Friday, November 29, 2019

Stay (performance at the Grammys) by Rihanna free essay sample

Rihanna Stuns at the Grammys With a dress code issued by CBS the night before the Grammys on February 9th 2013, many were wary of what Rihanna would be wearing (or lack thereof). Deemed â€Å"the poster child for bad choices† by Rolling Stone magazine; she has always been the center of controversy in regards to both her personal and professional life. Recently causing public outrage for rekindling a romance with Chris Brown after their relationship had suffered a violent altercation. Rihanna was brutally beaten by Chris Brown four years prior on the eve of â€Å"music’s biggest night†. The twenty four year old performer is criticized for being overtly sexual in terms of fashion choices, shameless glorification of marijuana and the content of her song lyrics (Eells 32). Case in point her popular single SM details her personal preferences of fetishes. It’s safe to say the audience was expecting an R rated performance by the Barbadian native, but Rihanna stun ned the audience in a surprising non-offensive manner. We will write a custom essay sample on Stay (performance at the Grammys) by Rihanna or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In what appeared to be a demure version of the singer, Rihanna was dressed in a form fitting black Alaia dress complimented with sultry red lips. She had heavily watered down her sex appeal for the night, garnering even more attention. One would say this was a conservative look for the normally scantily clad performer. Supplementary visual aids such as dancers, pyrotechnics and background singers were absent from the backdrop for of the performance. With a deserted black stage all eyes were on Rihanna. The music from the live band is haunting, but not over powering as the pianist plays the instrumentals of the gentle ballad Stay. Rihanna begins to sing and the audience grows quiet. Stay is an emotional final plea to once former lover Chris Brown. (Brown was in the audience and attended the event with Rihanna by his side.) While performing she seems over flooded by emotion when she sings; â€Å"Ohhh the reason I hold on, ohhh cause I need this hole gone. Funny youre the broken one but Im the only one who needed saving.?Cause when you never see the lights its hard to know which one of us is caving† (Stay). The lyrics were autobiographical acknowledging her inability to stay away from Chris Brown, as well as the public’s opinion of the two. Displayed in a distorted manner portrayal by the media, their relationship has suffered heavy public disproval. Often Rihanna is portrayed as a victim of Chris Brown’s manipulation and abuse, unable to escape his antics. It is a claim that she firmly denies, although she admits to the turbulent relationship the two have shared with â€Å"Round and around and around and around we go† (Stay). During the performance it seemed as if Rihanna’s plea was not solely directed at Chris Brown alone but the naysayers as well. The genuine emotion exuded from Rihanna seemed to have silenced the criticism and presence of heavy judgment in the air. Often during the performance of the song she seems to wince in pan, further adding to the audience’s awareness of the emotional significance of the song. Lyrical content was not the only element that contributed to the strength of Rihanna’s performance. The body language of the performer was a far cry from the Rihanna we are familiar with. A vulnerable version of Rihanna had surfaced sans suggestive choreography. The artist was reserved, avoiding eye contact with the camera and audience by shutting her eyes for the most part. Occasionally she was caught wrapping her arms around herself in a protective manner. Perhaps it hinted Rihanna’s discomfort with appearing vulnerable, which she had expressed in interviews (Rihanna). As she continued to belt out the lyrics to the ballad, Rihanna seemed clouded by the thoughts of her love troubles. The audience appeared entranced by the songstress, intrigued by her new demure persona. Seeming very self aware Rihanna constantly adjusts her hair and smoothes the fabric of her dress, adding an element of realism to the performance. Had Rihanna sung with her typical confident demeanor, the performance would have seemed over rehearsed and insincere. The song needed to be delivered with honest, raw and unfiltered emotion in order to resonate with the audience, which was a requirement Rihanna fulfilled. The intent of the performance was made very clear. Rihanna expresses the emptiness she felt when she was torn away from Chris Brown, although the public was content with the decision she suffered a great emotional loss in his absence. Stay was an unapologetic proclamation of her adoration for Brown to the world. Rihanna expressed her indifference to the public backlash and repercussions for her relationship. Rather than express her frustration with critique via twitter rants (Rihanna), she took a passive aggressive approach to silence her critics. The performance was also a personal request to Brown, insisting that they stay together and work out their issues. Rihanna’s Grammy performance highly contrasted the performance of pop music icon Beyonce at the Super bowl half-time show a week earlier. Knowles is celebrated in the music industry for her talent as an all around performer and scandal free image. Sharing a successful private marriage with music mogul Jay-Z, People magazine’s current â€Å"Most Beautiful Woman in the World† is beloved on a global level. Donning a lacy black leather mini dress, Beyonce delivered her twelve-minute half-time show with back-up dancers, pyrotechnics, a brief reunion with Destiny’s Child and upbeat dancing (Arnold 2013). Knowles’s performance left the audience speechless of her sheer perfection, while Rihanna’s performance was confessional and aired out her flaws. Sure, we all wanted to be Beyonce and bask in her glory at the Super bowl, but our hearts were tenderized by Rihanna’s vulnerability. Rihanna’s rendition of Stay was by far one of her best performances to date. The songstress proves that she does not require skimpy ensembles to secure the audience’s attention. All she needs is a stage and a microphone. Works Cited Arnold, Chuck. Beyonces Halftime Performance Was Divalicious Hooftastic. People. People magazine, 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. . Eells, Josh. Relentless pop juggernaut or poster child for bad choices?† Rolling Stone 14 Feb. 2013. Print. Stay. Perf. Rihanna, Mikky Ekko. Staples Centre, California. 9 Feb. 2013. Performance. Rihanna. Oprah’s Next Chapter. Oprah Winfrey Network. Chicago.16 Aug. 2012. Television. Fenty, Robyn. â€Å"SM† Loud. Def Jam, 2010. CD.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Sun

The Sun daily newspaper is a success! It may not be every ones idea of a success; in fact to many The Sun is a disaster. This essay will explore the differences between these two views of what is the United Kingdoms largest circulation newspaper. It will reach into the past to discover its roots and follow its growth to the present day as Britain’s and possibly the Western worlds largest circulation of a Nation daily newspaper How national newspapers like the Sun ‘fit’ into the large media conglomerates and the restraints and freedoms encountered and enjoyed in an expanding world of media technology Whether this technology has created a fourth estate and as James Curran and Jean Seaton would have it ‘Power without Responsibility’. (2) Finally it will address the future of newspapers as we approach the 21st century The first object of the media, any media is to attract an audience. In this the Sun has certainly succeeded six days a week month in month out it has attracted that audience in large numbers. It was not always so! The Sun was built on the ashes, or rather the remains of the Old Daily Herald. The International Publishing Company, which had acquired Oldham’s shares in the paper in 1961, gained a controlling interest by persuading the Trade Union Council to part with their substantial holding in 1964. (3) Up to this time The Daily Herald with its links with labour, and part ownership by the T.U.C. was the sole remaining outright supporter of the labour party. It radical views attracted a mainly working class readership which compared to its capitalist rivals had a larger circulation than most, and certainly a more loyal one. However despite the fact that The Daily Herald had grown to be the daily newspaper with the largest circul... Free Essays on Sun Free Essays on Sun The Sun daily newspaper is a success! It may not be every ones idea of a success; in fact to many The Sun is a disaster. This essay will explore the differences between these two views of what is the United Kingdoms largest circulation newspaper. It will reach into the past to discover its roots and follow its growth to the present day as Britain’s and possibly the Western worlds largest circulation of a Nation daily newspaper How national newspapers like the Sun ‘fit’ into the large media conglomerates and the restraints and freedoms encountered and enjoyed in an expanding world of media technology Whether this technology has created a fourth estate and as James Curran and Jean Seaton would have it ‘Power without Responsibility’. (2) Finally it will address the future of newspapers as we approach the 21st century The first object of the media, any media is to attract an audience. In this the Sun has certainly succeeded six days a week month in month out it has attracted that audience in large numbers. It was not always so! The Sun was built on the ashes, or rather the remains of the Old Daily Herald. The International Publishing Company, which had acquired Oldham’s shares in the paper in 1961, gained a controlling interest by persuading the Trade Union Council to part with their substantial holding in 1964. (3) Up to this time The Daily Herald with its links with labour, and part ownership by the T.U.C. was the sole remaining outright supporter of the labour party. It radical views attracted a mainly working class readership which compared to its capitalist rivals had a larger circulation than most, and certainly a more loyal one. However despite the fact that The Daily Herald had grown to be the daily newspaper with the largest circul...

