Chile Case Analysis Essay

Introduction The Multi-Product Chile case showed all the characteristics of a decision case. At the end of the case, Mr. Thompson, the new manager, had to face with a decision whether or not continuing with the changes started by the company. Therefore, we approached at the case with a decisive standpoint. 1. What are the specific problems & issues facing the company? Managers organization structure chart shows that the work distribution could not be done well. There are too many managers and this might lead to a very high individual competition. The working structure of the company does not promote teamwork, each division is working individually and the staff is not working as a team and this decreases the effectiveness of the compensation system, which has also been held as an individual activity. Another major issue is the lack of trust on each other, caused mainly by cultural aspects that lead the employees to be more individual: everyone is only interested in themselves, not in the area they work in. Sales representatives are only interested on the product they are specifically selling and that causes differences with what the clients are looking for. Therefore, the company struggles to accept changes happening right now. 2. How do you evaluate the approach the firm has taken so far? Multi-Products Chile has tried to keep up with the new trends in the market by meeting the new and constantly evolving customer’s needs. Before Thompson’s arrival, the Key Accounts review and Integrated Solutions program were already been launched. The new identification of company’s Key Accounts as a strategic relationship with the customers was aimed to create a long-term competitive advantage for the firm and creating new benefits for the clients. Integrated Solutions meant a completely different approach in the relationship with the customers: the sales representatives focused their efforts from one product and many clients to one client and a different set of products. The role of the sales representative had to evolve becoming a â€Å"consultant† for the customer. The issue of Chilean cultural barriers to overcome, in order change their sales policy, was not an easy one. They are a closed culture and the mentioned lack of trust that emerged between the co-workers represented an issue in the team working approach required by the transition to an integrated sales model. In our view the firm has moved in the right direction. Even though the sales were doing well with no sign of a crisis, the profit margin was decreasing. The customers were asking for a different kind of service and, in order to be competitive in the future and coherent with the innovative spirit of the firm, a step forward was necessary. Meet the customer needs is the key to success and now the big challenge is trying to align the approach with the Chilean culture. Moving from a traditional selling model to an integrated also represented an opportunity to align their strategy with all the other Multi-Products branches all over the world. 3. What actions should the firm take going forward? From an integrated solutions model standpoint, every single employee should be on the same page in terms of team motivation, company coherence, and content on the multi-products structure. This innovative model from the traditional business model has a lack of adaptability in the Chilean culture because the company’s implementation isn’t in its full effect. Therefore, a change in a more streamlined and lean management structure that coincides with the integrated sales model, which could be tweaked according to the Chilean culture, could be the way forward, especially when the profit margin  is decreasing where the times of culture adaptability change are needed. The fact that the Chileans are â€Å"workaholics,† and they are dedicated, in turning their dedication to a team oriented strategy could suffice for the â€Å"one voice, one face, one company,† as part of their integrated solutions model. The incentive structure could be tweaked as well for sales representatives, where a higher commission and bonus model for higher sales in effect could boost the company’s performance. If this is streamlined, this could be the factor increase in the company’s market share from a low profit margin. Due to the fact that Chileans are naturally competitive work oriented people, an innovative competition structure that is internal and fun could be established whereby, workers motivate themselves to beat each other, which could overall beat the benchmark targets for the sales and marketing segment in the integrated solutions model. In going forward, merging the integrated solutions model, key accounts and the Chilean culture norms, mores and values of their work standards, where the team as whole could leverage their core strengths in competition, hard work with their sales representatives, could be their main factor advantage in the market. 4. What are the key supply chain(s) links in this case? How might the supply/value chain be used as an analytical framework for understanding the organizational and managerial challenges facing the company? This case shows different key actors of the supply chain. Starting with the initial inventory with its way of procurement. Then, they explain the way they deliver their products, which is via truck shipment mostly. The new sale solution they are implementing affects the way they will manage their orders. Adding more services in the process, as customer will need advices. Its overall way of retail is challenged in this case, aside from facing an overhaul in the sales division; its supply chain has to be adapted to answer the new needs. The company will need to pivot from a push production to a pull production. Hence, most of the supply chain is affected. This is the main organizational challenge, because every aspect of their current supply chain will have to change. They want to reach the next level, going from a simple offering of products to a retailer of solutions, as mentioned earlier. For the supply chain, that means, more reactivity and flexibility. Several layer tools needs to be implemented. They should apply a just in time production, meaning that they will have, at least, to use the lean manufacturing to eliminate the wastes in their production. They will work with smaller trucks to sale more often. A reduction of their waste in the manufacturing process, and the pace they can change their production should be as low as it can. Its sales people need to learn how to work together, but the top management needs to be on the same page regarding this project, everything will start with their support. And it’s a real mistake that they still have people openly doubting the overall at this point of the process. The challenge would be to rally those executives. Then create an atmosphere where collaboration is valued and useful. The entire success of this overall relies on the way people can adapt to it. And it won’t be easy regarding the social value that Chile people developed. The organizational side is important, but should not be the main focus, as it is motioned in the case that they are still delivering in time their products. But keeping these changes in mind is important for the long term, which is also a switch in the company’s culture. 5. How have STEEPLE factors impacted the company? The social aspect of Chile has a direct impact on our company, as people in Chile are workaholics where they are more focused on individual goals than the company’s goal. The use of incentives to individual sale representatives will help increase the sales but this will again drive them towards their own individual goals. Technological innovation helps us in deriving 30 percent of sales. There is potential in the market but the economy is increasing slowly as compared to other Latin American countries. Being political stable since last 10 years, there are legal issues regarding regulation and standards while dealing with other countries. Conclusion To conclude, the wisest option for Thompson is to continue the overhaul of the company’s management and organizational systems. Because Multi-product Chile is at a critical point where it has to adapt in order to stay  competitive. Even if the project faces difficulties, it has to be achieved. The main factor for success, aside from the technical parts, would be to rally the employee towards this project. Starting with the executive, this is inconceivable that they are still facing trust issue from the managers at this point of the project. Regarding the technical part, in order to be able to deliver according to the new standards, they will have to switch their production from a push production to a pull production. We would recommend starting with the basic tools of the lean manufacturing.

Willy Loman and Gatsby Comparison

His mall Idea was to obtain the â€Å"girl of his dreams† alongside this, but ended with either as he took a ferocious ride to his own self-destruction. Wily, In contrast, was able to accomplish the envious American Dream, but was far too ambitious to notice. When Wily decides he wants to search for his father with his brother Ben, he met Dave Signalman who essentially changes his inure future. In order to make a sale all he had to do was â€Å"pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room, he made his living†¦ (Miller, pop 1. After seeing how successful he was, Wily totally reconsiders his original decision of going to Alaska, and Instead, became a legman which marks the beginning of his downfall. Both characters prove to be very lacking in moral sense. Jay Gatsby only motivation for becoming rich was to win Daisy back. Gatsby threw exuberant parties and lies about his background just to prove his worthiness to Daisy. â€Å"There was music fr om my neighbor's house through the summer nights.In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and he champagne and the stars†¦ † (Fitzgerald, pop). In Will's case, after arriving home from â€Å"work†, he boasts about his sales, despite it being blatant lies Just to impress his family. If old man Wagner was still alive I'd a been in charge of New York now. † (Miller, pa). This quote truly shows how far Wily has fallen, as it could not be further from the truth. The biggest factor that separates the two characters is their lifestyle and financial situation.Gatsby lives his life in an astonishing fashion, with the ability to buy anything anyone could ever desire. Inhabiting a giant mansion on the lakefront property of West Egg, it is very easy to envy Gatsby and the money he possesses. In contrast, Wily Loan lives a life very few would envy. With financial troubles throughout, Wily Loan has extreme rubles providing for his fa mily. Despite leading very divergent lifestyles, Jay Gatsby and Wily Loan were both amoral and caught up in the illusion of the American Dream.It is no coincidence, that at their lives conclusions, both found themselves terribly alone, even on their deathbeds. Wily Loan and Gatsby Comparison By Edgewood Gatsby hosts parties in an attempt to fit in, but his attempt is inevitably a failure as main idea was to obtain the â€Å"girl of his dreams† alongside this, but ended with neither as he took a ferocious ride to his own self-destruction. Wily, in contrast, was Dave Signalman who essentially changes his entire future.In order to make a sale all room, he made his living†¦ † (Miller, pop). After seeing how successful he was, Wily totally reconsiders his original decision of going to Alaska, and instead, became a very lacking in moral sense. Jay Gatsby only motivation for becoming rich was to win Daisy back. Gatsby threw exuberant parties and lies about his background Just to Willis case, after arriving home from â€Å"work†, he boasts about his sales, despite it new Gatsby and the money he possesses. In contrast, Wily Loan lives a life very

