Saturday, August 31, 2019

An Evaluation of the Significant Factors that Contribute towards the Success Of Companies Operating in the Bulgarian Property Market

There are several factors that had come together to give an exceptional boost to the real estate market in Eastern Europe. The major factor that contributed to the boom was the abandoning of central planning, which was a system that was embraced by all communist countries before the fall of the Soviet Union. After that every Soviet block and East European countries had started introducing the market economy. That automatically opened the door for property speculation and currently many investors are buying property in Eastern Europe with a mixed result.Among the East European countries Bulgaria had finished ahead simply because it became among the hot tourist destinations in a few years time and it started to attract both investors and tourists in a big number. The outcome was mixed and there are some who say that Bulgaria’s property market is saturated whereas there are others who say it is still possible to make money by investing in Bulgaria’s real estate. It was in l996 that Bulgaria was able to topple the communist regime.From then on, it had decided like many East European countries to introduce the market economy. While doing that, as European countries it was inevitable that they would join the EU. However, before doing that they had to go through a preparation phase that had a considerable amount of aid earmarked to it. Using whatever was getting into their system these countries were working to transform their economy that had been under a central planning for all those years and eventually they started showing some positive result. (Angelov, Ivan et al. 1992-2001)Bulgaria was not different from similar Eastern European countries in such a way that there was a lot of activity in the capital Sophia where there was some kind of a construction boom simply because the workforce was able to make more money hence they were able to afford to pay for better accommodations. The commercial sector also saw some activity where offices and other comm ercial properties were in high demand. This started attracting investors since the country had opened its doors for outsiders as long as they met certain requirements.What took place was a boom by any standard even if it was not different from what was happening in the other countries that were selling properties cheap simply because they were starting out from a system where property did not have any value since they were under communism. (Petrov, Georgi 1969) In all this Bulgaria got another advantage because of its tourist industry that became very popular to the point where it started to compete with other destination such as Spain, Greece and Portugal. One of the reasons for this was the low price that includes both cost of living and the price of buying property.The second one was Bulgaria has a tourist sector that has a ski resort, a mountain hiking trails and summer vacation spots in the coastal regions of the Black Sea. None of the other countries had all three facilities i n one location. In addition, there is a spa and mineral water that needed development. Once the location became popular, it started attracting tourists in big number. Some of them were only visitors attracted by the beauty of the surrounding area and the low price for the amenities.Some also started buying property because other locations such as Spain were very crowded and the price of property was not as cheap as it was in Bulgaria. In addition, property development companies were also attracted and they had been building apartments, hotels and houses for a while now. However, after all the buying and investing that took place the demand for housing is not accommodated and there is some distance to go before that becomes a reality. The value of property is not where it was at the beginning yet, it is still cheap even if it had been steadily appreciating.This means whether they are investors or people are buying homes for vacation or retirement it is still easy to get a good value for their money even if it is not going to be like those who invested earlier that had paid very cheap price for whatever they bought. Hence, since the demand for housing and other facilities that the tourist population needs is in short supply, especially companies and entrepreneurs who want to invest in the country will see a good return on their investment since the number of the tourist population is growing steadily.There are various sectors to invest into. The office, commercial and industrial sectors go in parallel to the kind of economic growth the country attains, because currently the capital city seems to be saturated and the cheapest properties could be bought around there. However, the development is reaching the other major cities, which means it is still possible to make money by investing in the office, commercial and industrial sector since there is always economic activity. The tourist sector’s demand for various amenities is not met.It means there is enough room for new entrants to make a hefty profit on their investment. What are hot now are apartment buildings, hotels, living accommodation around the spa and the spring water that are scattered around the country, luxury housing that is picking up, and golf courses are among the few areas that are requiring accommodation. Among the East European countries, Bulgaria has become one of the hot investment destinations. There are many reasons contributing for that and among them are its coastal, mountainous and recently its cities are attracting investors in a big number.Although, at this particular juncture it is possible to say there is an on and off signal since some of the markets have started cooling down simply because of the close to 31% annual property value growth that was attained in the last three years alone. Yet there is still a huge price advantage when compared to any European country as well as there is a capital growth that is unmatched anywhere else. The other obvious at traction factors are the sun, sand, sea, skiing, spa and mineral water. It also has a stunning landscape with a moderate temperature that goes with it.All this are coupled with a booming economy that started after the country abandoned its communist system and embraced a market economy. Bulgaria has similar size with Britain but its population is around 7. 45 million people. The country is located in the southern east of Europe and it borders Greece, Macedonian, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and Turkey. Currently the investment business in properties has cooled off in Sofia the capital where the property price was the highest in the country and since the country had joined the EU the growth rate had accelerated requiring more housing and commercial properties.At the same time because of its 354 km of Black Sea coast and its 37,500 hiking path, mountain trails, blended with its ancient history, it has become among the best tourist destinations in Europe. Many people are buying property at this location as a vacation home, or for future retirement or simply to speculate on the booming and overheated real estate market. The Property Market The property market in Bulgaria had focused on the capital city even if it was taking place across the country. It is possible to buy a decent cottage for ?5000 whereas the average price could be between ? l0,000 and ? l80,000 yet ? 50,000 could also buy a well-maintained property in a good location. The nature of the property market focuses on various sectors. There is the tourist industry that needs accommodation that is not yet saturated, in fact, there are some areas that are not meeting the standard, yet they have become tourist attractions availing huge opportunities especially for property managing companies. The second area is for individual investors who want to buy a property whatever the reason behind it might be.It is possible to use the property as a cottage and renting it out when it is not in use. It is also possib le to plan for retirement or for speculation, because a property bought three years ago would have appreciated up to 30% in addition to the rental income it would generate. And it seems that the market is saturated with such a growth rate, but it is not, which means anyone who is buying property at this point in time certainly will see it appreciating in the coming years although there are a few caveats to look out for.(Property Showrooms) However, the other sector that had become lucrative was the capital Sofia where the demand was high simply because of what was taking place in the capital. The city was attracting a huge amount of investment from outside by creating a prevalence of young and educated work force that needed modern accommodation and it had taken a lot of building to meet the demand creating a lot of opportunities for companies to head that way. (Baytchinska, Krassimira et al.1998) It is not only that a huge amount of commercial development was required as the (Annua l Reports 1991-2000) demand was growing at a fast pace, another opportunity that was attracting big developers. Another reason why bigger, experienced, and well funded companies had a good chance to be successful in that area is it is only such companies that will be in a position to obtain permission as they can meet the strict environmental standards that is being put in place.As well, paying a particular attention to the natural beauty of the surrounding and the country parks is also important. What this meant was anyone that meets the requirements can go in there and buy built property and rent it out until the price appreciates and when it becomes profitable it is possible to put it on the market. While such opportunities are available even for individual investors, it is bigger developers that benefit more since they could be involved in a bigger scale development. (Due, J. M. and Schmidt, S. C. 1995) TourismThe other driver is tourism that has created an unprecedented opportu nity in the country by making it the newest attraction among the international tourist industry. Accordingly, the summer months see over 50% of the overall tourist population who are there to visit the coastal regions. The winter months come in second by attracting around l4% of the tourist population who are coming there to take advantage of the ski resorts. The forecast for 2010 estimates the number of tourists visiting the region would surpass 20 million making it among the emerging tourist attractions.One of the reasons that is contributing to the success displayed in the capital city was its close proximity to one of the popular ski resorts at Vitosha where visitors are looking for high quality accommodation that is creating the dual market advantage fuelling the property investment. (Polycontact) LITERATURE REVIEW Real Estate Cycle Real Estate cycle had always been influenced by how the economy was performing. At the same time the population growth also has a direct effect on the demand of real estate since they will need more amenities.It also requires accommodation, hence the amenities need to be at a given location to tend for all the needs. Because of that real estate is considered to be a cyclical industry that reflects what goes on in the economy. The first individual who discussed real estate cycle was Homer Hoyt in the year 1993 when he analysed the Chicago market scene. Prichett (1984) confirmed that there is a real estate cycle that always lag demand, but it was possible to determine the cycle when both demand and supply go the opposite direction.Accordingly, he stated that the best time for investors to go in is when there is a decline in the market and when the market starts to pick up. Witten (1987) continued on the same idea by saying that every location has its own unique cycle that it introduces into the market and stated that supply is mostly determined by the availability of capital. That is proven to be true in Bulgaria where the deman d is not met simply because the number of investors and developers is still very low even if the demand is already there and is growing.Brown (1984) was not different from the others in that he stated that the main determining factor as far as cycles are concerned was what was happening in the economy. But he stressed on the length of the time such studies will be conducted since he believes that the longer the time is the finding will be better. According to him if the aim is to avail a reliable feasibility analysis, investment advice or credible market analysis, trends and seasonal components will have to be removed from the study that will be conducted.Wheaton (1987) studied ten cities and determined markets for office space have 10 to 12 years time span and that had been demonstrated to be true in Bulgaria as it will be demonstrated later where the cycle is the outcome of how the economy performs and factors such as GDP, interest rate and employment growth have a direct effect o n the cycle. Wheaton and Torto (1988) studied both rent and the available vacancy and found out that it is possible that there is a drop of 2% on a yearly basis for the glut that will be created in space for rent.Phyrr, Born and Webb (1990) based their real estate analysis on a theoretical cycle model that focuses on demand, supply and the effect of inflation and arrived at a conclusion that the timing in acquiring and desposing off a property is crucial in realising profit for would be investors. Phyr, Born, Robinson and Lucas (1996) took their research further by comparing a traditional valuation model against what they called cyclical assumptions by taking into consideration demand, supply, absorption, occupancy rate and the rent difference between new and older units.The conclusion they arrived at was cyclical assumptions could affect how properties are valued, but the better method was the cyclical model, which is a better indicator for a long term investment when compared to k nowing the value of a property at one point in time. Mueller and Laposa (1994, 1995) took into consideration sub markets by stating, on the outset it seems that sub markets move differently, but in the long run they tend to fall back in place with the overall markets.The case in Bulgaria had been different simply because of the number of drivers that can function independent of each other and have their own unique characteristics that are not influenced by the others, yet they can be labelled as sub markets. Muller (1995) came up with two cycle types, a physical cycle that looks at the demand, supply and occupancy rate and the second one that looks at the capital flow into real estate that will affect the property price. If there is excess capital finding its way into the market it will bring down the price of both rent and property value.What is taking place in Bulgaria is the opposite simply because it is a new market and there is lack of capital coming into the country to satisfy the existing demand that is on the rise. It is also worth mentioning Grenadier (1995) who developed a theoretical option pricing model studying by how vacancy rate and rent are interacting. The finding was both follow the economic trend where when there are booms and growth rents will start to get higher as there is surging demand.That is exactly taking place in Bulgaria now where owners or investors that buy property to rent will always see their rent income appreciating simply because the demand is rising consistently. The Price Factor When examining the factors that are influencing the property market in Bulgaria they are not different from what the academician above touched on. Because of that the FDW Model that came into existence when DiPasquale and Wheaton (1992) published a diagrammatic integrated property and asset market model on the website of Curtin Business School is used on this research.The particular publication was followed by an article written by Fisher, DiPasqua le and Wheaton that became FDW Model that focuses on a given real estate market, asset market variables and factors that contribute in establishing the equilibrium of demand and supply of a particular market. This particular model is applied here to examine the factors that are influencing the Bulgarian real estate market. One fact that ascertains a good future for the country is it has managed to keep property prices reasonably low when compared to other European countries that have joined the EU recently whose cost of living had risen considerably.On top of that this particular country is managing to mix two sectors together in such a way that since what it avails for the tourist industry is vital there is a need for adequate and modern accommodation that is not met yet and that will be on the rise for as long as the number of tourists is on the rise. The other area is the country’s economy is also growing and it would create enough demand in the capital for now that will s pread to the other regions over time. The demand in the capital is somewhat met and is saturated currently yet, as a growing economy there will continue to be a surge in demand as the economy grows.Another area that is adding lustre to what is taking place is the new demand for secure and luxury development that is another challenge that has to be harnessed by companies that have specialisation in that area. (Eastern Europe Property) Hence, since it is possible to say the country is new in its endeavour it would mean that it still has more room and potential to grow its economy as well as raising the standard of living of its people that is not advanced yet, especially in the rural regions.(Minassian, Garabed, Totev, Stoyan 1996) When that takes place over the years any company that has a good presence will be in a position to spot the opportunities and capitalise on them. Since the country is already a member of the EU that has a master plan for all its members to attain a certain amount of growth in a given period of time, it cannot become stagnant until it meets that requirement that will take years.Moreover, as the living standard of the local people improves their demand for accommodation will be much higher than it is now creating a sustainable boom that is not easy to exhaust in the near future. In addition to that it is a tourist attraction that has seen an increase of 50% between the years 2000 and 2004 where 90% came from the EU countries. This means there will be a similar growth rate going forward into 2010 that is expected to reach 20 million and all that influx definitely requires accommodation that is going lacking now as there are busy destinations that are barely managing.This means a huge opportunity mainly for developers that can build bigger housing complexes that are available for rent as well as for sale by the unit. Big hotels are needed badly and the amount the best hotels are charging now is very low compared to what is happening in th e other part of the world, which means more opportunities for companies that want to open bigger hotels since there is an obvious shortage.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Internet and Suicide Essay