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Impact of Globalization on Economic Injustices towards Women Essay

The Impact of Globalization on Economic Injustices towards Women - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Lisa Lowe believes that the Utopia and dystopian narrative of gender and sexuality address how women of color provide an ideology of liberal formation which advocates for equal rights between male and female sex. She thinks that utopia has played an important role in campaigning for women's rights in the present and during the cold war. She argues that utopia, though contradicting to dystopia, was responsible for the mass movement of women's rights which saw to the intervention of the liberal state in the United States and protected the rights of minority and women who came from different races. She echoes that despite the difficulty that was experienced by women at the time, they emerged and took over roles which were male dominated and thus defined the element of freedom, capitalism, and globality. Moreover, she argues that Utopia was responsible for the scientific revolution that unleashed innovative power for both men and women ali ke. New communication approaches came up as a result and aggregation of opinions made it possible for women to be heard in the society. Her contributions in the field are immense as she contributed towards significant and transformative of Asian American studies, therefore, enabling the current and future generation to understand the past histories and critique the past issues that affected women and are still being practiced currently. Glenn was valuable in opposing theories and ideologies that encouraged the discrimination of women and greatly contributed towards the intersection analysis of power and sexuality to free women from men bondage. Her ideologies were against liberal feminism and global feminism, but she advocated for a society where women’s could be men’s equal. She was among the scholars who took the three move off in scripting women in the book of rhetoric. She also highlighted the different issues which were affecting women and criticized the issues, t herefore, creating awareness in the field of gender studies. She drew feminist scholars from other disciplines and composed in several of her works of how women were men’s equal thus changing the contemporary society’s view of women. She highlights the different discriminative acts that were being perpetrated against women like the battle against birth control, the contraception coverage debate and the intensifying attacks on choices made by women. Her struggles contributed towards the change of women's status in the society over the years as the issues were taken into consideration and the status of women changed. Saskia Sassen argued that globalization played a major role in contributing to the sovereignty of countries. She states that women are affected by the sovereignty which is being unbounded by different economic practices within a country. She notes that women are still secluded from major economic practices and this affects how they are being treated and look ed upon by men who are their equals in the society. She develops a feminist analytics of globalization and states that for development to be achieved in all sectors, the economic conditions of men and women should be considered alike and business should be shunned away from the process. Moreover, she campaigned using the feminist analytics that taking women’s perspective into consideration allows for strategic instantiations of tendering that promotes development in all major economic areas within the society. According to Mendoza, there are many dimensions of transnational and women of color feminist theoretical perspective contributing to the new the new gender analyses of a globalizing economy and economic injustices as mentioned by women scholars. Feminist geography is among the factors affecting gender and feminist perspectives of women.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Unemployment Benefits and Financial Difficulty Essay

Unemployment Benefits and Financial Difficulty - Essay Example Unemployment is not something that can be easily explained, especially considering that people who find themselves unemployed do not fall into one distinct group. There are a number of causes and reasons why one person finds himself unemployed with structural unemployment, frictional unemployment and seasonal unemployment being the most common types. Francine, on the other hand, is affected by seasonal unemployment which refers to individuals who hold jobs for a distinct period of time such as the job she had at the ski resort and which ended because the winter season is over. Her type of unemployment is hard to define since she is only available for a period of time for a specific kind of work (Tucker 172). However, she does not qualify for unemployment benefits since it is clear that she is not undergoing any type of financial difficulty being as she has stated she is not interested in working until the next winter season. Beauvoir, on the other hand, is affected by structural unem ployment where the skill set that she has no longer matches with the requirements of her place of work. This is a major problem that is occurring in the present time as the world becomes more technologically oriented. Another problem with this type of unemployment is the fact that it can last for a long period of time simply because firms are not willing to retrain their workers as a result of cost or the time involved (Tucker 172). Because Beauvoir was a full-time employee and did have the skills that were needed to carry out her job up to the time that the firm became upgraded, she does deserve the unemployment benefits to keep her going as she looks for a way to enhance on her computer skills.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Research methods for business and management Essay

Research methods for business and management - Essay Example In a good research, the abstract should represent what the research entails. The abstract provides an adequate summery of the research in term of the used literature, the methodology, findings, analysis techniques, and an aspect of conclusion with respect to the research findings. The introduction introduced the entire research and shows what the researcher intends to do through research questions and objectives. The article, â€Å"Factors influencing the transition to university service mathematics: part 2 a qualitative study,† by Miriam Liston and John O’Donoghue, is a research whose abstract is clear as it specifies the type of study as qualitative. It also clarifies what the researchers intended to find out. The study in the article was carried out to establish the influence of effective variables, role of mathematics conceptions, and students’ approaches to learning (COHEN, MANION, and MORRISON 2000). The abstract also indicate the placement of the research study by pointing out that the study was done at the University of Limerick, in the service mathematics transition. The abstract explains further the nature of the study as a follow-up to an earlier study, which was quantitative. It goes further to point out the focus group as part of the methodology (LEEDY and ORMROD 2001). Other sections of the research, which are pointed out in the abstract is the tools used in data collection. The Abstracts points out the major sections but fails to introduce the research findings (Center for Civic Partnerships 2007). The research findings are critical at this section for the readers to follow up how the researchers got into the given conclusion. It only indicates what the findings and the respective consequences would enable the researchers to envisage the possibility of future problems as far as Ireland mathematic education is concerned (LISTON and O’DONOGHUE 2010). The introduction section introduces the research context in an inadequa te way. The introduction connects the abstract by further indicating that the study is a follow-up research to an earlier conducted quantitative study. It repeats some aspects of the abstract such as the location where the study was conducted, the focus group, and time of the study without providing future elaborations on the same research aspects (Crossman 2013). The problem is however elaborated as being the â€Å"The Mathematics Problem,† in which case students fail in mathematics thus facing problems to pursue mathematics courses and careens as their of choices. The introduction lacks the respective research question. This aspect could make the research lost somewhere within the research process. The researchers introduce a case of worrying findings specifically from recent reports, which in contrast should have been placed in the literature review section. The introduction indicates the uniqueness and originality of the research. The thesis statement is also indicated bu t it hardly addresses what the research intends to do adequately. The researchers indicate that the qualitative aspect of the study with respect to the previously conducted quantitative research helps the researchers to determine the strengths as well as the depths of the affected variables’

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM)

Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) Abstract The qualifications of the workforce have changed with the changing times. There has been a shift in workforce requirement from traditional personnel management to human resource management. With adherence to the same, Human Resource departments have become all the more important and have emerged as strategic players in the organization. The need of the hour for all the organizations is to efficiently align the HR activities with their mission. The paper covers the role of Human Resource in attaining the competitive edge over other organizations and various innovations in Human resource Management in 21st century. Key Words: Human Resource Management, Strategic Human Resources Management, innovations in HRM Introduction Traditional sources of success can still provide competitive leverage but a lesser degree now than in the past (Pfeffer, 1994). According to the Resource Based View (RBV), organizations can gain competitive advantage by their valuable, rare and inimitable internal resources. Considering this, it is possible to say that high quality workforce can create this advantage. The change that has most impacted organizations in the past decade has been the increasing realization that human resources of an organization are the primary source of competitive advantage. It is now accepted that high qualified employees in the organization and the way how they are managed is very important to gain competitive advantage. HRM must change as the business environment and the world in which it operates changes. Parallel to these changes in technology, globalization and dynamics of labor market, the way to manage human resources has changed. HRM managers have moved from handling simple personnel issues to making a strategic contribution to the future directions and development of the organization. With the evolution of HRM function from traditional to strategic, its roles and importance has gained more attention. The HR function and its process now have become more strategic and HR managers have been a part of the top management team. This strategic approach to HRM has led this function to be involved in strategic planning and decision making processes by coordinating all human functions for employees. Aligning the strategies of the organization with the HR functions has become the essential part of gaining competitive advantage. The role of the HR for the 21st century is named as strategically reactive in business strategy implementation through supporting the long term strategies with the necessary employee qualifications and developing the cultural and technical capabilities required for the strategies of the organization. The need for managing the employees strategically in the 21st century also requires the management and the organization structure to be more flexible. The work system has started to change with autonomous work groups with high qualified workforces, outsourcing some of the operational HR functions, downsizing, delayering, employee participation to the decision systems, high wages for the high qualified human resources, virtual and network organizations. Evolution The human resource management function, once responsible for record keeping and maintenance, has evolved into a strategic partner (Ferris et al., 1999). It will give a perspective if we look at the evolution of HRM in a historical period briefly. If we take the year 1920 as when many believe the first formal HRM function and department was initiated, then it is possible to think that the field is nearly 90 years old. During this 90-year period, there have been considerable changes in both science and practice of HRM. People who worked during the 1600s to 1700s were guided by a craft system. Under this system, the production of goods and services was generated by small groups of workers in relatively  small workplaces, usually in a home. In the early 1900s, many changes occurred in the work place. This forced managers to develop rules, regulations and procedures to control the workers. Some of the regulations required an increase in job specialization, which led to boring, monotonous jobs (Anthony, Perrrewe and Kacmar, 1996). At that time, with the effect of Scientific Management, workers were seen as a part of a machine without considering that they were social human beings. All the jobs were broken into specific tasks.The next step in the development of human resources occurred in the late 1920s and early 1930s by Hawthorne Studies. As a result of these studies, the social side of workers was realized by managers and the effect of social factors on the performance was understood. Expanding on the human relations school of thought including academic findings from various disciplines such as psychology, political science, sociology and biology, the behavioral science era was born. This era focused more on the total organization and less on the individual. It examined how the workplace affected the individual worker and how the individual worker affected the workplace. Many believe that the modern day fields of organizational behavior and human resource management grew out of the behavioral science (Anthony, Perrrewe and Kacmar, 1996). In the early years, organizations set up welfare secretaries whose jobs were to keep track of employees welfare. Through the years, the welfare secretaries jobs encompassed more duties parallel with the new laws and employee rights were passed. They started to keep up all files about employees, maintain payroll systems and counsel employees (Anthony, Perrrewe and Kacmar, 1996).Parallel with the changes in some factors like technology, globalization and work force, HRM began to take more attention from the organizations and it became a formal department. The increase in the importance of HR has not happened accidentally. Rather, these trends are a function of specific changes in the business environment. With the increased rate of globalization, a firms ability to compete in a global environment becomes increasingly contingent on having the right people. Pressures from competitors, shareholders and customers require people that can create new products, services and processes ahead of the competition (Brockbank, 1999) Strategic Human Resources Management It is now widely accepted that an organizations success is determined by decisions employees make and behaviors in which they engage. Managing people as an organizations primary asset has inspired HR to become increasingly more effective at developing programs and policies that leverage talent to align with organizational competencies and at executing organizational strategy (Ruona and Gibson, 2004). The importance of fitting structure, systems and management practices to an organizations stage of development is widely accepted. As the organization grows and develops, it needs change. By understanding how an organization changes as it grows, it is possible to understand how human resource management must change (Baird and Meshoulam, 1988). Perhaps the change that has most impacted organizations in the past decade has been the growing realization that people are an organizations primary source of competitive advantage. The field of HRM has recently seen the human resources that it selects, trains and retains move from a supportive to a strategic role in organizations. This occurred because in strategic management sources of competitive advantage were no longer sought in external, but in the  internal environment of a firm, namely in its resources, particularly its human ones. Accordingly the field of HRM reconsidered its own role, resulting in the emergence of a new distinct discipline termed Strategic Human Resources Management (Wielemaker and Flint, 2005). Recent works on business strategy have indicated that firms competitive advantage can be generated from firm human resources. According to the resource based view, the firm that can develop sustained competitive advantage through creating value in a manner that is rare and difficult for competitors to imitate. Traditional sources of competitive advantage such as natural resources, technology and economics of scale have become increasingly easy to imitate (Chang and Huang, 2005). Driven by a number of significant internal and external environmental factors, HRM has progressed from a largely maintenance function to the source of sustained competitive advantage for organizations operating in a global economy (Ferris et al., 1999: 385). Environmental factors such as uncertainty, technological innovation and demographic changes affect human resource strategy. Numerous environmental characteristics have been investigated to determine how they constrain human resources or strategy formulation ((Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall, 1988). By the effect of these factors; human resource planners started to learn the language and techniques of strategic planning, assumed a more proactive stance in promoting strategic thinking in the human resources area and extended the personnel function well beyond the limits of its traditional activities (Miles and Snow, 1984). Human resources can make contributions to strategy and strategic planning in a number of ways. Systems such as performance appraisal, staffing, training and compensation help enable managers to implement the organizations strategic plan. Human resources planning also links strategic management and business planning with these systems (Greer, 1995). The concept of strategic human resource management evolved with an emphasis on a proactive, integrative and value-driven approach to HRM. Strategic HRM, views human resources as assets for investment and the management of human resources as strategic rather than reactive, prescriptive and administrative. The definition of strategic HRM highlights two important dimensions that distinguish it from traditional HRM. Vertically, it links HR practices with the strategic management process of the firm and horizontally, it emphasizes that HR practices are integrated and support each other (Andersen, Cooper and Zhu, 2007). Most of the writings indicating greater integration between HRM and strategic business planning take either of two predominant approaches. One group of authors suggest a reactive role for the HR function, viewing organization strategy as the driving force determining HRM strategies and policies. These authors have concentrated on developing specific HRM strategies to fit identified business objectives. They contend that HR systems such as selection, training and compensation should be tailored to match the companys objectives and product life cycles. A second group of authors suggest that HR should also play a more central and proactive role by becoming involved in the strategy formulation process itself (Golden and Ramanujam, 1985). As a result, todays leading edge human resources staff is actively engaged on the management team, contributing participants in the planning and implementation of necessary changes. Human resource staff needs to be business oriented, aligned with the business and effective as consultants and business partners. The integration of human resources with the business requires a new paradigm for managing human resources in an organization (Walker, 1994). It is desirable to integrate human resources management and business for some reasons. First, integration provides a broader range of solutions for solving complex organizational problems. Second, integration ensures that human, financial and technological resources are given consideration in setting goals and assessing implementation capabilities. Third, through  integration organizations must explicitly consider the individuals who comprise them and must implement policies. Finally, reciprocity in integrating human resources and strategic concerns limits the subordination of strategic considerations to human resources preferences and the neglect of human resources as a vital source of organizational competence and competitive advantage. This reduces a potential source of sub optimization (Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall, 1988).Integration refers to the involvement of HRM in the formulation and implementation of organizational strategies and the alignment of HRM with the strategic needs of an organization. To achieve strategic integration and alignment of HRM with business strategies, a documented HRM strategy would also be useful as it can make more concrete the role and authority of HR managers in corporate decision making and increase capacity to cope with externalities such as a tight labour market. A documented HRM strategy helps the organization to develop and HRM vision and objectives and to monitor performance (Andersen, Cooper and Zhu, 2007).   To make HR managers more available for participation in strategic decision making processes, it is argued that the responsibility of routine execution and administration of HR practices should be delegated to line managers as they have direct and frequent contact with employees and a capacity to understand, motivate, control and respond quickly to employees (Andersen, Cooper and Zhu, 2007). The New Human Resources Management for the 21st Century HR must now be judged on whether it enhances the firms competitive advantage by adding real, measurable economic value as a business partner. The HR function and its processes now must become a strategic player (Beatty and Schneier, 1997). 21st century HR requires factors like; increased centrality of people to organizational success, focus on whole systems and integrated solutions, strategic alignment and impact, capacity for change. These factors are described below briefly (Ruona and Gibson, 2004). Increased Centrality of People to Organizational Success: Undoubtedly the most powerful force affecting the evolution of HRM is the increased centrality of people to organizational success. The emergence of resource based views of organizations has placed increasing importance on intellectual and social capital. Focus on Whole Systems and Integrated Solutions: It is clear that HRM has become increasingly systematic during their evolutions. With the strategic proactive role of HRM, the challenge for HRM is to continue to develop innovative systems by focusing on the integrated functions and systems of organization. Strategic Alignment and Impact: 21st century HR has become more integrated by its measurement efforts and it is expected that the importance of these efforts will increase in the coming years. This is all being driven by increased pressure to work on issues that are most important to the business and to provide organizational leaders with understandable information that helps them to make better and more strategic decisions about the workforce. Ultimately, it is essential to work together to enhance HRs capacity to contribute to organizational and financial performance. Capacity for Change: Todays organizations must thrive in complex and unpredictable environments and must be extremely agile. This demands the development and implementation of structures and processes that facilitate incremental change. The new human resources management for the 21st century should play a strategic role by contributing the strategy formulation process and being a strategic partner during the implementation of these strategies. The HR practices should be designed consistent with the strategies of the organization taking into consideration the essential HR needs. In parallel with these, organizations can be able to be more flexible, flat and agile in order to struggle with the changes in the competitive environment by gaining competitive advantage with their HR assets. HR professionals need to lead flatter organizations by encouraging individuals to exercise more initiative, autonomy and accountability by providing tools and techniques that improve their effectiveness and by enabling the acquisition of critical competencies through continuous learning opportunities (Schoonover, 2010). Conclusion Strategic human resources management has gained more importance for the organizations in recent years because human resources are seen as the most valuable assets of the organizations for gaining competitive. Human resources departments have started to play a strategic role in the organizations and all HR functions are integrated with the mission, vision and strategies of the organizations. The new HRM perspective for the 21st century requires HRM to be strategic partners of the organization that coordinates all functions and supporting the strategies by attracting and retaining the essential qualified employees REFERENCES Andersen, K. K., Cooper, B. K. and Zhu, C. J. (2007) The effect of SHRM practices on perceived financial performance: some initial evidence from Australia, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 168-179. Anthony, W. P., Perrewe, P. L. and Kacmar, K. M. (1996) Strategic human resource management, USA: The Dryden Press. Baird, L. and Meshoulam, I. (1988) Managing two fits of strategic human resource management, Academy of Management, vol.13, no.1, pp. 116-128. Beatty, W. R. and Schneier, C. E. (1997) New HR roles to impact organizational performance: From partners to players, Human Resources Management, pp. 29-36. Brockbank, W. (1999) If HR were really strategically proactive: Present and future directions in HRs contribution to competitive advantage, Human Resource Management, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 337-352. Chang, W. A. and Huang, T. C. (2005) Relationship between strategic human resource management and firm performance, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 434-474. Ferris, G. et al. (1999) Human resource management: Some new directions, Journal of Management, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 385-416. Greer, C. R. (1995) Strategy and human resources, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Golden, K. A. and Ramanujam, V. (1985) Between a dream and a nightmare: On the integration of human resource management and strategic business planning processes, Human Resource Management Review, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 429-452. Lengnick-Hall, C. A. and Lengnick-Hall, M. L. (1988) Strategic human resources management: A review of the literature and a proposed typology, Academy of Management, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 454-470. Miles, R. E. and. Snow, C. C. (1984) Designing strategic human resources systems,  Organizational Dynamics, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 36-52. Pfeffer, J. (1994) Competitive advantage through people: unleashing the power of the workforce, USA: Harvard Business School Press. Ruona, W. E. A. and Gibson, S. K. (2004) The making of twenty-first century HR: an analysis of the convergence of HRM, HRD and OD, Human Resources Management, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 49-66. Schoonover, S. C. (2010) Human resource competencies for the new century, [Online], Available: http://www.schoonover.com/pdf/HR _Competencies_ for_the_New_ Century _ Final. Pdf [16 December 2010]. Walker, J. (1994) Integrating the human resources function with the business, Human Resource Planning, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 59-77. Wielemaker, M. and Flint, D. (2005) Why does HRM need to be strategic? A consideration of attempts to link human resources and strategy, The Business Review, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 259-264. Table 1 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCES APPROACH AND  TRADITIONAL PERSONNEL APPROACH Dimensions Strategic Human Resource Traditional Personnel Approach Management Approach Planning and Strategy Participates in formulating Involved in operational Formulation overall organizational strategic planning only plan and aligning human resource functions with company strategy Authority Has high status and authority for Has medium status and top personnel authority Scope Concerned with all managers Concerned with hourly, and employees operational and clerical employees Decision Making Involved in making strategic Makes operational decisions decisions only Integration Fully integrated with other organizational functions like marketing, finance etc. Has moderate to small integration with other organizational functions Coordination Coordinates all human resource activities like training, recruitment etc. Does not coordinate all human resource functions

