Fda and Tobacco Regulation

The FDA and Tobacco Regulation 10/15/2012 MAN 4701/ 82844 Do you agree with the Food and Drug Administration that nicotine can be classified as a drug and that cigarettes can be classified as devices under the definitions in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act? Under the definition of a drug in the Food, Drug , and Cosmetics Act of 1938 it is defined as a product that affects the structure or any function of the body. As a group we decided that is in fact considered a drug because as a company, the tobacco manufactures in fact knew what their product was doing to potential consumers.Due to the abundance of deaths occurring each year, we figured a ban would be best for the situation. Unfortunately, as Kessler believed, a ban would be unworkable. 1) Did the FDA make any legal or political errors that defeated its efforts to regulate tobacco? We did believe that the FDA did make some political errors in defeating its efforts to regulate tobacco. To start with, the FDA recognized the tobac co industry to be very powerful. Also, they decided to regulate cigarettes as medical devise which did not lead to a ban. Another action that went wrong is that they didn’t impose restrictions on adult smoking, instead focused on under aged smoking.2) Do you agree with the decision of the U. S. Supreme Court? Why or why not? As a group, we didn’t agree with the decision of the Supreme Court. The court ended up with a 5-4 majority split. Both sides had valuable points in the argument but the Supreme Court came out on top. Defendant Justice O’Connor stated that although tobacco was one of the nation’s most troubling public health problems, the FDA had no jurisdiction over it.As stated earlier, since they considered nicotine a drug, they would have to ban them completely which was unworkable. 3) Do you believe that the story reveals flaws in American Government and the regulatory process, or do you believe that the story reveals a system that, despite faults , is ultimately responsive and just? We viewed the story as determining right from wrong. We believed since the ban didn’t fall through, then there must be some sort of flaws in the government. Since banning cigarettes would save tons of lives, we figured that would be the correct approach. ) Should congress enact FDA regulation of tobacco products even if it adds to the competitive advantage of Philip Morris? We agreed that a regulation should be placed on tobacco products even if it adds to the competitive advantage of Philip Morris. We though the public’s health should be of the highest priority instead of worrying about a competitive advantage. With that said, if regulations were passed cigarette smoking would be passed then followed by less deaths related to tobacco usage.

Implications of Affirmative Actions on Business

Implications of Affirmative Action on Business ` Affirmative actionprograms, as we know them, are less than 50 years old, and are usually viewedas a series ofpositive steps taken to ensure the representation of minority groups in fields that have traditionallyexcluded them. It protects both racial and ethnic minorities, as well as women, in the areas of education, business, and government. Affirmative action, whichhas its roots in the Constitutional ideal of equal opportunity, is the government’s way of both eliminating inequality and making amends for past discrimination. Sometimes viewed as â€Å"reverse discrimination† for blatantly favoring one group over another, affirmative action programs often differ in the extent to which they attempt to rectify discrimination by either instituting reviews of the hiring process for minority groups or explicitly preferring members of select groups. In many ways, affirmative action has helped women and minority groups obtain and keep positions in either work or school that they would otherwise have been unable to attain. However, since the beginning of affirmative action in the 1960s, these policies have had many implications for businesses—both positive and negative—and have instituted many changes. ` ` President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925 in March of 1961. The order was originally designed with governmentcontractors in mind, and stated thatsaid contractors would â€Å"take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during their employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin. Executive Order 10925 did not advocate special treatment of minority groups, as would later come to pass, but was initially intended to eliminate discrimination from hiring and employment practices. In Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,the government’s position on the policy of affirmative action was solidified, and a new branch of the U. S. Department of Labor was created: the Equal Employment Opportunity Commi ssion (EEOC). The purpose of the EEOC was to serve as a mediator between plaintiffs and private employers who disregarded the tenets ofaffirmative action, and to ensure restitution to the affected. These changes to hiring and employment practices caused many to voice concerns: Should minority groups receive preferential treatment in fields they were previously excluded from? Does this constitute a violation of the principle of equal opportunity in the form of â€Å"reverse discrimination†? ` ` In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 which required government contractors to actually document their efforts to ensure equality in hiring practices, and gave the Secretary of Labor the right to investigate and rectify anyaccusations of discrimination. The government could punish violations of the order by canceling contracts, barring companies from future contracts, and other measures† (Kowalski, 27). In 1967, Johnson’sorder was furtherexpanded by Executive Order 11375 to include women as well as minorities and, in 1968, under the administration of President Nixon, specific goals or â€Å"quotas† for the hiring of women and minoriti es wasinstituted. By 1972, the â€Å"four-fifths rule† was in effect, which â€Å"held that firms contracting with the federal government should not be allowed to hire any race, sex, or ethnic group at a rate below four-fifths that of any other group† (eNotes). The EEOC was also strengthened in 1972 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Now, the Commission was able to file class action law suits against corporations in violation of affirmative action policies. The Carter administration, in 1977, initiated the Public Works Employment Act, requiringat least ten percent of federal money given to certain projectsto be allocated toboth minority and women business enterprises. ` ` During the 1980s, affirmative action felt little government support under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Both resisted expansion in government contracting, and court decisions began to negate some affirmative action programs. Universities and businesses were struggling to conform to theguidelines of affirmative action while still maintaining certain standardsof operation. Eventually, many of these programs were either scaled-back or set-aside altogether. In the 1990s, Clinton vowed to â€Å"mend, not end† affirmative action programs. He began to reevaluate the programs of several federal agencies, which some believe had positive results. ` There are many arguments for affirmative action in hiring and employment practices. Historically, almost 90% of all jobs are filled internally, with positions going to relatives and friends of those already employed. Employers often fill these positions with people who are under-qualified, and had the position been advertised properly, the hiring managers may have found a better candidate for the job. Affirmative action has â€Å"encouraged ma ny companies to engage in employment practices that set minimum standards of job definition, recruiting, outreach, and evaluation hat result in choosingthe right person for the job† (Diverse Strategies). These practices also promote diversity. When properly managed, diversity can â€Å"increase creativity and innovation in organizations as well as improve decision making by providing different perspectives on problems† (Judge, 20). Greater diversity in certain fields, such as medicine and law, will increase the aid given to underrepresented groups. ` ` The main focus of affirmative action, however, is to level the playing field and counter both ongoing discrimination as well as bigoted attitudes. Even in this day and age, minorities and women continue to lag behind white Anglo-Saxon protestant men in the business world. Male employees may be promoted over women, because some companies still put women on a â€Å"mommy track† without their consent, and many people publicly lie about how they feel with regards to race. Studies have shown that many people â€Å"found it easier to link women’s names with home-related words than with career-related words† (Kowalski, 45), and test subjects â€Å"are often quicker at linking black faces with negative words than with positive words† (Kowalski, 45). ` With all of these arguments for affirmative action, there are still critics that believe these policies not only perpetuate continued racial tension, but alsolead members of these groups to believe they cannot succeed on their own. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is quoted saying â€Å"It never ceases to amaze me that the courts are so willing to assume that anything that is predominantly black must be inferior. † Affirmative action is also seen to stigmatize people. Others may assume that someone obtained their position because of affirmative action, and this breeds resentment and anger. People relate to each other as either inside or outside the groups benefiting from affirmative action, and it becomes a â€Å"them versus us† mentality. Managers,who have never done anything wrong, may feel painted with a bigot or chauvinist brush. ` ` Opponents of affirmative action also believe itviolates the idea of a merit system. Choices in hiring, raises, and promotions should benefit the people who worked hard and deserve them. Any hiring decision istheresult of an interview, given bymanagers who already have ideas about the qualities an employee should have, and as such, should be based on the skills and education the candidate brings to the table. Managers feel constrained by words such as â€Å"quota† and â€Å"preferential treatment† when it comes to hiring decisions, and developa negative outlook on the idea of affirmative action. ` ` Not only do managers find it interferes with hiring decisions, many businessesalso feel that affirmative action is a burdensome procedure. Scores of businesses protested â€Å"they were wasting too much time on paperwork and spending too much money defending themselves against discrimination charges† (Anderson, 167). During the Reagan years, research into the cost of affirmative action policies for businessesestimated that â€Å"a contract compliance review cost a contractor over $20,000, and that such appraisals were costing the Fortune 500companies $1 billion annually† (Anderson, 167;that estimate has only grown. ` Another issue is that some employees, or potential employees, now use affirmative action as a form of revenge if they feel they have been slighted in some way, such as by not being hired or notreceivinga promotion. It is very difficult to prove that someone was discriminated against based on their race or gender, but the case can still take many court hours and much money. Because of this, many businesses are more likely to settle out of court, rather than tie up thousands of dollars in court fees. This ends with the company taking a financial hit and the angry employee with a settlement. ` ` Since the introduction of affirmative action in the 1960s, affirmative action has had many implications for businesses. Businesses now have to fill certain quotas based on how many people they have working for them, they are subject to reviews of their policies and procedures,and businesses owned by minorities and females are given special privileges and loans that are not offered to others. Businesses arealso responsible for the financial burdens placedon them as a result of affirmative action. Many employees feelthat affirmative action is â€Å"reverse discrimination†,because hiring managers are openly favoring one group over another based on their race or gender,and many believe affirmative actioncontinues to perpetuate racial tension. ` ` With all of these issues, it’s no wonder that some peoplehave negative feelings and attitudes toward affirmative action. They feel that jobs should be given to the people that most deserve them, and that raises and promotions shouldbeawarded basedon the merit system. It is impossible for businesses to operate fairly to all within the guidelines of affirmative action since, by definition,it requires businesses to base their hiring standards on what the government requires rather than ontheir business needs. Hiringthe best possible candidate for a job, no matter what race or gender, should be the main goal when making hiring decisions, and not what minority group may be underrepresented in your company. As long as affirmative action is law, businesses will have to finda way to meet its requirements or face harsh fines and lawsuits, and while there are many compelling arguments against affirmative action, its policies will not be changed any time soon. ` Works Cited â€Å"Encyclopedia of Small Business/ Affirmative Action†. eNotes. com. April 8, 2009 http://www. enotes. com/small-business-encyclopedia/affirmative-action. com. Anderson, Terry H. . The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. , 2004. Coulter, Ann. How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must). New York, NY: Crown Forum, 2004. Grapes, Bryan J. . Affirmative Action. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc. , 2000. Judge Timothy A. , and Robbins, Stephen P.. Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. , 2009. Kowalski, Kathiann M. . Open for Debate: Affirmative Action. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2007. Skrentny, John D.. The Minority Rights Revolution. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002. Tong, Clifford M.. â€Å"Diverse Strategies†. Diverse Strategies Incorporated. April 8, 2009 http://www. diversestrategies. com/Affirmative_action. htm.