Millions of people in the developed countries have access to internet. This due to the high advancements in technological levels. High literacy levels have also contributed to the usage of internet coupled with growing needs and desire to get information. Internet is rising as America‘s most important source of information. (Alao, 1999) The increased affordability of personal computing in recent years has put computers in many homes across the nation. This availability has also driven the cost of internet access down so that many households can afford to subscribe to internet services at very low costs. This along with the vast amount of quality information available on the internet has led to increased internet usage. The internet has become handy and useful to find right information at one’s fingertips literally on anything from math formulas to the best way to kill oneself. (Baume, 1997) Suicide and Internet- Amount of information and How it Can Be Accessed The internet has become the invisible version of the real world where good and bad coexist. It is a small world except less strong regulations to hinder the detrimental effect of bad resources like those websites that provides encouragement for suicidal methods, and unprofessional advices on suicide. (Shaffer, 2000) It is amazing how easily one can access to more than 1,000,000 websites regarding suicide and information on how to kill oneself. Suicide is basically how a person gets encouraged to take his or her life. In simple terms, a person gets information on the easiest, fastest and may be painless methods that can be employed to kill his or herself. Internet is known to offer some advice on crude methods that can be used to kill oneself. The internet offers information as fast as possible and no one needs to know that you are intending to kill oneself. (Michel, 2000) Taking one’s life is usually a personal decision and internet offers personalized assistance. This is the main reason why many people turn to it when they require information on to how to commit suicide. Information can be accessed in the privacy of ones bedroom, cybercafes, or even in the office. No one needs to find out since it is silent advice though very powerful. Another reason why many people have turned to internet to seek information on how to commit suicide is availability of cheap and efficient internet networks and connections. To access internet is no longer an expensive or a cumbersome exercise. Besides that, one is assured that the information or advice given is confidential unless, of course, you divulge it to other people. (Michel, 2000) Young children and youth are usually the most curious lot and they always want to explore and find out more about what they hear. It is through such adventures, that they access information that has to do with suicide. There are some groups of people however who commit suicide without the intention of taking away their lives. It is only that curiosity gets the better of them. They try to experiment with the advice and information they get from internet oblivious of the deadly consequences. There were some children who committed suicide after they accessed information regarding Sadaam’s execution. This was a sad and unfortunate incident which can only be linked to cheap and available internet connections. (Etzersdorfer, 1998) Tackling the deaths which come as a result of internet connections is a challenging task. This is because there is no workable formula which has been devised so far to control the usage and internet access. Cybercafes are all over and people can always sneak in and browse some information and advice without anybody’s knowledge. It is becoming increasingly difficult to control people’s lives due to the increasing demands in the modern society. (Potter, 2000) Many organizations and institutions have subscribed to internet connections including homes. It is therefore not easy to control the usage of internet since it has also contributed to growth of other social economic and cultural factors. It also important to note that, the information contained in the websites cannot be easily censored. As a matter of fact, it has not been censored therefore, the amount of information that can be found in the internet cuts across the whole world. People are actually invited to comment or even add more information regarding suicide and therefore the people have more than enough methods of committing suicide to choose from. (Potter, 2000) Effects of Internet on Suicide The effects of internet on incidences of suicide are becoming overwhelming with every passing day. The report and incidents of suicide have been reported on the television, radio and even written on papers. (Phillips, 1974) The exposure of people on such media services has proved to have negative influences on the people exposed them. It has been reported that the people who are exposed to internet area more inclined to be involved in acts of suicide. There have been overwhelming and systematic reviews published by people and they reveal the saddening truth regarding incidents of suicide. For instance there have been manuals on suicide, literature and suicide and actual reports of suicides shown on the films. Despite the evidence from all these forms of media, the extent to which internet contributes to suicides is yet to be proved. (Baume, 1997) Most suicide cases are reported especially when the victims had collected very specific information on suicide. Such stories are portrayed prominently and dramatically. Internet has also led to mob psychology because the information collected can be distributed amongst friends. Many people have been reported to have committed suicide together in a group since the information was forwarded to each and every one of them. Most of the books and journals accessed on the internet have been easily trusted and exercised. The guidelines that a re presents are properly outlined and therefore they leave no doubt in the person accessing the information. (Etzersdorfer, 1998) The information appears to be given from a professional point of view. Besides that the methods portrayed are outlined in a procedural way and the degree of efficiency is seen to be very high False Advice Due to the increased reliance of people on information available on the internet, some authors have come up with false advice on the best and efficient procedures that one must follow to effectively commit suicide. Some people have been left paralyzed and mentally retarded after attempting suicide. This has been due to failed methods which did not achieve the end goal. (Potter, 2000) The information available has also been falsified and unsuspecting individuals go ahead to use the information since they have no means of checking the facts.