Gender Discriminiation

Gender Discrimination through Japanese Language Gender discrimination can be observed through many factors within a specific culture. These factors include, a person's position within the family, social class, use of language, and religious beliefs. I am going to focus on language and its cultural significance within Japanese society. By studying language, you can see the gender expectations Japanese women experience everyday. However, language can be used to identify the transformation of women throughout the changing structure of words.The language used to communicate within a culture helps us to understand why Japanese culture functions the way that it does, and how language determines the roles of a man and a woman. There exists a stereotype that Japanese women are submissive and subject to the patriarchal system. However, this was not the experience that I found. I found it interesting that many women in articles and interviews I had found featuring Japanese women had defied my initial expectations of the â€Å"typical† woman. This modern woman never liked to cook for anyone other than herself, loved to travel, and hoped to move on to graduate school.In my opinion, independence defies weak and submissive heartsickness, including a life dedicated to gender role expectations; I. E a woman serving a man. Along with the stereotype of remaining ‘submissive and subject' to the patriarchal system, I understood that to mean that Japanese women rarely put a word in matters such as higher education and the workforce. Now however, there are Japanese women who live alone, cook for themselves, and study in higher education. These are all characteristics that support strong and independent women of 21st century Japan that have a life outside of the family.And since the Law for Equal Employment Opportunity of Men and Women in 1986, the social standing of women greatly improved. Despite this, gender discrimination still exists in Japan. It is important to und erstand why, and how the cultural significance of Japanese language contributes to this discrimination. First you have to ask; do all cultures have the same element of gender discrimination through language? Not quite. If you compare the attitudes of both Chinese and Japanese speakers, you could start to sense and feel a difference between the two languages.The Japanese-Jose equivalent to Chinese could most likely be considered ‘lady talk,' as mentioned above. Although there are similarities within each language, there is no equivalent built-in-structure of Jose and danseuse to Chinese language, instead it is more the context of word choice and intonation. This leads us to believe that Japanese does in fact carry gender discrimination throughout language alone. Japanese Women's Language, JOWL, is a style of speech is connected with tradition and culture and is seen as ‘uniquely Japanese,' showing the beauty and femininity of the Japanese woman.JOWL has been a part of Jap anese culture and tradition long enough to where this style of speech remains in Japanese society today. A likely source of JOWL is from Japan's period of modernization. With modernization came the glorification of the traditional ideal women, arroyos combo shush (good wife, good mother). Interestingly enough, after World War II, this concept was pushed even further. JOWL was used to serve as a tool in integrating women into the national culture, making them more likely to submit.The goal here was to reinforce gender roles by regulating language in order to unify the people during the war. In this case, history has largely contributed to gender discrimination. The overpayment powers of Japan did this by creating a nationalistic pathway to freedom' by taking away the freedom of language. The government plays a major role in defining language restrictions/rules also. Although history shapes the platform on which language and gender roles are built, there are a variety of changes and f actors that can be seen through modern society.Solo character's are usually younger and use young people's language more often. This lack of feminine language rejects old gender roles. Even with these two possibilities, women are trying to convey a message. That they are changing, or have a desire to change, from traditional gender roles to an age of freedom. Education is key in making this change possible. Before World War II, education was centered around the â€Å"good wife, good mother,† mentality while instructing the youth towards nationalism.Educated men and women are sprouting from these changing educational institutions, and with them, new gender expectations of the 21st century. Whether these women know it or not, they are promoting the modern woman by Just adopting a new style of language. There still remain many deep-seated issues within gender discrimination and language that will be difficult to escape. However, by recognizing that it is an issue, society is one step closer to breaking it down.

Political Influences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political Influences - Essay Example e members of the government regarding the interest of the common man or businesses as their interest is at stake when the government is making policies. They educate the policy makers regarding the pros and cons that are associated with a particular decision (Mahoney 215). The policy makers then take into consideration this information to devise policies. For example: during the period of 2013, an interest group regarded as Minnesotans United for All Families lobbied against a policy that would have been implemented and would have banned same sex marriage in the state. The interest group was involved in the hiring of a total of 14 lobbyists who lobbied in against the law that the government was going to pass in order to ban same sex marriage (Minnesota.cbslocal.com 1). In this example an interest group that was trying to protect the interest and the rights of LGBT was involved in the process of lobbying by hiring lobbyist and were successful in their

The Women's Liberation Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Women's Liberation Movement - Essay Example This topic of ours is actually the essence of the speech delivered by Ms.Kathy Amatniek to the main assembly of the Jeanette Rankin Brigade on the 15th of January 1968 in Washington DC. Though this discussion covers a part of this historic event, we shall try covering the major aspects of this issue. In this speech that she delivered, she rightly pointed the need for women to understand that they should unite, not just to let men know their power, but let them understand what women are capable of. The protest shown by them was unique, which showed a dummy that represented the helpless aged traditional womanhood in America. Their idea to bury it in Arlington was to let people know their giving up of the traditional womanhood and adopting modern values. This idea though has not seen light immediately, did not fail completely to bring about a change in women in America. There were number of causes for women to put up this protest and show their emotions, one being their strong oppositio n to the Vietnam War. Even before staging this protest, they were aware that this would not have a great impact because they were all powerless women trying to change the phase of the Nation. They no longer wanted to play the role of traditional women losing their values to the useless womanhood that held them in the fist of traditional values and never letting them explore a better world. To strongly show their protest to the traditional womanhood, they chose a â€Å"dramatic action that would be least offensive and most effective† (woman power). They organized a funeral procession with a dummy that reflected the traditional women. Every characteristic the dummy had reflected the traditional womanhood emotions and qualities. The dummy had a blank face reflecting the helplessness of the women in the cover of the traditional womanhood and their inability to express their views or actually talk before men. The blonde curls and hairspray represent the glam doll look that the tra ditional women had put on to make men happy. This was made clear through the lines in the pamphlets that read â€Å"Traditional Women were Beautiful...but really powerless† (woman power). This had a greater significance as they depicted the traditional womanhood with all the qualities that men just wanted. Their idea to bury the dummy in Arlington cemetery which signified the burial of the traditional womanhood showed people what they were up to. â€Å"This publicity led to a great change in the involvement of women in America, and especially in the American politics of the time; women finally found their voice† (Women and War 1941-1975). Though their best efforts were not completely fruitful, they learnt lessons about spontaneity when there was a group separation. But ultimately in some form the women who alleged this procession showed their protest and opposition to the Vietnam War through the lines â€Å"You have resisted your roles of supportive girl friends and t earful widows, receivers of regretful telegrams and worthless medals of honor† (woman power). Ms.Kathy Amatniek who strongly opposed the traditional womanhood, ridiculed the traditional womanhood through a sad procession. She personified the traditional womanhood to a an old lady who survived many challenges but had finally passed away after witnessing many affronting acts.

Psychology of Personality Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Psychology of Personality - Personal Statement Example I can be quite flexible and adapt to demanding environments, which I feel is necessary to be successful in life. I am also quite open-minded and accommodative of suggestions. However, I strongly depend on my convictions to make decisions. Although I am strongly driven by logic, I can be instinctive at times. I am moderately interested towards intellectual pursuits, but quite inquisitive and fairly creative. I also exhibit empathy whenever necessary, and place emphasis on human values and the simple joys of life. According to Sigmund Freud's theory of personality, our actions and thoughts are influenced by three components of out mind called the ego, super ego and Id. The ego is responsible for thinking logically and making decisions by analyzing the practical implications of our actions. The Id drives basic urges of pleasure and is far from logic, while the super ego does the exact opposite of curbing desire by considering moral values. When the ego fails to come up a logical explanation, our defense mechanism unconsciously tries to distort reality to escape the situation. When I have to make a tough decision in my life, I often realize this conflict in my mind between my conscience, basic urges and logic. I try my best to be logical, but tend to be influenced a lot by my conscience and instincts. I have also realized that I use humor as a defense mechanism in a vulnerable conversation. Freud's theory of awareness tells us that the three levels of awareness are conscious, preconscious and subconscious minds. The conscious is something that is always on our mind, while the preconscious includes things that are in the back of our mind. However, most of actions are triggered by something called the subconscious which is completely out of our control. I often feel guilty when I make bad decisions and blame myself for not making the proper choice. Learning about this theory has ridden me of the guilt of making such decisions which are very much out of my control. I often used get disappointed when people did not meet my expectations. However, I realized after sometime that this was a result of me setting standards and expectations for other people. Realizing this has been a liberating experience and I have learnt to accept people for what they are and this has freed from disappointments. Freud explains this phenomenon by his theory of transference. According to this theory, we transfer our perceptions of one person to another. We tend to create images of person by relating them to other people's characteristics and this leads to the formation of stereotypes (Changing Minds). People are obviously not the same, and hence transferring expectations often ends in disappointment. The sooner we learn this, the better. B.F. Skinner's theory of reinforcement implies that human behavior is based on the resulting consequences. Hence, a behavior that results in positive consequences will be repeated and vice-versa. This essentially means that behavior can be trained offering appropriate rewards and punishments. For instance, I do not spend time worrying about past unfortunate events since it only causes depression. Hence, the punishment of depression forces me not to worry about unhappy incidents. A behavior that brings no significant consequences will fade away with time. However, the theory of reinforcement is a functional one; rewards and punis

Anatomical features Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Anatomical features - Essay Example The â€Å"Lucy† skeleton found at hadar Ethiopia and Dikika also found in Ethiopia. Other features like Footprints and others discovered by paleoanthropologist proved that certain creatures lived on earth millions of years ago before we were born. Australopithecus afarensis is one of the extinct creatures discovered by Paleoanthropologists. Its remains were found in Ethiopia and it lived between close to 4 million years ago (Walter 2002). It was slenderly built. It is believed that A. afarensis was more closely related to modern human species, Homo sapiens The most famous fossil is the partial skeleton named Lucy (3.2 million years old) found by Donald Johanson and colleagues (Esteban 2007). In life, Lucy had a height of roughly 1.1 meters and its weight was about 30 kilograms. Lucys skeleton gave signs that she was bipedal. The shape of lucys pelvis was a good reason to believe that she was bipedal. Another proves is femurs angle from hip socket to the knee joint, her skull was the same size as that of a chimpanzee (Esteban 2007). Lucy had one pelvic bone and made it difficult to tell the gender The feet of Lucy were far apart, and each hind leg descends straight to the ground beneath the hip socket. The tibiae drop straight to the ground. Lucy teeth were resemblance to that of modern human. She had canine same size like that of human being. Fingers were curved in such away that it suggests they grasp branches as they climb. Its iliac blades were short and seem wide. Its sacrum was wide and positioned directly behind the hip joint. Lucy had had much smaller and more v-shaped jaws. The footprints found in volcanic ash were similar to features of human leg phalanges and proved o be a creature similar to human. Ardipithecus is a fossil hominoid, described by its discoverers as a very early hominin genus. Aramidus lived about 4.4 million years ago. It was Like

Consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumerism - Essay Example On the second thought economist would not suggest such a thing if they have not seen or observed the importance of practicing it. The website thefreedictionary.com (2007) gave two definitions regarding consumerism. The first one was stated as "the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically beneficial, economic theory - (economics) a theory of commercial activities (such as the production and consumption of goods)" and the other one as "a movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumers crusade, campaign, cause, drive, effort, movement - a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end" If we are to tackle the issue with regards to the contribution of citizenship to it, consumerism as a theory on increasing of consumption of goods is beneficial, and then this claim would be in effect if the support of the citizen pertaining local goods and services is evident. ... The first thing that a local consumer must consider and think is the fact that local products are dependent on local consumers and local market and producers deem the importance of local market more than foreign market- the need here is the support of the local market in order for the local products to earn its name and made an impact to the society. Like the stages that most of the producers and marketers undertake, considering and penetrating the local market is their outmost priority in order to earn its reputation and to be able to penetrate a much higher market like the foreign market. In this case, it is established that the need of the support of the local citizens where the product has been produced. To further understand the aforementioned premise and the study per se, it is important to know the definition of citizens as a local market. The definition as well as recognition of these people as an important part of consumerism would further help us in analyzing their participation in this study. The website wikipedia.com (2007) implied two meaning with regards to citizenship. The first definition reads as "citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city or town but now usually a country) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. It is largely coterminous with nationality, although it is possible to have a nationality without being a citizen (i.e., be legally subject to a state and entitled to its protection without having rights of political participation in it); it is also possible to have political rights without being a national of a state" In the given definition of wikipedia, its second definition seems to be the appropriate area of interest in this study. The next

Talent and music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Talent and music - Essay Example This very definition of talent differentiates it from two terms that are mostly confused with talent (Brinner, 1995). These two terms include skills as well as knowledge. The difference between talent and skill as well as knowledge is that talent comes naturally and skills and knowledge can be developed by an individual. The term music is used to refer to the practice of arranging various tones in such a sequence that when they are vocalized in that sequence they end up creating a constant composition. This meaning of music differentiates music from what people believe music is. This meaning clearly reflects that music has to be in order and an individual singing or playing instruments without any order cannot be regarded as a musician and his creations cannot be regarded as music. Talent and music are two most commonly misunderstood terms by the general public. The public needs to realize that talent is inborn and cannot be obtained through rehearsal or training. The general public should not recognize any sound played through an instrument as music until it has a sequence that results in the creation of incessant

Vertigo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vertigo - Essay Example While investigating and trailing her, he discovers that she is suicidal and is suffering from thoughts of committing suicide. Later both of them fall in love with each other and then the protagonist experiences the death of Madeleine as she commits suicide. Later he is cared for by Judy Barton who resembles Madeleine and Scottie once again falls in love and this time he is in love with Barton. He tries to mold Barton and make her look exactly similar to Madeline but later he discovers that Madeleine’s death was a hoax and was a plan by her husband. Later due to an accident Barton dies and the protagonist loses his fear of heights but ends up being heart broken. The central point that is being discussed in the movie is the attraction as well as fear that are associated with death. Death can cause different emotions within an individual, for example it can result in the emotion of fear or it can even result in the emotion of satisfaction. This is a point that has been quite heavily depicted in the movie. The movie depicts that when an individual himself experiences death or a near death situation, he/she is most likely to experience the emotion of fear (Krueger 53). This was quite evident as when the protagonist of the movie is about to die as he is about to fall from a very tall building. Due to this incident he became so afraid of death by falling that he became afraid of heights and developed a psychological disorder called acrophobia. At the same time movie even depicts that death is a way through which individuals can gain satisfaction and relief from emotional stress. This feeling of satisfaction and emotional relaxation is experienced by those individuals who use death as a tool of revenge (McDougall 121). This is quite clearly depicted within the movie as the protagonist tries to kill Judy who had helped in planning the death of Madeline. Although the protagonist was afraid of death, he counters this fear when he himself

Sociology culture Essay Example for Free

Sociology culture Essay Question 1. What do chimpanzee and orangutan cultures have in common with human culture? Give examples of specific behaviors. Answer 1. These cultures are common because both have tool use, complex grooming and courtship. For example, young chimpanzees are taught how to crack nuts and when they run into technical problems the mother is always there to help them. This is quite like how humans would react. The parents teach the young how to complete and overcome certain task. Another example is the â€Å"leaf clipping† behavior. Just like how one set of humans might use one thing for a certain task, whereas another set might use the same thing for a completely different task is basically the same as how different sets of chimpanzees use the whole â€Å"leaf clipping† behavior. Question 2. Find the article on orca culture by Lisa Stiffler cited above. How do findings about orcas differ from those about chimpanzees? Answer 2. The findings about orcas differ from those of chimpanzees in many different ways. Even though they both have a complex culture, orcas communicate in a different ways, they move in groups led by females, they have different ways of pleasing themselves such as rubbing their bodies along rocks and they eat different things. Some orcas eat simple things like salmon others eat things like seals, sea lions and even sharks. One major difference is that instead of the mother Orca forcing/teaching the child how to obtain it’s own food like the chimpanzee learning how to crack nuts; the mother orca instead hunts the food, holds it in her mouth and allow her calves to chew on it. To top it all of orcas are also used for greeting ceremonies in some countries whereas Chimpanzees aren’t. Question 1. How does the culture of the Trobiand Islander affect their way of creating a calendar? Answer 1. Due to the fact that agriculture is the main focus of people’s lives within the Trobian Islanders, their calendar is based on the lunar cycles. Instead of having a fixed number of months, the number of months in a year for them could either be 12 or 13. This happens because they use the internal clock of a marine worm and basically decide how many months would be in a year based on this worm’s timing. If the worm does not show when they expect it to show, they would repeat the month hereby determining whether they’ll be 12 months or 13 months in the year. Question 2. What is another example of a calendar system that is not the same as that used by the majority of people in the United States? With what culture is it associated? Answer 2. Another example of a calendar system is the Mayan calendar. This calendar contains three different calendars; the Long Count, the Tzolkin and the Haab. These calendars in the Mayan system vary in the number of days as well as the number of months. It was used by most pre Columbian Central America cultures including the Maya around 2000 BC to the 16th century. However, the calendar got developed further by the Maya civilization and up to this day it is still in use by some of the Mayan communities.

Grading Summary Essay Example for Free

Grading Summary Essay Question 1. Question : (TCO A) The Financial Accounting Standards Board employs a due process system, which: has all CPAs in the United States vote on a new statement. enables interested parties to express their views on issues under consideration. identifies the accounting issues that are the most important. requires that all accountants receive a copy of financial standards. Points Received: 5 of 5 Question 2. Question : (TCO A) The cash method of accounting  is used by most publicly traded corporations for financial statement purposes. is not in accordance with the matching principle for most publicly traded corporations. often is used on the income statement by large, publicly held companies. All of the above Question 3. Question : (TCO A) Which of the following is an ingredient of relevance? Verifiability Completeness Neutrality Predictive value Question 4. Question : (TCO A) The characteristic that is demonstrated when a high degree of consensus can be secured among independent measurers using the same measurement methods is relevance. reliability. verifiability. neutrality. Question 5. Question : (TCO A) Which of the following is not a basic element of financial statements? Assets Balance sheet Losses Revenues Question 6. Question : (TCO A) Which basic element of financial statements arises from peripheral or incidental transactions? Assets Liabilities Gains Expenses Question 7. Question : (TCO A) Which basic assumption may not be followed when a firm in bankruptcy reports financial results? Economic entity assumption Going concern assumption Periodicity assumption Monetary unit assumption Question 8. Question : (TCO D) Balance sheet information is useful for all of the following except to compute rates of return. analyze cash inflows and outflows for the period. evaluate capital structure. assess future cash flows. Question 9. Question : (TCO D) The amount of time that is expected to elapse until an asset is realized or otherwise converted into cash is referred to as solvency. financial flexibility. liquidity. exchangeability. Question 10. Question : (TCO A) The quality of information that gives assurance that is reasonably free of error and bias and is complete is relevance. faithful representation. verifiability. neutrality. Question 1. Question : (TCO D) The basis for classifying assets as current or noncurrent is conversion to cash within the accounting cycle or one year, whichever is shorter. the operating cycle or one year, whichever is longer. the accounting cycle or one year, whichever is longer. the operating cycle or one year, whichever is shorter. Question 2. Question : (TCO A) What is FASB Codification? Explain in detail. Instructor Explanation: The codification takes the statements and other pronouncements and arranges the information by topic. Per the FASB, the new system will 1. reduce the amount of time and effort required to solve an accounting research issue; 2. mitigate the risk of noncompliance with standards through improved usability of the literature; 3. provide accurate information with real-time updates as new standards are released; and 4. assist the FASB with the research and convergence efforts required during the standard-setting process. Question 3. Question : (TCO C) At Ruth Company, events and transactions during 2010 included the following. The tax rate for all items is 30%. (1) Depreciation for 2008 was found to be understated by $30,000. (2) A strike by the employees of a supplier resulted in a loss of $25,000. (3) The inventory at December 31, 2008 was overstated by $40,000. (4) A flood destroyed a building that had a book value of $500,000. Floods are very uncommon in that area. What would the effect of these events and transactions on 2010 income from continuing operations net of tax be? Instructor Explanation: $25,000 $7,500 = $17,500 Question 4. Question : (TCO C) For the year ended December 31, 2010, Transformers Inc. reported the following. Net income $60,000 Preferred dividends declared $10,000 Common dividend declared $2,000 Unrealized holding loss, net of tax $1,000 Retained earnings, beginning balance $80,000 Common stock sold during the year Retained earnings, beginning balance $80,000 Common stock $40,000 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Beginning Balance $5,000 What would Transformers report as the ending balance of retained earnings? Instructor Explanation: $80,000 + $60,000 $10,000 $2,000 = $128,000 Question 5. Question : (TCO C) Madsen Company reported the following information for 2010. Sales revenue $510,000 Cost of goods sold $350,000 Operating expenses $55,000 Unrealized holding gain on available-for-sale securities $40,000 Cash dividends received on the securities $2,000 For 2010, what would Madsen report as other comprehensive income? Instructor Explanation: Other comprehensive income = $40,000 Question 6. Question : (TCO B) Allowance for doubtful accounts on 1/1/10 was $50,000. The balance in the allowance account on 12/31/10 after making the annual adjusting entry was $65,000, and during 2010, bad debts written off amounted to $40,000. You are to provide the missing adjusting entry. Please indicate DR (debit) or CR (credit) to the left of the account title, and place a comma between the account title and the amount of the adjustment. Instructor Explanation: DR Bad Debt Expense 55,000 CR Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 55,000 Ending balance $65,000 Beginning balance 50,000 Difference 15,000 Written off 40,000 Adjustment $55,000 Question 7. Question : (TCO B) Allowance for doubtful accounts on 1/1/10 was $75,000. The balance in the allowance account on 12/31/10 after making the annual adjusting entry was $60,000, and during 2010, bad debts written off amounted to $30,000. You are to provide the missing adjusting entry. Please indicate DR (debit) or CR (credit) to the left of the account title, and place a comma between the account title and the amount of the adjustment. Instructor Explanation: DR Bad Debt Expense 15,000 CR Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 15,000 Ending balance $60,000 Beginning balance 75,000 Difference -15000 Written off 30000 Adjustment $15,000 Question 8. Question : (TCO B) Allowance for doubtful accounts on 1/1/10 was $60,000. The balance in the allowance account on 12/31/10 after making the annual adjusting entry was $55,000, and during 2010, bad debts written off amounted to $40,000. You are to provide the missing adjusting entry. Please indicate DR (debit) or CR (credit) to the left of the account title, and place a comma between the account title and the amount of the adjustment. Instructor Explanation: 12/31/10 Ending Balance 55,000 1/1/10 Beginning Balance 60,000 Adjustment -5,000 Written off 40,000 Adjusting entry 35,000 DR Bad Debts Expense, 35,000 CR Allowance for Doubtful Accounts, 35,000 Question 9. Question : (TCO B) Prepaid rent at 1/1/10 was $30,000. During 2010, rent payments of $120,000 were made and charged to rent expense. The 2010 income statement shows as a general expense the item rent expense in the amount of $125,000. You are to prepare the missing adjusting entry that must have been made, assuming reversing entries are not made. Please indicate DR (debit) or CR (credit) to the left of the account title, and place a comma between the account title and the amount of the adjustment Instructor Explanation: DR Rent Expense 5,000 CR Prepaid Rent 5,000 Rent expense $125,000 Less cash paid 120,000 Reduction in prepaid rent $5,000 Question 10. Question : (TCO D) Which of the following should be reported for capital stock? The shares authorized The shares issued The shares outstanding All of the above Question 11. Question : (TCO D) An example of an item that is not an element of working capital is accrued interest on notes receivable. goodwill. goods in process. temporary investments. Question 12. Question : (TCO A) Financial information exhibits the characteristic of consistency when expenses are reported as charges against revenue in the period in which they are paid. accounting entities give accountable events the same accounting  treatment from period to period. extraordinary gains and losses are not included on the income statement. accounting procedures are adopted which give a consistent rate of net income Question 13. Question : (TCO D) The current assets section of the balance sheet should include machinery. patents. goodwill. inventory. Question 14. Question : (TCO D) Houghton Company has the following items: common stock, $720,000; treasury stock, $85,000; deferred taxes, $100,000, and retained earnings, $313,000. What total amount should Houghton Company report as stockholders equity? $848,000 $948,000 $1,048,000 $1,118,000 Instructor Explanation: General Feedback: b. $720,000 $85,000 + $313,000 = $948,000.

