Lord of the Flies vs. A Separate Peace Essay

In the World Book Dictionary, jealousy is defined as being in an envious condition or feeling. Many can relate to this feeling, because they have personally experienced jealousy before. Although these people may share a similar feeling, the way each individual acts upon his/her feeling is different. Some just ignore their jealous feeling, hoping that it would quickly go away so that they can go on with their daily lives. Others become so overwhelmed that they actually may act on their emotions, expecting that their action would make them feel better. Usually, the contrary occurs. The person does not feel better about himself; instead, bitter feelings, a loss of respect, or even a loss of friendship are common consequences. In the novels Lord of the Flies by William Golding and A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the characters Jack and Gene both experience jealously towards another person, and their actions, motivations, and feelings all circumnavigate around jealousy. In Lord of the Flies, once Jack realizes that Ralph is going to become chief, he totally changes and becomes the antagonist. First of all, Jack acts out on his jealousy by attempting to harm Ralph. Although Jack’s scheme to kill Ralph is unsuccessful, Ralph is still very close to death. In the novel, the reader knows that Jack is plotting to kill Ralph because Samneric informs Ralph, â€Å"They’re going to hunt you tomorrow†¦[Jack] sharpened a stick at both ends.† When Samneric reports that Jack sharpened a stick at both ends, they imply that Jack’s cult plans to decapitate Ralph and stick the prized possession on an end of the stick like it did to the sow. Jack desires to use the head as an offering for the Beastie, a fictional monster that the boys believe haunts the island. As stated before, Jack decides to create a clan from his motivations that arise because of his jealousy. Moreover, since Jack knows that Ralph is always going to be elected chief no matter how many times the group of boys vote, Jack starts his own clan and elects himself as chief. When he does this, he openly tells his colleagues, â€Å"Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.† By stating this, he is simply persuading people to support his feat. As Jack plans the death of Ralph, he does not feel any sense of remorse or guilt for plotting to kill his old friend. Jack is just excited that there will be a big hunt for Ralph. Gene also transforms drastically in A Separate Peace after he realizes that he will never be as athletic as Finny. Finny has always been able to accomplish goals and achievements that no one else can reach. Furthermore, Gene becomes jealous. In response to his covetousness, Gene harms Finny by â€Å"[taking] a step toward [Finny], and then [Gene’s] knees bent and [Gene] jounced the limb.† Gene does this so quickly that he does not realize the consequences in jerking the tree limb. He does not know that his action would affect the rest of Finny’s life. Unlike Jack though, Gene does not seek the support of his friends. All Gene wants is for Finny to understand that Gene did not hurt Finny on purpose, and he is greatly sorry. However, when Gene attempts to explain this to Finny, Finny just brushes it off and tries to convince Gene otherwise. He says, â€Å"I don’t know, I must have just lost my balance. It must have been that†¦I just fell.† Another difference is that after Gene shakes the limb and makes Finny fall and break his leg, he feels guilty about his act of jealousy. Gene actually goes up to Finny numerous times to explain that Gene was actually the one who made Finny break his leg, but Finny does not listen. Finny just stubbornly sticks to his reason to â€Å"[being] clumsy and not watching where [he] was stepping.† Ultimately, Gene is immersed with sorrow and guilt. His envy for Finny not only backfires; it creates endless shame and remorse. In the novels Lord of the Flies by William Golding and A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the main characters’ actions, motivations, and feelings are all outcomes of their jealousy towards another. Jack and Gene share the similarity of attempting to harm another due to their envious motivation. Yet, they are different as seen through their ultimate feelings. Both Jack and Gene aspire to become equal to their rivals, even if they must harm their friends to accomplish self-fulfillment. In the end, Gene suffers from guilt while Jack cannot be more pleased when his newly established clan obeys him to kill Ralph. Richard Griper says it best: â€Å"Jealousy is nothing unless you act upon it.†

Computing in civil engineering proceedings of the 2011 ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering Essay