The Etiology of Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

Genetics seems to be an important factor, as the sibling rate for the core syndrome falls at about 5% while the autism spectrum disorder is probably around Twin studies have shown concordance rates of 60-89% in minimization twins and under 5% in dogmatic twins, which suggests a heritability of close to 100% in cases that aren't affiliated with specific medical disorders(Gilbert). Some aberrant or variant genes may yet be implicated, examples including neurologist and glutamate genes(Gilbert). It is likely that there is a large mount of genes, more than 30, involved in the increase of susceptibility for autism spectrum disorders(Gilbert). T is now known that defined mutations, genetic syndromes, and De novo copy number variations (primarily deletions) make up 10-20% of Autism Spectrum Disorders(l_cavalier). Proportional portions of the brain are also often dysfunctional in autism and abnormalities in the in the magical and cerebellum are often present(Gilbert). In addition, unchalleng eable is over-represented in autism, more specifically in those with IIS succeeding 70(Glibber). Other abnormalities include hypothermia's in the blood, dopamine and endorphin dysfunction, and excess of gall fritillary acidic protein in the cerebration's fluid(Gibber).Without any known genetic predisposition certain acquired brain lesions can cause autism, although some studies indicate interaction with autism susceptibility genes may be occurring. It is difficult to say what can be done to prevent autism(Gilbert). No known drugs are known to have a substantial effect on the outcome of autism and despite what Jenny McCarthy pushes, vaccinations do not cause autism. Until the causes of autism are discovered it is unlikely we will ever know for a certainty how to prevent it.People with autism are often no stranger to neurophysiology deficits, more specifically executive function deficits. Some of these executive function deficits include poor planning ability, low motivational level, difficulty with time concepts, difficulty â€Å"maintaining†, difficulties with empathy, difficulty grasping the â€Å"theory of mind†, decreased drive for central coherence(Gilbert). People given a diagnosis of childhood autism also fall into the low range of IQ, at below 80(Glibber). Those with Speaker's Syndrome usually boast an IQ above that typically seen in autism, usually above 70(Glibber).The etiology of intellectual disability is also difficult to pinpoint, due to the fact that in approximately half the cases of intellectual disability the cause is unknown (McDermott). The etiology is defined as † a multicultural construct composed of four categories of risk factors; biomedical, social, behavioral and educational, that exist across time, including the across the life of the individual and across generations from parent to Genetic actors such as those associated with Down Syndrome can be highly associated but not necessarily viewed as casual (McDermott).A lgorithms have been suggested for the evaluation of the individuals relying on family history, physical findings, and neurological functioning (McDermott). Some diagnostic techniques include chromosome micro-dissection, fluorescence in situ habitations and more. Other potential causes include telemetric rearrangements/chromosomal anomalies for different forms of intellectual disabilities (often Down Syndrome), tourism in 95% of the cases of DownSyndrome, mutations in sex-linked single genes in Fragile X/Williams Syndrome/ Parade-Will Syndrome, neural tube defects in spinal biffed, head trauma later in life, and many (McDermott). Mothers and newborns should avoid infections, head trauma, harmful chemical and compounds, alcohol, environmental chemicals and food/drink deprivation in order to prevent intellectual disability(McDermott). Beyond this, much about intellectual disability is unknown and thus, is hard to prevent. 2. Discuss the role of IQ and adaptive behavior in both intellec tual capabilities and autism.Two defining characteristics of autism and intellectual disability are deficits in IQ (not in Espaliers however) and adaptive behavior. The PAP describes adaptive behavior in terms of individual performance in relation to person environment interactions and includes it with social skills and peer acceptance as a component Of social competence(Forthwith-Duffy). Usually, the common definition of mental retardation implies that intelligence and adaptive behavior are distinct and not overlapping constructs(Forthwith- Duffy).Three dimensions of adaptive behavior are expressed by observable, practical, conceptual and social skills(Forthwith-Duffy). For quite some time IQ was the only criterion given consideration in intellectual disability diagnosis(Forthwith-Duffy). Studies have demonstrated that individuals with both intellectual disability and autism demonstrate significantly more impairments in adaptive behavior as opposed to someone with just one(Lacerati ve).Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and those with intellectual disabilities seem to demonstrate different adaptive behavior profiles. Those with intellectual disability demonstrated a â€Å"flat† profile, indicating consistent scores(Lacerative). The autistic groups (verbal and non- verbal respectively), however, had a more scattered score (meaning more variance) with the non verbal group scoring lowest in communication and the verbal group scoring lowest in colonization(l_cavalier). Adaptive behavior scales often undertake adaptive behavior and maladaptive behavior.In the last 20 years there have been many developments in asymmetrically valid adaptive behavior scales, some boasting a reliability of . 90(Forthwith-Duffy). Adaptive behavior is Often defined in terms Of its relationship to cultural expectations and environment. A succinct way of delineating the differences between IQ and adaptive behavior is defining an intelligence test as something that measures p erformance or what an individual â€Å"can do† and adaptive behavior scales report what an individual â€Å"does Duffy).Four categories of intellectual disability are named depending on IQ score. With an IQ of 55-69 the designation is â€Å"mild†, with an IQ of 40-54 the designation is â€Å"moderate†, with an IQ of 25-39 the designation is â€Å"severe† and tit an IQ below 25 the designation is unfortunately, public school data on intellectual disability is unreliable due to intelligence tests not be administered universally (McDermott). It has been recognized for quite some time that an IQ of above 70 is one of the strongest predictors of a good outcome in autism.Individuals who have autism and an IQ of under 70 usually have to attend specialist autism classrooms. People given a diagnosis of childhood autism also tend to end up in the low range of IQ, at below 80(Gilbert). Those with Speaker's Syndrome usually have a Geiger IQ than that typically seen in autism, usually above 70(Gilbert). As I noted before there IQ often determines their classroom environment which determines part of their habits of colonization. In Bear (2004), the author replies to queries by lava. N. Years about various 3. Specs of the education of children with autism and developmental disabilities. In his responses, inferences to constitutional principles, core principles, and public policy can be drawn. What are the constitutional principles, core principles and public policies that might be related to the Bear 2004) replies to the layovers? Describe and explain how they are related to the educational issues discussed in the letters. Beginning in the asses, the disability-rights revolution introduced a new era of public policy, core principles and constitutional principles(Turnbuckle).PARA v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Mills v. D. C. Board of Education guaranteed a right to education. Next, came Wyatt v. Stickiness which guaranteed a right to treatmen t(Turnbuckle). These three cases would prove to be landmarks in the disability-rights revolution, influencing decisions to this very day. This is demonstrated by Donald Bear nicely. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act every child with a disability is promised a â€Å"free and appropriate public education†(Bear 2005).As the most studied and best refined method of teaching for Autism, Applied Behavior Analysis should be indebted to the individual by his constitutional rights. ABA has has 1 well controlled clinical trial as well as 4 other controlled trials. This is combined with the 500 or so studies that have been done on ABA 200 of which had a convincing experimental design(Bear 2005). ABA is the only theology that can promise Autistic persons an approximately 50% chance for an independent adult life(Bear 2005). Unfortunately, very few U.S centers offer effective ABA to children with autism with adequate federal or state agency funding(Bear 2005). In accordance with the Board of Education v. Rowley case which guaranteed disabled individuals the right to a free, appropriate individualized and beneficial education in the least restrictive environment, ABA should be offered at all school with students who are disabled(Turning). In ABA the highest priority is communication skills allowed by social skills, followed by self-care skills and finally, followed by intellectual skills.This order is rarely followed in schools without ABA- The effectiveness of ABA depends on analysis and thus, teachers with minimal training are thereby inadequate(Bear 2005). When individuals are guaranteed an individualized and beneficial education it is more than implied that they receive the most efficacious treatment, which in this case is ABA. Applied Behavior Analysts have been developing language and communication skills in children with severe developmental delays for over 30 years(Bear 2005).

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Summary of Genesis 27-45 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary of Genesis 27-45 - Essay Example The passage generates two major phenomenon; irony and radical reversals. Irony is seen when characters are extremely deceptive and end up earning privilege rather than punishment. For instance, Jacob deceives his father, Laban to Joseph and Rachel to Jacobs’s family. Irony and radical reversal too is evident when Jacob the lastborn is blessed instead of Esau the firstborn as it is the tradition. Esau receives lesser blessing in addition to being excluded from the covenant forever. This passage is important as it shows humanity that choices have consequences. Esau lost his inheritance for choosing a bowl of soup; Rachel suffered for hiding the idols and Jacobs brother suffered for selling in Egypt. This passage reveals world division by way of binary opposites, initiated at the creation story. Just like male opposes female as per the creation story, Jacob and Esau are absolutely different in everything right from their occupations, behaviour and appearances. Another pair of binary opposites is Rachel and Leah both struggling for Jacobs affections. Oppositions are also seen in intangible elements like the match between man and God, contrast between famine and abundance. This passage is important as it shows the Gods way of working with humanity. It shows how God creates realms of contrasting reversals, symbols, and forces to suggest through whom and how His covenant is to be

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Human Reource management for Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Reource management for Samsung - Essay Example The organizational structure also determines the approaches used in decision-making. This paper will present a report on the strategies that Samsung can adopt to register high performance and ensure a favorable working environment. Motivation and Reward This section will present an analysis of the motivation and reward procedure used by Samsung. In a bid to motivate its workers, Samsung has a very modern strategy, which offers the workers with a diverse range of possibilities. For starters, the managers in Samsung have made sure that the working hour-schedule suits the employees in conformity to their preferences, a factor that ensures that people are enthusiastic of each day’s work. Employees have a clear ascending path in the company, with the option to remain at the level of an individual contributor or become a manager (Pattanayak, 2005). It gives the employee awareness that if he does a good job, he will very likely ascend in the hierarchy, and receive a bigger salary and extra benefits. It is a strong motivational factor as the employee receives an adequate challenge, and the outcomes of staying with the company. Samsung has adopted a â€Å"pick your package† style of benefits for the employees. ... Moreover, Samsung is working on improving their workplace to offer a free catering, Starbucks gym, and social club on-site. Some optional benefits include social events, holidays, activities within the company, and many more, to maintain a good relationship between the company and the staff. This human resource strategy has shown its viability as evidenced by its adoption by companies such as Google and Kaspersky labs. The feedback collected from the employees indicates a feeling of satisfaction and a will to progress within the company (Pattanayak, 2005). Evidently, Samsung has achieved its goal in terms of motivation and reward. Samsung has also considered establishing goal incentives. This is an additional performance-based pay system to reward employees for improvement in their work efficiency. This system makes use part of the extra profit generated because of the effective performance of the management, human resource, facilities, and technology of our company (Lindholm, Yarris h, &Zaballero, 2012). When a business unit achieves good business performance, it allocates part of the extra profit to executives and employees. Under this system, part of an employee’s salary is determined based on the collective performance of the group. This is a variable reward system, under which executives and employees receive part of the profit in cases where a high performance that exceeds the goal is registered. Organizational Change and Culture This section describes Samsung's organizational change and culture, with admiration to RensisLikert’s participative decision-making theory. According to this theory, employers should seek to allow

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Geology Week 2 DQ 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Geology Week 2 DQ 1 - Essay Example This process enables creation of crustal material, thereby constituting this type of boundary. Transform plate boundary – Two tectonic plates move parallel to each other. They collide against each other during this movement. Earth disturbances occur for example earthquakes, leading to the formation of this boundary. Western and Eastern United States are a representation of active and passive continental margins (Rhodes & Perlman, 2001). In the light of plate tectonic theory, the Western continental margin is characterized by the occurrence of oceanic plates that result from the crashing activity of the continental edge. On the other hand, the Eastern United States continental margin is passive, meaning that it is not characterized by geological activities. Collision or subduction processes do not occur, and tectonic activity is therefore minimal (Rhodes & Perlman, 2001). As a result, extensive continental shelves emerge from erosion and weathering processes. The acceptance of plate tectonic theory based on magnetic anomalies and polar reversals followed studies and discoveries that evidenced the applicability of the theory. Historical and present continental distribution is attributed to the earth’s magnetic field (Rhodes & Perlman, 2001). Rock formation processes and plate tectonic movements have been consistently studied and proved, shaping the present geological structure in the light of the plate tectonic