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Abortion Choices :: Essays Papers

Abortion Choices Driving up to the clinic where I worked I did not expect what I saw. There were several protestors outside picketing and shouting their beliefs about rights and murder at me. I opened the door to see a teenage girl standing in panic and fear. She cried, â€Å"I’m only a child myself!† I walked into my room and was preparing to help this young teenage girl when I heard a loud sound and I felt heat coming from the front of the clinic. I ran out front to realize that the clinic had been bombed. If only I didn’t have a controversial job, then there wouldn’t be so many deaths. Abortion is a controversial and political issue that is widely debated. Abortion is a public health problem that affects the entire globe. Since Christianity was established and the Ancient Romans ruled, the concept of abortion was known. However, abortion was not used since the expected age of death for four out of 100 people was 50 years of age. At the time of the Catholic Churches Inquisition, extreme punishment was enforced for the mothers and midwives who aborted babies. These women were thought to be witches. At this time abortion was wrong for a person and also the society in which they lived. Now abortion is legal, but still has affects the entire world. Abortion has become such a large issue over the years that some individual and right to life groups find it necessary to bomb clinics, killing those who perform the abortion procedures (Correa). Abortion is used to save lives in the 189 countries of the 193 countries to save women’s lives. At rates that are 20 times what the United States has registered are the countries of Peru, Dominican Republic and Chile. Material deaths reached 78,000 for unsafe abortions between the years of 1995 and 2000. Complications due to abortion, kills one in eight women. Abortion does not just affect mothers, it affects the entire world. The process of having a child can easily be controlled through the use of birth control and condoms.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Foundation for the Study of Religion Essay