Clinical Objectives Of The Operating Room Nursing Essay

Clinical Objectives Of The Operating Room Nursing Essay The Pre-operative nurse has many duties to perform for their patients prior to surgery. Patients usually go through the Assessment Clinic prior to being transported to the Outpatient facilities. However, if patients do not go through the Assessment Clinic, it is the pre-operative nurses duty to gather this information. The information to be gathered prior to surgery is as follows; past medical history, last flu/pneumonia vaccination, prior surgeries, assessment of various pre-existing disorders/diseases processes (such as hypertension, migraines, diabetes, heart trouble, etc.), current medications (dosage, frequency, last dose taken), name and phone number of a family member, pain assessment, NPO status, assessment of any metal in or on the patients body (can it be removed), alcohol/tobacco/drug use, if the patient has any dentures, glasses, or contacts that need to be removed prior to surgery, and what procedure is being done and the location of the body the procedure is to be done on. When all of the Administration Assessment is complete, the nurse then starts to prep the patient for surgery according to her duties. The pre-operative nurses have many duties. The nurse is to start by checking the physicians orders against the chart for the specific procedure being done. The nurse must also ensure any lab work ordered is with in normal limits for that patient. If there is previous history of heart conditions, the patient must be cleared through radiology prior to surgery; the nurse is responsible for making sure all appropriate forms from radiology are present and signed accordingly. Prior to being administered any medications or having any invasive procedures (IV), the nurse explains the procedure to the patient and makes sure they have no questions. The nurse then ensures that all surgery consent forms are present and signed by the patient. For any female patients that are not post-menopausal or has not had a hysterectomy, the nurse must get a urinalysis to rule o ut possible pregnancy prior to surgery. The nurse applies Sequential Compression Devices (SCDs) to the patients calves to help prevent blood clots during surgery. The patients respiratory status is confirmed through obtaining RR, HR and BP. The pre-operative nurse does not typically obtain these vitals as the OR aids are responsible for this; however, the nurse is responsible for making sure the vitals are within normal ranges for that patient and that the patients vitals are charted. The nurse then starts the patients IV. Prior to injecting the Jelco, the nurse administers 0.1 ml of lidocaine, intro-dermally to numb the area. This helps calm the patients anxieties due to the thought of the smaller needle delivering a numbing agent before the big needle is inserted. If the physician has ordered a catheter prior to surgery, the nurse is responsible for carrying out these orders. This is a sterile procedure and can be performed by the pre-operative nurse. After all of these duties have been performed, the nurse does another pain assessment on the patient. If it is deemed necessary for pain medication administration, the nurse will notify the physician by phone and the nurse takes a telephone medication order. It is the nurses responsibility to make sure the physician comes back and signs the telephone medication order that was given over the phone as well as to carry out the orders as soon as she can so the patient is not in any pain. Antibiotics are almost always ordered prior to any surgery. If antibiotics are ordered, the nurse will administer through IV already established. All duties performed must be charted prior to patient being transferred to the operating room. The nurse will continue to check in on the patient periodically until the patient is taken back into surgery. Duties of the Intra-operative Nurse Once the patient is ready for surgery, they are transferred to the intra-operative nurse. The intra-operative nurse does a pre-op interview asking the patient of any allergies, any metals in or on the body, and if these metals can be removed. If the metal can be removed, it is the intra-operative nurses responsibility to remove it and secure it to either a family member or where ever determined appropriate by said nurse. The intra-operative nurse is responsible for the patient during surgery and until they are transferred to the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). The intra-operative nurse must maintain a log of times for entering the OR, intubation, anesthesia administration, Foley catheter insertion, when surgery starts, and when surgery stops. The intra-operative nurse is the only personnel in the operating room that is not sterile and therefore can leave the operating room during surgery to obtain any supplies needed such as extra sutures, emergency supplies in case a patient codes , etc. For this reason the intra-operative nurse is called the Circulator. The intra-operative nurse assists the anesthesiologist with placements of the intubation tube and the naso-gastric tube. Blood pressure cuff, EKG (3 Lead), and Pulse Ox are all attached to the patient by the intra-operative nurse. The nurse applies a sticky Bovie pad to the patients outside, upper thigh. The Bovie sends probes of electricity through the patients body during surgery which cauterizes the patients veins and helps minimize bleeding. This is the reason for removing any metal prior to surgery. Once the patient is under anesthesia, the nurse is responsible for correctly positioning the patient on the operating table according to the procedure being performed and maintaining the patients safety during surgery. Once positioning is correct, the nurse begins to prep the patient for surgery. This includes cleaning the surgical area, as well as, any areas nearby that could contaminate the surgical procedure or compromise the sterile field. The prep solution of choice for this facility is Betadine. The nurse cleans the surgical site and surrounding areas three times with the prep solution, using a fresh prep sponge each time and patted the area with sterile drape cloths in between each cleansing. The intra-operative nurse also hooks up the suction canisters and preps a bag of normal saline used for irrigation. The intra-operative nurse is also responsible for counting all instruments and sponges before surgery, before suturing, and after suturing. All of these duties are performed before the attending physician enters the operating room. Once the surgeon enters the room, the intra-operative nurse assists him/her with donning sterile gloves, gown, and mask and a Time Out is performed. The Time out procedure consists of specific verbal reports between the intra-operative nurse, the anesthesiologist, and the surgeon. Patient ID is established through chart, arm band, and stating aloud by the intra-operative nurse. The procedure is read aloud from the informed consent. Any imaging required prior to surgery is confirmed labeled and stated to be present. Pre-procedure antibiotics, dosage, and route are stated aloud by the intra-operative nurse. Any safety precautions such as history of drug allergies, medication uses, etc. are stated aloud by the intra-operative nurse. Once all of this information has been stated aloud, the intra-operative nurse says, Does everyone agree? at which time all personnel must say aloud, Agreed. Once surgery has begun, the nurse calls a friend or family member to inform them surgery has begun. The nurse is to call the family every hour that the patient is in the operating room. During surgery, the nurse is responsible for answering the phone, turning lights off and on, adjusting the heating or air conditioning, positioning any unsterile equipment, removing and reapplying any sterile garments, keeping track and charting what supplies were used for that patients procedure, and any extra equipment needed by surgical personnel during surgery for billing purposes. Also during surgery, the intra-operative nurse is to chart all times logged, any specimens (body parts) removed, sutures used, anyone present in the operating room, amount of any fluids collected through suctioning, and who performed what procedures. If any specimens were removed, the intra-operative nurse is responsible for labeling and delivering to the lab. Once all supplies are accounted for and the patient is released from the operating room, the patient is transferred to the PACU. duties of the PACU nurse I was not able to observe a nurse performing duties in the PACU, however, one of the nurses was kind enough to sit with me and explain some of their duties. Once a patient is transferred to the PACU, the PACU nurse applies a face mask delivering oxygen and vitals are obtained every ten minutes. The vitals obtained include blood pressure, pulse ox and EKG readings. The PACU nurse must monitor the patients temperature, as well as patients hemodynamics for any rhythm changes according to the patients medical history. Patients are set up with a Patient controlled analgesic unit (PCA unit) to deliver pain medication PRN as deemed by the patient at the push of a button. The PCA unit is designed to only deliver a specific amount of pain medication regardless of how often the patient pushes the button therefore the patient is not at risk of overdosing and doesnt have to wait on the nurse to administer pain medication. If a Foley catheter hasnt been inserted yet, the PACU nurse will perform this duty as the patient will not have bathroom privileges until they are Post-op. PACU nurses cannot intubate, however, they can ex-tubate. The PACU nurse is also responsible for discontinuing arterial lines, inserting nerve blocks for pain management, and filling out all proper forms and charting. PACU nurses can only care for a maximum of two patients at a time. However, if the patient is less than eight years of age or an Intensive Care Unit patient, then that will be the PACU nurses only patient until they are transferred to post-op. Once the patient is awake and determined to be stable, they are transferred back to Outpatient where they were prepped Pre-op. DUTIES OF THE PRE-OPERATIVE NURSE Once patients are transferred back to Outpatient area, a Pre-operative nurse assumes responsibility for the patient until discharge, but performs post-op duties. Vitals are obtained every thirty minutes by the outpatient aids, but are charted and monitored by the post-operative nurse. The nurse assesses the surgical site for bleeding or excess swelling if the site is visible. The patients pain is assessed and the PCA button is placed well within reach for the patient. The post-operative nurse checks physicians orders for discharge pain medications and calls the order into the patients personal pharmacy of choice. The nurse discontinues the patients IV, catheter, and SCDs. The family or whoever is providing transportation home for the patient is notified and allowed to return to the Outpatient prep area until patient is discharged. The post-operative nurse also gathers any discharge instructions as ordered by the physician and sets the post-op follow-up appointment prior to discharge. The physician will specify the criteria in which the patient must fulfill before the patient is discharged. For example, if kidney stones were zapped, the patient must void freely at least once before discharge. The post -operative nurse is responsible for ensuring that all required information in regards to forms being signed and paperwork required in medical record is present, and all charting required is complete for that patient. ONE ASPECT OF PATIENT TEACHING One aspect of patient teaching that I identified was during post-op and prior to discharge. The example I observed was when the post-operative nurse specified to the patient what she should expect in the days to come, specifically how to wipe after going to the bathroom, as well as specific warning signs of complications that would need immediate attention. WHAT WERE MY STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES I believe my strengths were first and foremost my previous, in-class instruction. I felt very informed and knew what supplies were needed and how to start an IV. Secondly, I believe my willingness to learn whatever the staff wanted to teach me without reserve is another one of my strengths. My weakness was my not understanding the jargon used by everyone. I had to repeatedly ask what all of the acronyms used stood for. It seemed that they had an acronym for everything. I believe the more clinical hours I am able to participate in, the more jargon I will learn. I also believe that taking a medical terminology class would be a tremendous asset to my education investment.

