Focus Paper on Grand Conversations Essay

Grand conversations are effective instruments of instructional design and learning, which may be easily integrated into any type of curriculum content. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is an excellent example of the book that can be used in elementary school grand conversations. To make grand conversations even more effective and interactive, they may also be combined with shared reading. In grand conversations, elementary school learners develop necessary interactions, which lead them to developing extensive reading and comprehension skills. Focus Paper on Grand Conversations Introduction Grand conversations are effective instruments of instructional design and learning, which may be easily integrated into any type of curriculum content. Grand conversations are particularly important for the development of communicative skills in learners. The use of grand conversations is integrally linked to student-centered approaches, providing students with additional opportunities to speak, express their thoughts and opinions, and study the most problematic curriculum topics in depth. In elementary classroom, grand conversations may be used as the means for studying literary texts and developing extensive connections between literature themes and student realities. Elementary school teachers pay special attention to the development of literacy and communicative skills in young learners. By linking reading to discussion and exploration, education specialists are trying to develop more effective approaches that would motivate young learners to read, and communicate their views in classroom. â€Å"Grand conversations are discussions held by the entire class community. What makes grand conversations different from other forms of whole group activities is that the teacher does not direct grand conversations† (Buis, 2004). Thus, the teacher’s task is to choose the content which is the most appropriate for classroom discussion, and to set the tone of the group conversation, which will further be directed by learners and will help them investigate the plot, the theme, the characters, and the setting of the original text in more detail. Unfortunately, teachers tend to use more traditional standardized strategies in text analysis; a short-lived conversation is a widely acceptable teaching technique that may save time during the lesson but does not improve student knowledge in class. However, it is not enough for a teacher to understand the importance of grand conversations in class; it is essential that elementary school teachers develop effective and multifaceted approaches, to give students an opportunity for practicing their communicational skills. As teachers, we cannot guarantee that our small students will be able to understand all literary implications of particular texts. That is why it is important to develop meaningful chains that would help learners understand the content, the context, and the idea of a literary work. The book to be discussed should be written in simple language and should be close to what children feel, see, and do in their daily lives. â€Å"The book should be enjoyable, of superior literary quality, engage student interests, allow for good discussions and invite students to revisit them over and over again† (Buis, 2004). Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is an excellent example of the book that can be used in elementary school grand conversations. To make grand conversations even more effective and interactive, they may also be combined with shared reading of the most interesting passages. A sample grand conversation may start with a simple question: â€Å"Do you think that Huckleberry Finn could live in our society? † This question may further be extended to discussing the similarities between Huckleberry Finn’s realities (clothes, behaviors, thoughts), and those of contemporary learners. It is expected that students’ answers will not be limited to â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no†, but will encourage other students to express their thoughts and develop reliable connections between their personal experiences and those of a literary character. Children will be free to discuss their best impressions, feelings, or their favorite clothes. It is expected that by the end of the discussion session, children will be able to determine, what makes Huckleberry Finn different from them. Choosing a picture book would also facilitate the discussion and drive learners’ imagination, giving elementary students a special feeling of â€Å"reading joy† (Buis, 2004). As teachers, we should also be prepared to the situation when learners’ experiences and opinions differ and are even be opposite to each other; as a result, we will need to use available instruments for turning this opposition into the subject of a detailed discussion. Grand conversations will further engage all learners into a risk-free environment, and expose them to the world of classic literature through the prism of their most pleasant life experiences. It should be noted that â€Å"participation in a discourse community is crucial for the cultivation of deeper levels of vocabulary knowledge. Language learning is fuelled by students’ curiosity and their desire to connect and communicate with others† (Buis, 2004). For grand conversations to be effective, it is important that the teacher does not limit the discussion to one single interpretation of the book. Children should be encouraged to express their ideas about the plot, the meaning, and the importance of particular passages. Although grand conversations are not directed by the teacher, some scaffolding may be appropriate to motivate and encourage young learners. Traditionally, students are not involved into active group discussions in class; they are used to the situation where teacher carries the main load of talking. As a result, students may be prevented from supporting conversation at deep levels. Several grand conversations will be required to ensure that students have fully understood the meaning of Twain’s text and that they are able to formulate their thoughts as applied to the context, structure, and the meaning of the plot. Every new text distracts students from digging deeper into particular literary elements, but attracts their attention to new events within the story; that is why several literary conversations will help young learners concentrate on particular meaningful elements that will gradually lead them to understanding the real or virtual place of Huckleberry Finn in his and in our time. Conclusion Grand conversations reveal the new facets of elementary students’ communicative skills and abilities. This type of instructional methodology helps revisiting the most interesting literary texts and exploring them through the prism of learners’ personal experiences. In grand conversations, elementary school learners develop necessary interactions, which lead them to developing extensive reading and comprehension skills and provide them with unlimited opportunities for sharing their comments and offering new ideas in classroom-wide discussions. References Buis, K. (2004). Making words stick: strategies that build vocabulary and reading comprehension in the elementary grades. Pembroke Publishers Limited.

Public Sector

The country was facing problems like inequalities in income and low levels of employment, regional imbalances in economic development and lack of trained manpower. India at that time was predominantly an agrarian economy with a weak industrial base, low level of savings, inadequate investments and infrastructure facilities. In view of this type of socio-economic set up, our visionary leaders drew up a roadmap for the development of Public Sector as an instrument for self-reliant economic growth.This guiding factor led to the passage of Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948 and followed by Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956. The 1948 Resolution envisaged development of core sectors through the public enterprises. Public Sector would correct the regional imbalances and create employment. Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948 laid emphasis on the expansion of production, both agricultural and industrial; and in particular on the production of capital equipment and goods satisfying the b asic needs of the people, and of commodities the export of which would increase earnings of foreign exchange. . 1. 3 In early years of independence, capital was scarce and the base of entrepreneurship was also not strong enough.Hence, the 1956 Industrial Policy Resolution gave primacy to the role of the State which was directly responsible for industrial development. Consequently the planning process (5 year Plans) was initiated taking into account the needs of the country. The new strategies for the public sector were later outlined in the policy statements in the years 1973, 1977, 1980 and 1991. The year 1991 can be termed as the watershed year, heralding liberalisation of the Indian economy. 2- 1. 1. 4 The public sector provided the required thrust to the economy and developed and nurtured the human resources, the vital ingredient for success of any enterprise; public or private. 1. 2 GLOBAL TREND industrial revolution in Europe. With the advent of globalization, the public secto r faced new challenges in the developed economies. No longer the public sector had the privilege of operating in a sellers market and had to face competition both from domestic and international competitors.Further, in the second half of the 20th century in the developed economies, the political opinion started swinging towards the views that the intervention as well as investment by Government in commercial activities should be reduced to the extent possible. 1. 2. 1 The Public Sector emerged as the driver of economic growth consequent to the 1. 2. 2 Many eminent economists argued that Government must not venture into those areas, where the private sector could undertake job efficiently.Lot of emphasis was laid on market driven economies, rather than State controlled and administered economies. The collapse of socialist economy of the Soviet block convinced the policy planners, around the world, that role of the State should be that of a facilitator and regulator rather than the pr oducer and manager. It may be worth mentioning that, in various countries, the turn towards liberalism including deregulation and decontrol also led to discontent amongst some sections of population as its benefit did not flow down to the weaker and disadvantaged sections of society. . 2. 3 Today, both Public Sector & Private Sector have become an integral part of the economy. There may not be much difference in working of these sectors in advanced countries, but in developing countries, the performance of Public Sector has considerable scope for improvement. It is also observed that Pay packages are almost similar in both sectors in developed countries, but large differences exist in remuneration in the two sectors in developing countries, like ours. -3- 1.3 Economic Scenario and Role of Public Sector in India – General perspective 1. . 1 Government of India, as part of its national agenda to promote growth, increase in efficiency and international competitiveness, has been continuously framing policies for industrial growth, fiscal, trade and foreign investment to achieve overall socio-economic development of the country. As a result of exceptionally severe balance of payments and fiscal crisis in the year 1991, the government decided to shift to a liberalized economy with greater reliance upon market forces, a larger role for the private sector including foreign direct investment. 1. 3. The Government realized that a strong and growth oriented nation could be built if India grows as part of the world economy and not in isolation. Thus, liberalising and deregulatory steps were initiated from the year 1991 onwards, which aimed at supporting growth and integration with the global economy.Since then, the thrust of New Economic Policy has been on progressive reforms such as reduction in the scope of industrial licensing, reforms in the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act, reduction of areas reserved exclusively for public sector, disinve stment of quity of selected public sector enterprises (PSEs), enhancing limits of foreign equity participation in domestic industrial undertakings, liberalization of trade and exchange rate policies, rationalization and reduction of customs and excise duties and personal and corporate income taxes, promoting FDI, investments from NRIs (Non-Resident Indians), extension of the scope of CENVAT, implementing the VAT regime in States, taking steps to switch over to goods & services tax system w. e. f. 01. 04. 010, e-governance and simplification of various procedures, rules and regulations etc. 1. 3. 3 Since the setting up of World Trade Organization (WTO) in the year 1995, as an apex body at the international level, to which India is a signatory, the world trade has definitely grown thereby giving indications that international trade reforms do play an important role in boosting economic development of various countries. 1. 3. 4 Industrial policy has seen a sea change with most Central Government industrial controls being liquidated.The Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) were classified into ‘strategic’ and ‘non-strategic’. Strategic CPSEs were identified in -4- the areas of (a) Arms & Ammunition and the allied items of defence equipments, Defence air-crafts and warships; (b) Atomic Energy (except in the areas related to the operation of nuclear power and applications of radiation and radio-isotopes to agriculture, medicine and non-strategic industries); and (c) Railway transport. All other CPSEs were considered as non-strategic.Further, Industrial licensing by the Central Government has been almost abolished except for a few hazardous and environmentally sensitive industries. 1. 3. 5 The main elements of the present Government policy towards Public Sector enterprises as contained in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) are reproduced below: i) To devolve full managerial and commercial autonomy to successful, profit making companies operating in a competitive environment ii) Generally , profit-making companies will not be privatized ii) Every effort will be made to modernize and restructure sick public sector companies and revive sick industry iv) Chronically loss making companies will either be sold off, or closed, after all workers have got their legitimate dues and compensationv) Private industry will be inducted to turn-around companies that have potential for revival vi) Privatization revenues will be used for designated social sector schemes vii) Public sector companies and nationalized banks will be encouraged to enter the capital market to raise resources and offer new investment avenues to retail investors. . 3. 6 The Government has made a clear commitment to empowering the CPSEs and their managements. It was recognised that public enterprises could not compete effectively with private entrepreneurs without freedom to function and operate -5- commercially. Thus, the concept of Navratna and Mi ni-Ratna was introduced with greater delegated authority, both financial and managerial. Government has realized that ‘Navratnas’, ‘Mini-ratnas’ and other CPSEs are required to grow and deliver on the promises they have made to their stakeholders.Other reforms have also been announced, such as professionalisation of the Boards of Directors of public sector enterprises and evaluation of performance of CPSEs through Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). 1. 4 Performance Status wide range of activities in the manufacturing, engineering, steel, heavy machinery, machine tools, fertilizers, drugs, textiles, pharmaceuticals, petro-chemicals, extraction and refining of crude oil and services such as telecommunication, trading, tourism, warehousing, etc. and a range of consultancy services.

