is a way to validate that the psychologist’s assessment interview are the same as compared to the MMPI-2. The psychologist should instruct the client to answer all questions honestly so the test results will be accurate. If the clients’ results show defensiveness with the test results the test may have to be taken again (Walfish, S. , 2007). The Millon Behavior Medicine Diagnostic allows for norms within the population that have undergone surgery.These two tests have been selected for psychologists to use even though there are other tests available. In conclusion, it is important for patients to be assessed before having surgery. The psychologist role is to understand the readiness of a patient and how emotional issues can challenge long term success. The psychologist’s role also is to educate the client on all possible issues that they may face post surgical. Overall, this demonstrates how important a pre-surgical evaluation is needed to increase success for the patient short and long term. References Allison G.Snyder (2009) Psychological Assessment of the Patient Undergoing Bariatric Surgery. The Ochsner Journal: Fall 2009, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 144-148. Bauchowitz, A. , L. Azarbad , K. Day , and L. Gonder-Frederick . Evaluation of expectations and knowledge in bariatric surgery patients. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2007. 3 5:554– 558. Devlin, M. U. , J. A. Goldfein , L. Flancbaum , M. Bessler , and R. Eisenstadt . Surgical management of obese patients with eating disorders: a survey of current practices. Obes Surg 2004. 14 9:1252–1257. Fabricatore, A. N. , C. E. Crerand , T. A.Wadden , et al. How do mental health professionals evaluate candidates for bariatric surgery? Survey results. Obes Surg 200 6. 16 5:567–573 Gibbons, L. M. , D. B. Sarwer , C. E. Crerand , et al. Previous weight loss experiences of bariatric surgery candidates: how much have patients dieted prior to surgery? Obesity (Silver Spring) 2006. 14 suppl 2:70S–76S. Walfish, S. Reducing Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory defensiveness: effect of specialized instructions on retest validity in a sample of preoperative bariatric patients. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2007. 3 2:184–188.