Monday, August 26, 2019

Marketing Communications Strategies and Mix Case Study

Marketing Communications Strategies and Mix - Case Study Example Marketing communication refers to the use of messages and media to communicate information about products to the market. Marketing communication strategies entail advertising, branding, public relations, promotions, and marketing among others. These strategies focus on defining products that are provided to the market with the aim of promoting the company’s brand and image by effectively satisfying demand in the market. Marketing mix, on the other hand, comprises of a set of tactical marketing tools which work hand in hand to fully satisfy the demand in the market. These tools entail the 4P’s of marketing that is the product, price, place, and promotion which play a major role in describing the position of a product in the market. For instance, the UK automobile market is flooded by a plethora of vehicle brands such as Ford, BMW, Skoda, Aston Martin, Volvo and Jaguar which promise to fully meet all the needs and desires of customers. Being an industrial analyst for an investment corporation, I am supposed to come up with a marketing report which has a comparative analysis of the marketing communication strategies and mix used by the automotive industry in UK. Particular attention will be paid on the marketing communication strategies and mix used by the Skoda and BMW companies to market the brand of their vehicles and thus strive in the stiff market competition. The report will also analyze the message and image portrayed to consumers by the campaign strategies and use of media tactics that the two companies employ to market the brand of their vehicles. The effectiveness and efficiency of these mechanisms will be depicted and analyzed to determine the factors that make these companies be successful.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Universities and how they are funded PowerPoint Presentation

Universities and how they are funded - PowerPoint Presentation Example The same applies to several Master’s programmes for EU-EEA, Swiss and Finnish students. Erasmus Mundus programmes attract fees for non-EU students, but eligible to Erasmus Mundus Scholarship by application. In general European Union students have the same rights in another EU State. Thus, European Union citizens are involuntarily entitled to education in other European Union’s member states: therefore should not be paying more tuition fees and they must always be able to access a residence permit. Despite European Union financial crisis, its government has managed to present multi annual financial framework for 2014 to 2020 to its Education system that proposes to increase education and training funds by 70%. This is equivalent to 17 billion Euros to support cooperation between institutions, transnational learning mobility, implementation of education policies in the Member States and modernization of education. Alzheimer Europe, 2009, August 21, â€Å"The four main approaches,† Retrieved July 5, 2012, from Alzheimer Europe: http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Research/Understanding-dementia-research/Types-of-research/The-four-main-approachesAtwater, M., Freeman, B., Butler, B. & Draper-Morris, J. (2010). A case study of science teacher candidates’ understandings and actions related to the culturally responsive teaching of ‘Other’ students. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education , 5 (3),

Saturday, August 24, 2019

How far can we use the shape of the yield curve to derive expectations Research Paper

How far can we use the shape of the yield curve to derive expectations about outlook for an economy - Research Paper Example The slope of the yield curve is considered as one of the important indicators as it shows the difference between the long and short run interest rates in the economy. The critical difference between the two interest rates therefore defines how the future outlook of the economy can change. The overall macroeconomic significance of the slope of the yield curve is based upon the overall monetary response to the shocks received by the economy over the period of time. Economists therefore use the statistical relationship between the slope of the yield curve and economic growth and observe as to where the yield curve is actually pointing. This approach also requires taking different parameters before the overall state of economy can be reliably estimated based on the interest rate spreads. (F. Cwik, 2005) The slop of yield curve can be one of the most important indicators for assessing the economic performance of a country and make future expectations. Yield curve slope can provide essential information about the economic growth, inflation and recessions. Yield curve showing the difference between the 10 years treasury bonds and the federal fund rate therefore serves as one of the key economic indicators about the overall state of the economy. It has also been argued that if consumers expect to have a recession in future, they may reduce their consumption in order to increase their savings for future consumption. Thus the short term interest rates may go up as a result of this and resultantly the gap between the short and long term interest rates may narrow. In such a situation therefore the shape of the yield curve therefore can provide the estimate about the economy. (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland , 2011) Yield curve provided two important forecasting insights into the overall affairs of the economy i.e. the growth as well as the recession. First, it also can help

Friday, August 23, 2019

How to Write a Good Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How to Write a Good Paper - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that when writing a good research paper, you, as the author, must first do the research. You need to consider the topic that you want to discuss and decide your stance on that topic. Do you agree or disagree with what it is saying? This is important to know because you are trying to convince your audience of your position by providing them with this paper. The research will allow you to back up your argument, letting your audience see the evidence you have to support your claim. Once you have your resources and the basis of your paper, it is best to write an outline. This will allow you to stay on track when writing your paper and to keep your ideas and facts organized. It will also help you to flesh out your ideas even more, in the case you want to dwell a bit more on certain aspects of your argument. A good thesis statement states quite clearly the purpose of the paper. In one or two sentences, you prepare your audience for what the topic of your paper is; this is what will grasp their attention, letting them know upfront if the paper is something that would interest them. The thesis statement sets up the rest of the paper, whether it is presenting an argument, a claim, or a stance that you take on a certain subject. It acts like "a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper." Following your thesis statement, you should briefly sum up the rest of your paper in a paragraph.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Rquiem por un campesino espaol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rquiem por un campesino espaol - Essay Example With his portrayal of the novel's two main characters Senders clearly shows us that while society does have a substantial role in influencing how we choose to live our lives, there are certain human traits that are inherent from birth. While the novel's characters are clearly symbolic of various social archetypes in Spain at the time, a novel of purely social critique could not reach the depths of human behaviour as this novel does, most specifically as the novel's two main characters, Msen Milln and Paco el del Molino, do. 'Rquiem por un campesino espaol' is in part a reflection of experiences lived by Senders during childhood and young adulthood in Spain. On various opportunities the novelist claimed that he was greatly affected by a visit in childhood to a cave much like the one in the novel (Mgica, E, p. 2). Senders was as captivated by historical influences as human existence and he claimed that, "'Lo que hay que hacer [. . .] no es actuar como hombres de una clase social sino como ser humano elemental y genrico.'" (qtd in Ramn J. Sender novelista y crtico 1901-1982) Which leads us to conclude that, "a Sender le interesaba un proceso de inversin metafsica a travs del cual subrayaba las fuerzas elementales que subyacen en las acciones humanas." (Ramn J. Sender novelista y crtico 1901-1982) It is important to note that this small masterpiece is not written in the heat of the moment but rather some fifteen years later. This would provide time enough for Senders to think on the terrible moments he passed during the civil war, including the executions without trial of his wife and his brother. While Senders was in exile he claimed that he would not return to Spain until all of his works were published, a promise he made good upon. When he did return to Spain he surprised the anxious Spanish populace and his admirers "por su anticomunismo, su defense del 'american way of life', su autodefinicion como anarquista cristiano y su rechazo a pronunciarse sobre la situacion poltica espaol." (Betriu, F 2001) Social Structure in Spain Set in early twentieth century Spain 'Rquiem por un campesino espaol' is a testimony of the process leading up to the advent of the Second Republic and subsequently the Spanish revolution. It is a time when the semi feudal practice of los bienes de seorio are still firmly entrenched and Paco el del Molino is fated to enter into a struggle for the land with a duke he has never seen and will never see. "Vamos a sacar la hierba al duque (p. 18)." This proclamation sums up the plot of Sender's most acclaimed work. Here we see the struggle between two sectors of society, those who wished for change in Spain and those conservative elements of society who greatly feared change, most specifically with regard to agrarian reform. In Sender's novel we see a Spain dominated by the old order and great inequalities. The rise to power of the Republicans would result in the short-lived redistribution of lands and rebellion against practices that dated back to medieval times. It is a time when Paco optimistically claims, "parece que a los duques les ha llegado su San Martin (p. 19)." Yet, Paco's optimism soon finds its end when the landholding class, the church and the military unite alongside the rise in facism. Probably the scene that best represents the deep social divisions takes place during Paco's wedding. In the midst of festivity and under the

