High School and Prompt Essay

1. Situation: Many high school students hold part-time jobs after school. Directions: Think about the effects part-time jobs have on students. Do part-time jobs hinder or help a student’s educational goals? Prompt: Now write to convince your guidance counselor to accept your view of high school students holding part-time jobs. 2. Situation: Universities and colleges require that entering freshmen must have taken at least two years of a foreign language on the high school level before graduation. Directions: Think about the advantages and disadvantages of taking two years of a foreign language in high school. Prompt: Write an essay to convince a university or college whether or not two years of a foreign language be a requirement for high school. 3. Situation: Technology has become vital in our modern society. It acts as both a source for knowledge and for enjoyment. Directions: Think about technology’s role and connection with education. Does it help or hinder? Prompt: Write to convince the school board to accept your view of technology and its role in your school. 4. Situation: Your school board members have been asked to consider banning music playing devices (i. e.MP3 layers, CD players) from schools due to distractions they cause in classrooms. Directions: Think about the effects of listening to music playing devices in the classroom have on you and your friends. Prompt: Now write to convince your school board members to accept your point of view on whether music playing devices should be banned from schools. 5. Situation: Your school has decided to grant your grade level one privilege that the other grades in your school do not have. Directions: Think of one privilege that your class does not have that you would now like to have. Prompt: Now write to convince the administrators of your school to grant this privilege to your class for the rest of the year. 4 10th Grade Persuasive Essay Prompts 6. Situation: Many students feel that taking physical education in high school is not necessary, while others see great benefit in it. Directions: Do you feel that physical education should be a graduation requirement? Prompt: Now write to convince your legislators to accept your point of view. 7. Situation: Students are legally allowed to drop out of school after they reach the age of 16. The state is currently considering a bill which will raise this age to 18. Directions: Think about the problems or benefits of raising this age to 18. Prompt: Now write to convince your legislators to accept your viewpoint on the mandatory age for dropping out of school. 8. Situation: Your principal is thinking of rewarding students who pass the 10th grade FCAT on the first try. Directions: Think of rewards that you believe would be in the realm of possibility and would be effective motivators so that more students would do their best on this test. Prompt: Now, write to convince your Principal to accept your reward package. 9. Situation: State guidelines have re-outlined the high school math sequence. All students will soon be required to take geometry before graduation. Directions: Think about the challenges of all students taking geometry. Prompt: Now, write to convince your legislators to accept you point of view on whether geometry should be required before graduation. 10. Situation: Celebrities normally get paid many times the amount that fire-fighters, teachers and policemen earn. Directions: Think about whether you believe that celebrity salaries should be lowered. Prompt: Now write an essay to convince the public that your point of view is justified. 5 10th Grade Persuasive Essay Prompts 11. Situation: Online dating services have become popular in recent years. Directions: You have corresponded online with someone that you would now like to meet face-toface. You realize that there may be safety issues involved. Prompt: Now, write to convince your parents to allow this visit. 12. Situation: Many people believe that it is dangerous to talk on a phone while driving a car. The state legislators are considering making it against the law for people to use a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. Directions: Think about how you feel about people talking on a cell phone while driving a car. Prompt: Now write to convince your state legislators to accept your view about whether or not to make it against the law to talk on a phone while driving. 13. Situation: At the present time, young Americans volunteer to enlist for military service. To maintain our present military operations, more people may be needed. Directions: Do you agree or disagree with the opinion that all Americans, both men and women, should be required to perform two years of military service? Prompt: Write an essay in which you persuade the reader to support your point of view. Support your position with specific reasons and examples. 14. Situation: A law has been passed that requires high school students to pass exit tests before they graduate from high school. Directions: Consider carefully the advantages and disadvantages of passing required exit tests. Do you agree or disagree with making high-stakes exit tests, such as the FCAT Test, a requirement for high school graduation? Prompt: Write an essay in which you persuade the reader to support your point of view. Support a position with specific reasons and examples. 15. Situation: Many celebrities-such as actors, musicians, models, or athletes-make a great deal of money. Some people think celebrities make more money than they deserve. Other people think celebrities’ wealth is deserved because of the enjoyment they bring to the public. Directions: Do you agree or disagree that celebrities make more money than they deserve? 6 Prompt: Now, write an essay in which you persuade the reader that your side of the issue is correct. Use facts and examples to support your argument. 16. Situation: Current research suggests that because teenagers have different sleep patterns, they would benefit from beginning the school day at a later time. Suppose your Board of Education has proposed that all high school schedules begin at 9:30 a. m. and end at 4:30 p. m. Directions: Do you agree or disagree that this later schedule would be beneficial? Prompt: Now write an essay in which you persuade the Board of Education to agree with your opinion. Support your position with reasons and examples. 17. Situation: Due to potential problems, many school systems have adopted a policy that bans cell phones and pagers on school grounds. However, some parents have provided these items out of concern for safety. Directions: Do you agree or disagree that cell phones and pagers should be banned on school grounds? Prompt: Now write an essay in which you convince the reader of your opinion. Support your position with specific reasons and examples. 18. Situation: A law has been passed changing the driver’s license system to a graduated system. A young person can be issued a restricted learner’s permit at age 15, an intermediate license at age 16 and a full license at age 17. Both the learner’s permit and intermediate license limit the number of passengers allowed in a car and limit the hours the person can drive. The full license carries no restrictions. Directions: Consider carefully the advantages and disadvantages of the graduated driver’s license system. Do you agree or disagree with the graduated license system? Prompt: Now, write an essay in which you persuade the reader to support your point of view. Support your position with specific reasons and examples. 19. Situation: A school board is considering keeping school in session all year. Instead of a long summer vacation, there will be many shorter breaks throughout the year. Directions: Think about the effects of a twelve-month school year. Do you agree or disagree that schools should be in session all year? Prompt: Now, write an essay in which you persuade the reader why this is or is not a good idea. Defend your position with specific reasons supported by several detailed examples. 20. Situation: In some countries, students are responsible for the basic daily cleaning of their school buildings. Fifteen minutes are set aside each day for all students to sweep, dust, and clean their classrooms and corridors. 7 Directions: Think about how you would feel if students were responsible for cleaning your school. Do you agree or disagree that American schools should adopt this policy? Prompt: Now, write an essay in which you persuade the reader why this is or is not a good idea. Defend your position with specific reasons supported by several detailed examples. 21. Situation: Imagine that your school district has proposed saving money by eliminating extracurricular sports (football, basketball and baseball) from the high school program. Directions: Think about the possible effects of cutting sports from the school program. Decide whether you are for or against this proposal. Prompt: Now write an essay in which you persuade the reader why this is or is not a good idea. Defend your position with specific reasons supported by several detailed examples. 22. Situation: Many schools require all students to perform some type of community service such as working in nursing homes or hospitals. Directions: Think about how you would feel if you were required to perform a community service. Prompt: Now write an essay in which you persuade the reader that students should or should not be required to perform community service. Defend your position with several detailed reasons. Develop those reasons with supporting examples. 23. Situation: Since schools have seen a rise in gang violence, stealing, and discipline problems, many schools and school districts are considering requiring students to wear uniforms. Directions: Think about how you would feel if you were required to wear a school uniform. Are there benefits or drawbacks to requiring students to wear school uniforms? Prompt: Now write an essay in which you persuade the reader that school uniforms should or should not be required. Defend your position with specific reasons supported by several detailed examples. 24. Situation: A graduate from your high school has made a large financial gift to your school and has requested that the money be used to improve the educational experience for students. This donor has also asked that students be able to recommend how the money should be used. Directions: Think about how this financial gift should be used at your school. it could be used to expand the use of technology, add new courses, or improve the library or media center. Choose one of these options or one of your own. Prompt: Write a persuasive essay stating your recommendation. Provide supportive reasons to convince school officials why the money should be spent on your recommendation. 8 10th Grade Expository Essay Prompts 1. Situation: A friend of yours is considering moving to your town soon. Directions: Think about the reasons why you like living in your town. Prompt: Write to explain why you like living in your town. 2. Situation: Everyone has a possession that he/she cherishes. Directions: Think about an object that is your prized possession and why it has special meaning to you. Prompt: Write to explain why the object is your prized possession. 3. Situation: In recent years, many areas in the United States have experienced natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Directions: Think about ways young people should respond to help people in other communities that have experienced natural disasters. Prompt: Write to explain ways young people may respond to help people in other communities affected by natural disasters. 4. Situation: Each year, many teenagers are killed or injured by driving under the influence of alcohol or by riding in a car driven by an alcohol-impaired teen. Directions: Think about how these alcohol-related deaths or injuries can be reduced. Prompt: Write to explain solutions to help stop other teens from risking their lives by driving under the influence of alcohol. 5. Situation: School violence has increased significantly over the past several years. Directions: Think about reasons why school violence is on the rise. Prompt: Write to explain why school violence has increased over the past few years. 6. Situation: Teenagers are often influenced by celebrities. Directions: Think about a celebrity who positively affects teens. Prompt: Write to explain how a celebrity can serve as a positive role model to teens. 9 10th Grade Expository Essay Prompts 7. Situation: Obesity is becoming a national health issue. Directions: Think of reasons why Americans are gaining weight and becoming obese. Prompt: Write to explain reasons why Americans are fighting the weight battle. 8. Situation: The cost of gasoline has risen drastically. Directions: Think of alternatives to paying such outrageous prices for fuel. Prompt: Write to explain what alternatives you would use to save money. 9. Situation: As the price of gasoline continues to rise, American consumers are paying high prices for a gallon of gas. At the same time, oil companies are making record profits. Directions: Think about legal ways you as a consumer can send a message to the oil companies that American consumers are being hurt financially by paying too much for a gallon of gas. Prompt: Write to explain legal ways consumers can take action to fight the rising cost of gas. 10. Situation: Everyone has had a memorable teacher. Directions: Think about the positive influences a teacher has had on you and your educational goals. Prompt: 11. Situation: Write to explain your most memorable teacher. Many people in this country care more about the way they look and having a lot of nice things, like cares and clothes, than about the problems of society. They do not pay enough attention to problems such as crime, poverty, or unemployment. Directions: Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Prompt: Write an essay in which you explain your opinion. 12. Situation: Your school has a program in which a tenth grader acts as a mentor for a ninth grader at the beginning of each school year. The mentor’s job is to  help the ninth grader have a successful experience at your school. The ninth grader you are working with is worried about being able to write well enough for high school classes. 10 Directions: As you plan your response, think about your own writing experiences. How would you describe â€Å"good† writing? What advice about writing has been helpful to you? What writing techniques do you use? Prompt: Write a letter to your ninth grader explaining what kind of writing is expected in high school classes and what the student can do to be a successful writer in high school.

