Thursday, October 31, 2019
How does a leader find the balance between employee needs and the Essay
How does a leader find the balance between employee needs and the organizational goals of a company - Essay Example Such leaders sometimes prove effective in achieving their goal but they are inconsiderate toward their employees. In my perspective, this type of leadership is not balanced because such leaders canââ¬â¢t approach their goals and reach a decision that can satisfy most of their employees. So being a ââ¬Å"balancedâ⬠leader who tries to achieve the companyââ¬â¢s goal, and also cares for the workers requires a special approach. First of all, the leader should understand the characteristics of all of their workers, and he/she should use past experience to reach a decision that can satisfy the majority of individuals in the company. Understanding the characteristics of workers is the main objective in drawing a balance between the employeesââ¬â¢ need and the organizationââ¬â¢s goals. The leader of a company should gather all information about the workers and study each section of their abilities and weaknesses. Employees are human beings and they are not perfect, so understanding their situation is the first step in balancing the employeesââ¬â¢ needs and organizationââ¬â¢s goal. Then the leader can establish the working style, vision, mission, and rules of organization that can satisfy the employees as well as help the leader achieve the goals of the company. Besides collecting and analyzing the data, leaders should use past experience when they reached a decision for their previous organizations. They should reflect on their past experience while making a recent decision for the company, so that the leaders can learn from their past mistakes that made them distracted from the organizationââ¬â¢s goals and also overlook the employeesââ¬â¢ needs. This way, the decision they take will satisfy the recent employeesââ¬â¢ needs, and approach the organizationââ¬â¢s goals. It is complicated to draw a balance between the employeesââ¬â¢ needs and the organizationââ¬â¢s goals. It is because we are living in the real world that is different from a perfect world. There are no paths to
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Fast food restaurant Essay Example for Free
Fast food restaurant Essay Analysis on Fast Food Culture and Its Double-side Effects to the world from the Development of American Fast Food ?. Introduction Fast food is becoming more and more popular around the world these years. It is estimated that there are more than 100 branches of McDonaldââ¬â¢s and KFC only in Beijing. The appearances of the fast-food arouse a new thing named ââ¬Å"fast-food cultureâ⬠, and also the debate about this culture by people. ?. Brief history of American fast food 1. McDonaldââ¬â¢s two brothers named Richard and Maurice McDonald left their home in New Hampshire and seeking jobs in southern California. At first they tried opening a theater but it was not a success. Then they caught on to the new craze of eating at drive-in restaurants and they opened one in 1939, in Pasadena, California, calling it ââ¬Å"McDonaldââ¬â¢s Famous Hamburgersâ⬠. (http://hi. baidu. com/) 2. The Emergences and Expansion of KFC KFC, shorted from Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC primarily sells chicken in form of pieces, wraps, salads , sandwiches and so on. The popularity and novelty of KFC made it famous and popular throughout the world. The fast food like KFC is also developed in the whole world. (http://www. kfc. com. cn) ?. The Development of Fast Food Industry Most people think that it is the McDonald brothers who start the fast-food craze in America, but in reality, it is the White Castle hamburger chain that actually started fast food history in America. J. Walter Anderson opened the first White Castle in 1916 in Wichita, Kansas, Richard and Maurice McDonald, the two brothers who created the first McDonaldââ¬â¢s restaurant in 1948 in San Bernardino, California. By 1953, the brothers had decided to franchise their idea, and two franchisees opened in Downey, California and Phoenix, Arizona. Today, fast food chains have spread all around the world, and have spread American culture right along with them. There are many more popular chains, like Carls Jr. , Arbyââ¬â¢s, Dominos and Dairy Queen, indicating that fast food isnââ¬â¢t always about hamburgers. ?. Globalization In 2006, the global fast food market grew by 4. 8% (Linda Stradley, 2008) Globalization is that the world is moving away from self-contained national economies towards an interdependent, integrated global economic system. It refers to the shift toward a more integrated and interdependent world economy. Fast food is becoming more and more popular around the world these years. It is estimated that there are more than 100 branches of McDonaldââ¬â¢s and KFC only in Beijing. But the fast food sell in China which crude material is always manufactures in other countries. So if something changed in China, it is sure affects other countries. Fast food is already spread into the world, it is sure increase the knowledge between countries. Conclusion Throughout the world, American fast-food chains have become symbols of Western economic development, opening everywhere from Bulgaria to Western Samoa.and attracted a large number of consumers and the economic benefits. Fast food industry is decided by the development of social progress and economic development, it improves peopleââ¬â¢s living standards and way of life. The fast food industry is an important industry of living environment and investment environment, and also an important component of the consumer leisure, tourism, consumption, shopping and spending. The competition in the fast food market is very intensely, but should be focused on one aspect: that is, to eat fast food with nutrition, health. High-calorie fast food as a high-fat food is not suitable for eating. Fast food does have double-sided effects on the development of economy and peopleââ¬â¢s life. Though fast food still have so many shortages of this or that, This kind of food culture is true developed to be part of peopleââ¬â¢s life, no matter the criticism of fast food is true or not, fast food is still to be a trend in the future. Works Cited Linda Stradley. 2008. Whatââ¬â¢s Cooking America New York: New York University Press http://hi. baidu. com/ http://www. kfc. com. cn.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Tidal Energy Solutions SWOT Analysis
Tidal Energy Solutions SWOT Analysis Running header: SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis In todays world there is a major dependence on fossil fuels for our power needs. There are other forms of energy out there like solar and wind but they do not currently offer a good supplement to easing our use of fossil fuels. That is where Tide Energy Solutions (TES) comes in. There goal is to cut its use in half. Allowing for our limited supply to be used primarily for vehicle use and leaving our country to be run by its most prevalent resource, water. The ocean which covers 70 percent of the earth has massive potential in electrical production. The California based company has developed a new buoy based power generating plant which will take the ââ¬Å"motion of the oceanâ⬠and turn this into useable energy. The simple description of how it works is easy to explain. Have you ever used a bobber when you went fishing? If you have or even have seen it done then you know that if there is any disturbance in the water then the bobber will rise with the water level. In the ocean there are constantly waves. By placing a much larger ââ¬Å"bobberâ⬠they are able to take the rising motion created by the oceans waves and turn it into energy. The bottom of the buoy is heavily weighted so as a wave comes in, the buoyant top pulls away from the bottom driving the generators piston creating power. This power can then be transferred to land by a cable connected directly to the buoy or transferred to a ocean power management facility which can then send it out. Using SWOT analysis we can take a closer look to see the viability of the company. Internal Strengths Weaknesses 1. Unique patented product that is not easily duplicated. 2. Cost of sustaining energy production is marginal when compared to cost of sustaining fossil fuel production. 3. Renewable energy allows continuous operation. 4. Relatively new field. 5. Environmentally friendly. 6. Unique coating will protect product parts from salt water erosion for many years. 7. Company located on the coast so highway transport is not needed, saving cost. 1. High initial production cost. 2. Manufacturing process has low turnaround. 3. Maintenance can be costly/difficult on an in-place unit. 4. Degradation of metal parts will eventually occur in salt water and the unit will need to be replaced. 5. Limited data on length of life of product. 6. Geographically limiting factors External Opportunities Threats 1. Need for new forms of power. 2. Ability to produce power without limiting factors such as sun light or wind. 3. With more advancement cost to implement will become lower. 4. Environmentally pollution free. 1. New company could imitate or create more effective product. 2. Power giants. 3. Larger company with infrastructure could take over. 4. Environmental concerns over effect on sea life. 5. Cost could out weigh gains. Strengths There are many strengths to TES and they are as follows. First is the patented equipment developed and employed by them. No other company currently offers a product that uses our specific technology. This means that the ability for another company to attempt to catchup down the road is much less likely. Also given the limited nature of other companies in the market there arent many competitors that offer buoy specific technology. Another great strength is that compared to the daily cost to run fossil fuel processing plant, with workers, transport of raw materials, processing, etc. the daily operating cost of their product is virtually nothing. Although there are many aspects to keeping a processing plant running on a day to day basis, however the product simply needs to be put in place and wired to a power plant. While the cost of energy production remains so low there is also the fact that the main source the product is renewable, non-polluting, and widely available. Also through a partnering with a marine aquatics company they have been able to find a new underwater coating that will prevent damage to the metal components for 30 years compared to many of todays current products which will only last half that. Then there is the fact they are located on the coast with their own water access. This allows them to ship directly anywhere in the world and because they are used in the ocean there is no need to transport them over highways. A benefit to this is the money and time saved not having to determine logistical routes, obtaining transportation permits, and additional problems with road travel. Weaknesses Where there are strengths there are bound to be weaknesses. The first is the high initial cost of the power plant. There are many factors that have to be accounted for when they are being placed. They have to be built and loaded on to a properly equipped ship to be taken to there location, cable has to be run from the buoy location to an appropriate power plant and if one doesnt exist one may have to be built or a new location selected. Another weakness is the amount of time to produce the devices. Due to the newness of the field and low demand, manufacturing techniques are not at a level for quick mass production. Maintenance will also be a concerning issue. Maintenance will have to be performed underwater or by removing the power plant so that it may worked on out of water. Although both tasks are simple in itself the equipment and training required would be a unique skill set among todays market. Product life is an area were there is an element of uncertainty. While confident that the product is quality made, unpredictable factors could occur as they have not had a model subjected to 30 years of real world use. There are also factors that could cause limited geographic placement of the product. Things such as the wiring that is run to the power plant, existing underwater obstructions, and current marine shipping routes. The final weakness to mention is the fact that although there is an anticipated 30 year life, saltwater will eventually cause a degradation of metal components that will lead to large scale part replacement or replacement of the entire unit. Opportunities Next we will look at the opportunities that are available. Firstly anyone can tell you that there is a greater need for alternative energy sources. While this does not propose a solution to all of them, it can alleviate and substitute a growing need. The benefit to this energy source is greater than current technologies with solar and