a). Discuss some of the issues raised in Meta-Ethics. (17 marks) b). How convincing is the view that, when talking of morality, we are talking about facts? (33 marks) (Total 50 marks) Notes: –> Remember, in an exam, you have 30 minutes to choose, plan, and write any essay. –> At AS Level, exam questions are twofold [i.e., there will be an (a) section and a (b) section]. –> Do not forget to answer both sections of a question! –> Usually, the marks appear beside each section of a question. –> In each question, section (a) holds 17 marks, and section (b) holds 33 marks. A total of 50 marks per question. –> Write your responses to questions appropriately – its no good having a detailed (a) section and a brief (b)! –> This model essay is structured so that it is realistic in its time expectations. –> If you have revised thoroughly, and know your stuff, you should be writing this sort of exam essay. –> Remember, do not waffle. An examiner will not assess 65% waffle and 35% real content in an exam essay! –> Keep your essay responses thorough, yet concise – again, you have very little time to respond to questions! –> Finally, it remains for me to wish you very good luck, happy last minute revision, and a most successful first exam! a. Discuss some of the issues raised in Meta-Ethics. Ethics is the study of how people behave, and how they should behave. It is based on ideas of what is morally ‘good’. But, in order to understand ethics, a definition of ‘good’ needs to be determined. Here, one sees that such ideas will vary from person to person and from culture to culture. Likewise, such ideas explain why there is such a variety of moral systems in use today and a marked difference in the level of commitment to a personal moral code. Ethics and ethical language, the study of which ‘Meta-Ethics’ is part, can be split into three distinct branches: descriptive, normative and meta-ethical. On the one hand, descriptive ethics describes the way we live and the moral choices we happen to make. On the other, normative ethics employs the kind of language which is more openly moral and presents a clearer idea about what is held to be right or wrong; so, a statement such as â€Å"It is always wrong to tell a lie† is a normative statement. Contrastingly to both, meta-ethics is the study of the meaning of ethics itself, gauging the meaning of ethical language, and taking into consideration the authority of moral claims and the effects of personal preference. Bearing this in mind, it is possible to note that meta-ethical theory poses questions such as ‘Can we define which action is ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘right’, or ‘wrong’?’ and again, ‘Is it possible to give a definition to ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘right’, or ‘wrong’ in themselves?’ Admittedly, all four of these words are related from a moral point of view. But, if we could measure ‘good’ completely and accurately, then we would be able to measure everything else against it. Yet, philosophically, it is impossible to define ‘good’ so completely. For instance, if one were asked to define ‘yellow’, one is able to say what yellow is like (such as â€Å"Yellow is like a banana’s jacket†); but, one unable to say completely and accurately what ‘yellowness’ is. Thus, in the same way, one is able to say what ‘good ’ is like, yet one is unable to say what ‘good’ is. Naturally, it could be argued that ‘good’ actions add to the well-being of all concerned; but, again, ‘good’ actions depend very much on individual preference and one’s individual idea of ‘good’. The puzzle, then, of how to define ‘good’ has intrigued philosophers for thousands of years. Indeed, the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defined ‘good’ as being how far something fulfilled its purpose in life: for example, a ‘good’ building is one which looks pleasing aesthetically, provides comfort and shelters from the elements. Similarly, a ‘good’ person is one who fulfils well the role into which he or she has been placed. To illustrate this point further, a ‘good’ slave works well as a slave; and, again, a ‘good’ ruler rules the community effectively, maximising everyone’s happiness. This approach has its origins in the Greek word ‘telos’ meaning ‘purpose’ and is therefore referred to as the ‘teleological’ approach to ethics, a purpose-based criterion for gauging what is ‘good’. A differing method is the ‘deontological’ approach to ethics, which has its origins in the Greek word ‘deon’ meaning ‘duty’. Unlike the teleological approach, this one is a duty-based criterion for gauging what is ‘good’: something is ‘good’ if it fulfils it duty. For instance, Immanuel Kant, bearing in mind the absolute rule of morality ‘Do not steal’, claimed that one should never steal under any circumstances because it is always wrong in itself. For example, if you came across something that had been abandoned by someone who could not possibly have any use for it, even if you needed it and it would hurt no one to take it, it is still stealing and, therefore, wrong in itself. Thus, to do ‘good’, one always must do one’s duty. Meta-ethics, then, attempts to go a long way in explaining the essence of ‘good’ and ‘good’ action, combining alike viewpoints yet, likewise, displaying very different perspectives of the real meaning of ‘good’. b. How convincing is the view that, when talking of morality, we are talking about facts? But, when attempting to define ‘good’, and certainly when considering ethics as a whole, is it actually possible to say that moral systems deal with ‘facts’? Some ethicists would claim not. GE Moore, for example, in his book Principia Ethica (1902) claimed that ‘good’ is impossible to define because it entirely depends on the moral codes a person brings to a particular situation. This would suggest that, owing to the wide range and variety of personal preference in ethical systems, it is impossible to talk of facts when dealing with morality. Moore, though, did suggest that ‘good’ was an entity in itself and that it was something which human beings intuitively sought. Indeed, human beings do a thing that is ‘good’ in order to achieve some long-term goal. However, he stated that in doing so, people commit what he coined the ‘Naturalistic Fallacy’. Namely, that in finding oneself in a particular moral dilemma people assume it is natural and logical to shift immediately from dilemma to solution, treating moral conclusions as if they were absolute. For instance, imagine a 15 year old girl having her drink spiked by a much older man who then makes her pregnant. Indeed, the girl did not want a sexual relationship with the man and was horrified when she realised what had happened, particularly because she was a devout Christian with high moral standards. Many people would say that the girl ought to be offered medical treatment such as the morning-after pill or an abortion. Here, using the principle known in moral philosophy as ‘Hume’s Law’, Moore would claim that people have committed the ‘Naturalistic Fallacy’ because they have moved from an ‘is’ statement to an ‘ought’ statement. In other words, they move from a description of how things actually are, to how they ought to be. Put in a simpler form, (A) A teenage girl is pregnant against her wishes; (B) She ought to be offered an abortion. ‘A’ is the ‘is’ statement, ‘B’ is the ‘ought’ statement; yet, to move from one to the other, Moore claimed that an intermediate (or, midway) proposition is needed. This could be as follows: ‘A woman should only carry a child to full term when she has chosen to be pregnant.’ This is known as a ‘value proposition’ and it is this element of the equation that gives the conclusion (B) its moral force. But exactly why does Moore refer to this straight shift from an ‘is’ to an ‘ought’ a misleading notion? It is because (B) is simply a blind, naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve opinion without any value whatsoever. The intermediate proposition gives it moral value and force because it establishes that the pregnant girl is neither a ‘woman’ nor one who has ‘chosen to be pregnant’. Thus, it states that she is a teenage girl who is pregnant against her wishes and, because of the intermediate proposition of women only carrying a child to full term when she has chosen to be pregnant, the girl’s situation goes against the moral code. Naturally, using a different moral value in the intermediate stage would produce a different outcome, which suggests that, when talking of morality and moral codes, we are not always talking about facts. Like Moore, whose claims reject the idea of morality being factually-based, RM Hare developed a theory for ethical language called ‘Prescriptivism’, in which he claimed that in prescribing a particular course of action for others, people ought to ask ‘Am I prepared to prescribe that somebody else should do it to me if the roles were reversed?’. (Interestingly, this idea is parallel with the golden rule of Christianity that appears in Matthew 7:12 – ‘Do unto others as you would have done unto you.†) Although this gives the impression that all people should be treated equally, it does not suggest that morality is factually-based because such moral rules can be accepted or rejected. Moral statements, then, according to Hare, are more than mere signs of the personal preference of the speaker; for him, they prescribe a course of action. But, just as he claimed moral rules are hugely important in influencing lives, he also added that one cannot say moral rules are true or false. Thus, it is untrue that – when talking of morality – we are talking about facts. In morality, then, there is a difference in how language is used. In everyday communication, language can be used in either ‘cognitive’ or ‘non-cognitive’ ways. Used cognitively, language states fact and reasoning and is non-moral; in other words, it has no moral values attached. However, used non-cognitively in a moral setting, language aims to express attitudes, exercising an influence over people. In morality, this influence is to persuade people of the moral rightness or wrongness of an action. Indeed, CL Stevenson, a philosopher closely associated with ‘Emotivism’ – a system of morality based on feeling – claimed that, when used non-cognitively, the word ‘good’ is very persuasive because it has a moral tag which tries to draw the listener into taking a moral stance. It pulls on the emotions. Certainly, Stevenson suggested one’s moral code is an emotional response – one simply ‘feels’ something is good or bad. Again, then, it is impossible to say that when we talk of morality, we talk of facts because, as ‘Emotivism’ shows, individual feelings differ and, therefore, individual moral codes influenced by ‘feelings’ similarly are going to differ. Thus, in conclusion, it is unconvincing to say that, when we are talking of morality, we are talking about facts: Moore, would agree because his ‘value propositions’ in moral dilemmas can easily be altered to produce a different outcome and, therefore, a different moral force; Hare claimed one cannot say moral rules are true or false, therefore failing to deliver morality to the territory of ‘fact’; and, finally, Stevenson claims that individual moral codes are influenced by individual ‘feelings’ about the rightness or wrongness of an action, thus rendering factually-based morality a nonsense owing to the rich diversity of individual emotion. Indeed, the highly influential philosopher, AJ Ayer would agree with such an avowal because he suggested all moral statements are ‘meaningless’ statements. For example, how could one prove that it is wrong to cheat? He insisted that such statements as ‘Is it wrong to cheat’ are totally without meaning or provable sense because, logically and empirically, they cannot be shown to be true. All one can do is show that lots of people believe it is wrong to cheat. All they can do is express a personal dislike of cheats, cheating, and its consequences; they can express how they consider it to be unfair. That is, they can express how it does not coincide with what they believe to be fair and right – but that is all. Moral statements, then, are reduced in this way to personal preferences and are not concerned with ‘fact’.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Windshield Survey