Omnivores Delimma Essay

In America, we do not decide what is healthy and what is not by the authenticity of natural food, but rather nutrition facts. If we are in a store and see a label that says â€Å"only 100 calories† we are drawn to that item instead of an item labeled â€Å"organic† or â€Å"all-natural†. This is because as a society, we are always on a â€Å"fad diet† and believe that health has to do with calorie counting and sugar intake as opposed to the actual production of the food itself. In Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, argues that this is not the case. Pollan goes into an in-depth investigation to show that the organic food chain is the healthiest and most realistic of the â€Å"three principal food chains that sustain us today: the industrial, the organic, and the hunter-gatherer† (7), He describes the â€Å"omnivores dilemma† as the constant problem that people with vast amounts of food must face everyday. The question Pollan continuously raises is the idea that because we have the ability to eat almost everything, we struggle with being able to decide what the best choice is. Therefore we must always ask ourselves the question â€Å"what should we eat†? Throughout his extraordinary exploratory first hand research, Pollan shows that we would be healthier and happier if we truly knew where our food was coming from and how it was produced. Pollan promotes a food chain where the food can be directly traced back to its origins, as opposed to industrialized food. Therefore, it can be conceived that the best way to achieve this idea is to follow the organic food chain. The organic food chain is best for expressing Pollan’s idea that if we know where our food originates, we will be find greater satisfaction in our meals. The organic food chain is one that provides the most natural benefits to humans. A prime example of this can be seen on grass-farms because; grass is â€Å"the foundation of the intricate food chain† (126). Pollan points out that grass is typically overlooked as a material of consumption, however grass is one of the solid beginnings of the big organic food chain. There are two main human-grass phases. The first is mediated by animals because they are able to digest the grass and therefore produce meat for us to eat. In this process humans â€Å"deliberately promoted the welfare of the  grasses in order to attract and fatten the animals they depended on†. The second phase of the human-grass relationship, is known as the â€Å"invention of agriculture† (129). In this phase grass progressed to produce â€Å"dense seeds that could nourish humans directly†(129). Through this progression, this specific grass eliminated the necessity for animals to mediate the relationship between grass and people. This simple process is â€Å"beyond organic† and without the use of any kind of machinery. Therefore, allowing us to see where our food originated, which goes hand in hand with Pollan’s theory that if we see where our food comes from we are healthier and happier because we know exactly what we are putting into our bodi es. When it comes to big organic food, Pollan starts his investigation at Whole Foods. It is here that he brings up the idea that we like organic food because we believe that it is wholesome. Big organic food is food that is truly all natural and â€Å"beyond organic†, with no machinery or unnatural influences. The success of organic markets play into Pollan’s idea that we enjoy food more when we know where it comes from. The organic food chain is the most realistic option out of the three proposed food chains (industrialized, organic, and hunter-gatherers) that best promotes Pollen’s philosophy of the human relation to nature. Industrialized food chains are the furthest food chains from the lifestyle Pollan is trying to encourage. Both the conventional industrialized food supply and the industrial organic supply imply through labeling and advertising that their products are natural, when in fact that is not the case. When the word â€Å"organic† is labeled on anything we assume that it is all-natural which fulfils our â€Å"deepest, oldest longings†¦ for a connection to the earth† (137). We as a society tend to simply believe and assume the clever marketing â€Å"organic† companies use, however this is â€Å"an imperfect substitute for direct observation of how food is produced† (137). When Pollan investigated the industrialized food chain, he learned that corn is found in everything from food to batteries; essentially everything we eat is from a form of corn. Corn is a cheap crop, cheaper than grass, therefore ideal for an industrial production process. Because corn is so cheap there  is constantly an excess amount that needs to be disposed of, because of this problem surplus amounts of corn are used to feed cows. The problem with is that a â€Å"cow is by nature not a corn eater† (64); this is the first sign that this process is unnatural. Due to the unnatural meals the cows are forced to consume, there are many problems that come in return. One major problem is bloating due to the cow’s diet that â€Å"contains too much starch and too little roughage† (77), this small dietary substitute can often times lead to the animals suffocation. However, if the cow does not suffocate from their unsuitable diet, they still must be injected with antibiotics to ensure their health. This also fails to cohere to the idea of healthy food, additionally, the animal’s â€Å"drugs are plainly being used to treat sick animals, yet the animals probably wouldn’t be sick if not for the diet of the grain we feed them† (79). Once the animal is killed for the industrialized food supply, â€Å"what doesn’t pass through the gut of a food animal to become meat will pass through one of America’s twenty-five wet-mills† (86). These wet-mills are what makes processed food that are used for supplements, especially by big name brands such as McDonald’s. This food chain by far is the most unnatural of them all. However, it is we, the modern Americans, which keep this food chain successful. We are a perfect example for the phrase â€Å"ignorance is bliss†. We do not think that we are drinking corn when we have a soda, and we automatically assume the meat in our fast-food burgers is natural, healthy meat, when this could not be further from the truth. Pollan goes as far as to call this food â€Å"schematic† (119), he states that once we are finished with our industrialized meal we are not satisfied, but â€Å"simply, regrettably, full† (119). By leaving us unsatisfied, the industrialized food supply supports Pollan’s beliefs that knowing where our food comes from satisfies us and makes us happier eaters. In addition to the industrialized food chain, Pollan also finds wrong doings in the industrial organic food supply. The term â€Å"organic† is meant to refer to food that is made from nature, not machinery. The industrial organic process supply utilizes machinery, though in an environmentally sound way,  to produce their food. In an industrial organic process, a machine is used to transform â€Å"inputs of seed and fossil energy into outputs of carbohydrate and protein†(130). Industrial Organic is a paradox, because the word organic is meant to refer to food that is completely natural with no intercourse with machines, however in the Industrial Organic process, machines are employed. This process is still a process of manufacturing, and does not have the correct use of Pollan’s idea of human’s relation to nature because they take us farther from natural food, and the knowledge of where our food comes from. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma I found Pollan’s idea of how to engage with the natural world compelling, however I also it unrealistic. Though I do believe that it would be in all parts of the environment (including humans) best interest to establish a completely natural food chain, I also think that in this day and age, that would be impossible. Our modern day society is not necessarily focused on what is the best thing for us, but what is easiest. Even though processed foods from McDonland’s are unnatural and bad for our bodies, the food has a decent taste, is affordable, and is fast. Many modern American’s are not thinking about the future or where their food originated from because they have so many other things on their mind, and if they are knowledgeable about where their food came from, many of them simply do not care. As long as it is filling and tasty, it gets the job done. In the last page of the introduction to this book Pollan says â€Å"many people today seem perfectly content eating at the end of an industrial food chain, without a thought in the world; this book is probably not for them†(11). This sentence further proves my idea that people just do not care enough to change their way of living. Pollan is exactly right when he says â€Å"this book is not for them† because a decent amount of people do not want to know where their food comes, they do not want to spoil their appetite, and there lies the problem. In modern America, citizens are perfectly content with how things are now, and they have no reason to put in extra effort, time, and money, to fix something that they do not believe needs fixing.