Philippine History, Influences from Other Countries

Capalad, Raul Miguel C. January 3, 2012 2JRN2 I. During the Philippine pre-colonial period, the basic political subdivision was known as the barangay, which is ruled by a datu or â€Å"village chief. † Within the barangay are multiple political divisions, the highest of which is the nobles. The nobles, which include the Datu and his bloodline, are the highest figures in the barangay. The second in rank is the freemen. The freemen are the merchants, fishermen, farmers, and all other workers within the barangay. The lowest division is the slaves. The slaves are divided into two categories, the aliping namamahay, who stay at their owner’s homes, and the aliping sanguigilid, who have their own home but still work for a master. II. Colonialism is, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, is â€Å"a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another†. In the perspective of the Philippines’ past political, historical and social climate, his can somehow be viewed as a positive thing because the Philippines back then was still severely underdeveloped. However if viewed from a moral standpoint, this is a negative concept because it restricts the country (i. e. the Philippines) its natural ability to develop, grow, and prosper on its own. III. The Philippines’ cultures and traditions are very rich and diverse in every sense of the word. This trait can be attributed to the many colonizers that colonized the Philippines, and also the tourists ang businessmen that entered the country. One the the biggest contributors were the Chinese. The Chinese people introduced many things to us in the categories of food, entertainment, and many more. They introduced the use of fireworks, their unique cuisine (like the noodles), porcelain ware, umbrellas, manufacture of gunpowder, and certain mining methods superstitions, etc. The loose style of dressing, like the sleeved jackets and loose trouser of the Muslim Filipino women and the use of flip-flops, are of Chinese influence as well. They are also big players in our economy, with one of the richest and most successful businessmen in the Philippines being of Chinese descent. They have been in the Philippines for a very long time and they have been through what everyone else in the Philippines has been through. As a result, many Filipino surnames are Chinese, like Cojuangco, Lim, Tan, Uy, and Tongco, among others. India also has similar contributions. In cuisine is the making and consumption of the chicken curry, which has an Indian influence. They also introduced Hinduism into the Philippines, although only a small portion of the population practice Hinduism. Our language also has Indian influence. Here are some examples Tagalog * budhi which means â€Å"conscience† in Sanskrit * dukha which means â€Å"one who suffers† in Sanskrit * guro which means â€Å"teacher† in Sanskrit * bathala which means â€Å"supreme God† in Sanskrit lalkambini which means â€Å"princess† in Sanskrit Kapampangan: * kalma which means â€Å"fate† in Sanskrit * damla which means â€Å"divine law† in Sanskrit * mantala which means â€Å"magic formulas† in Sanskrit * sampalataya which means â€Å"faith† in Sanskrit The wearing of a skirt and turban (saro ng and putong; respectively) also came from India. The great hindu epic Mahabarata is Indian. The Arabs’s greatest contribution to the Philippines is Islam, particularly in Mindanao. The sarimanok design, which has been used in a certain network in the Philippines, is also of Arabic influence.

Devastatingly Human - An Analysis of Registered Nurses' Medication Essay

Devastatingly Human - An Analysis of Registered Nurses' Medication Error Accounts--NURSING - Essay Example According to Camire et al (2009), "given the large body of literature about patient safety, the limited evidence available to guide clinicians in selecting strategies to prevent and disclose medication errors in critically ill patients is surprising. Nevertheless, patient safety is a first step in providing high-quality health care, and ensuring the safety of patients is everyone’s responsibility and challenge." Since administration of accurate medication is the most embedded principle of nursing; any event of medication error jeopardizes the livelihood and identity of the professional self. Trieber and Jones (2010) analysed the medication error accounts of registered nurses through direct interview with them in order to facilitate better understanding of the perceives error of medication administration errors and to understand strategies employed by the nurses to deal with them. It is often difficult to quantify medication administration errors which are the most common medic al errors in the United States. However, only less than 5 percent are reported (Trieber and Jones, 2010). The Institute of Medicine or IOM has recognized medication administration error as an important target task and has attempted to study and analyze various aspects of environment of the nurses which contribute to errors. This included work design, organizational management and organizational culture. However, the institute failed to include certain aspects of nursing profession like perfectionism, self-sacrifice and duty and also issues related to gender and recent technologies. The institute also did not include the perceptions of nurses who are the frontliners in administration of medication to hospitalized people. This is important because; it is these nurses who are involved in both preventing medication errors and committing medication errors and nurses are emotionally affected when they commit a medication error. The main strategy to prevent medication error is by following the basic principle of "five rights"; right patient, right time, right route, right medication and right dose (Bates, 2007). There is no consensus on the definition of medication error and as to when the error must notified. While most nurses opine that giving wrong medication to a patient is wrong, only a few agree that giving the medication late is also wrong. Thus, discrepancies exist in the definition. Thus, if the rights definition is applied, the number of medication errors would actually escalate more than the estimated number (Trieber and Jones, 2010). Several error reduction technologies have come up which are said to help in decreasing medication errors. These include patient charting through computers, arm-bands that are bar coded, and dispensing cabinets that are automated (Bates, 2007). Other strategies to reduce medication errors include decrease in the number of medicine which look alike or sound alike and application of read back and confirm strategy for orders that were delivered verbally (Trieber and Jones, 2010). There is still controversy as to whether these strategies and procedures introduced to reduce medication errors actually help in reduction or errors or complicated the problem. Some researchers like Koppel et al (2008; cited in Trieber and Jones, 2010) are of the opinion that these recent gadgets actually confuse the nurses and worsen medication errors. Infact, in their study, they found that computerized

Prediction of Stall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Prediction of Stall - Essay Example The phenomenon of stall is shown in the figure below:- Stall occur due to a number of reasons and can thus be divided into a number of types1 like power off stalls (also called approach-to-landing stalls, practiced by pilots to simulate normal approach-to-landing conditions and configuration), Power-on stalls (also known as departure stalls, practiced by pilots to simulate takeoff and climb-out conditions) and Accelerated stalls (experienced at higher-than normal airspeeds due to applying abrupt or excessive controls to aircraft and may occur in steep turns, pullups or other abrupt changes in your flight path.). Many aircraft in Flight Sim use a stall indicator to alert you when the airflow over the wing(s) approaches a point that lift cannot be sustained. The stall indicator is part of aircraft for a reason so no one should ignore it. Setup a numerical optimization procedure that can be useful to the aerodynamicist in the rapid design and development of high-lift system configurations and that can also provide derivative information regarding the influence of various design parameters (gap, overlap, slat and flap deflection angles, etc.) on the performance of the system. The variables that describe the relative elem... His aircraft experiences buffeting, uncontrollable pitching or vibrations that begin just before the stall occurs. Many aircraft in Flight Sim use a stall indicator to alert you when the airflow over the wing(s) approaches a point that lift cannot be sustained. The stall indicator is part of aircraft for a reason so no one should ignore it. Design Procedure The design calculation is an important procedure that solves two purposes as under:- Improve the take-off and landing performance of existing high-lift systems using an adjoint formulation. Setup a numerical optimization procedure that can be useful to the aerodynamicist in the rapid design and development of high-lift system configurations and that can also provide derivative information regarding the influence of various design parameters (gap, overlap, slat and flap deflection angles, etc.) on the performance of the system. Flow diagram of the above procedure is depicted as under:- Figure 3: Flow diagram of the design calculation procedure The variables that describe the relative element positioning can be used as design variables. These variables include flap and slat deflection angles, gaps, overlap, shapes of each of the elements and many more depending on method used2. Like in Continuous Adjoint Method, variables are flow-field variables and the physical location of the boundary. Then the governing equation which expresses the dependence of these variables can be written in flow field domain in form of partial differential equations. After introducing a Lagrange Multiplier and solving adjoint equations and applying boundary conditions we get gradient equation3. An active transparent stall control system utilizing sensors, actuators, and a closed-loop controller was designed and tested on a NACA 0020

Can Anyone Steer this Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Can Anyone Steer this Economy - Essay Example The question at hand is of the condition of the family if the value of their home rises while their wages decrease (Mandel). Unfortunately, the statistics to answer these questions are not available, but there are different scenarios that can give a common sense solution to the question at hand. First of all, bonds have hit an acceptable low, which is good news for the home buyer (Mandel). If a homeowner encounters a decrease in their income but their home value increases, the chance of refinancing their home to consolidate their debts at an affordable rate is better with lower interest rates. This can put a family in a stable situation while the money lasts, but with the fluctuating mortgage rates, they may encounter a situation in which refinancing is not an option. On the other hand, if a homeowner's home does not raise in value and their income increases, they may be able to work out a longer term solution rather than refinancing their home. Those with higher incomes are able to contribute more of their money to savings and retirement funds than those with lower wages. That way they are able to have funds available in case of a rainy day. Michael Mandel states in his article that "the broad-based drop in incomes is being driven more by the rise of China and India." He also states that "Globalization has

Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Exam - Essay Example is the pros and cons of withdrawing my services and return all the money paid by the pharmaceutical company or continue with the project and turn a blind eye to the side effects of the drug. I would not continue with the project because of guilt conscience that would torment me for the rest of my life considering that I may have contributed to the death or paralysis or even permanent brain damage of an individual due to my greed for money and fear or being bankrupt, which all add up to selfishness and individualism. It will also mean that I will be looking over my shoulders each time and jumping every time I hear police siren for fear of being incriminated as a participant. It is therefore better for me to be declared bankrupt than to â€Å"kill† humanity and live with anxiety and torture for the rest of my life. b) Avoidance of such a situation in future is by carrying out a complete background check on the clients before entering into any contracts with them. This will ensure the protection of the business and all the personnel there and also act to uphold the integrity of the firm or company. A blemish in the background check that could have serious implications for the firm in future should not be ignored. It is better to lose that contract then than to have future problems like the one discussed above. c) If such a scenario as the one presented above is unavoidable, it is better to have damage control strategies like having lawyers for the firm who can defend the firm in case things go haywire in future. The other way is to have an exit strategy like having invested in other types of businesses or having money saved somewhere which you can use to start a new business elsewhere. Insurance cover also comes in handy in such a situation and all these are measure to protect you, the staff and the business or firm. a) Encryption is codifying information so that others cannot be able to access it or understand it without having the code specially made for that

Disadvantages of examination- oriented education Essay

Disadvantages of examination- oriented education - Essay Example This raises concern that the focus on examinations in the education system may be defeating the very purpose of education. Disadvantages of Examination-Oriented Education The most-often faced criticism of an education-oriented system is that the examinations become the focal point of all the educational activities that a student goes through instead of merely being the means to an end. This focus on students’ performance in examinations has consequences on the curricula and the manner in which the curricula are taught to the children. The curricula in examination oriented education systems has become very rigid and based on a set of text books that become the Bible for the students. (1). The emphasis is more on imbibing this by the student by heart rather than understanding the subject matter. It will not be surprising that typo errors convert a chemistry textbook into a physics textbook and the physics examination taken by the student is actually a chemistry examination. Thin gs have come to such a pass that neither the educational education, nor the teacher, nor the student would notice it, for the concentration will be on the marks received on the paper. This situation gets even more aggravated, when the education administrators develop the content of the textbooks that are beyond the grasping ability of the average student and the teachers follow a uniform teaching approach. Interest in studies is lost, motivation to learn is absent and many students end up being labeled as low achievers owing to the poor marks they receive in their examination (1). The list of other demerits if attempted to explain like this could run into pages. In brief the disadvantages of examination oriented systems include the negative influence it has on the teaching of certain subjects and topics, on teaching and learning and attitudes of teachers, parents and students; and the neglect of more dynamic instructional methods. It leads to selective study habits in students and t he possible development of undesirable attitudes of amassing certificates through any means. This attitude also gets transferred to some parents. It offers the possibility of malpractices by students and teachers and others through copying and the leakage of pre-set question papers, and the like. Examinations test only the cognitive abilities of children, and ignore the affective and psychomotor domains of students. Students face stereo-typed questions allowing them to be selective in the study of topics in a subject to attain the level of marks desired. Higher objectives of education in the form of application, synthesis and analysis are ignored through the use of examinations and the sole deciding criterion of knowledge and skills attainment levels. Scoring low in examinations carries with the possibility of being looked down upon in peer groups and in student and other social circles. (2). Possible Solutions There are only two possible solutions. The first is to do away with eval uation process in education, through which the examination system has crept. Leave it to the students to attain their desired level of competencies in subjects of their choice, based on what they intend to with their lives after their formal education. Teachers, parents and friends can act as counselors and motivational mentors in this exercise. In case they find them short of knowledge

The Role America's Federal Reserve Played in Contributing to the Essay

The Role America's Federal Reserve Played in Contributing to the Actions Leading to the 2008 Financial Crises - Essay Example While the Federal Reserve is a cornerstone institution of the United States, critics have argued that in the long-term the Fed is actually bad for the economy. This research evaluates the extent that the Federal Reserve contributed to the actions leading to the 2008 financial crises. Analysis One of the most prominent critics of the Federal Reserve has been former Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul. Paul’s perspective follows a line of logic that is directly related to the way the Fed functions. Paul indicates that when the American economy is lagging the Federal Reserve infuses new currency into the system. This new currency results in lowered interest rates. The lowered interest rates correspondingly result in capitalist expansion, as business and individuals increasingly engage in borrowing practices. The problem, as Paul indicates, is that such practices are artificial and don’t reflect the economies’ true and proper functioning. Paul has seminally no ted, â€Å"When central banks like the Fed manage money they are engaging in price fixing, which leads not to prosperity but to disaster† (Paul 2011). ... Kibbe (2011) argues that many Austrian economists predicted the 2008 financial crisis. Kibbe contrasts the Keynesian school of economics, which attempts to implement mathematical models in predicting future economic movements, with the Austrian school that argues later economic shifts can only be understood by examining human behavior. Similar to Ron Paul, Kibbe makes a number of sensational statements regarding the impact the Federal Reserve had on the financial crisis. In both perspectives their criticism is less about specific policy measures the Fed took, but rather with the entire existence of the Fed; as such, they believe that any actions this institution makes is ultimately bad for the economy. Just like Paul, Kibbe (2011) notes, â€Å"we would not experience such dramatic economic swings were it not for monetary policies that distort real prices and encourage improper investment decisions. Boom and bust cycles are inevitable when government interventions confuse market part icipants.† When one couples Kibbe’s perspective regarding boom and busts with statements made by the United States government leading up to the financial meltdown startling consideration emerges. For instance, he notes that Treasury Secretary Paulson said in 2007 that the global economy was at the strongest he had seen it in his career. Additionally, he states â€Å"Between 2001 and 2004, the Federal Reserve injected new credit into the economy, pushing interest rates to their lowest level since the late 1970s. As a result, the economy was booming just a few short years ago† (Kibbe 2011). Still, one recognizes that Kibbe provides little empirical evidence for the predictions of the Austrian economists against the failure of the Keynesian predictive models.

Taxtion Profect Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Taxtion Profect - Literature review Example However, the impact of tax travels to the end consumer in a VAT scheme much like other taxation systems since goods and services providers tend to move the taxed amount to the end consumer’s final price receipt (Ebrill et al., 2001). VAT Implementation in the United Kingdom VAT is not a new concept to the United Kingdom (UK) and was in place before the UK signed up for the European Union. The initial implementation of VAT in the UK dates back to 1973 when it was introduced by the national government as an entry condition to join the European Union (EU) (Warren, 1993) (IFS, 2009). VAT is not levied universally on all goods and services in the UK. Instead, VAT is applicable to certain goods and services at varying rates in the UK. Directives concerning the amount of VAT and its application to goods and services are provided both by the UK government and certain EU rules and guidelines. Moreover, VAT rates tend to vary for certain goods imported from outside the EU (HMRC, 2013). VAT Rates Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provides for three different VAT rates that are classified as (HMRC, 2013): Standard 20% Reduced 5% Zero 0% Standard VAT rates apply to most goods and services consumed in the UK while reduced rates apply to certain items such as fuels, energy savers, power items etc. On the other hand, zero rates apply to certain other items such as certain food items, public transportation, books, children’s clothes etc. (HMRC, 2013). It must be kept in mind that zero rate VAT items are differentiated from items exempted from VAT. Any items that are exempt from VAT cannot have VAT based taxed applied to them under the law such as on insurance, charitable fundraising, life saving services etc. In contrast, zero rate VAT items are taxable but are charged for at 0%. The retailer may lodge a reclaim with the HRMC for zero rate VAT items but not for VAT exempt items (HMRC, 2013). In addition, VAT law provided by the EU mandates that the m inimum standard rate for EU members has to be 15%. Member states are also allowed to apply a maximum of two different reduced rates that should be at least 5% on certain goods (European Commission, 2006). Moreover, any changes in VAT especially changes concerning decreased VAT rates must be approved by the EU alone (Victor, 2010). Regional Comparisons VAT is applicable throughout the EU and certain member states exhibit exceptionally high VAT rates. Regional comparisons of VAT rates are presented in the table provided below. Table 1 - VAT regional comparison sourced from (Victor, 2010) Country VAT Rate (%) UK 20 Denmark 25 Hungary 25 Sweden 25 Iceland 25.5 Criticisms against VAT VAT is collected at each value addition stage in the provision of goods and services so ideally VAT’s burden should be borne by these stages and their stewards. However, practically VAT banks on the end consumer much like other forms of taxation. This tends to make VAT just as cumbersome for the avera ge consumer as other forms of taxation. In addition, it has been argued that VAT is essentially a regressive form of taxation though proponents of VAT consider it as progressive. The graph presented below presents how different taxes on consumers in the UK tend to vary by the income quartiles. Figure 1 - Tax composiitons and their differences according to income groups in the UK sourced from (Murphy, 2010) Tax collection through VAT is generally lower than expected

Organizational Culture and Conflict Resolution Assignment

Organizational Culture and Conflict Resolution - Assignment Example The results that were arrived at by Worrall in the research that formed the foundation of the article evoke critical thinking on matters dealing with culture and organizational conflict. If I clear that the field is dominated by male business people and employees. The organizational culture was also against the female gender. This is owing to the lack of enough support and inflexible work practices. The women who participate in the construction industry are not valued for the impact that they create as the job is described as a man’s career. This is however not true as there are very creative innovative and hardworking females in the field whose expertise is of critical importance. The organizational culture influences the participant in the field (Michel, 2009). In the modern society, women are empowered to take any career of choice. As such, there arises a conflict when a career in construction is cultured to be for males. The same case is reflected globally. Even in univers ities and colleges, there are certain courses that are dominated by male students and others are preferred by the female students. This led me to the realization that organizational and cultural conflicts are still here with us and there is a desperate need to eradicate it (Gelfand, 2012). All businesses have the main aim of making profits. As such, the business models in both the United States of America and China are profit oriented (Worm, 2008). Capitalism is key in the business structures. However, there are various differences in the goals priorities in China and United States of America. First, the Chinese prefer a simple structure as the main form of configuration in the business. On the other hand, the Americans prefer a divisionalised form which is more complex and broad. As such, the mode of business operation is differentiated in the two countries. The other difference in business goals priorities between the two countries is in the preferred coordinating mechanism.