According to Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) defines a community as: â€Å"A social group determined by geographic boundaries and/or common values and interests. Its members know and interact with one another. It functions within a particular social structure and exhibits and creates norms, values, and social institutions† (World Health Organization [WHO], 1974, pg. 7). Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) defines community health as having: â€Å"three common characteristics, or dimensions: status, structure, and process. Stanhope & Lancaster (2008) also go on to say: â€Å"Each dimension reflects a unique aspect of community health: (pg. 45). Community health in terms of status, or income, is the most well known and accepted approach; it involves biological, emotional, and social parts. The biological (or physical) part of community health is often measured by traditional morbidity and mortality rates, life expectancy indexes, and risk factors profile† (pg. 345). The communit y is the client if a nurse is helping individuals even one at a time in the community. Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) states: â€Å"The community is the client only when the nursing focus is on the collective or common good of the population instead of on individual health† (pg. 44) and â€Å"Although the nurse may work with individuals, families or other interacting groups, aggregates, or institutions, or within a population, the resulting changes are intended to affect the whole community† (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2008, pg. 344). One Healthy People 2020 health indicator that applies to this particular area, which is Oklahoma City, would be â€Å"Quality of life and well-being† (Healthy People 2020 at a glance. (2010). There is a large population of poverty level residents. Many people in the community of the south side Oklahoma City are living in homes that are not safe or are unclean. Additional aspects will be discussed in the Window Survey of south Oklahoma City. The boundary for the north part of Oklahoma City runs almost parallel to interstate I-44 from the east to the west. It is located in the central metro area of the state of Oklahoma, with boundaries east of the cities of Mustang and Yukon, and west of the cities of Spencer and Del City. The southern boundary of Oklahoma City overlaps interstate I-240 that runs from east to west and is north of the cities of Moore and Norman. The economic boundaries for the southern part of Oklahoma City can run the ambit from residents below poverty level to those that would be considered to be upper-class in their monetary value. There are neighborhoods that many would not feel comfortable after dark because there has been a rise in crime to those areas. The zoning of these homes are single story, quarter acre lots that are approximately one thousand to fifteen hundred square feet. These impoverished areas have small, o lder homes that are two to three bedroom homes that are unkempt and, at times, are cockroach infested. The houses are built closely side by side and do not have much open space throughout the neighborhood. Most of these homes show signs of decay related to the amount of repairs that need to be made to the home. Many of the residents are renting and cannot afford to make the necessary repairs or have landlords that are unwilling to comply with the safety of their occupants. The stores in the south part of Oklahoma City are ones that cater to a lower income, such as, Payday loans, Buy For Less, Ross, Payless shoes, Wal Mart, etc. Race representation in this area of south Oklahoma City is a majority of Hispanic, black, white, and Native American. When driving through this community, there are men and women who can be seen each day standing on the corners of busy streets holding various cardboard signs which ask for help and state they are out of work. The houses have children’s toys laying in the front yards and dogs can be seen in the backyards roaming or on chains. The transportation for many, are cars that range from 1980’s to the 2000’s. They appear to be in need of repair in many cases. Since many of the residents in this area have little money, there are service centers, such as Auto Zone, and Midas that aide in â€Å"do it yourself† repairs. However, there is a divide in the income level because within five to ten miles there are neighborhoods with homes that are valued from a quarter of a million to half a million dollars. These upper class neighborhoods are surrounded by brick walls with gates that require codes for entrance. One higher class neighborhood is called Rivendale. Surrounding these areas are higher end shopping centers, such as Chasity Square. This particular shopping center has stores called Mann’s Best Friend that provides all natural dog food and baked goods for pets. In both of the low income areas and higher income areas, there are many churches of various religions that are represented, including Catholic, Baptist, Non-denominational, Methodist, Lutheran, and Jehovah’s Witness. These are common meeting places for many in both communities. Aspects that would affect the health in this community, would be alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse. For those in the low income areas, stress of everyday life in which they struggle would draw them to these vices, for those in the higher income areas, it would be the stress of working to maintain their lifestyle. Other health concerns would be obesity of those who cannot afford healthy eating habits, high blood pressure affects both low and high incomes for different reasons, diabetes, and for the low income, lack of preventative care. There is Planned Parenthood for well woman checks, organizations that provide blood pressure checks and diabetes screening, and the YMCA works on a sliding scale of income for membership to the gym to help prevent obesity. Media is covered by local news stations and the Daily Oklahoman. ? References Healthy People 2020 at a glance. (2010). PT in Motion, 2(6), 22-23. Retrieved From EBSCOhost. Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2008). Population-Centered Health Care In the Community. (7th ed. ). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. World Health Organization: Community health nursing: report of a WHO expert committee, Geneva, 1374, World Health Organization. Windshield Survey A windshield survey is an assessment and evaluation of a community performed by traveling throughout the community in a car or public transportation to make observations about a community. The data gathered will help identify health care strengths and weaknesses in the specified community. A community is a social group established by geographic boundaries or common values and interests. Its members know and interact with one another and function in a particular social structure and exhibit and create norms, values and, social institutions (Stanhope, 2008). Community health has three mutual traits, or aspects: status, structure, and process. Community health in terms of status or outcome, is the most familiar and received approach; it involves biological, emotional, and social parts (Stanhope, 2008). The biological or living part of community health is often measured by established morbidity and mortality rates, life expectancy indexes, and risk factor profiles. The emotional part of health status can be measured by consumer satisfaction and mental health indexes. Crime rates and functional levels refl ect the social part of community health. Other status measures, such as worker absenteeism and infant mortality rates, reflect the effects of all three parts. Community health, when perceived as the structure of the community, is commonly explained in terms of services and resources. Measures of community structure incorporate demographics, such as socioeconomic and racial distributions, age, and educational level. (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008) The community is the client only when the nursing emphasis is on the common good of the population instead of on an individual’s health. When focusing on the community as client, direct clinical care can be a part of population focused community health practice. This type of care decreases the risk of an epidemic in the community. The community client also highlights the complexity of the change process. Implementing changes which, will improve the community client often occur at a number of levels, extending from the individual to society (Stanhope, 2008). Healthy People 2020 maintains tradition with the launch on December 2, 2010 of it’s 10-year agenda for improving the Nation’s health. Healthy People 2020, 2011) A society in which all people live long, healthy lives is the mission statement of Healthy People 2020. (Healthy People 2020, 2011) A health indicator that applies to my specialty area is substance abuse. Substance abuse produces control on an individuals life and creates havoc among the families and communities. The effects of substance abuse are increasing, drastically contributing to costly social, physical, mental, and public health problems(Healthy People 2020, 2011). According to Healthy People 2020, (2011) some problems include:teenage pregnancy, Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), domestic violence, child abuse, motor vehicle crashes, physical violence, crime, homicide, and suicide. A role nursing would perform in affecting this indicator would be education in the community. Adolescent abuse of prescription drugs, such as prescription pain relievers Vicodin and OxyContin, has remains on the rise and continues to devastate lives and families involved (NIDA InfoFacts: Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction, 2011). The accessibility of prescription drugs is growing from several places, including the family medicine cabinet, the Internet, and doctors. Drug addiction is a needless disease. Results from NIDA-funded research have shown that prevention programs including families, schools, communities, and the media are successful in decreasing drug abuse. Although countless events and cultural influences affect drug abuse trends, when youths sense drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their drug taking. NIDA InfoFacts: Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction, 2011) Education and outreach programs are essential in assisting communities to understand the risks of drug abuse. This is a Windshield Survey of Philadelphia, PA, 19154 completed on June 16, 2010. The information collected in this survey displayed basic ideas about this community and identified needs for a certain population in the community. Housing and zoning- The homes and buildings were builtafter 1950. The homes and buildings are constructe d from brick, vinyl siding and are a mix of row and single homes and the homes are in excellent condition. These homes vary in size and land. | Transportation- The most common means of transportation 19154. area include driving a car alone, carpooling and public transportation SEPTA(Southeastern Public Transportation Authority)During observations in the community, many bus stops werehad 6-8 people waiting. Somewere in their school uniforms, some work attire, and others were casually dressed. Theconditions of the roads need minor repairs most are newly paved. | Race and ethnicity- The chief ethnic group in the 19154 is a heavily populated, urban zip code in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The population is largely white, and mostly married couples. Total Population: 35,606 White Population: 31,896 Black Population: 1,678 Hispanic Population: 1,030 Asian Population: 812 Hawaiian Population: 13 Indian Population: 48 Male Population: 17,313 Female Population: 18,293 Median Age: 36. 2 Median Age of Males: 34. 9 Median Age of Females: 37. 6. (Neighiborhood Link National Network, 2011) . | Open space- There is not much open space, but the areas around the Dunksferry Rd and Academy and Knights roads are designated for the athletic teams and school sports. | Service centers-19154 has several service centers. On Southampton Rd there is the VA. Community Center, S. P. I. N. (Special People in the Northeast, mentally challenged individuals), W. I. C. offices and Social Security center. There are many schools, High school, grade school (public and Catholic) and headstart programs in our community. Also off Academy Rd. there is a health center and a dental facility. There are 3 major hospitals and several medical facilities in the community. | Religion and politics- In our community the primary religion is Catholic with a mix of protestant and Jewish. The primary party is republican. | Boundaries- The geographical boundaries for 19154 include Interstate I-95, Route 1 and the PA Turnpike. The income is middle class. The estimatedmedian income is $60,000 per year. Theneighborhoods are named and identified by street names. Some of theneighborhoods include Parkwood, Liberty Bell, Chalfont, Comly, Somerton, Morrell Park and Bustleton. | Stores and street people-Major stores in the community are Kohl’s, Target, and Wal-Mart, many grocery stores such as, Pathmark, Reddners and Acme Markets. There is not any type of street people as in homeless in the community. The community is primarily devised of law enforcement, fire fighters, teachers and healthcare providers. Health and morbidity-Substance abuse is increasing by our youth and adults in this community. There are no obvious drug dealings going on in the community but, there are dealers. Observations made were several people smoking on the bus stops, very young looking, and other smokers of appropriate age. There are several fast food restaurants in the area as well as finer restaurants, which may have resulted in the large number of people living in this area living with cardiac issues. Other observations made were the adolescents in the streets during school hours and some looking as if they were under the influence. Commons-In 19154 there are several churches, the park and recreational facilities restaurants and clubs. off Southampton Rdis the Community College of Philadelphia and off Street Rd there a several tech schoolsLocal eateries such as Chickie & Pete’s. Chili’s. Carraba’s, Outback Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, Friendly’s, Applebee’s, Nifty fifties and TGI Fridays. There are a number of fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger Kingwhere many people like to hang out. There is also a few -11, Wawa and playgrounds that teens usually hang out. These gathering areas are easily identified by signs. They are open to everyone and usually people with the same interests gather in these areas. | Signs of decay- There are no evident signs of decay, although at some playgrounds there were several graffiti tags on the buildings. | Media- The local newspaper is the Philadelphia Inquirer and the community newspaper is The Northeast Times. The TV news stations are ABC 6, Eyewitness News and NBC 10 news. The internet is a source of the major attributes of the media and the common providers are Verizon and Comcast and the cable providers are Comcast, Verizon Fios, The Dish and DIRECTV. References: (2011). Retrieved June 18, 2011, from Neighiborhood Link National Network: http://www. neighborhoodlink. com/zip/19154 Healthy People 2020. (2011, February 22). Retrieved June 18, 2011, from Healthy People: http://www. healthypeople. gov/2020/about/default. aspx NIDA InfoFacts: Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction. (2011, March). Retrieved June 18, 2011, from National Institute of Drug Abuse: ht tp://www. drugabuse. gov/infofacts/understand. html Stanhope, M. L. (2008). Public Health Nursing. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier. Windshield Survey Keyes, California is a census-designated town in Stanislaus County. Keyes is located off Highway 99 in the California Central Valley. This small town is unknown to many due to its 2. 8 mile radius (â€Å"City data†). Numerous health concerns plague this small town due to its size and population. A windshield survey and internet research provides information on the people, the land, and the health of those living in this small community. The People According to the 2010 census, Keyes has a population of 5,601 residents with a 50/50 male to female ratio (â€Å"City data†).The median age of these residents is 29. 5 years old. The majority of the Keyes population has a household annual income of $29,943 for a family of 4. Annual income is just above or right at the poverty line. In 2011 it was recorded that 32. 1% of the population was living in poverty. A staggering 12. 9% of Keyes residents are unemployed as of July 2013. About 18% of Keyes residents work in construction, agriculture, or retail. Keyes is a predominately Hispanic community accounting for 60. 9% of its residents.Whites average 34. 3% of the population followed by 2% Asian and 0.4% Black. The residents of Keyes are 54% Catholic in faith followed by 5% Baptist and 5% Mormon. Keyes lacks a municipal government but is a part of Stanislaus County (â€Å"City data†). The Land Keyes, California is located between Ceres and Turlock off Highway 99. The town’s appearance is unattractive at first look. No landscaping or sidewalks are provided in most of the community. The majority of homes are enclosed by a fence and most do not have a driveway. Although the homes are aged and tattered, many of them have nice yards with minimal refuse.Homes in this location were built in the 1980’s. The average price of a home located in Keyes, Ca is $89,952 (â€Å"Zillow†). Few people were out walking in the community. The residents of Keyes had a wide range of dogs in almost every y ard. A large park is located in the eastern part of the town. Hatch Park has a walking path and a playground for children. The park is relatively new, according to its residents. Safety does not appear to be an issue before dark. The park is open from sunrise to sunset, although, it is not patrolled by police.There is no police department located in Keyes. Stanislaus county sheriff responds to calls for this small town. The fire department is located in the southern end of the city. According to Paramedic Rhodes of the Keyes Fire Department, there are an average of 20 calls per week 85% being medical, 10% motor vehicle accidents, and 5% fire. Most medical transports are sent to Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock located 5 miles southeast of the town. There are no doctors offices or urgent care’s located within Keyes. There are no pharmacies or dentists located in the immediate area.Neighboring cities have these services within five to eight miles. Stanislaus Regional Transport (START) provides bus services to Keyes (â€Å"Stanislaus regional transport†). There are four bus stops in Keyes all located near the freeway and the schools. The buses stop about every two hours from 5 am to 9 pm (â€Å"Stanislaus regional transport†). The bus stops had several people waiting and appeared to be used in the community by various age groups. There is a local post office with P. O. Boxes. Keyes does not have a postman to deliver mail to individual homes (â€Å"USPS†).Stores located in this little community consist of two convince stores and one grocery store consisting of a limited supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. The nearest full service grocery store and pharmacy are located 3. 8 miles away in Turlock, California (â€Å"Google maps†). No chain fast food restaurants were note during the survey however there are several taco trucks located in the area. Minimal businesses are present. Local businesses consist of construction companies of various sorts. Schools are present in this community. The local Elementary school teach students years K-8.Keyes to Learning Charter School instructs students K-12. The Stanislaus County Library has a branch located in Keyes for students of all ages. The Health Overall health is a concern in this community. No access to medical, dental, or pharmacies directly affects these residents. Locals may have access to healthcare but they may not have access to transportation to and from doctors appointments in neighboring cities. Low socioeconomic status prevents many from seeking necessary treatment for medical conditions. The inability to pay for prescribed medication can lead to worsening health conditions.Limited access to a full service grocery store can limit the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed by these residents. In Stanislaus County the rate of diabetes is 1. 6% greater than the California average and the rate of obesity is 6. 7% greater (â€Å"City data†). D iet and exercise plays a role in these statistics. Although there is a local park it is not widely used. A sedentary lifestyle is common in this community. It is concerning to have such high incidents of obesity and diabetes in a town where the average householder is younger than 30 years old.A large percentage of the community is considered vulnerable (â€Å"Cdc†). The community health status indicators displays that Stanislaus County has a large vulnerable population. A vulnerable population includes 39% of individuals without a high school diploma and a 12. 9% unemployment rate. The county has a total of 23,378 people diagnosed with major depression and 38,337 involved with drug use in the last month (â€Å"Cdc†). Many other factors are affecting this town’s health including; smoking associated heart disease, cancer and respiratory illnesses (â€Å"Cdc†).As a goal, Healthy people 2020 is seeking to improve maternal, infant, and child health. Education is a crucial aspect in improving health in all stages of life. Mothers who are educated about their health and the health of their families can in turn make choices that can positively affect their families future. Nurses in the community could arrange classes at the local schools after hours to provide education on diet, exercise, and disease prevention. These classes could be taught in English and Spanish to better meet the needs of the community.Keyes, California is a small community with no access to many basic needs. The health of the community is deteriorating due to the lack of proper nutrition and healthcare. This town is living at or below the poverty line. The needs of the community outweigh the resources made available by Stanislaus County. More research should be conducted within the central valley to determine the needs of this vulnerable population. Keyes can become a healthier place to live in the future with help from the surrounding cities, local governments, and he althcare providers.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Is Mary Jane good for YOU Professor Ramos Blog

