Monday, December 23, 2019

Project Scope Management - 2388 Words

Prior to the onset of modern project management, the success criteria of a project lay solely on the technical success, or scope of the resulting product or service. Today, adherence to budget and schedule form a triangle of success factors alongside scope, with client satisfaction also developing as a key determinant of project success (Kerzner, 2004). However, the delivery of project scope will always take precedence over all other project factors, because if a project fails to deliver on its original intention, need or functionality, the project will always be considered as a failure. This essay will analyse the adequacy of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge’s (PMBOK) definition of Project Scope Management in relation†¦show more content†¦Uncontrolled scope changes are known as scope creep, which mostly occurs during project execution, which often result in rework, cost overrun and failure to deliver projects on time (Jordan, 2010). Other project management literature focus on additional components in their definition of Project Scope Management. The APM bok defines scope manegement as ‘†¦ defining the scope of the project and breaking this into manageable pieces’ (Burke, 2007 pp83). This highlights and refers to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), a process which lies at the centre of the PMBOK’s intertwined planning proceses, whereby the scope is subdivided into work packets. The planning of the project budget, schedule and most knowledge areas are based on the WBS, which is why this process is so critical. Wawruck defines project scope as â€Å"the bounded set of verifiable end products, deliverables, or output that the project team undertakes to provide to the client (the owner or sponsor) of the project† (Wawruck, 2006). The reference to the client is one feature that the PMBOK excludes. The PMBOK definition is mostly inwards looking for the project team, in that the processes defined focus on how to deliver the project successfully from the project team’s point of view. Modern project management identifies client satisfaction as the sole success factor for projects and ensuring the client’s needs are met are as essential, if not more thanShow MoreRelatedScope Of A Project Management Project3020 Words   |  13 Pages1. What is Scope? Scope is nothing but which refers to project boundaries where it determines what work will be completed during the project lifecycle. This even includes identifying the work which would not be included in the current round of product or service development. A scope in a project is nothing but the proper planning which is made for the project which involves in determining and even documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks and deadlines. The documentation whichRead MoreProject Scope Of Project Management945 Words   |  4 PagesINTRODUCTION The scope of a project is one of the most fundamental aspect of the planning development. In broad descriptions, it entails the objectives and requirements of the product. This concept is best defined in a document called Project Scope Statement. Project managers around the world have been successfully using this technique to provide an overall picture of the project. It is important to outline its usefulness in the project management business as it is a big factor of project success. TheRead MoreScope Of A Project Management Project Essay3039 Words   |  13 Pages 1. What is Scope? Scope is nothing but which refers to project boundaries where it resolute what work which is assigned will be finished during the project lifecycle. This even includes identifying the work which would not be included in the present round of product or service implementation. A scope in a project is nothing but the actual planning which is made for the project which requires in regulating and even documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks and deadlines. TheRead MoreProject Management : Scope Management1345 Words   |  6 Pages Project management is the â€Å"application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a project activities to meet project requirements.† (A). Part of the being a project manager is understanding the ten knowledge areas which consists of scope management, time management, cost management, quality management, human resource management, communications management, risk management, procurement management and stakeholder management. With the roll out of the Affordable Healthcare Act there were many issuesRead MoreProject Scope Management Implementation Management Essay1495 Words   |  6 PagesProject Scope Management It is defined as all the steps that are required to be taken for project functioning; it includes all the steps required for successful completion of project. Project scope management has main six processes. †¢ Plan scope Management †¢ Collect requirements . †¢ Defining of the scope It is a process of creating and documenting a detailed description of the project undertaken. †¢ Creating a work breakdown structure It is the process of distributing the whole project into severalRead MoreScope Creep : Project Management975 Words   |  4 PagesSCOPE CREEP IN PROJECTS 1. INTRODUCTION The concept of project scope may be one of the most ample in project management. It involves objectives, limits and intentions. Every requirement in a project as well as its characteristics must be dealt with when planning the scope. Even though it s reasonable to say that every project is unique, the causes for which it fails are generally the same. And if you already know what these causes are, you can minimize the likelihood of problemsRead MoreDescribe The Project Scope And Project Management Plan2615 Words   |  11 Pages Describe the project scope and project management plan. Align your plan to the overall strategy that you had recommended to the senior executives in Assignment 2. As a project manager, I will need to define the project scope no matter what methodology I choose to use. Defining project scope is the first step towards establishing a project timeline, setting project goals and allocating project resources. â€Å"Scope is the summation of all deliverables required as a part of the project. This includesRead MoreThe Project Scope Management Knowledge Area1779 Words   |  8 PagesThe project scope management knowledge area is concerned with the work the project is required to do, and only the work required, and is managed by controlling what is and what is not included in the project (PMI 2013, p.105). Scope management involves converting the owners or sponsors requirements into a definition of the asset and identify the work that is required to complete the project (Turner 2014, p.131). The vegetation elimination project manages scope primarily from the implementationRead MoreProject Scope Of Earned Value Management925 Words   |  4 PagesEarned Value Management started back in the early sixties when the Air force started using the program. In recent years, the program has become a part of the federal project risk management system and is mandatory tool used for US government contracts. Earned Value Management helps to analyze many parts of a project such as the cost variance, schedule variance, cost performance, and schedule performance. Earned Value management measures the performance of a project by finding variances between theRead MoreApply Project Scope Management Techniques1975 Words   |  8 PagesApply project scope management techniques: 1. What is scope management and why is it critical to effective project management? Who is usually involved in developing the scope (or charter) document? Scope management can be defined as the function of creating and overseeing the projects scope. It is critical to have a well-defined scope so an effective project manager can understand what the justification for the project was and who instigated while highlighting the businesses need for it, the