wind. Solar and wind technologies have their limiting factors. Such as solar on being viable in sunny open areas and only useable obvious during the day. Wind turbines have a limited amount of places that they can placed, require good wind flow, and take up land space. With this being a newer technology advancements in the field will only lead to a lower production cost and faster turn around times in the future. One of the most beneficial parts of the product are its environmentally friendliness. It has no harmful emissions, requires to external input, and takes up minimal space when compared to the vastness of the ocean. Threats Lastly there are the threats that are possible to look at. While this field is limited in competitors they are not the only ones currently in production of similar or different products that harness tidal energy. There is always the possibility of new form of tidal harvesting that could be discovered to have a much lower cost associated that would leave our product obsolete. Also there is a possibility of the larger power companies trying to gain a greater advantage by venturing into the tidal energy market, and if this was the case then we could not compete on a financial level with them. As for environmental concerns, while there is no emissions or pollution to speak of there are various oils and hydraulic fluids housed in the power plants. If they were to become damaged there is a possibility contaminating the ocean. Also different environmental groups are concerned that the introduction of our power plant on indigenous sea life. Mainly if they would still be able to inhabit the a rea surrounding said power plant or will be driven away. If the viability of our product does not pick up it is very possible that the initial costs will scare away the long-term gains of the our project. Overall there is quite a bit to consider in with this company. While the potential for growth in the field is quite great there are many unknown variables. It is possible that the high initial costs will be to great and overshadow the chance for the product to develop to a common use stage. Based on the SWOT analysis conducted I dont feel that continuing this product at the this time is wise. With the development of new technologies and better integration into the current system their exists the chance for a re-examination at a later date. References Dess, G. G.,Lumpkin, G. T., Eisner, A. B. (2010). Strategic management creating competitive advantages, (5th Ed.). New, York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Humphrey, A. S. (August 2004). SWOT Analysis. http://www.businessballs.com/. Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.businessballs.com/. Ocean Power Technologies. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.oceanpowertechnologies.com/ January 16, 2014. Renault, V. (2013). SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. ctb.ku.edu. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from ctb.ku.edu.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Effects of Income Inequality on Quality of Healthcare Essays -- The In
Positive rights are rights that everyone is entitled to including: the right to a public education, access to public roads, and the right to health care. There are no guarantees when it comes to life, but having health insurance makes a huge difference with preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases. Of course having insurance itself is a great resource to ensure medical care and containing costs, but not all insurance programs are created equal. Insurance programs have caveats, exclusions, varying co-payments, and access to certain doctors and hospitals, which creates an ethical dilemma. Receiving the best care is subjective in most cases, but with money you can buy almost anything, including the best care. Although those living in poverty are given access to healthcare, that does not mean they receive the best or equal care as those who are wealthy. Living in a capitalist society, the richest Americans enjoy larger homes, nicer cars, better education and even health care. Even if we lived in a capitalist society where everyone had access to the same basic healthcare program, the rich would still be able to afford better care. The wealthy are able to pay more in co-payments, prescription costs, and the ability to go outside of the healthcare system in this country to seek help. When you have the disposable resources then the sky is the limit, where the poor have very limited options. They will be confined to their healthcare coverage program and do not have the luxury of seeking additional assistance. ââ¬Å"Poor patients often receive less quality care in the hospital, have more barriers to recovery, and experience higher morbidity and mortality than do patients with higher incomesâ⬠(Dracup). The United States is ... ...ndards and practices are more uniform based on circumstance and not based on loopholes, exceptions or lack of insurance. Everyone should be given the same preventive care and be able to receive the same treatment options regardless of location, income, or age. Competition in the marketplace can be good, but there are many complexities with healthcare and many people can slip through the cracks and others can be shortchanged. Works Cited C. Wayne Sells and Robert Wm. Blum, "Morbidity and Mortality among US Adolescents: An Overview of Data and Trends," AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Vol. 86, No. 4 (April, 1996), pgs. 513-519. R. Wilkinson and K. Pickett, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, Bloomsbury Press, NY, 2009, in particular pages 49- 173. Income Inequalities , Health and the Garrison State by Christopher Schaefer
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Tenet Healthcare Scandal
Introduction Over the years, the healthcare industry has undergone through an exponential growth despite the tremendous market pressure. Tenet Healthcare Corporation is among the many organizations that the struggle for a position in the healthcare industry (Klaidman, 2010). However, this struggle has contributed to a series of legal and ethical scandals that have largely changed the reputation of the company. Based on theoretical and practical explanations, this paper seeks to critically analyze one of the most recent scandal involving doctors at Tenet Healthcare who carried out unnecessary heart surgeries on patients.An Overview of the Company This company was established in 1967 under the name National Medical Enterprises by three lawyers and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. In its early years, the business policy of the company was mainly focused on building and acquiring medical facilities and related services in order to address the growing medical demands in the new m arket. In the late 1980s, the company diversified into specialty hospitals such as building nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers among other developments (Klaidman, 2010). Tenet Healthcare before the scandalFollowing a series of fraud and legal troubles, the company changed its name to Tenet Healthcare Corporation in 1994 whose headquarters is based in Dallas. Tenet Healthcare operates a number of hospitals and other healthcare facilities that are mandated to provide health care services to its customers. It is essential to mention the services provided by Tenet Healthcare are conducted through its subsidiaries (Klaidman, 2010). Tenet Healthcare Corporation owns and operates 69 acute-care hospitals, which provides services to urban communities in 13 states, in the United States.Some of the services provided by the company include acute care, respiratory therapy services, clinical laboratories, operating and recovery rooms, pharmacies and intensive care (California Nurse, 2002). The involvement of the company in recent legal and financial troubles has contributed to the falling of shares of Tenet Healthcare, from over $50 a share in 1994, to $8 a share today. The involvement of the company in a number of scandals contributed to the reduced profits in the 1990s. Nevertheless, a number of hanges in the management of the company following the appointment of Jeffry Barbakow as the chief executive in 1993 contributed to the recovery of the company (Klaidman, 2010). For six years, Tenet Healthcare Corporation tried to consolidate its position in the healthcare industry by buying hospitals around the country. This move contributed to the strong recovery that saw tenet healthcare redeeming itself from a $425million loss in 1994 to a $302 million profit in 2000 (Taylor, 2005). The Unnecessary Cardiac Procedures Scandal Individuals or firms who knew about, participated in or condoned the behavior.Several individuals were linked to the scandal and specifically the ph ysicians who were recruiting patients by paying them. This means that most of the employees and especially physicians knew about the scam. Moreover, Tenet had been performing poorly in terms of finances, and this has been noted to be one of the reasons that prompted the corporation to enter into corrupt deals. During the past decade, Tenet Health Care Corporation has faced scandals pertaining to legal and financial matters. Its image had been tarnished, and thus a number of its customers were compelled to seek medical services elsewhere.Moreover, it had influenced the number of uninsured citizens and reduced employer insurance cover. This gave rise to an excess number of individuals who were unable to cater for their medical services and hence resulted in a significant drop in Tenetââ¬â¢s market. The scandal erupted in October 2002 following allegations from hundreds of patients who believed that many of the heart operations done to patients at the Redding Hospital, in California were unnecessary. After a series of investigation, it was found that Dr. Chae Moon and his counterpart Dr.Fidel Realyvasquez had allegedly carried out a number of cardiac procedures that were neither necessary nor indicated in the reports of over 700 patients. How was the scandal uncovered and by whom The scandal was uncovered when one of the patients, John Corapi, a 55-year old priest visited Redding Medical Center in California for a medical checkup. After consultation with Dr. Moon, Corapi was told that he needed an emergency heart bypass surgery. However, Corapi was not satisfied with the recommendation made by the two doctors (Taylor, 2005).It was at this point that he decided to seek for more opinion from five cardiologists who gave him a different answer from the one given by the two doctors at tenet Healthcare Corporationââ¬â¢s Redding Medical Center. According to the cardiologists, Corapi did not require a heart surgery contrary to the opinion given by the doctors at th e Redding Medical Center. After reporting his case to the FBI, the federal authorities revealed that, hundreds of medical records of surgical patients did not support the need for surgery procedures (The Spark, 2002).Furthermore, when the scandal was uncovered, it was revealed that many patients had become victims of unnecessary cardiac surgeries that left them with complications. According to Klaidman (2010), many patients suffered from a myriad of complications including stroke, heart attack and paralysis. As a result, many of the patients who had undergone unnecessary surgery now require assisted living and 95 of the patients succumbed to death. For that reason, the plaintiffs sued Tenet Healthcare Corporation for fraud, negligence, battery and elder abuse, since most of the patients ranged between 65 to 90 years of age.Additionally, the estates of the 95 patients who died sued the company for wrongful deaths (The Spark, 2002). Once the scandal was discovered, the investigation o f FBI agent led by Michael Skeen invaded Tenetââ¬â¢s Redding Hospital that is based in California. The FBI found out that most of the patients who were required to undergo cardiac operations had not fully qualified. In light of this, a number of the patientsââ¬â¢ hearts were in superb condition. After the FBI's probed, it carried further probing with an aim of authenticating the validity of the truth concerning the matter before taking further action.What did they do with the information they uncovered? The information gathered by the FBI was used to sue the physician allegedly associated with the scandal. Tenet as a corporation was not charged. It gave the California State together with the federal government over $50 million (Bejjani et al. , 2006). Additionally, Tenet Healthcare also paid an additional $395 million to over 700 patients in order to settle litigation for the unnecessary surgeries (Taylor, 2005). How did the company reactedThe need to change its image led to a number of reactions from the company. First, the company reacted by stating that, it was not involved in the scandal based on the point that, it was the doctors who were responsible for healthcare and not