Royal Ahold’s Case Write Up

Executive Summary The case discusses the Royal Ahold’s the major events that led to the demise of a great European company. The case presents some of the key issues in the areas of leadership, strategy, audit and accounting fraud that resulted in their disaster. The case identifies the problems made by the management in selecting the improper growth strategy and incentive plan that encouraged unethical behaviour from the senior management. The events presented touch and highlight management and governance issues, which are so important in managing global companies.After analysis of the cases and financial statements, I have come with questions and concerns on the management and financial statements that could have caught this earlier on. Questions to be asked and process of approving budgets, corporate strategy, risk controls would have raised concerns on the management style. Some of the other recommended actions for board and its various committees would have discouraged the improper management practices. Some of these questions might have surfaced real issues and / or encouraged the right practice.I found various accounting standards, challenges of global audit process; in this case it was led by Deliotte. The CEO’s and leadership growth strategy was the reward and recognition was improper. The number of acquisitions made during the 90s and continuous pressure was put on all subsidiaries to grow the sales by 15% were bad decisions. This alone led to many other problems within the company. The CEO’s growth strategy and desire to quickly grow the company put immense pressure on all other companies and senior management to somehow meet the CEO’s expectation.It all resulted into fraudulent activities and ultimately disaster of great company. I recommend adopting changes to incentive plans, non-financial factors be part of success criteria. In measuring financial success, working capital ratio, inventory days, receivable and payable ta rgets should be part of incentives. Above all, I recommend changes to the board committees and ensuring their work is independent was also important, i. e. audit committee, establishment of HR committee to raise issues and improve the overall organization culture. The case also highlights the issue of multiple accounting standards being practiced in very country.A standard corporate wide accounting standard in Royal Ahold must have been used. Both external and internal auditors must have report ed numbers in a consistent approach. I recommend that auditors had direct reporting to board and should have empowered and trained to look for documentation and management structures in their audit process. Had they dig deep on all areas of concerns of material significance they might have found side letters. I have also highlighted other recommendations including the controls in the accounting standards and in preparing financial papers.Incentive plans and corporate strategy be realistic to avoid unwanted behaviors. Tone of the top management including the board’s, assignment of responsibilities be clearly stated and periodically measured. Student id: 250712690 1 Management Accounting Exam Problem Identification: The case depicts another case of fail of governance and business ethics. This appears to be a fraud and not just accounting mistakes. By 2003, the time of the case, Enron, WorldCom and few others had already identified the need of business ethics and corporate governance.Royal Ahold series of events happened mainly due to greed and unethical behaviour but what really underlies is the objective setting, growth strategy and, rewards recognition criteria set by management. The case also presents issues of cost accounting, in terms of, when to apply the manufacturing rebates. Consolidation of subsidiaries and joint ventures also played a role in this fraud. It also shows bad governance, flaws in external audit, failure of internal audit functions and to som e degree their competency. Leadership strategy: Royal Ahold’s CEO’s strategy of 15% growth year-over-year was very aggressive.The reward and recognition structure around the sales number was improper as it led management of all subsidiaries and other business units to increase the revenue and meet the targets. CEO kept communicating to board and shareholders the expectation around the sales strategy and likelihood of meeting these targets. Consequently, it created a culture whereby senior management were under pressure to meet the sales objective. The senior management and head of subsidiaries must have felt that missing the sales targets is not even an option. Accounting Fraud: The case presents few big issues of accounting.Firstly, the issue is of the incorrect accounting treatment of manufacturing rebates and promotional allowances. My opinion is that rebates cannot decrease the cost of goods unless there is a certainty of getting the rebates. If the rebates are unc ertain they cannot decrease the cost of goods incorrectly. From the case, it appears that management ordered more quantity of goods then they could have sold. They booked the rebates at time of goods received and decrease the cost of goods prematurely. (Assumption: It is not very clear from the case, if these rebates were booked as income or adjusted against the cost of goods i. . decrease in cost of item. I have assumed that Royal Ahold accountants decreased the costs (prematurely as per above paragraph). If these were booked as income, then it is even a bigger fraud and not an accounting error) Second accounting fraud problem is the accountants preparation of Royal Ahold’s parent company financial statements. They consolidated the financial statements including some of the joint ventures when Royal didn’t even had control over them. Royal Ahold did not own more than 50% of these Joint Ventures and did not have the control of the decision making.They created fraudulen t paper work to show they had control on these join venture companies. This is a pure fraud as they created agreements to satisfy auditors and try to hide the real facts. Audit: Both external auditors and internal auditors (and audit committee) failed to detect any of the accounting issues. It could have been missed as accounting standards in many countries is different. External auditors, even though they may all be of Deloite, of one country only audits that country statements, so they may not be familiar what might be happening in other parts of the company.However, the Royal Ahold parent company auditors are responsible to have an oversight of companywide audit and should be held responsible for over -looking these fraudulent transactions. Internal audit and board’s audit committee failed to detect any of the misrepresentation either. On top of that in Netherlands there were two boards (Governing Board and Supervisory Board) and both boards weren’t able to detect o r raise red flag on any of these problems and misrepresentations. Management having two sets of paper work with JV (Joint Ventures) without coming under the investigation shows incompetency of audit functions.Governance / Audit Structure The way the governance and audit structure was laid out at Royal Ahold, there were five different committees and entities were responsible to review accounting and financial controls and practices that could have asked questions and raise concerns (red flags). They were: The governance board, supervisory board, the audit committee, internal audit department and the external auditors. Each should have independently reviewed management controls and financial statements and raise concerns and issues. Raising Red FlagsIn my opinion, the governance structure and audit committees and external auditors were sufficient enough to handle or uncover such fraudulent activities had they been critical, created the right controls, empowered the internal auditors a nd obviously asked the right questions while reviewing the financial statements and other management documentation. As part of board, I would have asked questions following questions, or have acted when seen abnormalities. This would have helped me in identifying issues, concerns and in raising red flags on the Royal Ahold 1999-2001 financial statements.Also some of them are related to mid 90’s management attitude and strategy. Strategy and Growth Approach: The target of meeting 15% year-over-year in sales, especially in US in 2000-01 when economy was in recession should have alarmed the board and internal auditors. They should have investigated how the sales targets are being achieved. It is not easy to meet 15% sales in US food industries under this economic climate. This may have led the management behaviour in meeting the targets.As board member, I would have asked CEO to explain the strategy of rewards and recognition, mainly on top line bonus as it is a wrong choice. (I have personally worked at Compaq during 1999-2000 and have seen the issue of top line bonus and commission on sales. This led to Compaq’s continued crises and eventually it was bought by HP in 2003). I would tried to influence the board and hence the CEO to consider a more comprehensive rewards strategy. From my experience bonus strategy plays a big role in company culture. The other important factor that develops the management attitude is what CEO likes to hear.It seems Royal Ahold’s CEO, Cees van der Hooven, wanted to hear from all his subsidiaries and Joint Ventures that sales targets are being met every quarter. I would have influence the management style and company culture to be protected by changing (or diluting) this approach. CEO’s attitude and leadership style was one of the leading cause of Royal Ahold demise. His aggressive acquisition approach would have resulted in integration issues within the company. As board member, I would have asked the man agement plans on integration and how culture of the organization would not be negatively impacted.I would have created the board HR committee to influence management not to allow the negative impacts on the organization culture, integration within the organization, rewards and recognition be such that it would not have allowed the culture to deteriorate. The cultural issues, integration issues and above all greed among the management team members was uncontrolled in Royal Ahold’s accounting scandal. The growing number of acquisitions was extremely risky initiative; the corporate strategy was carrying high risks at all operational levels including controls, integration that may have led to frauds.Also, this had potential to be a reputation risk as well. In my opinion, board should not have approved such an aggressive corporate growth strategy. Consolidated Statements Although Royal Ahold ownership is less than 50% in some Join venture companies, they showed controlling interes ts in some companies. To me an agreement paper presented by the management is not sufficient. I would have asked the significance of Royal Ahold’s control and ask management which areas of Joint Venture management we have been making decisions on.If we are making decisions, even though we don’t own more than 50%, what are the risks associated with these decisions. As a board member, I would have understood how Royal Ahold has influenced the Joint Venture management. I would have also asked audit committee to understand the management structure of Joint Ventures. Taking a step further, assuming that 20% share would have given Royal Ahold right to appoint a board member on Joint Venture’s Board, I would have understood from the Joint Venture board member (through Royal Ahold appointed director) how the joint ventures decision making process really works.By asking such questions and efforts in trying to understand from the board and management of Joint ventures how the organization is actually structured and working. If Royal Ahold does not have a controlling authority on the acquired company, the company financial statements cannot be consolidated. Royal’s accounting practice o f consolidation will first bump up the revenue numbers. This was purposely done to beef up the revenue figures. This may have resulted bigger bonus for the senior management. Also, the balance sheet would be more attractive to the shareholders (and potential shareholders). To explain this here is simple illustration:Parent Current Assets Assets Total Assets Current Liabilities Liabilit ies Total Liabilities Shareholder's Equity Debt to Equity Ratio Subsidiary Consolidated 3 7 10 1 3 4 4 10 14 4 1 5 3 7 0. 5 1. 5 3. 5 8. 5 3 2. 5 5. 5 2. 3 0. 6 1. 5 As illustrated in the hypothetical example above example, by consolidat ion the debt looks more attractive then it would have looked otherwise in the parent company. The debt to equity shows debt-to-equity of ($1. 5: $1) when consolidated, and ($2. 3:$1) when not consolidated. Similarly, other financial ratios would have looked good with consolidation of financial statements.The consolidation resulted in better financial statements; hence Royal Ahold used this approach. In actual, this should not have used consolidated method. As per the accounting text, Parent when owns an investee company’s 20%-50% should use the equity method of accounting. The equity method would have mainly impacted the earnings on the Income statements. The net income, however, would result the same earnings without changing the revenue numbers. On the balance sheet side, the equity method would only show true â€Å"Assets† number, as per the investments made in the JV by Royal Ahold. The financial ratios (e. . debt to equity or quick ratio etc. ) will not be as appealing as it started to sound with consolidated statement. Risk Controls: As board member, I would have influenced the entire board not to approve the corporate strategy as a budget was too aggressive and unrealistic. As pointed out above, realistic targets are extremely important. If strategy is too aggressive and corporate culture is to share good news with the CEO the unrealistic budgets targets may lead to malpractice and improper (fraudulent) activities. In my opinion it is supervisory board obligation to approve only realistic targets.The corporate strategy in the growth years of mid ‘90s was too aggressive. This has done part of the damage in the culture and mind-set of the senior management that 15% growth is not unrealistic and has created an attitude to meet these targets in any way possible. This encouraged the wrong doings and possible frauds that started to take place in 1999-2001. Although it is not very clear from the case, were there any wrong doing (or activities) in 199798, but in the hind-sight, it appears that some of the issues must have started or existed in that time as well.The board and senior m anagement should actively work on identifying risks to the organization and work on strategies that mitigates the risks. A key here is to have a formal risk assessment process on an annual basis. The assessment is under supervision of the board and results are reviewed by the board. Inventory 2001 balance sheet shows 20% rise in inventory, I would have raises some concerns that might have uncovered the management improper decision to order such high quantity of stocks to get the manufacturing rebates. Accounts ReceivableIn 2001, accounts receivable increased by Euros 605M i. e. 21. 2%. I would have asked questions around the assumptions and likelihood receiving the Account Receivable. More importantly, who owes this receivable to Royal Ahold. This may have been due to the manufacturing rebates included in the accounts receivable. If so, it would have led to the whole issue of management aggressive behaviour on ordering stocks to get rebates. It might have opened up the entire incorr ect accounting treatment of manufacturing allowances and rebates. General ReserveRoyal Ahold is showing consistently on their balance sheet a general reserve item that is over 5 to 6 Billion euros (approx). This appears to be high, I would have asked on what assumptions these provisions are made. It might have uncovered some of the assumptions that are being made by management. This general reserve is in addition to the 1. 5B euros in other provisions. This is should have been a red flag. Other Recommended Preventive Measures Besides the concerns and red flags mentioned above, I would have raised based on what I would have seen.I would have also taken following measures to prevent this from happening. Incentive (Bonus) Structure: The bonus structure cannot solely be based on financial goals. The bonus structure has to base on non-financial goals as well. Within financial goals all aspects to kept in mind when designing the appropriate incentive program. The increase in working capit al (inventory, receivables, payables etc. ) is kept at minimum or in line with the net income. The increase or decrease in working capital beyond the realistic proportion to earnings should be discouraged through the incentive program as well.Audit Committee Structure: The case presents the audit committee and internal audit department weaknesses and signs of some of their inefficient processes and competency issues. Besides reviewing the audit committee performance, monitoring and control issues were also been found. I would have influence the audit committee to have a metrics of internal audit department. This may have encouraged more objectivity of audit functions and may have aligned management controls to the overall governance issues. It is the responsibility of audit committee that internal and external auditors have an open communication.Besides audit of the current financial statements, and review of controls and structures, the auditors must identify areas of improvement i n controls and work on action plan in improving the organization controls and monitoring process. HR Committee As mentioned above, I would have asked board to create HR committee that takes an active role in setting the controls in the organization. The committee should take an active role in reviewing the annual compensation and objective setting. Committee should have taken an independent review of key hiring decisions and management capability on integration and organization culture.Some key decisions in this area should only made by committee after consulting with the management, audit and board’s general direction. IT System: I would have asked internal audit committee to ensure all IT systems are audited to ensure proper controls are in place. Usually, in fraud IT systems controls could have loop holes or management may have the ability to bypass some of the checks and balances and/ or segregation of duties. Consistency in financial Statements Royal Ahold had companies in four different continents and in many countries.Financial statements presentation and laws across the globe are not consistent. US GAPP, Netherlands GAAP, IFSA and others are not standard across all countries where the Royal Aholds companies are in operation. While the fact makes a challenge for the board, it doesn’t give them an excuse of letting things slip. The board should have worked out with internal and external auditors in creating a minimum corporate standard across the group of companies. It is the flaw in governance and leadership to over-look this fundamental point.

