Saturday, August 31, 2019

Beneath the Hunger Games

Kate Raffety 22nd of May, 2012 BENEATH THE HUNGER GAMES The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an insightful allegory set in a post-apocalyptic future. Through a gripping plot and intriguing characters along with rich intertextuality, symbolism and themes, she raises concerns and gives her opinion on issues in our communities and governments, taking many to the extreme to reinforce her message, while keeping it a fast passed fictional story. Government control of people is the most prominent theme in The Hunger Games, as it is featured throughout the novel in a variety of ways.Propaganda, censorship, inequitable distribution of wealth, and manipulation are some of the many ways in which the Capitol controls people. All the wealth and resources flow to the Capitol and it is in control of everything. It uses propaganda and censorship to influence and direct public opinion, and the only information the districts receive is from the Capitol. The government broadcasts are compulsory viewi ng and all of it is extremely biased and misleading.Sometimes half the truth is just as effective as a lie, with the capitol only selecting parts of the information to release, in this way it is easy to guide people’s opinions. This technique is used on the districts, with all of the information they receive, and on the people from the Capitol, with the information they receive about the districts. Together the districts could easily overthrow the Capitol, so it is important that they be kept weak and separated. The most important of the Capitol’s strategies for gaining and maintaining power, however, is the age-old technique of divide and conquer.It involves breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually are isolated and weak. The Capitol has absolute power over the districts, which is ultimately demonstrated by the games themselves. â€Å"Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch- this is the Capito l’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. [ ] To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others. (pg 22) The districts are battling starvation, while the capitol lives in luxury with anything they want at their disposal. At first glance the novel and our society seem quite different, but in reality there are many similarities. Whereas extreme inequity and class separation are noticeable in the novel, they are also prominent throughout the world, with great disparity in standards of living among and within countries. The Games are enjoyed as reality television for the people of the Capitol.Their acceptance of it as entertainment, and their lack of compassion towards the tributes is an example of voyeurism and desensitisation. These are two challenges that younger generations face with technology giving them access to television, the internet, video games and movies. They are becoming faster paced and increasingly violent and explicit and emotional responses can become dampened. Reality television is becoming common with people living vicariously through the drama and becoming detached from reality. The standards of humanity in this novel are quite low.There are key aspects of the novel, however, that show that human beings are essentially good when left to their own devices. After her father died, Katniss had to provide for her mother and younger sister. Katniss was searching for any morsel of sustenance to bring home to her family one night around the bakery when Peeta’s mother yelled at her to move on. Peeta, seeing her situation, let two loaves fall onto the coals of the oven and was punished for his carelessness. When he was told to feed them to the pigs, he instead slipped them to Katniss.The next day they caught each other’s eyes and when she looked away her eyes fell on a dandelion, which reminded h er of how her father taught her to live off the land and thus she realised how she would support her family. Peeta saved Katniss and she felt this was a debt she owed him that may never be repaid. He wasn’t obligated to help her, in fact he could have been penalized for it; he did simply because it was the right thing to do. Katniss cares about her family more than anything, especially her little sister.But against all odds her sister is chosen for reaping, and Katniss, driven wild with fear, volunteers to take her place. â€Å"In District 12, where the word tribute is pretty much synonymous where the word corpse, volunteers are all but extinct† (pg 27). Katniss believes certain death now awaits her in the arena, but knows that the loss of her sister would be far worse. While in the arena, Katniss meets Rue, the tribute from district 11 and the two form an alliance. Katniss protects and helps her as best she can, giving her food and her precious sleeping bag while she carries the majority of the responsibility.Rue can give little to Katniss for her to truly benefit from their partnership, however Katniss sees that Rue, the youngest of all the tributes, is vulnerable and does her best to keep her safe from harm, even if it means putting herself in danger. When Rue dies Katniss shows great respect for her and district 11. Katniss then finds Peeta, who has been severely injured and begins to nurse him back to health. He is too weak to sustain himself so Katniss takes on the full responsibility of providing for him, dressing his wounds and taking the majority of the night watches.It would have been much easier for Katniss to leave Peeta and escape up a tree where she feels secure, but despite this she does all she can to help him. She risks her life to save his when she goes to get the medicine and would have died if Thresh, the male tribute from district 11 hadn’t felt the need to repay the debt of helping Rue. Thus, both Thresh and Katniss s aved someone in a last-man-standing battle. This shows that they see themselves as more than just a pawn in the Capitol’s games, they never loose touch with their humanity.Inhumanity is portrayed in many ways in the novel including the Capitol making minors fight to the death, making previous victors mentor them, and inequitable distribution of wealth. In selecting minors as tributes, the Capitol’s message was plain, â€Å"look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you† (pg 22). Taking children who are hardly considered old enough to fend for themselves and putting them in this position is inhumane on many levels.The Capitol sustains power by fear, granting minimal rights to district citizens, no freedom of speech, and harsh punishments for disobeying their many strict rules. They treat their people as chattels who exist only for their benefit. Whereas this them e has been exaggerated in the novel, it still has parallels to our society. There are many ways in which governments treat their people and how the people treat one another that Collins has commented on with The Hunger Games. The novel teaches us that the tyranny of a cruel and powerful government is a threat for which we must always remain vigilant.Collins raises concerns about the path that society is travelling down with her novel. In some ways The Hunger Games is a warning, the message simply being that society should never end up like the one in the novel. Throughout her novel Collins comments on government control, inequity, class separation, reality television, humanity, inhumanity and the path that society has taken. She has taken many of the themes in her novel to the extreme, but this only makes what she has to say stronger. Collins, S. 2009. The Hunger Games, Scholastic, London. 454 pg.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Free Will and Conclusion

In the shooting case of Trayvor Martin, George Zimmerman should not go to prison. A significant amount of speculation exists around the shootings circumstances. There lacks an indisputable, completely factual account of the shooting and its preceding events. Without the support of concrete evidence murder can not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I intend to show the conclusion, that George Zimmerman should not go to jail, is true because the argument is sound. I think my argument is valid because of the premises that support it.The first premise being that the Stand Your Ground Law in Florida permits the use of a fire arm in self defense. There is no definite proof that George Zimmerman killed for any reason other then his personal protection. He therefore did not break the law. The second premise shows that during the altercation between Trayvor Martin and George Zimmerman, Zimmerman sustained injuries to the back of the head and nose. There severity could not be accounted for b ut their presence is undeniable insinuating the shooting was in fact an act of self defense. The third premise is based on the phone call to the police station moments before the murder.A struggle can be heard along with a voice screaming for help. The voice can not be identified without uncertainty to be that of Martin or Zimmerman. Zimmerman's defense can argue is was him calling for help and there is no way to prove or disprove that claim. The last premise illustrates that it is still unknown if Martin aggressively approached Zimmerman from behind while he was retreating to his S. U. V.. Zimmerman admitted to initially following Martin suspecting he was a hoodlum up to no good, but claims to have given up after losing track of the teenager.According to Zimmerman their next encounter consisted of Martin approaching him from behind and asking him his what his problem, Zimmerman denied having a problem, and claims Martin then reacted by punching him in the nose. Witnesses reported s eeing the two fighting in the distance, while others recount hearing whining followed by a gun shot. Consequently since no spectator observed the incident up close or in entirety, Zimmerman's version which states Martin approached and attacked him can not be disproven with total certainty.These premises support that my argument is sound and help prove my conclusion is true. George Zimmerman should not go to prison for the shooting of Trayvor Martin because of the problems of free will. The problems of free will has two premises that lead to the conclusion that no action is free. The first premise states that if an action must occur it is not free. The second premise is based on determinism and the idea that every event occurs because of antecedent events, dating back to before birth even, ensured the occurrence. Hard determinism believes both of these premises and therefore accepts the conclusion.They do not feel we are responsible for our actions because they are not free. Soft det erminism believes only the second premise, that a there is a past chain of events effecting present actions however they think our own free will is included in the chain. Therefore soft determinism do not accept the conclusion and in assuming we have some free will declare we can be held responsible for our free actions. Libertarianism supports the first premise saying that if an action must occur it is not free but denies the second premise concerning the idea of determinism. They reject the conclusion.They feel you have chance to change a decision in the early stages of deliberation, that being the case they feel we can be held responsible for our actions only when we had the opportunity to do otherwise. The position holding the most merit is soft determinism. It can be used to view the Zimmerman case. George Zimmerman could not control the events leading up to final fatal action. We have no proof denying that Martin aggressively approached him from behind and initiated the violen ce. Based on the only known information we have Zimmerman had no control over this prior event.His next action was in self defense something he could not control therefore can not be held responsible for. If he had shot Martin before the physical clash occurred he would have demonstrated using free will. Since he could not control the fights progression he is not accountable for his actions. This further proves he should not go to jail for the shooting. Morally killing in self defense is a justified action. We previously conveyed the lack of concrete evidence refuting Zimmerman's recollection of the shooting as an act of self defense.Based on this we can determine Zimmerman's killing is morally justified because as far as we know it was an act of self defense. If he had shot Martin before being physically attacked his actions would not be justified and in turn considered immoral. Morally his actions were justified as far as we can prove, adding to the reasons why he should not go to jail. In the shooting case of Trayvor Martin, George Zimmerman should not go to jail. It can not be proven without reasonable doubt that he was not acting in self defense. Disputes over the shootings circumstances provide uncertainty in the case.The arguments presented are sound and prove the conclusion, that George Zimmerman should not go to prison, is true. Bibliography http://topics. nytimes. com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/trayvon_martin/index. html http://www. nytimes. com/interactive/2012/04/02/us/the-events-leading-to-the-shooting-of-trayvon-martin. html http://www. nytimes. com/2012/04/12/us/zimmerman-to-be-charged-in-trayvon-martin-shooting. html? pagewanted=all http://www. nytimes. com/2012/04/24/us/george-zimmerman-released-after-posting-bail-in-trayvon-martin-case. html? gwh=7C04C601D11A47D31E9BF5FF98E24EF4