Studies of construction management address the phenomena of construction problems and explore the nature of construction technology. Manufacturing technologies are categorized into mass, unit and continuous process of productions. Construction technology is classified as a unit production through contrasting construction activities and fabrications. Although the efficiency of construction technology is low in terms of unit production, it is associated with benefits such as zero stocks and flexibility. This report provides a description of materials/techniques used in the current construction of modern domestic properties, industrial unit properties, their comparison and critical analysis of the performance of building structures. It also encompasses on the principles used by builders to perform their functions, characteristics and behaviour of internal materials used in the construction. People have been looking for efficient production systems since the industrial revolution. However, most projects are still built under traditional way of one-of-a-kind production. Application of IT in construction has also failed to produce the intended results. Therefore, nature of construction technology needs to be understood more in order to explain inefficiencies that are surrounding the technology and theory that solves the construction problems (Sarkar 2008). According to Daft (2004), technology refers to the tools, machines, actions and techniques used in transforming organizational information and materials (input) into products and services (output). 1.0 Construction technology                It involves the study of construction techniques to successfully achieve the design of the structure with the recommended specifications (Sabnis, 2011). It includes temporary work and study of construction equipment needed to facilitate the construction process. The recent trend is towards constructing taller and lighter buildings. In order to achieve such buildings, sophisticated equipment needs to be employed in the construction process. 1.1 Current construction techniques/materials                The current methods of construction provide important benefits to developers and housing authorities which reduces the emphasis of on-site activity. This criterion is important particularly in the time of increasing demand of an already stretched labour force. Any new implementation of doing things is faced with risks, but such risks can be mitigated through having good planning and project management. Yvette Cooper, a planning and housing minister quoted, â€Å"people must ensure that the new homes they are constructing are affordable to the next generations.† This report shows that it is easier to build cheaper and faster using modern construction techniques whilst keeping high quality of traditional methods. 1.1.1 Modern methods of construction (MMC)                Modern techniques of constructing houses developed as early as 1945 after WWII, it was used by most of the developed countries such as Germany during buildings fabrication after WWII. Later these techniques spread in many countries and they are commonly used in India during the construction process. As technology, construction knowledge and manufacturing processes increase so do the number of available methods of house construction increases to house builders. Modern Method of construction is a collection of new relatively construction techniques aimed at offering advantages over traditional methods (Altenbach, 2013). Conventionally, this is an area pioneered by self builders, mostly in terms of sustainable construction. As developers’ sticks continually to the proven construction techniques that satisfy buyer demand, self builders have been willing to research, try and invest something different so as to achieve individual homes that meet their need. In an effort of increasing housing demand, shortage of skills and the set targets by Code of sustainable homes, many governments are encouraging the house-building sector to develop and use MMC technique in an attempt to meet these challenges. Most of these modern construction techniques evolved from their traditional predecessors. Techniques such as structural insulated panels (SIPS) and thin joint systems with Air Crete blocks are part of the on going evolution of timber frame and masonry construction (Kuzio 2009). Other familiar techniques have developed in the larger scale commercial construction. This has brought alternatives with interesting qualities of house building. Development of steel frame systems and in-situ concrete techniques led to the development of insulated concrete forms (ICF). 1.1.2 Advantages of modern methods of construction Reduced impact on residents and effect of weather on production Controlled manufacture and reduced fuel consumption and disruptions as a result of fewer materials delivered. Reduced construction defects and time consumed. High quality buildings 1.1.3 Modern domestic properties 1.1.4 Illustrations                Larger construction components can be incorporated into either MMC dwellings or conventionally built. They are not full housing ‘systems,’ but they are factory made or site-assembled. This category comprises of the following components and sub-assemblies. This involves a series of assembled components and pre-fabricated ground beams to form quick and accurate foundations (Koerner 2005). These are pre-fabricated panels designed specifically for floor construction. Fewer on-site labour hours are needed per square meter of floor, and the reduced work at heights has safety and potential health benefits (Hearn 2012). It involves designed pre-fabricated panels specifically for pitched roofs. These panels are very stiff which are designed to leave the loft free of props and struts, thus allowing easy production of ‘room’ in the construction of the roof. These roof cassettes make the building become water weight more quickly than cut roof constructions or conventional trussed rafter. These are roofs assembled at ground level before the shell of the dwelling is constructed. It can be craned into place immediately the superstructure is in place hence creating a weather tight structure more quickly rather than assembling the roof in situ (Corum Scotland 2010). Factory made dormers are used to speed up the roof watertight making process. Pre-fabricated lightweight chimney stacks made from factories are mounted on the roof structure without using masonry flue, thus making them suitable for construction of a lightweight frame. These chimney stacks can accommodate flue liners hence functioning with combustion appliances. Wiring looms                Cabling systems are manufactured in a way that they can quickly be assembled with relatively unskilled labour. They are made of various lengths terminated with plugs that are plugged into sockets and other electrical items (Quinn 2008). Standards are critical steps from development and research to marketplace adoption. Today, many industries are faced not only with managing technological development march, but also with pressures of how to do so cost-effectively, efficiently and with environmental and public safety being in mind. The appearance, energy efficiency, component materials and habitable structures’ environmental impacts have dramatically changed over the last few years. This is as a result of successful standardization of processes, new materials and technologies. This section provides a sample of more recently developed shows and construction technologies, which has been facilitated by provision of the needed standards by ASTM international’s technical committees. These standards have swept off technologies of new construction to the drawing board and into the currently built environment. A Building’s Skin                5488940117475Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS) were used in Germany after WW II to resurface buildings that were damaged by the conflict ravages. They are lightweight, systems of multi-layer barrier that helps in keeping moisture from outer walls. With several components, from foam insulation panels fastened to the base and a substrate coat, to the finishing coat and reinforcing mesh, EIFS is a complex system with materials required to connect successfully for years so as to keep moisture at bay (Noble 2011). EIFS standards development has been the key role of ASTM international Committee E06 on buildings’ performance since 1990’s. Their subcommittee E06.58 on finishing systems and exterior insulation published its first EIFS standard, test methods used in determining breaking strength tensile of reinforcing mesh of glass fibre. This publication was for use in class PB finishing systems and exterior insulation, after it was exposed to sodium hydroxide solution in 2000. Stone masonry Veneer                548894093980The design freedom and cost savings offered by the products of stone masonry veneer have led to their increased use in architectural projects. In comparison to natural stone, manufactured stone veneers can be precisely colored, reinforced with steel, and have a predictable and durable life. The appearance consistency of the manufactured products makes repetitive use of materials as a trim or ornament economically feasible. Additionally, older structures can be renovated with manufactured veneer stones that replicate the deteriorating stone’s appearance (Gunn 2012). It is a technology in which sealant adhesives are used to attach the glass to a building. In the last 20years, structural glazing has experienced exponential growth. It has been in use in industrial construction and other city buildings all over the world. Wood-plastic Composites                Since 1990s, recycled plastic and wood waste has been used as environmentally friendly and economic alternatives for decks. Components such as cladding, railings, molding, siding and trim, door frames and window; and structures such as small park benches. Concrete, which have been in use for a long time in construction of roads and structures is developing in a way that make it less expensive, more varied, safer, easier use and even more environmentally friendly. For example, a self-consolidating concrete that flows into forms was proposed in 1980s’ theory by a Japanese scientist. It has recently become viable as it used in infrastructural projects around the world. It properties are achieved by applying high-range-water-reducing mixtures; it increases the total quantity of fines applying admixtures that modify its plastic state viscosity (Li 2011). The innovative building enclosures’ design relies less on past successful precedents than use of building science. This is a result of changes in methods and materials resulting from building innovation technology. Earlier building enclosures were only expected to provide a degree of environmental separation and be durable, but the recent structures must address issues like day lighting, energy efficiency, fire safety, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality and carbon footprint (Grondzik 2008). In half a century ago, wall performance requirements were outlined which are now applicable to all components and enclosure systems. The following are the major considerations that were identified: Rigidity and strength Control of heat flow Control of airflow Control of water vapour flow Liquid water control movement Durability and stability of materials Fire, aesthetic considerations and cost Since the time of Hutcheon, additional objectives such as environmental impact consideration associated with building materials and methods and the need to provide secure and safe buildings have been adopted. The acceptable requirements of wall performance were implicit within traditional materials and methods of construction. With the modern building science advent, they have become more explicit in response to technological innovation. The table below summarizes the requirements of contemporary performance and their corresponding assessment parameters. Moderator versus separator                A critical principle used in building science involves the difference between moderation versus environmental separation. For example, fire and smoke control movement is a strategy that attempts to completely separate fire and smoke from the indoor environment. The approach employs a fire-related assembly that fully controls leakage of smoke by virtue of the construction of its airtight and in some cases, the air pressures’ control between compartmentalized spaces. Moderation involves a strategy where the difference between outdoor and indoor severity environments is moderated within the tolerable threshold. For example, heat transfer control does not seek to minimize the rate to zero, but to a level that satisfies energy efficiency, comfort requirements, and the control of wetting/condensation. The following table summarizes the key control strategies for building enclosures’ design, which is involved in moderation strategy. A review of the corresponding control strategies and physical phenomena indicates the control of moisture migration is of the most important control function that needs to be addressed by designers. Problems of moisture in buildings are common and vary broadly in consequences and types. These consequences range from cosmetic flaws to structural failure and in some cases the occupants’ health can be affected adversely as in the case of mold growth leading to respiratory and allergic problems. 2.0 Range of construction forms 2.1 Provision and access of internal division of spaces within buildings                Service integration should be jointly considered by the architect/designer, service and structural engineers. The interface between the fabric and the structure together with the service installations can cause problems. These problems can be in terms of the need to have re-route services within the structural elements or the purpose of passing through those elements (Luraghi 2008). Both structural and non-structural integration methods should be considered. The following are some of the spaces and divisions that an architect needs to consider. They should be installed so as to provide access to a building roof. The installation and design of the anchorage and the attachment system for the ladders should be described in MMAH standard supplementary. Fuel-fired appliances should be installed in service rooms from the building’s remainder by fire separations with the fire rating resistance which is not less than one hour. A more than 600 mm high roof space needs to be provided with floor access immediately before the hatchway that is not less than 550 mm by 990 mm or by a stairway. It consists of duct spaces and ceiling, which is more than 600mm wide and 1200mm high, shall have inspection doors. It should not be less than 300mm in both vertical and horizontal dimensions placed so that the entire space or duct interior can be viewed (Kuzio 2009). A fabric is a material structure selection, engineering, proper design, installation and fabrication of all work together to ensure a sound structure (Foster 2010). The role of material in the structure’s performance makes the selection process important. This is true particularly with air-supported and tensile structures because their frames, as well as their membranes carry the load. Membrane materials                Fabrics are typically laminated and coated with synthetic materials for environmental resistance and greater strength. Most of the widely used materials are polyester coated or laminated with PVC, woven fiberglass that is coated with silicone or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Films, Meshes and other materials also have appropriate applications. Polyesters                It is the most frequently base material used due to its cost, durability, strength and stretch. They are coated or laminated with PVC films and thus they are the least expensive for long-term fabrications. Laminates consist of vinyl films over knitted or woven polyester meshes. Coated fabrics typically use a high-tensile, high-count coated fabric with a bondable substance at the base for extra strength. Lighter fabrics are commonly used insulated and acoustic liners suspended beneath an envelope of a structure. For long-term exterior application, heavier materials are needed: fabrics with top coatings of PVF or PVDF (Zhu 2011). These top coatings are responsible with providing a protective finish to withstand environmental degradation. Vinyl-coated polyester                It is a common fabric used when producing flexible structures, such as canopies, walkways, custom-designed awnings, smaller air-supported structures, tent hall and light member-framed structures (ManCuso 2012). Properties of building materials Group Properties Physical Shape, Density, Size, Specific Gravity etc., Mechanical Strength, Plasticity, Elasticity, Toughness, Hardness, Ductility, Brittleness, Stiffness, Creep, Impact Strength, Fatigue etc., Thermal Thermal conductivity, Thermal capacity, Thermal resistivity, etc., Chemical Corrosion resistance, Acidity, Chemical composition, Alkalinity etc., Optical Colour, Light transmission, Light reflection etc., Acoustical Sound absorption, Reflection and Transmission. Physiochemical Hygroscopicity, Swell and Shrinkage due to moisture changes 3.2 Comparison of materials/techniques used in construction                The use of steel in the residential construction and housing sector has grown rapidly over the last ten years. This has been facilitated due to the growing appreciation of the performance benefits arising from the nature of the off-site of the construction process, which is particularly important in mixed-use or urban buildings. Steel construction technologies of an off-site increase the speed of construction and improve the final quality of the building, and can add points to the Code for Sustainable Homes. The main steel market in this area is in multi-storey residential buildings, and mostly mix-use buildings. Domestic buildings versus industrial buildings                A building classified as domestic is one which an individual uses as a dwelling place and provides separate family living quarters for separate family units (Richardson 2008). On the other hand, building not used in connection with a residence and not located on the same parcel as a residence, it is classified as industrial property. Most of the industrial/commercial buildings have been using pre-fabricated construction such as ceiling panels, prefab wall panels, flooring system and plasterboards to create interiors of offices (Domone 2008). Prefab materials provide the option of buildings’ customizing for specific needs such as water and fire resistance and soundproofing. However, individual owners of homes have not yet gained enough confidence with prefab construction. This increases its demand for commercial spaces and from large developers but use by individuals in their homes is yet to gain popularity. 4.0 Critical review of how building structures perform                Organization structure may be considered the organization’s anatomy, providing the foundation in which the organization functions. Hall (1977) noted from simple observation that an organizational structure affects its members’ behavior. The particular building’s structure is a major determinant of the people’s activities within it. Hall suggested two basic functions of the structure each of which may affect organizational performance or individual behavior within the industry. First, they are designed at least to minimize or regulate individual variations’ influence on the organization (Brown and London 2000). Organizational structure is also the setting in which decisions are made, power is exercised, and organization’s activities carried out. Van de Ven (1976) highlighted the structure’s importance both at the subunit levels and the organization for the performance of organizations. Conclusion                Construction technology produces goods and provides services at the same time. The construction process is having low predictability and is highly uncertain. Many intermediate items are integrated and created by human operations with low standardization, mechanization and automation. The benefits of construction technology include high flexibility, zero stock, and satisfactory social needs. As these benefits appreciated, industry that is responsible with construction should consider improving integration of construction job site activities. Thus, we should examine and understand the construction technology fundamentally before successive e-construction programs and construction automation. References Altenbach, H. (2013). Advanced materials modeling for structures. Berlin: Springer. Brophy, V., & Lewis, J. O. (2011). A green Vitruvius: principles and practice of sustainable architectural design (2nd ed.). London: Earthscan. Domone, P. L., & Illston, J. M. (2010). Construction materials: their nature and behaviour (4th ed.). Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Spon Press. Foster, J. S. (2010). Structure and fabric (6th ed.). Harlow: Longman Scientific & Technical. Grondzik, W. T. (2008). Principles of building commissioning. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons. Kuzio, T., Kravchuk, R. S., & Anieri, P. J. (2009). State and institution building in Ukraine. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Leatherbarrow, D. (2009). Architecture oriented otherwise. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Luraghi, N. (2008). The ancient Messenians: constructions of ethnicity and memory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mancuso, C. (2012). Unsaturated soils research and applications. Berlin: Springer. Sabnis, G. M. (2011). Green building with concrete: sustainable design and construction. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Sarkar, S. K., & Saraswati, S. (2008). Construction technology. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Zhu, Y. (2011). Computing in civil engineering proceedings of the 2011 ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, June 19-22, 2011, Miami, Florida. Reston, Va.: American Society of Civil Engineers. Gunn, S. (2012). Stone House Construction. Melbourne: CSIRO Pub.. Hearn, L., & Gray, K. r. (2012). Across the nightingale floor / [sound recording] (Unabridged. ed.). Minneapolis, MN: HighBridge. Koerner, R. M. (2005). Geosynthetics Research and Development in Progress (GRI-18) Geo-Frontiers 2005. Reston, Va.: American Society of Civil Engineers. Li, Z. (2011). Advanced concrete technology. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Noble, J. A. (2011). African identity in post-apartheid public architecture: white skin, black masks. Farnham: Ashgate Pub.. Planning appeal by Corum Scotland Ltd: installation of air conditioning cassettes to roof level at 82 Hyndland Road, Glasgow : [letter]. (2010). Falkirk: Inquiry Reporters Unit. Quinn, J. (2008). An Evaluation of the Eclypse ESP Hand-Held Standing Wave Reflectometer. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center. Source document