Project Proposal (open pizza restaurant) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Proposal (open pizza restaurant) - Essay Example There is considerable hospitality management experience amongst the three. The owners of Kudos Pizzeria are of the opinion that together they can overcome their competition in the Lido Beach area. Apart from the Pizza Delivery service, the nearest pizza restaurant is at least 3 miles away from our chosen site for the restaurant. And they can be left behind easily because Kudos Pizzeria’s exacting standards about using the freshest of produce and providing the best service. The owners felt the need for the establishment for a pizza joint because the area lacked one for miles and was ripe for the opportunity. Pizza is a food group all by itself and can provide good nourishment if prepared with healthy and fresh ingredients. (Dunham, 2007)The Lido Beach area is mainly populated by tourists and young families. For both groups it is important to find a source of balanced meal, but both groups are usually found surviving on bottled carbonated drinks and packaged snacks. Also important to the owners, is the concept of family meals and Pizza is one dish that everyone loves to gather around. (Kling, Cotugna, Snider & Peterson, 2009) Kudos Pizzeria will be a profitable entity within a year of going into operation. This will be measured via the profit and loss statement produced by the company. Employee satisfaction  surveys will be held bi-annually to help assess  and understand the employees attitudes, enthusiasm, and satisfaction. Customers will also be regularly asked to submit feedback which will be used to gauge their satisfaction.   In order to assess the business’ impact on the environment, life cycle analysis and environmental footprint tools will be utilized. These will help convert the results into the financial language so as to better understand the impact. If the project is not followed through, a young and lively community will be left without a viable source of healthy and tasteful food; at least till someone else grabs at the opportunity. Also,

Care Plan Genitourinary Clinical Case Assignment

Care Plan Genitourinary Clinical Case - Assignment Example y flow and gradual worsening symptoms of nocturia, weak urinary stream, dysuria with burning, android obesity, blood in stool and an elevated PSA level with enlarged, boggy prostate that is tender to palpation. A complex uroflowmetry test is ordered to measure the amount of urine in the bladder and the rate at which it flows to determine whether the patient has inadequate bladder muscle contraction (MedlinePlus, 2012). This is because the patient complained of a decrease in the flow of urine. A Cysto-urethroscopy/ cystoscopy to check the inside of the urethra and bladder to diagnose any infections, kidney and bladder stones or tumors (MedlinePlus, 2012). This is due to fever, weak urinary system as well as difficulty when urinating. Pressure-flow voiding studies conducted to determine the ability of the bladder and urethra to expel urine (MedlinePlus, 2012). This is because of the weak urinary system and the difficulty experienced when starting to urinate. A Video urodynamic test conducted to get a visual look of the urinary tract and to monitor the path and flow of the urine (MedlinePlus, 2012). This is because of the weak urinary system and the difficulty experienced when starting to urinate. A BUN test is done together with a blood Creatinine test to determine the level of ceratine in the blood. This determines the kidney functioning (Lab Test Online, 2014). The test is done to rule out any kidney problems due to the symptoms presented. The patient has to be educated on importance of exercising and proper diet to reduce his weight and a diet without spicy food and citrus fruits as they may cause bladder irritation (Prostate Cancer UK,

Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis - Essay Example The populations most at risk are those suffering from acute or chronic severe renal insufficiency, from acute renal insufficiency of any severity due to the hepato-renal syndrome, and those patients in the peri-operative liver transplantation period. For all of these patients it is recommended that health care professionals simply avoid the use of GBCA; the only exception being when it is determined that the diagnostic information to be obtained is absolutely necessary and unavailable through the use of non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, as a precautionary measure, it is recommended that health care professionals conduct a screening for all patients for a renal dysfunction by either obtaining a history or carrying out laboratory tests. These screening measures are fundamentally precautionary, however, because "the risk, if any, for developing NSF among patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency or normal renal function is unknown" (Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents, 2007).

Magnetite Biomineralization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Magnetite Biomineralization - Research Paper Example nt study showed that most human brain tissues had a least five million single domain crystals per gram and in excess of 100 million crystals per for dura and pia. The crystals were in clumps of 50-100 particles. During biologically controlled mineralization of magnetite the organism makes use of cell activities to control the nucleation, growth, final place of deposit, and the morphology of the mineral. The process of biomineralization of magnetite commonly occurs in an isolated environment. The nucleation and growth of biominerals is dependent on the existence of a localized zone that enjoys and maintains adequate supersaturation. The two phases of iron that commonly feature in the process of magnetite biomineralization in bacteria are ferrihydrite and magnetite. In bacteria, magnetosome organelle is responsible for producing magnetite. The organelle is basically a biomineralized greigite or magnetite. Magnetite Fe3O4 is a naturally occurring mineral. Scientists note that the mineral is one of the most magnetic minerals that naturally occur on earth. Research has shown that magnetite does not only occur naturally on the earth, it is also found in animal tissues. Indeed scientists note that almost all groups of organisms form one form or another of biominerals. Some of the organisms that have been found to precipitate magnetite include arthropods, chordates, and mollusks. Recent studies show that biominerals are found in humans such as in bones and teeth. The precipitation of magnetite in living organisms occurs through the biomineralisation process. This paper will discuss Magnetite biomineralization in light of its chemistry, occurrence, and crystallography among other issues. Biomineralisation or biologically regulated mineralization is basically the process through which living organisms produce minerals according to Kirschvink and Hagadorn (2000). Weiner and Dove (2013) note that biomineral products are composites that comprise both organic and mineral

Cigarette Taxes and Smoking Bans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cigarette Taxes and Smoking Bans - Essay Example Before the provision of this report, taxes fixed on cigarettes were intended just to raise the revenue on the sale of cigarettes. However, after the provision of the Surgeon General's report, the taxes fixed on cigarettes had an additional purpose of discouraging cigarette smoking (Meier & Licari, 1997). The idea of cigarette tax is obtained from "economic theory". An increase in cigarette tax is a direct cause of increase in the selling cost of per cigarette, and hence, as the law of supply and demand states, a comparatively less amount of cigarettes will be sold. (Meier & Licari, 1997). A long-stated supposition of the 'economic theory' declared above was that a rise in cigarette tax would reduce its sales and thus hurt the financial system. On the other hand, Jha, Beyer and Heller (1999) reports that the rise in cigarette tax in reality increased the cigarette tax revenue and hence doesn't harm the economy at all. Tax revenue is actually a source of government income. For this reason, an increase in cigarette taxes is an increase in government income. Cigarette taxes have been increased in thirty one states since 2000 (Capehart, 2004). Further research has shown that these thirty one states have also imposed bans against smoking (Smoke Free World, 2005). Many studies have clearly showed the decrease in the amount of cigarette consumed by the individuals (Brown, 1995; Meier & Licari, 1997; and Showalter, 1998). On the other hand Tax revenues have increased on every sale (Capehart, 2004). Most literature analysis has examined cigarette taxes and cigarette tax revenues without taking the states with smoking bans into consideration. If we consider both sides of the story, the finalized decision of our research both agrees and disagrees with that of the literature. We agree with Meier & Licari (1997) and Gallet (2004) that smoking has been reduced in those states where cigarette bans and higher cigarette taxes have been imposed and differ with Showalter (1998) that higher cigarette taxes reduces higher tax revenue. The limit to which the literature has bounded itself is still clearly observed if the relation between the effects of the bans on smoking and the tax revenue is analyzed. It clearly shows that both these are not related to each other particularly. The revenue generated by the tax imposed on cigarettes was compared and contrasted with the amount of taxes that were imposed on cigarettes. But the laws passed for smoking were never compared or contrasted with these factors. The feature of our research expands its influence by analyzing the affect of the taxes imposed by governments in different states. We developed a new way of thought. One may carry out the fact that states, which imposed smoking bans, obtain a decreased amount of sales and hence have a decreased amount of tax revenue. This fact clearly shows that economy is adversely affected in those states. We proved the theory of demand and supply in relationship to state smoking bans and cigarette tax revenues. We determined if the smoking bans affect cigarette tax

Gay Lesbian Parents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gay Lesbian Parents - Essay Example That reality suggests that the children of gay and lesbian couples can experience healthy and normal psychological development were it not for societal tendencies towards discrimination, on the one hand, and the innate tendency of children to react negatively to uniqueness, or difference, on the other (Ahmann, 1999). In other words, while homosexual parenting does not, in itself, limit a child's capacity to undergo a normal psychological development process, the fact that it unfolds within societies which, despite public statements to the contrary, are innately protective of the traditional family structure and biased against same-sex families, detrimentally impacts the child's opportunities for healthy development. Through a review of the arguments on either side, the research shall attempt to prove the stated argument. Western societies, despite the prevalence of laws upholding homosexual rights tend towards negative conceptualisations of homosexuality. The anthropologist, D. Gilmore (1990) asserts that societal acceptance of sexual orientations is ultimately defined by the prevalent culture and cannot be dictated by laws. Insofar as Western societies, whether as a consequence of historic or religious traditions, define homosexuality as a practice which falls from without the bounds of normalcy, if not outright abnormal, it is inherently incapable of comprehending the possibility of children of same-sex parents as anything other than underprivileged. The fact that this is not necessarily the case and that the aforementioned perception is ultimately predicated on the dominant culture's perception of homosexuality as abnormal is validated by evidence which effectively proves that cultures which perceive of homo and hetero-sexuality as equally normal, have no prejudices against the concept of same-se x parenting (Gilmore, 1990). In other words and as further emphasised by Halwani (2002), culture dictates perceptions of homosexuality and, as a result, invariably affects the children of same-sex couples. The fact that culture, concomitant with traditional definitions of marriage and family, inexorably influence perceptions of the stated relationship and, as such impact the psychological development of the children concerned, is evidenced in a plethora of commentary on the phenomenon. The law, for example, clearly defines marriage and the family unit which is subsequently formed as a "union of man and woman uniquely involving the procreation and rearing of children within a family" (Johnston, n.d.). Religion, similarly defines marriage and family, consequently maintaining same-sex unions and families to be a harmful deviation from the norm with incalculably detrimental psychological effects on the children concerned (Richardson, 2004). In other words, there exists a predominately negative perception of the same-sex family unit insofar as culture, religion and the law combine to define it as abnormal. That in itself will limit the possibilities of healthy psychological development for children with gay or lesbian parents. Psychologists have determined the existence of a strong likelihood, as evidenced by empirical fact, that children who grow up with same-sex parents can