Race-Based Jury Nullification Essay Example for Free

Race-Based Jury Nullification Essay Internet research clearly showed a long history for jury nullification in the US. An explanation of jury nullification, and in particular race based jury nullification, is that it is a method whereby juries nullify unfair laws by declaring guilty defendants not guilty. Race based nullification is where a jury acquits and individual based on their race. This is commonly found in homogenous juries where there is little jury diversity. Past cases such as runaway slave laws and current cases such as police shootings show that race-based nullification is still an issue in modern courtrooms. The conclusion being that jury nullification is an important power necessary for the checks and balances of the judicial system Jury nullification is a right enjoyed, but not understood, by all jurors in the US. This right gives jurors the ability to interpret laws for themselves and return not-guilty verdicts for guilty defendants allowing them to nullify laws. (Emal, 1995) The most common admonishment by judges is that jurors must decide the case based on facts, and that they are not in fact interpreting the fairness of laws. The fear is that if jurors knew or understood this power, it could undermine the authority of the US judicial system. Allowing juries to interpret laws is in fact a right given as a foil against a too powerful central government. Historically there is a tremendous precedent for jury nullification much of it involving race. In the North pre-civil war era juries commonly refused to convict runaway slaves because they felt that the law was unfair. This was an example of jury nullification, where the jury was aware that the defendant was guilty, but refused to return a guilty verdict, in effect nullifying the law. (Emal, 1995) More recently in the 1930s many courts refused conviction for minor alcohol infractions because they felt the law was unfair. Another example of this trend were the civil rights trials of white supremacists in the south in the 50s and 60s; in these cases all white juries would refuse to convict white defendants of the murder of black  people or civil rights workers. (Emal, 1995) These cases clearly show that there have been many examples of jury nullification in the past in our country. Since a return of a not guilty verdict allows the jury to effectively end prosecution with no appeal allowed by the state it means that juries actually have final say about when and if a law is utilized. This allows juries the power to actually use their conscience when voting to convict or release a defendant. One possible outcome of jury nullification is the possibility of a major increase in hung juries. Race has figured in many instances of jury nullification so there is a clear precedent for race based jury nullification. (Emal, 1995) Recently all white juries have refused to convict white police officers in wrongful shooting trials where the victim was black. Also black juries have refused to convict clearly guilty defendants of crimes on the grounds that there are too many black people in prison already. (Butler, 1995) Another possible reason for jury nullification is to punish prosecutors and police for tactics, which the jurors find unpalatable. Many people recently felt that the O.J. Simpson trial was race based jury nullification; similarly the Rodney King trial would be an example. In both of these cases many people felt that the individual was guilty but that they were released because of their race. Some states have proposed that juries should have racial quotas in order to avoid possible race based nullification. In this system jurors who should be excused could be kept even if they were unsatisfactory if they fit some particular racial need. These attempts to eliminate jury nullification point to the seriousness with which this power is viewed. Some black lawmakers have said that since a jury is representative of a community then jurors should have the right to decide which people they will allow to live among them. (Butler, 1995) This basically means that jurors exercise their power based on conscience and not based on the facts of the case. This means that black juries would acquit non-violent black defendants even in cases where they were clearly guilty to nullify the effects of a predominantly white judicial system. The belief here is that the laws are  inherently unfair because they were created by and for white people. (Butler, 1995) Clearly there is a place for jury nullification in the US. There has been a long history of unfair laws and practices in the country and allowing the jury the power to overturn or nullify them is a good way to keep the government in check. (Jones, 2004) The real question is more about race-based nullification. Should race be a factor when juries consider nullification as an option? The answer to this is complicated if a jury really feels that a defendant was targeted unfairly based on race shouldnt they have some power to affect the trial. (Butler, 1995) Also without a complete revamping of the legal system (scary thought) how would one go about fixing the problem? Can nullification be eliminated with our current system? The idea is to really re-examine the selection process. With nullification as a real possibility then prosecutors can act to eliminate it by paying more attention to homogeneity during the selection process. Any prosecutor who allows a homogenous jury runs a real risk of losing the case based on nullification. Also race based jury nullification has been a useful tool in the past. (Jones, 2004) If not for northern juries how many runaway slaves would have been returned to torture and beatings in the south. In this case we had a manifestly unfair law which juries exercised a legitimate nullification against. Overall race based jury nullification is a scary prospect when taken to the extreme but it is a prospect that bears some consideration. Since it has been used righteously in the past it is a hard decision to contemplate getting rid of it. If there was no jury nullification of any kind then the country would have missed out on juries taking a stand against poorly thought out laws. The answer is that jury nullification has played a dual roll in our history. At times it is a useful tool as in the cases involving slavery or differential prosecution, at times allowing racists to go free. So having weighed the merits of the situation it is best left as is currently. There is a real risk for overuse if everyone were aware of the  power but in its absence the government would exercise too much power unbalanced by the power of the people. The conclusion would have to be that there is too much risk in eliminating jury nullification as a whole. Race based nullification is probably not necessary and would be nice to eliminate but there is no effective way to combat this. One possibility mentioned earlier is for prosecutors to consider nullification during the selection process to help combat this problem. References Butler, Paul. (1998). Racially Based Jury Nullification: Black Power in the Criminal Justice System. Yale Law Review, 105, 677-725. Emal, Russ. (1995). Jury Nullification: Why You Should Know What It Is. Retrieved on 11/21/04 from http://www.greenmac.com/eagle/ISSUES/ISSUE23- /07JuryNullification.html Jones Iloilo Marguerità ©. (2004). American Juror. Retrieved on 11/21/04 from http://www.fffija.org