Fraud :: Free Essay Writer

Fraud Cut-off Fraud Fraud involves purposeful attempts to deceive, not good-faith disagreements on accounting treatments. One of the five basic methods companies used to boost up their profits is fraud in timing, which is also called cut-off fraud. This is done by recognizing profits early and liabilities and expenses late. â€Å"According to GAAP, revenue is recognized when the earnings process is complete and the rights of ownership have passed from seller to buyer.† There are three categories in revenue recognition fraud: 1) playing with time, 2) recording revenue when services are still due, 3) shipping merchandise before the sale is final. Playing with time is the most common way to commit revenue recognition fraud. It involves holding the books open past the end of the accounting period to accumulate more sales. For example, one such company actually set to stop there clock at the end of each quarter until targets sales are made. And all the sales would be counted as in the accounting period to boost up their sales. Another method for recognizing revenue early is booking the entire revenue amount when service is not completely rendered. Many companies ignore the percentage-of-completion contracts by taking the cash payments into income, fail to record offsetting accruals for services paid for in advance, and record refundable deposits as income. The last category is shipping merchandise before the sale is final. Consignment merchandi se is counted as being sold. A few companies also shipped merchandise to private warehouse for storage and counted it as being sold. If one person handle the same transaction from beginning to end, premature revenue recognition is easier to accomplish. The responsibilities of order entry, shipping, billing, accounts receivable detail and general ledge should be distributed among different employees. With several different employees handling the process, it’ll be more difficult to commit fraud.

Kafkas Metamorphosis Essay -- Metamorphosis essays

Kafka's Metamorphosis "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect" (Kafka 1757). This opening is famous not only for its startling content but also for its calm, matter-of-fact style which then sets the tone for the rest of the story. Along with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Dante's Inferno, Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" has one of the most-memorized and most attention-catching opening lines. Gregor Samsa feels that he has been treated as a lowly insect and comes to feel that he is one; the story makes the leap from "I feel like an insect" to "I am an insect." Whatever the causes for Gregor feeling this way, these causes have led to his isolation and alienation (the feeling of being a stranger and an alien, even in those places where one should feel at home). Gregor has undergone an ultimate alienation: he is alienated from both his psychological and physical self. Once Gregor's metamorphosis (change) has been accomplished, the story moves inevitably to his death. In many ways, the protagonist (main character) of "The Metamorphosis" and his dilemmas are... ..., his company). We feel a chill to see the authoritarian control over Gregor and how it works itself out in the story. And those of us who know the history of Germany and Czechoslovakia are chilled to see how the events of the story find a parallel in the Nazi politics and the Holocaust that came soon after Kafka's death. Work Cited Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack et al. 2 vols. Exp. ed. New York: Norton, 1995. Vol. 2. 1757-1791.

Teaching From A Design Perspective Essay -- Philosophy Education

Teaching From A Design Perspective Developing a philosophy of education is more than asserting a love of wisdom in the theory and practice of teaching. It may be heartening to feel, but it lacks backbone. For a philosophy to have weight and merit, it needs truth, logical strength, and soundness. (Hughes 19) My philosophy of education asserts the following premises that if we teach: learning as relational; creativity as skill; and knowledge as design; then, we create an instructional approach that is cross curriculum. The logical strength of my argument is delivered after each premise has been explained, and the proof statements of each are proposed as truth claims. In doing so, my philosophy of education is a sound argument challenging the existing education paradigm that makes a distinction between required and elective courses. Currently, the Ministry of Education’s requirements for graduation weakens elective courses as having less academic credit, strengthens required courses as having more educational disc ipline, and subsequently, unequally distributes creativity into the curriculum. However, as Perkins points out in his article â€Å"Creativity by Design†: If all knowledge were presented and discussed from the perspective of design, education would yield a much more creative view of knowledge. (23) In my philosophy of education, I argue that teaching creativity is the most significant skill a student can learn, and is a cross curriculum attribute that has equal weight in every type of discipline. Thus, my philosophy of education supports an interdisciplinary curriculum where predominately elective subjects, such as technology education and fine arts, stand on equal footing with required subjects typically regarded as... ...pose cross-curriculum equality begins by removing the academic and social prejudices that exist between required and elective courses. Works Consulted Conference Board of Canada. Solving the Skilled Trades Shortage. 28 March 2002. Fischer, Gerhard. â€Å"Social Creativity: Turning Barriers into Opportunities for Collaborative Design†. 8th Conference on Participatory design (Toronto). 2004.152-162. Hughes, William. Critical Thinking. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1996. Perkins, David. â€Å"Creativity by Design†. Educational Leadership. 14.1 (1984): 18-25. Petrina, Stephen. Advanced Teaching Methods for the Technology Classroom. Hershey: Information Science Publishing, 2007. Pollack, Sidney. Sketches of Frank Gehry. 2004. Reid, Anna, Peter Petocz. â€Å"Learning Domains and the Process of Creativity†. The Australian Educational Researcher. 31.2 (2004): 45-62.

The exchange took only less than ten minutes

We do not have to be a college graduate to be knowledgeable about the world and its dealings, we just have to be street smart and keen. We do not have to be superman to possess the strengths that will be able to bring down a 20-foot building; we just have to believe that we hold the courage and the strength to deal with our daily tribulations. We do not have to be the president of the United States to have all the answers to our questions; we just have to keep on looking and never give up. We just have to feel alive.These things I learned when I became independent. It was a rather difficult time and I was about to give up, but then I realized I have to go through this. It was one Sunday morning and I had no classes, but I was feeling rather weak so I decided to go to the nearest clinic and get myself checked up on. It was a busy day there, perhaps because most people do not have to go to work on Sundays and get him or herself checked up by the physician.While waiting, I sat in the co rridor beside this elderly woman who reminded me of my grandmother. We had a small conversation and I must admit that I had difficulties in trying to converse because English is not my native tongue, but she probably tried to understand me, and I learned more things about life that I can possibly ever learn cramped up in my small space studying.The exchange took only less than ten minutes, for she was called in the doctor’s room already, but what she told me could have changed my whole perspective in life, and it has. She told me that she grew up not knowing what she wanted out of life, that she took her life for granted and that if she could turn back time to my age, she would live. She said that she never explored, that she was always sheltered, and that her parents always gave her what she wanted, not even asking why.She told me that she wants to cry and lecture every single adolescent that she sees because she can see how they are throwing their lives away, as if they cou ld live it back when they wanted to. I did not know whether to start an argument with her because of this, but I just let her talk. She told me that if she could have been more independent and had not spent every single penny that was given to her; she could have been much more satisfied.I looked at her keenly, and I noticed that she did not look shabby; in fact, she looked like someone who eats three times a day and can afford to be looked at in a clinic like this. Her last statement was the one that I would never forget.She asserted that it was not enough for us to just live, because what is the use of living when one does not feel alive. I believe that she meant that she was living her life, but she was living it aimlessly, with no direction. Perhaps it is because of the unending luxuries that were given to her that she took for granted.Alternatively, maybe it is because of her sheltered life that she cannot think of a purpose. Nevertheless, I understood what she meant by not fee ling alive. Sometimes, because I have been so busy doing my routine I have stopped feeling alive. I go to school, I attend to my work and my needs, I sleep, and I eat. I do nothing with passion, I just breathe.Yes, it was just a few fleeting exchanges of words, but I was able to see it in her eyes the regret of not living all those years, of not being curious enough to seek independence, of not trying to do things that one is passionate about. I want to change, I want to be spontaneous sometimes, I want to do something that I am passionate about.I want to excel in my studies; I want to do something that I thought I would never do in a thousand years. I want to be independent and challenge myself to achieve greatness in spite and despite of the obstacles that are being thrown in front of me. I do not just want to live; I want to feel alive. And all this was inspired by a few moments that I had with this old woman in the corrid