An Irregular Warfare Strategy for Somalia Essay

Introduction The use of Irregular Warfare has been ongoing for years around the world. Irregular warfare is described as a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations. I will discuss where the U.S. may apply military force in conjunction with other means of national power to stabilize the nation of Somalia. I will also discuss why it would be considered as an Irregular Warfare environment. Body Somalia gained its independence from British control in 1960, where the British relinquished control and gave Somalia to the United Nations. Somalia was governed by civilians until 1969; after which the military rebellion by General Muhammed Siad Barre took place. General Muhammed Siad Barre was a military tyranny that was in command of Somalia and it’s military. His tyranny lasted over 2 decades. During the 1970s the United States government communicated with General Barre and donated over 100 million dollars to help stabilize the Somali economy. The United States knew it was within there best interest to keep General Barre in power of Somalia for a while. The United States also knew that by the late 1980s the Somali economy would be unable to sustain itself and foreign aid would be withdrawn. After the collapse of Somalia’s economy, the United States revolted against General Barre’s oppressive regime. Different warlords of Somalia fought together against Genera l Barre, ending his power and forcing him to flee the country. The United States maintained the tyranny by supporting General Barre and his dictatorship because they had an agenda. They then used their power of the situation to overthrow General Barre in the end. In 1991 The United Somali Congress (USC) was formed and a temporary president was appointed to govern the nation. With dissention within the USC they were later over thrown by  the Islamic Courts Union. The Islamic Courts Union had the support of the people because they offered services such as schools and health care. They also took on the responsibility of law enforcement which was paid for by local businesses to lower and maintain the crime rate within the area. The Islamic Courts Union took on the responsibility of halting robberies and drug dealing, as well as stopping the showing of what it claims to be pornographic films in local movie houses. The Islamic Courts Union also addressed problems throughout the region by establishing community services and security which in turn help them to gain the trust of the local residents. Local warlords became concerned over the growing power of the Islamic Courts Union. The Warlords decided to join together to create the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter Terrorism (ARPCT. The Islamic Courts Union lost their power over Mogadishu in 2006, when they were defeated and forced to Kismayo, which is in the southern part of the country. Conflicts within the nation of Somalia were sometimes planned as a means to an end. Whereby the United States Government supported a certain regime before they used their power to gain control of the situation and overthrow the tyrant. In other cases the use of national power was used such as the Islamic Courts Union to gain control over Somalia by implementing logical line of operations by providing the people their needs and services to gain their trust. In these situations it would be considered as an irregular warfare environment, because they were violent struggles for power within the nation. Conclusion The use of power can cause conflict within nations and among nations; however, being able to manage conflict can bring about some form of peace within and with nations. This essay discussed some examples of Irregular Warfare and how it played a part in Somalia. It also discussed some examples of Irregular Warfare that was used throughout the history of the Somalia conflict. References Irregular Warfare (IW) Joint Operating Concept (JOC). (2007). http://marshallfoundation.org/documents/IrregularWarfare.pdf Somalia Civil War. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war /somalia.htm>. The National Counterterrorism Center. (2014). http://www.nctc.gov/site /groups/al_shabaab.html

Program Evaluation and Action Planning Assignment

Program Evaluation and Action Planning - Assignment Example The main participants in the Community Outreach Program of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network are a group of patients who suffer from pancreatic cancer. 100 patients who are affected by pancreatic cancer at a high level are taken as the sample population for the study. This number is considered adequate for the effective evaluation of the program by understanding their responses towards the Community Outreach Program. The program has been purposely planned to determine their feedback for improvement in it, where necessary and related to re-sources and services. Besides, it also aims to create better awareness in the patients to enable them to make informed decisions about their concerns and treatment. The programs should be planned in such a way that is easily understandable to the patients. The patients will evaluate the program as: It decreases feelings of separation and desperation amongst patients and caregivers and also develops medical referral plan to lessen delays in treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer. An effective tool that enhances the level of knowledge of patients and healthcare professionals about pancreatic cancer and will provide proper care and treatment opportunities and â€Å"encourages all patients to consider clinical trials when exploring their treatment options† (Clinical Trials, 2012, para.1). ... â€Å"The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network offers a number of resources for pancreatic cancer patients and their families through the Patient and Liaison Services (PALS) program† (ASEG and The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Partner to Raise Awareness About Pancreatic Cancer, 2012, para.14). Patients receive adequate care, depending upon the knowledge and skills of their healthcare team and the health care professionals provide them the required resources and support services during the program. 2. Collecting a small sample (e.g., 5-10 surveys) or create mock-up data reflecting stakeholders’ evaluation feedback. Stakeholders are a group, organization or members who influence or can be influenced by the proceedings of the program. By examining and estimating the strategy plans of the program and results on a regular basis, to make sure that the program functions on a proper path and the that objectives are being attained. The evaluation tools that will be applied will p resent fast and recurrent response to assist and find the ways and means to solve possible problems and effectively guide the program towards its success. The PALS program consists of an evaluation element that concentrates on adopting quality assurance measures. Strategic plans are made to improve and expand these systems in order to make sure that suitable quantitative and qualitative information are created and evaluated. Such evaluation will be carried out on the basis of information collected from surveys, interviews besides discussions with various stakeholders, including patients, healthcare professionals and PALS members. The following surveys could be conducted: Inventory reports and contacts by program

Public Law 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public Law 2 - Essay Example Advice the Chief Constable as to whether the NUP have a right to conduct the demonstration and March and whether there are any legal means by which the event might be either banned or effectively policed. The area of law for examination is Section 132 and 133 of Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, which came into force from 1 July 2005. Demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament (Demonstrating without authorisation in designated area). Advise Constable Ullah as to whether he is within his rights to arrest Maria and Arif. Are there grounds to arrest those NUP members who are shouting obscenities at members of the crowd who hold opposite views to theirs? Is Nicholas detention lawful? It is well within the powers of the police constable, Ullah to arrest Maria and Arif under the powers conferred to him under Section 112 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, 2005, (Part 3 : Police Powers etc, Powers of Arrest).   Yes, there are grounds to arrest those NUP members who are shouting obscenities at members of the crowd who hold views opposite to theirs. This has been provided under the various sub-sections of Section 110 (24: Powers of arrest: arrest without warrant: constable) of Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. Under the powers conferred to him a police constable may make an arrest if he has reasons to believe that such a person could reasonably be believed to be a suspect for indulging in culpable offence. However the following conditions have to be fulfilled in order to validate the arrest. Under the Section 110 : 24A  :(a) â€Å"the person making the arrest has reasonable grounds for believing that for any of the reasons mentioned in subsection (4) it is necessary to arrest the person in question; and (b) it appears to the person making the arrest that it is not reasonably practicable for a constable to make it instead. In

Aspects of intercultural communication in international business Essay

Aspects of intercultural communication in international business - Essay Example At the same time it is not easy to engage in effective international communication because of the cultural, social, political, environmental, legal and communal differences between the countries. Verbal and nonverbal communication aspects are different between countries and the organization planning for internationalization must give proper training to their employees for effectively communicating with the people of the target country. In order to analyse the importance of intercultural communication in international business this paper evaluates probable intercultural communication strategies an American company needs to adopt in China, with the help of cultural dimensions of international communications formulated by Hall, Hofstede, Trompenaars and David A Victor It is possible to communicate using the mother tongue. But, even using mother tongue, it is difficult to communicate effectively. Communication is a complex process which is associated with so many parameters. Communication occur both in verbal and nonverbal forms. In fact most of the communication occurs in nonverbal format compared to the verbal format. Body language, gestures, facial expressions etc can communicate lot of things. Fox (2004), has pointed out that even the dresses can communicate so many things about a person or culture (Fox, 2004, p.275) Cross cultural communication is an existential necessity (Wierzbicka, 1997, p.21). Especially in the current globalized era intercultural communication is necessary for international business and cultural integration. Intercultural communication is the most difficult one because such communication can lead towards misunderstanding if not controlled properly. Berger (1996) has mentioned that intercultural communication continually involves misunderstanding, misperception and misevaluation (Berger, 1996, p.72). Desire to understand and connect with the host population, self knowledge, self assurance and control,

US HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

US HISTORY - Essay Example With the beginning of this acute financial crisis, banks failed, companies shut down and the result was unemployment, loss of personal assets like land, house and other valuables. People who were well-off before the Depression lost everything and lived off from begging (Uys). The great depression completely disoriented the lives of the Americans forcing children and teenagers to give up studies and either take to begging or perform menial labour. Lack of fund resources, scarcity of food and water, and homeless existence affected social life resulting in broken homes, battered relationships and wavering convictions. Unemployment was at its peak with a record of 13 million people going jobless and living fringe life. A lot of people started moving down to the West which was not as badly affected. People could not pay fares and travelled illegally which came to be known as hobo. Hoboing and train hopping were common phenomena as more and more people travelled up and down in search of better life. Homelessness was another significant phenomenon of the time and was termed as Hoovervilles to condemn President Hoover. People could not provide to stay in proper houses and lived in shacks made of cardboard boxes, metal sheets, leftover wood, piano boxes, and rusted car bodies (Uys). The Great Depression taught people valuable lessons like self-reliance, compassion, frugality and love for freedom and one’s country (Uys). These values acted as the bedrocks on which developed a stronger and more resilient

Writing about poetry and song lyrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Writing about poetry and song lyrics - Essay Example who holds a special place among this group, and his work is marked by three main emotions- â€Å"politics, nature and love.†(Natasa Bakic Miric) He has often been called the most lyrical of English poets, and his work is marked by the reformist zeal which had encircled the globe, all of which fired his visionary and idealist leanings. In his works can be seen the natural movement from an idealism which creates the feeling of love for humanity, a belief in beauty and the consequent freedom of humanity. The lyrical quality of the poem can be attributed to its arrangement which consists of 105 lines, arranged in 21 stanzas of five lines each. The first four lines are set in trochaic tri-meter while the fifth is in iambic hexameter. All the stanzas have the rhyme scheme ABABB. This poem came about, in the words of his wife Mary Shelley, when they â€Å"heard the caroling of the skylark, which inspired one of his most beautiful poems" (Shelley The Pursuit - Page 599) To the poet, the skylark is a metaphor for the ability to transcend the worldliness which surrounds us, and live with the idealism which all human beings dream of. In the opening of the poem, Shelly addresses the skylark as a â€Å"Blithe spirit† instead of referring to it as a bird because the sweet strains of its singing seems to come from the Heavens. Shelly proves his point through the following phrase -"profuse strains of unpremeditated art." (Stanza 1- line 4) The poet compares the flight of the bird stating that it looked â€Å"like a cloud of fire† (Stanza 2 – line 3) as it soared higher and higher into the blue sky comparing its flight to something that is so joyful that even though it cannot be seen from afar, yet we are able to hear its â€Å"shrill delight.’ (Stanza 4 – line 5) Shelly is one poet who is capable of creating vivid pictures in the minds eye of his audiences inducing a sense of oneness to the bird. He goes on to explain the bird’s descent from the clouds comparing it to