The Spectrochemical Series Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Spectrochemical Series - Lab Report Example Also ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), 16.00 g was dissolved in concentrated aqueous ammonia (NH4OH), 16 m ,there was formation of white suspension as a result of this. The dissolving process was done in separate beakers. The 2 solutions were then mixed in a casserole. These led to the formation of an orange solution. Following this, there was small increment addition of 4 ml of 30% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into this solution; this resulted to the formation of black solution with fizzing of oxygen gas. Lastly, the solution changed to maroon. The solution was heated on a steam bath until thick slurry was obtained; it was then put in an ice bath to cool. The rinsing of the solution was carried using 3 M hydrochloric acid (65 ml) in a 200 ml beaker and heated 10 minutes at 60?C. The solution was placed on an ice bath to cool and it was later filtered under a vacuum and the resulting precipitate was washed with acetone and cold water (iced). As a result of this there was formation of a pink pre cipitate. Week 2: There was addition of 2 M aqueous ammonia (NH4OH) (200 ml) in a beaker with the solid then heated to 50-60?C. this resulted to the formation of a cherry red solution. Then later, there was addition of concentrated hydrochloric acid (65 ml) to the solution. This resulted to the formation of white fumes. This solution was then heated for 10 min. ... Then later the precipitate was put at 110 ?C in an oven for 1 hour. Lastly, the solid mass was obtained using an electronic balance. Results and Discussion: Complex Formula of complex Color of solution Absorbance peak (nm) Splitting energy (J) A [Co(NH3)5Cl]2+ Pink 530.76 374519E-19 B [Co(NH3)6]3+ Orange 474.86 4.18228E-19 C [Co(NH3)5F]2+ (Not Given) 500-515 3.9756E-19 - 3.85981E-19 D [Co(NH3)5Br]2+ Purple 548.24 3.62578E-19 E [Co(NH3)5H2O]3+ Light red/orange 497.04 3.9994E-19 Table 1: Shows formulae of the complex, Solution Color, peak absorbance, and the splitting energy Of the 5 cobalt complexes employed in the experiment. Calculations (sample B): ?E = hc/? ? E = (6.626x10-34Js)(3x108m/s)/(474.86x10-9m) ? E = 4.18228E-19J Overall Reaction: 2CoCl2.6H2O +10NH4OH +2NH4Cl +H2O2 +3Cl- Â  ? 2[Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 + 24H2O + NH3Â   Re-crystallized solid Mass = solid mass + vial mass) – vial mass =15.76 – 13.25 = 2.51 g Reactions: CoCl2Â ·6H2O ? [Co(H2O)6]2+ + 2 Cl- [Co(H2O)6]2+ (aq) + 2NH3(aq) ? [Co(OH)2(H2O)4](s) + 2NH4+(aq) [Co(OH)2(H2O)4](s) + 5NH3(aq)? [Co(NH3)5]2+(aq) + 4H2O(l) + 2OH?(aq) [Co(NH3)5]2+(aq)+ ? H2O2? [Co(NH3)5]3+ + OH- (aq) [Co(NH3)5]3+ + 3Cl- ?[Co(NH3)5Cl]2+ + 2Cl- ?[Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 Mol of CoCl2.6H2O = mass/molar mass = 5.00/238 = 0.021008 mol CoCl2.6H2O : [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 = 2 : 2 = 1 : 1 Mol of [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 = 0.021008 mol Mass of [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 = 0.021008 X 250.5 = 5.26 g % yield = (actual yield / theoretical yield) X 100 = (2.51 / 5.26) X 100 = 47.71 % This experiment was able to determine the identity of each of these five cobalt complexes. Basing on the table information provided, the Cobalt complexes can be determined easily by arranging them according to wavelength from smallest to the largest: D < A < C < E < B This arrangement corresponds

ECON WEEK 7 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ECON WEEK 7 - Assignment Example The economy was still in the phase of recovery, when the recent forecast by the International Monetary Fund shattered all hopes of US regaining its status as the world’s largest economy. The IMF forecasted that China will surpass US by 2016 while US will experience â€Å"slow and modest economic growth†. (US Economic Forecast, 2013) The factors that have impeded US economic growth include low GDP growth rate, low employment rate, dip in inflation rates, low interest rates and, most significantly, a major current account balance deficit and a higher debt risk. In such a scenario, the government should focus on productivity gain as a source of economic growth through â€Å"improvement in skills, economies of scale and improved technology†. (Petroff, 1986, 1990 & 2002) This would help in offsetting the effect of the law of diminishing returns, by raising productivity growth in the face of an uncontrollable population

The Road Not Taken and An Unknown Girl Essay Example for Free

The Road Not Taken and An Unknown Girl Essay The Road Not Taken and An Unknown Girl both are written by authors with a peculiar background. An Unknown Girl is by Moniza Alvi who resides in England but was born in Pakistan reflects her ethnic background in An Unknown Girl, where she goes to India to search for her identity. The Road Not Taken was written by Robert Frost who had many professions, a teacher, mill worker, newspaper reporter, farmer and then finally a poet. His life background is reflected in the poem because the poem is about making a choice between different paths. The Road Not Taken is a conceit because the poet is telling us about how he faced two decisions in his life and a decision at this crossroad he encountered. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, Yellow usually represents cowardice, but by saying yellow wood he tells us that it is Autumn and it could be that Autumn represents his later years in life or that he is just around the corner from death. However in An Unknown Girl right from the beginning we learn that the poet is confused about her identity when she says, an An Unknown Girl is hennaing my hand. Literally, she is saying she does not know the girl who is hennaing her hands but more closely, it relates to how the poet still has no identified herself and is also unknown. Another clue the reader sees is there are no stanzas or structure to the poem, which emphasises that she that she is bewildered and confused as to how she is feeling. In The Road Not Taken the poet tries to delay his decision in which way he should go in life, and also literally the path he should take, when he says, Long I stood and looked down one as far as I could. The assonance of the oo sound he uses concludes that he wants to prolong his decision, and when he is looking down as far as he could, he is literally looking down the paths but also looking to his future. In An Unknown Girl, the poet experiences Many Indian images such as, henna, bazaar, rupees, kameez. However, the mix of the Indian and Western images (balloons, perms, neon lights) reflects on her confusion of identity, this is also backed up when she says, I have new brown veins. She is literally talking about the henna she has now on her hand but also that she has found some of her roots, blood and heritage from being in India. But sooner or later this will all be scraped off, It will fade in a week, this literally refers to the henna on her hand but also in a week she will be back in England where her roots and heritage will go back to being English and her Indian culture will fade away like the henna no her hand. A significant moment of the poets identity in The Road Not Taken is when he says, because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same. This part of the second stanza is saying the poet wants to be challenged and does not want to follow the crowd in taking the worn away path, which everyone else did, but wants to take the path that seemed fresh and untouched because it may have been more difficult to pass. This literally refers to the choice in path, but also his choice in a life career because he doesnt want to be something regular like a teacher or doctor, but wants to have a different life than the rest of society. In An Unknown Girl the poet also experiences a moment where she wants to be that something special, or different when she says, I am clinging to these peacock lines like people who cling to the sides of a train. She is literally talking about not loosing the henna lines on her hand but actually, she is showings how she is struggling to grasp onto the new culture and she is in danger of losing touch with it. This shows that she is unsure of her Indian roots and she feels that she should be physically marked so she can identify herself with Indian culture. On the third stanza in The Road Not Taken the poet seems to have a slight change in mind and regrets taking the path he took: Oh, I kept the first for another day, and: I shall be telling this with a sigh. The reader realizes that he regrets it because he uses negative vocabulary and phrases, for instance, sigh, doubted and if I should ever come back. These words and phrases show he is a pessimist, he uses a sarcastic tone even though he could have done something good. He is literally talking about how he regrets taking the path he chose at the crossroads but actually, he is saying that he regrets taking the path in life he chose and wants to turn back and start from the beginning where he had the choices. There is also a large decision in An Unknown Girl where near to the end of the poem and her trip to India she feels she will now lose all her Indian identity, When Indian appears and reappears, Ill lean across a country with my hands outstretched. Literally, she is on her last day in India and is reaching out in tiredness, but she is actually attempting to join the two cultures together like a bridge from England to India with her arms. By outstretching her arms, she is longing to stay Indian but she must make a decision and her decision is to go back to England. She feels as if she will never belong in India: Longing for that An Unknown Girl in the neon bazaar, she is saying that she just wants to be both cultures but it wont happen. At the end of The Road Not Takenthe poet has made his once in a lifetime decision and the reader has already realized that he regrets it, but now he had put the full blame on himself, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less travelled by, and that has all the difference. The caesura after by emphasises his disbelief that he caused the problem for himself. The repetition of I, shows he regrets the choice and wants to go back, but cannot. He shows frustration and bitterness at his once in a lifetime decision that he has ruined by taking the one path he thought was a challenge, but the challenge beat him. Both, The Road Not Taken and An Unknown Girl deal with the pressures of finding ones true identity, in The Road Not Taken the poet has to chose a path on a crossroad, which reflects how he needs to come to a decision in real life as to what he really wants to do or be. In An Unknown Girl, the poet wants to find out who she really is and is in search of her true roots in India. In both there is an ultimate ending where everything goes back to how it was or back to a normal lifestyle without the other identity or life they could have had.