Electronic Health Records Essay

The medical and healthcare field is characterized with the cumbersome practice of obtaining and maintaining extensive documentation of patient information. Medical staff, physicians and healthcare practitioners are legally responsible to maintain a comprehensive, efficient as well as effective way to collect, maintain and archive patient information. Traditionally, this process of information collection and maintenance was accomplished manually resulting in an endless paper trail of information. Everything from patient encounters to informational charts to billing was executed in a paper based environment and soon this record keeping method became too overbearing and tedious to manage. The integrity of this manual paper-based process continued to be compromised with issues surrounding the convenience, data mining ability, cost and safety of this method. The advent of new health care disciplines such as nursing, medical technologists and associated health care disciplines, and the emergence of hospitals, infirmaries and clinics as formalized structures of health care delivery expanded the scale of interaction between health care providers and health care consumers. However, in spite of these and associated developments, the tradition of privacy and confidentiality remained. Operationally, the new health care professions were seen as extensions of, and as subsidiary to, the medical profession and similar injunctions concerning privacy and confidentiality applied. (Doyle, 2001) Further, health care decision making continued to centre in the direct and interpersonal relationship between the professional and the client that had characterized it from its very beginning. An important step in the transformation of this scenario occurred with the introduction of electronic means of storing and manipulating patient data. The pace of this transformation was accelerated by the development of advanced computer-based information technology. At first glance, these developments may seem like purely technological improvements: mere steps, as it were, along the road to the greater ease of collecting, storing and manipulating patient data. However, what actually happened was more profound. The advent of electronic means of data storage, retrieval and manipulation facilitated the evolution of health care decision-making structures away from the small-scale immediate-contact model that had characterized medicine and health care from the beginning to a new model that no longer dealt with the physician-patient encounter as sole decision-resource but instead centered on the information package that described and defined the patient from a decision-making perspective. That is to say, considered in one way, the modern electronically based data package that describes the patient can be seen as a mere variation on the traditional package that was paper-based and that involved the manual manipulation of a material medium. From that perspective, electronic records do not differ fundamentally from paper-based records. While electronically based records may be more compact, more easily available, etc. , this is merely a peripheral difference as far as their nature as records is concerned. Therefore in this sense, there is nothing about electronic patient records that in principle makes them different from paper based records. It’s a normal trend for clinical departments to work for years with their own people, budget, and vendors to come up with a method of capturing their patient and billing data electronically, and that personalized method is one definition of an EHR. In actual fact, one point of argument regarding EHRs is simply a question of semantics. There are various definitions for an EHR. At one end of the scale, an EHR includes everything from patient’s past medical history to diet and lifestyle preferences. At the other end, it can be as simple as an e-mail message to a fellow clinician. Our definition of an EHR is simply a repository of clinically important data that may be accessed and searched with relative ease and in a rapid manner. Today, the use of EHR systems has revolutionized the medical field industry by facilitating a more efficient record keeping process and a more effective communication medium for medical personnel to exchange information. Many healthcare personnel now understand the importance and the impact these EHR systems are having on the overall delivery of customer service and the general administration of healthcare. Medical practitioners are constantly faced with challenges including the need to improve the quality of care, adhere to new clinical restrictions and processes, reduce waste and reduce errors. In recent times these challenges have been less of a burden as automated integrated systems help coordinate such process much better. Computerized systems like EHR systems help in reducing the amount of paperwork for medical offices, providing an easier way to access patient information, promoting more uniform delivery of processes and in some respects suggesting appropriate diagnosis and treatment for certain conditions. While the health care information superhighway has brought such benefits as detailed health and medical information and has increased the efficiency of managed care organizations in data collection and analysis, outsiders who have access to patient s’ medical histories are using them as tools of discrimination in employment, promotions, insurance coverage, and even politics. Dr.  Denise Nagel, president of Coalition for Patient Rights of New England, state, â€Å"The traditional right of medical privacy, protected by the Hippocratic Oath, is being eroded as our medical records become transformed into commodities desired by insurers, employers, researchers, and yes, even police. † (Gellman, 2002) She goes on to give the example of a woman, who with only average computer skills, was able to access information about the psychiatric condition from her medical record in an insurance company’s database. Concerned that future employers would obtain it as easily as she had, she requested its removal, but was turned d own by the company (Tobler, 2002). When a confidential list of 4,000 AIDS patients wound up in newsrooms in Tampa, Florida, last year, it was discovered that the computerized medical records had been tapped by a major pharmaceutical company (Bennett, 2002). These examples arouse concern about how private medical data really is. Patients have the right to keep their medical history private for their own protection, but that privacy is increasingly being threatened by the growth of the information superhighway. There would have to be a provision that even for legitimate purposes, the subjects of the records would have to be notified if patients’ records were to be accessed, the reason why they were being accessed, and the extent to which such an intrusion into the privacy of the individual was going to take place. This would have to go hand-in-hand with the right of the subject of the record to challenge the claim that privacy must be breached by the duly empowered social agency. Similar remarks apply to the activities of other duly authorized social institutions. For example, some jurisdictions have started to construct networked data sharing agencies that monitor the filling of medical prescriptions. (Bennett, 2002) The alleged purpose of such a surveillance network is safety: It is to ensure that the prescriptions that are actually being filled for a given patient do not conflict or synergetically interact with each other, or otherwise have a deleterious effect on the patient’s health. Another, ancillary purpose is to control the misuse of drugs, to prevent physician-shopping for multiple prescriptions of controlled substances that are then sold illegally, etc. Specifically, one may distinguish between social harm that would be avoided or minimized and personal harm for the individual patient. If the claim is that societal harm would be minimized by such an intrusion into personal privacy, certain considerations must be borne in mind. First, any action that limits the application of a principle has consequences that extend beyond the immediate action itself. Thus, abandoning the principle of privacy on a given occasion has the tendency to undermine the sense of trust that people have in social institutions and in the maintenance of their rights. Consequently, when such an intrusion for security purposes occurs, care must be taken that the potential harm in undermining confidence in societal protection of individual privacy is outweighed by the harm that it is intended to prevent. Second, the Principle of Equality and Justice would entail that any such abrogation of the individual’s right of privacy must be demonstrably necessary and could not be achieved by a less intrusive course of action. Third, any such abrogation of the individual’s right of privacy would have to be limited in extent, such that it may not go beyond the limits necessary to achieve the otherwise legitimate aims that have been justified by the preceding two considerations. In other words, it must adhere to the principle of the least intrusive alternative. By contrast, intrusions into privacy that focus in the welfare of the individual patient could not be justified in such a fashion. The reason is to be found in the Principle of Non-Malfeasance itself. The core of the Principle of Non-Malfeasance is not simply that harm should be minimized, but harm should be minimized where the nature of that harm is determined not by the agent but by the intended recipient of the action.

Accident: Unplanned and Sudden Events in Life Essay

I think that we all know what an accident is. An accident can take place anytime and anywhere. An accident is unplanned and is sudden events that can cause small or major damages to the person or property. Accidents are something we all have been in and no one can say that they haven’t been in an accident. There are many types of accidents such as, Auto accidents, Boat and water accident, Work and factory accidents, animal accidents (dog bite, snake bite), sport accidents, slips, trips and fall accidents. I have also been in many accidents but there is a one that I specially remember. This had taken place in India. It was a cold day. There was some fog and not much traffic on the road. Me and my friends where playing in the small field near the apartment. Suddenly we heard a loud noise. The driver of a car lost his balance at a turn. He crashed into an electric pole. We all rushed for rescue. Many other people also came running. The driver was badly hurt. We helped him to come out of the car. He had received a big cut on the forehead. He was profusely bleeding. Soon he was carried away in a car to the hospital. The driver was the only person in the car. The car was badly smashed. A pool of blood had collected on the road. After sometime a team of traffic police came. They cleared away the crowd. Then they began their investigation. It was a horrible experience. I could not believe my eyes. It all happened in no time. I still feel frightened when I remember the accident. See more: Sleep Deprivation Problem Solution Speech Essay I would also like to tell you about an accident that I have read about, this accident have taken place in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia the motor vehicle is the main means of transportation. Between 1971 and 1997; 564 762 people died or were injured in road traffic accidents, a figure equivalent to 3.5% of the total population in Saudi Arabia. During this period 66 914 people have died on the roads in Saudi Arabia due to road accidents, amounting to one person killed and four injured every hour. Over 65% of accidents occur because of vehicles travelling at excess speed and/or drivers disobeying traffic signals. Precautions that can be taken to prevent this accidents. On the road, don’t use your mobile phone whilst driving. Making or receiving a call, even using a hands-free phone, can distract your attention from driving and could lead to an accident. Belt up in the back in a collision, an unbelted rear seat passenger can kill or seriously injure the driver or a front seat passenger. Don’t drink and drive any alcohol, even a small amount, can impair your driving so be a safe driver don’t drink and drive. At home, you should always unplug appliance such as hair dryers, curling irons, and strengtheners’s and place them in a drawer. Never keep small appliances plugged in when you are not using them, as children can easily be electrocuted. Windows, Children can easily fall from open windows. Make sure your windows are locked and that they have screen coverings on them to prevent children from falling. In school, Do not allow kids to play on equipment that is broken, damaged, wet, or covered with sand or gravel (to prevent slipping), or when it is roped off or closed off. Stairs should not be steep and narrow so the children do not trip. The governments can also take some action on these accidents such as Most important method to bring down accidents is strict enforcement of speed limits. 90% of accidents can be avoided by strict enforcement of speed limits. Heavy Penalty should be imposed on ALL those who cross speed limits. If this is strictly implemented, nobody will dare to go at high speed. New gadgets are to be developed for collision prevention and should be fitted on all vehicle. Research organizations should be asked to develop such gadgets on a war footing. For example, gadgets can be developed to automatically slow down the vehicle, if safe distance commensurate with the speed of the vehicle in front is not maintained. Gadgets can be developed for warning the driver, if the driver sleeps. I hope you understand these things on accidents as how they can be very dangerous and how you can prevent them too.

