Youth and gang violence Essay Example

Youth and gang violence Essay Gang violence refers to all activities that result to psychological, emotional, physical and cultural harm to individuals, public or damage to property. Youth gangs refer to a group of at least two individuals between the age of 12 and 24 years who have a common character, use the same clothing, symbols, and even colors. They come from the same area, and form a very strong membership that performs various illegal activities together. Gang names and membership involve initiatory rituals that comprise of â€Å"beating in† or â€Å"sexing in†. Members endure the beating by all the gang members; girls are sexed in by having intercourse with all the members of the gang. The gang members have a sense of devotion to each other and have a new language they use to communicate. The devotion to the gang membership is revealed in some of their documents known as the constitution. Failure to follow their laws has serious consequences like death penalty (Spergel, 1995). Youth gang activities began the first decade of the twentieth century. The writers during that period observed gangs as mischievous and gentle although they carried out criminal activities. The gangs during that period were ethnic and not financially stable. Gang activities continued and developed throughout the twentieth century until today (Siegel Welsh, 2009). A rise in gang membership by the youth in the last few decades has called for attention from the government, social organizations and even the public. Gangs are involving themselves with illegal activities, including drug deals, sexual offenses, and even more serious crimes like murder; the more the gangs, the more the cases of crimes. They are endangering the security of the community and broadening the resources and skills of law enforcement workforce, social organizations and professionals in the court. One of the most key challenges has been the rise of crime activities by and among gang members (Spergel, 2007). We will write a custom essay sample on Youth and gang violence specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Youth and gang violence specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Youth and gang violence specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Schools are also factors in youth and gang violence, studies have revealed that 18.3% of students carried a weapon to school and 7.4% of students were injured in a period of one year. There are various factors that result to violence in school: crime rate, presence of gangs, availability of weapons, drug activity and hate crimes (Siegel Welsh, 2009). One of the major causes of gang violence is linked to drug trafficking. Youth gangs are influential in the drug sales and this involvement lead to youth violence. Today, many researchers agree that the youth involvement in drug trafficking is bounded by street-level distribution, involving gang members working on their own. It is observed that most drug operations are conducted by former youth gangs. Indirect connections between murder, drug activities and gang deals have been observed. Majority of gang-linked homicides might not have happened, if drug stores were not there to bring groups of opposing gangs into get in touch with each other. A connection between drug dealing and violence is common in prison gangs, and this relationship to the streets (Chaskin, 2010). The more serious a youth participates in illegal behaviors the higher the chances of his/her involvement in drugs. Adjustments in drug use have indicated changes in illegal activities, while changes in illegal activities have little effect on drug use. Illegal activities are higher for those who sell drugs compared to those who consume drugs (Howell, 2003). Drugs and weapons are also linked in a number of ways. The drug promotes criminal activities through modifications in cognitive function. The drug dealers have to use violence in order to source funding to finance drug use. Since drug activities are illegal, violence has to be used when transporting them to their destinations. Studies have revealed that youths that have taken drugs often get into fights; this is because of the impact of the alcohol and stimulants in the body. Parents who take alcohol and drugs may fail to give attention to their children and may involve themselves in violence. Youths who have grown in violent families have a likelihood of being violent in future and may use alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism (Howell, 2003). Gang involvement is not encouraged by the need to be involved in violence, but rather to be involved in a strong social group. They look forward to receiving things like friendship, security, loyalty and power. But, it is the reason that these social elements are sustained through violence that makes the gang a potentially damaging group. Because youth gangs are the centre of increasing violence, it is important to discuss the continuum of social, economic, political and organization challenges that led to the violence, and to outline why youth gangs have come up as the key reasons for this violence. One of the famous trials to uncover the cause of this violence is the ‘ecological model ‘based on Bronfenbrenner. He explains that no cause or level verify violence. This model illustrates violence at several levels within which they are conditions that causes it while others shape and perpetuate it (Siegel Welsh, 2009). Briceno-Leon for example outlines conditions that create violence, for instance social inequality and breakdown of family; those that encourage violence such as the structure for solving conflicts; and finally those that facilitate violence such as availability of weapons, drugs and alcohol and media impact. In particular, youth gangs flourish where it is believed that a number of conditions all serve to destroy the purpose of the family unit: unstable living standards, long working hours of parents, and the lack of basic needs .The short time that parents have to spend with their children, is viewed as the cause of gang involvement; the shortage of social resources in the family was found in the gang (Siegel Welsh, 2009). Researchers also found that family violence can result to gang membership. The youth may have the urge to join the gang so that they can feel great and overcome the experiences of violence in their homes. Therefore, it is right to say the family is no longer able to give the youth a meaningful social personality. If the youth does not get the support and love from their families, they tend to get it from other groups such as, youth gangs (Paglicci, Roberts Wodarski, 2002). Furthermore, lack of jobs, and low levels of education, imply that many youths experience economic elimination. Gangs become a substitute, because they are financially, socially sufficient.   Gangs give their members a sense of ownership, as well as chances for financial stability, gaining a feeling of power, approval and worth. The advancement in gang membership has taken place in cycles with various other trends. The presence of automobiles and their accessibility has promoted the mobility of gangs by permitting invasions to various communities. Easy access to weapons has changed streets into shootouts. Rise in accessing illegal drugs has motivated some gangs to become distribution centers. Migration and acculturation procedures have gone beyond the racial obstacles that were present. In some communities where financial stability was thought to protect youths from gang membership, parents and guardians now observe symbols and clothing that link their children to gang involvement (Spergel, 1995). The schools, families and communities function as protective measures for youths who might be involved in gang activities. They decrease the effect of risks accompanied in gang involvement. Protective aspects enhance optimistic behavior, health, welfare and individual achievement. Schools, families and peer groups form good relationships that enhance close bonds among the youth. Therefore the youth cannot think of joining gangs because they feel loved. Various strategies can be used to reduce violence in schools. Parents play a significant role with their involvement in the child’s school life. The parent should monitor their children to ensure that they don’t carry any weapons when going to schools. The students should also be open to their parents to share their experiences in school, for example when they are bullied or forced to enter into gangs. The school administration should be involved and coordinate with outside agencies including the police. This is important when violence in school have gone beyond the control of school administration, and so the need for outsiders. While at school, teachers play the role of a parent because they are very close to the students. Therefore, it is possible for teachers to prevent their students in joining gangs, they should closely monitor their students, and in case of disruptive students the teacher should invite the parents to school in order to discuss the students’ behavior and what can be done to help the student (Siegel Welsh, 2009). As gang involvement and violence continue to rise, the leaders are faced by a dilemma: Identify and tackle the problem, or assume the problem does not exist. Those who have identified the problem have tried preventing gang rise. Those who have assumed it does not exist have seen the gang crimes spread across the communities and have felt the effects (Howell, 2003). Another issue has dealt with the efficiency of law enforcement as opposed to social services reactions. Some people think that a tough reaction from police, prosecutors and the courts give the only valuable solution. Others have argued that gang issues are caused by individual and social conditions and therefore can be solved through intervention and treatment. Connected to this issue is the question of prosecutorial reaction. Some jurisdiction allows adult trial for any youth accused of a gang illegal activity. Others have incorporated new strategies like vertical trial; this is where a prosecutor is given particular members of a gang and follows them through each prosecution (Howell, 2003). Heated arguments have also risen concerning officials who try to control gang activities at the expense of individual rights. An example is school dress codes. The school authority has come up with rules that prohibit certain clothing that can symbolize any gang. By prohibiting gang members from wearing certain attire that identify them, officials hope that they can prevent gang crimes and activities. Civil democrats oppose that this policy violate the right of students to wear as they desire and should not be implemented school systems (Spergel, 1995). Several researchers have observed the danger, need, and preventive conditions linked particularly to gang involvement. They have argued that preventive and intervention activities should concentrate more on all youths rather than only those who are involved in the illegal activities. Effective prevention measures should tackle every social system, deal with every danger and protective measure, and should cover every level from the family system to the government (Spergel, 2007). Prevention can also be observed as a range that has various levels: primary, secondary and tertiary stages. Primary intervention involves dealing with actions taken to prevent the youths who are at risk of membership from joining the gang. Secondary prevention involves lessons that are targeted to the youth that have already joined the gang. Tertiary prevention is for those youth who are involved in illegal activities of the gang (Paglicci, Roberts Wodarski, 2002). Many programs have been formulated for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. The Gang Resistance Education and Training Program (GREAT) is a good example of primary prevention. Students in school are given advice concerning the negative side of gang involvement, taught how to tackle conflicts and cultural sensitivity. These classes are taught by police officers, analysis have shown that there is a small increase of students’ capacity to oppose peer pressure and gang involvement (Howell, 2003). The Boys and Girls Clubs of America give gang prevention through targeted outreach. This prevention is secondary, it comprises of recreational, informative, and life motivation skills. Case managers are given specific youths, with relevant information on program involvement, school progress, legal system involvement, and other life aspects. This information helps case managers observe the youth’s performance and become aware of behaviors that link to gang involvement like failing grades. Tertiary prevention actions involve law enforcements that aim at containing gang activities. Many police officers have created gang units and formed policy strategies. This strategies arm the police and the public with information concerning gang activities, this has increased the presence of police officers in areas with gang problems. Solutions to helping youths abandon gang activities can handle both individual traits and several social factors. They may play a crucial role in advising other youths not to join gangs. Many youth do not know what they are involving themselves with when they join gangs, therefore a youth who has joined a gang before can give advice on the implications involved with it. Peer advice is also crucial in instructing youths to abandon gangs. Such plans form part of a way of breaking the conception that gang membership is a right of passage. Outreach plans of local youth organizations are viewed as the major system for forming the counseling networks (Paglicci, Roberts Wodarski, 2002). It is important to give young people the resources and support they require, instead of modifying the managerial capital of gangs in more positive directions. This has significant effects in terms of policy, because it focuses on the purpose of youth in the attainment of community goals. The role of youth organizations gives both instructions and gives alternative social groups. Such groups give the advantages of joining a gang where in this case, there are no crimes or dangers associated with it. Organizations are therefore seen as the proper place for emotional and mental motivation. Furthermore, organizations can give advice to parents so that they can know what promotes gang membership, and thus are in a better position to help their children not join the gang. Organizations can therefore sustain the youth indirectly by increasing the supportive ability of the family (Howell, 2003). The church also plays a significant role by rehabilitating gang members; therefore it has contributed to reduction in gang membership. This is true for two major reasons. First, gangs agree to go to church as a sign of moving out of the gang. Secondly, the church gives a social system that is similar to a gang in several ways. Just as gangs have strong social bonds among their followers and follow certain conducts of behavior, the church also offers such a supportive system and functions according to its own social aspects (Paglicci, Roberts Wodarski, 2002). Gang membership can also be reduced by advancing the wellbeing of the youth by introducing youth projects. The purpose of the project is to produce source of information that improves the quality of life of the youth, both socially and financially and strengthens family, community and cultural bonds. This project is based on teamwork, participation, and ownership. The youth centers give the youth a secure, optimistic and relaxed environment (Spergel, 2007). The youths are trained to be voluntary teachers, and other several technical trainings programs. A major element of the programs is the direct employment of the youths that complete the training. Also, the sense of belonging brought crucial emotional advantages; youths feel they are in a place where they are trusted and honored and they could share their opinions freely with others. The group enhances the ability of young people to be a means of change, and motivate them to know their function in the community. The instruction they get, increase their ability to guide and help others (Chaskin, 2010).

Critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of England being a mixed economy rather than a pure command or completely free-market. The WritePass Journal

Critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of England being a mixed economy rather than a pure command or completely free-market. Abstract: Critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of England being a mixed economy rather than a pure command or completely free-market. ). The government does not nationalize any industries and does not interfere in the production of goods or services. The free market economy is also known as the â€Å"laissez’faire† economy and producers operate upon the profit motive as the economy is in a state of pure competition (Baylis, Smith, Owens, 2013). The advantages of a free market economy include that consumers are provided with a variety of products at potentially low prices as there are many producers competing for market share. Consumers are also likely to benefit from high quality products as producers would be competing with one another on the basis of factors such as quality and price. Consumers would also benefit from additional advantages such as convenience, variety, and availability of choice. Also, consumers would easily be able to find the products which they are demanding as the market would be operating according to the price mechanism (Polak, 2013). There would be higher investment in research and development and more chances of larger technological breakthroughs as firms would be competing to gain a competitive advantage in the design of their products /services and/or gaining a cost advantage in their production processes. The free market economy may also mean higher productivity levels, higher wages, and more w ork opportunities for individuals. This is because the economy would be in a state of rigorous competition, making room for more workers to gain higher incomes as businesses would also be competing to recruit the most talented and skilled workers. An economy may prosper and increase its GDP when operating upon a free market economy system, yet it is often considered that the disadvantages of a free market economy system outnumber its advantages (Bremmer, 2010). The disadvantages of a free market economy system include the fact that there is likely to be a high level of inequality in the distribution of income as the rich would be likely to get richer and the poor would be likely to get poorer. Additionally, as there would be no or little government intervention, the public would not be provided with benefits such as welfare schemes, pension schemes, and may not even be provided with fair pay according to the cost of living. Problems such as inflation and the occurrence of monopolies would also not be prevented by the government as the government would have no major role in the economy. There may be wastage of resources as the economy would be in a state of pure competition and expenditure would be incurred on activities such as advertising, marketing, and continuous innovation of products/services (Coates, 2014). Essential services would not be provided to the public such as free medical care, police and army services, and education (Robert son, 2013). De-merit goods such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other products would be produced without interference or control from public authorities. Public goods which are not produced for a profit but are produced because they are necessary such as street lighting, water, roads, and other such products/services are either priced very high or not produced at all. Accordingly, a free market economy may be beneficial for the rich but may be highly detrimental for the poor. There is no example of a complete free market economy in the world but the USA comes closest to the definition of a free market or capitalist economy. This is because the USA has approximately 30% government spending in its GD, one of the lowest figures in the world, with 70% expenditure incurred by the private sector (Coates, 2014). A pure command economy is the opposite of a free market economy and will be explained in the next section of this paper. Command/Planned Economy: A planned or command economy is the opposite of a free market economy and is an economic system which is completely controlled by the government. In a planned economy, most or all resources are owned by the government and the government decides what is produced in the economy and the price charged for the products/services. Consumers have little or no say in what is produced and all industries are nationalized. A planned economy also sets out the wages of workers and may also impose quotas upon the number of goods purchased by a single household. Command or planned economies are sometimes imposed by governments in order to maintain control and to attempt to make better use of resources. However, the command or planned economy has not been a highly feasible system to adopt in the current economic environment, resulting in countries, such as China and Russia, to have to evolve or change their economic systems (Hummel Stringham, 2010). The advantages associated with a planned economy include a reduction in the wastage of resources and a more equal distribution of income between people of that country. Moreover, the population would be provided with services such as education, roads, water, medical care, and other facilities upon the government’s budget. Governments often wish to adopt this system in order to prevent riots or unrest in the country as most of the people in the country would be at the same social level and would not feel that the system is unjust. Therefore, it allows the government to have more control on the economy and control economic problems such as inflation, deflation, unemployment, poverty, and other similar issues (Calomoris, Fisman, Wang, 2010). There are many disadvantages associated with a command economy which include the inefficient allocation of resources as resources are not allocated according to the price mechanism. Thus, resources may be wasted in producing things that consumers may not want. Likewise, producers and workers do not have any incentive to work hard as they are not allowed to own wealth and are simply working for the government which would stunt the prosperity and progress of that country. Consumers would also have little choice or variety and would also have lower standards of living as they would have a lack of products/services to choose from. Additionally, it is difficult for the government to provide all goods and services efficiently themselves and this may mean that the provision of some important goods/services may be prevented or may be provided inconveniently. Countries with planned economies may suffer in global trade and other such factors as they would not be able to motivate their citizens to exert their best efforts into production and trade without giving them personal incentives. Thus, this also causes a lack of foreign investment and a high tax rate for the provision of government-funded services. Also, it is difficult to determine how the government would decide what should be produced in the economy and how they can easily anticipate consumer demand (Warner, 2011). Accordingly, the planned economic system has become outdated as previous communist or planned economies such as China, Russia, and even Sweden are now in transition towards a more mixed economic system which will be explained in the next section of this paper. Mixed Economy: The mixed economic system is a combination of the free market economy and the planned economy as this system has both a public sector and a private sector. As mentioned before, most of the countries of the world are mixed economies as they have a public sector and a private sector. The mixed economy allows the government to intervene to provide essential goods and services such as police, medical care, education, welfare and pension schemes, and other similar services while the private sector is free to produce goods and services as well (Castells, 2011). However, the government will intervene where needed and prevent the production of de-merit goods and prevent producers from charging unfair prices amongst other things. Consumers receive the benefit of variety and choice in goods and services and are given an incentive to work hard while they are also facilitated by the government in the form of free goods (public goods) and services (Meyer, 2011). The mixed economy combines the advantage of the free market economy and the planned economy and also shares some of the disadvantages of both respective economies. England is a mixed economy and thus benefits from the advantages associated with not being a complete free market economy or a pure command economy, but also suffers from a few of the disadvantages of not being either of these economies (Meyer, 2011). England’s Economic System: England, while previously being one of the strongest economies in the world, is currently plagued with several economic problems, which have slightly weakened its economic system. Being a mixed economy, England’s government spends about 40% of its GDP upon government spending while the remaining 60% belongs to the country’s private sector. The 40% of government spending is 10% more than what is spent in the USA as a percentage of GDP (Cleaver, 2013). This is because England’s