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Why personal responsibility is important Free Essays

For some personal responsibility is not the culprit of obtained success. â€Å"Nevertheless† personal responsibility is the key factor to achievement. Personal responsibility provides structure as well as builds character. We will write a custom essay sample on Why personal responsibility is important or any similar topic only for you Order Now It enables a student to be confident and secure in all things whether personal or professional. Personal Responsibility can help achieve successful aspirations. A student plans become priority and goals are met with diligence. By having this personal responsibility structure is provided, consistent short goals are placed. Thus† making long term goals obtainable, this creates a self-sufficient student. The column Success is made by failures (Harvey Mackay Columnist) points out to the reader a fatalistic attitude prevents people from accepting responsibility for their position in life. By embracing the personal responsibility the student is more aware of their actions and often taps into her own self-motivation. A self-motivated responsible student has a higher chance of completion because they accept that it is only her that can be the hindrance to their academic growth. To give an example professional basketball player Terrence Rencher abandoned school to pursue a career in professional basketball. However his sense of personal responsibility enabled him to return. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education â€Å"In 2008 Mr. Rencher, who describes himself as a â€Å"finish-what-I-start type of person,† graduated from Texas with a B. A. in community studies. Now an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Tulsa, he says he never viewed his decision to turn pro as the end of his academic career. always knew I would come back,† he says. â€Å"It was a personal thing for me. † A student with personal responsibilities will have the correct mentality to complete their academic career. Personal responsibility creates a credible student. A student’s character is formulated, positive work habits become a must. With this prioritization assignments are completed, time is scheduled adequately. Discipline is in stilled, According to Harvey Mackey Columnist â€Å"Anyone who has accomplished anything worthwhile has never done it without discipline. Discipline takes self-control, sacrifice, and avoiding distractions and temptations. It means staying focused. The quote in itself sums up a great deal of personal responsibility to me. To be a successful college student personal responsibility must become a favorite acquaintance. The student adapts to the challenge and succeeds. A student who knows this is a secure student proud of the work that is done and the ambition does not waiver. A certainty is apparent, their interests are piqued, and they come to class ready to learn. Some even taking on leadership roles in and out of the classroom. For many students without setting responsibilities they, feel a drift failure occurs more frequently. Whether it is a decreased grade or the dropping of the class and for the extremely unorganized the leaving of school all together. Supporting what was said earlier Personal responsibility plays a major role in any endeavor that a student embarks on. A responsible student knows the best way to embrace a sense of responsibility is to plan. Writing suggestions may help with seeing the destination head and contrasting the past. Set accurate time aside to work, study, and collaborate witn tellow classmates. By doing this you ensure you stay on task the end is always clear and obtainable. Find a mentor or fellow student who has accomplished what you want to achieve this sets up a study support system. Always be aware of the workshops or program available to sharpen your skills, and never be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help can give you clarity in so many ways. According to Mauricio Ruede â€Å"Being responsible is what your career depends on- gong to class, urning in assignments on time, studying for exams in advance, and most importantly, knowing when to go out and when to stay home. Becoming a master student means setting and accomplishing goals-not to prove anything to anyone but yourself. † In conclusion although for some personal responsibility is not listed in direct correlation with success, it is and always will be the main reason for achievement. Accepting and embracing the responsibility not only builds character, confidence, and achieved aspirations the student will be apt to pursue anything with an admirable tenacity. How to cite Why personal responsibility is important, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Free Sample Assignment On NZ Real Estate Data Management

Question: Discuss about the NZ Real Estate Data Management. Answer: Introduction The New Zealand Real Estate (NZRE) in Auckland is a firm that provides the facilities to its clients in the field of property. It offers the brokerage facility to its clients. The client may be buyer or vendor. The clients offer on the property and the vendor chose the buyer to sell his property. Currently, the system is being manually handled. Now the NZRE wants to make the complete system automatic. In this assignment, I am providing the planning and designing of the database of New Zealand Real Estate (NZRE). Planning: Strategic Planning Current Processing: Manually handled everything Store information regarding vendors, buyers, properties, buyers requirements, offers etc. New System Requirement: Form to enter, modify or delete Clients. Form to enter, modify or delete Properties. Form to enter, modify or delete Price Ranges. Form to add or remove categories or suburbs to or from clients. Form to enter, modify or delete a clients offer on a particular property. Change property and offer status. Report to show all available properties that meet the requirements of one particular buyer; Report to show all offers made on one particular property. Report to show available properties, locations and the price range. Problem in current system: There are so many issues in the current system like below- The data may be mismatched sometimes because manually It is very difficult to handle large data manually. Benefits of new database system: There are so many benefits to the NZRE by the new developed system like below- Easy to manage the large data. Easy to track the record of all clients. Easy to track the property detail. Easy to track the offers of clients. Automatically accept the offers. Entities Following entities are required in the New Zealand Real Estate (NZRE) database- Client The client entity will contain the information regarding clients- buyers and vendors. PropertyCategory This entity will contain the information regarding category of property e.g. Bedroom, Bedroom with bathroom etc. Property The property entity will contain the information regarding properties of vendors that are registered to sell. Offer The offer entity will contain the information regarding offers of buyers for particular property. Requirement The requirement entity will contain the information of buyers requirements to purchase the property. Data Entity Planning Matrix Business Functions Client Property Offer Requirement Property Listing X X Client Registration X Matching of Client and Property X X X Update Client X Update Property X Add Buyers requirements X X Update Client Status X Update Offer Status X X X Update Property Status X 5 Logical Design: ER Diagram (Lucid Software Inc. 2015) (Carlo Zaniolo 1982) Business Rules Following business rules are required in the database development of New Zealand Real Estate (NZRE)- The clients will be categorized into two types- Vendor and Buyer. Each property is related to one vendor. A buyer can offer more than one property. The successful offers cannot be deleted for 2 years. The clients who have an offer or property cannot be deleted. The clients, whose status is bad, can be deleted from the database, if they have no offer. References Lucid Software Inc. 2015, ER Diagram Symbols and Meaning, [Online]. Available: https://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/modeling_languages/data_flow_diagrams.html [Accessed: 9-April-2017] Carlo Zaniolo, A New Normal Form for the Design of Relational Database Schemata, September 1982