Employee Wellbeing in a Prison Workplace

Employee Wellbeing in a Prison Workplace Aims and Objectives With specific reference to the research question, that of: ‘Does the impact of organisational change and a Transformed Workplace affect the Health Well-being of employee’s within a Prison Workplace Environment?’ Key to the development of the Aims Objectives is the evaluation of similar research (Bamford and Daniel, 2007; Hyde et al, 2005; Van Stolk et al, 2009) conducted within a similar Government Department that has also been subjected to workplace transformation (new ways of working; Hyde et al, 2005). In this instance the Government department was that of the NHS (National Health Service). Also the use of research that assesses the impact of the workplace upon an individual’s well-being, which includes 2 case studies that have researched wellbeing within the workplace (Danna Griffin, 1999; Harter et al, 2002) In making use of such literature, evaluate whether or not and to what degree it either supports or contradict the research question. AIM: To assess how and to what extent (positive or negative) the managed change and transformed workplace has affected employee’s health and wellbeing and to assist in the development of baseline data for further analysis and evaluation in regards to the efficacy of targeted wellbeing interventions. OBJECTIVES. Review literature in regards to ‘New ways of working’ and organisational change (Both the NHS NOMS) and its impact on health and well-being. To determine the survey model content. Develop, implement and analyse a staff health and wellbeing survey tool based on objective. Survey undertaken using survey monkey / paper, complete anonymity, distributed across all staff. 2 principal pay-band groups within the organisation, that of paybands 1-4 and 5-10 to ensure anonymity, and in the use of incident data, such as organisational sickness absence data. Identify if the impact of the transformed Workplace regimes has affected absence. All absence data will be provided by HR and will be anonymous and generalised by specific factors prior to inclusion in the study, i.e. type of absence or organisational demography (operational and non operational staff). Permission for use of the data has been given. Methodology Survey: Background The aim of this research and the Health and Wellbeing survey is to identify and understand the respondent’s perceptions as a consequence of the transition to and impact of the â€Å"Our New Way†, the new operating model adopted by the NOMS agency, as part of the strategic plan to create a modern cost efficient publically owned prison service. To better understand this transition, and also as part of literature review, a review was completed of similar research of another government organisation that had completed a similar transition, that of the NHS (Hyde et al, 2005; Van Stolk et al, 2009). Making the use of tools such case studies that have looked into the impact upon well-being within the workplace (Danna Griffin, 1999; Harter et al, 2002; Van Stolk et al, 2009); the methodology used in research (Thirlaway et al, 2012) at Cardiff Metropolitan University and also the Survey development model developed by RAND(Europe) (Van Stolk et al, 2009 p. 3) will assist in the development, piloting and analysis of a survey tool. Survey: Aim The aim of this survey is, as part of the evaluation of the consequences of organisational change was to provide a question set, based upon the new operating model ‘our new way’. Furthermore, based upon responses to questions posed, perform an analysis of the responses in regards to their physical and mental health and well-being, during and post transition to the new operating model. Using a structured model of questions, that of the ‘Likert 5-point Scale’ that ranges from strongly Agree to Strongly disagree, this will enable the research to gauge perception both positive and negative in regards to an individuals’ wellbeing following a period of sustained change and transformation. Survey: Structure The design and format of this survey was set out to gauge the views and perceptions of the Prison Service Staff, both generally and specifically in relation to the workplace, the transition to the new operating model. The Survey comprises and is composed of 3 specific elements; Element 1: Demographic Data Element 2: Questions Exploring the impact of the ‘new way’ of working, managing and delivering; on the employee’s physical and mental well-being and also engagement and communication Element 3: An open-ended question exploring additional perceptions and feelings from staff that have experienced the transition to ‘our new way’. Element 1: Demographic Data Element 1 provides demographic data, that of personal information (i.e. Age gender pay-band), providing evidence that the responders, are both anonymous and a ‘cross-section’ of employee’s within the organisation Element 2: Exploring the impact of the new operating model; ‘Our New Way’ Element 2 seeks to determine respondents response in regards to the new ways of: Working, Managing and Delivering (Independent Variables) and how following the transition to a new operating model, how the transition has impacted upon not only an employee’s, physical and mental well-being, but also the impact upon organisational engagement (Dependent Variables) (Figure 04; below). (Figure 04: Survey question breakdown based upon Dependent Variables) Element 3: Opened ended question to explore respondent feelings and perceptions of the transition to the new operating model Element 3 seeks to determine respondents response through an open ended question, to explore and evaluate how the transition to the new operating model, has affected each specific respondent and has impacted upon their Physical and Mental Health and Well-being. Survey: Development Making use of the method and model developed by RAND (Europe) (Van Stolk et al, 2009) the survey was designed, working in conjunction with both Cardiff Metropolitan University; NOMS: H.R. Directorate and also Stakeholders within the Prison Service at HMP Exeter, up to and including the Governing Governor; using 5 specific stages; from the inter-partnership creation of the prototype survey models, to the initial tests, through to the Survey deployment, completion and analysis (Figure 05 below). Survey Stage 1: The successful creation of the Health and Well-being Survey was as a result of working in close partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, the NOMS Human Resources’ Directorate and also with Senior Management Organisational Stakeholders from both NOMS and also HMP Exeter. The creation of question a set was based upon the framework of transformation, the delivery model and documents of the new operating model; â€Å"Our New Way†. This included specific and directed approaches in the creating of the questions posed. It was essential that the questions were concise and simple to understand, to make them complex to understand, could lead to erroneous responses due to limited or misunderstanding of the question. From this perspective the experience from both NOMS Human Resource Directorate and Cardiff Metropolitan University was essential. Survey Stage 2: Partnership Survey Review This stage, involved testing the questions, for at this stage it was essential to ensure that through an ongoing process that the survey questions were neither too complicated, nor too vague. Key to this approach was open, consistent advice and guidance upon how the questions could be interpreted and would be understood. Survey Stage 3: Limited Pilot Test The aim of this stage was to undertake a limited implementation pilot test of the survey, to ensure that not only that the responders would understand the questions posed, but also to test the hyperlink access the survey. The design, hyperlink accessibility and the analysis of the results, was undertaken by the NOMS H.R. directorate, via Survey-monkey. In terms of the launch vehicle it was identified that, the initial launch would be within a single establishment within the NOMS organisation that we would be able to make use of a global email as a platform from which the links to the survey could be used. Furthermore the option of the internal Intranet was also considered, if as an avenue of further research, the Survey was to be deployed within all of the establishments within the NOMS agency. Survey Stage 4: Launch and Deployment of the Health and Well-being Survey Following the successful controlled test of the completed survey model, that included the survey access via the launch vehicle, that of the global email platform. The email was sent to all staff within the single survey area, that is a single establishment, that of HMP Exeter. To facilitate manage, monitor and control the survey, a single partner, (the NOMS H.R. Directorate) managed the survey tool following its successful launch. This included keeping the partners informed as to the level of responders that had accessed the survey throughout the duration of the Survey period. Having a single point of management of the survey also enabled us to deal with effectively any unforeseen technical issues, if required. Survey: Duration The Survey was launched via a Global Email platform on 27th January 2014, and closed at Midnight on 16th February 2014. Survey: Eligibility Criteria The eligibility criteria for the completion of the Survey will be those that are directly employed by the HM Prison Service, specifically employed at HMP Exeter, and fall within 2 specific pay-band groups, that of pay band 1-4 and pay band 5-10. Which reflect those employed that have some management role and duties (pay band 5-10) and those that undertake roles and responsibilities that deal with offenders either directly or indirectly. The sample size is approx 260 staff members, with an anticipated response rate of approximately 25%, which will ensure that we have a broad sample across the organisation. Survey: Completion This Survey Model in the determining the impact of â€Å"New Ways of Working† (Dependent Variables) upon physical, mental well-being and organisational Engagement and would take approx 20 minutes to complete. Results At the closure of the Survey Completion window, 86 respondents had completed the Survey, a number that represented approximately 20% of the directly employed workforce within a Single site; HMP Exeter. Though only a small sample group; as a representative group, given the ‘demographic’ questions posed (Age, Gender, Length of Service, Pay-band) it is considered, to be sufficient to provide an accurate analysis. To illustrate how the number of respondents are considered to be ‘representative’, Figures 06–Fig 09 (below) provides not only details of the demographic data of the respondents, but also in regards to this data how they compare to the same demographics within the Establishment as a whole