government spends a larger proportion of its tax revenue upon the provision of more comprehensive health services, unemployment, and welfare schemes for the poor, and the transport system of the United Kingdom (Castells, 2011). The country is benefitting substantially by not being closer to a pure free market economy as the government of the country plays a vital role in stabilizing several economic aspects of the country. First of all, the unemployment rate of England is increasing rapidly, which means that it is essential for the government to provide support for the unemployed. If the government had little or no role to play in the economy, the unemployment rate may have even been higher and the number of people that were currently out of jobs may have been out on the roads without provision of basic facilities (Gillespie, 2011).Moreover, as the country is currently in a state of recession, without government intervention, the living standards of people would have decreased substantially, putting the economy in further turmoil and in a possibly irreversible situation (Gillespie, 2011). England is also home to a large number of immigrants and students who form a large part of the GDP in the country annually. If the country had been a complete free market economy, the country was likely to be in a state of chaos as there would be no control upon the immigrants entering the country and there would be no provision of facilities for these immigrants and students which would further burden the country with increasing crime rates, further unemployment, and increasing numbers of homeless people filling the streets. Besides, with increasing numbers of immigrants and an increasing unemployment rate in the local population, the country is also benefitting from government spending upon free health services which keep the citizens and visitors of the country under high quality healthcare and helps prevent the spread of dangerous diseases from people who cannot afford expensive medical treatment. The implications of this control imposed by the government include a better and fai rer distribution of income along with the provision of unemployment benefits, free education, pension and welfare schemes, and high quality healthcare for all people alike (Cleaver, 2013). Furthermore, another essential part of the government’s role in the economy includes the transport system which is subsidized for students, senior citizens, and people with lower incomes. Thus, the government is responsible for the provision of essential public goods and services which are needed to promote the welfare of the citizens of England and make them a prosperous economy (Bohstedht, 2010). Conversely, the disadvantages associated with England being a mixed economy rather than a free market economy include the fact that some services may be provided more efficiently by the private sector including healthcare, as the National Health Service is taking up a substantial part of taxpayer’s money and the standards of the service are also slightly deteriorating resulting in long waiting lists for patients who require treatment. Moreover, if the government privatized several more industries and promoted an environment of pure competition, it may result in the creation of additional jobs and help decrease the unemployment rate. Additionally, increased consumer spending and investment may also attract further foreign direct investment into the country and help bring the country out of its current recessionary state as England’s foreign direct investment rate has decreased over the years and UK’s own companies have increased their investment in other emerging markets. The public has also been highly verbal and rebellious regarding the increasing tax rate in the country which would have been non-existent had the country been a free market economy (Cleaver, 2013). On the other hand, while there are advantages and disadvantages associated with the country being a mixed economy rather than a free market economy, there are also advantages and disadvantages associated with the country not being a pure command economy. The advantage that England has of not being a pure command economy is that it has been able to motivate its population to work hard and become a progressive state as workers are allowed to accumulate wealth instead of limiting the growth of its citizens and nationalizing all its industries. While there is some inefficiency in the allocation of resources, the country’s private sector does operate upon the price mechanism thus allowing the efficient allocation of resources according to the market forces of demand and supply (Boaden, 2010). England has also been able to encourage high amounts of foreign direct investment and the immigration of skilled labour which would not have been possible if the country had been a pure comman d economy. Consumers are also provided with a variety of high quality goods and services which has increased the country’s standard of living and has also enabled it to be an active participant in global trade (Boaden, 2010). Yet, there are certain disadvantages that the country has of not being a pure command economy and being a mixed economy which include the unequal distribution of wealth amongst its citizens which is causing increasing unrest. Moreover, there is ample wastage of resources in the economy because of increasing competition between firms and the country is suffering from several scandals in the realms of corporate social responsibility, quality, unfair pricing, and other problems in its private sector (Bohstedht, 2010).The country has also had to face immense problems because of the large number of immigrants entering the country each year and if the country had been a pure command economy, it would have not had so many potential immigrants to deal with (Boaden, 2010). Conclusion: England is best suited to be a mixed economy like most of the other economies of the world as this economic system enables the economy to combine the advantages of both the complete free market economy and the pure command economy. Additionally, while the country is progressing in the private sector, government intervention is essential for the provision of necessary public goods and services, without which the economy would substantially deteriorate the conditions of the poor. However, while the country has nationalized many of its essential services, the country should consider allowing privatization in the healthcare industry as the burden of taxes to pay for the NHS is increasing while the quality of the service provided by the NHS is deteriorating. Moreover, this is an essential industry which cannot be plagued with delays as is currently happening with the NHS. Thus, being a mixed economy, England should slightly further reduce its government spending to allow the private secto r to benefit further while the government can exert legal control over the activities of firms in the private sector. Furthermore, the government must encourage private industries to increase employment, incomes, and consumer spending, and thus lead to a higher GDP and a more progressive nation. The country would also easily be able to pull itself out of its current recessionary state and reduce the tax burden on its citizens. References Baylis, J., Smith, S., Owens, P. (Eds.). (2013).  The globalization of world politics: An introduction to international relations. Oxford University Press. Boaden, N. (2010).  Urban policy-making: influences on county boroughs in England and Wales. Cambridge University Press. Bohstedt, J. (2010).  The Politics of Provisions: Food Riots, Moral Economy, and Market Transition in England, C. 1550-1850. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. Bremmer, I. (2010). â€Å"The end of the free market: who wins the war between states and corporations?.†Ã‚  European View. Vol.  9(2) pp. 249-252. Calomiris, C. W., Fisman, R., Wang, Y. (2010). â€Å"Profiting from government stakes in a command economy: Evidence from Chinese asset sales.†Ã‚  Journal of Financial Economics. Vol.  96(3) pp.399-412. Castells, M. (2011).  The power of identity: The information age: Economy, society, and culture  (Vol. 2). John Wiley Sons. Cleaver, T. (2013).  Understanding the world economy. Routledge. Coates, D. (2014). â€Å"The UK: Less a liberal market economy, more a post-imperial one.† Capital Class. Vol.  38(1) pp.171-182. Gillespie, A. (2011).  Foundations of economics. Oxford University Press. Hummel, J. R., Stringham, E. P. (2010). â€Å"If a Pure Market econoMy Is so Good, Why doesn’t It exIst? the Importance of changing Preferences versus Incentives in social change.†Ã‚  Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. Vol.13 pp.31-52. Meyer, M. W. (2011). â€Å"Is it capitalism?.† Management and Organization Review, Vol.7 (1) pp.5-18. Ostrom, E. (2010). â€Å"Beyond markets and states: polycentric governance of complex economic systems.†Ã‚  The American Economic Review. pp. 641-672. Polak, J. J. (2013).  An international economic system  (Vol. 7). Routledge. Robertson, P. E. (2013).  Does a Free Market Economy Make Australia More Or Less Secure in a Globalised World?. University of Western Australia, Business School, Economics. Warner, M. (2011). â€Å"Labour markets in China: Coming to terms with globalization.†Ã‚  The dynamics of Asian labour markets: Balancing control and flexibility. New York, NY, Routledge. pp. 134-147.

Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide Essay Example for Free

Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide Essay Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide There are arguments both for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide. Some of the main arguments are outlined below. You should be aware that these arguments do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of NHS Choices or the Department of Health. Arguments for euthanasia and assisted suicide There are two main types of argument used to support the practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide. They are the: ethical argument – that people should have freedom of choice, including the right to control their own body and life (as long as they do not abuse any other person’s rights), and that the state should not create laws that prevent people being able to choose when and how they die pragmatic argument – that euthanasia, particularly passive euthanasia, is already a widespread practice (allegedly), just not one that people are willing to admit to, so it is better to regulate euthanasia properly The pragmatic argument is discussed in more detail below. Pragmatic argument The pragmatic argument states that many of the practices used in end of life care are a type of euthanasia in all but name. For example, there is the practice of making a ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ (DNACPR) order, where a person requests not to receive treatment if their heart stops beating or they stop breathing. Critics have argued that DNACPR is a type of passive euthanasia because a person is denied treatment that could potentially save their life. Another controversial practice is known as palliative sedation. This is where a person who is experiencing extreme suffering, for which there is no effective treatment, is put to sleep using sedative medication. For example, palliative sedation is often used to treat burns victims who are expected to die. While palliative sedation is not directly carried out for the purpose of ending lives, many of the sedatives used carry a risk of shortening a person’s lifespan. Therefore, it could be argued that palliative sedation is a type of active euthanasia. The pragmatic argument is that if euthanasia in these forms is being carried out anyway, society might as well legalise it and ensure that it is properly regulated. It should be stressed that the above interpretations of DNACPR  and palliative sedation are very controversial and are not accepted by most doctors, nurses and palliative care specialists. Read more about the alternatives to euthanasia for responses to these interpretations. Arguments against euthanasia and assisted suicide There are four main types of argument used by people who are against euthanasia and assisted suicide. They are known as the: religious argument – that these practices can never be justified for religious reasons, for example many people believe that only God has the right to end a human life ‘slippery slope’ argument – this is based on the concern that legalising euthanasia could lead to significant unintended changes in our healthcare system and society at large that we would later come to regret medical ethics argument – that asking doctors, nurses or any other healthcare professional to carry out euthanasia or assist in a suicide would be a violation of fundamental medical ethics alternative argument – that there is no reason for a person to suffer either mentally or physically because effective end of life treatments are available; therefore, euthanasia is not a valid treatment option but represents a failure on the part of the doctor involved in a person’s care These arguments are described in more detail below. Religious argument The most common religious argument is that human beings are the sacred creation of God, so human life is by extension sacred. Only God should choose when a human life ends, so committing an act of euthanasia or assisting in suicide is acting against the will of God and is sinful. This belief, or variations on it, is shared by members of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths. The issue is more complex in Hinduism and Buddhism. Scholars from both faiths have argued that euthanasia and assisted suicides are ethically acceptable acts in some circumstances, but these views do not have universal support among Hindus and Buddhists. ‘Slippery slope’ argument The slippery slope argument is based on the idea that once a healthcare service, and by extension the government, starts killing its own citizens, a  line is crossed that should never have been crossed and a dangerous precedent has been set. The concern is that a society that allows voluntary euthanasia will gradually change its attitudes to include non-voluntary and then involuntary euthanasia. Also, legalised voluntary euthanasia could eventually lead to a wide range of unforeseen consequences, such as those described below. Very ill people who need constant care or people with severe disabilities may feel pressured to request euthanasia so that they are not a burden to their family. Legalising euthanasia may discourage research into palliative treatments, and possibly prevent cures for people with terminal illnesses being found. Occasionally, doctors may be mistaken about a person’s diagnosis and outlook, and the person may choose euthanasia due to being wrongly told that they have a terminal condition. Medical ethics argument The medical ethics argument, which is similar to the ‘slippery slope’ argument, states that legalising euthanasia would violate one of the most important medical ethics, which, in the words of the International Code of Medical Ethics, is: ‘A doctor must always bear in mind the obligation of preserving human life from conception’. Asking doctors to abandon their obligation to preserve human life could damage the doctor–patient relationship. Causing death on a regular basis could become a routine administrative task for doctors, leading to a lack of compassion when dealing with elderly, disabled or terminally ill people. In turn, people with complex health needs or severe disabilities could become distrustful of their doctor’s efforts and intentions. They may think that their doctor would rather ‘kill them off’ than take responsibility for a complex and demanding case. Alternative argument The alternative argument is that advances in palliative care and mental health treatment mean there is no reason why any person should ever feel that they are suffering intolerably, whether it is physical or mental suffering or both. According to this argument, if a person is given the right care, in the right environment, there should be no reason why they are unable to have a dignified and painless natural death. // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=†Ã¢â‚¬ ,o=0;o < e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return "studymoose.com"},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf("http")==0){return p}for(var e=0;e Arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide. (2016, May 22). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Source Analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Source Analysis paper - Essay Example The Declaration of Independence changed the ideas about natural rights. As John Locke says that, â€Å"The natural Liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on Earth and not to be under the will of Legislative authority of man but to have only the law of nature for his rule† (Fiege 84). The Declaration pointed towards the fact that all men are born with certain rights and it is the responsibility of the state that it must protect these rights in order to harvest harmony within the society. If the government ever tries to violate the natural rights of people by taking their property then they have all the right to fight back against such government and form a new one. The American Revolution was considered to be an anti-tax movement as the citizens had the right to control their own property. The American Revolution was a source of reinforcement of slavery in several ways. The declaration of independence talked about the liberty and independence and therefore it chal lenged the long traditions of slavery and declared it as human inequality. The revolutionary era marked important changes in this institution of slavery and declared it a violation of the human rights. ... In the state of North of Delaware the decline trend of slavery was most prominent, where the anti-slavery laws were passed soon after the world war. However these laws were not being implemented on fast track. Many of these laws gave the order of releasing the children of slaves at the age of 25. In Southern America several movements took place that demanded to free the slaves. In the American areas where the production of Tobacco has ceased, the population of free black people began to grow. In the early 18th century, one third of the black population in Maryland was freed. In the powerful American states such as Virginia the black population also started growing in number. This black population then created several institutions for themselves for the purposes of protecting the rights of their own community. They called themselves Africans for showing their pride and practicing their human rights. The growing distance of the Colonies from their homeland was another challenge after t he American Revolution. However these colonies later on started accepting the American laws and owned land that made them feel like home. The more land the colonist occupied the more economical liberty they gained and this weakened their dependencies on other colonies for help. The nature of the Colonist was exactly explained by James Otis when he said, â€Å"The Colonists are by the law of nature free born, as indeed all men are, white or black† (Fiege 85). It was in 17th century that the colonial identity first moderated and then sharpened. In the middle of 17th century the colonists’ population began to grow and their wealth started multiplying

International Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Financial Management - Essay Example The paper tells that Ð µhe world is now a global village – a phenomenon which can be interpreted as a fact that the advancement in communication and technology has integrated the various economies on the globe. A brief analysis of the current economic scenario of any country would reveal that it is, in one way or the other, dependent on the social and economical activities of the other countries. A downward plunge in the New York stock exchange is likely to send shockwaves all across the globe which can be felt in financial market as further as Far East countries. Recently, when the cherished credit rating of United State of America was downgraded to AA+ from AAA, it caused turmoil at a global stage especially in the European countries. All the giant economies such as China and India were badly affected. The economies are have become interlinked in this era due to the fact that now the firms are indulging in international trade and have started exploring markets outside their place of origin. Companies such as HSBC holdings, General Electric, ExxonMobil, British Petroleum and Toyota Motor have two things in common. First, they are the leading and biggest multinationals in the world and second, they all practice prudent international financial management. From a theoretical point of view, the firms engage in international trade in order to obtain comparative advantage which allows the firms to penetrate the foreign markets. Other popular explanations for the firms indulging in the international trade are the product cycle theory and imperfect market theory. There are several ways through which a firm can participate in international business. The most common methods are International Trade Licensing Franchising Joint Ventures Acquisition of companies Foreign subsidiary International Financial Markets In today’s economy, international business is carried out at international financial market. These markets can be categorized as foreign exchange mar ket, international money market, international credit market, international bond market and international stock market. Foreign Exchange market allows for the trading of different currencies at a rate which is determined based on several facts such as inflation and relative interest rates. Foreign exchange market is not a specific building or place; rather the companies indulge in foreign currency transaction through commercial banks and telecommunication networks. Foreign exchange dealers serve intermediaries between the companies who intend to enter into a foreign exchange transaction. In International Money Market, the trading of currency futures and options takes place. Globalization have abridged the distances and abridged the financial bridges between the countries. Multinationals can now obtain medium and long term loan from banks and financial institution located in other countries. Especially in Europe these loans are termed as euro credit loans and are transacted in the Eu ro Credit market. The international credit markets are now developing rapidly in Asia and South America. Recent global economic events have revealed

The current state of Company Q Essay Example for Free

The current state of Company Q Essay The current state of Company Q’s attitude toward social responsibility is by far obsolete. The sheer fact that the company would rather throw away good product then help the community not only gives the community a clear view that they do not matter but it also shows that the company is more about their bottom line then fostering a community. Also the fact that Company Q has closed stores due to loss of revenue shows that they did not house products that section of the community caters to. A higher income section could well afford organically grown produce as well as high end cheeses where as a low income section would opt for more affordable products like boxed meals and generic brands. Company Q’s fear of employees stealing should not deter them from donating it should be a sign that their employees are hurting. For small companies to survive they need to treat their employees well and create a work community. One where everyone works together for the good of the company and the welfare of the people it serves. Company Q does not show any signs of this currently but not all is lost. Even though Company Q is a smaller company with fewer resources than a large corporation they have an advantage in making social responsibility part of the company’s core mission by being able to interact with the community on a more personal level. Company Q’s workers will most likely live in the community they are working in. Being a smaller store they will have fewer employees cultivating a more intimate environment. Company Q needs to introduce new ways of thinking and get more involved into the community to turn their current trend of failure to have any social responsibility to one that promotes it from the inside out. Putting social responsibility into the company’s core values will be more than words but a call to action. If you take care of your community your community will take care of you. While it is genuinely understandable that Company Q fears profit loss from high crime rate areas the solution is not to run but to build a stronger bond with your employees to create a shared value. A happy employee is a productive employee. If an employee is happy and feels like they are treated with respect then they are going to work extra hard and bear some of Company Q’s responsibilities to prevent profit loss. A happy employee wants to keep his/her job and will work hard to ensure this. If management says they have some concerns with profit loss due to theft and ask the employees to keep an extra eye out for anyone suspicious and report  it immediately the store will ultimately see a turn around. While you cannot prevent theft every time with large store involvement by visually showing strength you will prevent a good portion of it. Company Q’s community involvement doesn’t need to stop there. Management can develop an internship program for local youth. They can shadow members of the store to see how a business works from the inside and that the work they do and the decisions they make are important and it will show them their actions not only affect them but others as well. Professor Christopher Koliba of The University of Vermont (Koliba, 2000) wrote â€Å"give young people the opportunity to participate in decision-making about meaningful issues can have an impact on their sense of responsibility, their ability to take a collective perspective, their pro-social behavior, their understanding of democratic values and processes, and their personal and political efficacy.† Professor Koliba goes on to explain that education plays an important role within the life of local communities to varying degrees. Research like this shows us that youth will flourish if given the right tools to do so. This will not only help them make better decisions but also give them the tools to influence their friends to do the same. Youth will usually listen more to peers than parents. Another great aspect of an internship program is the ability to gain work experience. My last suggestion to Company Q to move the company to a more social responsible partner in the community is to conduct health related educational classes. Provide information on ways for families to provide nutritious meals without spending a lot. Many customers complained that not enough organic or health conscious products were available in the store. The company can get involved with local farms to not only provide a business to business relationship but this small business relationship does not endure large production costs and gives the store the ability to charge less for the fresher food. Also these local farmers would be great resources of information for the health classes. They have first had knowledge on the importance of eating fresh foods. Also Company Q can expand the internship program to include the local farmers and if a member of your family volunteers a few hours of their time they can receive some of the product to take home thus taking off some of the financial burden of the high cost of food. While the current view of Company Q in the community may not be very high at the moment it has lots of room for improvement. I know  if the company implements the suggestions set forth they will end up with a great foundation of social responsibility. The business will thrive giving the shareholders higher profits at the same time giving the community a trusted and socially responsible business. References Koliba, C. (2000, May 8). Democracy and Education; Schools and Communities Research Project. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/~dwey/articles/Democonc.html

Essay --

1. What controls the Nanowire diameter ? Seed particle size / volume can be considered as a major factor controlling the Nanowire growth in conjunction with super saturation which is considered as a major factor controlling the Nanowire growth. Seed particle in most of the cases is a catalyst, e.g. Au. Sung Keun Lim et al [3] related mathematically the Nanowire diameter with the volume of seed particle and parameter beta (ÃŽ ²) which is the Particle-Nanowire contact angle. These authors [3] made use of two different precursors (group III and group V) : one soluble in the seed and other insoluble in the seed particle which in this case is Au. They proposed a mechanics that controls the Nanowire diameter and this mechanism is based on the diffusion (or more precisely dissolution) of the soluble precursor in to the seed particle and further reaction with the insoluble precursor If we operate at the steady state in such case Nanowire diameter remains constant because the rate of injection of soluble precursor into the seed and rate of further reaction with insoluble precursor are exactly t...