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Leading in a Changing world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leading in a Changing world - Essay Example McGarvie (2009) suggests that today, leaders should be able to attract multidimensional capital flows, read the roadmap for future innovation and participate in new markets, while effectively leading their organisation and their people. We now live in an era in which short- and long-term mismanagement of our environment, work worlds, economies, political situations, cyberspace, care priorities, family lives and values, natural disasters, and capabilities for mass destruction present new challenges for those who must lead in a changing world (Klein, 2009, Pp. 1 – 5). However, it is important to understand that an effective leader must not only select the right vision and the right strategy for attaining a shared vision for the future, but the leader should also effectively influence followers to achieve a shared vision (Boseman, 2008, Pp. 36 – 37). Although personal traits were emphasised earlier by those who researched leadership, Boseman (2008) suggests that the way in which leaders use leadership traits effectively to influence followers decides about effective leadership. Thus, leading effectively the group to attain a shared vision is important for leaders who must lead in a changing world and it is worth discussing how leaders should lead in a changing world. According to Goethals (2004) and Yukl (2010), organisational research domain often discusses leadership in terms of the use of interpersonal influence exercised in situations and directed, through communications processes, towards the attainment of a specific goal or goals. Thus, effective and practical leadership must emphasise the capacity for influencing followers and follower satisfaction is important. Goethals (2004) goes further to suggest that an effective leader has the capacity for influencing a work group to perform and that transformational leadership is more positively related

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Public Transport Systems and Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public Transport Systems and Pollution - Essay Example Due to the interference with national balance, production of different raw materials that are used in the manufacturing industry are affected, which consequently constraints the industry. The issue of pollution, which is global and not regional is evident in all states across the globe, although some have taken significant steps to address the menace. This essay will deeply examine the issue of pollution laying special focus on the effects of pollution on the on human health and environment, fish stocks, forestry sectors of the economy. This essay will also discuss the relationship between public transport systems and pollution as well as focus on the cost of climate change. Air pollution has led to various adverse effects to forestry department and the industries in the sector. Pollutants that are known to cause much harm to trees are oxidants, fluorides, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and volatile hydrocarbons (Gifford, 2006, p. 60). Oxidants react with the sunlight to produce toxins such as peroxyl acetyl nitrate (PAN) and ozone that are harmful to the trees. Ozone is commonly found in the upper strata of the atmosphere but, is considered to be highly harmful once found near the ground. High levels of these greenhouse gases easily damage trees and can easily wipe out an entire forest, which poses a threat to the industries in the field. Pollutants resulting from sulfur dioxide arise as a result of burning oil or coal to produce energy. They are also formed during the extraction of ores and when manufacturing products. Other manmade chemicals such as herbicide, pesticides, and fertilizers do detriment trees. Public transport systems have contributed to air pollution in a great way. Fuels used by the current means of transportation emit harmful chemicals once combusted with carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide being very common. Mining undertakings are similarly key players in the issue of pollution.  

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Policy Proposal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Policy Proposal - Research Paper Example It shall discuss the oil supply issue and its impact on the American society and politics. It shall also describe specific solutions to this issue and how such solutions can contribute to the American economy in general. This paper is being conducted in order to establish a clear and comprehensive discussion on the subject matter. Discussion 1. What is the problem? According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2010, the US consumed about 19 million barrels of petroleum products per day; such consumption makes the US consistently the largest petroleum consumer in the world. It was ranked third in terms of crude oil production; however, crude oil is not the sole source of US petroleum supplies (EIA). Much gain was seen with the increase in crude oil production because crude oil has been known to expand during the refining process. Liquid fuel has also been seen from natural gases, and other sources, including biofuels (EIA). These represent additional supplies in petr oleum products for the US. Still, in 2010, the US had to import about 11.8 million barrels per day of crude oil and other petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, chemical feedstocks, asphalt, and similar products (EIA). Based on the EIA report, about half (49%) of the US oil imports come from the Western hemisphere and about 18% of these imports come from the Persian Gulf, specifically the countries of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The largest source of crude oil and petroleum products are Canada, Nigeria, Venezuela, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia (EIA). The EIA also reports that since 2005, the US reliance on foreign sources of petroleum products have decreased. This decline is seemingly attributed to the economic crisis experienced by the US and the global community in general, as well as changes in consumer behavior, and increase in the use of domestic sources of oil like biofuels and natural gas plant liquids (EIA). In a discussion by Lefton and Weiss, they set forth that the increase in oil imports increased the gap between the US imports and exports. They pointed out that the US is allocating about $1 billion a day in its foreign oil investments; investments which could have been better spent on domestic sources. Moreover, burning oil has contributed to the exacerbation of global warming, representing more dire threats on our national security (Lefton and Weiss). Their analysis also sets forth that the US has relied on imported oil from countries which are on the State Department’s Travel Warning list, including Algeria, Chad, Colombia, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, among others (Lefton and Weiss). This is unfortunate because the country’s reliance on oil imports from these countries have serious implication on national security, economy, and environment (Lefton and Weiss). The US imports about 4 million barrels of oil per day from these unstable countries , incurring a cost of approximately $150 billion (Lefton and Weiss). Since the US is considered the highest consumer of oil, it contributes significantly to the worldwide overall demand for the product. In effect, its demand plays a major part on the oil prices in the market. This high demand makes the country vulnerable to the whims of oil-producing nations. Moreover, this high demand which impacts on oil process benefits oil-producing countries which do not sell oil to the US, as in the case of Iran which does not trade

Monday, August 26, 2019

Impact of social media on marketing Dissertation

Impact of social media on marketing - Dissertation Example Despite these shifts, it is not known to what extent social media has impacted marketing as a function. There appears to be a gap between marketers’ claim and consumer expectations. Thus, with the aim to evaluate the efficiency of social media on marketing, three objectives were set for the study. After extensive literature review, qualitative primary data was gathered through questionnaire survey administered through the Internet. All three objectives of the study have been achieved. Social media has transformed the marketing process; it has transformed the way people interact and communicate. Social media has been able to leverage relationships, enhance communication and interactions between marketers and consumers. User-generated content has become a powerful source of information and has affected how marketers influence consumers. Customer engagement on the social media has made this function dynamic. This has brought a shift in consumer attitude and behavior as consumers rely on user-generated content to make their purchase decisions. Consumers think positively about companies that have their own web space and blog, and about those companies that are alert and responsive to consumer posts. Based on consumer perceptions, two main attributes that could enhance social media marketing have been identified. These include transparency in information thereby leading to trust, and making the advertisements more personal and carrying an emotional appeal. Marketers need to recognize that social media marketing cannot be a standalone strategy as consumers seek a seamless experience across all channels. The study concludes that social media has definitely changed the way marketers present their brand and communicate with consumers but the scope and potential of social media in the marketing function has yet to be exploited. Recommendations for further study on the subject have been made. Table of Contents Chapter I Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Rationale for Research 2 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives 4 1.4 Scope of the Study 4 1.5 Structure of the Study 4 Chapter II Literature Review 6 2.1 Chapter Overview 6 2.2 Definition and concept of social media 6 2.3 Social Media Platforms 7 2.3.1 Social networking sites 8 2.3.2 Blogs 8 2.3.3 Twitter - microblogging 9 2.3.4 Video Sharing 9 2.3.5 Photo Sharing 10 2.4 Social media and marketing 10 2.5 Impact of social media on marketing 15 2.6 Changes in purchase behavior 17 2.7 Consumer benefits through social media 18 2.8 Customer Expectations on social media 19 2.9 Chapter Summary 20 Chapter III Methodology 22 3.1 Chapter Overview 22 3.2 Research Philosophy 22 3.3 Research Approach 22 3.4 Data Collection Method 23 3.5 Data Analysis 24 3.6 Limitations of the Study 25 3.7 Ethical Considerations 25 3.8 Chapter Summary 26 Chapter IV Findings 27 4.1 Overview 27 4.2 Findings 27 4.3 Chapter Summary 32 Chapter V Discussions 33 5.1 Chapter Overview 33 5.2 Effects of social media on Marketing 33 5.3 C hanges in consumer behavior 35 5.4 Attributes that could enhance social media marketing 37 5.5 Chapter Summary 40 Chapter VI Conclusion and Recommendations 41 6.1 Conclusion 41 6.2 Recommendations for further research 43 References 45 Appendix A 48 Figures & Charts Figure 2.1 Social Media Triangle 7 Figure 2.2 Traditional Marketing 11 Figure 2.3 Social Media Marketing 12 Chart 2.1 Why consumers share their experiences? 19 Chart 4.1 User-Generated Content in Purchase Decision 28 Chart 4.2 Consumers’ Impression of Responsiveness 29 Chart 4.3 Consumer Awareness of Social Media 30 Chart 4.4 Consumer Suggestions Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Background The function of marketing has evolved from being a one-way

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Malaysia and Sustainable Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Malaysia and Sustainable Development - Essay Example It was during this period that mega-projects like the Petronas Twin Towers, KL International Airport, and the Sepang F1 Circuit were completed. However, amidst the economic development, environmental degradation has been inevitable. The country's dependence on the manufacturing and industry sector cause a negative spillover in the form of air and water pollution, global warming, and ozone depletion (Malaysia 1-6). In order to promote sustainable development, Malaysia join forces with the United Nations to launch a fourfold program called Vision 2000 which is geared to address the environmental impact of development. These four strategies include: conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; access to sustainable energy services, frameworks and strategies for sustainable development, and national/sectoral policy a nd planning to control the emission of ozone-depleting substances and persistent organic pollutants (UNDP Malaysia 1-4).