Case Study 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

1 - Case Study Example The brain and nervous breakdown condition is secondary to hepatocellular failure, which is caused by low liver functioning (Dickerson, 2006). Excessive consumption of alcohol causes leads to gastrointestinal bleeding and hence F.C is at a risk of experiencing the condition. F.C is a heavy drinker and he has exhibited signs of cirrhosis, which causes gastrointestinal bleeding in later stages. The bleeding occurs after a period of heavy drinking on a patient already suffering liver disorders. Symptoms of liver disorders are evident in F.C’s body, but yet he persistently drinks heavily. The blood is unable to clot, which leads to coagulopathy (Dickerson, 2006). Acute liver failure is the cause of F.C’s constant mental deterioration through alteration of his mental status. Medically, the condition can be treated using proper intensive care support through hemodynamics and fluid management. The doctors should also use proper medication that does not affect the liver avoiding non steroidal drugs used for anti-inflammatory purposes. Anti-viral medication should be used to treat cirrhosis to avoid increased liver dysfunction (Dickerson,

Research Paper-Impact of climate change on ocean life Paper

-Impact of climate change on ocean life - Research Paper Example Climate change may generally be defined as the change in climate patterns due to high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are various causes of climate change both natural and human. Some of the natural causes may include volcanic activity and solar output. Some human causes include fossil fuels burning and clearing of forests for agricultural purposes. A great percentage of climate change has been attributed to human activities mainly burning of fossil fuels which give rise to high carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Debates have been done in discussion of whether this is true and how these high levels can be reduced (CEICC & BLS & DE & LSNRC, 23). Climate change is seen to be highly contributed by human activities due to the growing industries. Technology has greatly improved leading to the rise of new industries that use fuels. The increase in population can also be said to be a contributing factor in that forests are destroyed and land left bare to build homes and stay and also grow crops for subsistence and commercial purposes. It does not only affect what we see on the surface but also affects the creatures that live in the ocean including fish and other animals. Water bodies around the world have also been affected by climate change. Many of these water bodies are used for providing drinking water for both people and animals and the water is also used in industries and agriculture. This enables people to live a healthy life, have food and run businesses with the availability of electricity. The effects of climate change on these water bodies will have severe consequences which are already being experienced. Some of these effects include an increase in drought and floods causing people to be displaced. It also leads to less fresh water causing a reduction in the food produced and the revenue from agriculture (CEICC et al, 23). â€Å"Forty years of research have documented strong responses (pg 22)†. Some of the

Question and answer WHO millennium developement goals Research Paper

Question and answer WHO millennium developement goals - Research Paper Example This will be achieved by reducing the number of people living below $1.25 dollars a day. The United Nations defines poverty as the situation where a person survives in less than one dollar in a day. This reduction will automatically translate to the reduction of the poverty gap among the people. Also, it targets at reducing the share of the poorest quintile in the national consumption. In the second objective, countries hope to achieve decent employment for women, men and the young people. This target is possible through increasingly employment rate of people, improving GDP Growth per every employed person, as well as increasing the proportion of family members who are actively employed. The final target is reducing by half the proportion of people suffering from hunger and hunger related conditions. The goal purposes at raising the prevalence of underweight children aged five years and below and the proportion of the population below minimum dietary levels required in energy consump tion. The goal was an ambitious plan for the entire world. Many people are suffering from hunger and poverty especially in the developing countries (Allam & Cleeve, 2004). While all nations pledged to implement this goal, the realities of achieving it remaining a pipe dream for many countries. The African and the Latin American countries are the most affected. Their progress of eradicating poverty is far from being real. According to Ogujiuba & Jumare (2012) many people in Africa die from hunger and poverty. The developed nations however portray a different scenario from the developing countries. Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia among others are close to achieving this goal. To these countries, this goal is attainable. On the other hand, most of the countries of Africa and especially those of the Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from hunger. Even to this day, a year to 2015, they still rely on food relief provided by

Key insights and practical lessons of Wal-Mart Essay

Key insights and practical lessons of Wal-Mart - Essay Example The company runs the largest grocery store in United States of America, and in 2009, over 51% of its sales revenues in United States of America came from its grocery stores (Roberts and Bergs, 2012). This revenue amounted to 258 billion United States dollars. The company has a presence in North America, operating a retail warehouse business. The company has an approximate number of 8500 stores in 15 different countries. In these 15 countries, the company has different brand names. For instance, in United States of America, the company operates under the brand name of Wal-Mart. In Mexico, the company operates under the brand name of Walmex, while in India; the company operates under the brand name of Best Price (Roberts and Bergs, 2012). The company also has retail stores in Japan, Argentina, South Africa, China and the United Kingdom. Despite its successes, the company does not have operations in East Africa, and in particular Kenya. Kenya has the most dominant economy in East Africa , and it has a fast growing retail market within the region (Agwuele, 2012). It also has an open economic system, which is conducive in attracting Foreign Direct Investments in the country. It has one of the best labor force in Africa, and good infrastructures such as an elaborate road network, and efficient supply of energy (Agwuele, 2012). On this basis, the country is a good destination for the entry of the business within the region. Despite its successes, the company does not have operations.

Development and environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Development and environment - Research Paper Example Development and environment are related. The world is developing rapidly. More buildings and industries are coming up. Modern technologies are also being developed each passing day. All these have an effect on the environment. Lack of proper planning during development ventures can lead to environmental degradation. Disasters have been a major setback to development. Disasters are natural and cannot be prevented but their effects can be reduced through disaster risk reduction approach in coming up with development policies. If this is done, more vulnerable people will be empowered to develop and more resources will be availed for development projects rather than providing relief during disasters. This paper deals with two issues, first is the impact of development on environment and second is the importance of disaster risk reduction in developmental policies. Impact of development on environment Deforestation Development has greatly resulted in reduction of forest cover. As more res idential and industrial buildings are developed forests are cut so as to give room for these buildings. Technological development has also led to invention of tools that can bring down forests very fast. One such example is the power saw that can easily be used to cut trees. Warfare has also been the cause of deforestation. There have been developments of weapons of mass destruction such as bombs. Chemicals also used during war time can greatly reduce the forest cover. These chemicals can impair the physiological functioning of trees leading to their drying. When these technologies are harnessed in warfare they can lead to massive reduction of forest cover. It is approximated that in Vietnam, bombing caused a destruction of about 22,000 square kilometres of forests (Mai and Nguyen 2). The investment in shrimp aquaculture has also led to destruction of mangrove forests in several countries. Over the years, forest cover has inversely been related to development. As more buildings and more advanced technologies are invented, the forest cover has come under great threat. Water Pollution Development has led to many industries that discharge their effluents into rivers, canals, rice fields and lakes. These untreated effluents from industrial and municipal discharges have caused degradation of water sources. The discharge of organic and nutrient wastes into the rivers has led to an increase of (biological oxygen demand) BOD in rivers. This is because these wastes are decomposable and require oxygen during disintegration. Lack of sufficient oxygen would lead to anaerobic decomposition accompanied by foul smells. Waste water also contains chemicals such as PCBs and Organochlorine pesticides. Agriculture and flood control activities have also led to water pollution. With technological development, almost all farming is done using fertilizers. These fertilizers are washed away into rivers, lakes, and ocean. The fertilizers contain chemicals that if they accumulate into w ater bodies, they are harmful to human, animal, and aquatic life. The advance in flood mitigation methods has also led to accumulation of arsenic in ground water in India and Bangladesh. Chemical pollution Failure to properly use pesticides, chemicals for agricultural, industrial, and fighting diseases has led to chemical pollution across the globe. These chemicals may contain organic compounds that are persistent such as PCBs, DDT, furans, hexachlorobenzene and dioxins. Polychlorinated biphenyls are used in some capacitors and transformers, paint additives, hydraulic and heat transfer fluids and lubrication oil. A portion of the contaminated oil may be released into the environment resulting into pollution. DDT was extensively used to combat malaria before its ban in 1992. This chemical was sprayed in homesteads in order to eradicate mosquitoes. The technology was very efficient in eradicating mosquitoes but it had long term side effect. DDT is a persistent chemical and when

Ethical behavior in an organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical behavior in an organization - Essay Example In other words it acts as the road map or set of guidelines to help the firm in acting and conducting itself in a socially and commercially acceptable manner. A well designed code of ethics will help highlight the resources available to achieve various goals set at the personal and corporate levels. A good code of ethics document will inspire confidence in all associates – like suppliers, clients and employees. Equally important is liaising with regulators, which is often overlooked amidst other pressing priorities. It is understood that a regulatory atmosphere conducive to fair and competitive business can help raise ethical standards of all parties involved. It is important that the code of ethics document exhibits a keen awareness of this reality. This would imply foresight and visionary thinking on part of its planners. (Blackburn, 2001) But it is crucial to understand that the entrenched profit-motive of many business organizations make ethical behavior hard to implement. A case in point is the Public Relations industry which offers its services to other manufacturing and service industries. The concept of marketing commodities in a consumer market had long drawn the criticism of ethicists. On a broader perspective, the inherently weak moral imperative of capitalist culture makes this outcome inevitable.