Should Examinations be Abolished Essay

Good morning everyone. My name is YONG YU, representing class 2/7.The motion of today’s debate is â€Å"Should examinations be abolished in school† In my point of view, I strongly agree that examinations should be abolished in school! Firstly, the approach of present examination systems means the beginning of fear, tension, anxiety and stress in the minds of the students under which if a student doesn’t performs according to his/her parents expectations may lead to students even taking the extreme step of ending their life by doing suicide. Secondly, some people also think that exams are not a reliable test of gauging the ability of the students as luck plays a major role. It is impossible to set the questions at the same difficulty every year, if it is easier, he will score higher. It is possible to study the tested subjects for the exam then forget everything and yet score high marks. Therefore, I question that I want to ask you is, â€Å"What’s the point of having examinations, when it causes many negative impact In conclusion, I strongly believe that Examinations should be abolished in school!! Should examinatons be abolished in schools? Read more: If There Were No Exams Essay Good morning/afternoon/evening teachers and fellow friends . I am Ashraf from class 2/7 . I am here today to talk about the motion ‘ Should examinations be abolished in schools?’ First of all , i would like to say that i strongly disagree with the idea of abolishing exams eventhough they are troublesome for students and even teachers . Here are my reasons why examinations should not be abolished in schools . Firstly , examinations are part and parcel of school . You come to study in schools . You want to know where you stand . You want to know how good or how bad you are at your academics . So , what is the use of going to school , studying but there is no exam to test you ? That brings me to my next point . Without the presence of examinations , students would be much more lazy . They would not feel the importance or even the need to study . They might drop out of school or not care about the slightest thing that concerns school . Students also would give up easily because there is not a need for them to understand something and be good at it . This not only affects the students . It affects the teachers , the parents , the community and the country . If examinations are abolished , teachers would not feel the need to teach students until they understand a certain topic . It makes their work easier . But , for teachers who are committed in teaching , they would be getting a rough time trying to teach the students . These teachers would then feel they are not qualified for teaching . This would bring their morale down . This might even break their ambition . In conclusion , abolishing examinations would have more negative impacts compared to positive impacts . So i stress my point , i repeat it , Examinations should not be abolished in schools . Whether examinations should be abolished in schools. Meghan on Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:53 pm Hello, this is Meghan from class 2/7 express. I strongly believe that examinations should not be abolished. Examinations have been around for as long as anyone can remember. Examinations have been used in primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics, so on and so forth. It should not just disappear from our society. I believe and feel that examinations help us get better in the subject. By taking examinations, our teachers may help us to improve our grades, and help us correct our mistakes. When taking an examination, our goal is to score high grades, and to make our teachers, parents and peers proud of us. As many different questions may come out on the examination, students are urged to study more, learn more. There are many reasons why students want to score high grades. One of the many reasons  which I experience time and again is because of competition. Students like to fight against each other to get higher grades on their examinations, as many students today, even though we do not like to admit things, are quite arrogant. Now, examinations also give us a chance to apply what we have learnt in school, and apply it in real life. Also, don’t examinations drive us to understand what the teachers are teaching. I’ve even heard a student, back in primary school say, â€Å"I don’t like to study! It’s irritating. I’ll just cheat.† Now, some people think that cheating is an easier way to make parents and teachers proud, but that’s actually. The cheaters are the ones who would be suffering. Not only they might get caught, but they won’t actually learn anything from the entire experience. See, the things we learn earlier in life help us to get THROUGH life. Just think about it. When we go to kindergarten, and learn simple English, and simple Mathematics, that got us through primary one, right? So basically our knowledge would keep building up and up, helping us to get through life. Also, have you ever thought about it? In Mathematics, for example, they base some problems on real life situations. See, we can use those skills in real life! So examinations are actually really helpful. Examinations are all based on one’s understanding of a formula, topic, or subject. So if we understand more, we would be able to get higher grades, and hence we would be able to apply our skills in real life. Some people might think, â€Å"What? How is algebra supposed to help me? Like if I were a hawker?† Now, not all jobs involve skills like that. Many jobs involve many different topics. There may be many reasons by students why they think examinations should be abolished, but this one reason rises high above all, in terms of importance: Examinations are the only way of determining the students understanding the subject. I would like to say once again, I stand firm by my idea, we should not abolish school examinations. Thank you for your attention. Should Examinations be abolished in school  Izzah(14) 2/7 Good morning Mrs Sng, teachers and fellow students.I am a representative from  2/7, here to express my opinion whether examinations should be abolished. As a student myself, I strongly believe that major examinations should be eradicated.Now,I shall move on to my first substantives for the day. This word could make a happy and cheerful student turn into a wreck in just one day. Exams. Exams have absolutely prove itself as a lethal weapon to students.As a result, this causes the student to be stressed before and after the exams itself. Before the exams, I am sure that most students will be extremely stressed out . Thus, they will most probably burn the midnight oil to study topics and cause the student to fall sick or suffer from sleep deprivation. It can even result to disastrous outcomes such as harming his/her self and worse,suicide. This also applies after the exams. A student may not achieve his/ her desirable results or the high expectations setted by their parents. Hence, the student will be depressed or afraid to face their parents. With all these factors in mind, it is obvious that examinations does not enhance the journey of learning, but hinder it instead. As a fellow student myself, every student had come across this scenario before. When a particular student score highest in the class, even without lifting a finger, it definitely will spark off a sense of jealousy between the students.As a result , they will become competitive .Hence, they will only try to beat the top scorers and not focuse on the main point of attending school, to actually gain knowledge and understand what is being taught. In conclusion, this competitive environment is not a condusive one to study in. Even so, I believe there is still some good left in examinations. However, I suggest an alternate arrangement that will help to lessen the immense pressure on the students. I suggest projects that require the teachers to assess students in oral and physical practices such as presentations and Science practical tests. I also suggest to have class tests that only test student based on a particular topic so the student can prepare for the test better thus the student will get better results. It is also because a major exam may not cover all topics that being taught. Hence, the suggestions I have stated will make the assessment of students much fairer. With that, I strongly believe examinations should be abolished due to the fact that it causes harm in the emotional and physical being of the student and a competitive environment that will affect the learning process.I have also stated alternative arrangements that could be implemented to make assessments of students better. With that, I thank you. Cue Should examinations be abolished Masyitah Shakirah on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:04 am Good morning everyone.My name is Masyitah.I am going to talk about whether examinations should be abolished.In my honest opinion,I think that examinations should not be abolished. My first reason is because through examinations,students can know their level of understanding towards a certain topic of a subject.They will then approach their teachers if they know their weaknesses and if they need help in certain topics.After that,the students would be able to score well in their upcoming examinations.they would also be proud of themselves if they are one of the top scorers in their schools. Exams is also a form of encouragement for students to study harder and get better results for the coming examinations.I am sure the students would want to be the same standard as their friends.Without examinations,students will be lazy to study and they would not be bothered to do all the homework given by their teachers.As examination results will be printed out on a sheet of paper and parents have to sign on it,the students would surely try and do their best in every examinations because they do not want to get scoldings from their parents and want to make them proud. Even though I feel that examinations should not be abolished,I think that the number of examinations given per year to the students should decrease.This is so that the students would not feel stress as they need to rush through their revisions for a lot of subjects.The teachers would also have time to let their students understand the subject better until the whole class is  ready to move on to the next topic. In conclusion,I strongly believe that examinations should not be abolished because it can train the students to plan theri time well and be disciplined.However the amount of examinations given should be reduced so that it would not cause the students to be stress because they came to school to study,not to cramp their brains with a lot of things in just a few months before the examinations.With that,I thank you. Masyitah Shakirah Re: Should Examinations be Abolished in Schools? JunYe on Mon Mar 19, 2012 6:06 pm Hello everybody, this is JunYe from class 2/7E. Today, I am going to talk about the motion â€Å"Should examinations be abolished in schools?†. I strongly agree that examinations should be abolished. There are a few reasons on why examinations should be abolished in schools. Firstly , as we all know examinations are used to test on students to let the teachers and students know how well they are in a particular subject. Students might be misled by parents that examinations will definitely make life-long changes to their life and hence , putting students under tremendous stress and unable to concentrate while learning or revising. Secondly , as most students are concerned about the grades they get and thus causing them to be over-reacting when they get disappointed in their grades. They might be under depression and emotionally unstable. Students in this state tend to become short-tempered with either their work or their fellow classmates and even the teachers are being used to vent anger on. In conclusion, I think the examinations should be abolished in schools as it is not that effective enough to let the students concentrate and learn. Thank you. JunYe Guest Should Examinations be abolished? BryanSim on Mon Mar 19, 2012 10:50 pm Hello everybody, I am Bryan from class 2/7. I am here today to talk about the motion, ‘ Should examinations be abolished in schools? ‘ I agree that examinations should be abolished. I will state a few reasons on why examinations should be abolished in schools. Firstly, examinations may put students under tremendous stress as if students do not do well in the examination, parents might scold them when they bring the papers back home for parent’s signature. As a result, students may study very hard to avoid their parents’ scolding. Secondly, Students may not really benefit from the examination as some students only memorise the things that are tested on the examination and after the examination, they would forget they had memorise as they need to memorise things tested on the next examination. Lastly, I think that examinations should be changed to surprise tests as surprise tests would not give students to memorise the things tested and this would mean that the students have to use their knowledge that they have. In conclusion, I think that examinations should be abolished in schools as it put students under tremendous stress and while students are in great stress, some of them do not really benefit from the examination. Thank you. BryanSim Should Examinations be abolished in schools ? Liyana on Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:11 pm Good morning teachers and fellow students. I am Liyana representing 2/7, and I strongly believe that examinations should be abolished in schools. Firstly, students get stressed whenever examinations are around. They might stay up late, or skip meals just to revise for their upcoming examinations. This is unhealthy for the students as the body would not get enough rest and nutrients, and there’s a likely chance that the students might get sick. Also, students are stressed after the examinations too because they will worry about what score they are going to get. Also, knowing students these days, we are very competitive. We always want to be the top. An  over-competitive environment is not a good place for students to learn, because then, all they want to do is to be the top. This is bad because is defeats the purpose of going to school in the first place, and that is to learn and gain knowledge. Also, students might not need to even pay attention during lessons and still get a high score. All they need to do is to memorise all thier notes given by their teachers, memorise information from their textbooks as nowdays examination is really about memorising. Students would then have a mindset that they can score well, even without paying attention in class. Just to summarise the points, the mindset, and an over-competitive is bad for students, because they will not really achieve the main goal, and that is to, again, gain knowledge. So I would like to end off my speech by saying that examinations should be abolished in schools.