the hospital. In this case, it implied that only the patients implicated were under investigation and not the hospital (The Spark, 2002). It can be mentioned that, the company had nurtured a culture where fraud could easily be perpetrated without any serious actions being undertaken.Following this scandal, the affected patients received their compensation. On the other hand, the company decided to sell Redding Medical Center which was later renamed Shasta Regional Medical Center (California Nurse, 2002). Despite the fact that the scandal involving Tenet Healthcare Corporation did not preclude criminal or civil charges against individuals, the company agreed to pay the fine in order to settle the allegations poised in the unnecessary heart surgery scandal. This implies that there w as no civil trial in this case.According to Currier and Eimermann (2010), civil trial refers to a court of law proceedings where the judge makes a deliberation about who wins. In this case, the judge examines the evidence provided in order to make a decision on whether the defendant should be held legally responsible for the allegations put forward by the plaintiff (s). Civil cases usually involve civilians and organizations. On the other hand, a criminal trial refers to a court of law proceeding that is intended to settle criminal cases.In this case, the government can sue a person on allegations of certain criminal activities. Additionally, the justice remains to be a principal aim of criminal trials, as opposed to civil trial, which usually seek to achieve a resolution to the dispute (Currier & Eimermann, 2010). With that said, there was no civil trial following the decision by the company to pay a fine to the government and the state of California and later an immense amount as compensation to the affected patients.Even though, this scandal was revealed in 2002, it is said that it had taken place since the early 1990s. Therefore, many people became victims of this scandal (Taylor, 2005). First, the main stakeholders were directly or indirectly affected by the allegations based on how it painted badly on the corporate image of the company. Additionally, over 700 patients and their families were subjected to emotional, psychological and financial problems. The huge charges for the heart surgery required patients to pay a lot of money in the form of medical bills (Klaidman, 2010).The shareholders were also affected because the share of the company dropped from $50 per share in 1994 to $8 in 2002. Lastly, the competitiveness and professional qualifications of the two doctors were also questioned thus making it difficult for them to secure employment in the future (The Spark, 2002). The case of Tenet Healthcare Corporation signifies the negative implications of scandals on the management of an organization. As mentioned earlier, the company has been burdened by financial and legal troubles due to its involvement in a number of fraud and scandals.In the end, the company suffered from the loss of public trust, investorsââ¬â¢ confidence and dwindling financial performance. The future of the company depends on how it will use its past in order to redesign its present as the second largest company in the US healthcare industry. How much money did the plaintiffs receive, other agreements As mentioned, reimbursement was made available to the government, patients and their loved ones. Towards the end of 2004, Tenet agreed that it would pay the patients who had been victims of the unnecessary heart surgeries over $395 million. Do you feel it was fair?There have been many instances of corporations deciding to continue unsafe practice because they calculate that not all of the number of people injured will bring legal action. Furthermore, the peo ple who sue are not guaranteed a victory in court or can be settled out of court, for far less than a jury will award. With that said, no amount of money can bring the dead back. I think that the amount was not a fair one due to the fact that those doctors knew what they were doing. I do not agree with the reimbursement and I do not think the amount was fair because the families of the victims had to face a lot of pain.Some of the pain and suffering: Immediate expenses associated with the death (medical & funeral), mental anguish to the survivors, Companionship, Loss of care and Loss of earnings in the future. Background Tenet Healthcare formerly was named National Medical Enterprises, ranks as the second largest hospital chain in the United States. The organization owns about 114 acute care hospitals and related businesses in 16 states. Boasting with over 57, 000 active personnel and over 13, 000 certified hospital beds, Tenet Healthcare Company is a force in the United Statesâ⬠⢠healthcare delivery industry.Awarding doctors with financial incentives as payment for their support has been ruled out under the stateââ¬â¢s stark laws; however, the marketplace cites this as a necessary form of clinching and maintaining that support. Tenetââ¬â¢s hospitals stand accused of paying doctors for referring clients to them as a means of keeping their support. Illegal behavior The illegal behavior was its defrauding of its stakeholders who came to seek medical treatment (Wynne, 2008). The doctors admitted excessive numbers of patients being fully aware that their capacity was lower.The doctors were also aware of the poor conditions in the hospitals but still went ahead to admit patients. In what type of court was Tenet Healthcare tried? The Tenet Healthcare scandal trial took place at the Supreme Court of Appeal in St. Louis Indiana, (circuit court) (Browers, 2012 & The Federal Reporter. , 1997). All the trials including subsequent appeals took place in Court of Appeals, in St. Luis, Indiana; United State The case was forwarded to the superior court in San Diego under the presiding attorney, Carol C. Lam where Tenet subsidiaries were indicted, while Nazaryanââ¬â¢s case was filed in the U.S. District Court (Wynne, 2007). After the case broke out, The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) broke into one of Tenetââ¬â¢s hospitals in San Diego, the Alvarado Hospital, and charged its administrator of 10 years. The charges were brought against Tenet Healthcare In the original indictment, Tenet Healthcare was aptly accused of fraud that was inclusive of illegally admitting psychiatric patients to the institutes and hiking their charges (inflating the cost of admission and administration of medicine (Wynne, 2007). Provide key details about the trial and provide a timeline of key trial events.After the raiding of the Redding hospital by the FBI agents in October 2002, it was revealed that Tenet Healthcare Corporation performed inappropriate an d unnecessary surgeries on patients and also overbilled patients beyond the standard Medicare rates. As a result, a legal suit was initiated against the Corporations. The trial pitted Federal government of the United States versus Tenet Healthcare Corporations. As alleged by the government, the Corporations admitted patients who did not qualify for admission in rehab facilities.This took place between May 15 2005 and December 31 2007. Besides this inappropriate admission, they were charged with soliciting high Rehabilitation fees. This was the qui tam claim that allowed William Meshel and Man Tai to establish a legal suit against the Corporation on behalf of the Federal government. In May 2006, Tenet went to court to dismiss these claims. Did Tenet Healthcare enter into a plea bargaining agreement? If so, to what charges did he/she plead guilty? If not, what were the final charges? Did they differ from those in the original indictment?What was the verdict? After the government dismi ssed the claims of the appellant since they had zero impact on the pre-existing investigations of the government, an agreement bargain was reached with the government but the other suit remained pending. The other settlement between the government and Tenet Healthcare concerned 165 hospitals nationwide. A summary judgment was moved on April 2007, which included the appellant as the original source of the case. The summary judgment was made in favor of the Federal government.As a result, Tenet accepted to pay the fines of overbilling of Medicare within its facilities after pleading guilty to the charges. What was the sentence? Did you feel it was fair? Justify our position. Tenet Corporation was guilty of overbilling, but the appellant who established the suit were unqualified to do so on the terms of qui tam. This was simply because they did not possess independent and original knowledge of Tenetââ¬â¢s fraudulent activities and practices in Medicare. Consequently, Tenet had under taken the responsibility of reparations of damages to both the government and its patients.This sentence was not fair. Tenet had more liabilities on top of Medicare overbilling. A large number of its patients died due to unnecessary surgeries and rehabilitations. The appellant, acting in the public interest, had the right to make their case heard for justice to be done, something which the district court denied and dismissed. Did they differ from those in the original indictment? What was the verdict? They did not differ much from the original indictment in that they were the same issues that were evidenced in the first indictment; overbilling and malpractice.The verdict was arrived at after Tenet pleaded guilty of overbilling its Medicare and admitting stable patients into the rehabilitation facilities. Tenet Healthcare Corporation was, therefore, found guilty of overbilling its medical services. It was also found that the qui tam of the two appellants was not tenable due to the fa ct that they were not the primary source of such information. The information was already in the public domain when they moved to court. Did Tenet Healthcare appeal? If so, on what grounds did he/she base the appeal?Tenet Healthcare corporations did not appeal in this case since it had passed a compromise with the government to pay the fines, an action that was supposed to redeem the image of the health care sector and to serve justice to the victims. Did Tenet Healthcare have mens rea and actus Reus? Justify your position Yes. This is because they had agreed to settle the fine, which is a sign of accepting that their activities were not acceptable and went against the law. They, therefore, accepted the liability of their ââ¬Ëprofit-driven actions.The general basis for imposing liability in criminal law is that the defendant must be proved to have committed a guilty act whilst having had a guilty state of mind. The physical elements are collectively called the actus Reus and the accompanied mental state is called the mens rea. Moreover, it is the fundamental duty of the prosecution to prove both of these elements of the offense to the satisfaction of the judge or jury beyond reasonable doubt. In the absence of such proof, the defendant will be acquitted.According to Cheeseman (2010) actus Reus is guilty act, which is the actual performance of a criminal act and mens rea is evil intent the possession of the requisite state of mind to commit a prohibited act. What constitutional protections do your subjects have? Equal protection and right to appeal for the accused and plaintiff, by the case brought against either party (Mann, 2008). The Tenet criminal trial encompasses several cases and conspiracies charged against the Tenet Healthcare Corporation. References Brown, G. (2012). The trait & style approach to leadership. Houston Chronicle.Retrievedfrom http://smallbusiness. chron. com/trait-style-approach-leadership-21103. html Cashen, L. H. (2009). Pressures f or the creation of a more independent board of directors inthe post-restructuring period. Academy of Accounting & Financial Studies Journal,1357-72. DATAMONITOR: Tenet Healthcare Corporation. (2011). Tenet Healthcare CorporationSWOT Analysis, 1-8. Jackson, R. A. (2009). Keeping your reputation clean. Internal Auditor, 65(3), 38. Jones, D. (2007). Combining Disciplines: Making the Connection between Compliance, Risk,and Quality Management. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 5-12.Lievens, F. , Geit, P. , & Coetsier, P. (1997). Identification of transformational leadershipqualities: An examination of potential biases. European Journal of Work andOrganizational Psychology, 6(4), 415-430. Reiman, T. , & Oedewald, P. (2002). The assessment of organizational culture: Amethodological study. Retrieved fromhttp://www. vtt. fi/inf/pdf/tiedotteet/2002/T2140. pdf Rundle, R. L. (2008). Worst 5-Year Performer: Tenet Healthcare. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online. wsj. com/article/SB 120371036978986415. html Tenet Agrees to Settle Lawsuits with Cardiac Patients. 2005). hfm (Healthcare FinancialManagement), 59(2), 27. Tenet Healthcare Corporation. (2008). Tenet Healthcare Corporation SWOT Analysis, 1-9. Tenet Healthcare scandal: Part of a health care system that kills for profits. (2002). Spark. Retrieved from http://the-spark. net/np692605. html Tenet Health System Medical. (2012). Mission and values. Retrieved fromhttp://www. tenethealth. com/about/pages/missionandvalues. aspx Vrana, D. (2003). Barbakow Quits as Tenet's CEO. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved fromhttp://articles. latimes. com/2003/may/28/business/fi-tenet28 California Nurse, (2002).Tenet Healthcare: the seamy side of a dysfunctional system. California Nurse, 98(8):6-8. Currier, K. A. , & Eimermann, T. E. , (2010). Introduction to paralegal studies: a criticalthinking approach. New York: Aspen Publishers. Klaidman, S. (2010). Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry. New York: Simon &Schuster publ ishers. Taylor M. , (2005). Tenet settles Redding case. Modern Healthcare, 21, 35(47):20. The Spark (2002). Tenet Healthcare scandal: Part of a health care system that kills forprofits. Retrieved on 12 September 2012 from: http://the-spark. net/np692605. html. California Nurse, (2002).Tenet Healthcare: the seamy side of a dysfunctional system. California Nurse, 98(8):6-8. Currier, K. A. , & Eimermann, T. E. , (2010). Introduction to paralegal studies: a criticalthinking approach. New York: Aspen Publishers. Klaidman, S. (2010). Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry. New York: Simon &Schuster publishers. Taylor M. , (2005). Tenet settles Redding case. Modern Healthcare, 21, 35(47):20. The Spark (2002). Tenet Healthcare scandal: Part of a health care system that kills for profits. Retrieved on 12 September 2012 from: http://the-spark. net/np692605. html.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Michael Levin’s the Case for Torture (Review)