Is Mary Jane good for YOU Its 2019, mostly everywhere in California you can see those green pluses on some buildings and youre thinking to yourself what does those green pluses mean? Those green pluses signify the legal action of selling cannabis aka marijuana in those shops. About 10 states in the United States of America have not legalized medical use for marijuana and in this report I am going to explain why they should and why they don’t. Marijuana is a drug that is from a cannabis plant that contains high level of THC and it is either smoked, vaped, or ingested aka edibles. When being contaminated by this drug the THC is being activated and because of the effects of the THC a widespread amount of people use this drug recreationally and medically.   When using marijuana medically in 1982 there was an IOM report called â€Å"Marijuana and Health†, they knew that marijuana mostly targets the brain and the way the cannabinoids would act on the brains neurons. Effects of the isolated cannabinoids according to the Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health the cannabinoids would have a natural role in pain modulation, movement, and memory. Therefore people using this drug would feel different type of movement and have some memory loss when being exposed by THC. Also because of the brain being such a unforgetting this, the brain becomes more tolerant in everytime being used. With the effects of THC it has its therapeutic values which is that it can be used for â€Å"pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation.† because of this they recommend that â€Å"clinical trials of cannabinoid drugs for symptom management should be conducted with the goal of developing rapid-onset, reliable, and safe delivery systems.† So you see the importance of some users that use this substance for medical use and how it can help them in many ways, but then theres the people that use this drug recreationally. When using this drug recreationally, meaning that you use this drug for fun (not medically), which is most users. Since marijuana is the easiest to obtain, it is the most commonly used drug for teenagers. Marijuana is known as a soft drug and Professor Hartney who has a phd in psychology and is the Director Centre of Health Leadership and Research states that â€Å"Most people who develop severe problems with drugs, such as cocaine, meth, and heroin, had early experiences with marijuana before trying these other drugs†. Most people argue that because the drug is illegal, that is what makes Marijuana a gateway drug, but if it was legal users could buy the drug through legal channels therefore not being exposed to such harder drugs. In conclusion to all of this Professor Hartney believes that you shou ldnt assume people will progress to other drug use after Marijuana, but also consider the possibility that it could lead to other drugs. There is a scale on the internet that is called the The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and the measures for Marijuana use. Over 4400 adult internet users have taken this test and Thomas F Denson the creator of this test was looking for the recruitment of the most depressed and marijuana involved participants. They compared the users who consumed the drug daily, once a week or less, or never in their lives. The results showed that people who consumed the drug on a daily basis were in less depressed moods and had fewer body complaints than non users. Based on the three groups of people who used them on a daily basis, once a week or less, or never in their lives had the same interpersonal symptoms. Since some users use it recreationally and some users use it medically they had to make different analysis. In the end of these studies they noticed that users who used the drug medically were more depressed and had more body complaints rather than the recreational users. I n conclusion to this study is that the data suggests that adults do not increase their risk for depression by using marijuana. Since marijuana is the most illicit drug being used in the United States and Europe according to European Monitoring centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. 2006; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA). 2007. Marijuana dependence appears to be like other dependence disorders, however marijuana dependence is likely to be less severe. According to Budney. 2006; Copeland et al..2001; Stephens et al. 2002 adults seeking treatment for marijuana abuse or dependence average more than 10 years of near-daily use and more than six serious attempts at quitting. They continue to smoke the drug despite social, psychological, and physical impairments, commonly citing consequences such as relationship and family problems. Even after all that people who are financially unstable they see Marijuana as more of a necessity rather than buying food for their children or themselves. Also because of marijuana dependency people tend to be low self esteemed and tend to have sleeping and memory problems. Most of them tend to be believe they can stop whenever, but truly never stop in the end. Most International treaties are against marijuana and forbid selling, growing, and possessing marijuana, according to the book â€Å"Marijuana Legalization: What everybody needs to know†, they know that because of not allowing the drug to be legal, it creates illicit markets with a total value in tens of billions per year and specifically in the United States it creates $40 billlion dollars per year and because of such illicit markets it creates violence and corruption of public officials. If legalized it would replace illicit market production and distribution with an a high placed industry. There can still be rules with it being legalized just like how we legalized alcohol, but most of the trading would be from farmers, merchants, and clerks, not by criminals.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Pathophysiology of Acute Pulmonary Oedema Essay