Developing an Implementation Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Developing an Implementation Plan - Essay Example Such resources include funds, equipment, transport and official recommendations among many others. Obtaining approval for a new solution or project is not an easy task. The first task in this process is convincing the leadership that the solution is relevant and effective. First of all, I will request for a meeting with the relevant authorities for the purpose of presenting my solution to them. I will then prepare thoroughly before the meeting, ensuring that I am fully conversant with all matters regarding the solution so that I may be able to satisfactorily answer all questions asked and, therefore, provide a good impression. This will prevent the leadership from turning down the solution because of my failure to provide sufficient information about it, and proving to them that the solution is more effective than current solutions. During this meeting, I will confidently explain the solution to the hospital authorities while trying to keep the details as straightforward as possible. I will then provide them with an opportunity to ask questions, criticize the solution, or provide their own opinion which may help to improve it. After obtaining the approval of the healthcare authorities, the next task will be to obtain the support of fellow staff. This is necessary because fellow healthcare staff participates in the process of testing the solution to determine its effectiveness. Furthermore, they will be the ones to apply the solution if tested and accepted, to evidence-based practice. Its final application in evidence-based practice will not be fully successful if not all the staffs are convinced of its relevance to the self-management of juvenile onset diabetes. In order to obtain their support, I will approach them and explain the solution to them, and how it will benefit them in their practice, and their patients in the management of their condition. Afterwards, I will give them the opportunity to critique the solution and provide their opinion so as to impro ve it and eliminate any weaknesses that I may have overlooked. I will then modify the solution in accordance with suggestions which are relevant. Description of Current Problem Current methods of managing diabetes mellitus type 1 involve insulin replacement therapy, dietary management, and careful blood glucose monitoring using glucose monitors. Current methods of glycemic control are quite complicated and, therefore, juveniles with diabetes type 1 mellitus have to visit the hospital on a regular basis for accurate blood glucose level checks. Additionally, they have to visit a healthcare facility during cases of sudden hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia which may have adverse effects on health. Recent advancements in medical technology have considerably simplified glycemic control and reduced the need to visit a health facility for checkups. This is because these new technologies have simplified continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), making it possible for juvenile patients to manage effec tively their condition without having to visit a healthcare facility. For this new solution to be successful, patients have to be thoroughly educated on the methods of glycemic control, self-administration of insulin, and dietary management. Detailed Explanation of Proposed Solution For juvenile patients to control their type 1 diabetes effectively, they need to make independent decisions on a daily basis concerning insulin intake, diet, and exercise.

My Friends Most Important Decision Essay Example for Free

My Friends Most Important Decision Essay Firstly, I would like to introduce my friend Jenny, who was born in China and now she is 25 years old. In 2011, she left her great job and came to the United States to pursue her master degree. Jenny decided to study in the United States and in particular at JWU because she wanted to study professional knowledge of management and have a master degree, she believe the U.S is the origin of the MBA program and JWU is famous for its hotel management program. First and foremost, after graduation, Jenny worked at the Beijing Branch of Education Service Center for about three years. She has great expectations for her career and she wants to get a high position but it’s difficult for her. She said, You can see my academic background, I never studied any business knowledge, if I want to get high promotion, to study professional knowledge of management and have a master degree is important for me. Thus, she wanted to get an MBA to get more knowledge of management and improve all kinds of abilities and help herself with her career objective. Another reason why she decided to study in the U.S. is because she believe that the United States is the origin of the MBA program. The United States MBA program pays more attention to practical skills and ability development, like communication, leadership, control, decision making, influence and entrepreneurship. She thinks studying in America can advance her career and make her more competitive in her field. She said to me, Americans Hospitality management program is very strong. Because in America , many universities are famous for this program, like: Cornell University, University of Houston, Pennsylvania State University, and the U.S. also has some famous hotel, like: Hilton Grand Vacations, New York Hotel and so on. Thus, she believes America is a good place for her to study this major. Most of all, Johnson Wales university is famous for its hotel management program. She has a friend who is currently studying hotel management at JWU, and her friend told her some advantages about this university, especially teaching resources on management is quite good. After that, she searched a lot of information on the internet, and found that JWU was suitable for her. She said, this university is career-oriented school, especially pay attention to students practical skill development, like communication, decision making, entrepreneurship and leadership ability. Many students who graduate from JWU can get into big companies like Hilton Hotel, so she believes studying at JWU can make her more competitive in the future. For these reasons and more, Jenny decided that in order to make herself more marketable that she needed to leave her job in China and move to the United States in order to learn professional knowledge and extend her education. Therefore, Jenny, my best friend, chose to study in the United States in an MBA program and in particular at JWU with a concentration in Hospitality.

Social Influences on Conformity

Social Influences on Conformity I would like to write an essay on social influence conformity and how it is exhibited in society. I want to use one real-life example in my essay, which will help to understand discussed question with more details. First of all it is necessary to define two terms conformity and social influence and then to connect them with each other. According to Wood (2000) social influence is the change in behavior that one person causes in another, intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of the way the changed person perceives themselves in relationship to the influencer, other people and society in general.ÂÂ   Social influence is divided in three main areas: conformity, compliance and obedience. Conformity as a main object of our research and it can be defined as personal changes in attitude or even behavior in relate to other people behavior, attempt to be more like others. Conformity can be presented on different stages of our life and thoughts, changing our values and beliefs, and making our behavior similar to our admired idols. I want to mention that the level of obvious social pressure, associated with these three above stated categories, increases as a man passes from conformity to compliance and, finally, to the obedience. The conformity is exhibited in society in various ways and it is implied by the change of conduct so that it corresponded reactions or actions of others, to the conduct of people, circumferential us. Taking as example one situation we will illustrate social influence in the frames of conformity. Going on an evening-party or concert, you, probably, will ask: How will be people dressed there? Lets imagine that you come in shorts and sport shirt, while all around will be in evening suits, or vice versa, lets imagine that you appear solemnly dressed, when all other in frivolous dresses. Discomfort which majority will feel from you causes a strong desire to correspond to a situation. Such conformism is fully natural and here is no opened social pressure; let even nobody will never take you aside and will not say: you unsuitably got dressed, but you can be of own volition changed clothes in something, more proper a place and time. Thus, it will be good to mention for the conclusion that surroundings of the identically adjusted people can have a strong influence on interpretation of reality and it will change personal attitude to it. Conformity makes our behavior more socialized, because due to this notion we try to follow the rules of our society, to follow social norms and regulate our behavior in compliance with place and people who are around us. Reference Wood, W. (2000). ATTITUDE CHANGE: Persuasion and Social Influence. Annual Review of Psychology.