In what ways can an organization’s structure and culture be internal strengths or weaknesses Essay

Every organization has a corporate structure and culture these vary based on several variables. I will discuss the most common which is a divisional structure, which is appropriate for a large corporation as well. According to our text regardless of the size of a company to be strong the basic structure within the company must easily support a strategy under consideration by top management. Management in turn must decide whether the proposed strategy is feasible or if the structure should be changed to reflect the company’s mission. Basically a company must clearly define their mission, objectives, strategies and end goal. To be successful the company must in turn structure management, divisions, and employees in a strategic way in order to gain a successful outcome. Unsuccessful companies that I have been a part of tend to have a strategic structure in place, but the weakness comes in as soon as they quit following the plan or deviate from the structure. From my experience a structure is as successful as the culture within the company. The internal values, beliefs and expectations if clearly shared and followed by all employees will directly affect the success of a company. According to our text in order to be successful a corporate culture will fulfill these functions: 1.Convey a sense of identity for employees.  2.Help generate employee commitment to something greater than themselves. 3.Adds to stability of the organization as a social system. 4.Serves as a frame of reference for employees to use to make sense of organizational activities and to use as a guide for appropriate behavior. When a company does not fulfill these functions you will find weakness as well as unhappy employees, which in my opinion can be one of the greatest weaknesses any company can have. The key to success is to follow the strategies and fulfill a corporation’s mission thus meeting their objectives. I have been a part of very successful company’s as well as some that have been unsuccessful. I have found that the easiest way to weaken a structure is when management does not listen to or value their employees input. Other areas of weakness are when management doesn’t honor their word or the company goals. An achilles heal for any company is a weak inefficient human resources department. When the HR team hires ineffective and unreliable managers they must immediately jump in and begin to train or assist that manager in following the company’s strategic plan, or let go of that manager after a time. Otherwise the employees of that department will negatively affect the culture so fast and it is incredibly difficult and lengthy to rebuild that culture. Not only do you loose valuable employees, but disgruntled employees begin to speak negatively about the company to family, friends, and social media. This causes any company time and money to repair their culture within and outside of the company, hence great weakness arises.