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Biofuel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biofuel - Essay Example Biofuels have existed since the 1970s. Before 2010, every international commercial biofuels plant was either a biodiesel or a first generation ethanol. The United States of America has been termed to be the world’s largest producer of ethanol. Back in 2009, the USA produced approximately 10.5 billion gallons of ethanol using corn. Brazil comes in second producing eight billion gallons of ethanol using sugarcane. It is strange to see that in a world where there is scarcity of food, there is a massive use of water resources and land in growing crops for the production biofuels. According to the United Nations, the up-and-coming biofuels industry may risk the rising of food prices. In line with the UN-Energy report: Sustainable Energy: a Frame Work for Decision Makers, it states that biofuels production has already driven up maize prices between the year 2006 and 2007. The report also states that biofuels possibly would have a dual consequence on food supplies. Alternatively, suc h crops could avert water, land as well as other resources away from the production of food. The report quotes that unless policies are formed and endorsed to guard threatened lands, push bioenergy development in sustainable direction in general and secure communally acceptable land use, the social and environmental damage could in some cases overshadow the benefits. A key argument exists on the scope to which policies of biofuels have contributed to high volatility and agricultural prices levels. A current study meant for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development illustrates that market driven growth of ethanol in United States’ increased corn prices by 21% in 2009,compared to the prices that would prevailing if the production of ethanol had been frozen in 2004. Lester R. Brown stated that by converting the whole grain harvest of the Americans would only generate 16% of its auto fuel wants, energy markets are efficiently positioned in opposition with foo d markets for limited arable land, consequential in a higher food price. A large number of R&D efforts are at present being positioned to the production of 2nd generation biofuels from waste, crop residues and non food crops. Second generation biofuels may possibly merge farming for fuel and food and in addition electricity could be produced simultaneously, this could be beneficial to third world countries as well as the rural areas in the developing countries (Desilva, 4). Strengths Renewability: Biofuels are easy to renew compared to fossil fuels which take relatively long time. This is because new crops are planted and their waste material is gathered. Cost: Biofuels are significantly less expensive compared to gasoline. This is true since increased worldwide demand for oil dwindles oil supplies hence biofuels becoming the only option. Security: Since biofuels

Advanced HealthCare Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Advanced HealthCare Management - Assignment Example s that make employees perform their responsibilities, managers should then design appropriate motivational strategies to assist these employees towards accomplishing identified goals. Likewise, it was emphasized that since employees could manifest and assume needs and drives that could change over the course of time, the more that managers should be aware that any previously designed motivational program might need updating or revisions. For instance, in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it was specified that â€Å"people want to satisfy various needs that can be arranged in a hierarchy of importance† (Burns, Bradley, & Weiner, 2012, p. 98). And, according to Martires, â€Å"a need ceases to be potent when it is met and man strives to satisfy the next rung of needs† (Martires, 2004, p. 38). This simply means that if workers needs that need to be satisfied as initially assessed by the manager to be predominantly physiological needs (or receiving a base salary), when this has been satisfied, the manager should re-design the motivational program of the organization to earmark satisfying the next level needs – which is security needs (Burns, Br adley, & Weiner, 2012). In addition, it was also disclosed that â€Å"managers should periodically assess motivation and performance, taking into account the occupational, career-stage and professional factors† (Burns, Bradley, & Weiner, 2012, p. 96), which were considered as important types of individual and situational differences. To enable the manager to make a comprehensive and accurate assessment, it is therefore part of their role to conduct the following activities: â€Å"informal interviews with employees and coworkers in which open-ended questions are asked about individuals’ needs, motives, perceptions, and values† (Burns, Bradley, & Weiner, 2012, p. 96). This could be challenging since some organizations have employees who come and go; meaning, the hiring and firing (or retirement of people) contribute to the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Religion essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Religion - Essay Example It is illustrated in their teachings that giving up worldly desires would result in eternal peace and harmony resulting in alleviation of the soul. For Shinto, Confucianism and Taoism, HARMONY AND SUPREMACY, act as the fundamental foundations of their beliefs. All three religions believe that world/ nature is supposed to follow a rhythmic cycle which brings harmony into lives on earth. It is the digression from this cycle which results in emergence of evil and good. Furthermore, they also recognize the presence of a supreme power that can be a God, Gods (as per various sects) or rulers of the land who are bestowed with powers to bring harmony and peace on their lands. Islam, Christianity and Judaism are mainly recognized by MONOTHEISM and PHROPHECY. Presence of one God is the fundamental belief of these religions which makes them highly distinctive than other religions. However, Jews have THEIR own ONE GOD, Christians believe that Jesus was the God on earth walking as a human but Islam believes that God relates to everyone irrespective of who he is and treats everyone equally but judge them on the basis of their actions. All three religions have figures that were prophets of their times i.e. Judaism had Noah and Moses, Christianity had Jesus and Islam recognizes Muhammad. Where Islam is the last religion acknowledging monotheism, it also recognizes prophets of the other two religions. Other than holy books, lives of these prophets also act as the guidelines which the followers of these religions are expected to follow. Careful analysis of these religions would reveal that all of them support the tolerance and respect for other individuals. This is where the concept of respect for life and its forms (human, plants and animals) and a clear distinction between good and evil emerges. All of them support the notion that every evil or bad deed meets punishment at the end. If these concepts are

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Case Study Essay Example for Free

Case Study Essay Why is it important to get the patient’s assessment of health care quality? Does the patient have the expertise to judge the health care he or she receives? The patient is the customer. If the patient â€Å"perceives† that the health care received is inadequate, then he or she may go elsewhere the next time these services are needed. Although patients may not have the expertise to judge some aspects of 2 health care, they can judge appearances of competence, improvements in the way they feel, how they are treated, the cleanliness and comfort of the environment, and timely responses to service requests. . How might a hospital measure quality? Measuring quality in a service setting such as a hospital can sometimes be dif? cult. One obvious way is to keep track of the number of patient complaints—or even lawsuits. Some other measures that could be used include, but are not limited to, the following:  ¦ Average time for nurses to respond to a patients’ call  ¦ Average time spent by patients in intensive care  ¦ Average recovery time after surgery  ¦ Average condition of patients upon discharge  ¦ Change in patient condition between admission and discharge  ¦ Number patients per staff member 3. Using the steps in the table in the case discuss how each might apply to FCGH. To answer this question, one must remember that the product provided by FCGH is health care. However, it must also be remembered that the hospital’s staff (nurses, physicians, lab technicians, etc. ) are the suppliers of that service. Thus, quality of service will depend a great deal on the staff—their motivation, attention to details, morale, level of caring, etc. Quality to the Customer:  ¦ Is conformance of the service provided compared to established quality standards? Is quality of the hospital’s health are service compared with that of competitors? Quality Costs:  ¦ Have the costs of quality been measured and have possible areas for cost savings been identi? ed? Design Review:  ¦ Do procedures exist to review patient treatment for quality? Are these procedures being carried out? Product Quali? cation:  ¦ Have procedures been established and followed to qualify new treatme nts before they are used on patients? Product Liability:  ¦ Has each treatment been scrutinized regarding safety and are appropriate records kept? Does a written plan exist for dealing with major problems regarding patient? Process Capability:  ¦ Has the effectiveness and risk of each treatment been measured, and is that information used in selecting treatments? Incoming Inspection:  ¦ Is incoming material inspected? Are staff members evaluated before being hired? Are records of these evaluations kept? Supplier Quality:  ¦ Are suppliers and staff members made aware of their quality responsibilities? Are records kept on nonconformance? Process Control:  ¦ Has the hospital developed policies for controlling treatments and lab tests? Have employees been trained to follow these policies? Inspection and Test Planning: Do inspection and test plans exist for all services provided and are records maintained on the results? Are all test procedures and equipment regularly checked for accuracy? Quality Performance Indicators:  ¦ Are quality performance indicators regularly published throughout the hospital and made available to employees? Employee Involvement Program:  ¦ Are employees involved in quali ty improvement through some process such as quality circles? Multifunctional Quality Improvement Team:  ¦ Has a quality improvement team covering all functional areas been established to monitor quality work and to work o improve it? Quality Business Plan:  ¦ Has quality been integrated into the hospital’s business plan—and from there into the overall strategic plan? 4. How can the value of a human life be included in the cost of quality control? Placing a cost on a human life is, of course, dif? cult. However, even companies that manufacture goods must deal with this if there is the possibility that a defective product could result in death. In a hospital setting death is always a possibility due to unforeseen complications or adverse drug reactions. The best approach for FCGH may be to follow whatever policies and rocedures will produce the least chance of patient death. 5. There are certain parallels between the evaluation of health care quality and educational quality. How are customer surveys used to evaluate the quality of teaching at your institutions? How are the results used? Are any other measures available to assess educational quality? What improvements would you suggest to the current system? Teaching evaluations are the â€Å"customer surveys† of education. They are used by faculty and administrators to improve curriculum and teaching methods, to evaluate faculty performance, and to bestow teaching awards. There is general agreement, however, that student evaluations of teaching are insuf? cient assessments of education quality in and of themselves. Students may give high marks to teachers based on personality, lax administration of the class, or the level of dif? culty of the course (easy grades). Further, how can students (who are just learning) judge whether the appropriate material is being taught? On the other hand, the student perceptions should not be ignored. A professor who is very knowledgeable about a subject, but who cannot communicate that knowledge is of little use to the educational process. Therefore, in assessing educational quality, multiple measures of performance should be used, including:  ¦ Teaching evaluations completed by students  ¦ Peer evaluations by faculty  ¦ Surveys of employers  ¦ Surveys of alumni  ¦ Ranking of departmental performance by other deans or industry  ¦ Placement data  ¦ Overall student evaluations based on assessments of total curriculum, rather than individual courses or teachers. QUALITY CLEANERS This case can be used to address several issues and objectives:  ¦ All employees throughout the process must be involved.  ¦ Employees must be accountable for the quality of their work. In service organizations, determining the attributes that de- ?ne quality service, and the corresponding question of how to measure quality can be dif? cult, but must be done,  ¦ The student should have suf? cient understanding of SPC to determine when, where, and how it should be applied.  ¦ Small increases in prevention and appraisal cost wi ll result in large decreases in total cost of quality.  ¦ Records are kept to maintain accountability of the employee to determine bonuses, additional training required, or possible dismissal. Another problem area identi? ed would include quipment (cleaning machine, presses) not functioning properly. These records would also indicate areas where future improvements should be directed. Given below are some points that should be included in the case analysis. 1. Inspections should occur throughout the process with each worker checking his or her work and previous activities also. The astute students will also recognize the capability of using the customer as an inspector. When the garment(s) is brought into the store, the customer should be asked if there are any spots or stains that may require special attention, repairs eeded, special requests, etc. Getting this information from the customer will greatly increase the probability that the service provided meets the customer’s expectations. The counter person and the marker should be checking the garments closely for foreign objects, rather than leaving this for the cleaner, because this has the greatest potential dam age in terms of dollars and dissatis? ed customers. A load ruined by an ink pen would impact 10–20 customers and cost several thousand dollars in claims. 2. Allow for some student creativity. Possibilities would include he counter person, marker, and assembler initialing the ticket at a designated point. The cleaners and pressers could use special shaped (circle, square, triangle, etc. ) punches to punch the identi? cation tag pinned in the garment. Another option would be for the cleaners and pressers to use small plastic tags (as sometimes seen on bakery items) placed on the hanger. Whatever the solution, it should achieve the objective of accountability and require limited time and supplies cost. 3. The additional workload must be tracked over time. Time consumed must be matched with the number of complaints.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Eye 2002 And 2006 Movie Comparison