Friday, November 29, 2019

The effect of the global financial crisis on political and financial risks

Introduction The current global financial crisis is one of the worst financial crises in history. It has affected many businesses and individuals all over the world. Businesses have closed down and many people have lost their jobs. Uncertainty, political risk and financial risk have also increased (Global Economics Crisis Resource Center, 2009). The negative effects of the global financial crisis have been felt in most parts of the world i.e. in the advanced countries, the emerging markets and in the developing world (Yadav 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The effect of the global financial crisis on political and financial risks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The global financial crisis According to Allen and Synder (2009), the global financial crisis is a disturbance in the economic environment which brings about a drastic drop in the value of assets, failure of financial institutions and a disruption o f the stock exchange (p.36). Business organizations begin to cut costs so as to avoid liquidation therefore the unemployment rate escalates. he purchasing power of many companies and households is reduced as prices of commodities soar. Interest rates, real estate, international investments and international business are also affected. The high cost of doing business in such an economic environment drives many companies to restructuring or closing down the company (p.37). Toporowski (2009) asserts that International business operations have particularly been affected by the global financial crisis because most target markets have cut expenses due to the crisis (p. 162). Therefore the political and financial risk associated with international business has increased. Multinational companies are unable to avoid the effects of the financial crisis and will have to succumb to the constraints in the markets that they operate in. However, different firms are affected to a varying extent dep ending on the markets that are targeted and where the finances are focused (Toporowski 2009)). The effect of the global financial crisis on the tourism industry in Australia As with most other industries, the tourism industry has been affected by the ongoing global financial crisis. The services sold can only be used on site therefore stable conditions are necessary. The tourism industry in Australia is at an all time low and this has increased the political and financial risks associated with the industry (Elks Roberts 2008). The Australian tourism industry depends heavily on international visitors therefore there are numerous challenges that are being faced due to the reduction in expenditure for luxury. Tourism globally has been exposed to increased political and financial risks due to the global recession.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Investment in the Australian tou rism sector is very low as most investors are delaying, reducing or even canceling investment ventures. Therefore there is reduced business from foreign investors. In addition, investors are also careful because the political atmosphere in Australia may become volatile due to the recent elections and the effect of the financial crisis (Geoff Carmody associates 2009). Political risks Political risk is the risk of financial, strategic or human loss due to political issues in a country. It is the likelihood that a business or investors will lose money or make less revenue than expected because of political decisions and events in a nation. Political risk that is most commonly experienced by the companies involved in international business is transfer risk which is a situation whereby it is not possible to send out currency from a country because of central bank restrictions (Hendrix 1991). From history, it is evident that economic instability usually creates political instability. For instance, there was a decrease in the political instability of many countries since the end of the cold war. This means that the financial crisis can bring about problems such as riots, violence and increased criminal activity. The increase in piracy activities at the Horn of Africa is has been largely attributed to the global financial crisis because of heightened poverty and costs of living. This situation could therefore worsen an already troubled economic situation. (Othieno 2008) There have already been several cases globally of social unrest which have been linked to the financial crisis. In Bulgaria, anti-government protests were held in a bid to push the government to bring reforms in the economic and social sectors. Vehicles were damaged, windows smashed and businesses affected by the riots that ensued. In Lithuania, protestors threw stones at parliament as they demanded that the government reduce its spending because of the economic crisis. One of the worst cases of civil unrest was in Madagascar where more than 100 people were killed when violence erupted during a demonstration. (Thinking Shift 2009) In light of this, the global financial crisis has increased the political risk that organizations engaging in international business and international direct investment face. Hendrix (1991) asserts that a stable and safe political environment is important for the success of International business. If the environment is not stable, there will be a drop in the tourism and foreign direct investment in the tourism industry.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The effect of the global financial crisis on political and financial risks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Financial risk Financial risk in the international market has been transformed due to the global financial crisis. Problems that have arisen include inflation, intensified competition in the international market, uncertainty, cr isis in the financial markets and increased market volatility. Financial institutions and international business are finding it difficult to increase profits, cut costs and to deal with financial risk. According to Yadav (2008) financial risk encompasses other types of risk such as market risk, foreign exchange risk and credit risk (p. 40). Market risk is the possibility that a firm will loose money to a financial institution because of extreme price changes in the financial market. Foreign exchange risk is the possibility of financial loss due to changes in the money markets. Credit risk is due to non-payment by a borrower of the principal and interest according to the terms of agreement (Yadav 2008). Toporowski (2009) asserts that foreign direct investment is subdued because of risk aversion, reduction in financial leverage and scarcity of capital (p. 162). Many companies are holding on to liquid assets such as cash and marketable securities instead of investing. Cutting capital e xpenditure is likely to impact the economy in a negative way because it will reduce the opportunities for earning revenue. In addition, if investment is restricted, the net profit of the companies will be reduced (Toporowski 2009). The effect of the crisis on International trade The world economy has been largely affected by the global financial crisis. Risk and uncertainty are at a very high level. Therefore, the economic forecasts are likely to have substantial errors. The confidence of consumers and