Michael Levinââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Case for Tortureâ⬠argues that there are various reasons for allowing torture to exist in the United States of America. Levin would love to see society change its negative views on torture so that, under certain circumstances, torture would be permissible. The article starts off with a very brief description of how he believes society views the subject of torture as a negative thing. He leads on to oppose that way of thinking and provides three cases in which he believes torture must be administered with various reasons attempting to support his thoughts. The hypothetical cases Levin uses range from very extreme situations, to a situation where we may sometimes see on the news. Levin makes it clear to the audience that he does not agree with torture as a punishment and focuses on exactly what it should be used for. He also stresses that there is an important difference between terrorists and victims and he believes it would stop the talk of ââ¬Å"terrorist rightsâ⬠. Levin also writes on his belief that most terrorist do their crimes for publicity and because of that, the terrorist shall be fairly easy to identify and later be tortured. He closes the article by saying torture would cause little danger to western democracies and predicting what he believes will happen in the future. After many through readings of Michael Levinââ¬â¢s article, I feel the attitude he carries along thorough the article presents him as an aggressively self assured person. Most of the reasoning he gives is heavily based on pathetic appeals. The force of pathos he puts into the reader is very compelling but does not fulfill the argument as well as it should because of the lack of good logic and reasoning. Levin uses three main points to convince readers why torture should be used. The first major point includes three hypothetical cases as big reason to why itââ¬Ës important. His second point explains the reason for the need of torture. Finally he states who gets to receive the torturing and briefly describes what the outcome may be. Levin's biggest point is generated from the three hypothetical cases he provides the reader with. In my opinion, they are clearly work more as an emotional example and not a sound reason. The 1st case is one in which an atomic bomb is planted on Manhattan Island and will blow at noon. The suspect demands money and release of his friends from jail. He is caught at 10 A. M. and the man wonââ¬â¢t disclose any information on the bomb. ââ¬Å"What do you doâ⬠(201)? The 2nd case speaks of a bomb on a jumbo jet. The suspect's demands cannot be met. Wonââ¬â¢t we do anything to the extortionist to the save the passengers (201)? The 3rd hypothetical case is provided with results from a four person poll. The case is one in which a newborn baby is kidnapped from a hospital. Would you allow the torturing of the kidnapper in order to get him back? I feel that all three hypothetical situations have something about them that do not make me feel convinced. The first situation in which the bomb is planted Manhattan Island seems too unrealistic due to reasons that you don't always hear of this kind of stuff on the news and also that the bomber is captured. Even if a person demands money and release of his friends from jail, Levin does not explain how somebody would go about finding this person wherever he is hiding? Levin also has a very weak spot in explaining the situation because when he speaks of the bomber, he says ââ¬Å"Preferring death to failure ââ¬â Wonââ¬â¢t disclose where the bomb is. â⬠(201). Saying to readers he prefers death to failure would logically mean that, even if tortured, the man is still not going to disclose the information because he would rather die than failing his mission in receiving his needs. The second situation's weakness' comes from a lack of critical information and once again the rareness of the situation. The situation involves a Jumbo Jet in which a bomb has been planted which can be defused ONLY by the bomber which is in police custody. Levin says ââ¬Å"Surely we can, we must, do anything to the extortionist to save the passengersâ⬠(201). Once again, what exactly is torture going to do in this situation if the bomb is in the air on the plane? How exactly is the bomb going to be defused? I feel that this situation could have made much better of an argument if he would have taken the time to clear up exactly how the bomb was going to get defused. Later in the paragraph Levin adds in, ââ¬Å"If you caught the terrorist, could you sleep nights knowing that millions died because you couldn't bring yourself to apply the electrodes? ââ¬Å"(201). It is clearly an emotionally loaded sentence. He purposely italicizes the word ââ¬Å"youâ⬠because he wants you to sink into that thought and make you feel really bad about the situation. The third hypothetical case, which I consider weakest, is explained with results of an informal poll based on the situation. In the poll, four mothers are asked if they would approve the torturing of the kidnapper that kidnaps their child if that were necessary to get them back. All four mothers said they would approve of it. I feel this argument does not give a great example of what makes torture acceptable. It is more of an example to show what someone would do for their loved ones. Its weakness is clearly seen in the number of participants in the poll that he is using and in the biased opinion they most likely already had. The best part of Levinââ¬â¢s reasoning is expressed when he speaks of why exactly he believes torture should be accepted and not viewed upon as something horrible. In the article, Levin says ââ¬Å"I am advocating torture as an acceptable measure for preventing future evils. â⬠(201). He does a good job of making it clear exactly what he means. In doing so, he briefly explains an argument he believes people against the death penalty use. The argument is that by killing the murderer, you are not bringing back the victim that was killed. Levin explains that instead of killing after a murder has occurred, he advocates that torturing someone stops the innocent from being dispatched. Levin makes it clear that torture should ONLY be used for the saving of lives. This leads to what he believes is the most powerful argument against torture. People would insist that such practices disregard the rights of the individual. Levin first counter-argument is presented when he says ââ¬Å"Well, if the individual is all that important, and he is, it is correspondingly important to protect the rights of individuals threatened by terrorist. ââ¬Å"(201). It seemed like a very sound argument to me because of the way he used anti-torture line to support his pro-torture argument. Levin later says ââ¬Å"Unlike his victims, he (the terrorist) volunteered the risks of his deed. By threatening to kill for profit or idealism, he renounces civilized standards, and he can have no complaint if civilization tries to thwart him by whatever means necessary. (202). He thinks if a person decides to oppose civilized standards, he should not expect to be treated with the same rights as the people who do follow civilized standards. Although it sounds reasonable, he does make an assumption here. Levin assumes that the suspect KNOWS they are going against civilized standards. Does this mean that a sociopath that cannot distinguis h between civilized standards would not be tortured? I feel a bit more of clarification could help this argument. Levin addresses the issue of torturing the wrong person. He starts off by making an assumption terrorist proclaim themselves and perform for television and public recognition. Levin says ââ¬Å"After all, you canââ¬â¢t very well intimidate a government into releasing your freedom fighters unless you announce that it is your group that has seized its embassy. â⬠(202). It is just another hypothetical situation to bend things his way without providing documented evidence of a real life situation where the terrorist actually identified themselves. It is as though in his eyes, he thinks finding the right perpetrator is a very simple task. Finally, in the last paragraph he says ââ¬Å"There will be little danger that the western democracies will lose their way if they choose to inflict pain as a way of preserving order. I noticed that his claim seems a bit modified in the last paragraph. Levin starts the article speaking of torture ONLY for the saving of innocent lives, but now, he speaks of torture for preserving order. Does this broaden up the whole claim? He also predicts that someday soon many lives will be threatened and torture will be the only way to save them. This prediction is supported by no evidence what so ever and is clearly only to provide fear to the person reading it. The discussion of key terms was decent in this article. When he speaks of torture the closest description I found that define torture to Levin is: ââ¬Å"Subjecting someone to the most excruciating pain. â⬠This may seem like a great description of what we see as torture but the example of torture he mentions is ââ¬Å"having the electrodes appliedâ⬠. I really wasnââ¬â¢t sure what he was referring to until I looked it up online and read that electrodes are what kill you in the electric chair. I believe he did not provide any better example of this because it can very well make a reader oppose of the torturing right away if he speaks of a more gruesome example. Levin also uses the word moral cowardice to describe allowing the death of millions of innocent lives. He does a good job by explaining that it means the unwillingness of dirtying ones hands. Regarding tone and ethos, the author starts off taking a big risk by introducing the topic of torture as something societies reject outright, then saying he opposes the beliefs of society on that topic. Not only does he just oppose it, he says it is unwise. I think by doing that, he may give the reader a sense that he thinks only his beliefs are wise and that he does not respect any other ideas. Throughout the article, Levin continues to carry the attitude of a know it all. Levin says ââ¬Å"Opponents of the death penalty, for example are forever insisting that executing a murderer will not bring back his victim. ââ¬Å"(201). In case you didn't notice, he says ââ¬Å"forever insistingâ⬠. This presents an assumption in a way to make it seem like fact that death penalty opponents ALWAYS insist executing will not bring back his victim. Not only does his statement risk offending the death penalty opponents, it can also continue to promote his know it all attitude which can surely annoy other people too. Another occasion of his overly aggressive attitude is when he says ââ¬Å"Once you concede that torture is justified in extreme cases, you have admitted that the decision to use torture is a matter of balancing innocent lives against the means needed to save them. ââ¬Å"(201). Whether or not it makes sense, he is clearly making an assumption that we admit to something by agreeing on another thing. The way he worded that may seem a bit too aggressive for a general audience. On the other hand, some people can also see that attitude as a good thing because they feel the person they are listening to actually knows what they are talking about. Even though he carries the cocky attitude through most of the article, when it comes to speaking of his hypothetical cases he tries to change his tone to more of an emotional one that is more likely to affect the reader. This however is a good thing, because it can make the reader a bit more vulnerable to falling into his emotional example. Ultimately then ââ¬Å"The Case for Tortureâ⬠is very mixed in effectiveness. The hypothetical cases sound a bit too rare and unlikely to appen but it can cause the audience to think it out. Only minor elements of his reasoning are sound and effective. But his reasoning needs a bit more of support from some other place and his hypothetical situations can certainly use some actually documentation of the occurrences he speaks of. I do not believe this essay does the total job in changing people's minds from anti-torture to pro-torture. But I do think that the people who were already anti-torture surely hate this guy a bit more especially because of the attitude. I think this essay leaves a large amount of places for it to be attacked by a person who does not believe in torture.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