Childrens Literature Essay Example for Free

Childrens Literature Essay It is hard to imagine a world without books for children. Ever since there were children, there has been childrens literature too. There have been childrens stories and folk-tales when man first learned to speak. Childrens books, however, are a late growth of literature. Miss Yonge says, Up to the Georgian era there were no books at all for children or the poor, excepting the class-books containing old ballads and short tales. We shall nevertheless see that there were English books for children long before this time. In western Europe, there was no separate category of books for children before the eighteenth century. The Bible, stories of saints and martyrs, and bestiaries or books about exotic animals, were probably the first printed books available to children. Childhood, as we think about it today, is a relatively new concept. Until the 17thcentury, children were thought of as small versions of adults and treated accordingly. In most societies, children were a source of labor. There were some books (mostly for the children of wealthy families) even before the invention of movable type by Gutenberg in 1455, but they were instructional in nature and were used to instill lessons of morality, manners, and religion.. With the rise of Puritanism in England early in the seventeenth century, literature for children became moralistic. Seeing children as amoral savages needing to be taught right, society used stories filled with death and damnation to frighten children into good behavior. Humor and imagination were banned. The Sunday School Movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, which aimed at bringing religion to the working class, continued the didactic tone in the thousands of cheap tracts of simple stories distributed throughout England and the United States. Over the next centuries, there was a gradual shift in attitude toward children which was reflected in the reading material produced for them. Hornbooks and chapbooks appeared, still designed to instruct, but some included woodcut illustrations in addition to ABCs and religious lessons. The most famous and prolific publisher for children of the 18th century was John Newbery. He published books which were immediately attractive to children: in a small format, with illustrations, and bound in brightly-coloured flowered paper. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Robin Hood, Mother Goose tales, Robinson Crusoe, and Gullivers Travels were published and were the most attractive to the world of a childs imagination. A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement C. Moore was published in 1823 and was one of the first works to introduce humor and laughter into the world of childrens literature. The Victorian era was a golden age for childrens books. Victorian family life is realistically depicted in Louisa May Alcotts Little Women (1868), whereas Mark Twains Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island (1880) emphasize adventure; all three books present fully developed characters. At the turn of the century several childrens magazines were being published, the most important being the St. Nicholas Magazine (1887–1943). It was also the time of classic books , such as Alice in Wonderland, and great illustrators Kate Greenaway, Edward Lear, and Howard Pyle to mention a few. In the middle of the 19th century, there were major changes in illustrations of books. Until then, wood engraving was the norm; with the development of chromolithography, which permitted printing in many colors, the world of book illustration changed dramatically. Great writers teamed with great illustrators to produce the books. The industrial revolution led to advances in printing which made books colorful, affordable, and plentiful. The growing middle class, with its increased interest in education, expanded the audience for childrens books. Walter Crane, whose work is highlighted in this exhibit, was a British artist and one of the first people to use the new printing techniques to bring color and design techniques into the world of childrens literature. The twentieth century continued a publishing industry for young people with adventure stories, series books like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, science fiction and fantasy. During the 20th cent. in particular, new collections of tales that reach back to the oral roots of literature have come from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. International folktales have also received increasing attention. Among the many authors pursuing these themes, Verna Aardema compiles African folktales and Yoko Kawashima Watkins studies Asian oral traditions. During the 1980s and 90s in particular, multicultural concerns became an important aspect of the new realistic tradition in childrens literature. From the 1960s through the 90s socially relevant childrens books have appeared, treating subjects like death, drugs, sex, urban crisis, discrimination, the environment, and womens liberation. Recent years have brought books of children related to movies and commercial products from Disney to Star Wars as well as the psychologically-oriented young adult novel. The great scientific and societal changes of the early twentieth century had a great influence on the adventure story. The exploits of the World War I fliers replaced the cowboy and big game hunter in the dreams of young boys. Many of these adventure stories were published in long series, written by different writers all using the same name. The best known was the Stratemeyer Literary Syndicate which produced such series as the Rover Boys, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, the Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew between 1906 and 1984. Maurice Sendak and Chris Van Allsburg are two important and contemporary childrens book author who publish their stories todays. Bibliographyh Hunt, Peter, (1995), Childrens Literature: An illustrated history, Oxford University Press. Cullingford , Cedric, (1998), Childrens Literature and its Effects, Cassel E. Gavin, Adrienne, (2001), Mystery in Children’s Literature. From the Rational to the Supernatural, Palgrave Publishers Ltd Lerer, Seth, (2008), Childrens Literature: A Readers History from Aesop to Harry Potter, University of Chicago Press. Lynch-brown, Carol, (2010), Essentials of childrens literature, Pearson OMalley, Andrew, (2003), The Making of the Modern Child: Childrens Literature in the Late Eighteenth Century F. Touponce, William, Childrens Literature and the Pleasures of the Text, From: Childrens Literature Association Quarterly, Volume 20, Number 4, Winter 1995, pp. 175-182

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Theories on the Economics of Poverty

Theories on the Economics of Poverty Janet Owen The issue at hand is the decline in the U.S. poverty rate, which doesn’t deliver much good news. The writer, Monica Potts is an unbridled critic of the rate of poverty. Poverty is a prevalent gregarious issue that has troubled the United States and various other nations for thousands of years. While nations like the United States of America have worked genuinely hard to eradicate it domestically, it still widely subsists internationally. Neediness has been a dependable issue all through history. Despite what the normal pay, unemployment or general flourishing level is, there will reliably be people who are homeless and hungry. Despite being a champion among the most prosperous countries on the planet, the United States is not safe to it either. Without a doubt today, there are still people endeavoring to find safe house, feed their kids and find warm clothing. This social issue has diverse impacts on different foundations and people. In any case, there are conceivable plans that are open to alleviate this social issue. In discussing dejection in the United States, I will be utilizing three huge perspectives: the general condition, the creating clerical class destitution and the relationship between little associations and imperative measures to decrease poverty. The conservative hypothesis is that poverty is an individual wonder. On this hypothesis, individuals are in poverty in light of the fact that they are apathetic, uneducated, oblivious, or overall substandard in some way. On the off chance that this hypothesis were genuine, it would take after that devastated individuals are fundamentally the same individuals consistently. Also if that were genuine, we could whip destitution by helping that specific 15% of the populace to evaluate things and move out of poverty. Subsequently, a system of substantial oppressive life arrangements to help this disconnected group get things together may possibly end or significantly lessen destitution. The liberal hypothesis is that poverty is a structural wonder. On this hypothesis, individuals are in poverty in light of the fact that they end up in gaps in the monetary framework that convey them deficient wages. Since individual lives are dynamic, individuals dont sit in those openings until the end of time. One year they are in a low-wage gap, yet the following year theyve discovered a vocation or gotten an advancement, and arent any longer. Anyway, that gap that they were in a year ago doesnt go away. Others inexorably end up in that opening in light of the fact that it is an industrious surrender in the monetary structure. It takes from this that devastated individuals are not the same individuals consistently and the best way to diminish poverty is to modify the financial structure to lessen the quantity of low-wage gaps in it. To evaluate which hypothesis is genuine, the least demanding thing to do is answer the inquiry: are devastated individuals the same individuals consistently or diverse ones? The individual hypothesis predicts that they are the same individuals (and further that they require paternalist intercession to start acting responsibly). The structural hypothesis predicts that they are distinctive individuals (and further that we have to adjust the monetary structure to greatly improve the situation). As the greater part of the analysts connected aforementioned, longitudinal overviews demonstrate that devastated individuals are not the same individuals consistently. The last SIPP had approximately one-third of Americans ending up in rambling poverty eventually in the three years, yet only 3.5% ending up in roundabout destitution for every one of the three years. The PSID information demonstrates that around 4 in 10 grown-ups experience a whole year of neediness between age 25 and 60. In the event that you check kids, the quantity of individuals who experience no less than one year of poverty rockets considerably higher obviously. Additionally, it merits calling attention to that almost 45 percent of grown-ups have utilized a method tried welfare program in their life. Finally, Monica Potts, keeps up her position on destitution from the perspective of a starting late hindered economy. She battled that more than 50 million Americans were existing in a food insecure home sometime in 2009. She differentiates this with the 36 million in 2006. The essential circumstance that these dejection stricken individuals face is whether to pay their home credits or put sustenance on the table. Most likely, Potts focuses her trade not on the minorities or single folks, yet on the working populace families that are engaging. Her affirmation begins from our country over that is endeavoring to meet solicitations from distinctive scopes of the extent from the homeless to the working population. These viewpoints offer a huge array of social issues coming about because of poverty. Case in point, the viewpoint on minorities puts the negligence like a fireworks show on Hispanics and African-Americans. As a happening, the generally propelled government help projects were focused on these minorities. Thus, this raises the bigger issue of speculation and prejudice. In case the countrys advantages are for the most part utilized for a specific area of the masses, then it singles them out for accidental examination by those not gathering the resident preferences. Whats more, since little associations are the key impulses of jobs, we fight that the noteworthy conclusions of voracious business visionaries are that they are not helping the vocation creation change enough. Likewise, this methodology additionally puts pressure on governments to mediate either emphatically or adversely to sway organizations to cultivate work creation. Finally, the cubicle class desperation issue is essenti ally affecting the close-by state and city governments that are under weight to hold and supply sustenance banks for people that dont have the intends to do so. Therefore, the issue of poverty under these perspectives affects close-by and state governments, associations, and additionally peoples manner towards those tormented from desperation. The plans showed demonstrate that organization intercession is the plan. For example, Potts alluded to that destitution organization sometime during the last twenty-five years has been decreased by government undertakings concentrated on towards specific demographics. She furthermore offered game plans by enhancing preparing levels remembering the deciding objective to development a whole deal plan. On the other hand, it has been fought that since governments have control over native dollars and little associations have control over business creation; the plan would be gotten from the agreeable vitality of the legislature. Moreover, by using financing and facilitating business procedures to help assuage destitution, the agreeable organizations would definitely help advance long haul work development. Finally, while Potts doesnt offer a prompt game plan, the association of working population destitution reflects that simply short lived sponsorship is needed. In this manner, by helping sustenance banks and adjacent city governments push through updated enthusiasm for the short term, this would suffice until a whole deal game plan has been found. The proof recommends that these arrangements would, in time enhance the social state of poverty. By first concentrating on transient easing through sustenance banks and nearby city help, the quick issue of encouraging individuals would be met. For the long haul, the legislature would assume an exceptionally compelling part in helping animate this project. This would oblige the assistance and association of little organizations with investments that adjust to the central government. At long last, the length of transient support is promptly replaceable with long haul arrangements, neediness can be killed. The rotating entry way of neediness is a pummel dunk marker that the structural hypothesis of poverty is right, however we can get much more particular by recognizing where the structural gaps are. There are numerous spots to concentrate, yet one simple and undeniable one is age. To start with, consider youngster poverty. Youngsters have much higher poverty rates than grown-ups and more youthful kids have higher poverty rates than more established kids. Why is this? Two reasons. In the first place, families with youngsters in them need to get more pay every year to keep afloat destitution line than families without them. However, the business sector does not disperse families more cash simply on the grounds that they have more youngsters. Therefore, the minor demonstration of adding a kid to a family makes it more probable that the family will be in destitution. Second, grown-ups have kids when they are youthful laborers, yet adolescent specialists likewise make the minimum wage. This excessively makes it more probable a youngster will be in poverty than a grown-up absolutely on account of the way the economy is organized. Why do adolescent kids have higher poverty rates than more seasoned youngsters? Since adolescent youngsters have youthful folks and old kids have old folks. Old folks profit more than adolescent folks in light of the fact that they are deeper into their pay life cycle. Its normal to depict 25-65 as prime working-age grown-ups. Be that as it may, take a gander at the amount of poverty that falls over those working years. Almost 20% of 25-year-olds are in poverty while short of what 10% of 64-year olds are. Why? Adolescents make much less than older laborers. Youthful laborers are regularly dealing with youngsters too, while more seasoned specialists for the most part are not. This is anatomic. This is one of the exceptionally glaring anatomical reasons why you are going to see individuals swapping in and out of poverty over their life course. I could go on, yet the fact is clear. Poverty reproduces itself in exceptionally unsurprising structural ways. Since the issue is structural, the arrangement must be structural also. This is quite as troublesome an assignment as it may appear. Case in point, on account of structural poverty issues harrowing youngsters and adolescent families, it is effectively managed by utilizing a Child Allowance program, which is usually utilized all through Europe. References: Glennerster, Howard. United States Poverty Studies and Poverty Measurement: The Past Twenty-Five Years. The Social Service Review 76.1 (2002): 1-26. JSTOR. Web. 7 Mar. 2011 Singer, Alan. Business Strategy and Poverty Alleviation. Journal of Business Ethics 66.2/3 (2006): 225-231. JSTOR. Web. 7 Mar. 2011 Chen, Stephanie. â€Å"The New Hungry: College-Educated, Middle-Class Cope With Food Insecurity.† CNN. 13 Dec. 2010. CNN. 7 Mar. 2011.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Alcohol Treatments and Rehabilitation Programs