Pathophysiology of Acute Pulmonary Oedema - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that because of the lung’s diminished capacity to oxygenate the blood, hemoglobin is circulated without being adequately oxygenated; in effect, this causes shortness of breath and cyanosis in the patient. With more oedema, oxygen supply to the brain decreases and this causes disorientation and altered cognition in the patient. Dyspnoea manifests with decreased oxygen supply and lung stiffness. The air moving into the alveolar field causes the crepitations and crackles heard upon lung auscultation. With the fluid moving through the larger air paths, the crepitations and crackles become louder. Mr. Smith’s dyspnoea, as was discussed, is caused by the accumulation of fluid in the lungs. â€Å"Excessive secretions and inability to clear such secretions can compromise airways and increase airway resistance†. In physically separating the alveoli from the pulmonary capillary vessels, the swelling or oedema would interrupt the ca rbon dioxide and oxygen exchange. In effect, there is lesser space in the lungs for slow and deep breaths; as a result, the patient’s dyspnoea manifests with rapid and shallow respiration. This difficulty in breathing causes the patient to exert more effort in breathing and in lung filling – hence the increased use of accessory muscles in breathing. His decreased oxygen saturation is primarily caused by the decreased oxygen being carried and circulated to the different cells of the body. Due to decreased volume of oxygen taken in by the lungs and due to the decreased capacity of the alveoli to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen, the oxygen saturation of the cells is compromised and is detected by the pulse oximeter as lower O2 saturation. The patient’s anxiety is triggered by his above symptoms. His difficulty in breathing and other symptoms like his pink-tinged sputum all trigger his anxiety. As his pulmonary oedema becomes worse, his anxiety is also bound to i ncrease. As his anxiety increases, the more that he will seem confused, and later, stuporous. Five core nursing interventions 1. Monitor vital signs every 10 to 15 minutes This is a crucial intervention on the part of Mr. Smith because vital signs are the best parameters of a patient’s condition. It is an essential part of client’s care and it often forms the basis for identifying issues and planning interventions. In Mr. Smith’s case, it is possible to evaluate the worsening or the improvement of his condition through vital signs monitoring. Since Mr. Smith is a critical care patient, his vital signs are not stable and are expected to abruptly change. It is therefore important to monitor his vital signs at closer intervals. Such monitoring would assist in detecting abrupt changes in the patient’s vital signs. In such case, adjustments in the patient’s medication and interventions may be made accordingly and as each incident unfolds. Mr. Smith†™s condition is critical and is bound to change based on each intervention implemented on his behalf.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Current Trends and Future of Public Relations Essay

Current Trends and Future of Public Relations - Essay Example Their wishes are conveyed and their sentiments are made known to the celebrities in a very easy way. The celebrities have a safe route towards reaching their fans without actually getting nabbed by them. It also increases the chances of these fans to connect with their die-hard celebrities because usually the latter find ways, under which they could keep away from the fans due to invasion of privacy, however this problem gets solved in an amicable way when there is a virtual connection between the two. Moving ahead further, it is important to ascertain what the exact basis of this connection between the fans and the celebrities is, and how they connect with one another through the social media platforms which have come about with the passage of time. What needs to be understood here is a need to bring all of these fans to a common platform, which only the social media regimes can do in essence. The social media includes some of the most sought after names on the world of Internet, wh ich might comprise of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, MSN and so on and so forth. What is required here is an understanding of each of these social media sites and software before delving deep further into the study of celebrities and their connection with the fans. The fans have all the right over their celebrities to know more about them and hence gain the knowledge and information regarding them in the long run. Social media tools make this data available to all and sundry, and create the vital link amongst all concerned (Franklin, 1999). The trend of social media has kicked off well. It has turned heads more often than any other aspect within the world of Internet in the recent years. It has made one realize how important the social media tangents really are, and what kind of affect this new form of social linkage has had. Since social media forms do not have any physical basis, it is quintessential that these can be used from just about anywhere. It is also important to understand that social media is the basis of achieving success when the celebrities want to reach out to their fans and apprise them about the recent developments and changes which are happening within their fore. What is interesting is the fact that these celebrities can remain in touch through the different social media forms and be ahead with regards to their competitors (Shaviro, 2003). The trend of social media is all the more interesting because it raises quite a few eyebrows every now and then. With the recent upsurge in the communication platforms between the celebrities and their fans through Twitter and Facebook, this phenomenon has been beefed up nonetheless, and there is reason enough to believe such a premise in the first place. One should believe that the social media forms have more or less brought together the chain of interacting one another with how they view the celebrities and what they would like the celebrities to commit or do in the long run. The reason why the trend has centered on the excessive usage of these websites is because these remain online for 24 hours a day and almost anyone can hook on to them, as and when needed. This is such a blessing that the social media forms can have over individuals as they look to bridge the gap between themselves and their celebrities who are much revered and desired. On the flip side, these celebrities can heave a sigh of relief because they get to know what their fans think about them and how they will interact with them once they