Dengue Fever and the Immune System

Dengue Fever and the Immune System Dengue virus cause variable range of dengue shock syndrome with fatal dengue varies from undifferentiated. Because of the increasing incidence and geographical distribution of dengue in the past 50 years, dengue has become increasingly recognized as one of the main infectious diseases in the world. This research will study the aspects of immune system and dengue. Also offers the importance of dengue virus infection and discusses the current knowledge of dengue fever. Dengue is a disease caused by a mosquito of dengue virus. In the last century, the dengue goes up in severity of illness and the geographical distribution is now the most common infections of human Arthropod-borne viruses in the subtropical and subtropical regions of the world. Dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries around the world. It causes nearly 50 to 100 million cases per year, including 250,000 to 500,000 dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. World Health Organization reveal that the two fifth of world population is at a threat of dengue virus infection. It was stressed that globalization and climate change has a major impact on the emergence of dengue virus in new areas. Dengue is also a major economic burden on affected areas, with annual cost estimated at several billion dollars. Since there is no vaccine against dengue virus, is the primary means of preventing diseases targeting mosquito vectors and to break the cycle of transmission. This requires a large and well-organized, as well as financing of intervention programmes. Although there are programmes in countries affected, in Sri Lanka, which is currently in service in disease vector control strategies were not sufficient to combat dengue. New tools and novel approach are therefore urgently needed. The incubation period of dengue is around four days. A person about to reduce fever and to provide occasional macular or maculopapular rash. It was difficult to distinguish dengue viral diseases, person usually recovers 5 days. In the most serious cases, fever and rash are accompanied by headache, ritrorbital pain, myalgia, back pain, sore throat and abdominal pain. Becoming lethargic patients suffering from anorexia and nausea. The DHF as dengue hemorrhagic fever has similar incubation period and number same symptoms. However, the fever is more severe and the tiredness and lethargy more extreme. The patient may increase vascular permeability and abnormal balance. This can cause the individual to reduce the volume of blood, leading to low blood pressure and go in dengue shock syndrome (DSS) and die. Dengue virus infection continues to present a major and escalating global public health problem. Fight against vectors of the programs have been largely unsuccessful or local benefits in the short term only and therefore will continue to develop the vaccine is likely to be the most effective control strategy. Diseases of infection by the dengue and participation apparent protective immune response and disease has proven to be complex and difficult to understand and therefore required more research on these subjects. It is recognized that important steps to accelerate the dengue fever vaccine established an international network of centers for the clinical trial. Evaluation of vaccine experimentation is time-consuming and therefore you should not stop this process by theoretical considerations. Then only will be an initiative of the dengue vaccine in children in a position to assess the effectiveness of a variety of weapons to use in the fight against dengue. 1.0 Introduction Dengue fever is a disease caused by virus which is carried by mosquitoes. Then, these mosquitoes transmit the virus to humans. The virus that causes dengue fever has called an arbovirus, which is the short form for viruses transmitted by arthropods. Mosquitoes are arthropod type insects. Mosquitoes transmit this virus and responsible for passing it along to humans in a several areas. These countries include the Far East, Middle East, Africa, the Islands Caribbean and countries of Asia such as the India, Sri Lanka and the Thailand. In these areas, Arboviruses of dengue fever is widespread, which means that the virus naturally and repeatedly and repeatedly lives at those countries (1). To understand how the dengue fever is transmitted, several conditions must be defined. The meaning of the word host is an animal or human that can be affected with a particular disease. The meaning of the word vector is a body that can carry a particular virus causing agent such as a virus or bacteria with no actually develop the disease. The vector can then go by the virus or bacteria to a new host (2), (3). Most common diseases include the cold, many viral causes of diarrhea and flu or the influenza spread because the viruses that cause these diseases can be transmitted directly from one person to another. However, dengue fever cannot be transmitted directly from one person infected with another. The dengue virus must need an intermediate vector, a mosquito which takes the virus from one host to one more. The mosquito that takes the Arboviruses, reliable for dengue fever is the similar kind of mosquitoes that can transmit other diseases such as yellow fever. This mosquito is named as Aedes egypti. The more often victims are children less than 10 years (4). 2.0 Dengue Viral Infection When a person feeds by an infected mosquito, it injected dengue virus in the bloodstream. The virus infects close to skin cells called keratinocytes the most common type in skin cells. The dengue virus has also infected and reproduced within a specialized immune cell in the skin, a dendritic cell type called a Langerhans cell (5). Langerhans cells detect the pathogenic invaders and display molecules from the pathogens known as Antigen, on their surface. Langerhans cells then pass through to the lymph nodes and warn the immune system to prompt immune response as a pathogen inside the body. Lymph nodes are small organs that placed all the way through body, linked by vessels that form a set of connections named as lymphatic system (6). Lymph nodes are located in the body to help the fight against infection of immune cells. 3.0 The immune response When a pathogen as dengue virus invades the human body, the body to defend itself by defense of the body against pathogenic invaders is the immune system, which consists of two parts. First part is called as the innate immune system and it provides the body with urgent and regular defense to any pathogen that invading. The innate immune responses quickly identify and react against to pathogens. However it doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t afford a person with immunity in the long term against an invasion of pathogens. Second part of the immune system called as the adaptive immune system generates cells that target more precisely and effectively towards pathogens and affected cells. The cells created by the Adaptive immune system consist of some B cells secreting antibodies and cytotoxic t cells. Immunoglobulin or Ig antibodies concealed by the cells B specially recognize and attach to foreign molecules. Cytotoxic T cells kill cells that are affected with pathogens. Adaptive immune system spends much time to react pathogens that invades the innate immune response (7), (8), but it is a person with immunity against a pathogen in long term. 4.0 Dengue Virus Tricks the immune system When the dengue virus infected mosquito bites the skin of the person, then the person also becomes a dengue infected. The dengue virus infects Langerhans cells, a type of dendritic cells in the skin. Infected cells of Langerhans produce interferons can help to limit the continued spread of the infection. Other infected cells to travel to the lymph nodes carrying viruses that infect more cells of Langerhans. Viremia is resulted by the spread of dengue virus when the high level of bloodstream affected. In order to fight against infection, the immune system construct antibodies to defuse the virus particles of dengue and the complement system is enabled for antibodies and white blood cells to get rid of virus. The immune response also consists of cytotoxic T cells also called as lymphocytes that identify and destroy infected cells. Langerhans cells once infected by dengue virus, they travel on the site of the infection of the skin to lymph nodes. The immune system responds to Infected Langerhans cells are viral antigens of dengue fever on their surface, which enables the innate immune response in alerting the two types of white blood cells called macrophages and monocytes that fight against the virus. In general, monocytes and macrophages consume and wipe out pathogens. But as an alternative of destroying the dengue virus, both of white blood cell types are pointed and infected from the virus. Dengue virus tricks the immune system to circumvent the protection and affect more cells (9). As the affected monocytes and macrophages to go through the lymphatic system, the dengue virus spreads all the way through the body. Throughout his trip, the dengue virus infects lots of cells, including lymph nodes and bone marrow macrophages of the spleen, liver and blood monocytes. Widening and the spread in the outcome of vir us Viremia is a situation in which there the bloodstream contains a high level of dengue virus. Mainly there are four different tensions of dengue virus. These strains are very similar, therefore the immune system recognizes all after seeing one. But the recognition is not protection. Each T cells of humans are automatically identified a specific model or an Antigen. In the first viral infection will be captured and processed by the above mentioned antigen presenting cells. These viruses will be open to T cells forcing them to become activated. And even the B cells will meet their floating free Antigen and make active. B cells create antibodies. They are used to tag the virus to encourage their uptake by macrophages called as opsonisation and inactivate them (10). The first infection is identified as dengue fever and lasted 6 or 7 days (11). Its symptoms closely look like as a severe flu. Most people get over it with no incident. If one person become affected from fever again things could leave in the wrong. Four types of dengue strains that all are extremely similar. If you are infected with a dissimilar strain that you met the first time, you contract dengue hemorrhagic fever. The reason for happening this is it turns out that the first infection antibodies attach to virus particles but not inactivate them. The strains are dissimilar enough to stay active in the existence of antibodies against another strain. These are called non neutralizing antibodies. These antibodies will always result in the opsonization if the Macrophages are readily transmittable virus. These speeds up the course on a point infection such as hemorrhagic symptoms are observed. It is one of those interesting times where our immune system not succeeds us. If people were vaccinated for dengue and if someone missed one out of those four vaccines has been inactivated by the improper storage, they would be very susceptible to dengue hemorrhagic fever. 5.0 Immune system Defeats the Dengue Virus Although the dengue virus has trapped immune system to infect cells and widen all the way through the body, the immune system contain further protection against the virus. Infected cells produce and release the tiny proteins named as interferons that are part of a huge collection of proteins named as cytokines. Interferons have the capability to interfere with viral replication and they activate the innate and adaptive immune defenses. They help the immune system recognizes cells infected by dengue and help protect cells not infected infection. The immune system, fight against dengue infection so the person will experience a fever (12). As the Adaptive immune response begins to fight against dengue infection, b cells produce antibodies IgM and IgG which are released into the blood and lymphatic fluid, where they specifically identify and deactivate dengue virus particles. In another immune response adaptation, killer T cells or cytotoxic T cells, recognize and kill cells infected with the dengue virus. Active innate immune response of the complement system, response that helps antibodies and white blood cells get rid of the virus. Together with the innate and adaptive immune responses defuse infection of dengue and the patient will recover from dengue (13). If there is a huge degree of virus in the bloodstream an infected person is experiencing acute dengue symptoms. As the immune response against infection by the dengue, personà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s B cells begin to create antibodies called IgM and IgG which are released into blood and the lymph fluid and then they identify and defuse the dengue virus and the viral such as dengue NS1 protein molecules (14). The immune response get rid of the virus and leading to recovery. 6.0 Secondary infections of Dengue After a dengue infection for the first time person is protected against infection with the three serotypes of dengue rest for several (2-3) months. Unfortunately, ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s not a long-term protection, and after this short time period, person can be affected with any of the three serotypes of dengue that are outstanding. Around 1960s, Dr Scott Halstead and some of his colleagues are studying in Thailand dengue virus (15), (16). They noticed that the people who had been infected to dengue virus second time had a bigger risk of severe dengue compared with who had not been infected previously. They were asking what makes a second infection of dengue, not as well as the first. In general after an infection from a pathogen, the body keeps in mind the infection for long because the cells named as memory B cells and memory T cells remain inside the body. Since they remember the first disease, memory cells can respond quickly to provide an adaptive response, when infection occurs for the second time. Memory cells can stay behind in the body for many years or even a lifetime. These memory cells help fight a second dengue infection. More often worse than the first infection second dengue infection. Halstead proposes a phenomenon called dependent improvement of antibodies to the infection to explain these observations. There are four types of dengue (serotypes), but the cells of memory do the immunity against reinfection by serotype of dengue fever that caused the first infection. When a person is infected with a second dengue serotype, Halstead suggested that antibodies to the first infection actually help spread of dengue virus infection and increase the amount of virus in the blood, Viremia. This phenomenon can also occur in children who received antibodies against dengue of their mother while in the uterus. Curiously, rather than destroy the virus, existing antibody and the antibody newly produced by the memory can of b cells actually help the virus infected host cells more effectively. Ironically, the consequence of dependent development of antibodies is the response of the immune system in fact makes the clinical symptoms of the dengue fever situation and raises the risk o f serious diseases of dengue. In a second dengue infection cytotoxic T produced by the immune system cells provide only partial immunity against the new serotype of dengue (17). Cytotoxic T cells are not responsible for effectively remove the virus from the body and they issue some excess amounts of molecules named as cytokines. In general quantities and cytokines help out the immune response. Though in large quantities, cytokines may produce severe inflammation and tissue such as capillary leak; eventually contribute to the development of serious diseases of dengue. 7.0 Factors That Contribute to Severe Dengue Infections Prevention of dengue fever means reducing the mosquito population. Any resources of standing water such as buckets, vases, etc. where the mosquitoes can breed must be eradicated. Mosquito repellant is suggested for those areas where dengue fever is widespread. To help break the cycle of spread, sick patients those who are suffered from the dengue fever must be placed in bed net, then the mosquitoes cannot bite them so that they wonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t become arboviral vectors (18). Became the prevention and the fight against dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever and urgent distribution of geographic expansion and increase the spread of the disease over the last 20 years. Unfortunately, the tools available to prevent dengue are very less. There is a no any vaccine invented yet, and the limited option available to fight against mosquitoes. Clearly, the emphasis should be on prevention of the disease, and if the trend emerging diseases must be reversed (19). If the effective prevention of the disease and several integrated components, including active laboratory surveillance and emergency response and medical community education to guarantee successful management of the situation, mosquitoes community integrated pest and use of effective vaccines when available Disease Control active is an important part of prevention program against dengue. In addition to monitoring secular trends, the purpose of monitoring should be to give warning or predictive capability for the transfer of the epidemic, and the reason is that if you cannot predict epidemics can be avoided by starting by fighting against mosquitoes emergency. For the prediction of epidemics, health authorities and should be able to precisely control the transfer of dengue virus in the community and be able to say at any time that the virus is transmitted virus serotypes rotation and related this kind of disease with dengue infection. To do this, the system must be on site. 8.0 Causes and symptoms Dengue fever can caused when a mosquito bites a human carrying the Arboviruses and transmit the virus to a new host. When the live virus inside body, it moves to various parts where it crashed. The virus is able to then go through the bloodstream. The existence of the virus within the blood vessels causes modifications to these blood vessels. The vessels enlarge and blood leak through the vessels. The spleen and lymph nodes become swollen. A procedure called disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) happens, where chemicals relevant for clotting are used up and it will guided to severe bleeding which is called as hemorrhage. When the virus has been spread to the human host, happens a period of incubation. During this time it last approximately five to eight days, the virus multiplies. The signs of the disease come out at once and consist of headache, high fever, chills, eye pain, lymph nodes swollen, red eyes, back pain, red hunting in the face, extreme weakness and severe pain in the limbs and joints (20). This early duration of the disease is about 2-3 days and after this duration, fever decreases rapidly, and the patient sweats strongly. After about a day to feel relatively well, the patient temperature increases again, but not as much as the first time. Begins a rash of small red bumps on arms and legs, spread to the chest and abdomen. It hardly ever affects the face. The palms and the soles of hands and feets swollen and turn bright red. The combination of characteristic of fever, rash and headaches are named as the dengue triad. Many people get well completely from dengue fever, even if the weakness and fatigue may last numerous weeks. When a person has been suffered by dengue fever, his immune system guards produce for about a year cells that prevent reinfection from dengue virus (21). More serious diseases can occur in some people. These persons may meet with dengue fever for the first time. Anyway, in some situations, that a person may have already had dengue recovered at a time and then is re-infected with the virus. In these cases, the infection first guides the immune system to identify the attendance of the Arboviruses. When the immune cells the virus infections later, the immune system reacts. These types of disease called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) (22), engage more strict symptoms. Fever and headache are the opening symptoms, but signs of dengue fever are not present. The patient improves a cough go after by the appearance of small purple patches named as petechiae on the skin. The petechiae are areas where the blood is leaking from the ships. Large areas bruises appear as the getting worse bleeding and abdominal pain can be strict. The patient may starts to vomit a material that is similar to coffee. It is actually a si gn of hemorrhage in the stomach (23). As the blood vessels turn into more injured, they escape more and carry on increasing in diameter called as dilation, causing a decrease in blood flow to the body tissues. This condition of reducing the blood flow is called as shock. Shock can cause damage to the organs of the body especially the heart and kidneys, because the low blood flow deprived oxygen (24). 9.0 Diagnosis Diagnosis should be detected in native areas each time that a high fever continues for 2-7 days, especially if go together with by a ability to hemorrhage. The signs of shock should suggest the development of the disease to the dengue. There are several types of Arboviruses but one of them causing dengue fever that can be isolated from the blood serum (25), (26). The serum is the fluid that the blood cells are floating. Serum can be verified because the phase in which the virus moves into the bloodstream is longer in DF than in other arbovirus diseases. Numerous tests are used to find reactions between the serum of the patient and antibodies produced in the laboratory. Antibodies are particular cells that identify the markers or antigens present on the attack of the body. During these tests, the antibodies are mixed with a sample of the patient serum. Health care workers and then looks for reactions that would occur only if the virus antigens are present in the serum (27). 10.0 New diagnostic technology In recent years, he has developed several new methods of diagnosis and has proved very useful in the diagnosis of dengue. After reviewing this issue in depth over the past. Here follows a brief description of the various methods below. 10.1 PCR Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was build up for numeral RNA viruses in recent years and possible to modernize laboratory diagnosis of dengue (28). RT-PCR provides a rapid diagnosis specific serum. This method is fast, simple, sensitive and reproducible if handled properly it can be used to discover viral RNA in human clinical specimens and autopsy tissues, or mosquitoes. There were number of methods developed involving primers genome in different places and different methods to detect RT-PCR products in recent years (29). 10.2 Immunohistochemistry A major problem in the laboratory diagnosis of dengue confirmation of fatal cases. Only one sample is obtained serum and serological tests of limited value. In addition, most patients die at the same time or shortly after defervescence as the virus isolation is difficult (30). With novel techniques of building, it is now possible to detect antigens of dengue viruses in a variety of tissues. 11.0 Treatment No treatments are available to reduce the course of dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. Drugs to reduce fever and decrease muscle pain and headache pain (31). Fluids are given through a needle into a vein to prevent dewatering. Blood transfusion may be necessary if serious bleeding happens. Oxygen should be given to shocked patients (29). 12.0 Conclusion The immune system is the bodys defense against viruses dengue Home. When a person is infected with the dengue, response to innate and adaptive immune system to join forces to fight against the virus. B cells create antibodies which specifically identify and defuse foreign particles and viral cytotoxic T cells to recognize and destroy cells that are infected by the dengue virus. For people who can develop later with another type of dengue virus experience called antibody based on the promotion. This situation occurs when the immune response leads one clinical symptoms of dengue worse, which increases the risk of severe dengue.