The Eye 2002 And 2006 Movie Comparison 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction To make sure the research can be done in correct way with relevant content. Researcher can use relevant article, journal even theory to provide an idea or evidence of the research topic so that credibility and accuracy of the works can be increased. Thus, literature review is one of the important parts in completing research. 2.2 Horror Films According to the journal of Tim Dirks (1996), horror films are unsettling films designed to frighten, panic and dread to invoke people hidden worst fears while captivating and entertaining people at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films effectively centre on the dark side of life, the forbidden, strange and alarming events. Thus, it deals with people most primal nature and fears, nightmares, vulnerability, alienation, revulsions, fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity and fear of sexuality. From the earliest days, people used their vivid imaginations to see ghost in shadowy shapes, emotionally connected to the unknown and fear things that are improbable. People can get into an outlet for the feeling of fear itself without actually being in danger by watching horror films. Theres a very real thrill and fun factor in being scared when watching horrific images. A good horror film does not need complex technology special effects to produce in some situations. This is because when horror films done with less reliance on horrify special effects, it can be extremely effective film forms which tapping into people dream states the horror within man himself or unknown. The earliest horror films were in Gothic style, which means they were usually set in fog-shrouded, spooky old mansions, or castles, dark and shadowy locales. For the main characters have included supernatural or grotesque creatures, monsters, vampires, devils, ghosts, zombies, demons even an unknown human. Horror films can be developed from several sources such as folktales with witchcrafts, devil characters, myths, fables, ghost stories and novels. In horror films, the irrational forces of horror invariably need to be defeated. These films normally will end with a return to normalcy and victory over the antagonism. 2.2.1 Plot Dorian Scott Cole claims that plot is refer to the main plan of the story, the structure of an event to telling what is happening from the beginning to the end of the event. Its also the engine that drives the story forward on the course. It plays an important role in an event like films and literatures. To make a plot of the story, writers need to consider what the character needs and his situation in the story. When the characters are put in a situation, they are going to start working to get what they want. Writers need to get clear with everything in the story so that they can construct the plot clearly without any confusion. There are many types of plot that writers can use to construct their story. One of the famous types of plot that frequently used by writers is Freytags pyramid. Classically Freytags pyramid can be divided into 5 parts which are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution and denouement. In the exposition, the background information that is needed to understand the story properly is provided. Such information includes protagonist, antagonist, basic conflicts, settings, and so forth. The exposition ends with the inciting moment, which is the single incident in the storys action without which there would be no story. The inciting moment sets the remainder of the story in motion, beginning with the second act, the rising action. During the rising action, the basic conflict is complicated by the introduction of related secondary conflicts, including various obstacles that frustrate the protagonists attempt to reach his or her goal. Secondary conflicts can include adversaries of lesser importance than the storys antagonist, who may work with the antagonist or separately, by and for themselves. The third act is that of the climax, which marks a change, for the better or the worse. If the story is a comedy, things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to this point and things will begin to go well for protagonist. If the story is a tragedy, the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good to bad for the protagonist. During the falling action, the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist. The falling action may contain a moment of final suspense, during which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt. The resolution is the character solves the main problem or conflict or someone solves it for him or her. Everything of the story will be settled in this stage. The comedy ends with a denouement in which the protagonist is better off than he or she was at the storys outset. The tragedy ends with a catastrophe in which the protagonist is worse off than he or she was at the beginning of the narrative. Writers are very depending on their creativity in composing the flow of plot in order to make the event attractive and interesting. If the plot is not composed in suitable and attractive way, the final event will not in good condition no matter how good the idea is. Thus, there is a big challenge to a writer in composing an interesting plot for a film or literature. 2.2.1.1 Developing a Plot for Horror Films There is a challenge for a writer in developing a plot for horror film. According to Theresa Hoppers journal in 2002, writers need to keep their mind to be original when work out a plot for horror film. Writers can make their writing original by adding own personal take on a familiar plot. There are so many horror plot devices that people familiar with such as happy family moving into haunted houses, naà ¯ve people abusing Ouija boards, charismatic vampires, vengeful witches, demon lovers and so on. These have all been used since the beginning of the genre, but it is not meaning that writer cannot still employ them successfully. They just have to think of a unique way by looking at the subject so that they can give a new life in the old device. Christina Hamlett claims there are several steps in developing a plot for horror film in proper way. First of all, writers need to familiarize themselves with as many horror films as they can and study the techniques that filmmakers like to use to scare their audiences. For example, use fairly ordinary items like dolls, cars, dogs, houses and other daily things and imbue them with extraordinary and malevolent powers. Besides that, they also escalate the suspense and terror by systematically isolating the potential victims, utilizing gruesome visuals and scary sound effects, and playing on the apprehensions that many of people had as children. After that, writers can make a list of the top 10 thing that people are most afraid to according the level of threatening. Then pick the one that absolutely terrifies writer the most and form the basis of the plot. There is a must writer to pick out the scariest object for them in order to develop the story with true feeling. If not they will no t able to develop the story that really touch audience because writers even not able to persuade themselves the story or the object is scary. Once the object has been chosen as the main things in horror film then writers need to outline the scary story before start to write it. Outline is very important part in developing a plot because it helps writers to clarify every single elements or conflicts in the story before they write out the detail things. To outline the scary story, writers need to give the villain in the story a plausible motive for what it does. For example, the villain is seeking revenge against the descendants of the person who killed him, the villain is seeking to avenge the honor of a deceased sweetheart, responding to an ancient curse that forces the main character to do evil things or reacting to the effects of a bad lab experiment. There are so many possible way to let writers develop, it is just depending on the creativity of the writers. To avoid the protagonist in the scary story just simply be reacting to everything that the monster do, writers need to give them some solid motivations. For instanc e, hero needs to accomplish to be thwarted in some way by the presence of the evil forces. He cant simply walk away from this scary conflict because if he does, something even worse could happen as a result. After all the characters basic information and the conflicts between protagonist and antagonist have been developing. It is the time writers indentify the story into 5 parts of the plot which are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution and denouement. Writers need to get clear with what is happening within the 5 parts of plot. During the moment, writers need to decide how many characters that needed in the storyline and what kinds of locations will be required. Last but not least, the dialogue should always sound natural, horror films tend to have less dialogue in them than other genres because their strength is derived from the scary visuals and action sequences. 2.3 Music in Horror Films Simon Boswell is a music composer who famous for his involvement in several classic horror films. Those involvements are including many by Italian horror master, Dario Argento. According to Boswells statement Music in horror films is probably more powerful than in any other genre, so its good for a composer to do them because he can be very influential on the action. John Hubinette claims that music in horror films is more powerful than in most other films due to the dramatic nature and shifting pace of horror films. The main purpose of horror film is to scare people. To do these by all means possible, filmmakers will not only depend on visual. Even though music is a very important aspect of horror films, it must never distract the audience. The music should fit the action as well that is not perceived as a separate aspect of the film, it should be integrated with the visual and work to seamlessly intensify the events in the film. This is perhaps the reason why music in films is so often overlooked. It the music is well composed and well implemented, it will becomes a part of the overall experience. In the earliest years, orchestral music is the most characteristic type of horror film music. It has been used since the birth of the genre even today orchestral music is the most popular type of music used in horror films, thrillers and adventure films. Theres a reason why orchestra music is so popular and rapid used in horror film until today. Orchestral music has open-endedness and great dynamic range that allows the composer to greatly vary his compositions to follow the event in a film. Another reason could be that orchestra music is very neutral and appeals to a wide audience, but perhaps the main reason is that powerful orchestral music simply works very well when there is a need to convey emotions and set a certain mood. Today, orchestral music is not the only genre used in horror films. Many films differ in this area by using other kinds of music such as synthetic based music and industrial music. For example Blair Witch 2 which uses alternative rock and meal music. This selection of music works pretty well, as it is quite dark, brooding and suits the visual style of the film. In several times, classic orchestral horror music has been replaced with music that would normally never even be considered for a horror film. Perhaps the most extreme case is American Psycho, which mainly uses American 80s rock and pop music. In this film, it becomes obvious that horror films require the right kind of music to function properly. A very odd feeling is produced when Patrick Bateman (the male protagonist) slaughters one of his victims to the tune of Hip to be Square by Huey Lewis and the News. It produces a complete audio-visual dissonance, but when this music decreases the fear factor of this particular scene, it does create a very odd experience, which is probably what the film makers aimed to create. 2.4 Sound Effects in Horror Films Besides music, sound effects are also one of the important elements in horror film. It has the ability to give a big shock to audience and enhance the scary atmosphere in the scene dramatically. Besides that, sound effects helps to make the action in horror film become lively and increase the reality feeling. According to the statement by John Hubinette, he claims that both the music and sound effects are directly linked to the visuals of the film. Music works by accompanying the events in the film to create or adjust a certain mood or atmosphere. Sound effects are usually tied even more closely to the events in the film, most of the cases are applied to intensify or mark direct action such as movements and impact. These sounds are usually exaggerated especially in action film and horror film. Theres a classic example of an exaggerated sound effect which is punches, which often sound like whip lashes when normally filmmakers would produce a barely audible. Although this kind of sound effect might negatively affect the realism of certain events in a film, it does serve to increase the power and intensity of movements, impacts and other actions which is very important especially in horror films that aiming to create a confrontational audio-visual experience. There is also a type of sound effect known as ambient sounds that widely use in horror films nowadays. In horror film, ambient sounds usually insert in looped sequences and used to create a background noise for a scene. Thus, it will looks natural even enhance the particular moods in the scene. There are some examples of ambient sounds that people can found in horror film such as crickets, humming, the wind blowing, thunder and rain. It is also interesting to note that in particular horror films tends to highlight sounds that people would normally not pay attention to, such as a beating heart or someone breathing. This usually happens when there is a single victim being chased or stalked by a monster or ghost. The purpose is to draw audience into the scene and to make it part of the action or put it in the situation of the victim. This tactic works very well in horror film in most of the time. Other than that, silence can also function as a sound effect in some scenes. It can be used when there is a need to create high tension and also be used together with loud musical hits in a turn-taking sequence. Silence has the function that emphasizes the certain atmosphere or situation in the scene instantaneously. Compare with music and sound effects, silence will be the best weapon for filmmaker to draw audiences attention in particular scene. Audiences needs nowadays are become more complicated, they will not satisfy with the effort on visual effect in horror film. Music and sound effects are also the element they concern with. 2.5 Theories and Concept Applied Theories are very important in conducting a research; it helps research to explain certain phenomenon or situation with evidence. Thus, the result of research will be more persuasive once research applied theory in his work. Auteur Model and Feminist Model will be included to analyze the content analysis in this research. 2.5.1 Auteur Model In the 1950s and 60s, the film critic Andrew Sarris became the leading American proponent of what is now called Auteur Theory. Auteur is come from French word which means author. Talk of artistic and the term auteur placed the director centrally as the author of the film. An auteurist critic looks for consistency of theme and design throughout a directors film. If the film maker was to be seen as auteur they would have to exhibit through a series of films clear auteur characteristic. To fulfill the requirement of Auteur model, there are four characteristics author refer to. Firstly, the visual style of the film; which means the Mise en scene and designation of cinematography in the film. Secondly, the narrative structure and feature of the film; which referring to the story genre and the message that bringing by the film. Third, the particular character traits and situation; which referring to the acting style and the performance of actors. The last characteristic is referring to the theme that set in the film. If the filmmaker has reached those entire mentioned characteristic, these characteristics will be clearly seen in all of his work in whatever genre. Gillkings statement claims Alfred Hitchcock as a director frequently studied from an auteur perspective. When Auteur Model was being developed, Alfred Hitchcock was frequently acknowledged as the consummate exemplar. Even his name evokes immediate expectations in terms of themes and techniques. As the master of mystery and suspense, Hitchcocks films play with the audiences nerves, sexuality or tabooed areas assume central or implicit places. For example the latent homosexuality of Strangers on a Train (1951), the Parody of an Oedipus complex in Psycho and the traumatic remembrance of repressed Memories of Marnie (1964). Hitchcock was influenced by the German Expressionists and he admired their ability to express the ideas in purely visual terms. It is the visual expression of thought and psychology that Hitchcock achieves throughout his films. Hitchcocks films are marked by his mastery of cinematic technique which is exemplified in his use of camera viewpoints, elaborate editing and soundtrack to build suspense. There are several example can be found in his films. For the first, Notorious (1946) includes an incredible zoom-in from a high shot to an extreme close-up of a significant plot detail and suspense building inter-cutting of the final scene. Secondly, In a scene in Blackmail (1929), Hitchcock uses a complex pattern of sound and dialogue based around the word knife to reflect feelings of guilt. Besides that, there is a cut from a womans scream to the similar sound of a train whistle in the The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935). In Suspicion (1941), his personal stamp is typified by the use of a light bulb to produce the effect of an ominous, glowing glass of milk. This attribution of symbolic power to inanimate objects is another hallmark of Hitchcock which a bread knife in Blackmail (1929) and a key in Notorious (1946). He a lso places great focus on the creation of set pieces where he is able to exercise his talent for detail and suspense. According to the statement of Gillking, he also claims that Hitchcocks vision of the world is reflected in the themes that predominate in his films. The specific psychology that is presented in the films such as the fascination with wrongful accusation and imprisonment is a significant part of the Hitchcock signature. One of the basic themes is that the mistaken identity, the wrong man accused who must find the real perpetrator in order to prove his innocence for example The Lodger (1926), The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935), North By Northwest (1959) and so on. Other than that, Hitchcock also found visual expression for his themes in recurrent motifs that express his vision of the world like staircases in Strangers On A Train (1951), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), sinister houses in Psycho (1960), chasms in Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) and National Landmarks that the most obviously in North by Northwest which includes the United Nations Building and Mount Rushmore. Besides Alfred Hitchcock, there are so many directors that under Auteur Theory, such as John Ford from United States, Pang Brothers from Hong Kong, Jack Neo from Singapore. They have their own strong characteristic in directing a film and it is hard to imitate or replace by others. People are familiar with their style even can recognize their film easily with the characteristic of film that mentioned above. 2.5.2 Feminist Model Feminist model is widely used to discover and describe a distinctively female perspective on film, as well as those ways in which the cinema might not be found uniquely pleasurable by female viewers. There are two elements which are psychoanalytic and ideological analysis has blended by Feminist model criticism. The psychoanalytic component is found in attempts to understand the ways cinema arouses the pleasure and desires of its audiences and how this might differ on a gender basis. In the other side, ideological is found in the efforts of feminist criticism to relate the portrayal of women in films to particular social attitudes, assumptions and practices that may be found in the more general society of which those films are a part. According to the statement of Stephen Prince, he claims that Feminist film criticism tends to assume two forms. The first is an analysis and description of how a male-dominated film industry has selectively shaped images of women in films that have been created largely by men. Male director has portrayed womens image in their desired way through the visual spectacle and the use of the close up function in film to present women as erotic object for the contemplation of an ideal male audience. For example, Marilyn Monroe or Marlene Dietrich is the most popular star who is the erotic image for a male audience. She gave the extraordinary visual attention through her body in the film which directed by male director. The second form is closely related to the first, it is the discovery of alternative feminist forms or filmmaking and images of characters. There is a wide range of filmmakers and models of filmmaking to choose by the feminist critic. The critic could examine the work of a director such as Jane Campion, who makes films that are not slotted into particular genres or targeted to be large crowd pleaser employing traditional formulas. Two of her films are The Piano (1993) and Orlando (1993). The Piano (1993) , stars Holly Hunter as a mute, Victorian, unwed mother who travels to New Zealand to fulfill an arranged marriage to an English farmer who living there. The film explores her torturous reception as both a woman and an artist. She have to live in a culture which is alien to her and that places her into the most insensitive and brutal husband. Orlando (1993), this film examines the consequences of gender roles and how they affect the way people live their lives. Sally Potters film is adapted from a Virgina woolf story about a young man during the Elizabethan era who lives for over four centuries without aging but who mysteriously changes into a woman. Orlando has experiences the world from the perspective of each gender through living as both a man and a woman. Orlando comes to appreciate the uniqueness of each genders role and how socially conditioned these roles are. The Piano (1993) and Orlando (1993) are philosophically and aesthetically distinct from male-directed productions. In the unique term of their narrative and image all the perspective brought to gender. Its social definition and impact on sexuality, speech and art, each film offers the pleasures of distinctive female voice in cinema. 2.6 Summary This chapter explains horror films, plot, music, sound effects and 2 theories which are Auteurist Model and Feminist Model with several facts and example. Researcher can learn and understand more about the background of the titles throughout this chapter. By studying all the titles above, it will give researcher a clearer image about what is going to focus in the following chapters. Thus, it also minimizes the chances researcher out of topic when doing this research.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Methodology Of Cyberbullying Studies Psychology Essay