Rcsc214 Exam 1

Chapter 1 Retailing-consists of the final activities and steps needed to place merchandise made elsewhere into the hands of the consumer or to provide services to the consumer. Last step in supply chain. Trends that affect Retailing today: * E-tailing- ie. The Internet accounts for less than 5% of retail sales but has changed consumer behavior. (speed, convenience, control, vast info, lowest prices) hasn’t destroyed †¦ *Bricks-and-Mortar retailers – Retailers that operate out of a physical building. ’ but B & M retailers must give customers more control to combat E-tailing.Outshopping-when customers get needed info (such as proper size or how to assemble a product) in the store and then orders it online for a lower price and to avoid paying sales tax. * Price Competition Loss Leader-selling a product at or below its cost Bottom Line-net profit on an income statement *Same-Store sales-compares an individual store’s sales to its sales for the same month in the previous year. *Market Share-the retailer’s total sales divided by total market sales *Scrambled Merchandising- exists when a retailer handles many different and unrelated items.The result of the pressure being placed on many retailers to increase profits by carrying additional merchandise or services (with higher profit margins) that will also increase store traffic ex. Convenience store that sells low margin gasoline but high margin bread, milk, beer, ciggs ETC. Supercenters, gift cards in grocery stores but causes cost increases in RENT, INVENTORY COSTS, LABOR COSTs *Category Killer-a retailer that carries such a large amount of merchandise in a single category at such good prices that it makes it impossible for customers to walk out without purchasing that they need, thus KILLING the competitionCategorizing Retailers Census Bureau- NAICS code Number of outlets- Chain? Or not? *Standard Stock list-a merchandising method in which all stores in a retail chain stock t he same merchandise *Optional Stock List approach-merchandising method in which each store in a retail chain is given the flexibility to adjust its merchandise mix to local tastes and demands. *Channel Advisor or Captain-the institution (manufacturer, wholesaler, broker, or retailer) in the marketing channel that is able to plan for and get other channel institutions to engage in activities they might not otherwise engage in.Large store retailers are often able to perform the role of channel captain. *Private Label Branding- May be store branding, when a retailer develops its own brand name and contracts with a manufacturer to produce the product with the retailer’s brand, or designer lines, where a known designer develops a line exclusively for the retailer. Margin/Turnover Gross margin percentage- measure of profitability GROSS MARGIN/NETSALES Gross Margin-NET SALES – COST OF GOODS SOLDOperating Expenses-expenses that a retailer incurs in running the business other t han the cost of merchandise Inventory Turnover- refers to the number of times per year, on average, that a retailer sells its inventory. High Performance retailers-retailers that produce financial results substantially superior to the industry average. Low margin/low turnover-operates on a low gross margin percentage and a low rate of inventory turnover†¦ will not be able to generate sufficient profits to remain competitive and survive. High Margin/Low turnover-(bricks and mortar) high gross margin percentage and low ate of inventory turnover ( high end stores, mom and pop) Clicks and Mortar-instore and online Low margin High turnover- low gmp, high rate of inventory turnover (wal mart, amazon. com) High, High- convenience stores, 7 eleven, circle k, Location- new non traditional places. Size *Store management- the retailing career path that involves responsibility for selecting, training, and evaluating personnel, as well as instore promotions, displays, customer service, buil ding maintenance, and security *Buying-retailing career path whereby one uses quantitative tools to develop appropriate buying plans for the store’s merchandise lines.Analytical method –finder and investigator of facts Creative Method- Idea person Two pronged approach- both analytical and creative CHAPTER 2 Strategic planning- involves adapting the resources of the firm to the opportunities and threats of an ever changing retail environment * Development of mission statement * Definition of specific goals and objectives for the firm * Identification and analysis of the retailers strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats –SWOT ANALYIS * Development of basic strategies that will enable the firm to reach its objectives and fulfill its missionMission statement- a basic description of the fundamental nature, rationale, and direction of the firm. Market Share- retailer’s TOTAL SALES/ TOTAL MARKET SALES Profit-based Objectives-deal directly with the monet ary return a retailer desires from its business ROI/RONW- Return on investment/ Return on Net Worth STRATIEGIC PROFIT MODEL (MEMORIZE) Net ProfitMargin| Net Profit /Total Sales| Return on Assets| Net Profit* /Total Assets| Financial Leverage| Total Assets/Net Worth| Return on Net Worth|Net Profit*/Net Worth| X = Asset Turnover| Total Sales/Total Assets| Stockouts- products that are out of stock and therefore unavailable to customers when they want them Productivity objectives- state how much output the retailer desires for each unit of resource input: Floor space, labor, and inventory investment. * Sales prod: net sales/ total square feet of retail floor space * Labor prod: net sales/#of full time equivalent employees * Merchandise prod: net sales/average dollar investment in inventorySocietal Objectives- those that reflect the retailer’s desire to help society fulfill some of it’s needs. * Employment objectives * Payment of Taxes * Consumer Choice * Equity * Being a b enefactor RASM- (revenue per available seat mile) calculation used by airlines. Yield Management- the understanding, anticipating and reacting to changing customer needs in order to maximize the revenue from a fixed capacity of available services. (1)low marginal costs (2)fixed capacity (3) perishable product (4)fluctuation demand (5)different market segmentsPersonal Objectives-reflect the retailer’s desire to help individuals employed in retailing fulfill some of their needs. * Self Gratification * Status and respect * Power and authority Strategy- a carefully designed plan for achieving the retailers goals and objectives. 3 strategies Get shoppers into your store/ traffic strategy Convert these shoppers into customers by having them purchase merchandise (retailers conversion Do this at the lowest operating cost possible that is consistent with the level of service that your customers expectTarget market-the group of customers that the retailer is seeking to serve Location-g eographic or cyber space where the retailer conducts business Retail mix- the combination of merchandise, price, advertising and promotion, locations, customer service and selling, and store layout and design Value proposition- clear statement of the tangible and/or intangible results a customer receives from shopping at and using the retailer’s products or services Operations Management- deals with activities directed at maximizing the efficiency of the retailer’s use of resources. It is frequently referred to as day to day management.CHAPTER 6 Horizontal Price Fixing- occurs when a group of competing retailers (or other channel members operating at a given level of distribution) establishes a fixed price at which to sell certain brands of products ILLEGAL violates Sherman Antitrust Sec 1 Vertical Price Fixing-occurs when a retailer collaborates with the manufacturer or wholesaler to resell an item at an agreed upon price Price discrimination- occurs when 2 retailers buy an identical amount of â€Å"like grade and quality† merchandise from the same supplier but pay different prices. Clayton act makes only certain forms illegal DEFENSESCost justification- differential in price could be accounted for on the basis of differences in cost to the seller in the manufactur, sale, or delivery. Due to differences in quantity or method. Changing market differences-justifies based on the danger of imminent deterioration of perishable goods or on the obsolescence of seasonal goods. Meeting Competition in good faith -lower price was made in good faith in order to meet an equally low price of a competitor Deceptive Pricing-occurs when an misleading price is used to lure customers into the store and then hidden charges are added; or the item advertised may be unavailable.Predatory Pricing-exists when a retail chain charges different prices in different geographic areas to eliminate competition in selected geographic areas. Palming off-occurs when a retai ler represents that merchandise is made by a firm other than the true manufacturer Deceptive advertising-when a retailer makes false of misleading advertising claims about the physical makeup of a product, the benefits to be gained by its use, or the appropriate uses for the product. Bait and switch- advertising or promoting a product at an unrealistically low rice to serve as â€Å"bait† and then trying to â€Å"switch† the customer to a higher priced product. Product liability laws-deal with the seller’s responsibility to market safe products. These laws invoke the forseeability doctrine, which states that a seller of a product must attempt to foresee how a product may be misused and warn the consumer against hazards of misuse. Expressed warranties- are either written or verbalized agreements about the performance of a product and can cover all attributes of the merchandise or only one attributeImplied warranty of merchantability- made by every retailer when t he retailer sells goods and implies that the merchandise sold is fit for the ordinary purpose for which such goods are typically used Implied warranty of fitness- a warranty that implies that the merchandise is fit for a particular purpose and arises when the customer relies on the retailer to assist or make the selection of goods to serve a particular purpose Territorial restrictions-are attempts by the supplier, usually a manufacturer, to limit the geographic area in which a retailer may resell its merchandiseDual distribution- occurs when a manufacturer sells to independent retailers and also through its own retail outlets One way exclusive dealing arrangement-occurs when the supplier agrees to give the retailer the exclusive right to sell the suppliers product in a particular trade area Two way exclusive dealing arrangement- occurs when the supplier offers the retailer the exclusive distribution of a merchandise line or product in a particular trade area if in return the retaile r will agree to do something or the manufacturer, such as heavily promote the suppliers products or not handle competing brands. ILLEGAL. Tying agreement-exists when a seller with a strong product or service requires a buyer to purchase a weak product or service as a condition for buying the strong product or service Ethics-set of rules for human moral behavior Explicit code of ethics-consists of a written policy that states what is ethical and unethical behavior Implicit code of ethics- an unwritten but well understood set of rules or standards of moral responsibility Chapter 14Empowerment- occurs when employees are given the power in their jobs to do the things necessary to satisfy and make things right for customers. Servant leadership-an employees recognition that their primary responsibility is to be of service to others. 20% of customers generate 80% of sales value proposition-the promised benefits a retailer offers in relation to the cost the consumer incurs customer relation ship management CRM-comprised of an integrated information system where the fundamental unit of data collection is the customer, supplemented by relevant information about the customer erformance appraisal and review- is the formal, systematic assessment of how well employees are performing their jobs in relation to established standards and the communication of that assessment to employees Motivation-is the drive that a person has to excel at activities, such as a job, that he or she undertakes Esprit de corps- occurs when a group of workers feel a common mission and a passion for that mission and a pride in being part of the groupFixed component- typically is composed of some base wage per hour, week, month, or year Variable component-is often composed if some bonus that is received if performance warrants Fringe benefit package-is a part of the total compensation package offered to many retail employees and may include health insurance, disability benefits, life insurance, retire ment plans, child care, use of an auto, and financial counseling Job enrichment- the process of enhancing the core job characteristics to improve the motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction of employees.