Key Reasons For Outsourcing Through Three Ethical Theories Business Essay

Key Reasons For Outsourcing Through Three Ethical Theories Business Essay When a company gets outsourced, the people who are culturally removed from the parent company have to transfer the knowledge to the new employees those who come to the board. Can these services meet quality expectations? In some cases it does not satisfy the full requirements. There may be a communication gap when you transfer your knowledge to the third party. It may be that have a lack of interest to train the third party people, but you are forced to do it. In this case, honesty in communication and doing the right duties bring attention to ethical issues. This is against the Freedom of Speech.   There are language and cultural barriers while communicating with the overseas workers. The overseas workers communicate with Americans in broken and incomprehensible English. As a result, the companies have to compromise on the quality of the product. Nowadays, because work outsourcing has peaked, overseas workers have good communication and are very talented. They can easily understand the situation and come up with good ideas, providing a high-quality and safe product. End users benefit from the outcome of the result. The utilitarian theory states outsourcing is good.   Companies outsource due to highly skilled, educated labor, with cheaper price in foreign countries. Sometimes foreign countries use cheap-quality, raw materials and less manual effort to finish the project for their profit. As an example, China often use lead paint in toys, resulting in a poor-quality product, in which both customers and the company suffer. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: The services or projects which are outsourcing are the Intellectual Property of the company. The company has the right to protect their intellectual property. For that need company has to enforce proper planning strategy on what services should be outsourced and what services should not. If there will be lack of proper planning, then may be chances of Identity Theft and the company goes through loses. In opposite way, if there is a proper planning, then company can focus on core services and outsource the ancillary duties and at the end provides a good quality product to the users. All the users and company get benefited, no one get harm. In conclusion by providing proper training to the replacement employees, good communication to new employees, proper planning strategy of the company before outsourcing, then users get benefited and satisfied at the end with the quality and safety product. So according to Utilitarianism, outsourcing is good and no need to compromise the quality and safety of the product. Kantian Theory Analysis: If there is drop in quality and safety of the outsourced product, the community and the users are going to suffer. Company use overseas workers at cheaper rate to accomplish the goal, the quality of the product drops. Overseas workers use as a means to an end for the company benefit. Most of the previous workers who used to work before are getting laid off. Company treated them with disrespect. So outsourcing is not good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Company has the right to give a good quality product to the community. If there is drop in quality, the rational begins are not get benefited to the maximum level. So according to social contract theory, outsourcing is not good, as it drops the quality. It affects the global economy. People in the developed countries like US and UK tend to blame outsourcing for their job losses, low paying jobs. But offshore outsourcing is an inevitable phenomenon that has many viable benefits to the world economy. Global outsourcing helps in creating newer international markets, promotes global citizenship, helps recognize global talent and in a larger sense helps in the development of economics of all the countries taking part in it. People are more worried about job loses rather than realizing new jobs are getting created. Outsourcing is an evolution that is revolutionizing our societies and laying the foundation for a better world economy. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: Companies exploit the cheap labor of offshore countries and cut down on man power costs, reduce operational costs and capital expenditure. The overseas workers dont get greatest happiness but in the end, the global economy rises, all the people are getting benefited. So outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: Though outsourcing increases the global economy, the companies exploit the workers and infrastructure facilities available in the third world countries and use as a means to an end. So outsourcing is not good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: All the rational begins are getting benefited through outsourcing as it increases the global economy. So for the world benefits, outsourcing is good. An employer outsources some work to escape taxes and regulations. By outsourcing certain tasks, the companies can save money based on taxes they pay in the offshore countries. Developed countries like America and Europe have more corporate tax rate than other countries. The U.S. tax code allows American based companies to get the tax exemptions for that percentage of tax already paid to foreign countries, which is very less compared to U.S. Some companies even move some tasks to the small offshore island, such as Caymans, where they can create tax-free account and avoid paying taxes. The company uses the materials and resources of the foreign country and that helps in building small local companies and foreign country generate more tax revenues from those small local companies. In overall the outsourced company end up with paying less tax or sometimes get the tax exemption to the foreign country, because it increases the economy of the foreign country and create more jobs in that country. The U.S. companies only give tax based on their operation ac count income in U.S. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarian point of view, the companies move certain tasks to the offshore countries for tax benefits. They help other foreign countries to grow and create jobs there and also give tax to the countries based on the profit in those countries. The tax rate at foreign country is very low compared to the parent country. The parent country gets less tax revenue where as the foreign countries and the company both are getting benefited with this. So outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: The companies create more jobs in the overseas for tax incentives. They do not invest money in their country and do not create jobs for their society. According to Kant, this is morally wrong, the companies has some responsibilities for the country. They cheat to the country and give less tax based on profit in the parent country, not the profit through overseas. Social Contract Theory Analysis: The outsourced companies give lower foreign tax rate to the foreign countries as compared to U.S. and deduct those foreign taxes on their American tax return. The outsourced company creates jobs overseas and give tax based on profit earned in the overseas, as a result the overseas countries get financially benefited. As a moral rule, if all the U.S. based companies move their business overseas for their tax benefit, then economy of the U.S. will drop, it is not right. So outsourcing is not good. Honesty in communications is at the ethical core of trustworthiness. Another problem in outsourcing is transfer of knowledge. How honestly the parent employees who are culturally removed from the company, will transfer the knowledge to the foreign employees. The offshore countries have the responsibilities to give back the quality and safety product to the company; how much honesty will exist in this process, is a question? Honest in relationship between the developed country and the foreign country is a key constraint for better and successful business. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism Theory, if a work is done with honest, it will give satisfaction at the end. When two countries are working together with handshaking, one should have trust with another and they should do work with honesty. If that criterion meets, then both the countries get benefited. Outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: An outsourced company gets profit with the help of other foreign countries; simultaneously foreign country also gets profit with the outsourced work. Both should do work with honest and trust. If one country uses other as a means to an end for its benefit, then it is wrong. If there is honesty, outsourcing is good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: As a moral rule, honesty in communication required for better business and makes a better word. So in outsourcing, honesty is a key factor. Skilled and talent professionals work for other nation. Developed country like U.S. moves some tasks to foreign countries to utilize skilled and talented workers at lower rates compared to U.S. talented workers that will lead to an increase in productivity and save costs in a major way. Large number of engineers is graduating every year from India and China compared to U.S. As a result there is an oversupply of talented workers from overseas. But these foreign countries sometimes can not produce quality and challenging jobs for them at a good rate, where they get their satisfaction jobs from other developed country at a feasible rate. They leave their own countries because they are not absorbed by the economies of these developing countries and work for other nation. Outsourcing offers opportunities for talented individuals to stay at own country and work for the other country. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism Theory, if talented and skilled workers stay at own country and work for another country, the workers get satisfaction with their job as well as the economy of their own country gets better. At the end, even though workers drain brain for other nation, their  own nation also get benefited. Skilled workers work for other nation is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: Developed countries give jobs to talented and skilled workers overseas for their benefit in place of own talent workers. According to Kant, this is wrong because developed countries workers use as a means to an end. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Talent and skill workers get opportunities and build their career and company also gets benefited. It does not matter where these workers drain brain, but global economy increases. Restricted access to secured data for maintaining the privacy and confidentiality. Outsourced company should concentrate on core business and need specialized attention while moving some operations to the third party company. The core concern of outsourcing is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, security and privacy of the company business. It is wise if outsourcing partner does not have adequate information security measures. As a practice of ethical rules and privacy policies of the organizations like non-disclosure of trade secrets and non-disclosure contracts with staff, third party service providers and visitors should sign the disclaimer contract. So the outsourcer feels safe to do the business with a partner who is miles away. Everyone has right to protect his intellectual property. Privacy is a prudential right. From the point of view of rule utilitarianism, social contract theory and Kantianism, it is necessary to maintain some privacy and confidentiality information to the third party company. It increases the productivity of the services. By employing more numbers of skilled and talented manpower at lower cost, company boost up their productivity. Companies produce better product at low price which increases the demand for the product and also increases revenue of consumers. In order to produce more products, workers must be hired, that results in more job creations. Companies operate on an around the clock, 24/7 production cycle, provides customer service 24 hours; which further adding productivity. By outsourcing it is possible for projects to be shuttled between multiple sites, allowing around the clock and get the tasks done in time. For an example, a team in Palo Alto spends its day to find bugs in a piece of software, then hand the bug reports to Bangalore team of India that spends its day fixing the bugs. Outsource results into better customer satisfaction and increased profitability. If we see in other way, infrastructure in less developed countries can make business more difficult, which hampers the productiv ity. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism, the customer gets good product in less price, which enhances the total happiness of the customer. It also creates new jobs. So outsourcing increases the productivity. Kantian Theory Analysis: By employing skilled manpower at lower cost, the company boosts up productivity which is morally wrong according to Kantianism theory, because the company uses skilled manpower as means to an end. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Outsourcing process increases the productivity of the company and also provides customer satisfaction. According to social contract theory, outsourcing is good. Conditions when the outsourced get outsourced: Outsourcing Company outsources jobs to offshore countries to get the product at a much reduced cost. To get maximum revenue benefit, offshore countries outsource some of their job areas to third offshore country to reduce their operating costs. The outsourced jobs in the offshore countries get outsourced to another offshore country because of reducing the cost of infra structure, cost of raw materials, and cost of labor. Most of the times offshore country keeps the core functionality of the outsourced jobs and outsources their non-core jobs to third offshore country for the utilization of available skilled labors. Also the offshore country outsources their jobs to get the benefit out of lower corporate tax rate of 3rd offshore country. Sometimes Supply of demands can be a factor to get the jobs outsourced from one offshore country to another offshore country. For example, developed country like America outsources mostly IT jobs to India to get a better quality product at a lower pric e. India outsources certain tasks like software testing, software documentation of those IT services to other offshore country like Philippines and other south Asian countries to get the tasks complete within very low labor cost. Sometimes Indian corporations outsource job to developing nations to meet the need for workers who speak the varieties of languages that global clients demand. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: The business of the company spread globally. Three countries get benefited and also skilled and talented workers get good job. Sometimes own country skilled workers do not get job, this is a negative consequences. Managing the tasks is difficult as it spread to country to country. The confidential information are less secure, this gives negative impact. Total benefits is more than total harms. So outsourced get outsourced is a good phenomenon. Kantian Theory Analysis: The developed country like America outsources job to developing country like India for their benefit. Similarly, India outsources some task to a third developing country like the Philippines. According to Kantian theory, America uses India as a means to an end. India uses the Philippines as a means to an end. This is not a good idea. Social Contract Theory Analysis: The businesses of the company get distributed around the world. The Higher quality product is sold at the best possible price due to competition among possible providers of the same product. This is beneficial for the society. Poorer countries gain employment, creating jobs around the world reduces unrest and leads to more stability. For everyones mutual benefit, outsourced get outsource is good. Conclusion: Outsourcing has tremendous impact on economic growth, national security, balancing between Jobs vs. the workforce. These impacts are both positive and negative. When the business owners and BPO consultants move jobs overseas, they claim that their actions have a clear net positive. In contrast certain group of people and the community of outsourced country are adversely affected by outsourcing. It is very difficult to determine who are the ones affected by outsourcing. The jobs as well as the capital resource are transferred from developed to developing countries. As a result unemployment rate increases in the parent country and in most cases the qualified skilled labors in their own domestic land are forced out of jobs. Also people in their own domestic land are losing interest in education because of lack of skilled jobs originating in their own country. Based on various arguments and discussions from different sources, outsourcing also enhances the global economy of the domestic country and creates new jobs in the country. If we consider each key reasons of outsourcing through ethical theories, some key reasons have more moral value than the others. So it is very hard to decide whether outsourcing is good or bad.

Atomsphere Of Jester Affecting Students :: essays research papers fc

Atmosphere of Jester Affecting Students Do you see moody students at the University of Texas walking around? They probably live in Jester, the largest public dormitory in the nation. Why the long face you ask? Well, the need for a high-density dorm caused the University of Texas to build a dormitory with the atmosphere of a prison. Jester’s resemblance to a prison affects the mood of students and the overall well-being of students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Waking up to loud, obnoxious banging and screaming are the mornings of an overcrowded prison. Small windows allow for just a glimpse of the reality of the world. The built-in furniture adds to the uniformity that is present in all prisons. The width of the hallways prohibits much space between neighbors. All of these attributes plague prisons as well as Jester.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beauford H. Jester Center, built in 1969, is a co-educational residence hall that houses 2,912 students in two towers referred to as Jester West and Jester East (Jester Center 1). The large dormitory was built by William Clark Craig. The need for student housing was high because of the demand to want to attend the University of Texas. Since a prison holds a lot of people in a small area, it is not a mystery on how Jester obtains its prison-like appeal. The lack of lighting in Jester causes a melancholy type of mood which gives the impression of a dark, sullen area. The University of Texas campus does not have room to spare since it only consists of 40 acres. Little did the UT Board of Regents know the construction of Jester would eventually lead to an overcrowding and the largest enrollment in the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a result of the largest enrollment in the country, the sizes of the rooms of Jester are very similar to those of a prison. In an interview with Lindsey Jones, a resident of Jester, explains, â€Å"I can’t study in Jester. It feels like I am trapped. I like being able to move around.† The measurements of the Jester rooms compared to that of a prison cell are very similar. A Jester room is 13’2† x 16’ with built-in furniture (Jester Center 2). A prison cell is about 14’x 14’6† with built-in furniture (CAD drawings). Below is a diagram of a Jester room: (Jester Center 2) The hallways in Jester are barely large enough for one person to walk through.