10 Ways to Promote Self-Directed Classroom
10 Ways to Promote Self-Directed Classroom Effective elementary teachers promote a self-directed classroom so that their students know if they cannot solve a problem or figure out an answer then they will have the tools to do it themselves. Here are 10 tips to help you promote a classroom where your students are self-reliant, as well as self-confident and feel that they can do anything on their own. Promote an ââ¬Å"I Canâ⬠Attitude Teaching your students how to overcome disappointment is one of the best lessons that you can ever teach them in their life. When students face disappointment, teach them to analyze it and look at the big picture. Teach them to talk about how it feels so that they can move past it. Instilling an ââ¬Å"I canâ⬠attitude will help them know and understand that they can do anything. Allow Student to Fail Failing is usually never an option in school. However, in todayââ¬â¢s society, it just may be the answer to getting our children to be independent. When a student is practicing balancing on a beam or they are in a yoga position and they fall down, donââ¬â¢t they usually get back up and try one more time, or until they get it? When a child is playing a video game and their character dies, donââ¬â¢t they keep playing until they get to the end? Failure can be the pathway to something much bigger. As teachers, we can give students room to fail, and allow them to learn to pick themselves up and give it another try. Give your students a chance to make a mistake, allow them to struggle and let them know that it is okay to fail just as long as they get back up and try again. Study Leaders and Role Models Take time out of your busy curriculum to study leaders and role models who persevered. Study people like Bethany Hamilton who got her arm bitten off in a shark attack, but continued to compete in surfing competitions. Find a real-world example of perseverance that will help your students understand that people fail and go through hard times, but if they pick themselves up and try again, they can do anything. Get Students to Believe in Themselves Give students positive affirmations that they can do anything they put their mind to. Letââ¬â¢s say that one of your students is failing one of their subjects. Instead of telling them that thereââ¬â¢s a chance that they will fail, build them up and tell them that you know that they can do it. If the student sees that you believe in their abilities, then they will soon believe in themselves too. Teach Students to Pull Themselves Out of a Negative Mindset If you want a classroom where your students are self-directed learners then you must get rid of the negative thoughts and beliefs that are in their head. Teach students to see that their negative thoughts are only holding them back from where they need to be or want to go. So then, the next time your students find themselves in a negative mindset, they will be able to pull themselves out of it all by themselves and be mindful of their actions and thoughts. Give Current and Frequent Feedback Try giving students feedback as soon as possible, this way your words will resonate with them, and they will be more willing to make changes if needed. By giving immediate feedback then your students will have the opportunity to implement your suggestions right away and make the changes they need in order to be a self-directed learner. Bolster Students Confidence Bolster your studentsââ¬â¢ confidence by discussing their strengths and their abilities with them. Find something about each and every student that you can celebrate, this will help boost their confidence. Confidence building is a known way to increase studentsââ¬â¢ self-assurance and make them feel more independent. Isnââ¬â¢t that what a self-directed learner is? Teach Students How to Manage their Goals In order to promote a self-directed classroom where students are self-reliant then you must teach them how to manage their own goals. You can begin by helping students set small, achievable goals that can be achieved fairly quickly. This will help them understand the process of setting and achieving a goal. Once students grasp this concept, then you can have them set more long term goals. Learn Something New Together To help cultivate a classroom where students learn independence then try learning something new together as a class. Students will learn by observing the way you learn. They will watch you learn through your techniques, which will help them get ideas on how they can do it on their own. Give Your Students a Voice Your classroom should set the stage for students to feel comfortable enough to have a voice. Make your classroom environment a place where students are free to speak their minds. This will not only make them feel more empowered, but also help them feel like they are part of a classroom community, which will help bolster their self-confidence, and in turn, help them become more independent learners.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Blast through writers block with this seven-step technique - Emphasis
Blast through writers block with this seven-step technique Blast through writers block with this seven-step technique How do you vanquish writerââ¬â¢s block? Some say to just start writing, even if you later have to delete half of what youââ¬â¢ve written. Some say to begin with the middle and add the introduction and conclusion later. Some say to make a list. We say: grab some paper and a pen, and step away from your computer for half an hour. This technique will not only cure your writerââ¬â¢s block, it will make your writing clearer and more logical for your reader. Working out what goes in Making a list of what you want to write about isnââ¬â¢t a bad starting point, but it has its limitations. The main drawback is that whatever word you write down first determines the next word you write down, and so on. And once you have your list, itââ¬â¢s very difficult to change its order. So the entire structure effectively becomes governed by whatever word happened to pop into your mind when you sat down to write. The other disadvantage of list structures is that they do nothing to unlock whatââ¬â¢s actually in your mind. Your mind stores things not in lists but in ââ¬Ëfilesââ¬â¢. Consider this: if asked to list 20 things you own, youââ¬â¢d probably have to think quite hard. But if you were asked to list everything in your home, youââ¬â¢d soon hit 20. Easiest of all would be: ââ¬ËName each room in your house, then name five things in each room.ââ¬â¢ The reason is that you are sorting the ââ¬Ëhome fileââ¬â¢ in your brain into folders ââ¬â one for each part of your home. Once youââ¬â¢ve done that, itââ¬â¢s much easier to access the information. Stage one: brainstorming This seven-step technique is split between two stages. First, brainstorming. You can apply the filing cabinet technique to help you brainstorm ideas, by drawing a mind map. This is a graphical representation of everything you know about a subject. Click here to see a mind map for planning an away day, for example. To create a mind map, take the following steps: 1.à Note down the subject in the middle of the page. 2. Write the aspects of the subject around it. 3. Look at each aspect and think about what its folder should include. Draw a line for each new idea or piece of information and continue this process, radiating outwards. 4. Keep asking questions such as Why?, How?, What?, When?, Where? and Who? until youââ¬â¢re satisfied youââ¬â¢ve put down everything you know about the subject. Stage two: creating a logical structure. Now you have all the information you need at your fingertips. But you still need to sort through it a bit further before youââ¬â¢re ready to start writing. Classify each item in your mind map as A, B or C, where A = essential to everybody, B = essential to some readers and C = not important. 5. Pick one of the As as your starting point, label it number 1, then number the remaining As in a logical order. 6. Do the same for the Bs. 7. Cross out the Cs. Once you have done this, youââ¬â¢re ready to form your ideas into a structure that your reader will find logical and easy to follow. Use the As for your body text and the Bs for your boxouts, appendices, sidebars and graphics. Ready, set, go. This is just one of the techniques you can learn on our High-impact business writing course, which is available both in-company and as a public course.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Advantages of Natural Gas Grill Brands
Advantages of Natural Gas Grill Brands Summertime would not be complete without at least one outdoor barbeque. Once upon a time, there was a very limited array of foods that you could cook on your grill Today, modern conveniences allow you to cook pretty much any type of food on your grill. The easiest grill to use is by far the natural gas grill. Natural gas grills are designed to hook directly into your homeââ¬â¢s natural gas line, eliminating the need to provide the fuel source. This cuts out all trips to the grocery store for more charcoal or propane. Another advantage when using a natural gas grills is the ability to control the temperature in which you are cooking. Natural gas grills have burner controls which allow you to produce different temperatures for the different cooking areas on your grill. This allows you to cook your meat on one side while keeping your side dished warm on the other. Natural gas grills have the ability to come with many different types of cooking surfaces. These different cooking surfaces include a BBQ surface, a flat grill, and a ribbed grill. Some grills even offer these types of surfaces as none stick, which allow you to cook a whole array of foods that you would not be able to cook on a grill otherwise. Some gas grills even contain a Wok type surface for cooking pasta and rise dishes, or a full rotisserie set that allows you to cook rotisserie chicken. Natural gas grills are by far the easiest type of grill to clean. With other grills such as charcoal and smoker grills, you have to remove the wood and charcoal briquettes each time. Natural grills only have to be wiped down. Some natural gas grills even have a none stick feature. Natural gas grills are not portable as you will need to be able to hook them up to your natural gas line, so weight should not be that big of an issue when you go to purchase your first grill. Instead, you should look at the surface area available. Will you be able to cook for just yourself and one other? How about a family of 5? Natural Gas Grill Brands Broilmaster- One of the most popular brands of natural gas grills is the Broilmasters. This company has been around for a long time and prides itself on creating great grills, even in its companies early years. If you are looking for a reliable name, Broilmaster would be the way to go. One of the most popular Broilmaster grills is the Super Premium Series, which puts out 40,000 BTUââ¬â¢s of cooking power, and has a cooking surface area of over 695 square inches. Brinkman- These simple natural gas grills put out a lot of power, and can be purchased for much less then itââ¬â¢s competition. The Brinkmans, like the Broilmasters, are built of solid construction and meant to last a long time. Typical power output is around 45,000 BTUââ¬â¢s. Smaller units can range from 12,000 to 15,00 BTUââ¬â¢s. Lynx- Lynx natural gas grills were specially designed for cooking higher end meats such as steaks and ribs. This grill have a patent design that is suppose to lock in flavor and juices. The Lynx run on the higher end of the price range, anywhere from $500 to $3000. The typical cooking power is about 50,000 BTU and has a cooking surface area of 840 square inches.