Research Paper on Plato Essay

Abstract Many Philosophers made a difference in society but Plato is perhaps recognized as the most famous. His writings have had a profound effect on people, politics, and the philosophy throughout the centuries. He was a public figure and he made major contributions to society. Plato helped to lay the philosophical foundations of modern culture through his ideas and writings. One of the most philosophical thinkers of Western civilization, Plato is the only author from ancient Greek times whose writings survive intact. His collection consists of thirty-five dialogues and thirteen letters, though the authorship of some is contested. Plato was born in Athens, into a prosperous aristocratic family. His Father’s name was Ariston and his Mother’s name was Perictione. His relative named Glaucon was one of the best-known members of the Athenian nobility. Plato’s name was Aristocles, his nickname Plato originates from wrestling circles, Plato means broad, and it probably refers either to his physical appearance or his wrestling style. â€Å"Plato is, by any reckoning, one of the most dazzling writers in the Western literary tradition and one of the most penetrating, wide-ranging, and influential authors in the history of philosophy,† (Kraut, 2009). Plato was born during the Golden Age of Athens’s which saw the birth of classical architecture, drama, arts and politics. However, as he was growing up he observed the decline of Athens as a cultural center. He witnessed instances of cruelty, disloyalty, and dishonesty and it was in clear violation of his values. It was also during this time that Plato fell under the influence of Socrates, who engaged the people of Athens in philosophical discussions. â€Å"It was into this bright, sly, worldly atmosphere that Socrates appeared, moving questioningly about the streets of Athens†. (Plato 1984). In 339 Socrates was brought to trial and charged with having false Gods and corrupting the youth. Socrates was found guilty on the charge and was sentenced to death. The execution of Socrates weighed heavily on Plato and he turned away from politics, he thought the behavior of the courts was unjust. He decided not to get involved in political life, instead he decided to leave Athens with other friends of Socrates to travel and study. During his travels he met with all kinds of people and studied not only philosophy but geometry, astronomy, and religious teachings. Socrates was extremely influential to Plato and he was the main character in numerous writings, he was also influenced by Heraclitus, Parmenides, and the Pythagoreans. One of the most important goals Plato set for himself was to keep the memory of Socrates alive by recording and bringing about the kind of impact that Socrates had on people. Nearly all of Plato’s work takes the structure of dialogues in which Socrates is usually the main character. One of the goals of a Plato’s dialogue is to engross the reader in philosophical questions related to the ideas being discussed. The Socrates of the Platonic dialogues is modeled after the real Socrates but it is in part an imaginary character used to impart Platonic themes. Plato’s dialogues are divided into three groups, the early or Socratic dialogues; the dialogues of middle age; and the dialogues of old age. In the early dialogues, Socrates is the main character, but it is generally believed that Plato is expressing his own views. These are the only remaining dialogues of Socrates teachings hence; they are referred to as the Socratic dialogues. In The Apology Socrates was accused of having false gods and corrupting the youth. While on trial Socrates claimed that he was innocent and was not at all wise, â€Å"Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy†¦ Understand that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times. † (Plato 1984). Middle Dialogues During Plato’s middle period he wrote the following, Meno, Republic, Euthydemus, Menexenus, Cratylus, Phaedrus, Symposium and Phaedo. The most important difference between these writings and his earlier works is that he is establishing his own voice in philosophy. In the Meno Plato introduces us to the Socratic idea that no one knowingly does wrong, â€Å"Virtue is the desire of things honourable and the power of attaining them. † Plato (1984). In the Phaedo we become familiar with the platonic doctrine of the Forms; this is where Plato makes a claim as to the immortality of the soul. Plato’s most influential work, The Republic, is part of the middle dialogues. It is a discussion of the virtues of justice, courage and wisdom. It addresses the question of how do humans approach living a good life. The dialogue finishes by looking at various forms of government and describing the ideal state. The allegory of the â€Å"Myth of the Cave† is also in The Republic it is an important writing because it contains the main points of his philosophy. It is intended to be a metaphor for education and it explains issues regarding the theory of knowledge. Plato believed one must explore the belief that a greater reality exists. It is through this belief that a person can gain greater insight into true reality and become enlightened. Without it we are like the prisoners of a cave who only see the shadows of objects and live in complete darkness. â€Å"And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened, behold! Human beings living in an underground den† (Plato 1927). It is only through philosophy that we can come out of the cave into the true world. â€Å"Who is best suited to rule the state – lovers of opinion or â€Å"true philosophers†? (Plato 1927) His final years at the Academy he wrote the later dialogues which included the Parmenides, Theatetus, Sophist, Statesmas, Timaeus, Critias, Philebus, and Laws. It should be noted that Socrates has a minor role in these writings. Plato examines his metaphysical theories through these dialogues. He discusses art, dance, music, poetry, drama, and ethics in connection to immortality and the mind. He also dedicates himself to the philosophy of mathematics, politics and religion. Plato argued that women were qualified to play a role in politics and philosophy. In The Republic, Socrates argued that women were as capable as men in pursuit of accomplishments. There is a suggestion that women should be educated for their roles in the class of guardians and possibly work next to men. A woman’s role could be significant in society, but different from a man’s role. Even though Plato believed that women were necessary in a working society, he did not mean he thought women were equals of men. Plato thought that women lacked the strength of men and that women were more suited for other responsibilities in life. â€Å"If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things. † (Plato 1927) The impact of Plato’s work cannot be measured or calculated. His writings had great influence on the entire intellectual development of Western civilization. Despite the fact that Plato did not leave a well-formed, rigid philosophical system he is considered the father for all forms of philosophical idealism and dualism. â€Å"The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful. † (Plato 1984). After he died the Academy continued until AD 529, when it was closed due to its pagan teachings. Neo-Platonism, founded by the 3rd-century philosopher Plotinus, was an important development of Platonism. It was a philosophical system which was as a combination of Platonic, Pythagorean, and Aristotelian elements. Originally it was opposed to Christianity but later on it integrated it. It dominated European thought until the 13th century and re-emerged during the Renaissance. The most important Renaissance Neo-Platonist was â€Å"Marsilio Ficino† who developed significant ideas from Plato and Neo-Platonism. Ficino founded of the Academy in Firenze and was responsible for the circulation of Neo-Platonic ideas. Ficino is credited with translating all of Platos’ dialogues into Latin and produced a great work called Platonic Theology, in which he outlines Neo-Platonism. His philosophy is based on the doctrine that the human soul is the center of the cosmos. It is the only thing that sits between the world of ideas and the world is the soul. Neo-Platonism was revived in the 17th century by the Cambridge Platonists such as Cudworth and Smith. The school stressed the importance of reason, maintaining that faith and reason are not that different. Rene Descartes an 18th century philosopher and Neo-Platonist developed a method to achieve truths. If something is not recognized by the intellect or reason can be classified as knowledge. According to Descartes. These truths are gained â€Å"without any sensory experience† (Descartes). He argued that as a result of his method, reason alone determined knowledge and that this could be done independently of the senses. â€Å"Cogito ergo sum, I think therefore I exist† (Descartes) Plato developed an absolutist ethical theory which is that there is a greater good toward which to aspire. He developed this theory to respond to the skepticism and the beliefs of the Sophists who Plato felt did not preach wisdom, but rather their opinions. Plato tried to protect the part of reasoning in human life though he had resistance from the ancient Greek preachers know as the Sophists. They came from different cities and proclaimed that they were able to impart knowledge to young men how to live prosperous lives. Even though the Sophists did not belong to a school and did not have a common creed, some opinions were typical of them as a group and were absolutely conflicting to the views of Plato. The Sophists were great communicators and skilled public speakers. Plato felt that the Sophists were more likely to appeal to emotions rather than to reason. According to Plato philosophers influence people’s souls not their bodies and Plato agreed with Socrates in thinking that the nurturing of the soul is more vital than the nurturing of the body. Furthermore, he also believed that true leaders need to have wisdom, and knowledge. Plato’s influence has been monumental as one philosopher said the history of philosophy is simply â€Å"a series of footnotes to Plato. † (Whitehead) Plato’s has been criticized down through the centuries for his philosophy of the forms. His ideas of the just life and an ideal state are complex. Plato tended to specifically ignores much of human nature. Plato did not think in the realm of the physical world, he was always looking to a different one where things exist only if he can prove there existence. References Kraut, R. (2009, Sept) Plato Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/plato; Plato. (1984) Great dialogues of Plato New York: Mentor Books trans. by Benjamin Jowett Blackburn, S. (1945) The republic of Plato. (45 ed. ). London: Oxford University Press, USA. trans. By Desmond Lee Descartes. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/descartes-works; Alfred North Whitehead. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/whitehead/