Alcohol Treatments and Rehabilitation Programs Medical intervention for drug addicts is part of achieving social normalisation. Choose a drug addiction (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, heroin, amphetamine or marijuana). Explore methods of treatment for this drug addiction within medical establishments and problems faced. What are the most effective methods and what might improve success rates of rehabilitation? During the ancient times alcohol consumption was basically used for medical purposes. The use of alcohol is popular in many societies, and its influences differ significantly with consumers. This trend is not only common in adult population, but also in adolescents. Although, it is often difficult to differentiate between casual drinking and alcohol abuse, continuous abuse of alcohol is often influenced by socioeconomic, mental and environmental factors, which can be life-threatening. Furthermore, alcohol can lead to potential physical disabilities and increase risks for social violence.Prolong consumption of alcohol can have harmful effects on the mental health and other important system in the body of consumers. This essay will examine different methods of alcohol treatments used in alcohol addiction such as drug treatment and non-pharmacological treatment. It will argue that the most effective treatment is Naltrexone. In addition, it will also argue that effective behavioural ther apies will improve success rate of rehabilitation for alcohol dependents. In the 19th century, alcohol was popular among the Australians, especially in New South Wales, but during 1980s, alcohol consumption was as low as two Litres per head. On the other hand, it increases to three Litres per head. Since ages ago, alcohol intake was mainly focus in Australian male beer drinking culture. Financial pressures have not been the only influences on drinking patterns but also moral and social changes. As a result to this, many women started consuming alcohol as well and there was drinking culture changes in Australia (National Drug Strategy, 2001). At some point, in 20th century high demand on alcohol lead to change in liquor store close up earlier at six p.m. However, it does not work out as the alcohol dependence addict against this rule. In 1982 alcohol use in Australia was 9.8 Litres per head but it drops to 7.5 per head in 1988 and 1993. The average age group in men that started drinking alcohol is 16 years old to compared with women. An additional, women of all ages consume a smaller amount of alcohol contrast with men or could be non-drinker. Mostly, women like better to drink wine and men regularly choose to drink beer. Binge drinking to intoxication and are common in adolescent. It is defined as having more than seven drinks in male and more than five drinks in female. As a result, binge drink is common between current age group and from community (National Drug Strategy, 2001) There are a number of ways to treat patients with alcohol problems. These include; pharmacotherapy, psychosocial and motivation treatments. The first treatment in alcohol addiction refers to pharmacotherapy. In this therapy, there are three main drugs that are used in treating alcohol, which include; Disulfiram, Naltrexone and Methadone (Caputo, Vignoli, Grignaschi, Cibin, Addolorato, Bernardi, 2014). The first, drug that is used in alcohol treatment is called Disulfiram. It is defined as a quaternary ammonium compound. It has been used in treating alcohol dependency for the last 60 years (Melo, Lopes, Alves, 2014). Disulfiram has shown positive impacts in patients with alcohol dependence even through oral medication are taken (Skinner, Lahmek, Pham, Aubin, 2014). In addition, Disulfiram was the first medication that was approval by Food Drug Administration (FDA) (Elbreder, Humerez, Laranjeira, 2010). However, Disulfiram effectiveness depends on the capability to block the action of acetaldehyde dehydrogenises, which with alcohol ingestion sharply increases the blood absorption of Acetaldehyde according to Zindel Kranzler, (2014). As a consequence, using Disulfiram could cause side effects such as facial flushing,headache and nausea according to Zindel Kranzler, (2014). Furthermore, Melo, Lopes, Alves (2014) claim that alcohol dependent may develop possible reaction after taking Disulfiram for long term such as; fatigue, delirium and also vomiting. Although this medication is frenquently used to treat alcohol patients, it can also react on the central nervous system, which inhibit dopamine as well as increasing dopamine concentration in the metabolic systems (Elbreder, Humerez, Laranjeira, 2010). Hence, when Disulfiram is used appropraitely, it will have positive impact on patients’ health who have been depending on alohol. Another drug which is used for alcohol treatment is Methadone, which is a synthetic opioid that is used as anti-addiction medication. Methadone is often used for residents with an opioid dependency such as; heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, oxymorphone, fentanyl and many more (Caputo, Vignoli, Grignaschi, Cibin, Addolorato, Bernardi, 2014). Methadone helps to stabilise withdrawal symptoms during detoxification and helps recovering addicts manage their cravings. In addition, methadone is used in alcohol addiction treatment and can either be a short term or a longer term program. It is used to assist the detoxification process, and can help manage symptoms of recovery and support residents in maintaining sobriety. Dyer White (1997) claim that during the intake of methadone there are general side effects such as; insomnia, sweating, painful joints and bones. In addition, it is also claimed that majority of alcohol addicts complain of constipation, dry mouth as well as depressi on, perhaps due to hormonal changes (Dyer White, 1997). According to Petrakis, et al., (2006) patients will also have symptom such as, delirium and anxiety. As a result during the admistration of this medication, patients need to be monitered closely from those symptoms. Thus, methadone is use in alcohol treatment from stopping patient from having craving of alcohol and also helps patient to overcome from alcohol. Another, drug that is used to treat patients with alcohol addictions are also treated with Naltrexone. This is a drug that is given to patients who are dependent on alcohol and is safe for psychiatric disorder patients. In addition, Naltrexone can be administered through two methods, which include patients taking through long-acting injection and the other through oral tablets (Elbreder, Humerez, Laranjeira, 2010; Anton, et al., 2011; Galvez, Fernandez, Manzanaro, 2013). The primary function of Naltrexone primary is to decrease chances of withdrawal symptoms and the cravings of alcohol (Littleton Zieglgansberger, 2010). Furthermore, naltrexone is more effective for a patient with high craving (Elbreder, Humerez, Laranjeira, 2010). According to Mark, Kranzler and Song (2003) Naltrexone it reduces the addict’s desire for alcohol consumption. Also, Caputo, Vignoli, Grignaschi, Cibin, Addolorato, Bernardi ( 2014) state that side effects can be faced by alcohol dependent while on this medication such as, head-aches, nause and anxiety. Another side effect of this drug include; sleep difficulty, irritability and anxiety (Anton, et al., 2011). However, the advantages of using this medication is that, for the duration on this medication treatment, the patient is allowed to consume small amount of alcohol (Anton, et al., 2011). Despite, its side effects, Naltrexone can still have positve impact on alcohol dependents. Thus, Naltrexone is generally given to patients to stop the craving for alcohol, because it can be taken through oral or injection method. Apart from pharmacological treatments, there are two non-pharmacological treatments that can assist patients depending on alcohol. These non-pharmacological treatments include; behavioural therapy and community-based rehabilitation programs. The first treatment refers to behavioural therapies. For example, a counselling and motivational interviewing with alcohol addicts can play an important role to assist patients. The advantage of using this therapy is that, it is implemented outside from health institutions, such as primary care, community centre and school (Kalapatapu, Ho, Cai, Vinogradow, Batki, Mohr, 2014; Feinn, R, Kranzler, 2007). In addition, behavioural therapies are principally successful in giving self confidence, changes for change, and provide the ability for some people to quit drinking on their own (Feinn, R, Kranzler, 2007). On the other hand, financial and organizational resources are generally restricted in alcohol treatment. This means that the treatment is foc used on improving and changing drinking behaviors of alcohol addicts. Also patients, who are staying in countryside, might have difficulties to get medical treatment due to time-consuming, especially to travel from distances to access the rehabilitation services. Such limitations could deny the patient from being treated. Indeed, there was alternative method to treat alcohol addiction patient via telephone, which might not need to be confronting each other, between the medical staff and client. The result from that treatment, using telephone as a technique to communicate with alcohol patient has shown positive response. In contrast, using telephone to talk to alcohol addiction cannot identify where there the patient is going through any sign and symptom such as depression during alcohol withdrawal (Kalapatapu, Ho, Cai, Vinogradow, Batki, Mohr, 2014). In general, it is a good method to treat patient from alcohol withdrawal without worrying even though the patient is in rural area. T he second non-pharmacological treatment involves community-based programs. This treatment focuses on helping alcohol patients from overcoming alcohol habits are through community rehabilitation. It is a treatment utilized to serve patients which have both mental and physical disabilities. For example, a study was done with 65 participants from State-funded vocational rehabilitation agencies to get three or four days for patients to participate in that study (Sprong, E, D, Pappas, Melissa, 2012). The aim of community rehabilitation was to determine that this course could be effective to contribute and identify the barrier in community rehabilitation. However, from this study, 27 patients disagreed to take part in the survey. There were 23 males and 15 females who participated in this study. During the study, patients are asked to answer few question and what are likely symptoms often they encounter while on alcohol, such as vomiting, hand shaking or sleepless night (Sprong, E, D, Pa ppas, Melissa, 2012). Unfortunately, this study was unsuccessful because of patients low education background, but by providing some motivational programs and counseling sessions could help achieve the aims of this community-based program (Sprong, E, D, Pappas, Melissa, 2012). Thus, it is one of the treatments in alcohol patient that could help to live normal life. In conclusion, alcohol is an addictive substance and can lead to many social and mental health problems when abused. However, there are various medical treatments and effective social rehabilitation programs for alcohol addiction that can play an important role to assist in recovery processes of addicts who are struggling to cope with this problem. Effective alcohol treatments and rehabilitation programs will not only reduce the rate of alcohol dependence successfully, but will also prevent other alcohol-related issues in the society. References Anton, R. F., Myrick, H., Wright, T. M., Latham, P. K., Baros, A. M., Waid, L. R., Randall, P. K. (2011). Gabapentin Combined with Naltrexone for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Am J Psychiatry, 709-717. C. B. (2000). Medical Consequences of Alcohol Abuse. alcohol research and health, 27. Caputo, F., Vignoli, T., Grignaschi, A., Cibin, M., Addolorato, G., Bernardi, M. (2014). Pharmacological management of alcohol dependence : From mono-therapy to pharmacogenetics and beyong. European Neuropsychoparmaology, 24, 181-191. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2013.10.004 Desai, M. M., Rosenheck, R. A., Craig, T. J. (2005). Screening for Alcohol Use Disorders Among Medical Outpatients: The Influence of Individual and Facility Characteristics. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 1521. Dyer, K. R., White, J. M. (1997). Patterns of symptom complaints in methadone maintenance patient. National Drug Strategy Postgraduate Research Scholarship, 1445. Elbreder, M. F., Humerez, D. C., Laranjeira, R. (2010). The use of disulfiram for alcohol-dependent and duration of outpatient treatment. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 191-195. Feinn, C. E., R, A. A., Kranzler. (2007). Exploring Treatment Options for Alcohol Use Disorders. National Institutes of Health, 214-221. Galvez, P. B., Fernandez, L. G., Manzanaro, V. M. (2013). Addressing Unhealthy Alcohol Use In Primary Care. New York: Richard Saitz. Hulse, G. K. (2012). Improving clinical outcomes for naltrexone as a management of problem alcohol use. British Journal if Clinical Pharmacology, 632-641. Kalapatapu, R. K., Ho, J., Cai, X., Vinogradow, S., Batki, S. L., Mohr, D. c. (2014). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Depressed Primary Care Patient with Co-Occuring Problematic Alcohol Use : Effect of Telephone-Administered vs. Face-to-Face Treatment -A Secondry Analysis. Journal of Psychoactive rugs, 37-41. Littleton, J., Zieglgansberger, W. (2010). Pharmacological Mechanisms of Naltrexone and Acamprosate in the Prevention of Relapse in Alcohol Dependence. The American Journal on Addictions, 53-61. Mark, T. L., Kranzler, H. R., Song, X. (2003). Understanding US addiction physicians low rate of Naltrexone Prescription. Drug Alcohol Dependence, 71, 219-228. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0376-8716(03)00134-0 Melo, R. C., Lopes, R., Alves, J. C. (2014). A Case of Psychosi in Disulfiram Treatment For Alcoholism. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 1-4. Petrakis, I. L., Poling, J., Levinson, C., Nich, C., Carroll, K., Ralevski, E., Rounsaville, B. (2006). Naltrexone and Disulfiram in patient with alcohol Dependence and Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Veterans Affairs MERIT grant (to ILP) and the VISN I Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) (BR), 777-783. Skinner, M. D., Lahmek, P., Pham, H., Aubin, H. J. (2014). Disulfiram Efficacy in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence : A Meta-Analysis. OPEN ACCESS Freely available online, 16. Sprong, E, M., D, T., Pappas, Melissa. (2012). Utilization of Community Rehabilitation Programs : Screening for Alcohol and Drugs. Journal of Rehabilitation , 13. strategy, N. D. (2001). Alcohol in Australia : Issues and Strategies. Canberra: The National Alcohol Strategy. Zindel, L., Kranzler, H. R. (2014). Pharmacotherapy of Alcohol Use Disorders:Seventy-Five Years of Progress. Journal of Studies on alcohol and drugs/supplement, 79-88.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay --

Currently in international market and domestic market, there are two types of the purchasing methods purchaser uses. One method for the buying the products from the market is â€Å"spot market buying† and the second method of buying the products is with â€Å"future contract†. The on the spot method is also called â€Å"cash market† or â€Å"physical market†, where the products, currencies or commodities sold for cash and delivers the products immediately or within short period of time. For example, â€Å"oil, grains, silver, beef, sugar, natural gas, milk, and gold are done through the spot market, where the prices are the set by open market and the transfer of cash and goods takes place immediately†, and deliver as requested date in the future or within short period of time. The spot market is an instantaneous exchange for the current list or spot price for a particular commodity. With the integration of internet technology, the spot market has be come even more efficient and useful especially in the energy industry. If energy companies have large surpluses of energy, the internet can give them a chance to find buyers in current need almost immediately. Though the spot market is good for company I need â€Å"right now†, its drawback is the fluctuating prices that can cause chaos when calculating the logistics over the long term. There are several pros and cons of on spot buying, such as; it conducts the market research and supplier identification quickly in new market. Also, it provides easy access for lower value purchases. Moreover, it improves the sourcing productivity; as well as alleviates the capacity issues that enhance the productivity of plant and category buyers. Also, it provides easy platform ability for market tests across geographies Though apro... ...vent of the futures contract negotiated by Calpine, it did not fulfill the need for sodium hypochlorite, which implementing the spot market as a way to assure the efficiency of operations that would be the decision most logically made. If Calpine’s buyers or sellers know that they will be buying certain chemical in future, and selling certain number of products or energy, then they should consider taking a long term future contract for purchasing, and short tern future contract for selling the products which hedge its positions in market. So, operations ramp up, more energy needs to be supplied for the increased demand that was not accounted for in the purchase of the particular chemical Calpine ordered. Supply of the chemical dwindles and it up to the men and women at Calpine to search the spot market to find a company with a surplus looking to sell â€Å"on the spot.†

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Nursing Ethics: Patient Abandonment Essay -- Nursing Case Study

This case study examines a case of an LPN who became ill while about halfway through her shift and chose to go home. This LPN was assigned to care for five patients in an obstetrical ward, four of which were considered stable. The fifth patient was awaiting an obstetrical consultation when the LPN became ill and vomited. At this time, she notified the other nurses and, subsequently, the charge nurse that she needed to leave due to illness. The charge nurse instructed her to notify her supervisor prior to leaving the facility; however, the LPN chose not to do so and went home. Her reasoning in not notifying her supervisor as she was instructed was that she feared that the supervisor would ask her to go to the emergency room for care. The LPN testified that she did not want to pay for an emergency visit and that she intended to make an appointment with her family doctor early that same day. The facility terminated the LPN’s contract and also reported her to the state boa rd of nursing for patient abandonment. As a judgment, the board of nursing suspended here nursing license pending a psychological examination and fined her $1000 for abandoning her patients. In this paper, we will examine the viewpoints of the LPN, the charge nurse, and the nursing supervisor as they relate to the Nurse Practice Act and the board of nursing. While the art of nursing has been around for centuries, the United States enacted the first nursing laws in 1903. The first nursing acts where developed as a response to conflict between nursing roles and physician roles. Nursing Practice Acts are enacted by each state’s legislature. Texas enacted the Nurse Practice Act in 1909. These acts are broad in regards to the practice of nursing, so the reg... ...ent’s needs and rights ahead of her own and ultimately do the right thing by her clients. Works Cited McDonald, Mackay & Weitz, llp,(2009). The texas board of nursing. Retrieved from http://www.healthlicensedefense.com/nurseshtml The Texas Board of Nursing,(2009). Nursing practice act. Nursing peer review, nurse licensure compact, & advanced practice registered nurse compact. Austin, TX Texas Board of Nursing, . (2004, February 1). Rules and regulations. Retrieved from http://www.bne.state.tx.us/nursinglaw/rr.html Wilson, N.R. (2011). Legal issues and the school nurse. Retrieved from http://staffweb.esc12.net/~mbooth/school_nurses/New_Nurse_Orientation_Manual/Willson_Nancy_Roper_%20Legal%20Issues%20and%20the%20School_Nurse_7-14-091.pdf Wright, L.D. (2011, February 8). Nursing jurisprudence. Retrieved from http://www.nursing-jurisprudence.com/

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Has television destroyed communication among friends and family? Essay

Television is undoubtedly one of the most powerful means of communication in the history of humankind, rivaled only by such other forms of communication as the Internet, the telephone, movies, and, of course, simple, low-tech speech. Television, with its wide availability and rich media with image and sound, is difficult to ignore and even seductive in its appeal. Television is as much a part of our lives as are our meals, work, or school; studies consistently show that the average American child spends almost as much time watching television as she does in school. Furthermore, because television is so rich in its media, it often requires our full attention or is more attraction to us than are our daily lives. Naturally, the more time one spends watching television, the less time she has with her family and friends. Thus, we can clearly see why some have claimed that television has been harmful for communication among family and friends. However, I believe that, while television has been somewhat harmful in its effects, it has hardly â€Å"destroyed† communication among family and friends for most people, although for some, this may be true. Most people much prefer spending time with their families and friends to spending time watching television. Television is of course an important part of many people’s lives, but most people would gladly choose family and friends over television were they given the choice. Furthermore, most educated people are aware of the deleterious effects of too much television and either avoid excessive time watching television, or actually do not enjoy it. I, for example, after a long day at work, would much rather spend time talking with my wife and playing with my children than I would watching some unrealistic portrayal of life on television. For me and my family, our time together is precious and beautiful, and could never be replaced or hurt by television. Furthermore, the effect of television is simply not so great that it could be said to have â€Å"destroyed† communication among family and friends. Granting that communication among family and friends in industrialized count ries has decreased in recent years, it might be tempting to blame this problem on television since its rise roughly coincided with the decrease in time we spend with our families. However, I believe this situation is more likely due to increased pressures relating from work, school, and the economy. In my case, for example, I find that my pressures from work are so great that I must often sacrifice time at home so that I can meet the challenges of  running my own business. Many of my friends are in similar situations–my best friend, for example, has just finished law school, which took about sixty hours a week of his time. In a word, people nowadays have very little time for anything, but television is not the cause–it is increased desire to succeed. In some situations, however, television has surely contributed to a decrease in communication among family members. In my childhood in the countryside, I often saw parents and children watching television for hours on end, rarely speaking with one another. It seemed for them that television was a way to escape from their sad, miserable existence. However, even in this case, I would say that television merely contributed to the bad situation, but did not cause it; were television not existent, surely these people would have found other escapes, alcohol or gambling, for example. In other words, people always find a way to do what they want to do. In short, I do not believe that television has d estroyed or even harmed interpersonal communication among most people. Most people realize that television is merely a temporary diversion and do not use it to replace interpersonal communication. I believe that the damage attributed to television is greatly exaggerated and that such damage is most likely attributable to other more powerful social factors.