Analyzing assignment (e.g. advertisement, speech, etc)

Analyzing (e.g. advertisement, speech, etc) - Assignment Example One poet Nick Toczek welcomes the exposure that comes with the use of poetry in advertising and has himself written poetry for advertising use by Prudential, â€Å"Our kids, who've grown and flown the nest, / Now only phone us to request / More cash on loan, their tone depressed† (Hickman 1) The use of poetry in advertising is an approach that allows artistic expression, and reaches a large audience. It is used by advertisers because it is pleasant and easily remembered. It is embraced by many poets and artists because it allows them to promote their work to a much larger audience. As some people say, life is poetry it is rhyme, cadence, and meter. Within reason one could see examples of poetry in every aspect of life, some rough examples, harsh and grating and in other details soft, firm, loving. However, to answer the question directly the reason advertisers use poetry is because it is memorable, expressive and above all human. Hickman, L. (2009). The rise of poetry in adver tising. guardian.co.uk, (p 1), Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2009/dec/02/rise-poetry-in-advertising Zinkhan, George. (1994). From the editor: poetry in advertising. M.E.

A Risk Management Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A Risk Management Proposal - Assignment Example Risk evaluation is also extremely important in order to minimize the occurrence of risks. The two widely used methods of risk evaluation include subjective and objective methods. Many people from different departments are involved in the process of risk management who oversee different phases of the project risk management. If case of construction industry, people included in the process of risk management are project risk manager, risk management team, project risk custodians, risk profile owners, and team members of the project. Project risk manager provides the risk management strategy to the team in order to manage the risks associated with the project. The project management team collects necessary information required for the purpose of risk management. The risk profile owners allocate the responsibility of the risks to the concerned staff. The custodians of the risk oversee and consolidate the risks within a particular risk category. The project team members provide the necessary information regarding risks to the project profile owners and the risk management team. The phases of the risk management process include establishment of context for risk management, communication of risk management, risk identification, risk analysis, risk evaluation, risk treatment, and monitoring and reviewing of the risk. Emaar is a Public Joint Stock Company whose motive is to provide the people with high standard life styles. Emaar is a Dubai based Construction Company and has been working successfully since 1997. Emaar Construction Company competes in various areas related to construction industry. These areas include building beautiful homes, master planned communities, various construction projects, and providing the customers with full range of high life style requirements. The risk occurs when the client asks for a change in the design of the building at a later stage by commenting that the design document was not shown

Write about two characters whose acting impressed you in Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Write about two characters whose acting impressed you in Of Mice and Men Essay On Wednesday, March the 3rd; Roedean Schools LV English class took a trip to Eastbourne, Devonshire park Theatre, to watch a fantastic performance of Mice and Men. There was a large cast but it was clear to see that George and Lennie were the most impressive and prominent on stage. Thus I have chosen to study them, as I was most impressed by their mannerisms and appearance on stage. I have learnt that John Steinbeck, the author of this novel, is a very skilful creator of characters. It seems to me that his technique is to give a brief preliminary description of the character, and then to let the character convey his own personality to the reader by means of what he does, and more significantly by his speech and mannerisms. After reading the play I had my own idea of what George and Lennie were like, and the performance I saw seemed to have the same ideas, which is what particularly appealed to me. I felt that Lennies appearance really matched his character. From the story itself, we can see that he is in effect, a young child in a large mans body. Matthew Kelly elaborated on Steinbecks sketchy outline of Lennies character. Lennies size, shaved head, messy beard and clothes all added to his appearance. The fact that his clothes were hanging off his body, emphasised his massiveness, awkwardness and inattention to detail. From the way Lennie held himself, with his shoulders sloping, his heavy walk with his feet dragging a little and his arms that hung loosely at his sides, one can tell that he was an introvert and insecure character. His omnipresent hovering near George served to further reinforce this impression. However, I was quite unimpressed by Georges appearance and style, because I felt as though he didnt add any of his own touches. His clothes were functional and thus believable but not very noteworthy. He was suitably small (his physical appearance echoing his social) with defined, sharp features, which gave him a confident but slightly aggressive look. His delivery also left a lot to be desired. I felt that his vocal range was too shouty, thus leaving little scope for expression of true anger / frustration when needed. As well as being un-dynamic, the overall effect was rather tedious for the audience. In contrast, Matthew Kelly varied his lines well, according to the demands of the script. I found the appearance of the set very effective and beautiful. I loved the way they had the little pond in the first scene, and the way sets slid on and off. The set changed quite often, but I noticed that George and Lennie always remained constant in appearance, which I thought enhanced the effect of limited options for the two men. As mentioned above, I found Lennies mannerisms very effective. His constant twitching, which sped up whenever he got nervous or scared, was a convincing touch. His twisted facial expressions showed that he was a mentally ill man, and his shuffling gait made it clear that he felt out of place in his surroundings. However, I did feel that some of Lennies ways and reactions were somewhat overdone and so lost a little of their impact. In one scene they ate dinner together and Lennie was shovelling the beans into his mouth, and spilling them all around. Which is theoretically believable but Lennies acting just amused the audience and didnt get a positive, sympathetic reaction from them, as he wasnt convincing enough. George too had some notably successful mannerisms, besides the fact that he was confident. George had a suitably aggressive persona, he got both angry and defensive at the right times, without exaggerating. At the beginning of the play his character was weak, but as the story built, so did his character. I thought this was a good technique as it emphasised the climax in the story. George and Lennies relationship was another remarkable yet moving feature of this play. They helped support each other, and make things clear for the audience through their acting. It seemed as though George felt a sense of duty and responsibility towards Lennie, as we see him get angry about the things Lennie does but is unable to leave him. Lennie needs George, and would be lost without him, but it is equally true to say that George needs Lennie. George too craves companionship that will stave off the horrors of loneliness. I felt as though this need was evident in their body language and the way in which they dealt with each other. The words, because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, enforced this even further. Overall the whole cast was good, but I felt as though George and Lennie were better than average. I think their relationship was very important, because it actually gave both actors some one to rely on, and a constant companion. Lennie acted his part very well, though he was a bit on the creepy side- and seemed unreal at times. George however, maintained his character all through the play. He got even more involved it at the end, when he had to kill Lennie, in order to save him. This dramatic climax was effective and reached the audience in a meaningful way.

The Structure Conduct Performance Framework In Industrial Organizations Economics Essay