Theories of Child Rearing Styles

Theories of Child Rearing Styles Child Development and Welfare Name: Theresa, C. Eric Table of Contents (Jump to) TAQ2: Child Rearing Styles TAQ3 TAQ4: â€Å"Social learning theory goes beyond conditioning: It goes into the world of learning because of the experiences we have along the way. Discuss† References TAQ2: Child Rearing Styles Child rearing Style 1 Child rearing style 2 Child rearing Style 3 Child rearing Style 4 Name of style Authoritative Permissive Uninvolved Authoritarian Characteristics Parents are democratic Attentive parents Forgiving parents Children are taught proper behaviour Have set of rules Punishment to the children for disobeying the rules and rewards for obedience Parents take on the role of friends No expectations on the child Children are allowed to make their own decisions Neglect of the children Parents put their life before the child’s Parents show little interaction with the children Strict parenting style Parents have high expectations on the children Less communication between parent and children Harsh punishment from the parents No logical reasoning for rules and punishment Effects on the development of child’s conscience Tend to have happier dispositions Have good emotional control and regulation Develop lack of self discipline Become self-centered and demanding Children also lack good social skills Sense of unimportance to the parents Sense of loneliness Lack of self-control Rarely think on their own They feel pressured to conform They become socially withdrawn Effects on later achievement A child is able to develop good social skills Children become self-confident about their abilities to learn new skills. This is important in cognitive development and later achievements of a child. They become good team leaders, team players, and learn to spur each other to success. They believe in collaborative involvement, giving people a second chance, and are likely to perform well in situations that need high level of consultation. Children in this category grow up to be slow decision-makers, and may not be best suited in situations that need swift decisions, characterized by authoritarianism. Tendency to clash with authority Tend to be aggressive and act out Underage drinking due to lack of rules Lack of good manners and ability to apply common sense in normal situations Tendency to develop self-centeredness Such children grow up into irresponsible adults who cannot be trusted with important tasks (Gadeyne, Ghesquiere, Onghena, 2004). They generally become slow in implementing, innovating, and blending in. They have a hard time discerning between what is wrong and right, and may become excessively carefree in nature. Such individuals cannot impose rules, and have them implemented. Conclusively, they do not make good leaders and performers. Show patterns of truancy in school Patterns of delinquency during adolescence Development of uneven behaviours, mainly because of lack of early monitoring and guidance Children lack a sense of guidance Development of â€Å"I don’t-care attitudes†, which greatly affect their behaviour and treatment of others (Gadeyne, Ghesquiere, Onghena, 2004). Inability to form teams, and work in collaborative settings – they become withdrawn from the rest of the crowd Low self esteem Develop fear of failure Develop resentment of authority (Gadeyne, Ghesquiere, Onghena, 2004). They lack great teamwork ability Tend to exercise the same authoritarian rules on the people they interact with, or lead, subconsciously. Such children become fixated with success, meaning a single failure may mean the end of the road for them. TAQ3 The study involves two child rearing styles, which include Baumrind’s Parenting Style Typologies and Maccoby and Martin’s Parenting Style Typologies. These two parenting topologies came into existence following various parenting styles brought into focus by early researchers. These include dominance/submission, acceptance/rejection, responsiveness/unresponsiveness, control/no control, emotionally involved/uninvolved, democratic/autocratic, and restrictiveness/permissiveness (Krause, Parker, Covin, 2013). A study carried out by Baumrind in the years late 1960s and early 1970s proposed three patterns of parenting styles, which differed qualitatively. These included authoritarianism, permissiveness, and authoritativeness. These three styles were based on analyzing parenting in largely middle class, white families. The study by Baumrind engaged thirty-two families which were selected after prolonged observations of the preschool children’s patterns of behaviour in the nursery school setting. It is this study which gave birth to the three parental authority prototypic forms, such as authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive. In Baumrind’s later study, several attributes were highlighted pertaining the different parenting topologies. About authoritarian parents he concluded that they try to shape, control, and Evaluate their children’s behaviour based on the absolute set of standards (Krause, Parker, Covin, 2013). He pointed out that parents have high maturity dema nds on their children since they are uncomfortable with their inappropriate behaviours. They do not support the idea of give-and-take, and believe that children should exclusively follow the commands they have been given by parents. This requires that children exercise absolute obedience and this even extends to even when they are socializing. The authoritarian parents do not bend rules at any given moment, and expect strict adherence (Abu, 2013). Such parents constantly demand that their children behave in a mature manner, and they pay less attention to psychological differentiation. These attributes were later updated by Maccoby and Martin (1983) who defined parenting style using two dimensions: parental demandingness (control, supervision, maturity demands) and parental responsiveness (warmth, acceptance, involvement) (Abu, 2013). The interaction between the two dimensions produced four distinct parenting styles. A primary difference between Baumrind’s parenting style typologies and Maccoby and Martin’s parenting style typologies is that Baumrind discussed on â€Å"permissive† parenting while Maccoby and Martin differentiates between two types of permissive parenting. About permissiveness, Baumrind (1971) suggests that parents make little mature demands on their children, as opposed to other parents discussed in the above categories. They use less punishment on their children. Besides, they let their children exercise self-control and make their own judgments. This gives an implication that they tend to tolerate their children’s misb ehaviour. These parents attempt to behave in less punitive and affirmative manner toward their children. They do not assert themselves as agents of modeling behaviour change, but present themselves as tools that can be used by the children to develop any type of desired behaviour (Abu, 2013). In addition, as opposed to other parents, this category of parents does not pay close attention to children while socializing. Thus, such children become non-achievers, since little pressure is exerted on them. These children are comparable to those of authoritarian children, though they differ in the aspect the degree of their achievement. The above findings are similar to those of Park and Bauer (2002), whose main focus was to establish the relationship between students’ academic achievement and parenting styles (As cited in. Krause, Parker, Covin, 2013). The results revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between authoritative parenting style and high school students’ academic achievement. Also shown on this study was a significant negative relationship between authoritarian and permissive parenting style and high school students’ academic achievement. Culture and education has clearly been shown as a factor that strongly influences the relationship between the different types of child rearing topologies. This is backed by the fact that studies carried out in different countries with different cultural setups showed different status of relationships. TAQ4: â€Å"Social learning theory goes beyond conditioning: It goes into the world of learning because of the experiences we have along the way. Discuss† Evolutionary psychologists have always argued that conditioning is an important aspect that shapes human personality. This argument can be derived from the effect of operant conditioning on animal behaviour, and how this has been used to relate to similar effects on humans. Basically, conditioning is a type of learning in which the behaviour of an animal of human being is shaped or largely modified by a series of consequences and antecedents (things that happened there before). It is suggested that behaviour is liable to change in form, strength, and frequency in equal measure. Various types of conditionings have been used to modify/shape animal behaviour. These include operant conditioning (instrumental conditioning), and classical conditioning. The former mainly deals with punishment and reinforcement to bring about the desired behaviour change. On the other hand, the latter deals with behaviours that are modified by reflexes, with respect to antecedent conditions (Anderson, Bushm an, 2001). However, it is not entirely true that conditioning is the major reason behind animal and human behaviour. Social learning theory is much more comprehensive and incorporates many other aspects that shape human and animal behaviour, as discussed in the proceeding sections of this paper. While conditioning mainly centers on using antecedents and experiences as the major tools that shape behaviour, social learning theories posit that there are other aspects that define human and animal behaviour, which go beyond the simple tenets of conditioning. Bandura’s social learning theory outlines that people learn from one another via observation, modeling, and imitation (Fuhrmann, Ravignani, Marshall-Pescini, Whiten, 2014). These three aspects go beyond the fabrics of positive and negative reinforcements, as applied in conditioning. While arguing this point out, it is important to understand what conditioning entails, especially with respect to effects of reinforcements. For instance, positive reinforcement involves rewarding an individual, especially a child, for a good work or performance achieved. It is believed that such reward systems would act as motivating factors for repeat performances. Though this school of thought might hold some weight, to some extent, it fails to take into consideration the basic fact that human and animal motivations are guided by the need to achieve a given goal, and once this is done, such kind of a reward or goal ceases to be a source of motivation. On the other hand, negative reinforcement involves applying punishment and punitive measures in cases of underperformance, or unruly behaviour. While this method of conditioning may be applauded as an effective means of curtailing negative behaviours, it is limited in scope, since the subject being conditioned may develop a lack of response to the punishments being leveled, and outgrow their effect. These points of weaknesses are what bring in Bandura’s social learning theory as an additional explanation to the behaviour development of both animals and humans. Irrespective of the shortfalls of conditioning in shaping human behaviour, social learning theorists have established that it is an important tool that determines how people react and adapt to situations. For instance, through the use of positive reinforcement, a child can be taught to say â€Å"thank you† after receiving a gift, and this may extend into adulthood to become a conditioned behaviour. In a similar note, negative reinforcement could be used to ensure that children learn to say â€Å"please† while addressing others, as show of respect, and courtesy. In cases where such is not applied, then a punishment could be launched. Such measures greatly shape the way people behave when they grow up. Basically, this closely ties with the social learning theory, as posited by Bandura, since this is also based on experiences, imitation, interactions with others, and modeling. Bandura’s theory of social learning has developed largely from conditioning and has, in reality, contributed to further promoting and development of the theory (Bandura, 1963). As aforementioned, the theory depends on such tenets as motivation, imitation, observation, and modeling to achieve the desired behaviour change. In respect to its connection to the theory of conditioning, the aspect of modeling reigns high. For instance, in a school setup, teachers can shape the behaviour of students by modeling the desired behaviour of course of action, through judicious application of both negative and positive reinforcements. A practical example is when a teacher wants to instill a habit of participation in a child (Kumpulainen, Wray, 2002). This can be done by offering gifts, applauding publicly, and many other positive ways. On the other hand, a teacher could curtail a negative behaviour by punishing the child through caning, deducting marks, and many others. Apart from the use o f the dual aspects of reinforcement, behaviour change can also be significantly modeled through guided participation, and imitation. When training a child to be grateful in cases where one has received a gift or any form of help, a parent can repeatedly make the child say â€Å"thank you† in every instance such a scenario is experienced. This repeated learning, and also through observation of what the parent usually does, will instigate imitation behaviour into the child, and later on develop the desired behaviour as modeled by the parent. Such kinds of conditionings are explicitly a derivation of the concept of modeling, as posited by Bandura. In respect to this, it is arguable that Bandura’s social learning theory has developed from the concept of conditioning, and has actually helped to further its arguments. While the theory brings in new concepts that are important in shaping behaviour, it is imperative to note that its main source of argument lies on creating, modeling, and instilling a given desired behaviour into an animal or a human being. This is the same thing that conditioning theory reiterates, which is why it is perfectly right to insinuate that Bandura has helped to promote the arguments put forward by the theory. (Word counts = 2,175 words). References Anderson, C.A.; Bushman, B.J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and pro-social behaviour: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature.Psychological Science12(5): 353–359. Bandura, A. (1963).Social learning and personality development. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Fuhrmann, D., Ravignani, A., Marshall-Pescini, S., Whiten, A. (2014). Synchrony and motor mimicking in chimpanzee observational learning. Scientific Reports, 4. doi:10.1038/srep05283. Gadeyne, E., Ghesquiere, P., Onghena, P. (2004). Longitudinal relations between parenting and child adjustment in young children. Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology, 22, 347-358. Kumpulainen, K., Wray, D. (2002). Classroom Interaction and Social Learning: From Theory to Practice. New York, NY: RoutledgeFalmer. Miller, P. H. (2011).Theories of developmental psychology. New York: Worth Publishers. Krause, R., Parker, O., Covin, J. (2013). Teach your ventures well: a control-based typology of ICV parenting styles.Academy Of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 534-539. Abu Taleb, T. (2013). Parenting styles and childrens social skills as perceived by Jordanian mothers of preschool children.Early Child Development Care,183(11), 1646. Page 1