investors has been shaken since the financial problem began. In addition, the attitude of the important players in the economy is unlikely to improve since most expect the situation to get worse (Allen and Synder 2009) Difficulty raising capital Raising capital has become very difficult in the wake of the current financial crisis. The banks and financial institutions have become very careful about lending while investors are reluctant to invest in risky markets. There is a lot of comp etition for finance against other industries which are deemed more profitable. Therefore many businesses suffer from insufficient capital to invest and expand business. (Elks Roberts 2008). The inbound tourists to Australia are much fewer than in previous years. Local tourism has also been affected by the financial crisis as people struggle to meet their financial obligations. The number of tourists from within the country is much less than in previous years. This is very discouraging to investors and players in the industry thus affecting the availability of capital. (Tourism Australia 2008) Governments’ response to these risks In order to cope with the financial crisis, many countries have had to restrict the capital flow. This is primarily aimed at stabilizing the financial systems of the country (Toporowski 2009). According to the Global Economics Crisis Resource Center (2009), many countries have employed protectionism as a means of dealing with the financial problem.Ad vertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Protectionism is a situation whereby a country restrains trade activities with other countries (p. 21). The governments restrict imports of goods and services by imposing tariffs and quotas on imports. Governments also regulate the ownership of local companies by foreigners. By taking this measures a government will be able to protect is citizens and local businesses (Global Economics Crisis Resource Center 2009). Most governments have employed the traditional monetary tools such as reducing the interest rate and putting in place specific reserve requirements for the banks. Some countries began schemes which were aimed at rescuing banks and financial institutions that are in trouble. The activities under these schemes include purchasing unprofitable assets and offering credit (Burakovsky 2009). Burakovsky (2009), states that long-term plans to boost the economic situation have also been put in place so as to increase the demand of investments and consumption by households. Some coun tries plan to reduce tax for businesses and individuals in future. Research and development is being focused on investment opportunities and new technologies. Burakovsky (2009) points out that regional development is being considered as a means to increase economic development (p.81). Cooperation amongst countries is been sought to prevent such a crisis in future. International forums such as the G-7 and G-20 are useful in ensuring that there is international coordination so as to reform the financial systems (Burakovsky 2009) The international Monetary Fund has been offering financial assistance to countries that are in grave situations. They have provided emergency financial assistance in order to assist the countries to survive and to prevent an economic collapse of the nations. In addition, the IMF provides the advice to the affected governments as to how they can best curb the situation and come out of the financial problems. Managing risks and operations appropriately will ens ure that the companies in the Australian tourism industry endure the problems in the market. The governments and central banks of all the countries that have been affected by the crisis are taking unprecedented measures. The governments are giving a lot of support to the banks and financial institutions so as to stability the economy. In addition control measures have been put in place to monitor the economy (Burakovsky 2009). Uncertainty of government policies Although the interventions by governments are expected to yield positive results, there is uncertainty concerning the effectiveness of those policies in alleviating the problems faced due to the financial crisis. According to Carbaugh (2008), some policies adopted by government have negative effects (pg. 486). For instance, if the government decides to rescue banks that are in financial problems it is a moral hazard because there is no consequence faced for mistakes. Therefore investors may avoid such an environment. If the g overnment deals with a deficit by simply creating money, this will give rise to inflation. It is this issues which affect the credibility of government policies. (Carbaugh 2008) Conclusion Governments should work at reducing the problems faced by citizens and businesses in their country due to the economic crisis. It is important that businesses are offered support to reduce the closure of businesses due to financial problems. The governments should put in place policies that reduce political and financial risks so as to improve the business environment and attract foreign direct investment. However, policies with negative consequences such as protectionism should be avoided. References ABC News 2009, Financial crisis hits Australia zoo, Available from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/25/2526276.htm . Allen, R Synder, D 2009, ‘New thinking of the financial crisis’, Critical Perspectives on International Business, vol. 5, no. 2, pp 36-55. BBC 2008, Australia slashes interest rates, Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7656161.stm . Burakovsky, I 2009, ‘Coping with the effects of International financial crisis’, Problems of Economic Transition, vol. 51, no. 10, pp 78-96. Carbaugh, RJ 2008, International Economics, Ohio, Cengage Learning, 2008 Elks, S Roberts, G 2008, ‘Tourism fears a big hit from financial crisis’, The Australian, Available from: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24743201-5013871,00.html . Geoff Carmody and Associates 2008, Tourism prospects as Wall Street crunches Main Street, http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Economic%20Crisis%20Report%20-%20Summary.pdf . Global Economic Crisis Resource Center 2009, Global Economic Crisis: Impact on Business, Cengage Learning, USA. Hendrix, S 1991, Political risk and international business, Available from: http://www.stevenhendrix.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Wisc_Intl_Trade_-_Political_Risk.103143045.pdf . Othieno, T 2009, The global financial crisis: risks for fragile states in Africa, Available from: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/3064.pdf . Thinking Shift 2009, Global pandemic of unrest, Available from: http://thinkingshift.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/global-pandemic-of-unrest/ . Toporowski, J 2009, ‘International business and the crisis’, Critical Perspectives on International Business, vol. 5, no. 1, pp 162-164. Tourism Australia 2008, Tourism Australia global market monitor, Available from: http://www.tourism.australia.com/content/Global_Market_Monitor/GlobalMarketMonitorShortDecember08.pdf . Yadav, V 2008, Risk in international finance, New York, Routledge. This essay on The effect of the global financial crisis on political and financial risks was written and submitted by user Heaven Vaughn to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