The Structure Conduct Performance Framework In Industrial Organizations Economics Essay The SCP paradigm assumes that the market structure determines the conduct of the organization. This conduct, in turn, is the determinant of market performance. Examples of market performance include efficiency, profitability and growth. The framework seeks to establish that certain structures of the industry can lead to certain kinds of conduct or behaviour which then leads to various types of economic performance. The SCP paradigm was developed through evaluation of empirical studies involving American industries. Theoretical models were not used to support the paradigm. The conclusion that was drawn from empirical studies was that market structure determined performance. This is caused by the belief that the laws of competition should not be based on behavioural models but rather on structural remedies. According to J.S. Bain who developed the paradigm in the 1950s, most industries became concentrated than necessary (Ferguson Ferguson, 1994). In concentrated industries, there are high barriers to entry. New firms cannot enter these markets that easily. The SCP approach has been subjected to criticism in the recent years. Some critics say that the relationships between structure, conduct and performance are more complicated than originally thought (Ferguson Ferguson, 1994). Attempts are being made to link the framework back to the neoclassical theory. However, industrial organizations still use the SCP approach for analysis and as a tool in policy formulation. The SCP paradigm remains to be a basic tool used by industrial organizations in competition analysis. Structure is defined as the components and characteristics of the various markets and industries in an economy. Structure also involves the different sectors of the economy. In the SCP approach, structure is described as the characteristics and relevance of individual markets operating within the economy (Papatheodorou, 2006). It provides a description of the environment in which organizations operate within a specific market. The said structure can be identified by considering the size and number of buyers and sellers in the market. The structure can also be identified based on product differentiation, market barriers and the extent of integration or diversification of firms. Conduct in the SCP approach involves all actions and behaviour of organizations regarding the decisions being taken and the reasons behind them. Conduct focuses on how organizations set prices. Organizations will have to determine whether these prices are in collusion with other firms in the market (Perloff et. al., 2007). Industrial economists are concerned with the performance of organizations. Firms should be able to identify whether their activities and operations will improve economic welfare. Firms should also satisfy and meet customer demands within a specific period. The SCP approach helps organizations analyse whether their processes and products are produced efficiently. Organizations should determine whether the allocation of resources is efficient and effective. The right approach is not to waste resources and produce the right products in just the right quantities. Firms should also look at the other aspects of performance like the relationship between price and cost of product as well as the profits earned (De Jong Shepherd, 2007). In the current market, consumer tastes do not change that much. Producers and consumers are said to be perfectly informed. Because of the market conditions, the economic welfare can be maximized using the Pareto analysis in which marginal conditions are expected to be fulfilled. Under marginal conditions, firms are expected to set prices so that they will be equivalent to marginal cost. Using the neoclassical perfect competition model, firms can maximize their profits by ensuring that price will equal marginal cost. This will result in an effective combination of price and output (Ferguson Ferguson, 1994). The SCP approach states that performance should be determined by the conduct of organizations. This conduct is then determined by the characteristics of market structures. The relationships between structure, conduct and performance will then match the models of monopoly, perfect competition, oligopoly and monopolistic competition. The traditional SCP approach is attractive since it is straightforward in its line of reasoning and is comfortable with the identification of structural characteristics (Jones Sufrin, 2010). This kind of approach provides clear guidelines to firms regarding policymaking decisions. The performance of the firm can be further improved by taking actions that are designed to influence the current structures of a specific market. In most cases, performance can be predicted by considering structural conditions of the market. Such conditions can provide sufficient information and predict how organizations should behave. Ignoring conduct in all market conditions c an lead to misleading predictions in markets operating under oligopoly. However, modern economists no longer believe that structures determine the performance of firms (Papatheodorou, 2006). Still, they accept the idea that market structures are important for firms to not behave competitively. The traditional SCP paradigm has two main aspects. The first involves firms obtaining measurements of performance. This can be done by getting a direct measurement rather than just an estimate. The second aspect involves economists using observations gathered from across industries. This is done to create a regression of performance measures on various structures to be used in explaining market performance differences between industries (Papatheodorou, 2006). The measures of market performance can determine whether market power operates in an industry. Measurements of direct or indirect profit are indicators of the performance of an industry against competitive benchmarks. Some of these measurements are rate of return and price-cost margin. To determine how performance is different from structure, industrial economists will need to know the measures of market structure. One common measure of market structure is firm size distribution. This is concerned with the most important issue involving market structure. The relative size and number of firms are indicators of market structure. Organizations will exert more market power when there are few firms in the market. In most SCP research, industry concentration is a term used to measure the market shares of firms in the market (De Jong Shepherd, 2007). SCP studies have ignored the issue regarding exogenous measures relating to market structure. Common concentration measures are not considered as exogenous measures. Another serious issue in relation to this type of measure for market structure is bias. Most concentration measures are said to be biased due to improper descriptions in the market. Since international trade is more significant in other countries than just in US markets, another bias can come from ignoring exports and imports (De Jong Shepherd, 2007). Domestic concentration measures may not be significant measures of market power in such international industries. The Chicago School Critique. The Chicago School is a school of free-market economics. Unlike the Harvard University which was where the SCP paradigm originated, the foundations for competition analysis were based on the theoretical model of neoclassical theory rather than on empirical studies (Cseres, 2005). The Chicago School believed in the establishment of anti-trust laws. Economic efficiency should be the exclusive goal. Economic efficiency has two parts namely productive efficiency and allocated efficiency. In some instances, practices that can improve the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s productive efficiency can lower the allocated efficiency of the market (Perloff et al., 2007). The Chicago School also believe that most markets are competitive in nature. Even if some markets have a few sellers, the market remains competitive. Product differentiation is less likely to undermine competition. Product differentiation and high market concentration do not contribute to anti-competitive issues (Perloff et al., 2007). The critique of the Chicago School was based on two grounds. One is that government intervention depends on the loosely demonstrated failures of market. The abuse of market power is an example of market failure. The remedies proposed by the SCP paradigm do not need to improve in addressing the problem. The Chicago school also believes that the SCP paradigm is entirely based on anonymous market transactions and price theory (Clegg, 2006). Since the paradigm is based from these sources, it does not recognize the complex relationships that exist within and outside organizations. For example, an organization can choose to limit the number of suppliers in order to reduce the level of competition among them. The action may result in a complex pricing formula rather than getting a fixed unit price to filter customers. The price theory that drives the SCP paradigm is said to be lacking in explanatory power according to the Chicago school (Clegg, 2006). There are limitations because it explores how actors interact within a market. The Chicago paradigm takes a more dynamic approach to economic events. The inefficiency brought by market power is temporary in nature. This efficiency will soon be eliminated by the entry of more innovative organizations. The SCP paradigm has produced different variations of empirical work. Market structure is affected by different basic conditions. These basic conditions include technology, business culture, consumer preferences and product durability among other variables (Audretsch, 2006). Government intervention affects every component of the paradigm. Government intervention may come in the form of regulations, taxes and subsidies, international trade policies and price controls. The SCP paradigm is used as a type of checklist for policymakers (Audretsch, 2006). They should also understand the function of transaction cost economics. This is a concept that attempts to identify the most efficient institutional and organizational activities that will help reduce transaction costs. Transaction costs economics is also based on the concept of bounded rationality. Economic factors are believed to be purposely rational but limited. Transaction cost economics also recognizes that the internal management o f the organization and markets can be alternative forms of allocating resources (Cseres, 2005). These also rely on the facts with corresponding effects if an organization has achieved efficiency. The most efficient firm will be able to either enter the market and engage in specific transactions or take the transactions out of the market and into the organization. These transactions for example, can be the production of goods and services within a vertically integrated firm. To determine whether or not the transaction should be brought into the firm and taken out of the market, organizations should determine the frequency of the transaction. If the transactions are to be conducted frequently, it is best to bring that type of transaction into the organization (Cseres, 2005). The specific transaction might need skilled labour to complete. If for example the transaction seldom occurs like the construction of a new plant, the most efficient resource allocation will be to enter the market and contract services for the transaction to be performed (Jones Sufrin, 2010). The same concept applies when firms decide on the degree of uncertainty. If the risk is great, vertical integration into an organization will bring the most efficiency. If the product can be easily duplicated, the transaction should be conducted in the market. Modern Theory of Industrial Organization. The modern theory of industrial organization is a combination of the SCP and Chicago paradigms into a more comprehensive and successful approach (Jones Sufrin, 2010). This is known as the contract-based approach to industrial organization. The SCP paradigm still provides the guidelines but the analysis of conduct is extended from pricing theory to more contract behaviours. In conclusion, the traditional SCP paradigm is still useful for firms as a tool for analysis but other tools or measurements are needed to support the SCP approach. Static economic theories state that profits in the long-run may vary with market structures. These economic theories do not mention anything about the relationship between the market structure and profits during the short-run. Using the SCP paradigm alone may not result in accurate analysis.