Human sexual reproduction

Human sexual reproduction Introduction In human sexual reproduction, the males always produce sperms and the females produce ovum. Generally, the sperms and the ova are what are referred to as the gametes. These gametes contain chromosomes which are coiled threads of DNA and protein found in the nucleus of the cells. A chromosome is that which carries the hereditary information of an individual and constitutes of densely packed coiled up Chromatin. Sperm and Babys Sex The pairing of chromosomes is responsible for the different sexes evident in the human and widely on most of the animal species. Genetically sperms contain X and Y chromosomes while the ovum contains the X chromosomes alone. An individual with both the Y and X chromosome is referred to as the male while an individual with only the chromosome is the female. During normal fertilization a male always contributes one chromosome while the female contributes the other chromosome. Together they will form an individual. If the male contributes a Y chromosome then the resulting sex will be that of a male since the final set will be XY. However, if the male contributes an X chromosome the resulting set will be a XX and hence a female. A female in all the cases produces an X chromosome. This means the sperm is of importance since it will contribute the all important Y chromosome to male the child male. Possible Complicating Factors Although meiosis is a precise mechanism that separates the two sex chromosomes of a diploid cell into a single chromosome of haploid gamete cells, errors sometimes do take place. Nondisjuction is one of the commonest errors. Nondisjuction is the failure of chromosomes to separate properly during one of the stages of meiosis. This Nondisjuction error can produce gametes that contain either two sex chromosomes or no sex chromosome. Lack of sex chromosomes or having two sex chromosomes is a direct contrast to the normal condition of one sex chromosome. When either of these gametes joins with a normal gamete during fertilization, its result is a person with an abnormal count of sex chromosomes. This leads to a number of disorders. Most common disorders are turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome. Victims of turner syndrome are female in appearance but their female genital organs do not develop at puberty. They are also sterile. The turner syndrome is abbreviated as 45X or 45X0, where 0 denotes the absence of second sex chromosomes. People with Klinefelter syndrome are male in appearance and they too, are unable to sire children. Klinefelter is abbreviated as 47XXY. All babies must have x chromosomes for it contains a number of genes that are vital for normal human development. Other disorders, though not very common, which are as a result of nondisjunction are; the Down syndrome, Edward syndrome, Patau syndrome, triple x syndrome and XYY syndrome. Triple X syndrome is as a result of an extra x chromosome in female where as the XYY syndrome is as a result of an extra y chromosome in male. Victims of Edward syndrome usually experience abnormal development of body organs such as kidneys, intestines and the heart . Conclusion An X chromosome is absolutely essential for survival. Sex seems to be determined by the presence or absence of a y chromosome and not by the number of X. chromosomes. An example is the evidence of reported cases of people who have genotypes 48XXXY and 49XXXXY and are male in appearance. The Y chromosome contains a gene that switches on the male pattern of growth during embryological development. If this gene is absent, the embryo follows a female pattern of growth. Reference Komisaruk, B. R. (1986). Reproduction: Behavioral and Neuroendoctrine Behavior. New York Academy of Sciences, Papalia, D. E., Olds, S. W and Feldman, R. D. (2001). Human Development (8th Ed). McGraw-Hill Education

Disabled by Wilfred Owen Essay -- Poetry Analysis

Born 18th March 1893, Owen was raised in Merseyside. His education began at the Berkhamstead institute and continued at the Technical school in Shrewsbury after his family was forced to move there. Owen began experimenting with poetry at the young age of 17. After failing to achieve a place at university, Owen moved to France to teach the Berlitz school of English following a year as a lay assistant. It was during the latter part of 1914 and early 1915 when Owen became increasingly aware of the magnitude of World War One and moved back to England to enlist in the ‘Artists rifles’. 1917 saw Owen’s first post in France, where he witnessed his first taste of the brutality of war. He experienced the horrors of being trapped in a dug out whilst under bombardment; and in May he was caught in a shell explosion and eventually diagnosed as having ‘shell shock’. In June 1918 Owen arrived at Craig Lockhart War Hospital, it was here he met Siegfried Sassoon anoth er patient and poet. The period at Craig Lockhart was in many ways Owens most creative time, where he wrote many of the poems that he is known for to this day. Like many of Owen’s other poems ‘Disabled’ explores the themes of war and the impact on soldiers. This poem particularly focusses on one individual and is interpreted by many as a poem that invites the reader to pity and empathise the above the knee, double amputee war hero for the loss of his legs. However, this interpretation not only disregards the subjects social isolation which Owen directly addresses in this poem, but also fails to acknowledge the subjects identity as a human being as defined by the language throughout the poem. ‘Disabled’ reveals the irony of war, a soldier’s fight for his countries freedom which in tu... ...e the terrible realities of the deaths. it is widely known that prayers and ells represent a celebration to the souls that have ascended into heaven, but Owen points out in this poem that the deaths on the battlefield were so horrific and needless that even religion cannot save these souls. Owen wants readers to recognise that no sort of harmonic music can be enjoyed through the sounds of war. ‘At the end of the day, the battlefield is left â€Å"sad† because the pain is so great that even an inanimate object could empathize and feel the pain of the losses of soldiers’. Works Cited http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/530/707 A Critical Analysis of Wilfred Owen's "Disabled". Copyright 2005 by the Society for Disability Studies. (ACCESSED 30TH 05 2012) http://litxpert.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/poetry-analysis-disabled-wilfred-owen/ litxpert, Disabled analysis,

Disguise In Shakespearean Come Essay -- essays research papers

William Shakespeare was a jack of all trades. He could do it all – histories, tragedies, comedies, romances. While some people may say that Shakespeare’s tragedies are the most popular, his comedies are as popular as the tragedies, if not more. However, comedies of Shakespeare’s time are not what people of the twentieth century perceive to be â€Å"comedy.† Some of the elements of Shakespearean comedy are similar to today’s comedy, such as physical comedy. People of Shakespeare’s time found the fall Kate took from her horse in Taming of the Shrew, and surely people of our time would find that amusing as well. A large part of Shakespeare’s comedy was disguises. The use of disguise was a key part of Shakespearean comedy; his plays Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night all use the element of disguise as part of their plot, some more than others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much Ado About Nothing, one of Shakespeare’s â€Å"festive† comedies, centers around two couples. One, Claudio and Hero, fall in love at first sight. The other, Benedick and Beatrice, have a verbal war almost every time they meet. Disguise is not an integral part of this play, but they are used during the masque that takes place. During the masque, Beatrice talks with a masked Benedick; she also talks degradingly about him. A question that always comes up in discussion of this play is whether or not Beatrice knows that she is actually speaking to Benedick, and that is why she calls him â€Å"t...

Clones Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the past few centuries, technology has reached a new level. With breakthroughs from the invention of electricity to the development of the Internet, these advances have made a huge impact on society. Every day brings the question of what will come next, and what technologies will further enhance the world. Science fiction novels and movies are essentially based on the wonder of future technologies. One of the biggest issues in the development of technology is cloning. The word clone is used in many different contexts in biological research but in its most simple and strict sense, it refers to a precise genetic copy of a molecule, cell, plant, animal, or human being.1 Human cloning has been a largely controversial focus in the area of cloning, mainly, the ethics of cloning. People have differed opinions about the ethics of cloning. Some people think that cloning is not morally right, cloning is erosion of respect for sexuality, and it is against the will of god, fearing what is new and different. Other people think that cloning is beneficial to children, aiding to infertile couples, medically sufficient, and improving to humanity. Public law and policy also comes into play in the ethics of cloning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human Cloning does take place naturally to some extent. This is shown when identical twins are conceived. However, the likelihood of this occurrence is limited by chance. Even when identical twins are conceived, they originate from one single zygote that is split during the early stage of pregnancy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antosh 2 Scientists are able to clone DNA, which is the genetic makeup of a human being. These DNA fragments are enlarged in a host cell. This process makes many scientific experiments possible. This process, often called molecular cloning, is the mainstay of recombinant DNA technology and has led to the production of such important medicines as insulin to treat diabetes, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to dissolve clots after a heart atta... ...ere are many reasons why religions look down upon human cloning. Most importantly, cloning humans is in a sense, playing God. As often happens when a powerful new scientific tool is developed, the announcement that mammalian somatic cell nuclear transfer cloning was possible generated strong warnings against â€Å"playing God.†8 Religions feel that birth is and should remain a natural process. People should not try to create humans when it is not their purpose, but only God’s purpose. It is not a human being’s right to make a decision on an unnatural creation of another human, especially for the sole benefits to oneself. It is said in the bible that God created man in his own image. Human cloning would be seen as sinful in the Church’s eyes. Antosh 6 There are positive aspects as well as negative aspects to human cloning, but since it is clear that the positive aspects to cloning are limited in their benefits, there is more reason to ban human cloning. Cloning can get out of control as far as it can pose the threat of people abusing the right of the genetic engineering tool. Although it may enhance the medical field, it would still degrade the sociological structure of today’s world. Clones Essay -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the past few centuries, technology has reached a new level. With breakthroughs from the invention of electricity to the development of the Internet, these advances have made a huge impact on society. Every day brings the question of what will come next, and what technologies will further enhance the world. Science fiction novels and movies are essentially based on the wonder of future technologies. One of the biggest issues in the development of technology is cloning. The word clone is used in many different contexts in biological research but in its most simple and strict sense, it refers to a precise genetic copy of a molecule, cell, plant, animal, or human being.1 Human cloning has been a largely controversial focus in the area of cloning, mainly, the ethics of cloning. People have differed opinions about the ethics of cloning. Some people think that cloning is not morally right, cloning is erosion of respect for sexuality, and it is against the will of god, fearing what is new and different. Other people think that cloning is beneficial to children, aiding to infertile couples, medically sufficient, and improving to humanity. Public law and policy also comes into play in the ethics of cloning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human Cloning does take place naturally to some extent. This is shown when identical twins are conceived. However, the likelihood of this occurrence is limited by chance. Even when identical twins are conceived, they originate from one single zygote that is split during the early stage of pregnancy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antosh 2 Scientists are able to clone DNA, which is the genetic makeup of a human being. These DNA fragments are enlarged in a host cell. This process makes many scientific experiments possible. This process, often called molecular cloning, is the mainstay of recombinant DNA technology and has led to the production of such important medicines as insulin to treat diabetes, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to dissolve clots after a heart atta... ...ere are many reasons why religions look down upon human cloning. Most importantly, cloning humans is in a sense, playing God. As often happens when a powerful new scientific tool is developed, the announcement that mammalian somatic cell nuclear transfer cloning was possible generated strong warnings against â€Å"playing God.†8 Religions feel that birth is and should remain a natural process. People should not try to create humans when it is not their purpose, but only God’s purpose. It is not a human being’s right to make a decision on an unnatural creation of another human, especially for the sole benefits to oneself. It is said in the bible that God created man in his own image. Human cloning would be seen as sinful in the Church’s eyes. Antosh 6 There are positive aspects as well as negative aspects to human cloning, but since it is clear that the positive aspects to cloning are limited in their benefits, there is more reason to ban human cloning. Cloning can get out of control as far as it can pose the threat of people abusing the right of the genetic engineering tool. Although it may enhance the medical field, it would still degrade the sociological structure of today’s world.