Friday, October 18, 2019
High and Lows of Bangladesh Textile Industry Essay - 23
High and Lows of Bangladesh Textile Industry - Essay Example The move to join was seen by many as a setback to the economy, but this was not the case. The textile export in Bangladesh continued to grow while, in 2008, the rest of the country suffered economic recess, but Bangladesh enjoyed an export rise. The textile industries rose to 5000 factories that provided employment to about 3 million people (2). The developed countries underwent economic recess in 2008-2009 and were forced to import low- cost garments from Bangladesh to meet the demand of their customers who wanted low prices. These companies included Walmart and as a result, a Hong Kong manufacturing company- Li & Fung enjoyed a 25 % rise in 2009 as compared to China whose sales dropped by 5%. The underlying factors that triggered an increase in the exports were based on the fact that labor costs were low due to the presence of hourly rates of wages. The wages were low in Bangladesh with the minimum of $ 38 a month as compared to China that went up to $138 a month. Other factors included; few regulations that are equivalent to no rules at all, a good network of supplies which saved on transport costs, import duties and time. Bangladesh also benefited from not being China as the importer had become too independent on their imports and wanted an alternative. This came as a result of an increase in costs if the problem was no t addressed. All these factors favored Bangladesh, and it became the second largest to China garment exporter (2). Some of the main setbacks to economic development include power disruption, poor infrastructure since the government has underinvested as compared to China. Apart from these, Bangladesh underwent economic crisis after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building that hosted five garment factories. The collapse came as a result of not following construction procedures as the building could only hold five floors.
Critically appraise whether recent judicial decisions reinforcing Coursework
Critically appraise whether recent judicial decisions reinforcing - Coursework Example Most of the businesses use forms that have special terms and standard legal language on backs or bottom of the documents governing sales and purchases. This is more so to the business men who focuses more on the commercial transactions than legal doctrine. When the recent judicial decisions are used, the court uses the first and last short approaches in determining the effectiveness of the contract. In practice The boilerplate language is classically in small print, covering business contingencies which arise rarely2. Through the application of the recent judicial decisions, some major disparities are identified in the legal doctrine resulted from discrepancies in some conditions that accompany replies and offers3. This case is similar to the case between Mr. Jones, company by the name of CMP and Ricoh [Ricoh UK Limited v Jones (2010) EWHC 1743 (Ch). According to the agreement, no one was supposed to have any contact with any client except through Ricoh. Mr. Jones had no reciprocal o bligation to deal with the clients without Ricoh. Later there arose a dispute over tenders to supply MFDs outside the country for a company which had been a regular customer for CMP.4 The court dismissed this on the basis that, the parties were operating on the same levels of distribution chain. The Uniform Commercial Code has much consideration on the offers accepted when the sellers sends written confirmations of acceptance to the buyer5. Another similar cases involved Manchester CC v Gibson [1979] 1 WLR 294. Gibson was an occupier and tenant of a council house and he wished to purchase the house under the ââ¬Å"right to buy schemeâ⬠. He received a letter from the council informing him of the willingness of the council to sell the house. Later, the political control of the council changed resulting to revoke of the policy of the right to buy. It was held by the House of Lords that the council never made the offer to sell and, therefore, there could be no valid acceptance. 6 The above scenario can also be related to a case of Manchester CC v Storer 3 All ER 824. In the case, the council had sent an application to purchase a house which was about to be completed. When he completed the form as the instructions required, the council refused to sign and to return the application as they had agreed. When the case was taken to the court, the judge held that, the contract was formed.7 The judicially and the international legal community have tried to find satisfactory ways of deciding the terms of controlling an agreement.8 Another similar case involved Ex- Cell- O corporation (England) Ltd v Butler machine Tool Co. Ltd [1979] 1 WLR 401. Later, a dispute occurred when each company used separate standard form. One company used a form with a price variation which had a clause while the other company used a contract form without a price variation clause. In the case, the House of Lords held that, the contract was based on Ex- Cell- O corporationââ¬â¢s terms be cause it had included an acknowledgement strip which was signed by both parties.9 According to Section 2(207) of The Uniform Commercial Code10, it is assumed that the merchants do not read or understand the terms which are contained on the exchanged forms between the parties involved. This section of contract Law is similar to Article 19 of CISG which emphasizes on the irresponsibility of the merchants for getting clear information of the contract agreement11. In 1975, the United States Court resolved a case between Manning Fabrics Inc. 441 F. Supp., and Lea Tai
Strategic Management SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Strategic Management SLP - Essay Example that the overreliance on the artificial intelligence of computers costs individualââ¬â¢s an arm and leg as far as thinking capacity is concerned (2015). Instead of lifting human thinking ability, the smart software slowly makes us dumb. The gradual process that traces from the industrial revolution is effective in its mission. Carr (2015) asserts that computers have become decision-makers and conduct an analysis that human people are not capable of doing in a short duration. I strongly concur with the author on this opinion. It is true that every human thinking is experiencing overshadowing by the existence of computer software applications. For example, it is challenging to perform simple statistical analysis such as standard deviations, mean, average and others. It is because of the knowledge that software that only requires me to feed the figures and exist. The software minimizes the workload that would otherwise be undertaken manually. Also, I think that automation in the manufacturing fields makes workers in such plants less efficient. For instance, an automated production process only requires an individual to sit in front of a screen and monitor the parameters such as pressure levels, temperatures, and opening valves at intervals. The challenge that remains is that the workers may not understand the operations if the automated machines stall. Since the workers are not exposed to handling the actual valves and pressure gauges, they may not have the capacity to think swiftly and save the situation. The increasing trends in plant accidents globally are a better manifest of automation increasing human dumbness. Carr continues with his agenda in discrediting the overreliance on technology with his arguably challenging articles. In his article ââ¬Å"The Shallows: What Internet is Doing to Our Brains,â⬠the author highlights that search engines such as Google reduce Individuals cognitive abilities. I am of the same opinion because in my experience as a student, I
Thursday, October 17, 2019
When May Police Search without a Warrant Research Paper
When May Police Search without a Warrant - Research Paper Example Besides, every time the cops suspect someone on Law and Order and every other television program, they have to stand outside the bad guyââ¬â¢s house or car, waiting and hoping he doesnââ¬â¢t run, until they can get some judge signs a search warrant. Either that or all the evidence seized is thrown out and cannot be used in court when they take the person to trial. Well, this is true to some extent and it all boils down to whether the judge thinks the police have probable cause. Those two little words, as written above have been the cornerstone of the American legal system for over two centuries and comes from a time when police and soldiers could and did enter private property without cause and certainly without a piece of paper saying they could. The Founding Fathers were fed up with these instances and were determined that American police would not be allowed to search and seize peopleââ¬â¢s possessions. ... But that ruling did not filter down to the states. In 1957 a lady named Dollree Mapp of Cleveland was suspected of harboring a fugitive. When the police entered her residence, waving a paper they claimed to be a warrant, they did not find their suspect. Instead police found a stash of obscene material and Ms Mapp was convicted of possession of pornography. Her attorneys eventually appealed her conviction all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In June 1961 the Court issued its ruling in Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643. That ruling not only sided with Ms Mapp in that evidence was illegally seized and overturned her individual case but some justices chided the Ohio courts and the police officers for their ââ¬Å"Running roughshod over appellantâ⬠. (Cornell) But the biggest ramification of Mapp v. Ohio was that all of the states were likewise now required to apply the exclusionary rule. Thus, a benchmark was born, and ever since all courts throughout the country have been wary o f allowing evidence obtained without a legally obtained search warrant. Indeed they have exercised such caution that police and prosecutors alike have felt frustration for almost half a century, knowing that some evidence, although somewhat shadily obtained, might withstand the appellate court system. Six years later in Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967) the Supreme Court broadened the scope of the Fourth Amendment. In that, Charles Katz was convicted of bookie operations based mainly on wiretaps the FBI had placed on a public phone booth Katz was known to frequent. The US Attorney argued since it was a public booth Katz did not have any reasonable expectation of privacy and this thought was upheld by the lower courts. Yet the Court sided with the
Phase 4 - Understanding business drivers and improving business Essay - 1
Phase 4 - Understanding business drivers and improving business forecasts. 5-14 - Essay Example Subsidy can be used for spending on all commercially available telecommunication services, internet access and internal communications. The number of school lunch eligible students determines the funding for many federal and state education related programs. Moreover, subsidy rate also changes as per the changes in number. Internet access rate of rich and poor schools indicate a closing of the digital divide that occurred in the following years. The lack of impact on student performance is consistent with the Department of Education, it is reported that they are providing good training within the classroom. The emergence of internet subsidy by the US Government by providing major subsidies for internet and communication investment in schools also helps this. Based on the characteristics of the schools, the spending pattern of the subsidized program may change. Great sensitivity shows up by urban schools comparatively with rural. ââ¬Å"E-Rate, created in 1996 by Congress, offers subsidies of 20 percent to 90 percent for buying telecommunications services like Internet connection fees and wiring classrooms. Under the program, paid from fees on telephone bills, the highest rates go to the poorest schools.â⬠(Schwartz, John. 2003). Internet Target Marketing is facing increased competition from within the industry. It is allowed to provide unique products and solutions customized to the client needs. In E-Marketing design, consumers have changed the traditional marketing methods that are no longer effective. By developing and implementing a strategy that incorporates target marketing, online branding, customer development and retention, marketing positioning and branding, permission marketing and customer relation management. So the three aforesaid categories are correlated and to make assumptions on these. ââ¬Å"A correlation between two variables is diluted in the presence of measurement error