Science: Friend or Foe? Essays -- Argumentative Persuasive Scientific

Science: Friend or Foe? Science, a field of study featuring a relentless stream of change and advancements, is widely viewed as both the scourge and savior of the modern world. It is true that science offers solutions to many problems, suggesting greater convenience, technological improvement, and longer, healthier lives. Still, science is far from perfect, a point that many critics are eager to vocalize. Science has been blamed for invoking fear, reaching inadequate results, and supporting the most immoral of studies. Clearly, the opinions and perceptions that people have toward science play the largest part in this complex love-hate relationship. Mary Shelley and J. Michael Bishop have a tremendous amount to say about this conflict amongst people, and they furthermore predict where science will take the world in the future. Society cannot escape from its dependence upon science. It is worth noticing that nearly every aspect of an individual's life is affected by science in some form or another. The technology people utilize, the hospitals they attend, and the lives they lead are immersed with scientific findings, advancements, and mastery. Most individuals gladly accept these various advancements to their lives; appreciating their convenience and usefulness, society does not consistently look down upon the fruit which science has born. Regardless of these facts, the reputation of science in today's world is not one of flagrant and unrelenting praise (237). In fact, science has been referred to with many angry expressions, including "socially constructed fictions" and "useful myths" (238). The question must be asked, then, as to why science has been the target of severe scrutiny. J. Michael Bishop, leading a ... ...e to aspire (234). Shelley's Frankenstein is indeed a reminder; her tale suggests that the ends must justify the means, and furthermore that the ends must be wanted in the first place. In a world where scientific advancement seems inevitable and happens everyday, it is clear that there will be no clean end to this complex argument any time soon. The best strategy is to both recognize the good and the bad, the successes and failures, and hope that people's hearts guide them towards the right answers to life's most difficult moral questions. Works Cited Bishop, J. Michael. "Enemies of Promise." The Presence of Others. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 237-242. Shelley, Mary. "Frankenstein." The Presence of Others. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 231-235.

Digital Age Essays -- Essays Papers

Digital Age Looking back in the past several years, we can see that technology has contributed an important role in our society nowadays. It changes the way people work, the way people live, and also the way people treat each other. Knowing the important of the development of technology, scientists and engineers are constantly inventing and exploring the world of technology to build a better society for everybody. Can you imagine your life with technology in the next thirty years? Do you prefer to work at the office and chat with your co-worker face to face or just stay home, transfer files to your computers and chat with your co-worker through the web camera from home? Do you prefer to have a little chip implanted in your body, so your family will easily find you? Or do you prefer to have a private life, so nobody will know where you are or what you do? I can see clearly the heat of the discussion right now in every student in the CSC 4735 - Computers Societies and Ethics teach by instructor John Clark at University of Colorado - Denver lately. Some choose the new technology and some against it totally. It rises to the question that whether technology will improve the life of everybody or just makes it worst. A little chip implanted in your body will make you feel safer or make you feel less privacy? Participating in the discussion room in class, reading the article "Only disconnect, A taste of life in 2033" from the Economist print edition on January 23rd, 2003, and skipping through lots of frequently ask question about life with new technology, I myself believe that the exposed of digital technology in the near future will change the ethical, moral, and legal issues in every human being. ... ...iew. With the advantage of the digital world, women will have more opportunity in life and participate in her favorite clubs. If she have the chance to hang out with her husband and her kids in the real world, her relationship and the bond between her children and she will be better. Also, if Dick stop worrying about his privacy life, his life will be better since he did not do anything wrong. Anyway, what does your life look like in the next 30 years? WORKS CITED 1. "Only Disconnect, A Taste of Life in 2033" http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1534295 2. "Now Digital, Spy Camera Technology Widens Gaze" - Laurie J. Flynn http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/21/technology/21CAME.html 3. "Technology to Meld Chips into Humans Draws Closer" - Paul Eng http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/chipimplant020225.html

Comparison of the poems Half-caste and Not My Business Essay

John Agard and Niyi Osundare have both written poems that protest about events or attitudes of people. Agard is From the Caribbean where the population is made up of people from lots of different races. Therefore he is used to being around people of mixed race and will know from first hand experience how horrible it can be to be called only half a person. Osundare has got a good point to make here which is that if people see something going on that is wrong but does not directly involve them, they should do what they can to stop the wrong doing rather than leave it as it may well be them someday and there could be no one to save them. You never know. The first poem is about the term ‘Half-Caste’ which the poet: John Agard, objects to as he thinks that it makes us think of people of mixed race as only half a person instead of a whole person or individual. The next poem ‘Not My Business’ is about the violence used by the state authorities against the people of Nigeria. The poet: Niyi Osundare believes that you should stand up for what is right, regardless of whether it bothers you at that specific time. ‘Not My Business’ is said to echo this statement: â€Å"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me. † The statement is by ‘Pastor Martin Niemoller’ it is very much like the poem ‘Not My Business’ not only because of what is said, but also because of how it is structured. In the first three stanzas what is happening is happening to someone else, not the narrator. However in the last stanza what is happening is happening to the person in the story, either ‘I’ or the Narrator. In ‘Half-Caste’ The poet want us to realize that the term is such a stupid one and he wants the people who use it to realize this and change their attitudes towards people of mixed race. Also the structure of the poem is good as he uses humour at the beginning to catch the reader’s attention and then explains the stupidity of the term. Osundare believes that it is people’s indifference and detachment from what is going on around them that is allowing the terror to go on. The repeated phrase about what business of his is it is indented which shows a distance from what is going on or a detachment. Agard writes phonetically as to the way he would speak the poem, it is one of those poems that needs to be spoken to get the full meaning. He speaks in a patois and uses calypso rhythm and rhyme, which is an example of how English and African dialects have combined and are now a key feature of the poet’s Caribbean culture. ‘Not My Business’ uses a repeated phrase which is just saying ‘What business of mine is it’ etc. This is also indented and therefore shows distance from what is going on in the paragraph. This use of language is a good way to show this distance. This poem says a lot about people’s cultures, not only Nigeria, but people are like this all over the world, and it says a lot that people won’t stick up for what is right just so long as it does not bother them. Both of these poems had a lot to say and they have said it in a strong and down to earth kind of way. The first used humour to get people’s attention and then had a go about the term ‘Half-caste’. However the second just used three examples and then showed that a problem will get much worse if it is left and oppressive regimes are not nice things and people need to stick up and fight against them!