What Contribution Has Science made To the Development of Racism Essays

What Contribution Has Science made To the Development of Racism Essays What Contribution Has Science made To the Development of Racism Essay What Contribution Has Science made To the Development of Racism Essay At the time of writing this essay, the British press is full of stories concerning race within British party politics. Conservative MP John Townend made a statement in which he claimed that post war immigration was a threat to Britains homogeneous Anglo-Saxon culture and was threatening to turn us into a mongrel race. Conservative leader William Hague made him apologise for this, but interestingly enough did not expel him.There was public mud slinging regarding which politicians signed an anti-racist pledge, whilst in the same week, former Labour activist, Marc Wadsworth claimed that Britains African-Caribbean communities are losing out to increased Asian influence in the corridors of power and that they are not given the same opportunities as their Asian counterparts (The Voice, April 30th 2001). With the majority of politicians utilising racial rhetoric, it seems that ideas of race are still held by many. In this essay I will attempt to address the role scie nce has played in constructing notions of race and the consequent racism(s).There is little evidence to suggest that ideas of race were in circulation prior to the Reformation. Ivan Hannaford (1996) states that there were three distinct periods in which contributions were made to the development of notions of race. The first period occurred during the years 1684-1815, the era of the discovery of the New World and the ensuing triangular slave trade. Hannaford claims that in this period major writers dealt explicitly with race as an organising idea and came to understand it as an ethnic grouping rather than as a race and order or course of things or events (1996, p.187). In 1775, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach wrote The Natural Varieties of Man in which he classified modern humans into five broad categories; Caucasian, Mongoloid, Malayan, Ethiopian and American, based mainly on cranial measurements.The period of 1815-70 saw writers, influenced by Barthold Georg Neibuhr (1776-1831), using history and philosophy to evoke notions of blood/soil links. Writers such as Kant believed that temperament, character and soul were inherited through the blood. During this period we see the development of an ideology that the origins of nations and states are not political, but rather naturalised by linguistic and natural criteria. What burst upon the scene in 1842 and 1859 through the works of Spencer and Darwin was a movement that treaded political activity as subject to the same rules of evolution that applied to the natural biological world and thus provided a scientific basis for decrying all those aspects of the Greco-Roman polity and Christian civilisation that were out of step with modernity (Hannaford, 1996, p.p.275-6). Thus where, prior to the Enlightenment, religion had once explained inequalities amongst people(s), ideas of natural laws, evolution and the survival of the fittest replaced religious ideology.What was left to racism was merely to postulate a systematic, and genetically reproduced distribution of such material attributes of human organism as bore responsibility for characteroligical, moral, aesthetic or political traits. Even this job, however, had already been done for them by respectable and justly respected pioneers of science, seldom if ever listed among the luminaries of racism (Back Solomos, 2001, p.218). The fact that these pioneers of science were of European origin and how much this would have compromised their assumed objectivity cannot be overstated. The development of taxonomy, the science of naming or classifying organisms saw Linnaeus describe the differences between the inhabitants of northern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa in the same way as the differences between, say, dogs and cats. He described the former as inventive and orderly whilst the latter were described as lazy, devious and unable to govern themselves (Back ; Solomos, 2001, p.218).Joseph Arthur de Gobineau (1816-82) is regarded by many as the intellectua l founder of scientific racism. In his work Essay on the Inequalities of Human Races (1853-55), which drew heavily on Blumenbachs 1775 study, he put forward that human beings are divided into observable races and that those races are innately unequal. Using Linneus work as a template, according to Zygmunt Bauman, he did not have to exercise much inventiveness to describe the black race as of little intelligence, yet of overdeveloped sensuality and hence a crude, terrifying power (just as the mob on the loose), and the white race as in love with freedom, honour and everything spiritual (Back ; Solomos, 2001, p.218).Gobineau did not envisage social factors as deterministic in producing inequalities. He believed that the life chances of an individual were determined by inherited qualities and that these qualities were distributed unevenly amongst scientifically observable races. Gobineau believed that the white Aryan race was superior to others and that those others could not improve t hemselves through social organisation because they were programmed to be inferior.The publication of Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species in 1859, lent support to Gobineaus work. Darwin studied the natural world and found that species evolved to meet the criterion of survival within their environment. Species that did not evolve became extinct. This became known as natural selection.The period of 1870-1914 mixed the ideas of Volk with development in the human sciences to become the main era of racialised thought and the development of scientific racism.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