Building an Ethical Organization Part 2 Essay

Individual: Building an Ethical Organization Part 1 The name of my organization is Focus Mental Health and Developmental Agency Focus is an agency that provides help and compassion to people that are going through a mental health issue whether it is needing counseling, support, or medication treatment Focus is your path to peace of mind. Substance abuse is another issue that we address from helping to get assistance to go into inpatient treatment facility, or outpatient treatment, as well as Aftercare which is a support program for clients being fresh out of drug or alcohol treatment or stopping using on their own. Recovery program that can be provided through Focus for continued success at a productive life for clients. Recovery is a life altering event because the client will be drug or alcohol free for a certain amount of time but will constantly be on a mission to stay free from these addictions. We have case managers who do home visits as well as office visits to stay on top of our clients’ needs before they become a crisi s. We promote medication therapy which assists clients in staying on a strict medication regiment for mental health and some substance abuse treatments as well when necessary. Groups for substance and alcohol abuse meet weekly, the meeting are separated in to one for teenagers and one for adults as well as one for narcotics and one for alcohol abuse. Focus also has a team that works in human services call the impact team which do such things as take the clients grocery shopping, or to appointments or out to functions in town and even to visit family members they are up close and personal with the clients. The clientele for Focus will be children starting at age 10 and up through adulthood. The clients are high in number in male and female ratio, meaning we service high numbers of both genders. Clientele for Focus consist of primarily low income clients but is open to all residents of Richmond County. Children and adults that may be going through a turning point in their lives and ne ed some assistance in adapting to the changes and probably have no other place  to turn are much of Focus clientele. Within our substance abuse programs many of our clients are repeaters they have had some type of counseling or treatment in the past, the clients are children as well as adults. Much of our clientele is involved in long term care phases with Focus they are in need of support in their lives, medications and usually involved in aftercare or recovery. Mental health issues brings many clients to Focus, they sometimes come straight from the hospital to the offices of Focus they are usually in great need of care. Our clientele is very diverse we have to be prepared for almost anything from getting someone to speak another language to clients to giving a child a hug. Focus is a non-profit organization, but we do bring in an income by charging for services, on a sliding fee scale, services maybe free for those who qualify, or clients can setup a payment plan, but the rates are according to income and ability to pay. Focus has to charge a small fee to cover their bills and overhead to stay in business and grow and continue to service the Richmond County area. Focus is not in business to get wealthy but to make a difference in the lives of our clients and the community. The issue of Focus is to support an issue of private or public interest that does not include a monetary value. Mission Statement: Focus gracefully and respectfully service adults and children that may be at a turning point in their life and are having mental health and/or substance abuse issues, as well as people in any phase of relapse. Focus particularly caters to low income people but all are welcome, we serve the county of Richmond. Our goal is to provide our clients with the knowledge, treatment and support so they can return to a life of independence, good health and wellbeing; and Focus encourages and support clients in their aftercare and recovery as needed. We do not discriminate against anyone needing service for any reason; we are made up of a diverse society at Focus. The mission statement supports the ethical system because Focus not only will treat the clients and bring them around to better health and not only that Focus will make sure that the clients learns the tools they need to stay healthy and recover, and continue on a path to independence again. The mission statement supports the ethical s ystem because it calls for diversity which is a big part of the clients that come to the agency and the staff. The  message the mission statement send to the community is that we are here for you, to help you, support you and see that your needs are met. Focus will be with you through your journey and for the long term until you are able to become more manageable in your life. That during your need for Focus services you can count on us and we will teach you how to take the best care of yourself with and without our assistance. Drohan William M, (June 2010) wrote a successful statement becomes a unifying force, a foundation on which to build, and a reference point for everything the association does. Its well worth the time to make sure it is written in such a way that it will serve as a guide and an inspiration for many years to come. Values statement: At Focus we value and treat everyone that comes through our doors with mutual respect and dignity. We will have acceptance of all people regardless if there is any kind of difference between us, we will always embrace diversity. Focus will respect each client’s privacy by protecting their medical records at all times, and allowing only staff directly involved with client care to view records. There will be no room for sexual harassment of clients or staff. Kernaghan, K. (2003) writes, A values statement expressing values that are shared at all organizational levels-combined with the dispersal of leadership roles throughout the organization-provides an especially strong foundation for integrating values into public service. These values will inspire action and influence behavior because it states that you will be treated with mutual respect, so clients will know to be on their best behavior and staff will know that also as well as being professional at all times. By accepting d iversity that lets all clients know that they are welcome, important and will be getting equal treatment. The clients will feel protected knowing their medical records are kept confidential and they will not be sexually harassed during their visit. They both call for treating the clients with mutual respect, regardless of any type of differences that maybe. Values and mission statements both state that they are for diversity so it includes people, make people want to come forward and get care. Knowledge and support for the clients is a part of the values statement as well as the mission statement. Long term care is part of each statement which would usually be necessary for Mental Health and Substance abuse treatment. The mission statement and the values  statement in different ways states that they want the best for the clients, want them to get the best service or treatment available at Focus, so they can be their best. Code of Ethics All employees will abide by these codes of ethics at all times (except when necessary not to), we will present good conduct ourselves at all times to be a credit to the organization and the community we serve. Yi-Hui, Haung, (2010) states, First, responding to the argument that ethics codes are not an effective indicator of professionalism, I believe that a code of ethics is part of the standards that must be fulfilled for an â€Å"occupation† to be a â€Å"profession,† especially for public relations. 1.All staff should attempt to meet the needs of their clients, including committing to and respecting client rights and maintaining confidentiality at all times, except in special cases. 2.Staff should be knowledgeable in a variety of areas and situations in order to be able to effectively perform their duties in human services. 3.All staff must work well with their peers and should show mutual respect for one another, and avoid negative criticism. 4.All staff must carry themselves in a professional manner at all times and must not let their personal lives interfere with being professional on the job. 5.All staff should work for the benefit of society and make sure that all clients equal rights are protected and have an opportunity for helpful services that meet their need. 6.Staff will not argue with clients or other staff if a situation should come up between either of the two it must be taken to the supervisor and dealt with directly if the situation cannot be handle in any other fashion 7.All staff must vow to speak up if they see or know of another employee that is violating the codes of ethics, the law, or a client these matters must be addressed with your immediate supervisor. 8.The use of drugs will not be tolerated, and the use of alcohol while on the clock will not be tolerated either, if you suspect another employee report it, it is for the safety and protection of the organization. 9.All employees should exercise their power to prevent m istakes or wrongdoing by asking questions at the right time. 10.All staff should respect the property of others, be honest and not take unfair advantage of other employees. The code of ethics inspires a tangible outcome from an employee because they will want to be the best example for the organization and their peers. The  code of ethics would cause the employee to check their work more carefully and make sure it is done correctly and by the law as well as dealing with the clients. The code also helps the employees feel protected, because it sets rules and guidelines for the employees and all must abide by them equally. The code of ethics is related to the mission and values of the organization because they are there to co-inside with each other for the direction of the organization, and the protection of the clients and staff. All three are necessary for the good of the organization, the focus and the goal to be effective. Our organization plans on having a relaxing, calm, approachable family oriented culture. The atmosphere will be calming, loud noise will be prevented as much as possible, and we tell our clients to invite a family member if possible to the appointments. Our staff will carry themselves in a professional, plight and clam manner in order to set an example for the clients, so they will not get excited. The culture will institutionalize the organizations values by having them mesh together. When the clients see how the environment of the organization is they will be more than willing to come to their appointments regularly and participate in their treatment and perhaps invite a family member. Even though this will be a change for the clients from an institution staff will do everything to help them adjust. Focus employees will treat everyone with dignity, respect, honest, and kindness this is the type of atmosphere we represent. Identifying my moral responsibility as a leader is of importance, because the workers will be watching and imitating the kind of behavior that I display, the leader sets the mood in the environment in the whole organization. I will be responsible for all action that I take part in, and be honest and truthful in all my actions. While trying to maintain the ethical standard I will be evaluating their performance in six month intervals and on their anniversary date. For the six month if no problems the employee will get a gift card to a store and for the anniversary day they get a raise. I will have a one on one meeting to talk about their performance evaluation and their strengths and weakness and how they can improve during their job. I will keep a record of all evaluation so I can assist workers in being the best employee they can be. I will lead by example. Part of my moral responsibility is to lead the worker to the best of my abilities. I wil l make sure that I set the same kind of ethical  standards that I would like for my workers to follow. Morals have to do with values and values relate to compassion, integrity, and dignity and these are things that I will display while I am in a leadership role. I will maintain Focus ethical standard while measuring the workers performance by treating all employees as individuals and as fair as possible. There will be an ethics committee which will consist of the me, my boss and one employee so the employees will have a voice. The ethics committee will review the evaluations to make sure all rule and guidelines have been followed and the committee will study different methods and organization policy to look for what is right and what is wrong. Other than me leading by example and the ethics committee the workers will follow suit and become loyal employees. The structures I would put in place for oversight is training for employees, evaluate new employees the first six months of em ployment. In conclusion the mission and value statements and the code of ethics form the core of Focus is something that clients and employees can value in the organization. They serve as a guiding tool for employees so they can give their clients the best service practically every time. Effective leadership is necessary for morale and production in the organization and that comes from a good leader. Performance evaluations will play an important role in the structure of the employee’s positions. Periodical performance evaluations are necessary in order to evaluate the performance of the employees and maintain an ethical standard. The Focus is a place where people with mental health issues and/or substance abuse issues can come for help and get their needs met and feel safe. References Drohan, W. M. (1999, January). Writing a mission statement. Association missions statement; writing, 51(1), 1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/229219642? Kernaghan, K. (2003). Integrating values in to public services: The value statement as a centerpiece. Public Administration Review, 63(6), 711-719. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy..apollolibrary.com/docview/197169756? Huang, Y. (2010, June). Should a public relations code of efforts be enforced.. Journal of Business Ethics, 31(3), 259-270. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.exproxy.apollolibrary