Vioxx Recall

IntroductionMerck, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical markets, had enjoyed a long reputation as one of drug companies that prioritize ‘ethical and socially responsible’ as their company’s main core values. They once had been recognized as â€Å"most admired company† for unbelievably seven successive years by Fortune magazine and also persistently listed as one of best companies to work for. With their flawless and honorable reputation, no wonder Merck ranked fourth in sales, fifth in assets and market values, and first in profits; where they earned $7.33 billion in 2005 (Lawrence, 2006).However, no one would have thought that someday, this company’s stability will be in questioned. That’s what happened in 2004. The company’s best-selling prescription painkiller, Vioxx turned out from a â€Å"blockbuster drug† to â€Å"blockbuster disaster† when it is believed that it increased the risk of heart attacks and st rokes. Consequently, Merck had to deal with many challenges; the plunge in the stock’s price, lawsuits, investigations and others. Until, in September 2004, Merck had to pull Vioxx off the market to focus on taking responsibilities for every trouble they have caused. This report will discuss in summary about what had happened; the behavior of  Merck towards risk associated with Vioxx, safety measures that should have been taken, the recall of Vioxx and some recommendations; which all will be explained further later on.Socially Responsible and Ethical MannerThis section will focus on the action of Merck; whether they have acted ethical and socially responsible with regard to Vioxx, and these actions will be addressed in terms of drug development and testing, marketing and advertising, relationships with government regulators and policy makers, and the handling of the recall. Also, this section will provide a few suggestions; what could or should Merck have done differently, if anything. George W. Merck, the company’s long-time CEO once said that, â€Å"We try never to forget that medicine is for the people, not for the profits. As long as we remembered that, the profits will follow; they never fail to appear†. This statement then decided to be set as their priority and guidance for every of their actions. However, did they really have acted ethical and socially responsible towards this value? No, they’re not. Why?Drug Development and TestingLet’s take a look at the situation first. Back in the old days; before the drug was approved, there are some doubt on the safety of prescribing Vioxx. Although it is still in the early stage, research made by Merck scientist suggests that there are high cardiovascular risks associated with the prescription of Vioxx. This was confirmed as stated in an e-mail by Dr. Alise Reicin (one of the Merck scientists), according to The Wall Street Journal. In the e-mail, she expressed her concerns in the possibility of cardiovascular events prior to prescribing Vioxx.She also had planned to communicate those results to her senior management; however, nothing’s happened. In 2000 (when Vioxx already in market), a research financed by Merck was conducted. This study; code-named VIGOR was designed to study gastrointestinal side effects by comparing it with the effects of taking naproxen (Aleve). The results of VIGOR later suggest that although Vioxx are easier on the stomach compared to naproxen, it also contribute to risks of suffering heart-attacks fives time higher.However, they denied the risks inherent in Vioxx by simply stating that the findings were in favor of the  heart-protective effect in naproxen. In 9 March 2000, Dr. Edward Scolnick; the company’s research director finally admitted the presence of cardiovascular risks inherent in Vioxx. Then, they considering to reformulate Vioxx by adding an agent to prevent blood clots (in the meantime, might reduce c ardiovascular risk), but somehow, they dropped the project. Analyzing from the situation above, clearly that Merck have not acted ethical and socially responsible in the Vioxx’s development and testing.Why? Here are the reasons. At first, if Merck already knew about Vioxx’s dangers and defects, especially in the development phase, they should never ever try to even put the drug in the market for prescription. Instead, they should finance and urge their research or scientist team to try reformulating the drug so that the harmful side effects can be removed, or at the very least, minimized. As for the results of VIGOR; where Vioxx was already there in the market, they should not denied whatever test or research that have been made and was proven to be true. Alternatively, Merck should have taken the drug off the market right then and explored other options to improve the drug. 2.2 Marketing and advertisingAs a fact, the advertising technique used by Merck and other drug companies at that time was Direct-to-Consumer (DTC). Granted by the FDA in 1997, this technique allows companies to directly advertise their prescriptions to respective target customers. To seize the opportunities, Merck then employed tens of thousands of sales representatives; mostly attractive young men and women. These people will then go to promote the drugs; often around the doctors’ offices where they will talk about the drugs and give out free sample.Aside of that, Merck also snatch the occasion by placing numerous ads on television, magazines and newspapers. One example of famous ad for Vioxx will be the ad featuring Olympic figure skating champion, Dorothy Hamill. In the ad, she slither elegantly across an outdoor ice rink, and later telling the commercial viewers that she would not let arthritis stop her. By all means, Merck did not act in an ethical manner in this term too. Why? Firstly, it does not communicate the full aspects of the products well enough; no messa ge regarding the safety precaution. This is illustrated in the Dorothy’s commercial, where the ad did not convey their message strong enough about it safety.It is afraid might exposed patients to prescribe  without having knowledge about the medicines, whether it is safe or not. Thus, what Merck could do differently is that, they should disseminate the full features about the drug, especially if the drug does inherent some risk in prescribing it. In addition; they can also convey the message simply by labeling or tag the bottle of the drug with some safety and precaution measures. In terms of DTC advertising, they should not put pressures on the doctors, because this might forced these doctors to recommend drugs that might not suitable for the patients. One way to deal with this approach is to forbid companies from giving gift or other forms of briberies in attempt to persuade doctors to bring their drugs to the attention of patients; since this is what Merck do behind the door.Relationships with government regulators and policymakersBack in the United States, the main body that regulate and conduct clinical trials to measure the safety and effectiveness’s of a drug before it can be sold to the public was the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To relate with this context, one of the reason why Merck became the leader in pharmaceutical industries is because it’s strong influence â€Å"at the top†. By lobbying, Merck and other drug companies consistently donate large sums of money to political parties, and this benefits them in terms of influence they had over some superiors, even at the FDA.The unethical actions of Merck were demonstrated during the â€Å"one-by-one† discovery of Vioxx’s bad side effects; where Merck keeps ignore the findings over and over again with various excuses. It is undisputable that such actions might be simply because those influences they thought they had over the regulators. If analyzed ca refully, their actions in handling the controversy might be influenced by the notion of â€Å"bribe† they have done over the past years; where they donate money to political parties. Thus, the act of so-called â€Å"donation† should be prohibited (fortunately, it was banned in 2003).Handling of the recallThough Merck consistently irresponsible socially and ethically in the way they dealt with the Vioxx situation, the handling of Vioxx recall from the pharmaceutical market seems to be managed appropriately and in a professional manner by Merck. On September 30, 2004, Vioxx was officially withdrawn from market associated with Merck press conference. In addition, Merck also revealed that the Vioxx issue was being investigated by the US  Justice Department, the Securities Exchange Commission and the US Congress. In this context, the only thing that Merck should have done differently is that whenever they found out any risk associated with their drugs, they shouldnâ€℠¢t wait any longer, even for one week, to withdraw their drugs out of the market.Rate of stakeholdersIn this section, the focus will be converged on the best ways to protect consumers of prescription medicines. This section also will outline what are the specific roles of stakeholders available in assuring the safety and effectiveness of prescription medicines. And by the term ‘stakeholders available’, explanation of the roles will be viewed from four perspectives of pharmaceutical companies, government regulators and policymakers, patients and their physicians and the court system.Pharmaceutical companiesNot just Merck, other pharmaceutical companies also should realize that they have a huge responsibility to ensure the safety of their respective customers, so that it can benefits themselves in return. As for Merck, who having â€Å"try to never to forget that medicine is for the people, not for the profits† as their touchstone of core values, they should have b een a better pharmaceutical companies in protecting their consumers. How? There are various ways to do so.First and foremost, and the most basic one is to remember the idea that medicines is for people, not for the profit. As long as they put people first, it is possible that customers will keep their loyalty with the company. Aside of that, companies also should realize that they are accountable to conduct more research and testing on their drugs before it can be placed in a market; so that nothing bad happened to their customers in the future. In addition, if their drugs do possess some risks in consuming it, at least put some warning or safety labels so that patients aware of that risk before prescribing it. 3.2 Government regulators and policymakersThis might be harsh, but the fact that all the problems occurred in the case of Merck and Vioxx are not just because of them alone, but the FDA too. If  FDA pays more attention, awareness and inspect on the safety of Vioxx more rigo rously, Vioxx may not be in the market at all, and thus might save people’s life. As a lesson, the following recommendations might help government to not let the same thing happened.First, drug-area regulators should ensure all new drugs that are going to be released to the public have been tested long enough and proven to be safe. In addition, all government regulators and policymakers in the field of pharmaceutical industries also should bear in mind that they have a huge responsibility in protecting the public against any harmful and risky drugs, so that they will not go easy on the companies that do not abide the law.Patients and their physiciansAside of government and pharmaceutical companies, consumers also should know their responsibility in protecting themselves against various harmful and risks associated with prescription medicines. One way to ensure the effectiveness and safety of a drug before prescribes it, is by looking for extra information about the prescripti on medicines. Consumers can do that by asking for opinion from their physicians and other experts, or even by accessing Internet. This way, patients will have the knowledge whether the drugs is harmful or not. On the other hand, physicians should be more aware against any types of bribes and kept in mind to avoid it no matter what, and be more honest to their patients to guide them about the safety of prescription medicines.The court systemTo protect consumers of prescription medicines, what the court system can do is to be more strict in the jurisdiction against any company that do not abide the law in assuring the safety of drugs, and zero tolerance with those who attempt to involve in briberies.Suggestion for ImprovementsPrior to this case study, it can be said that the main reasons why there are so many risky and harmful drugs in market are because the pressures put on the FDA to approve new drugs faster by consumers and drug companies alike. This led the FDA to sometimes overlo ok the risk and safety of certain drugs because of the pressure to meet the demands for these medicines. In this context, one of the changes that can be made is the FDA should extend the  time of approval of new drugs so that any necessary research can be made. This thus led to a better knowledge about the safety of the drugs before it can be sold into a market.Aside of that, DTC advertising system also need to be monitored continuously so that any acts of bribe such as gift, donation, etc. can be avoided. Lastly, it is suggested that all present system that regulates the law and policy of pharmaceutical industries to put some restrictions and even punishment for those companies that simply do not comply with the standards set.ConclusionThrough the case study, it can be said that Merck was indeed a successful company in their time. Although their low-point period was kept â€Å"in the eye of the storm† more than whatever success, honors, and recognition they did achieved be fore, Merck should be more appreciated for whatever great things that they have done in the past years. If only Merck do patience a little bit and not to rush with the introduction of Vioxx; instead they spent a longer time in minimizing the risks inherent in Vioxx to a much more safer, it is possible that Merck might continue to be one of the most successful company in today’s world.Unfortunately, the past cannot be changed. What was left for Merck now is to build back their image, but it’s all depends on the company itself. Should or shouldn’t they? Of course they should. Everybody deserved a second chance. Yes, Merck did not act socially and in ethical manner before, but if they do get back to do what they were used to do; of course, without all those illegal and immoral behavior, comeback sure to follow.