Methodology Of Cyberbullying Studies Psychology Essay According to Dooley, Pyzalski, Cross (2009, p.182), to date, many authors face difficulties in defining and comparing cyberbullying because of the use of different methods. (No Flow from reason of different method to definition) Cyberbullying has been from a general perspective defined as bullying through an electronic means. Drawing from Smith et al. (2008, p.376), cyberbullying refers to an aggressive, deliberate act done by a person or a group of people, using electronic contact means, repeatedly for a certain period against a person who is not able to easily defend herself or himself. This definition emphasizes on the act being aggressive, deliberate, and repetitive as well as having the presence of power imbalance. Belsey (2004) further defines cyberbullying as using technologies of information and communication to support intentional, frequent, and hostile conduct by a person or a group, with the aim of harming other people. From Belseys definition, power imbalance is missing, which implies that power does not necessarily form an essential component of cyberbullying. On the other hand, Wolak, Mitchell, Finkelhor (2007, p.52) argue that, an accurate definition should view repeated actions of online hostility as online harassment (How is this link to the previous point of Belseys definition?). In addition, since the victim can terminate negative online relations easily, he or she possesses a certain level of power, which they were not capable of having if the harassment took place within the schoolyard where they cannot escape easily. On the contrary, there are cases of online harassment, which the victim cannot terminate easily such as difficulties involved in getting rid of information from t he internet (From where? What does this show?). The identification of the main elements of cyberbullying is necessary for a uniform progress in cyberbullying studies. According to Vandebosch van Cleemput (2008, p.500), a research was done through focus groups on 10 to 19 year olds in Belgium regarding their experiences on cyberbullying and their use of information and communication technology. The findings of the research showed that, cyberbullying actions are consistent with the definitions such that they are deliberate, repetitive, and typified by an imbalance of power (Mention Results). These features characterize traditional face-to-face bullying. The research also proposed that, in cyberbullying, behavior is more important as compared to the medium used (What medium? What does it show?). Kowalski Limber (2007, p.24) further define cyberbullying as, simply the electronic type of face-to-face bullying instead of a distinct phenomenon. Viewing cyberbullying as simply a form of face-to-face bullying can overlook the difficultie s of such behaviors. (Mention overall non-consensus with definitions) Differences between Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying According to Zacchilli Valerio (2011, p.11), traditional bullying involves numerous key components. Bullying is aggressive, deliberate, includes power imbalance and is also repetitive. Aggression refers to any conduct aimed at harming another person. Bullying involves deliberate harm exerted on another person and it is, therefore, not playful. Drawing from Coloroso (2008), traditional bullying takes three main forms including verbal, relational, and physical. Verbal bullying is the most widespread form and involves the use of words to harm other people. Physical bullying is visible and include behaviors like kicking, hitting, biting and slapping. Relational bullying is widespread amid girls as compared to boys. It may involve ignoring, exclusion and spreading rumors. Further, cyberbullying appears to have a number of features of both relational and verbal bullying. Cyberbullying is a new research area (When was it formerly studied?), and it is thus vital to have an apparent definition regarding what cyberbullying entails. Hinduja Patchin (2008, p.152) suggest that, cyberbullying is willful and can cause continual harm to another person through the means of electronic content. This definition focuses on the notion that, cyberbullying entails an intention, and done for a certain period. Smith et al. (2008, p.376) suggested an identical definition where they define cyberbullying as an intentional, aggressive and repeated act by a person or a group using electronic contact means against somebody who cannot guard herself or himself. This definition also emphasizes the idea that cyberbullying is a planned, aggressive behavior occurring several times. Kolwalski, Limber, Agatston (2008) compared and contrasted traditional bullying with cyberbullying based on definitions. The two kinds of bullying entail aggression, repetition, and an inequality of power. In terms of differences, cyberbullying is more appealing as compared to traditional bullying due to anonymity. For instance, a person can be a victim of bullying for a long time without identifying the bully. Therefore, a bully may consider cyberbullying more appealing since it is very hard to track the origin of the bullying. Moreover, punitive fears and disinhibition differentiate traditional bullying from cyberbullying. When teens or children become victims of cyberbullying, they may not tell an adult about it for fear of being deprived the use of cell phones or computers. Disinhibition happens when people do or say things that they cannot do if the victims could identify them. Unlike cyberbullying, victims of traditional bullying mostly identify their bullies (Olweus, 1993). ( What does this show?) Debates and Arguments Regarding the Definitions Most arguments and debates among authors on the definitions of traditional bullying and cyberbullying relate to repetition and power imbalance. Even though majority of authors generally approve including repetition when defining bullying, debate regarding its importance and nature still continues. Tattum (1989, p.17) claimed that, continuing feelings of tension regarding an occurrence may be deemed repetitive even though it occurred just once. Repetition, especially in cyberbullying, is difficult to operationalize, since difference may exist between the perceptions of victim and the perpetrator on the number of incidences and the likely consequences. For instance, Slonje Smith (2008) maintain that, though repetition is apparent when the perpetrator sends several e-mails or text messages, it is not very apparent when the perpetrator creates one derogatory website or an online message, which several individuals can access (Shows Whats?). Regarding power imbalance, an example by Aalsma Brown (2008, p.101) of a second grade boy kicking a sixth grader every day in the bus suggests that, no bullying occurred since the second grader is smaller and less powerful physically compared to the sixth grader. From the example, assessing power imbalance is complex since it is hard to evaluate, particularly in children. However, Rigby (2007, p.19) argues that, wherever power imbalance exists, regardless of its source, the status of a person may be reduced. (Overall mini summary) Challenges of Self-Report Self-Report Studies on Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying (I dont want this portion, instead I want more emphasis on the challenges of self report problems of survey questions) According to Arsenio Lemerise (2004, p.989), many studies have repeatedly claimed that, bullies can have deficits concerning their morality (Very random; out of the blue). Recent integrative developmental moral hypothesis models have stressed the need for investigating both moral affect and moral cognition in comprehending individual variations in behaviors like bullying since there is an empirical and conceptual overlap between traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Bullying has a positive association with self-reported ethical disengagement in both adolescents as well as in children. A research by Pornari Wood (2010, p.86) indicated that, ethical disengagement is not related to traditional aggression, but to cyber aggression among peers. Moreover, it showed that adolescents and children who had frequent involvement in bullying became more ethically disengaged and had fewer ethical responsible justifications. Bullies justified their moral misbehavior of a supposed bully primarily from a selfish viewpoint, and their thoughts focused on receiving individual gain from their negative behavior (Menesini Camodeca, 2008, p.187). Ybarra Mitchell (2004) examined online harassment using 1,501 regular users of the internet aged between 10 and 17 years in the United States. In the study, online harassment referred to a deliberate and overt action of aggression to another individual who is online. The results showed that, 15% of all the participants were out of which 51% of them were also victims of traditional bullying, and 20% were cyberbullying victims (the remainder 29% ?). The results propose a high relation between traditional victimization and online harassment (Indicates what ). (No flow b/w points) In addition, Raskauskas Stoltz (2007) investigated 84 American students between the age of 14 and 18. They analyzed the links between traditional bullying, electronic bullying, traditional victimization, and electronic victimization. They particularly examined whether being a victim of traditional bullying or a traditional perpetrator predicts retaining the same position in electronic bullying. From the study , nearly all traditional bullies were also cyberbullies, and almost all traditional victims were cybervictims (Shows What?). Gradinger, Strohmeier, Spiel (2009, p.211) carried out a study to examine joint bully and victim conduct of students on 761 ninth grade students of 10 distinct schools in Vienna, Austria. From the study, cyberbullying, as well as cyber victimization, occurred rather infrequently than traditional forms. On the contrary, the incidence rates of students participating in cyberbullying and cyber victimization, which were 5% and 7% respectively, were lower than in former studies whose range was 11 to 49% and 10 to 22% for cyber victimization and cyberbullying, respectively. Such differences are due to a number of country-specific features that researchers cannot identify without cross-national studies. Moreover, the study found that, barely any student is exclusively a cybervictim. Rather, majority of cybervictims were also traditional victims. This implies the overlapping nature of cyber and traditional forms of victimization. Problems of Survey Questions Drawing from Ybarra Mitchell (2004a, p.1308), majority of self-report studies on traditional bullying and cyberbullying have methodological weaknesses, which include a theoretical approaches, weak evaluation instruments with a single-item questions, small sample sizes and absence of psychometric assessment of the instruments used (Explain?). Questionnaires are the common methods that researchers use to gather information on bullying during self-report studies. This method is effective in collecting adequate data from respondents due to its anonymity feature. On the contrary, most survey questions that researchers of bullying use have a problem of using a single item to define and investigate multiple bullying constructs. Smith Sharp (1994, p.13), for instance, a survey question for bullying can read, How often have you participated in bullying another student(s) in school in the past four months? (Implies that they are bullies as well) According to Nunnally Bernstein (1994, p.27), the use of single-item questions to assess constant bullying constructs is improper because; single items only recognize moderate to big distinctions and are not able to distinguish fine levels of a trait. Spector (1992, p.44) further asserts that, single items are undependable, and that, they lack the ability and scope to reveal detail. Cyberbullying self-report studies (Which ones?) have inherited the remarkable trend of research on traditional bullying to categorize students as victims and bullies. Such a system uses the single-item questions and an intrinsic model (By who? What model?) whereby, being a victim or a bully were mutually exclusive behavioral patterns. This has led to generalized rather than specific conclusions on bullying research (Parada, Marsh, Craven, 2005). Debates and Arguments among Authors Rigby Slee (1999, p.121) note that, many studies propose the presence of three kinds of victimization and bullying including physical, social and verbal. However, recent popular instruments use a one-item survey questions to assess bullying. For example, How often have you been bullied in school this year? single-item questions have a tendency of being frequency estimates like frequently, often, once a month or never, and yield scores which have a high statistical variance. Peterson Rigby (1999, p.483) however argue that, as research on bullying advances, more researchers are seeing the significance of assessing the three forms of bullying as well as victimization. Researchers have also been adding instruments as indicative of these forms. In the research, Peterson and Rigby assessed five behavioral aspects namely hurtful names, threatened, kicked or hit, unpleasantly teased, and isolated, to measure various bullying types. On the contrary, no self-report study had before 2004, ack nowledged the exact 3-factor framework adequately (Marsh et al. 2004). (How is this paragraph relevant to cyberbullying?) According to Ahmed Braithwaite (2004, p.38), the vastness of research on bullying consists of quantitative and continuous variables using self-report, teacher-report and peer-report measures of data. Researchers most frequently assess such data by dichotomization to generate results. Nevertheless, MacCallum et al. (2002, p.20) have spotted the fallacies of dichotomizing variables. According to them, dichotomization of quantitative and continuous variables results in loss of statistical significance and effective size, deformation of effects and the likelihood of researchers of overlooking non-linear relations. Due to these intrinsic methodological shortcomings of dichotomization, MacCallum et al. (2002, p.22), wind up that, these techniques ought to not be used unless they are vigorously justified. This is because when researchers dichotomize data for analyzing victimization and bullying, they unavoidably categorize children. Examples of such categorization include victims, bullies and those who are not affected. (Link to cyberbullying) Theories of Cyberbullying Theories Associated With Traditional Bullying Agnews general strain theory (GST) is one of the theories that have associations with traditional bullying. According to this theory, there are three kinds of strain including failure to attain positively valued ambitions, eradication of positively esteemed stimuli, and production of negatively treasured stimuli. GST primarily revolves around the notion that, strain comes from unconstructive relationships with other people. For instance, a bully is producing negatively treasured stimuli, whether emotional or physical abuse, to her or his victim. The sources of strain have indirect links with delinquency and other behavioral problems. This is because; strain generates negative effects such as anger or frustration. (No links b/w points) In addition, theory of planned behavior (? By who?) has relations with traditional bullying. The theory suggests that, attitudes towards conduct come from peoples behavioral beliefs. According to Bosworth, Espelage, Simon (1999, p.344), minors deem agg ressive conduct as validated when a person deserves it, have a likelihood of behaving aggressively. (How well does the theory explain results? Or results explain the theory?) Lack of Theories in Research of Cyberbullying to Explain the Phenomenon Hoffman Miller (1998, p.83) maintain that, a bigger percentage of the independent experimental studies that authors have done to investigate cyberbullying, none has sufficiently capitalized on current advances in the research of traditional bullying. Li (2007, p.4) adds that, more importantly, very little is known regarding the temperament of cyberbullying since there is no theory that theorizes its structure and thus, researchers have not developed psychometrically logical evaluation tools for measuring the construct of cyberbullying. In other words, Solberg Olweus (2003, p.242) argue that, there has been a limited use of theories by researchers to explain the phenomenon of cyberbullying. The studies that have used theories to explain cyberbullying have only touched on traditional bullying theories without even validating their application to cyberbullying. Theory of Mimetic Scapegoating Theory and Cyberbullying According to Norman Connolly (2011, p.287), Rene Girard bases his Mimetic Theory on the belief that, humans are mimetic beings. This implies that, people imitate what they see in other people. Increased imitation leads to increased likeness among individuals, and thus they compete for similar desires and end up becoming rivals. The boundaries amid individuals that maintain order start to crumble. Increased rivalry results in increased violence, while the distorted boundaries threaten destabilizing social order. The traditional man viewed a scapegoat as the only solution to the threat. Thus, by blaming a person or a group of persons for all the distress and hatred, people direct the violence of community towards the scapegoat. This theory applies to cyberbullying where an individual or a group of individual engages in cyberbullying activities out of peer pressure or imitation of what other people are doing. Scapegoating comes in where a group of people team up and direct their aggres sion towards their victims through incitation. Scapegoating is more common in social areas like in schools (Wilcox, 2009, p.9). Pros and Cons of Using Theories for Cyberbullying According to Marsh, Craven, Hinkley (2003, p.193), the use of theories to explain cyberbullying has several pros. To start with, it helps readers have a better understanding of the origin of certain behaviors in the community from a theoretical perspective. For instance, the use of mimetic theory shows how violence among individuals in the society comes about, and explains what inspires a person or a group of people to engage in cyberbullying. In addition, the use of theories provides a strong foundation on which to base future research on cyberbullying. This leads to the expansion of knowledge about the field since researchers are able to carry out experiments to validate such theories, and also either expound on the existing theories or develop new theories depending on the findings of their experiments (Schafer Graham, 2002, p.147). On the other hand, Griezel et al. (2008, p.2) argue that, the most significant issue that affects the cyberbullying field is that, regardless of man y competing models and theories trying to explain bullying actions, there is a scarcity of authenticated theory and experimental research to summarize cyberbullying experience. Debates and Arguments amongst Authors Piquero Sealock (2000, p.451) bases the general strain theory on the suggestion that, strain emerges from negative relationships. In addition, strain has a significant and generally positive relation with drug use and delinquency. Paternoster Mazerolle (1994, p.236) support this claim through their National Youth Survey, which showed that, delinquency weakens bonds with conventional institutions, while strengthening ties with deviant people. Mazerolle et al. (2000, p.89) oppose the claim by maintaining that, only a number of strains measures have a significant association with anger, and noxious experiences on neighborhood conditions.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Special Needs in the Classroom :: Education Disabilities Essays