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Strategic Management SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Strategic Management SLP - Essay Example that the overreliance on the artificial intelligence of computers costs individualââ¬â¢s an arm and leg as far as thinking capacity is concerned (2015). Instead of lifting human thinking ability, the smart software slowly makes us dumb. The gradual process that traces from the industrial revolution is effective in its mission. Carr (2015) asserts that computers have become decision-makers and conduct an analysis that human people are not capable of doing in a short duration. I strongly concur with the author on this opinion. It is true that every human thinking is experiencing overshadowing by the existence of computer software applications. For example, it is challenging to perform simple statistical analysis such as standard deviations, mean, average and others. It is because of the knowledge that software that only requires me to feed the figures and exist. The software minimizes the workload that would otherwise be undertaken manually. Also, I think that automation in the manufacturing fields makes workers in such plants less efficient. For instance, an automated production process only requires an individual to sit in front of a screen and monitor the parameters such as pressure levels, temperatures, and opening valves at intervals. The challenge that remains is that the workers may not understand the operations if the automated machines stall. Since the workers are not exposed to handling the actual valves and pressure gauges, they may not have the capacity to think swiftly and save the situation. The increasing trends in plant accidents globally are a better manifest of automation increasing human dumbness. Carr continues with his agenda in discrediting the overreliance on technology with his arguably challenging articles. In his article ââ¬Å"The Shallows: What Internet is Doing to Our Brains,â⬠the author highlights that search engines such as Google reduce Individuals cognitive abilities. I am of the same opinion because in my experience as a student, I
Phase 4 - Understanding business drivers and improving business Essay - 1
Phase 4 - Understanding business drivers and improving business forecasts. 5-14 - Essay Example Subsidy can be used for spending on all commercially available telecommunication services, internet access and internal communications. The number of school lunch eligible students determines the funding for many federal and state education related programs. Moreover, subsidy rate also changes as per the changes in number. Internet access rate of rich and poor schools indicate a closing of the digital divide that occurred in the following years. The lack of impact on student performance is consistent with the Department of Education, it is reported that they are providing good training within the classroom. The emergence of internet subsidy by the US Government by providing major subsidies for internet and communication investment in schools also helps this. Based on the characteristics of the schools, the spending pattern of the subsidized program may change. Great sensitivity shows up by urban schools comparatively with rural. ââ¬Å"E-Rate, created in 1996 by Congress, offers subsidies of 20 percent to 90 percent for buying telecommunications services like Internet connection fees and wiring classrooms. Under the program, paid from fees on telephone bills, the highest rates go to the poorest schools.â⬠(Schwartz, John. 2003). Internet Target Marketing is facing increased competition from within the industry. It is allowed to provide unique products and solutions customized to the client needs. In E-Marketing design, consumers have changed the traditional marketing methods that are no longer effective. By developing and implementing a strategy that incorporates target marketing, online branding, customer development and retention, marketing positioning and branding, permission marketing and customer relation management. So the three aforesaid categories are correlated and to make assumptions on these. ââ¬Å"A correlation between two variables is diluted in the presence of measurement error
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Maydavian Online Reservation and Booking System Essay Example for Free
Maydavian Online Reservation and Booking System Essay Maydavian has been founded as a resort in the beautiful island of Palawan. With the exertion of Ms. Marrieta S. Mayor, the capital of this unspoiled island, and a memorable journey of about two hours by bus or shuttle taking you through a zigzag in the mountains and with breathtaking views of mountain ranges and unspoiled forests. An oasis of hospitality awaits you at Maydavian, with spectacular views of the Sulu Sea. Ideally located in a coconut plantation with modern facilities in harmony with the serene and soothing atmosphere. Maydavian Resort establish on 2000. The establishment started with just a small canteen, 6 rooms and small dinning cottages. After a few months, reception hall, VIP rooms and Standards rooms were built. A swimming pool was formally open to the public. Maydavian Resort has a total land area of eighteen hectares located at Brgy. Caguisan Narra, Palawan. The guest who visited Maydavian loved enjoyed a walkway through century mangroves, clear Sky and myriad of stars and delicious food serves for the most discerning of pallets comprising both Filipino and western specialties. Presently, Maydavian offers plenty of facilities and services. There are the Restaurant and Bar, the Maydavian Pavillion. One of the venues for wedding and birthday parties, island Park intended for playful kids and weather favors the park also serve as venue for children party and garden wedding reception for sports minded guest, there is a room venue for billiards and many more that had contributed to the overall success of this more than a decade old establishment. The continuous growth of the world their exist the modern and a high-tech way of living due to the reason of unsatisfied and consciousness of humans by discovering and searching for more effective way of living such as computer- is a device that computes, especially a programmable electronic machine that performs high speed mathematical or logical operations that can assembles, store, correlates and otherwise process information. Dealing with the triumphant advancement, internet is a network of almost transaction system through this transaction system must gather sort of information for online services. Website is related collection of web files that includes an initial called a homepage it is essential in an organization to establish a tourist spot in the province of Palawan adopting reliable reviewing like a website to provide a complex transaction system through on line services. This system is entitled ââ¬Å"Maydavian Resort Online Reservation and Booking Systemâ⬠.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Responses to Cancer: Behavioural, Emotional and Physical
Responses to Cancer: Behavioural, Emotional and Physical Behavioural, Emotional, Physical and Cognitive Responses Cancer is a deadly disease cause by uncontrolled division of abnormal cells and as a group, accounts for more than 14% of all deaths each year (Ahmedin, et al., 2008) and once, the individual finds out about his diagnosis with this deadly disease, the individual is likely to experience severe emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioural response since, everyone knows that untreated and even treated cancer in some cases tend to be life threatening. The severity of these responses varies individually and is dependent on several factors such as whether the event was surprisingly recognized or whether earlier complaints were present, plays a major role (Verwoerdt, 1973). Furthermore, it depends on personal experience with the disease, for example, if previous generations of the family had been diagnosed with cancer (Verwoerdt, 1973). Behaviour is one of many responses which plays a huge role throughout the individualââ¬â¢s diagnosis and is most probable to change thoroughly. These Behavioural responses generally result from the genetic makeup, past experience and the Individualââ¬â¢s perception of the current situation (Snyder, 2011). The individual is likely to experience several behavioural change with certain steps and are likely to prompt restlessness, stress, searching for several answers, anxiety or even disbelief. The first step during the behavioural response usually involve Pre-contemplative/unawareness stage (Miller Rollnick, 2002). In this stage the individual is not interested in his diagnosis nor does he plan to do anything about it. The individual is completely in state of denial, unmotivated and resistant regarding his diagnosis. The individual is also likely to defend his current behaviour if others such as his doctor or family memberââ¬â¢s try to intervene. The second behavioural response stage involves contemplative phase where the individual starts to think about his life and his family which ultimately leads him to think about his diagnosis and treatment seriously (Miller Rollnick, 2002). Most individuals tend to accept their problem at this phase and eventually start to plan about their future strategies to improve his and familyââ¬â¢s life. The third behavioural phase involves preparation where the individual tend to realise that a change is inevitable (Miller Rollnick, 2002). The individuals also incline to realise the severity and seriousness of his cancer and usually makes several decisions and commitments to change the outcome of his diagnosis. This stage usually tend to be a period of transition and therefore, tend to be quite short. In the fourth behavioural phase, the individual tries to implement several strategies to start a ââ¬Å"newâ⬠life (Miller Rollnick, 2002). The individuals going through this phase also tend to be realistic and open minded in terms of receiving help and support. This step normally is the ââ¬Å"willpowerâ⬠stage for most individuals going through hardship and often tend to reward themselves to enhance motivation and self-confidence which often help them to deal with personal and external pressures. The fifth and last behavioural phase include maintenance where many individuals try to consolidate changes in their behaviour, to maintain the ââ¬Ënewââ¬â¢ status quo and to prevent relapse or temptation (Miller Rollnick, 2002). The individual normally tend to see any previous behavioural change undesirable, unnecessary and customarily tries to implement new working strategies by the means of seeking help, usually a doctor. Whilst the individualââ¬â¢s behaviour is fluctuating, emotion is likely to build up the moment the individual finds out about his cancer. These emotions often trigger responses such as feelings of fear, anger, rage, sadness and dejection.Such mood swings are tend to be normal andmost individual incline to live through this cold baths of feelings for a long time until the individual finds his way for himself to accept the disease. In most individuals, the diagnosis of Cancer triggers shock as the first emotional response (Tsao, 2010) which usually last from hours to days. Many individuals feel alienated, frozen and cannot think clearly. In this stage the patient is unable to conduct basic necessities of his life, requires help and constantly shows his emotions. The second response of emotion involves denial where the individual attempts to shut out the authenticity and magnitude of his situation by developing a fabricated, desirable reality (Tsao, 2010). Once the individual accepts his fate with the diagnosis and overcomes the denial, the third phase of emotion includes wrath and anger. During this phase the individual constantly thinks about his diagnosis to be unfair and ask questions such ââ¬Å"Why is it always me? Its not fair!; How can this transpire to me?