Copying Morality? Essay

Software piracy and illegal file shares is becoming a bigger issue in modern day society, more likely with the youth of society. All computers now come with burn-ware technologies in which the user can take a product and create copies of that software. Originally, this process was created in order to provide methods of backing up a person’s computer files, in case of hardware crashing and system reboots. However, the situation has changed. People are now able to copy any type of media file (DVDs, CDs, operation systems, etc) and give out these products, free of charge. Do you like that CD that your friend bought the other day? Ask him to burn you a copy, then you can have it too. Did your latest version of Microsoft Windows crash on you and you don’t have the recovery discs? No problem. Get a friend to burn you a copy of their recovery discs. And what’s the best thing about these transactions? You don’t have to pay for anything! Broke college students rejoice! In Bernard Gert’s essay, Is it Moral to Make Copies of Software for my Friends? ,the ethics of this trend are discussed. What are the ethical guidelines when it comes to computers? Is it acceptable to copy software? Gert’s conclusion is that it is not morally acceptable to copy software, no matter who the software is for and regardless if it is free of charge. It is an illegal action, as there are laws against such activity, and therefore it is unacceptable to partake in such action. Although still possible to perform while still illegal, this doesn’t mean that it is acceptable. A law cannot be broken just because someone has the means of doing so. Gert first explains the ethics of breaking the law. He states that â€Å"one cannot limit the subject matter of the law to a particular law one dislikes. † He uses the example of smoking by minors to back up this argument. The law is that you must be 18 years old in order to buy cigarettes. However, minors cannot just go out and buy cigarettes and smoke because they dislike the law. It’s still a law; not liking the law isn’t a justifiable reason to try and break it. The only time that it is acceptable to break a law is in the situation in which the law is unjust. If a law is unjust and has a negative effect on society, then it should not be a law in the first place, thus making it acceptable if the law is to be broken because eventually, this will cause the law to be overturned. However, current software copying laws are not unjust, and if they are to be considered unjust, there is no clear and valid reason of why they are unjust. Copying laws are not morally unacceptable, making it unacceptable to break these laws. Gerts compares this issue to speed limits. Speed limits are the accepted law of whatever state they are set in. These speed limits are not hurting society and are morally acceptable within the community. Because of this, it is looked down upon when a driver breaks the speed limit, becoming so unacceptable that legal action can take place. Speed limits are not suggestions, they are laws. These laws are in no violation of morality and therefore they must be followed. Gert also believes that it is not acceptable to break a law in the event that one thinks that some other law would be better. If society allows violation of the current law due to the fact the society is in favor of other laws that are not passed, then it becomes acceptable for everyone to break every law. If everyone has this mentality, then law becomes obsolete. Why even bother having any laws if everyone feels that they can break them because they don’t agree with them? Gert believes that this mentality will lead into anarchy. As for software laws, Gert believes that because these laws are not unjust and are not causing any harm, it is not morally acceptable for anyone to be breaking the law. He claims that he does not know enough about the current laws to admit that there may be other more suitable and better laws that for this issue. However, that does not mean that software copying shouldn’t be illegal or have penalties. Gert states that illegally copying software cannot be described solely based on the â€Å"morally relevant issues, as it brings in one’s biases with regard to software†. People may only see it as doing a favor for a friend when they copy software. How can an act with good intentions possibly be immoral? According to Gert, it doesn’t matter of what the intentions were; motives don’t determine the morality of an action. In conclusion, for these reasons, Gert determines that copying software is not morally acceptable. II. Evaluation According to Gert, it doesn’t matter of what the intentions were; motives don’t determine the morality of an action. Here, I find myself agreeing with Gert. Just because you have good intentions, it doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to violate the law. Hitler had good intentions, didn’t he? He wanted to cleanse his country and make his country better for the people he deemed valuable. Sure, he killed millions of people, but the good intent was there, right? Wrong. His intentions do not justify anything that he did. A person could justify burning software by saying that he is doing it to help out his friend, but his good intentions mean nothing. He still did something that was against the law, and therefore it is wrong. The second and last thing that I agree with Gert about is that it normally should not be acceptable for a person to break the law. The only time it is permissible is when the law is an unjust one that brings more harm than good to society. In America’s early years, did the settlers not eventually find King George’s rule to be unjust? Did we not find his laws and policies unbearable? Did we not oppose them and fight them? America was born by breaking the law! And this is acceptable! Why? Because it was against injustice. The only time a law can be broken is when it is unjust. We, as Americans, cannot argue with this. However, are piracy laws unjust? Gert certainly doesn’t think so. I’m not sure if I agree with him. A weakness that Gert has is that he admits that he does not know much about the piracy laws. He knows that there are laws making copying illegal, however, he does not explain them because he does not know enough about them to do so. It makes me wonder â€Å"if you don’t know everything about your subject, then why are making such an effort to persaude me to believe your opinion? † He loses credibility and this hurts him. If you are going to argue a viewpoint, I would prefer that the person pleading his case knows a lot about the subject matter. To be honest, I don’t think Gert knows a lot about the situation. He rarely actually talks about the core subject: copying software. Instead, he talks about the morality of breaking the law in general. He just happens to throw software piracy in there to add another example of the morality of breaking the law. This severely hurts his thesis and essay in general. Another weakness in this paper is the ‘slippery slope’ argument that he makes about breaking laws in favor for other laws. He claims that this will lead to anarachy. If people don’t want to obey the law because they think some other law would be better, how will this lead to anarchy? Couldn’t it be possible that it will just lead to the replacement of laws? If there is such replacement, how will it lead to chaotic anarachy? He does not explain why such a process will lead to anarachy; he just states that it will lead to it. Not only is his argument flawed, there is a flaw within the flaw. He can’t even explain his wrong reasoning. But then again, maybe that is the whole point of illogical reasoning: there is no logical reasoning! A final weakness that I found a couple of times in Gert’s essay is that he uses some faulty analogies. He compares software laws to speeding laws and drinking laws, among other breif examples. He uses these examples in his arguments about the morality of breaking the law. If one does not agree with the speed limits, he is not obligated to break them simply because he does not like them. If an 18 year old wants to drink when the legal drinking age is 21, he cannot do so just because he doesn’t agree with the law. Thus, if a person wants to copy a CD for their friend and it is illegal, he cannot do so. I don’t believe that piracy laws fall in the same field as speed limits and underage drinking. I think those problems impact society much more than a burned copy of Blue Oyster Cult’s â€Å"Don’t Fear the Reaper†. These are just different situations and they shouldn’t be compared on the same level. So it is morally acceptable to copy software for my friends? I personally believe so for a couple of reasons. I am guilty of illegally copying music and movies, and I see nothing wrong with anything that I have done. I’m a criminal justice major and I understand the piracy laws. I still see nothing wrong with it. If burning a CD or a DVD is so morally wrong, then why do stores provide the means of doing so? Stores sell burnable discs in which you can copy anything onto them. How can anyone be expected NOT to burn software or a CD? These discs aren’t illegal, but the act of copying is illegal. Yes, I understand that the original purpose of these rewritable CDs and DVDs were to be storage devices for personal work, but the times have changes as the technology has evolved. Do not provide the means of a crime if you do not want the crime to happen. I’m positive that the main reason why people burn software is because of the money involved. Downloading something is free. If I have a free option, then why should I bother buying something? If I only like one song on a CD, why should I have to shell out twenty-five dollars to buy the whole thing? CDs only cost companies ten cents to burn, and an additional two dollars for the packaging. I understand that there are labor fees to be paid as well, but why does the media industry have to charge their consumers, their lifeblood, these ridiculous prices? My laptop crashed recently. Nowadays, laptops are being sold with the software already installed onto the hard drive. This has added a hidden cost to the overall cost of the laptop. Along with this, no discs are provided. You’re paying for software that you have no legal copy for. When your laptop crashes, you no longer have the software. So when my laptop crashed, resulting in me buying a new hard drive, what did the technical support people tell me to do? They told me that I had to buy the operating system separately. It was an annoyance to do so, but it was an option. Do you know how much Windows Vista goes for? Two hundred fifty dollars. Well, there goes that option for this poor college student. My solution to my problem? I found a friend with Vista and I got him to copy the software for me. If the legal copy did not cost so much, I would have purchased it. I think that’s the root problem of this issue. If companies didn’t sell their software at such an absurd price, more people would turn away from illegal means of obtaining said software and actually acquire it legally. I see no problem with downloading software because of this key reason. Illegal copying and downloading of software, music, and movies is just something that isn’t possible to monitor. There are millions of people all over the world doing this. How can officials possible prosecute these people? How can they possibly track them down? Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as email tracking and there is no such thing as download tracking. There is no such technology to know exactly what illegal site someone has been on and downloaded something from. If you take my mp3 player, there is no way that you would be able to tell which songs I purchased and which ones I have illegally downloaded. It is the same situation if you took a look on my computer. Which files were obtained illegally? You’ll never know.