Special Needs in the Classroom Virginia teachers face many challenges when trying to meet the needs of special needs students in their science classrooms. The most difficult task at hand for Virginia teachers is making sure that all students (general education and special education) learn the content outlined by the Virginia Standards of Learning. These standards "set reasonable targets and expectations for what teachers need to teach and students need to learn" (Virginia Standards of Learning, 1995, foreward). These targets and expectations are in the four core subjects, including science, however, no accommodations have been made in the SOLs for special needs students. All students, regardless of ability will need to know the same material in order to pass and graduate. One way that Virginia teachers meet the challenging needs of students is through the use of special strategies. Much research has been conducted which supports the use of special strategies to teach science content to students with special needs. Research has shown that some strategies to help special needs students in science are to prioritize materials in order of importance, pre-teach vocabulary that may be difficult for students, paraphrase passages, provide study guides, graphics, and organizers, or provide audio-taped texts (Munk, Bruckert, & Call). Other research suggests that teachers should, "employ strategies that emulate the principles of inclusive education (for example, outcome-based education, multiple intelligence theory, constructivist learning, cooperative learning, use of technology in the classroom, and peer-mediated instruction)." (Norman, Caseau, and Stegfanich, 1998) Gallas (1995) writes that it is important to build on students’ prior knowledge, so that they can use that knowledge to explore theories and construct other ideas and explanations. Methods of evaluation are also a concern and challenge for educators of special needs students today. Finson & Ormsbee (1998) argue that, "rubrics are effective methods for objectively and individually assessing the achievement of students with learning and behavior problems in inclusive science classrooms†¦." Rubrics are especially useful because they are written as a specific outline of the skills or knowledge that the students are to master after the lesson and points are awarded in a systematic and objective manner. To further explore the realm of special needs students and their education in science classrooms in Virginia today, we interviewed two educators from Central Virginia. "There simply is never enough time in the day to meet the needs of all students. And, when you think about it, they all have special needs†¦" Anne, a fourth grade teacher remarked when asked how she finds time to attend to both her general education students and special education students.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Comparing Good and Evil in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rin