Study Of Symptom Management Strategies For Palliative Care Nursing Essay

Study Of Symptom Management Strategies For Palliative Care Nursing Essay This essay revolves around Claire, her symptoms, her ability to cope as well as her husband Andrew. More precisely, it will focus on strategies which can be employed for symptom management. Central to any form of management strategy for Claire is a holistic assessment of her circumstances followed by planning, implementation and evaluation. This can often be accomplished by with the assistance of an assessment model which are all, to a large extent, broadly based on this plan, but each can analyse the problem from a different perspective. (Fawcett J 2005) If one first considers the situation under the aegis of the Roper Logan Tierney model (Roper, Logan Tierney 2000), this model analyses the major issues of patient management in terms of solving the patients difficulties in adapting to and coping with daily living, particularly if such coping is affected by either a physical disability or a disease process. In terms of those with malignant disease, this is clearly one of their major issues. Even a brief overview of the literature demonstrates that this model is extensively utilised and is possibly one of the most widely accepted models of patient management (Holland, Jenkins, Solomon Whittam 2003). One of the major weakness of this model can be seen in the fact that it is not particularly effective in producing management strategies that can be effective in dealing with patients who are frankly manipulative or are presenting with symptoms that are overtly psychological in nature. Whilst there is no suggestion that Claire is overtly manipulative, Johnson points to the fact that the management of psychological issues in palliative care is every bit as central to a successful outcome, as dealing with ostensibly more obvious symptom features such as pain control (Johnson 1999.) Management of such patients can be better if the healthcare professional views such functional behaviour as a adaption process to the illness role as described by the Roy adaption model. (Roy 1991) which seeks to describe patient behaviour in terms of the ability of the patient to adapt to whatever stimulus is generating the behaviour. In the case of the patient with malignant disease, knowledge of a terminal diagnosis is a potent stimulus for behaviour change. Utilisation of this model allows for the nursing management decisions to respond to the evolving trajectory of the illness. This model can prove useful insofar as it determines why the patient tends to exhibit different behaviour patterns or coping strategies in response to their illness trajectory but it is of no real value in circumstances where a patient enters a period of overt denial of their terminal situation. To use Claire as a case in point, it would appear that she is presenting her symptoms individually rather than as part of a spectrum associated with the primary pathophysiological cause. It is not uncommon, in such circumstances, for a person to present with an illness that is obviously terminal, but who insists on trying to continue their daily life pattern as if there was no immediate problem. To a degree, her expression of surprise at the fact that people have come out of the woodwork to visit her is an demonstration of this fact. In contrast to the other two models discussed, the adaption model would describe this as a variety of cognitive distortion rather than overt denial. Clearly the patient cannot adapt to something that they are choosing not to overtly confront. (Steiger Lipson 2005) Claire appears to be somewhere between these two eventualities. Obviously she is aware of her diagnosis, but is expressing surprise that people would suddenly want to visit her. The Johnsons behavioural model would probably be the most appropriate for this scenario as Claires behaviour pattern will almost certainly change as her symptomatology progresses. It follows that one has to take a view on the specific causation of the symptoms before one can take a rational view of the evidence base supporting any management strategies. Prior to the active consideration of the management of the symptoms, in the context of the behavioural model of patient management, one must comment on the huge spectrum of skills and requirements that are currently expected of the modern professional nurse. Yura et al. state, in their authoritative overview paper, that to be functional and effective the nurse must understand the human condition from the viewpoint of the pathophysiology, the psychology, the human dynamic and socio-economic elements of the patients presentation and disease trajectory . (Yura Walsh 2008). In Claires case, this is particularly appropriate. In terms of exploring the evidence base for symptom control. If one uses a biomedical symptom model, then the only significant symptoms are increasing breathlessness, cough and fatigue. There is also an element of insomnia which leads to tiredness during the day. Other, harder to define symptoms, which nevertheless stem from the underlying pathophysiology, but are not generally described in biomedical terms, include her feeling of lack of control of her life, and, by inference there is the issue of her increasing dependence on her husband, Andrew. If one considers the evidence base for symptomatic treatment, one should ideally first consider the four primary dimensions of palliative care as outlined by Cicely Saunders as they are particularly relevant to Claire, namely the physical, social, spiritual and psychological dimensions. (Saunders Regnard 1989). It follows that, although this essay will primarily consider symptomatic treatment of breathlessness, it must be understood that this should be delivered within the context of the holistic assessment of the patient discussed in the early paragraphs of this essay. In the words of Valente et al., The patient, whole and entire, has relatives, friends, beliefs and previous experiences all of which must be integrated into management strategy. (Valente Saunders 2010 Pg 25) Breathlessness, as a specific symptom, is the result of a complex interaction between the physical body and the conscious mind. It is the most commonly reported symptom found in association with lung cancer and one of the most potentially distressing. (Knower, Dunagan, Adair Chin 2007). Breathlessness, unlike the pain commonly associated with malignancies, is difficult to treat with any degree of success. The huge evidence level IIb Higginson trial of lung cancer patients clearly demonstrated that the prevalence of breathlessness rose as death approached and that treatment became progressively more ineffective (Higginson McCarthy 2008). In another large prospective evidence level IIb study by Edmonds et al. it was found that although clinicians and patients both tend to associate lung cancer primarily with pain, breathlessness has a similar incidence to the extent that 85% patients with lung cancer experienced pain and 78% had significant breathlessness in the last year of their li fe. (Edmonds, Karlsen, Khan Addington-Hall 2007) Treatment of breathlessness is particularly problematic. According to Knower et al. this is because the symptomatology is both varied and multifactorial. It is not simply a matter of too little tidal volume in the lungs, it is a multisystem disorder with many possible subtle neurohormonal abnormalities and interactions in skeletal and respiratory muscle structure and function. In addition, the experience is extremely subjective with the feeling of breathlessness being modified by not only previous experience of the symptom but also by pathways from a number of different areas within the central nervous system. Dorman et al. classify malignancy-associated breathlessness into four groups by their different causative mechanisms. An increase in the sense of respiratory drive or effort to overcome an imposed load (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD) An increase in the proportion of available respiratory muscle force required for breathing, observed in neuromuscular weakness in which respiratory motor output and the sense of effort increase (e.g. paraneoplastic syndromes) An increase in the patients ventilatory requirements (e.g. anaemia, hypoxaemia) The contribution of higher cortical experience to the sensation. Memory and previous experience as well as fear and anxiety will all modify the sensation of breathlessness. (Dorman, Jolley, Abernethy, Currow et al. 2009) The evidence base for treatment shows that one effective mechanism is to treatment any underlying additive cause, such as anaemia, hypoxia or bronchospasm. (Hatley, Laurence, Scott Thomas 2008) If one considers the physical elements first, a common factor in the experience of breathlessness in all these circumstances is anxiety. One common effective strategy to reduce the subjective sensation is for the patient to learn relaxation and calm breathing techniques and then to consciously use them whenever they feel anxious and breathless. Oxygen therapy is frequently useful in relieving the symptoms of breathlessness and the presence of a nasal catheter or mask is often reassuring for the patient. The main evidence base for symptomatic control however, comes from the use of the opioid and benzodiazepine group of medications. Opiates have by far the strongest evidence base with the evidence level Ib paper by Pharo et al. clearly demonstrating the reduction of both subjective and objective measurements of breathlessness in patients with lung cancer. (Pharo Zhou 2005). The authors point out that the side effects of opiates, as a class, must be carefully weighed against their probable clinical benefits. Careful examination of the evidence base supporting benzodiazepine use shows that it is less secure. Some authors (viz. Wotton 2004) reporting that they have reduced the sensation of dyspnoea in patients, the majority of randomised controlled trials (viz. Maher, Selecky, Harrod Benditt 2010,) have not been able to demonstrate any convincing benefit whilst showing significant side effects. They are also known to decrease respiratory drive and compromise lung function, worsening exercise tolerance. ( Franco-Bronson 2006). On balance, the evidence base does not support the use of the benzodiazepine group for t he relief of breathlessness in malignant disease. Anxiety and depression, both common associations of malignant disease, are commonly associated with increased perceptions of breathlessness. There is a substantial evidence base to show that aggressive treatment of both can produce significant improvement in subjective assessments of the symptom. Treatment of these conditions are complex and specialised and therefore will not be considered in detail. Kunik et al. have demonstrated in an evidence level IIa study that both anxiolytics (buspirone ) and psychological relaxation techniques are capable of producing significant decreases in levels of both anxiety and dyspnoea, as well as improved exercise tolerance among breathless patients. (Kunik, Azzam, Souchek, Cully, Wray, Krishnan, et al. 2007) In the interests of providing a comprehensive and balanced argument, note should be taken of the recent evidence level IIa paper by Lewith et al. which noted the positive, but not statistically significant effect of acupuncture on patients suffering from breathlessness. It should also be noted that these were patients with breathlessness as an all-cause symptom rather than specifically from malignant disease. (Lewith, Prescott Davis 2006) The evidence base relating to treatment of cough, a common symptom in lung cancer. It is generally taken to indicate involvement of the airways rather than the lung parenchyma, primarily because of the location of cough receptors. Kvale published a particularly helpful Medline review in 2008 which explored the evidence base for treatment options. (Kvale 2008). The paper itself is both extensive and comprehensive. Confining the discussion to the relevant portions of the paper shows that both surgery and radiotherapy (where appropriate) are both effective in reducing troublesome cough symptoms. A patient undergoing chemotherapy is less likely to have their cough symptoms reduced. There is a substantial evidence base to support the view that the use of inhaled bronchodilators and corticosteroids can be useful, but not in all cases. Specific antitussive centrally acting drugs that have been subjected to randomised controlled trials include codeine, hydrocodone, and dextromethorphan. Each of these has a strong supporting evidence base and minimum side effects. Dihydrocodeine has been specifically noted as having the dual purpose of both pain relief and cough suppression. (Homsi, Walsh, Nelson 2001). The opiate group in general, in addition to relieving pain and breathlessness are also strongly active in cough suppression. The authors make the point that many trials have noted the cough suppression effect of placebos in randomised controlled trials. This has not only the effect of adding an element of bias into the results, but also offers a line in management of cough in resistant cases. Fatigue is a common symptom associated with malignancies and certainly with lung cancer. This latter association is postulated to be related to the levels of chronic hypoxia in the later stages of the disease. (Higginson, McCarthy 2008) The Dagnelie et al. study is particularly useful in this respect as it considered the effect of fatigue on the quality of life of patients with lung cancer and found that it has clear statistical associations with the stage of the disease process, the degree of support that the patient has and also the mental state of the patient. (Dagnelie, Pijls-Johannesn, Lambin Beijer 2007). They found that those patients who had good support networks, and who were not depressed and who were able to maintain a good level of physical activity were the ones who were least likely to report significant levels of fatigue. A substantive literature search has failed to reveal any good quality trials which support these findings from a therapeutic perspective but intuitively, one might suggest that including the maintenance of a support network and direct assessment for depressive symptoms into a holistic management plan is likely to reduce levels of fatigue experienced by the patient. In passing, one can consider the very recent Breitbart study which looked at the use of psycho stimulants in cases of malignancy-related fatigue and found promising results from Modafinil, which is a new category of psychostimulant commonly referred to as wakefulness-promoting agent in the literature. It appears to be well tolerated and with few side effects. The results are too new to have yet been replicated with a larger randomised controlled trial and the authors also point to a large possible placebo effect in their trial. In these circumstances, the evidence base should perhaps be considered unproven until further evidence emerges. (Breitbart Alici 2010) The case study makes reference to passing reference to Andrew, Claires spouse, who retired two years ago and is clearly the main carer in this scenario. He does the shopping, cooking and various other domestic duties for Clare. Although we are told that this makes him feel useful the experienced and empathetic healthcare professional should be aware that the levels of occult depression in cancer-afflicted patients spouses is extremely high. (Kim, Duberstein, Sorensen Larson 2005) It has commonly been found to be the case that as the focus of care and intervention is generally targeted towards the patient, the carers, and particularly the spouses, do not have their needs either explored, considered or addressed. (Braun, Mikulincer, Rydall, Walsh Rodin 2007) It is part of the holistic assessment of the patients situation that the carers should be actively considered and managed as actively as the patient. This has the direct effect not only of trying to optimise the overall levels of care for the patient, but also promoting the spoken exchange of information, thoughts and feelings which are very likely not to be addressed of recognised, if not explicitly facilitated. (Kim, Schulz Carver 2007) The evidence base for these interventions is not strong. There is a considerable evidence base, from a large number of qualitative studies, which underlines the fact that spouses and carers, if supported, can improve the quality of life for the patient. It also appears to be the case that spiritual well being of the patient is improved if spouses and carers are encouraged and facilitated to talk about the situation, especially impending death, which is often regarded as a taboo subject in a household with a patient with a malignancy. Qualitative studies certainly strengthen the evidence base, but, in terms of guidelines and management strategies, they are generally not seen as being as robust as quantitative studies. (Gomm Davies 2008) In conclusion, the evidence base to devise a management strategy for Claire is dependent primarily on the mechanisms used to define her symptom base as well as her circumstances. It appears likely that Claire is adapting to her illness trajectory with a minimum of cognitive distortion, and is taking a rather fatalistic view of her situation. Management should clearly be primarily supportive, both of her and her spouse. The evidence base for symptom control is fairly strong. Pain is not a feature at the moment. Breathlessness could be tackled, initially by the instigation of anxiety-relieving behaviours and possibly by small doses of opiods. Cough can be helped by the use of dihydrocodeine if it is troublesome and fatigue needs careful evaluation to determine whether there is any depressive or psychological factors which are either primary of additive to the symptomatology. Claire may also need to be given permission to rest during the day and be told to pace herself with physical activity so that her fatigue is not such a problem for her. Healthcare professionals need to consider their interventions with the family very carefully. Claire perceives that they come out of the woodwork, which suggests that they are an unwelcome reminder of the fact that they are only there because she has a serious and ultimately terminal illness. Claire may need to be encouraged to talk and expand on this issue as the family may find it difficult if they are not welcomed, and Claire may need to be helped to confront the reality of her situation more directly. Andrew must not be overlooked when constructing a management strategy for this situation. It is a common finding for healthcare professionals to perceive that the spouse is being strong, but this may be a faà §ade for their partner. It is a useful strategy for the healthcare professional to make time to talk to Andrew on his own so that he can have the opportunity to raise issues that he may be unclear about. It may be that he does not know what to expect and is uncertain of the best way of handling the situation. Although possibly premature at the moment, part of the management plan should be to discuss how Andrew is going to approach a worsening situation. An essay such as this can only realistically consider the situation from a general approach. It is clearly the case that every strategy and intervention should be considered on the basis of a holstic assessment of the individual and the management tailored directly to the specific circumstances of the individual. Appendix I Classification of evidence levels Ia Evidence obtained from meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Ib Evidence obtained from at least one randomised controlled trial. IIa Evidence obtained from at least one well-designed controlled study without randomisation. IIb Evidence obtained from at least one other type of well-designed quasi-experimental study. III Evidence obtained from well-designed non-experimental descriptive studies, such as comparative studies, correlation studies and case studies. IV Evidence obtained from expert committee reports or opinions and/or clinical experience of respected authorities. (SIGN 2001) Appendix II Case Details Clares general practitioner has just referred her to the community palliative care service. Clare is a 65 year old woman, with lung cancer, an eventually fatal condition. She lives with her husband Andrew in their family home. Her two grown children are married and live interstate. Clare suffers from breathlessness, cough and fatigue. She gets distressed by her inability to catch her breath. Sometimes she has trouble sleeping at night and is frequently sleepy during the day. Clare says she doesnt have many strategies to help her manage her symptoms. She views her illness as a challenge as it impacts on what she can do and she doesnt feel in control of her life. Clare tells you that personal relationships are more meaningful for her now and she misses seeing her children, even though she keeps in frequent phone contact. She is surprised by the number of people who have come out of the woodwork and have come to visit her at home. Andrew retired two years ago so is able to do the shopping, cooking and other domestic duties for him and Clare. He says this makes him feel useful and its easier for him to do things than to talk about things. Andrew asks you if there is anything more he can do to help Clare.