I don't have a specific topic, you can choose it Research Paper - 1

I don't have a specific topic, you can choose it - Research Paper Example Much was changing in America. America was at a crossroads in the middle of the 19th century. The country had been founded with a cry of liberty and freedom for all. In fact the country was remarkably free and democratic. And yet, the Constitution still permitted American citizens to hold other human beings in bondage as slave. This was a truly strange state of affairs, as Harper’s, a liberal newspaper of the time was at pains to point out. There were some who saw this war as a catastrophe that would destroy the country. It is indisputable that millions died for their various causes. But as John Quincy Adams once famously said in 1820, forty years before the war began: If slavery be the destined sword of the hand of the destroying angel which is to sever the ties of this Union, the same sword will cut in sunder the bonds of slavery itself. A dissolution of the Union for the cause of slavery would be followed by a servile war in the slave-holding States, combined with a war between the two severed portions of the Union. It seems to me that its result might be the extirpation of slavery from this whole continent; and, calamitous and desolating as this course of events in its progress must be, so glorious would be its final issue, that, as God shall judge me, I dare not say that it is not to be desired (Haysville). Throughout this issue of Harper’s we can see that the Civil War is coming to an end. The Union is becoming triumphant and is at the gates of Petersburg, one of the last redoubts of the Confederate Army. General William Tecumsah Sherman is laying waste to Georgia in an effort to prevent the Confederate Army, which was led by Robert E. Lee from surviving off the land. The Union wanted to have the Confederate’s surrender and end the war. They did not want Confederate soldiers continuing to mount a guerilla war from the margins. What is fascinating about seeing this snapshot in time is not only what has

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Does the information lifecycle approach eliminate conflicts between Essay - 1

Does the information lifecycle approach eliminate conflicts between operations managers and information technology managers - Essay Example Every corporation at present faces conflicts in the task of managing everlasting amounts of mostly unstructured business data (pictures, emails, documents, videos). In addition, the rising amount of business and functional data lead to complex administration, poorer performance as well as longer backup cycles. Furthermore, workers waste extra time in looking for business information or put extra effort on a variety of versions of documents, exclusive of visibly deliberation that is presently valid (SUN, 2005). At the present, organizations have various concerns, for instance, IT costs require to be minimized, as well as the gain for the business department requires to be optimized. In addition, the information technology structure needs to be modified according to the business requirements as much as probable, as well as store and handle information on the whole lifecycle according to its present value (Oracle, 2007). The better arrangement among IT processes and business objectives have conventionally been considered as the chief information officer’s task. Though, flourishing IT/business configuration involves more than executive-level misunderstanding, for instance, connecting business goal for storage actuality necessitates a complex chain of decisions, information, tools and competent infrastructure. In addition, the corporations require IT management resolutions that offer a perceptive of how technology facilitates, influences as well as facilitates their business-critical aspects and services. Furthermore, corporations require solutions that permit them to evaluate the influence of new business strategies (for instance, business growth or new applications) on IT processes (SUN-2, 2005). The potential conflicts among operations managers and information technology managers can be resolved through information life cycle

Monday, November 18, 2019

Should Health care in America be free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Should Health care in America be free - Essay Example In terms of employment, Healthcare sector employs more than 1.4 people of the U.S population. Proponents argue that an individual’s right to health helps in reduction of overall healthcare expenditure that improves public health, and curb any medical bankruptcies. These proponents support their argument by the assumption that no person in developed countries can survive without accessing healthcare services. However, opponents of entitlement of Americans to health care services are of the opinion that socialism is created when revenue tax is used to provide healthcare services. Similarly, it is argued that availability and quality of health care is minimal among people who dedicate their time in getting medical coverage insurance. Therefore, despite the opponents’ opinions, America’s health care services should be free to its citizens in order to produce healthy citizens who can work in agricultural, production and industrial sectors (Stossel and Andrew 12-14). Health care system in United States should be free because when it is not free, the country would be classified as having poorest health care services among industrialized countries. An evaluation of 27 high-income democratic members of the economic Co-operation and Development Organization shows that United States has the highest infant mortality rate alongside countries such as Slovakia and Hungary, which is attributed to costly health care system. In addition, in regards to life expectancy at birth, it is ranked in the 23rd position. Unlike other developed countries, United States does not provide its citizens with universal health coverage. Despite this, it ranked number one in per capita health care expenditures among the 193 World Health Organization member states. Its expenditures are estimated at $ 6, 719 per year. According to the WHO rankings, life expectancy in the U. S is seventy-eight thus; it is ranked at number 31 in the world. Similarly, among the 193 member state of WHO, it

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Case Study: Hypertension in Pregnancy