The Perfect Gesture :: essays research papers

The Perfect Gesture. The perfect form football tackle, that is the perfect gesture. The person that made this gesture was Gary Kmiec. I witnessed this event for the first time, Labor Day, at the junior varsity football game against North Park College. The day was hot and humid, like a regular Chicago summer. The North Park Viking's field was hardly appealing to the eye. The field was one of those contraptions of a baseball/football field combination. It was the third quarter of a very intense game, the score was 8-6 we were winning. Both teams were relying on their defenses to stop the opposing offense and in our case to score. From what I have heard through the â€Å"grape vine† is that the offense of North Central isn't the greatest, but we have one of the best defenses. The stands, like every other junior varsity game, had only a handful of people in them. Most of the die-hard fans were either family or girlfriends. Unlike the North Park Vikings, who suited up over 60 players in their royal blue, our junior varsity team had suited up about 29 players total. Out of those 29 select few, only 13 were on the defensive side of the ball. North Park was on offense. The cardinal defense stood strong. It was second down and North Park needed five more yards to get the first down. I was not in the game at this time so I had an exceptional view. The Viking quarterback dropped back 2 steps then he handed the ball off to the half back. Kmiec, like he had always been taught, mirrored the half back shuffling parallel with him. Kmiec accelerated towards the ball carrier. Then it happened. The perfect gesture, the perfect tackle. This was it. Kmiec had reached top speed when he met the ball carrier. When they met, Kmiec placed his right shoulder pad in the gut of the running back, making him lose his breath. Kmiec then wrapped his hands around the back of the ball carrier and pinned him to the ground. His helmet hit the ball directly, causing the pigskin to fly free from the running backs grip. Our free safety, Bob Goins, was right behind Kmiec and recovered the fumble on the North Park 25 yard line. The North Central crowd cheered and the North Central sidelines were in an uproar.

1831, Year of Eclipse by Louis Masur Essay

The number of anthropologists, philosophers, and literary writers who portrayed their vision of America’s future includes many people. Louis Masur and George Orwell are two such literary writers who fit this group. They attempted to project the future of our American nation based on the current actions. Masur saw a trend, a path that was unavoidably steering in a particular direction. The analytical energies put into studying Louis Masur’s works are vast. I will review 1831, Year of Eclipse by Louis Masur and add some clarity to the reasoning behind the development and proof of his attempts at foreshadowing where the American nation was headed. Masur stated that 1831 marked the year in which America was transformed from a post- revolutionary republic into a democratic nation. The incidents and state-of-mind of our wobbly nation, in 1831, created the scaffold for reactive behavior that would lead to the catastrophic—yet necessary—outbreak of the U.S. Civil War thirty years later. Masur created a sense of foreboding. And how could he not? The state of civil unrest in our nation, at the time, was teeming with hostility as the North was, very clearly, in a face-off against the South. The issue of slavery, obviously, was the catalyst highlighting the fragility of a nation that was just over 50 years old. Part of the trials behind Masur’s thesis and the on-going development of his publication, were also linked to the prevailing image of the soon-to-come solar eclipse. The year of 1831 was more of a window of opportunity and a spot to view his on-going research of America’s turmoil instead of a time for Masur to join forces and advertise his premonitions. The eclipse of the sun prevailed on February 12, 1831 and received all the media hype that was available in that era. Some literary presenters and political strongmen at the time chose to use the shadow of the sun as a metaphor or omen-like prophecy of the times to come. Yet, at the time, Masur took this opportunistic moment in history and made a parallel link. He likened the storming eclipse of our planet’s closest star as a metaphor to the gathering protests over slavery, abolition, taxation, rights of state, and even religious arguments. Masur, in fact, wasn’t the only one who saw the inevitability of Civil War due to the anguish over slavery. Alexis de Tocquieville was another person who perceived the war on the way. Masur was a firm believer in the possible realization of the question at hand: can the United States survive as a nation? Masur offered the reader witty, intellectual methods in his writings regarding the troubles facing government officials and leaders of state. To say, hypocrisy was prevalent in this era of political, social, and developing democracy is an understatement. Most of Masur’s argument surrounded the issue of slavery and equality; for this was, without a doubt, the main thrust of civil unrest. Here are a few examples of issues Masur discussed in his publication: Virginia’s white representation of people displayed bitterness over the white women murdered during the slave revolution. They did, however, according to historical records, praise the Lord that rape wasn’t an issue during the killings. Secondly, once the revolt was squashed, some Southerners wanted to control any future revolt by instilling fear and terror in any revolutionary slaves. As an aside, isn’t it ironic—and sad—that today’s terrorism has caused worldwide fear, the same fear people of the South wanted to instill upon the slaves? We can view this ridiculous attempt at controlling slaves that were already under animal-like control as a precursor to tiny cells of Taliban terror, right within the walls separating the North and the South of the early 19th century. Masur went on to state how the fury of hypocrisy in our nation of civil unrest led the Southern doctrine to lie. Imagine that. The Southerners made claims that the slaves were actually content, and even loyal, to their slave owners.   There was more rage in the separation of people as Northern newspaper editors and the North-People, in general, were annoyed by William Lloyd Garrison’s radical abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator. Yet, just as is the case in the impact of 21st century media, this fierce resistance only improved newspaper circulation. The people wanted to hear about the ‘dirt.’ The fragility of our nation was further unhinged by certain southern states taking pride in the doctrine of nullification. This, in turn, led to the federal government losing power to interfere with slave trade. However, one of the pinnacles toward the start of the war occurred when Garrison began to advertise the U.S. constitution as an â€Å"agreement in hell.† In closing, the breadth of Masur’s writings were simply a method for this well-organized, well-researched, and prolific writer to create and advertise what was actually going in the south, and how political unrest and a separation of state was clouding the vision of the governing body. This was not the means toward developing a free nation, as prescribed in the U.S. constitution by our founding Fore Fathers. He used wit and did not hide or gloss over the details. He was not developing a thesis simply for the sake of telling a story. His pride and dire concern over the fate of the ground he walked on needed a voice of reason. His book 1831, Year of Eclipse was the driving force, and the voice of reason, behind his means of preparing the people for the onslaught that was to come. SOURCES Masur, Louis, 1831, Year of Eclipse. New York : Hill and Wang, 2001.