Some Cat Saved Your Grandma :: essays research papers fc

Some Cat Saved Your Grandma Animal rights activists are constantly preaching about how doctors and scientists should give up testing on their cute furry little creatures because it not only causes the animal pain but also the activists’ pain. They just can’t stand seeing Fido and Fluffy in such nauseating conditions and being injected several times until their body gives out, and they can’t stand the sight or even hearing about the poor little Siamese kitten who’s eyes are bloodshot with tests for makeup samples. These activists also believe that alternative methods of testing products are more productive than animal testing, and that the scientists who conduct the tests on the animals are vicious and care nothing towards animals. They are also known to believe that animal testing makes no contribution to society and that clean water and good sanitation, not vaccines and antibiotics, are the solutions to the world’s problems (O’Donell).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Besides being utterly unreasonable with their myths of animal cruelty, animal rights activists are being perfectly hypocritical. If anyone has been hindered by a stroke, any head or spinal cord injuries, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, or any type of surgery they have been helps by the results of animal testing. Without the help of animal testing Polio would still kill and cripple thousands of adults and children, doctors would not have chemotherapy to save children suffering from lymphocytic leukemia, 7,500 newborns would develop cerebral palsy, and smallpox would still be here to kill more than the two million it has already killed (Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation. â€Å"Without†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Picture a tall apartment building burning down in furious flames. You are the only person left alive in the still burning building, and you hear two cries for help. One is a pleading meow for safety of tiny pure black kitten, but the other is a desperate and loud scream calling, ‘Help! Help!† You can see that this cry comes from a small, skinny boy, no older than six, and he is shaking uncontrollably due to his server cerebral palsy condition. You are running out of time and can only save the life of either the kitten or the boy. Which would you choose?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s only natural to choose the boy over the kitten. Imagine telling this little boy’s mother and father about your striking decision and then telling them, â€Å"but the kitten was so small and cute! I couldn’t just leave it there! Sorry about your boy.

Sir Thomas More - A Narrow-minded Hypocrite :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Sir Thomas More - A Narrow-minded Hypocrite "What did nature ever create milder, sweeter and happier than the genius of Thomas More? All the birds come to him to be fed. There is not any man living so affectionate to his children as he, and he loveth his wife as if she were a girl of fifteen" (Erasmus). Sir Thomas More is often viewed as a Catholic saint and martyr. He is viewed this way because More took a stand against King Henry VIII’s divorce of Catherine of Aragon and later was beheaded for his Catholic beliefs. Many people think of Sir Thomas More as the freethinking Renaissance humanist author of Utopia. However, there is a more accurate third view of Sir Thomas More; he is a narrow-minded hypocrite who persecuted those who opposed his views. The only good quality that Sir Thomas More showed was loyalty to his beliefs. In the age of kings, More could have followed King Henry VIII and believed he was serving God. â€Å"In serving Henry VIII, he would be serving God. Or so he could allow himself to think, until Henry demanded he swear an oath acknowledging the king to be the supreme authority on all matters temporal and spiritual, thus severing the English church's ties with Rome† (Rubin). In Peter Ackroyd’s book The Life of Sir Thomas More, he viewed Sir Thomas More as a martyr; Ackroyd also sees no inconsistency between More’s worldly success and his devout religious beliefs. There are, however, inconsistencies which will be shown later. Sir Thomas More may hold some Catholic beliefs dear to him, such as divorce, yet he does not embrace the more important belief of Thou shall not kill. His skewed views are apparent in James Woods’ Sir Thomas More: A Man for One Season. Woods’ writes, â€Å"as Lord Chancellor, he [Thomas More] had imprisoned and interrogated Lutherans, sometimes in his own house, and sent six reformers to be burned at the stake, and he had not done this just so that he might die for slender modern scruple, for anything as naked as the naked self.† Does this sound like a free thinking humanist and Catholic Saint? More’s actions against others who do not share his views speak for itself. In the 1520’s a man named Tyndale wrote a translation of The New Testament. In Tyndale’s translation, he included some of Martin Luther’s notes.

Energy, Society, and Climate Change :: Preservation Wildlife Essays

Energy, Society, and Climate Change The topic of my presentation was the proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. This controversial proposal has come into the forefront of U.S. energy policy in the past year with the Bush administration advocating its approval to open the previously undisturbed habitat of the Refuge to oil exploration. In my presentation, I gave a basic overview of U.S. oil usage, a brief history of drilling on the North Slope, the formation of ANWR, the potential pros and cons of drilling in the Refuge, and concluded by citing other means of oil management that would by far offset any temporary gains by ANWR drilling. I began my presentation by giving some statistics on the annual consumption rate of oil in the United States. In 2001, the United States consumed over 19 billion barrels of oil per day, which comes out to 7 billion barrels of oil annually. (http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/ipsr/t24.txt) This 7 billion barrel annual consumption rate makes up over 25% of the yearly world consumption rate of 24 billion barrels. The United States produces domestically about half of the oil it consumes, with the other half being imported, with half of the imports coming from OPEC countries. Stated simply, 25% of the oil the United States consumes annually is imported from OPEC countries, the other 25% of oil imported comes from non-OPEC countries such as Canada, with the United States using its own reserves for the remaining 50% of consumption. For an example of the cost of having such a reliance on imported oil, in midsummer 2001, with oil prices at $24 per barrel, the U.S. was spending $210 million per day on imported oil, which would add to nearly $80 billion per year if the price per barrel consistently stayed at $24. This reliance on foreign oil constitutes over 1/3 the annual U.S. trade deficit. (Energy and Society, Schobert, Pgs 505-506) Besides having relatively few oil fields compared to other nations, other problems hinder the ability of the U.S. to not rely on imported oil. The U.S. has exploited its oil reserves longer than any other nation, resulting in the cost of producing a barrel of oil in the existing U.S. reserves being more than anywhere else. This exploitation of U.S. reserves will cause domestic oil production to fall dramatically over the next decade as existing fields are exhausted and relatively few new reserves are discovered.

Governtment Money

In each country, government plays important role in developing their lands by improving the roads, the local transports, and the school and so on. To do so government has to spend billions of dollars on each project. In my view I think that government should spend as much as money on the basic requirement on the earth rather than spending lot of money on the outer space. First, by increasing the local transport will improve the economics of the country. Second, by reconsidering the old bridge is the safety for the people life. First, by increasing the number of the local transport will increase the economics of the country by adding the jobs to the people. For example, as I remember, everyday to my work I would drive the car five days a week. I used to spend lot of money on the gas, at the same time; my car produces the carbon mono oxide which is damaging the environment. If government spends money on adding the local transports like local buses, subways, local trains and so on. People start using these transports eventually save their money, in addition to that government will increases the jobs requirement like maintain ace guys, the engineer, the electrician guy so on. Drastically these while improve the economics of our country, as workers will start paying the tax. As you can see, adding the local transport will increases the jobs and the people start paying the taxes. Finally, government should focus on the old bridges, which had to be reconstructed. for instance, In Washington, they was a collapse of the bridge on the sikgat river, which caused by the heavy track when hit the bridge the concrete of the bridge was sliced off, which leads to collapse of the bridge, thought they was no life- threatening injuries, but still our government has to reconsider the safety of the people. As they are some many bridges around the nation, which has to be repaired, for that government has to spend ton of dollars. For this reasons I could say that government should spend money wisely thinking about the safety of the people and preventing this kind of tragedy. In sum, we are the people who elected the government. So government should give first preferences to the basic requirement of the people on the earth, by increasing the local transport and by improving the old bridges which is mandatory.