â⬠(Tsao, 2010). The next phase usually involve bargaining (Tsao, 2010) where many individuals try to negotiate with their fate by constantly making statements such as ââ¬Å"Ill do anything to live for few more yearsâ⬠therefore creating a sense of hope. In this stage, the individuals also tend to isolate themselves from others and even prevent any human interactions. After the individual realises that his fate cannot be bargained depression starts to take place as a fifth emotional phase (Tsao, 2010). In this phase, the patient is dealing with his diagnosis and the intensive life of contradictory feelings which might lead the individual to the utmost limit of his mental capacity. The individualââ¬â¢s psychological immune system is also likely to be flooded with stimuli, which might often results in fatigue, hopelessness and resignation. Once, the depression is overwhelmed acceptance, is likely to take place as a last step of emotional response (Tsao, 2010). In this phase the individual usually accepts his fate and makes statement such as ââ¬Å"I have cancer and I will live with itâ⬠as a motivation. Once the individual stabilises himself on this setting, he stands on a firm foundation for a self-determined life and inclines to makes new plans and to actively solve his problems. Cognitive is another major part the individualââ¬â¢s response once the diagnosis has been revealed. In this phase, several negative thoughts tend to arise whilst the individual is interacting such as communicating, reading, watching television, listening to radio etc. (Park, 2013). cognitive changes in patients suffering from cancer may possibly be caused by disease, cancer treatment, complications of the treatment, comorbid conditions, side effects of drugs, other physiological responses to diagnosis of cancer (Park, 2013). In this response, the individual rarely thinks positively and normally tends to thinks rationally and therefore several suicidal and self-harm thoughts tend to arise. This response takes place whilst emotional and behavioural response is developing and usually ends once the individualââ¬â¢s treatment has been completed. Several physical response such as hair/weight loss, inability to speak about the cancer without experiencing grief, overreacting to minor events, loss of appetite, fatigue etc. are likely to arise throughout the whole process of cancer and its treatment. These physical changes are likely to make the individual feel shameful, guilty, paranoia and even Intellectualization. These types of physical changes are usually seen once the emotional, behavioural and cognitive responses takes place (Moos Schaefer, 1984). In conclusion, the onset of any illness gives rise to a wide range of different responses such as emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioural which varies greatly from individual to individual, even in those with the same condition. However, from above information regarding various responses, it is clear that the above responses stated are likely to arise at various point of any illness. References Ahmedin, J. D., Siegel, R., Ward, E. D., Hao, Y. D., Xu, J. D., Murray, T., Thun, M. D. (2008). A Cancer Journal for Clinicals. Cancer Statistics, 72. doi:10.3322/CA.2007.0010 Miller, W. R., Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change. Behavioural change. Moos, R., Schaefer, J. (1984). Coping with Physical Illness. Springer US. doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-4772-9_1 Park, H.-J. (2013). Structural and Functional Brain Networks: From Connections to Cognition. Cognition responses, 342(6158), 1238411 -1238411. doi:10.1126/science.1238411 Snyder, J. (2011). Adult hippocampal neurogenesis buffers stress responses and depressive behaviour. Behaviour, 476(7361), 458-461. Tsao, C. (2010). Kubler-Ross. Stages of Grief, 34(1), 38. Verwoerdt, A. (1973). Psychopharmacology and Aging. Springer US. doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-7770-2_16 Pneumonia: Causes and Treatments Pneumonia: Causes and Treatments Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung which can result from infection with particular bacteria, viruses or other organisms. It is characterised by lung parenchyma inflammation and the filling of the air-filled sacs of the lung (alveoli) with fluid resulting in a decrease in elasticity which leads to inefficient gas exchange. In excess of 5 million cases of infectious pneumonia are estimated to occur annually in the US resulting in more than 1 million hospitalizations. The onset of this condition is usually prompted following the weakening of an individuals immune system, such as by a viral upper respiratory tract infection or following an incidence of influenza. It is a condition of particular concern in those over sixty five years of age, those with chronic immune disorders or young infants, all of whom have a reduced ability to combat infections. Retrieved from [http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/pnu/pnu_all.html] Almost half of all pneumonia cases originate bacterially. Some incidences of pneumonia are acquired by the inhalation of small droplets containing the organism or bacteria and these germs enter the air when the infected individual sneezes or coughs. In other circumstances the condition precipitates when bacteria or viruses that are present in the nose or mouth under normal conditions enter the lungs. However, if a person is weakened by an existing condition, severe pneumonia can develop. Along with classification based on the symptoms experienced, pneumonia can be categorized based on where or how the disease is contracted and can usually be divided into several subgroups which comprise hospital acquired pneumonia, community acquired pneumonia and aspiration pneumonia. CAP can develop as a result of the attack unleashed by pathogenic microorganisms on the lung and the response of the immune system to the infection that ensues. S. pneumonia, H. influenza, C. pneumonia and M. pneumonia are the prevalent bacterial origins of the condition with S.pneumoniae presenting as the most frequent pathogen responsible following epidemiological studies (Luna et al., 2000). A relatively inoffensive form of pneumonia results that rarely involves hospitalization. In accordance with the guidelines developed by the American Thoracic Society for the management of CAP patients should be treated for the possibility of an atypical pathogen infection (Niederman et al., 2001). Organism-specific therapy may be possible in some patients depending on culture results. CAP is characterized by the presentation of a high fever, shaking chills and a cough with yellowish sputum which may be accompanied by chest pain. It can also cause shortness of breath which considerably impacts those with chronic lung conditions such as asthma and emphysema. Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) tends to be more severe than pneumonia acquired in the community mostly due to the fact that the organisms involved tend to be more aggressive and difficult to treat. Also, individuals in hospitals or care homes who contract this condition may often already have compromised immune systems and may not be able to fight off the infection. It remains the most frequent and severe nosocomial infection encountered in the ICU and the mortality incidence of patients with HAP is high (33% of unventilated patients) (Smith-Sims, 2001). The symptoms of HAP are usually the same as CAP in general. Early and suitable antibiotic therapy has been discovered to result in a decline in patient mortality rates in clinical studies due to this type of pneumonia. Patients diagnosed with nosocomial pneumonia are twice as likely to survive if in receipt of suitable antibiotic therapy, with the timing and adequacy of treatment being of crucial importance (Celis et al., 1988). D ue to the fact that the timing of antibiotic therapy with respect to suspicion of pneumonia is an imperative factor affecting mortality and that HAP diagnosis remains elusive, initial empiric therapy appears to be best practice (Fiel, 2001). An example of an additional type of pneumonia is aspiration pneumonia which is often described as the inhalation of foreign substances such as gastric matter into the lungs. This can lead toconditions such aspiration pneumonia and aspiration pneumonitis. Aspiration pneumonitis results from chemical injury due to the inhalation of sterile gastric materials whereas aspiration pneumonia is an infectious process resulting from inhalation of saliva which has been previously colonised by pathogenic bacteria (Marik, 2001). Factors that predispose an individual to aspiration pneumonia include a decreased level of consciousness, neurologic disorders, dysphagia and the aspiration of material in association with a tracheostomy (Finegold, 1991). Antimicrobial agents are the keystone of treatment and prolonged therapy is important in the prevention of relapse. Viral pneumonia on the other hand can be caused by the influenza virus along with herpes or varicella, including those responsible for the outbreak of the common cold (adenoviruses). The two types of influenza virus, A and B, are characterised by respiratory complaints in conjunction with headaches, fever and muscle aches. Contracting herpes or varicella pneumonia is usually rare unless infection with the varicella zoster virus (chicken pox) occurs. Adenovirus originating pneumonia is frequently accompanied by common cold symptoms such as a runny nose and conjunctivitis. Viral pneumonia symptoms include muscle aches, tiredness, low grade fever and the presence of a cough with very little mucus It is rarely serious and usually does not require admittance to hospital. Medicines such as analgesics (to relieve chest pain) and acetaminophen (to reduce fever) may be given to alleviate symptoms however this particular type of pneumonia is resistant to treatment with antibiotics unlike its b acterial counterpart. A vast range of diagnostic strategies are available to identify the presence of pneumonia in individuals. These include laboratory tests such as sputum examination, blood cultures or urinary antigen tests for the suspected bacterium involved. Chest X-rays are common diagnostic tools utilized and are helpful in the detection of complications of the condition also. The treatment for pneumonia can vary depending on the gravity of the symptoms and the category of pneumonia the patient has. Bacterial pneumonia requires the administration of an antibiotic, the choice of which is influenced by the age of the patient, chronic medical conditions they may have and the microorganism responsible for the infection. Macrolides are the most popular choice of antibiotic and are usually recommended in the treatment of CAP as they are effective against most microorganisms involved in this particular class of pneumonia. Trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole may be administered if the patient has a history of COPD or smoking. These antibiotics are usually accompanied by anti-fever medications such as ibuprofen and occasionally a cough suppressant may be suggested. There are fewer options in the treatment of viral pneumonia however as very few antiviral agents are available on the market. Acyclovir is efficacious in children with lung infections involving herpes simplex, herpes zoster or varicella varieties (Feldman, 1994). Ganciclovir has been successfully demonstrated in immunocompromised patients with conditions such as AIDS or transplant patients with CMV (cytomegalovirus) pneumonia (Reed et al., 1988). The prognosis of pneumonia is quite good in patients without complications. To aid in the prevention of this condition, rigorous hygiene procedures should be followed in settings such as hospitals and nursing homes where there are individuals present with compromised immune systems. Also, smoking cessation should be encouraged in patients. Current research is underway to establish a more efficient treatment for this condition which will still eradicate the infectious microorganism and promote early defense but without the inflammatory tissue injury associated with sepsis (Cazzola et al., 2005). Bibliography CAZZOLA, M., MATERA, M. PEZZUTO, G. 2005. Inflammation-a new therapeutic target in pneumonia. Respiration, 72, 117-126. CELIS, R., TORRES, A., GATELL, J., ALMELA, M., RODRIGUEZ-ROISIN, R. AGUSTI-VIDAL, A. 1988. Nosocomial pneumonia. A multivariate analysis of risk and prognosis. Chest, 93, 318. FELDMAN, S. 1994. Varicella-zoster virus pneumonitis. CHEST-CHICAGO-, 106, 22-22. FIEL, S. 2001. Guidelines and Critical Pathways for Severe Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia*. Chest, 119, 412S. FINEGOLD, S. 1991. Aspiration pneumonia. Reviews of infectious diseases, 737-742. LUNA, C., FAMIGLIETTI, A., ABSI, R., VIDELA, A., NOGUEIRA, F., FUENZALIDA, A. GENÃâ°, R. 2000. Community-Acquired Pneumonia*. Chest, 118, 1344. MARIK, P. 2001. Aspiration pneumonitis and aspiration pneumonia. New England Journal of Medicine, 344, 665. NIEDERMAN, M., MANDELL, L., ANZUETO, A., BASS, J., BROUGHTON, W., CAMPBELL, G., DEAN, N., FILE, T., FINE, M. GROSS, P. 2001. Guidelines for the management of adults with community-acquired pneumonia. Diagnosis, assessment of severity, antimicrobial therapy, and prevention. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 163, 1730. REED, E., BOWDEN, R., DANDLIKER, P., LILLEBY, K. MEYERS, J. 1988. Treatment of cytomegalovirus pneumonia with ganciclovir and intravenous cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin in patients with bone marrow transplants. Annals of internal medicine, 109, 783. SMITH-SIMS, K. 2001. Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia. The American Journal of Nursing, 101, 24-24.
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