Political Justice: Plato and Aristotle Essay

Plato and Aristotle had different ideas of politics and political justice. In The Republic, Plato creates the ideal city, which is needed to guarantee justice. He aims to create a peaceful united city that will lead to the greater good of the community and individuals. Unlike Plato who imagines the ideal city, Aristotle looks at actual cities in The Politics. He doesn’t want to create the ideal city; he aims to improve the existing city. While their ideas about politics and justice were different, they both strived to find a better way of life for society and hoped to achieve political justice. In order to define justice, Socrates attempts to create an ideal city, one that is healthy and just. Socrates begins by â€Å"investigating what justice looks like in the cities† in order to â€Å"go on to consider it in individuals† (Plato, 45). He believes that it is through speech that one will see the way in which both justice and injustice come into being. Socrates argues that people come together as partners and form cities based on mutual needs because â€Å"each [person] isn’t self-sufficient but is in need of much†: food, shelter, clothing, and other necessities (Plato, 46). It is in the need that the men have of one another in a healthy city that justice can be found (Plato, 49). In the Republic, Plato argues that justice is social, structural, and peaceful. He also believes that people function best doing one thing well. According to Socrates, people naturally differ in nature; â€Å"different men are apt for the accomplishment of different jobs† (Plato, 46). Socrates argues for specialization by saying, â€Å"one man, one art† (Plato, 47). He argues that this concept of specialization is the only way to make certain that each job is done well. Socrates goes on to divide the city into three distinct classes: producers, warriors, and rulers. Socrates believes a just city requires a division of labor in order to guarantee the stability of the city and provide the common good for the citizens. He states that, â€Å"each thing becomes more plentiful, finer, and easier, when one man, exempt from other tasks, does one thing according to nature† (Plato, 47). A strict division of labor is the only way to construct a just city, in which few laws are required. Socrates uses the analogy of the healthy city to describe how â€Å"justice and injustice naturally grow in cities† (Plato, 49). A healthy city becomes an unhealthy, â€Å"feverish† city when people become driven by desire and want more than the mere necessities of a healthy city. Some people will not be satisfied with the mere necessities; thus, relishes will be added. When people desire more and more luxuries, the city must be made bigger again and again because the healthy one is no longer adequate (Plato, 50). As the city grows, more land is required in order to be sufficient. At some point, one must â€Å"cut off a piece of [their] neighbors’ land† (Plato, 50). Socrates argues that encroachment will ultimately lead to war. He goes on to state that because of thisß inevitable war, the city will require Guardians. According to Socrates, the Guardians of the state must have a very spirited soul be very well trained (Plato, 52). He goes on to argue that a good Guardian must be â€Å"a philosopher in nature, spirited, swift, and strong† (Plato, 53). They must never turn against the city and must know whom to do violence to. Therefore, â€Å"[the Guardians] must be gentle to their own and cruel to enemies† (Plato, 52). To ensure that they will never turn against the city, Socrates believes that they must be educated morally â€Å"in speech† through the stories of the Gods and heroes (Plato, 54). Socrates argues that the tales should be supervised and modified if need be, in order to instill the idea that Gods can do no wrong. Only the stories that display bravery and dispel the fear of death should be taught to the Guardians. As a citizen, a Guardian must defend their city, make war together against any enemy of the city, and fight vigilantly for one another. While Plato believed that cities and state came into being because of mutual needs and social contracts, Aristotle thought otherwise. Aristotle views the polis, or city, as a political association or partnership. Aristotle opens The Politics by saying, â€Å"every city is some sort of partnership†, which â€Å"is constituted for the sake of some good.† According to Aristotle, the city must seek to achieve â€Å"the most authoritative good of all† (Aristotle, 35). He defines villages as collections of families. These different villages come together to create a good combination of both public and private life. This is a sharp criticism of the argument Plato makes in The Republic.  Aristotle goes on to argue that a city naturally â€Å"arises from [the union of] several villages† (Aristotle, 36). In saying this, he argues that a city exists by nature (Aristotle, 37). A city forms for the purpose of living well and directs itself toward the common good. One of Aristotle’s defining arguments is that â€Å"man is by nature a political animal† (Aristotle, 37). What Aristotle is arguing is that apart from the city there is no possible way for man to achieve the good life. Aristotle claims that what makes man different from other animals are that â€Å"man alone has speech† (Aristotle, 37). It is speech that makes possible the deliberation of politics and allows man to come up with the highest authoritative good. According to Aristotle, â€Å"speech serves to reveal the advantageous and the harmful, and hence also the just and the unjust† (Aristotle, 37). In Aristotle’s city, it is speech and deliberation that justice can be found. Aristotle believes that the law developed through deliberation is â€Å"a guarantor of just things† (Aristotle, 98). In order to define what he believes to be a citizen, Aristotle first argues things that do not imply citizenship: honorary citizenship, inhabiting a place, sharing in matters of justice, children, and the elderly (Aristotle, 86). He defines citizenship as â€Å"sharing in decision and in office† (Aristotle, 87). According to Aristotle, a citizen is one who takes part in the decisions that are being made. In Aristotle’s city, the citizen is â€Å"whoever is entitled to participate† (Aristotle, 87). To him, the most important aspect of citizenship is that they are the foundation upon which the city is built. He believes that citizens have a share in the regime and should take part in administrating justice. In general, â€Å"a citizen is defined as a person from parents who are both citizens† (Aristotle, 88). Aristotle believes that as constitutions change, citizenship changes as well. Thus, there is different criterion for being a good citizen and being a good man. According to Aristotle, a good citizen upholds and respects the constitution. He claims, â€Å"a good citizen should know and have the capacity both to be ruled and to rule† (Aristotle, 92). In the Republic, Socrates gives three waves that he believes are necessary to  achieve justice in an unhealthy city. The first wave states that there should be equality among men and women of the Guardian class. He writes that men and women of the Guardian class are to share â€Å"everything in common† (Plato, 130). This wave not only deals with equality, it also deals with merit. Despite the fact that men are typically stronger than women, women should be nurtured in the same way as men and educated in the same things. Even though it may seem â€Å"shameful and ridiculous†, women are to be trained in gymnastics together with men (Plato, 130). After establishing the need for equality among men and women, Socrates moves on to the second wave. The second wave, Socrates argues, is that women and children need to be held in common. He believes that â€Å"women are to belong to men in common† and that â€Å"no woman can live privately with any man† (Plato, 136). Socrates is trying to rid the unhealthy city of private life because he believes that justice is social. The Guardians must live as one single family in order to reduce factional conflict. In order for the Guardians to live as one single family, Socrates argues that not only are men and women to be held in common, their children are to be held in common as well. â€Å"A parent will neither know his own offspring, nor a child his parent† (Plato, 136). The goal of this is to, again, rid them of the jealousies and rivalries that accompany private families. Socrates believes that this will make certain greater social equality and increase the unity among the Guardian class. Because the Guardians share everything in common, there will no longer be any concept of private ownership. Thus, there will be harmony and unity within the city. The third, and final, wave Socrates discuses details who it is that he believes should rule in a just city. The third and final wave that Socrates believes is necessary for justice is that philosophers must be the rulers. After making this argument, Glaucon demands that Socrates defines what he means as a philosopher. Socrates believes that â€Å"the philosopher is a desirer of wisdom, not of one part and not another, but of all of it† (Plato, 155). The philosopher is a lover of wisdom and total knowledge. Because of this, Socrates argues that philosophers are the only people capable of having knowledge of everything all together; they are open-minded and constantly curious. To further his  argument about the philosopher, Socrates states that the philosopher is a lover of the truth; he has knowledge of what is real instead of simply believing in appearances. The first proposal that Socrates makes in The Republic makes sense to me. There should be equality among men and women, but they do not need to share everything is common. There needs to be a balance of both public and private life. It would not make sense to rid society of private life entirely. The second proposal that Socrates makes does not make much sense at all; it would not work if we wanted to enact a similar system in today’s society. It is not logical to think that children would be better people and that society would be a better place if children were taken from their mothers at birth and raised by wet nurses. People need the bond of a private family, it is from family that children learn to love and be loved. The philosophers-as-rulers proposal that Socrates discusses makes sense but it seems extremely unrealistic. A philosopher is the last person that would want to rule a city. Overall, these proposals would every facet of a city. The proposals that he makes are intended to be extreme and ironic. Plato is trying to push his readers in absurd directions in order to establish that justice will never be found. The healthy city in Plato’s The Republic gives the best definition of justice. The whole intention of creating this ideal city is to define what justice is. Essentially, in his ideal city, there is no injustice. Because Plato uses his ideal state to show how justice and injustice naturally arise in cities, it is much easier to grasp what justice is and how it comes into being. Because Plato creates the perfect government, he is able to give a clear definition of what justice is. Aristotle’s definition of distributive justice: giving equal things to equal people and unequal things to unequal people can be confusing. While the healthy city may give the best definition of justice, it does not provide the best model for politics. Though it may not be ideal, Aristotle’s ideal city provides the best model for politics. In Aristotle’s view politics is only a means to an end; that end being the maximum happiness of its citizens. Unlike Plato, who places the burden of  ruling solely in the Guardian class, Aristotle believes that everyone should take turn ruling and being ruled (Aristotle, 219). Aristotle argues that the purpose of politics and that city is to promote the good life for its people. He believes that the citizens of a state should agree about what is right and wrong, just and unjust. Plato believes that philosophers are the only people capable of knowing the truth. Aristotle gives a better argument that everyone is capable of knowing the truth. He believes that politics is responsible for educating men in what is right and wrong. Just as Aristotle argues, written law should have greater authority than the rulers. Thus, leading to justice. Both Plato and Aristotle make good arguments about political justice even though the two do not completely agree. By creating an ideal city, Plato clearly defines what justice is. On the other hand, by looking at existing cities, Aristotle gives a good model for politics. While their ideas about politics and justice were different, they both strived to find a better way of life for society and hoped to achieve political justice. Bibliography Aristotle, The Politics. Translated with an introduction by Carnes Lord. (Chicago, 1984). Plato (380 B.C.). Republic, translated by G. M. A. Grube, 2 nd ed., revised by C. D. C. Reeve, Indianapolis: Hackett (1992).

Oilwell: Team Management

Oilwell Cable Division Bill Russell was acting general manager of TRW and now he is being appointed as general manager with an assignment of lay off twenty people or  achieves an equivalent reduction in labor cost. The Oilwell Cable Division is part of the Industrial and Energy Segment of   TRW that represent 24 percent of its sales and 23 percent of its operating profits. The Oilwell Division is a acquired business by TRW what was Crescent Wire and Cable Company of Trenton. The four reasons for moving the Oilwell cable (Crescent Wore and Cable Company) from Trenton to Lawarence are Lawerence is considerably closer to the customer †¢ Lawerence has a more supportive labor environment. †¢ The wage rate for the Lawerence area are very reasonable †¢ There is an already existing building Gino stripoli, formal general manager, was gien the task to start operations in Lawrence and he established new management system. He established eleven team relating the activities and all teams were doing their jobs very well. There is also a co-ordination team. The team is successful. Though there were some problems initially.There was a good deal of mistrust among employees regarding management’s   motives. There were also some technical problems. But after two years Gino solved the problems. Though TRW has ten competitors in the cable market, its market mainly depends on the demand of the submersible pumps. Because the basic product produced by the Oilwell Cable Division is wire that provides power   to submersible pumps used in oil drilling. Question: 1 Evaluate team management at TRW’s Lawrence plant. What organizational behavior system is it most similar to? Does it reflect theory X or theory Y assumptions? Answer: †¢There were in total 11 teams where five production teams are formed around the production process. †¢ Each team meets on a weekly basis or as needed and resource team meets every two weeks. That increases the coordi nation between the team and team members. †¢ There was no formal agenda but the meeting on production process and labor scheduling which increases the production. †¢ Team also build relationship between various level of the organizations Collegial organizational behavior system is most similar to. It reflects Theory Y assumption. Question: 2 Examine the results from team management at Lawrence.Do they support a â€Å"satisfaction causes productivity† or a â€Å"productivity causes satisfaction† relationship? Explain. †¢ There were some initial start-up problems, but late it seems to be a success. †¢ In the beginning there was a good deal of mistrust among employees. But later it being solved. †¢ First there was a lot of frustration with a high level of turnover. Because there was only one union employee brought from Trenton. To solve the problem a compensation scheme was developed that encouraged employees to master the various pieces of equipm ent in the plant. Turnover dropped from in excess of 12 percent to a range of 2 to 4 percent. Also employment had dropped from a high of 132 to what seemed to be a more optimal level of 125. They support â€Å"satisfaction causes productivity†. From the workers’ point of   view, the major benefit of team management is their ability to control their   jobs. This control has resulted in a high level of commitment by the employees, as evidenced by the numerous suggestions made by the teams that have resulted in significant improvements in quality and productivity. Question: 4Can participative and team management approaches work equally well during times of organizational crisis and during normal times? Explain. NO, from my opinion, though during normal times participative and team management approaches work equally but during organizational crisis it can’t work equally. The responsibility of the team management is to solve any problem equally and help other tea m members to solve the problems. But in participative approach people can deny to help others. Beside this when contradiction between the people exist the situation also become more complicated in participative approach