Modern Technology: Crippling Minds, Spreading Inefficiency Essay

It is quite common to hear people claim that technological advancements have brought forth positive and beneficial changes to society and even the world. However, despite the truthfulness of such a statement in certain aspects, it still cannot be refuted that modern technology is also a source of numerous problems and concerns which may not necessarily be easily identified by all. Presently, the over reliance of individuals in modern technology have brought forth detrimental changes both to human intelligence and even the efficiency in which the simplest of tasks are accomplished. In relation to this, it would be appropriate to state that modern technology is similar to a fatal disease which is slowly affecting the whole population without being noticed, until probably it is already too late; hence, modern technology may certainly be likened to cancer. Like such a diseases, treatment would only become possible after its presence is proven and acknowledged. In this sense, arguing that such a problem exists is definitely a worthwhile endeavor. Without a doubt, modern technology is the root of degrading mental capability as well as unnecessary inefficiency in the present-day global society. As noted beforehand, one of the most concerning effects of modern technology upon individuals is that intelligence becomes compromised in an ensuing manner. As a matter of fact, it would not be difficult to locate signs of intellectual shortcomings even in the most commonly used facets of technology. To further expound, e-mails are an excellent source if one would attempt to find a myriad of grammatical mistakes as well as other mishaps in writing despite the fact that correcting such mistakes is undeniably easy to accomplish (Shostak). Indeed, even the most commonly used, yet supposedly of vital significance, manifestations of technology in modern times are indicative of the presence of the aforementioned concerns. It is becoming a symbol which represents the deterioration of human intellect in an inconspicuous manner. While not many would realize the detrimental effects of such forms of modern technology upon their minds, there are those who are becoming aware of the problem. As Carr notes in an article, pertaining to his focus in reading, his â€Å"concentration often starts to drift after two to three pages† (Carr). It is true that some tasks may now be completed in a faster manner due to the emergence of the Web. Nonetheless, once again, human intelligence has been compromised due to its presence. To further expound, while pursuits such as writing and research have become easier to accomplish, one’s capability to focus on endeavors which require more effort becomes compromised due to an excessive dependence upon means in which the challenges in tasks are minimized (Carr). In general, modern technology has become the most significant reason as to why individuals are becoming increasingly lazy (DeGeneres 638). Without a doubt, it is appropriate to claim that the trend in modern technology, which is to make life as easy as possible, have become a distinct way through which laziness and dependence are both furthered considerably. As a matter of fact, an in-depth pursuit to personally reflect on such matters would not be necessary to account for the truthfulness of the abovementioned claims; reminiscing for a short duration of how life was a decade ago would suffice in making one realize the extent in which such problems brought forth from modern technology have changed the means through which individuals allocated effort even in the simplest responsibilities. While it is true that some tasks became easier to complete, it is also irrefutable that the simplest of activities became unnecessarily difficult; inefficiency has been caused by modern technology despite the fact that it is supposedly driven by the need to further enhance efficiency. To further explain, the way in which products are packaged is an ideal example of how inefficient certain simple tasks have become. Specifically, countless lengths of time are wasted as one faces difficulty in opening compact discs, batteries, and even scissors due to the unexplainable amount of protection provided by the manner in which such items are packaged (DeGeneres 639). In addition, the e-mail while in part invented for a more efficient approach in exchanging textual information have also led to inefficiency as the number of mails one receives does not always require a thorough read or even an appropriate response (Shostak). Definitely, the statements above are real-world examples of how modern technology has also become detrimental to the attempt of individuals to accomplish more with minimal requirements in both time and effort. As a matter of fact, modern technology may not have properly accomplish either of such goals as some of the most common faults of individuals, such as tardiness, have still remained existent throughout the years (Carr). Throughout the discussion, the existence of an undeniable source of detrimental repercussions for humanity has been proven. Modern technology is certainly not exclusive of negative aspects. While the detrimental effects of technology are usually discussed in relation to environmental concerns such as pollution and the destruction of nature, it must be kept in mind that such destruction may also be brought forth by modern technology upon humanity. Crippling the intellectual capability of current generation and of course the generations yet to come, is definitely an effect of modern technology which warrants undivided attention. Furthermore, individuals should realize that not all the benefits of technology are all-encompassing; certain aspects such as efficiency have in part suffered due to the presence of misguided advances for the simplest of task. While modern technology may still be the key to solving some of the most pressing concerns worldwide, it is necessary that humanity’s focus upon the pace and direction of technological progress be evaluated. In attempting to provide and demand continuous progress in technology, individuals must also reflect and assess as to whether humanity is also experiencing progress from a holistic standpoint. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. Is Google Making Us Stupid?. The Atlantic, Jul/Aug 2008. Web. 14 May 2010. Degeneres, Ellen. This is How We Live. Course Document, pp. 638 – 642. Shostak, Seth. You Call This Progress?. Newsweek, 18 Jan 1999. Web. 14 May 2010.

Organizational Behavior and Leadership Essay

   Effective Communication: Partnership in Italy Melissa Chang is a business woman from US who is about to travel Venice, Italy to meet with her company’s partnering company. During the preparation of the trip she faces different obstacle like she was stressed and her friend cancelled their trip to Moscow at the last minutes. She was afraid of meeting the Italian Partner, however after collecting necessary information upon making phone contact with the company’s partnering company to confirm her travel plans. When Melissa meets face-to-face with the partners, she quickly realized their source of frustration and at the same time she was able provide all the information requested by them about the product. She was also able to answer all the questions and explain the business process during the first meeting in a productive way and also maintain the relationship for the further business for the future. Both Melissa and Italian partner drew up the projected plan for the next fiscal year at the end of the week. The Presid ent of the Italian office arranges a formal dinner in her honor and appreciates the professionalism of Melissa. Analysis and Findings In this case US company is not providing the basic product information due to which Italian partner were unhappy which may lead to cancellation of the partnership. When Melissa agrees to visit to Venice, Italy then she meet their partner company face to face, listen all their views and provide them with all the required information and answer all their questions on the spot due to which the partner company we really impressed with her performance and they started building the positive attitude towards US company. Melissa’s communication impact on Italians The company has not upheld the basic business standard due to which the Italian partners were frustrated. If the things did not get up cleared quick they company of US may lose the partnership. As Melissa Chang has a very good communicating skill through which she impressed the Italian partner and gain the positive appreciation. Melissa has both interpersonal and communicating skill. She has an ability to work with one-on-one as well as she can present a good public image for the organization. She was aware of her own internal noise and the role it can play with her own listening abilities which makes her the best situational leader. She possessed the three basic competencies in influencing as diagnosing (being able to understand the situation you are attempting to influence); adapting (being able to adapt your behavior, and the other things that you have control over, to the contingencies of the situation); and communicating (being able to put the message in a way that people can easily understand and accept) (Hershey, Blanchard & Johnson, 2011). Primary Sources of Information Prior to Melissa’s Visit Effective communication plays a very important role in an organization. In order to do any work first we need to collect the information regarding the work which is very important. In this case, Melissa collected all the information of Italian partner through the phone call. But in this company it doesn’t show the good commutation because the colleague of the Melissa cancelled their recent trip to Moscow at the last minute, and do not respond to the requests of partnering or Host Company of Italy for information. This kind of behavior clearly shows that employees have lack of professionalism and negligence. So the perception of the company towards the parent company at US was not good. The parent company at US is just focusing on the profit and forgetting the other factors that help in the maximization of the profit. So the parent Company is sending Melissa for the visit of the Italian partners without proper guidance and training. Melissa believes those Italian partner was frustrated and may cancel the partnership. So due to her effective communication and situational leadership she is successful to gain the Italians business. Thus we need to gather information from face-to-face communication or other means of communication like email,  telephone, and fax etc. is very essential to begin any new business or work which makes easier to understand the situation and deal with it. Primary Sources of Information after Melissa’s Visit Before beginning any new thing the first thing we need to is gathering information regarding the new thing which makes easier to perform new task. In this case Melissa gathered and learned many things before visiting to the Italy, Venice. The parent company at US was doing negligence and doesn’t provide the information to the partner company at Venice as per requirement on time. When Melissa travelled to Venice and had face-to-face communication with their partner company at Italy, she realizes the reason for the frustration as the parent company at US has not provided the basic information regarding the product. She was successful on answering all the quarries of the partner company and also maintains the positive relationship for the business in the future. The partner company also agrees to discuss details for the next fiscal year plan. The partner company appreciates Melissa’s ability of communicating and the performance of her and also the partner company arranges a formal dinner program in her honor. So face-t- face communication helps to gather all the necessary and available information before beginning any new task. The president of the partner company noted the empathetic listening skills and ability to relate to their business needs and being critical to their future success and also praises her for her quick action and decisiveness she demonstrated during their meeting. Melissa’s Change in Attitude Dealing the Italian Partners When Melissa reached Venice, Italy she was quite stress but she quickly realize that the partners companies were frustrated from their prospective because the parent company at US was not providing the proper information regarding the product. But Melissa was fascinated with the serenity of the Italian partners. Diagnosing and communicating might account for Melissa’s change in attitude about dealing with the Italian partners after her visit. After face to face meeting with Partner Company she was able to she was able to understand the situation over there. But after meeting the partner company she was able to answer all their queries and also provided all the  information regarding the product due to which they were happy about the performance of Melissa because she was able to handle the critical situation in a proper manner. She was also invited for the dinner by the president of the partner company at Venice which motivates her and feels more confidence and also the Italian Partner were more committed towards the product then before. Similarly, the dedication of Italian partners toward their works might also account for Melissa’s change in attitude about dealing with the Italian partners after visit. Summary and Conclusions Effective communication by business managers facilitates information sharing between company employees and can substantially contribute to its commercial success. Effective communication should generate the desired effect and maintain the effect, with the potential to increase the effect of the message. Interpersonal skills and written and oral communication skills are important not only in obtaining a job, but also in performing effectively on the job. Therefore, communication is essential to keep the organization functioning at maximum level and to make the most of the management human resources (Hershey, Blanchard & Johnson, 2011). References Brandt, W. K., & Hulbert, J. M. (1976). Patterns of Communications in the Multinational Corporation: An Empirical Study. Journal of International Business Studies. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K., & Johnson, D. (2011).Managing of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources. (9th ed., pp. 243-250). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