Nike Essays - Nike, Inc., Employment Compensation, Labour Relations

Nike Essays - Nike, Inc., Employment Compensation, Labour Relations Nike The athletic apparel industry in which Nike is involved is a major money maker in the United States, but the fact that none of the factories are located in North America has brought some heat to the company. Nike controls more than 40 percent of the U.S. Market for sports related goods, but doesnt have a single sneaker factory in this country (Miller 1). Nike continues to make millions of dollars yet exploits workers overseas by paying them very little, while requiring long hours without overtime pay in factories that are not up to American standard. Nike subcontractors employ nearly 500,000 workers in plants in Indonesia, China and Vietnam (Saporito 1). The exploitation of workers in Third World counties, where the majority of Nikes labor is done sparks a controversial issue. People question why is it that Nike continues these practices. According to Just do it, Nike, Nike seems especially fond of doing business in undemocratic countries like China and Indonesia, where the military can be relied upon to crack heads if workers get out of line (Miller 2). The military monitoring has been a large controversy due to the fact that these are often Chinese working against other Chinese workers, or Vietnamese against their own people also. For Nike there are two benefits: it its a cheap way to monitor in an overseas factory and it creates a sheaper labor workforce. In turn making the labor cheaper for Nike. This makes it possible for Nike workers from the states to work on other things and only tour the factories when nessecary. While still assuming a stable workforce without good pay. The critics of Nikes labor practices have taken tours and witnessed the mistreatment firsthand. Time magazine reported saying, The plants were found to be modern and clean, well lighted and ventilated and paying a decent wage by local standard salthough by no means are they trouble free. Make no mistake: these are factories not amusement parks, and even in developing Asia, where jobs are scarce and getting scarcer, this is not the job of choice. (Saporito 1) The wages that the workers overseas are paid is nothing when compared to how much we pay for a pair of shoes or the profit that CEO Phil Knight is making off his sportswear giant he once operated out of the back of his car as a college student. A big issue that surrounds sweatshops is wage. The minimum wage often does not reflect the cost of living. (Hepner Online) Is the wage fair? There are many people who feel the wage is fair and the cost of living is taken into account when the wage is looked at, but studies show otherwise in many factories. Just recently, CNN reported a raise to entry level workers in Indonesia, Nike officials said the increase will raise the minimum monthly compensation packagewhich includes bonuses, housing, healthcare, transportation and meal allowances to approximately $37.14 a month.(Nike Establishes Labor Online) To many people living in the U.S., that package may sound good however the compensation package doesnt do away with the long hours, the poor conditions or the low rate of pay. Many of these workers are young children working to help support their families. The benefits do not make up for the low pay rates that keep them in the work force. The pay is only enough to get by where these children want to be saving in order to leave the factories and return home. In Taking a Look inside Nikes Factories, part of Bill Saporitos, Can Nike Get Unstuck? this is what was found. Americans pay $100 for a pair of shoes that a worker gets less than $3 a day to make. They pay Michael Jordan $40 million to endorse them. Cant they find more money to pay the workers? The short answer is no, because corporations pay the going rate for labor whereever they are. (Saporito 1) If this statement is true Nike pays the wage for the country the factory is in, then what is the controversy about? Much of it stems from the overtime that these workers are forced to work without over time compensation. Here in the United States there are regulations placed

Comparison of U.S. & Other Health System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparison of U.S. & Other Health System - Essay Example However higher costs does not mean better quality of life, health statistics in Spain show higher life expectancies (82.2 years), lower mortality rates (10.9/1000), and overall lower incidences of population major diseases (diabetes:9.0%, cardiovascular diseases: 23.15%, obesity: 23.95%) compared to US [life expectancies (78.6 years) mortality rates (13.9/1000), major diseases (diabetes:10.85%, cardiovascular diseases: 15.6%, obesity: 31.7% ) (National Center for Health Statistics, 2013; World Health Organization, WHO, 2012). Differences come from lifestyle habits, the Spanish have an active lifestyle and Mediterranean diet, and the US a sedentary lifestyle coupled with unbalanced diet (Borkan, et al., 2010; The Department for Professional Employees, DPE, 2013; National Center for Health Statistics, 2013; WHO, 2012). Health Care Financing: Comparison between US and Spain The US has hybrid healthcare financing: government medical subsidy is combined with private or group insurance for payments: private funding ( insurance or individual’s out-of-pocket payments) amount up to 50% of the total health care spending, with the rest from federal (38%) and local or state funds (12%) (DPE, 2013). For Spain, after healthcare reform financing is also shared, but the government pays up to 74% of the expenses, the rest is paid by individuals or employers (Legido-Quigley, et al., 2013). Spanish healthcare relies more heavily on taxes than US healthcare, contributing to lower healthcare costs per person compared with the latter (WHO, 2012). Health Care Administration: Comparison between US and Spain The US principal agency in healthcare provision is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which works with other agencies (e.g. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, etc.) to improve the population’s health through research and development, establishment of quality standards, among others (National Center f or Health Statistics, 2013). In Spain the Spanish National Institute of Health (Instituto Nacional de Salud, INSALUD) similarly functions as the HHS in providing the public with quality health services, however unlike HHS it is decentralized and delegates power over regional health communities (Borkan, et al., 2010). Health Care Personnel and Facilities: Comparison between US and Spain Only around one-fifths of the healthcare facilities in the US are government-owned and the rest are private institutions, accounting for high healthcare costs per individual (DPE, 2013). A low physician-to-patient ratio of 24 physicians per 10,000 people promotes high healthcare costs but less quality services (Holtz, 2008; National Center for Health Statistics, 2013). In Spain, healthcare facilities are mostly government-owned and subsidized, and physicians and nurses are salaried, which reduce additional costs per individual (Borkan, et al., 2010). Also, services are better due to a higher physician -to-patient ratio, 39 per 10,000 persons (WHO, 2012). Access and Inequality Issues: Comparison between US and Spain US ranks first in terms of health care responsiveness due to its state-of-the-art health care delivery system, which contributes to an increase in preventable deaths (Holtz, 2008; WHO, 2012). Spain’

Shakespeare's Hamlet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shakespeare's Hamlet - Research Paper Example In the process, he is involved in several occasions of double mind which puts him at a cross road in some instances (Hapgood & Shakespeare, 24). In the process he causes the deaths of several characters in the play either directly or indirectly (Shakespeare, 114). He also plays an indirect role in the death of his love Ophelia and his mother whom he mistakenly poisoned with food. However throughout the play and in Hamlet actions, he shows sense of double-mindedness as he struggles with his internal thoughts and efforts to sanity. The first instance in which Hamlet shows inability to decide on one issue is when he was not able to decide on whether you revenge or not. It is evident in the play that Hamlet is seeking the truth about his father’s death and hence believe that from that truth, he would be able to reach to the killers of his father. Generally, hamlet is seeking for truth as an effort to justify his acts of revenge (Bradley, 84). However, it is important to realize th at these acts of revenge are called for by the ghost which he does not trust. In this context, Hamlet has double minds as to whether to believe the ghost of his father or whether to reject such believes. As outlined by Bradley (85), â€Å"this is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind.† This is recognition of Hamlet’s views which were divided equally and the possibility in acting in one way or the other was half possible. It is important to note that he viewed almost everything in two perspectives and hence it was difficult to decide the way to go. According to Rosenberg (440), Hamlet can be described as an individual who knows all that he wants and all that according to him would be right. However, Hamlet deliberately decides to avoid the right thing. This perspective of Hamlet is also observed by Rosenberg (441). Failure of his efforts is not linked in any way to the inability to act but on the unwillingness to act swiftly and at the right time to save t he community. Hamlet is also divided in the mind whether to revenge or not because he fears the spirits and not because he cannot revenge (Furness & Shakespeare, 24). He is very much aware that he has defied the ghost and hence he tries to assert that the spirits of the dead are more dangerous and may follow him. While Hamlet tries to find out whether he would be right to act in accordance to the ghost request, it is evident that something is ringing at the back of his mind that he has not done what he is supposed to do. It is therefore important to notice that there are two thoughts that are antagonistic in his mind. As a result he is always undecided and hence leads top several mistakes which result into deaths of his relatives. Hamlet is disturbed by the fact that he has not done something that is impressive or aggressive towards his father’s death. As a result, he wants to please his father but wants to confirm the truth about the accusations by the ghost. In this context , Hamlet is at a crossroad with double minds (Rosenberg, 439). He looks at all the alternative actions, weighs them and finds out that they are actually bear the same weight. While he understands the consequence of either action he wants to make the best decision out of the two available decisions. It is therefore important for him to please his father’s ghost at the same time do not want to revenge or what is not tangible or revenge by mistake. Moreover, the lack of action by Hamlet presents to him a lot