Exploring the Relationship Between Cigarette Essay

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between state-specific estimates of youth and adult cigarette smoking prevalences, overall, and after adjusting for cigarette prices and strength of smoke-free air laws. METHODS: Crude relationships were determined using state-specific adolescent and adult smoking estimates from three national surveillance systems conducted during 1997, 1999, or 2000. Weighted leastsquares regression analyses were conducted to assess crude and adjusted relationships between state-specific estimates of adolescent and adult smoking. RESULTS: In each crude analysis conducted, adolescent smoking prevalence was significantly and positively related to adult smoking prevalence. These relationships were attenuated, but generally persisted, after controlling for cigarette prices and strength of smoke-free air laws. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the premise that adult smoking influences adolescent smoking behavior. Funders and policy makers need to consider that an effe ctive youth prevention strategy may be to curb smoking among adults. Introduction Cigarettes are the most common form of tobacco used in the United States, among both youths and adults (1, 2). Interest in preventing adolescent uptake of tobacco use increased substantially during the early and mid-1990’s (3), as adolescent smoking initiation and prevalence increased (1, 4-9). This prompted considerable debate in the public health community about the relative merits of a youth or adult-centered tobacco control approach (10-14). A focus on youth has often been viewed by policy-makers as more politically palatable to the communities they serve; however, many researchers have argued that since the problem of tobacco affects people of all ages, effective solutions must do so as well, thereby favoring a more balanced strategy (10-14). An effective approach would target audiences in every age group, encouraging adults to quit without ignoring the reality that virtually all new tobacco users are children or adolescents. A considerable number of studies have noted relationships between parental and adolescent smoking (15-21). Bauman and colleagues noted that a key distinction in studies of parental and adolescent smoking was to distinguish whether the parents were current, former, or never smokers. When they made such distinctions, they found that the relationship between parental smoking status and adolescent smoking was as strong as that for peer smoking (16-17). Chassin and colleagues found that parental smoking cessation may help to lower the risk for adolescent smoking when the other parent was not a current smoker (20). Farkas and colleagues noted that the earlier parents quit, the less likely their children were to become smokers (21). To test the hypothesis that state-specific smoking prevalence for adolescents and adults would be directly related, we initially studied the relationship using data from the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (22). We documented a direct relationship, a finding also noted by Males (23). To assess this phenomenon more fully, we conducted similar analyses using data from  additional years and another surveillance system (the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse). Furthermore, because we recognized that cigarette prices and the strength of smoke-free air laws could influence both adolescent and adult smoking prevalences, we also studied the relationship after controlling for these important policy variables (2426). We hypothesized that the relationship between adolescent and adult smoking would be attenuated, but not eliminated, after controlling for these potential covariates. Methods Data Youth and adult smoking data for this study were taken from three nationallycoordinated surveillance systems: 1) the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS); 2) the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); and 3) the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The YRBSS provides state-specific adolescent data on public high school students between the approximate ages of 14 to 18 years. For this study, we used the following measures of adolescent smoking from YRBSS: current smoking prevalence, frequent cigarette use, youth ever smoking, and youth ever-daily smoking. The 1997 and 1999 YRBSS define current smoking prevalence (current cigarette use) as having smoked on at least 1 of the 30 days preceding the survey, and frequent cigarette use as having smoked  on at least 20 of the 30 days preceding the survey. The 1997 and 1999 YRBSS define youth ever smoking (i.e. lifetime cigarette use) as having ever tried cigarette smoking, even one or two puffs (6, 27). The 1999 YRBSS defines youth ever-daily smoking as having ever smoked at least 1 cigarette every day for 30 days (27). Weighted YRBSS data were published for 24 states in 1997, and for 22 states in 1999. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) weighted these statespecific estimates to adjust for nonresponse and varying probabilities of selection. The data are considered to be representative of all public high school students (grades 9-12), in  the respective states. In our analyses, we only included data from states with weighted YRBSS data. State-specific sample sizes ranged from 1,325 to 8,636 participants in 1997, and from 1,248 to 7,125 participants in 1999 (6, 27). Standard errors for these weighted 1997 and 1999 YRBSS data were provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and were used to estimate variances for analyses. The BRFSS provides state-specific estimates of major risk behaviors among adults aged 18 years and older. Adult current smoking and adult ever smoking measures were included as independent predictor variables from 1997 and 1999 BRFSS data. In the 1997 and 1999 BRFSS, current smokers were those who had ever smoked at least 100 lifetime cigarettes and who currently smoked every day or some days. Adult ever smoking was defined by the 1997 and 1999 YRBSS as having ever smoked 100 lifetime cigarettes. We used adult BRFSS data from all states for which we also had YRBSS data, which were 24 states in 1997 and 22 states in 1999. State-specific sample sizes ranged from 1,595 to 3,596 participants in 1997, and from 1,633 to 5,011 participants in 1999 (28-29). The NHSDA provides state-specific adolescent and adult data on substance abuse for adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17 years, adults between the ages of 18 to 25 years (referred to below as young adults), and adults greater than or equal to 26 years (referred to below as adults). In the 1999-2000 NHSDA, current smokers were those who smoked all or part of a cigarette on at least one of the 30 days preceding the survey. Representative samples were drawn from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with sample sizes ranging from 900 to 1,030 in 42 states and the District of Columbia, and from 3,600 to 4,630 in 8 states. About one-third of each sample represented each age category: 12 to 17 years; 18 to 25 years; and >= 26 years (30). State-specific estimates for price, as of November 1st of each year, were taken from The Tax Burden on Tobacco (31). The average price of a pack of cigarettes was constructed by using weighted averages for a pack of 20 cigarettes based on the prices of single packs, cartons, and vending machine sales, where the weights are the national proportions of each type of sale. These prices are inclusive of state level  sales taxes applied to cigarettes, but are exclusive of local cigarette taxes. Because the price published is as of November 1st, and because the surveys are conducted throughout the year, we created a weighted average annual cigarette price measure by subtracting state and federal excise taxes from the current year’s price and the previous/following year’s price and weighting the pre-tax prices accordingly. Average federal and state excise taxes for the whole year were calculated and added to the weighted average pre-tax price. Data on state-specific smoke-free air legislation were compiled to construct a smoke-free air (SFA) legislation index, using a multi-step process. In itially, these legislative data were taken from the American Lung Association’s ‘State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues’ (SLATI) system, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s ‘State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation’ (STATE) system. We then contracted with the MayaTech Corporation to validate initial coding, and expand upon our initial categorization scheme by incorporating legislative information on additional locations, such as schools, recreational facilities, and cultural facilities. The state-specific SFA index values were constructed from ratings given to each state, based upon the levels of restriction provided for the following 10 locations in 1997, 1999, and 2000: private worksites, health facilities, restaurants, recreational facilities, cultural facilities, retail/grocery stores, shopping centers, public transit, public schools, and private schools. SFA ratings were summed for each of these 10 locations, and additional weighting was given to 6 designated youth-oriented locations (restaurants, recreational facilities, cultural facilities, shopping centers, public schools, private schools), which were multiplied by 2 prior to summation. After the ratings were summed, 20% of this total SFA score was then subtracted for the existence of any state preemption clauses. The calculation of the subtracted preemption percentage was based upon the average estimated percentage of states with SFA preemption in relevant youth-oriented categories, as described in a paper by Chriqui et al (2002) (32). Preemption clauses prevent a local area, within a state, from enacting  smoke-free ordinances that are stronger or more protective than state smoke-free air laws. Statistical Analysis Weighted least-squares regression analyses were conducted using SPSS software. Regression analyses of adult smoking measures, as the independent predictor variables, on adolescent smoking measures, as the dependent outcome variables, were conducted  for BRFSS, YRBSS, and NHSDA data. Analyses with YRBSS data were conducted overall and by gender (male, female). All regression analyses were weighted by the reciprocal of the variance of the dependent variables. Average price of a pack of cigarettes and strength of smoke-free air legislation were included as potential covariates in adjusted weighted least squares regression analyses. Crude and adjusted beta coefficients were calculated and reported, along with standard errors, r-squared values, and statistical probabilities (p-values). Additional weighted least-squares regression analyses were conducted to further adjust for income disparity. These analyses did not produce noticeably different results for youth-adult data; therefore, income disparity was not considered relevant for adjustment. Results Table 1 presents crude and adjusted results from the weighted least-squares regression analyses of youth and adult smoking measures. In each crude analysis conducted, adolescent smoking prevalence was significantly and positively related to adult smoking prevalence. These relationships were attenuated, but generally persisted, after controlling for cigarette prices and strength of smoke-free air laws. Adjusted overall relationships for 1997 YRBSS and BRFSS data, between youth-adult current smoking prevalence and frequent use, were attenuated; but remained significant. This attenuated, but significant, relationship persisted among males for current smoking  prevalence (with borderline significance among females), and among both males and females for frequent use. Crude relationships between youth-adult current smoking prevalence and frequent  use were significant for 1999 YRBSS and BRFSS data, and adjusted relationships remained significant among females for current prevalence an d frequent use. Crude relationships for NHSDA data from all states and the District of Columbia were also highly significant for youth, young adult, and adult smoking in 1999-2000 (See also: Figure 1). Adjusted relationships for 1999-2000 NHSDA data also remained significant for all youth, young adult, and adult smoking data. Table 2 presents results from additional weighted least-squares regression analyses that were conducted to explore a possible relationship between youth and adults with respect to measures of smoking initiation. These analyses, using 1997 YRBSS and BRFSS data, showed a significant adjusted relationship between youth ever-smoking and adults ever-smoking at least 100 cigarettes. Analyses using 1999 YRBSS and BRFSS data showed significant crude and adjusted relationships between youth ever-daily smoking and adults ever smoking at least 100 cigarettes. Discussion These analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between statespecific estimates of youth and adult cigarette smoking prevalence, overall, and after adjusting for important policy covariates. In each crude analysis conducted, adolescent smoking prevalence was significantly and positively related to adult smoking prevalence. After adjustment, the adolescent-adult relationship was attenuated, but remained significant, for: 1997 overall and male current prevalence; 1997 overall, male, and female frequent use; 1999 female current prevalence and frequent use; and all age groups tested using 1999/2000 NHSDA data. Therefore, the relationships generally persisted after controlling for two important policy variables, price and strength of smoke-free air  legislation. Adjusted analyses, using 1997 and 1999 YRBSS and BRFSS data, also showed a significant relationship between the following measures of smoking initiation: youth ever smoking and adults ever smoking at least 100 cigar ettes; and youth ever-daily smoking and adults ever smoking at least 100 cigarettes. There are several limitations regarding these analyses. Results for the YRBSS/BRFSS data may be influenced by the relatively small number of states with weighted data used in analyses. There were 24 states with weighted YRBSS data in 1997, and 22 states with weighted YRBSS data in 1999. BRFSS data from 1997 and 1999 were only used for the same number of corresponding states with weighted YRBSS data in both respective years. The ecological fallacy may also be involved, since smoking behavior data were drawn and analyzed from state-specific population data. Other variables, such as relationship quality between adolescents and parents, may mediate the relationship between adolescent and adult smoking prevalence. Further research is needed to explore additional variables, which cannot be ruled out by these analyses, and may affect the state-specific relationship between adolescent and adult cigarette smoking. Results are consistent with the notion that adult smoking influences adolescent smoking. Findings are also consistent with parental literature, suggesting that youth behavior models adult behavior, and other research, suggesting that if adults quit youth may be less likely to smoke (16, 17, 19-21). These data support the belief that efforts to prevent initiation and promote quitting, among both adolescents and adults, would be included as key components of an optimal tobacco control strategy and an effective public health effort to reduce tobacco-related mortality and morbidity. An optimal tobacco control strategy would also include a component to protect non-smokers from  environmental tobacco smoke. Glantz and Jamieson have proposed that tobacco control efforts directed at adolescents and young adults need to also emphasize smoke-free air policies, which encourage smoking cessation among  youth, as well as adults (26). Research suggests that population tobacco control strategies that influence adult smoking, like price and smoke-free air, also influence youth smoking (33-38). Therefore, these strategies have a two-for-one effect. This lends further weight to the contention that reducing adult smoking is an important strategy to reduce the uptake of smoking among youth. Public health researchers have an important role in explaining why an emphasis on adult cessation is necessary, and why it does not imply any neglect of youth smoking. 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