Comparing Good and Evil in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Imagine yourself in a pre-industrial world full of mystery and magic. Imagine a world full of monsters, demons, and danger, as well as a world full of friends, fairies, good wizards, and adventure. In doing so you have just taken your first step onto a vast world created by author and scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien became fascinated by language at an early age during his schooling, in particularly, the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for language did not only lead to his profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. His broad knowledge eventually led to the development of his opinions about Myth and the importance of stories. All these various perspectives: language, the heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic Christianity work together in all of his works. The main elements of Tolkien’s works are Good versus Evil, characters of Christian and anti-Christian origin, and the pow er of imagination. In Tolkien world, evil is the antithesis of creativity, and is dependent on destruction and ruin for its basis. Conversely, goodness is associated with the beauty of creation as well as the preservation of anything that is created. The symbolic nature of these two ideologies is represented in the Elven Rings, which symbolize goodness, and the One Ring, which is wholly evil. A main theme of "The Hobbit", then, is the struggle within our own free will between good will and evil. "Early in the (Lord of the Rings) narrative, Frodo recalls that his uncle Bilbo, especially during his later years, was fond of declaring that†¦ there was only one Road; that it was lik... ...Pity 2. Self-sacrifice B. Evil 1. corruption (Gollum) 2. greed (Smaug) II. Characters, Christian and anti-Christian A. Christian 1. Comparing to Christ a. Bilbo b. Gandalf B. Anti-Christian 1. Satan a. Saruman b. The Ring III. Power of the Imagination A. Creates secondary belief B. Escape through imagination Works Cited  · Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine, 1982.  · Wood, Ralph C. "Traveling the one road: The Lord of the Rings as a "pre-Christian" classic." The Christian Century Feb. 93: 208(4).  · "Eucatastrophe." Time September. 1973: 101  · Evans, Robley. "J. R. R. Tolkien" Warner Paperback Library. 1972: 23-4, 41-2, 202  · Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Religion and Fantasy in the Writing of C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and J. R. R. Tolkien. United Church Press, 1971

Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obsc

Compromising Female Characters in Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure  Ã‚   The novels of Thomas Hardy are intricate and complicated works whose plots seem to be completely planned before the first word is ever actually formed on paper. Though I have no proof of Hardy’s method of writing, it is clear that he focuses more on plot development than characterization in the novels Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. The advantages of this can be easily seen in the clever twists and turns that occur in the novel which hold the reader’s interest. But the main reason Hardy uses this method, especially in the tragedies Tess and Jude, is to present a moral argument to the reader through actions done by and to the main characters of the novels. By mapping out the turning points ahead of time, Hardy is able to control the course of his writings, and they emerge as a social criticism. But in doing this, the characters are condemned to a literary predestination. Hardy concentrates more on forcing the characters to carry out these actions than allowing their personalities to become fully and freely developed. Females perform most of the necessary but unlikely actions, and Hardy blames any erratic behavior on woman’s natural inconsistency. Thus, in reaching for a high literary purpose Hardy inadvertently stunts the development of the main female characters.   Jude the Obscure is designed to show the faults and repercussions of religious and social conventions, with an emphasis on marriage. According to Hardy, short-lived impulses cause people to marry, which binds couples together until their deaths. When these feelings of affection fade, they must live together i... ...nally draw the attention of a man she has no desire to be with, he turns her character into a tease. She begins to be seen as a comic character and less respect is given to her. She is just another female character used to make the machinery of Hardy's novels function, and takes on a more mechanical and stereotypical countenance as a result.   Hardy's intentions are noble. He tries to show the reasons for giving more social freedom to everyone, females in particular, but compromises their characters in the process. The novels would benefit by far if there was a more spontaneous atmosphere and the characters were allowed free reign to develop unhindered, but the novels could result in the loss of such powerful moral messages. So, changing the characters could endanger the novels' importance in history, but would definitely improve the overall reading experience.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Is it true that Adolf Hitler is the son of Rizal Essay

This is absolutely absurd, but since some fairly educated people actually want to believe it, I write this column.The argument is that Rizal had a German connection, he studied in Heildelberg, and being the Pinoy Don Juan he probably sired a son (why not a Daughter?) who later turned out to Adolf Hitler. Hitler was born 1889, and Rizal left Germany in 1887. Unless Hitler was a delayed baby, that is highly improbable. Although there is no resemblance between the two, it is argued that unlike the tall, blond and blue-eyed Germans, Hitler wanted to propagate into the â€Å"master race,’ Hitler himself was small of stature had dark hair and dark eyes. I would counter this argument by explaining that, contrary to popular belief, Hitler was Austrian not a German. But then Rizal visited in Austria in May 1887 and according to Rizal’s traveling companion, Max Viola, he did spend a night with an unknown Austrian woman. Viola remembers that they were billeted in the Hotel Metropole, Vienna and Rizal â€Å"†¦encountered the figure of a temptress in the form of Viennese woman, of the family of the Camelliasor Margarite of extraordinary beauty and irresistible attraction, who seemingly had been expressly invited to offer for a moment the cup of mundane pleasure to the apostle of the Philippine freedom who until the had enjoyed among his intimates the fame worthy of his glorious namesake, St. Joseph. With the exception of this case I knew of no other slip of Rizal during more than six months of our living together.†

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Nurses Role in Patient Advocacy

Caring originates in the relationships of shared human experience. The nurses primary roles of promoting health, preventing illness, restoring health and alleviating suffering places the nurse in a position to always remain an advocate for their patient. A scenario has been created in which a terminally ill patient has asked the doctor about alternative healthcare treatment options. The doctor in this case dismisses them as â€Å"quack† practices.What role does the nurse play in this situation? â€Å"When the patient’s wishes are in conflict with others, the nurse seeks to help resolve the conflict. Where conflict persists, the nurse’s commitment remains to the identified patient† (Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements, 2001). Moral courage is something that helps the nurse to address ethical issues and take action when doing the right thing is not always easy.When a patient and doctor relationship is strained the nurse can sometimes help mediate a situation while always remembering her legal and ethical obligations. Physicians and nurses have different roles and duties in the hospital.Although nurses do not have the power to make certain types of care decisions, they do have the responsibility to follow the chain of command according to facility policy, until satisfied that good decisions are being made for their patients. Nurses spend more one on one time with their patients than doctors.The closeness of this relationship may make it easier for some patients to disclose their complaints to the nurse rather than the doctor (Ofri, 2013). Nurse’s responsibilities are to provide the best care to the patients and to insure that all of their rights and interests are met.â€Å"Once healthcare interventions have been adapted to meet the special needs of the patient, the nurse’s role is to articulate the patient’s request for care within the multidisciplinary team, creating patient-centered patterns of health care† (Hewitt, 2002).As a patient advocate, ordering a consultation with those who can help further in the decision making process is paramount. Patient advocacy is described as â€Å"nursing activities aimed at securing patient’s legal and ethical rights and satisfying their existential needs, both on the level of the patient-nurse relationship and in the healthcare team or organization† (Vaartio-Rajalin & Leino-Kilpi, 2011).The nurse should stand for the patient’s rights, dignity and health when others will not, thus becoming the communicator between the physician and patient. This ascertains that the patient receives optimal treatment. The Patient Bill of Rights states: â€Å"A patient has the right to obtain information about the specific nature of proposed treatment or procedure, a disclosure of the risks involved, and information about medical alternatives† (Patient’s rights, 2013).Since the physician from our scenario has refus ed to discuss alternative health care options with the patient, it is the duty of the nurse to become a patient advocate. After first discussing this situation with the doctor, if the nurse is granted the doctor’s permission to provide information to the patient, there are some government agencies and resources like National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), The National Cancer Institute, U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CAM on PubMed.These organizations assist patients and their families in learning about Complementary and Alternative Medicine therapies (Complementary and Alternative Medicine in cancer treatment, 2013). If the doctor refuses to give permission, it should lead the nurse to share his or her opinions with the medical staff involved in the patient care, following the appropriate chain of command.Based on a survey held by The New England Journal of Medicine â€Å"most of the physicians reported that when a patient requests a legal medical intervention to which the physician objects for religious or moral reasons, it is ethically permissible for the physician to describe the reason for the objection but that the physician must also disclose information about the intervention and refer the patient to someone who will provide it† (Curlin, Lawrence, Chin, & Lantos, 2007). In order to provide the best care and safe environment to a patient, nurses need to band together and work as a team.Gloria Ohmart, EdD, MN, APRN, offers a few strategies to protect patient’s rights and nursing profession. Some of them are: 1. â€Å"Keep an accurate record of issues that may be dangerous, illegal or unethical; 2. Check with other coworkers to see if they feel the same way about the situation, compare notes and discuss what the problem is and present a united front; 3. Talk to a charge nurse, head nurse, or supervisor to bring the problem to someone else’s attention; 4. Go up the chain.If a superior doe s not act on the complaints, then nurses may need to go to the next level of administration and so on until they get to the top; 5. Pursue an advanced degree. Higher education empowers through knowledge and enables nurses to develop strong communication and conflict resolution skills, the ability to negotiate and provides a deeper understanding of professional ethics† ( Finn, 2013). â€Å"Nurses must examine the conflicts arising between their own personal and professional values, the values and interests of others who are also responsible for patient care and health decisions, as well as those of patients.Nurses strive to resolve such conflicts in ways that ensure patient safety, guard the patient’s best interests and pressure the professional integrity of the nurses† (Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements, 2001).The Code of Ethics for Nurses was developed as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality i n nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession. When a hot topic arises in the industry, the American Nursing Association (ANA) will create an explanation, justification, or recommendation for a course of action otherwise known as a position statement.The Code for Nurses published by the ANA is the standard by which ethical conduct is guided and evaluated by the profession. It provides a framework within which nurses can make ethical decisions and discharge their professional responsibilities to the public, to other members of the health team, and to the profession.According to number eight of the position statement nurses must attend to and be aware of the conflicts of dual loyalty to patients, health care institutions, employers and agencies that provide payment for services (Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements, 2001).Care and compassion are two traits that most nurses excel in. However these two qualities alone cannot facilitate being a voice for a patient. Education and moral courage are also essential needs when standing for the rights of a patient. It is imperative that a nurse understand their legal and ethical obligations to society and be able to carry forward their role as a patient advocate.Nurses should always endeavor to become as skilled and qualified in their chosen field as possible by consistently trying to advance their education and training, as well as entering into a partnership with physicians and health professionals.Policymaking and workforce planning should be done effectively to collect data and provide for a better information infrastructure. Educating ourselves as nurses will be essential to teaching our patients and allowing us to be a strong patient advocate, while standing united and taking comfort in knowing we are not alone.