A Beautiful Mind takes place over the course of forty seven years in John Nash’s life

A Beautiful Mind takes place over the course of forty seven years in John Nash's life. It is based on a true story. The film begins with John Nash as he is entering into graduate school at Princeton in the late 1940's and lasts through the reception of his Nobel Prize in 1994. During his schooling he lives on campus alone, but a few years after he graduates, he meets Alicia Larde. Eventually he marries her, and they move in to together and have a son. Throughout the span of the film he develops schizophrenia and his condition progresses, until he is diagnosed, after which treatment is implemented. He seems to suffer from schizophrenia paranoid type, because of the prominence of his delusions, as well as his numerous interpersonal problems. The first symptom that John Nash displays which can be used to classify him clinically as schizophrenic is disturbance of language. When he is working on a difficult mathematics problem, or walking from one place to another, he mutters unintelligible things to himself. Often when coming out of one of his hallucinations he is under a lot of stress and begins talking nonsense, such as when he was giving his infant son a bath. When his wife returned to find the baby nearly drowning, John Nash insists, even though he is alone in the room, that his old college roommate, who doesn't exist, was watching the baby. Further, he claims that Charles was injected with a sort of serum that made him invisible. The meaning of his claims doesn't make sense within the context of the situation. Also, at the beginning of the movie, in response to a challenge, he tells his classmate that he is â€Å"terrified, mortified, petrified, and stupefied,† by him, which could be a form of clanging, although it actually makes sense. His disturbance of language mainly results from his disruption of perception, which includes rather complex hallucinations. The first hallucination he has, which follows him for the rest of his life, is his roommate, Charles Herman, whom he ‘meets' in graduate school. Soon after, John Nash is introduced to six year old Marcee, Charles' niece. After graduating, and being appointed to a position at Wheeler Lab, his work with the government prompts another hallucination-this time of a top secret government investigator, a William Parcher, who goes on to give Nash an assortment of ‘assignments. The many delusions that he suffers can be classified under disturbance of thought. First of all he exhibits delusions of grandeur. He estimates himself at such a high importance level that he feels as though he is invincible, and should not be capable of losing-even in a board game. Also after doing minor work with the government, he thinks he's a spy, allowing him to work with top secret government documents, but that is just a part of his delusions of grandeur. Really believing he is a spy has to do with his confused sense of self. Being a spy is a position he has created for himself. Even after being forcibly admitted to the psychiatric hospital, he continues to believe they are his enemies, that they hospital staff are merely Russians trying to trick him into divulging his secrets. He's so paranoid, that when his wife, Alicia, comes to visit at the hospital, he warns her that ‘they' may be listening through microphones. John Nash feels persecuted by his friends and the doctors. He thinks they are simply out to get him, because he cannot realize the condition he is in. There are two clear examples of inappropriate emotion that Nash exhibits in this film. When he is studying in the library at Princeton, he casually mentions how he watched a woman get mugged, and then continues to display the mathematical equation he drew depicting the event. As his hallucination of Charles Herman points out to him, it's not normal to sit by calmly and watch as a woman's purse gets stolen. Second of all, when his baby nearly drowns because of his carelessness, he does not seem very upset, and cannot understand why his wife is so distraught. John Nash can be considered abnormal by evaluating him under several characteristics. All of these symptoms that he displays throughout the movie fit the criteria perfectly. First off he shows a deviation from normal and ideal mental health. People in his life began to notice that something is just not right with John. His wife finds herself in denial, but near the end she sees it, too. Because of his condition he suffers from nearly constant personal distress and discomfort. His classmates taunt him, and even losing a simple game with one of them upsets him and sends him off running, mumbling to himself in a disturbed way. His frustration with himself at not being able to solve math problems or come up with a topic for his doctorate thesis, interfere with his functioning in everyday life. He spends the majority of his time obsessing over his work-real and imagined. Hours and hours every night he pores over magazines for his government â€Å"boss† (one of his hallucinations) trying to discern top secret codes and patterns, but in reality he is just idling away his time that should be spent with his family or performing his job. He can't seem to control his obsession with following the instructions his hallucinations give him to the point where it impairs his functioning as an instructor, a husband, and a father. He's a danger to himself, as well as to others. In graduate school in a fit of frustration he cracks his head against a glass window, cutting his head open, and once committed to the psychiatric hospital he digs a hole in his arm until he starts bleeding, trying to find the secret code he believes is implanted in his skin. Dr. Rosen, the psychologist, after a careful examination of John Nash, gives him the professional diagnosis of schizophrenia. Of the two types of schizophrenia, reactive and process, John Nash is most likely suffering from process schizophrenia, because of factors involving the way the disease progressed. His symptoms developed gradually, beginning as early as graduate school in Princeton, when he first started ‘seeing' his college roommate, Charles Herman-rather than resulting from a specific precipitating stressor. The symptoms began, as noted, supposedly close to the time when he begins graduate school, and continue to get progressively worse as time passes, lasting throughout his entire life. This type of schizophrenia has a poorer prognosis compared to the sudden-onset Reactive schizophrenia, and even though the doctors administer insulin shock and prescribe pills for John Nash, his symptoms still persist into his old age. This film begins simultaneously with John Nash's entrance into graduate school, and that is also when development of his schizophrenic symptoms began. Despite the fact that the film does not give evidence of his pre-morbid personality, it can be inferred that Nash has always had social problems. At one point he informs his ‘roommate' that he doesn't much like people, and neither do people much like him, which leads the audience to believe that he has struggled with social relationships for most of his life. In the several bar scenes, he attempts conversations with women, but finds himself lacking the social skills necessary to keep any of their favors the moment he opens his mouth to speak. In his opening line to one girl he proposes â€Å"intercourse,† in addition to mentioning something regarding â€Å"the exchange of fluids. † And his best friend in the world turns out to be a hallucination. John Nash manages to maintain only one close relationship during the entire film, and that is to his wife, Alicia-and even that tie becomes stressed when his symptoms began to increase in severity. To put John Nash's behavior into a theoretical framework, both of his methods of treatment can be taken into account. His doctors at the psychiatric hospital administer him a vigorous program of insulin shocks to begin treatment. After which he is put on a prescription of drugs to control his symptoms. According to the Biological theory his schizophrenia had to be caused by some abnormality in his genes, resulting in either a dysfunction in his nervous or endocrine systems. To correct for this Dr Rosen, his doctor, prescribed a course of medical treatments, which seemed to work, because Nash's hallucinations, as well as other symptoms, went away. The medicine had unpleasant side effects for Nash-interfering in his work because he could not focus on equations, and disrupting his personal life, because he could not respond to his wife sexually, nor interact with his son-so he decided quit taking the medication and to try a different method. John Nash's personal opinion was that he could learn to control his symptoms on his own. He felt that life wasn't worth living if he couldn't do it on his own terms, if he couldn't work, relate to his wife, or raise his son. He took on an Existential perspective, holding to beliefs that he had the freewill to be responsible for his own condition. He decided that he did not have to pay attention to his hallucinations, and while they never left him completely, he was able to live day to day without getting caught up in them to the point where it would interfere with his functioning. He chose to get better, and thought the symptoms did not go away, he was able to develop discipline on his own to ignore them. My question is how the lack of social skills is related to his development of schizophrenia. Did he suffer from poor social skills, and as a result, his condition was catalyzed by the consequential lack of meaningful relationships? Or were his poor communication proficiency and lack of perception early warning signs of the disease to come? For the paranoid type of schizophrenia, there are automatically interpersonal problems taken into account, because of the bizarre behavior, regarding interaction with their hallucinations. People suffering from negative symptoms-and thus having few social skills-tend to have a smaller social network to support them throughout the difficulty of their disease, which deprives them of the ability to function independently (Macdonald, 1998, p. 275). Lack of social skills and appropriate social responses has been determined to be caused by the slowing down of visual processing in schizophrenics. By administering a test of visual apprehension, it was shown that schizophrenics take longer to visually register gestures and facial expressions, and often the social clue lasts too briefly to be understood (Sergi, 2002, p. 239). John Nash, to begin with, has a very difficult time operating in social situations. Even his third grade teacher commented that he was give two brains, and only half a heart, so apparently his lack of social skills stems from his childhood. Since he was not able to build up a social support network prior to the development of his disorder, it was more challenging for him to be able to function normally within society again on his own. Eventually, though, it is his relationship with his wife, and his desire to be there for her, which helps him in dealing with the ongoing symptoms so that he can survive from each day to the next without giving in. Research has found that neurocognitive functioning, or a dysfunction in neurocognitive functioning-due to a biologically based disorder, like Schizophrenia-may have an effect on specific social skills. In turn, the hindrance of those skills could then indirectly affect the level of social functioning in an individual (Addington, 1998, p. 65). Thus, the disorder is not the cause or the social dysfunction, but neither is the lack in social skills a risk factor for developing Schizophrenia. While these two factors do not have a causational relationship, they do seem to have a correlational relationship-meaning the presence of one would indicate a higher probability of also detecting the other.