Case Study: Hypertension in Pregnancy Main Complaint My patient Madam Siti a 31 year old Indonesian maid Gravida 3 para 2 at 38 weeks and 1day of Period of Amenorrhoea (POA) was admitted to the ward for blood pressure stabilization and induction of labour (IOL). History of Presenting Illness She was referred from antenatal clinic during follow up in PPUKM on 29/11/2010. During the check up at the follow up, her vital sign showed she was afebrile, pulse rate of 90beats per minute and blood pressure was noted to be 160/100mmHg and no abnormality was found in the urine. During booking her blood pressure was noted to be 100/70mmHg and she was normotensive throughout the pregnancy up until at 38weeks and 1day of POA. She complained to have frontal headache and nausea 2 days prior to admission. She denied symptoms of impending eclampsia such as blurring of vision, epigastric pain and vomiting. There was also no dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, reduced urine frequency and leg swelling. She also had per vaginal discharge which was whitish and creamy in nature, no foul smelling and no pruritus vulvae. There was no urinary tract infection symptoms such as urgency and dysuria. Fetal movement was good. She was admitted to the ward for further management. Antenatal History This is an unplanned but wanted pregnancy. Her urine pregnancy test (UPT) was positive at 6weeks of POA. Dating scan done at 15weeks of POA which correspond to date. Booking was done at 15weeks of POA at private clinic at Medviron. Antenatal screening done showed that: Blood Pressure : 110/70mmHg Haemoglobin level : 12.8g/dL Height : 158cm Weight : Pre : 62kg Current : 69kg Blood Group : O Positive VDRL/HIV/HEP B : Non Reactive Urine Albumin/Sugar : Nil No MGTT was done. Despite having a family history of diabetes mellitus. Latest scan done at 38 weeks and 1day POA and all parameters are correspond to date. It was a singleton fetus on longitudinal lie and cephalic presentation. Fetal heart and fetal movement are seen. Amniotic Fluid Index are 11. Estimated fetal weight was 3.3kg and placenta was on anterior upper segment. Otherwise, antenatal visits are uneventful. Past Obstetric History On 1999, she had a full term normal pregnancy and delivered a baby girl by Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery (SVD) at a hospital in Indonesia and weight of the baby was 2.6kg and is alive and well. On 2007, she also had a full term normal pregnancy and delivered a baby boy by spontaneous vaginal delivery also at Indonesia. The baby weight 2.3kg and currently is alive and well. Both of her children stays with her mother at Indonesia. Past Gynaecology History She attained her menarche at the age of 13year old with 28 to 30days regular cycle with 7days of menses. She denied dysmenorrhoea, menorrhagia, intermenstrual bleeding, dyspareunia and postcoital bleeding. As for contraception, she uses Implanon for 4years from 2002 to 2006 between the first and the second pregnancy. She was then on Oral Contraceptive Pills for 2months and had stop taking them afterward until today. After this pregnancy, she is keen to take Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD). She had never had pap smear done before. Past Medical History Nil. Past Surgical History Nil. Allergy and Drug History No known drug allergy or food allergy. Family History Her mother is alive and was diagnosed to have diabetes mellitus and hypertension and currently on medication. Her father died on 2007 due to renal failure. She had 3siblings and currently all of them are alive and well. Social History She has been married for 12years and came to Malaysia on 2006 which was 4years ago. She lives in a terrace house at Cheras and worked as a maid. Her husband came to Malaysia 5years ago but had recently go back to Indonesia 2months ago. He previously worked as a contractor for the same employer. He planned to return to Malaysia after his permit is renewed. Both of them does not smoke or consumed alcohol. Both of their children were in Indonesia and are taken care by her mother. Relevant Clinical Examination General On examination, she was alert, conscious and she was not pale or jaundiced. Her Blood Pressure was 142/92mmHg lying and 152/104mmHg standing. Her pulse rate was 90beats per minute and respiratory rate was 20breath per minute. She was afebrile. Her current weight was 69kg. There was no pedal oedema noted. Thyroid Gland There was no scar, lump or dilated veins noted around the area of the neck. There was no lymphadenopathy noted. Breast On inspection, both breast were symmetrical and bilaterally in size. Both her nipple were not hyperpigmented or retracted. There was no nipple discharge. Her breast were non tender and no mass was palpable. Cardiovascular System On inspection of the hand, there was no clubbing and peripheral cyanosis. Inspection of the mouth showed that there was no central cyanosis and hydration status was good. There was no surgical scar and no notable abnormalities detected on the praecordium. Jugular Venous Pressure was not raised. Peripheral pulses were present with normal rhythm and good volume. There was no radio-radial delay or radio femoral delay. There was no collapsing pulse. On palpation, apex beat was not displaced it was palpable at the 5th intercostals space and left midclavicular line. There was no parasternal heave and thrills detected. On auscultation, the first and second heart sounds were heard with no murmur or added sound heard. Respiratory System On inspection, the chest moved bilateral symmetrically with inspiration. There was no scars and deformities noted. She did not use accessory muscles on breathing. On palpation, her trachea was not deviated. Chest expansion was equal bilaterally. Air entry was good and equal bilaterally as evidenced by normal vocal fremitus and vocal resonance. Percussion of both lungs were resonant. There were vesical breath sounds equal on both sides with no added sounds on auscultation. Neurological System She was orientated to time, place, and person. All cranial nerves were intact. Both her upper and lower limbs were normal. Muscle tones, power, and reflexes were all good and normal. Abdominal Examination On inspection, the abdomen was distended by gravid uterus as evidenced by cutaneous signs of pregnancy such as linea nigra and striae gravidarum. The umbilicus is centrally located and flat. No scars noted and no dilated veins seen. On palpation, her abdomen was soft and non tender and uterus was not irritable. Clinical fundal height revealed that the uterus was 38weeks in size and was correspond to date. Symphysiofundal height was 37cm. Palpation of the fetus showed that it was a singleton in longitudinal lie with cephalic presentation. The head was 3/5 palpable and not engaged. The fetal back was on the maternal left side. The liquor was adequate and estimated fetal weight was 3.2 to 3.4kg. Pelvic Examination Vaginal examination was not done. Per Rectal Examination Per rectal examination was not done. Summary of Case 31year old maid gravida3 para2 at 38weeks and 1day POA admitted for blood pressure stabilization and induction of labour (IOL) due to gestational hypertention. Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis Provisional Diagnosis Gestational Hypertension: She develop hypertension which is a blood pressure of 140/90mmHg aand above recorded on 2 separate occasions at least 4hours apart. Hypertension occur in second half of pregnancy which is after 20weeks of gestation. She is previously normotensive. There is absence of proteinuria She had risk factor; family history of hypertension. Differential Diagnosis Pre-eclampsia: Points for: Hypertension at least 140/90mmHg recorded on 2 separate occasions at least 4hours apart. Hypertension occur at second half of pregnancy, after 20weeks gestation. She is previously normotensive. She had risk factor; family history of hypertension. Points against: There was absence of proteinuria of at least 300mg Protein in a 24hour collection of urine. She had no risk factor such as pre-existing hypertension or pre-eclampsia. Chronic Hypertension: Points for: She has a family history of hypertension. Points against: She is normotensive prior to pregnancy. She had no other disease such as renal or connective tissue disorders that can lead to hypertension. Relevant Investigations with Reasons Full Blood Count To check whether patient is anaemic or not (Hb). To confirm patient is not on any infection such as urinary tract infection (WBC). White Cell Count + 14.2 x 109/L Red Cell Count 4.18 x 1012/L Haemoglobin 12.3 g/dL MCV 37.1% MCH 88.7 Fl MCHC 29.3 Pg RDW 33.0 g/dL Mean Platelet Volume 8.0 Fl Platelet 302 x 109 /L Neutrophils ++ 10.3 x 109 /L Eosinophils 0.4 x 109 /L Basophils 0.0 x 109 /L Lymphocytes 2.6 x 109 /L Monocytes 0.9 x 109 /L Nucleated RBC 0 x 109 /L Comment: There is a reduction of Red Cell count. This is due to pregnancy, as there is haemodilutional effect due to an increase in plasma volume. Patient is not anaemic as haemoglobin is on the normal range. However, there is leukocytosis mainly the neutrophils. This suggest an infection most likely bacterial in origin such as urinary tract infection. Renal profle To exclude secondary cause of hypertension due to renal damage. To detect abnormality in the level of serum urea and creatinine that will indicate renal damage or failure. Sodium 139 mmol/L Potassium 4.0 mmol/L Urea 2.3 mmol/L Creatinine 54 umol/L Comment: There is hypouremia. This is normal in pregnancy, as there will be an increase in Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), therefore there will an increase in clearence of urea in the body. Besides that, a reduction in deamination process in the maternal body will also cause blood urea to be reduce. Liver Function Test To see whether patient had any liver damage Albumin 33 g/L Total Protein 68g/L Bilirubin toral 6 umol/L ALT 19 u/L ALP + 141 u/L Comment: There is hypoalbuminaemia. There is increase level of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) due to placenta production. Thus, making it a normal physiological reaction. Serum Uric Acid Serum uric acid is a sensitive indicator of renal damage in pre-eclampsia. Uric Acid 371 umol/L Comment: Serum uric acid level is normal. Suggesting there is no renal damage. PE/ Pre-eclampsia Chart To monitor her blood pressure on lying and standing To monitor her urine whether there is albuminuria or not. To detect pre-eclampsia. Result: Other than the increase in blood pressure prior to delivery, there is no albuminuria noted. Therefore, patient did not have pre-eclampsia. Fetal Kick Chart To monitor the fetal well being. If there is decreased fetal activity, it may indicate some degree of fetal compromise. Cardiotocography (CTG) To monitor the heart rate and contraction of the uterus to detect abnormalities in the pregnancy. Ultrasound. To assess the fetal growth. Identify The Problem in Terms of Priority Gestational Hypertension. Induction of labour in gestational hypertension. Immediate and Subsequent Management Admit to ward for BP monitoring and stabilization. Monitor for any signs and symptoms of impending eclampsia. Bed rest. BP monitoring 2hourly for 24hours. If blood pressure reduce or return to normal patient can be discharge and to come again for antenatal follow up. Bed rest continued if persistent. Antihypertensive medication given if BP consistently noted to be 150/100mmHg. Preferred agent are alpha and beta blockers agent such as labetolol or methyldopa. Pre-eclampsia chart to exclude pre-eclampsia. CTG and fetal kick chart monitoring. Gestational hypertension not resolve, induction of labour is recommended. If induction of labour fails or spontaneous delivery is not possible, prepare for lower segment caesarean section (LSCS). Final Conclusion/ Plan for Further Management/ Patient Progress On admission on 29 November 2010, her blood pressure (BP) was high which was 142/92mmHg lying and 152/104mmHg standing. She was then given 200mg labetolol TDS. Pre-eclampsia chart done to monitor albumin in the urine. She is also monitored on signs and symptoms of impending eclampsia. Her BP was monitored half hourly for 2hour and induction of labour (IOL) is done soon after BP is stabilize. On the next day , 7.15am, Bishops Score was done and result was 2/13. Therefore cervix was not favourable. First 3mg of Prostin tablet was inserted into the posterior fornix. CTG was then done after 1hour to monitor for uterine hyperstimulation of fetal distress. The abdomen and cervix will be reassess in 6hours time. Tablet labetolol was continued and signs and symptoms of impending eclampsia (IE) was monitored. Six hour later, patient had contraction (irregular) but no leaking liquor noted. There was no signs and symptoms of IE, per vaginal discharge and fetal movement was good. Her BP was 129/92mmHg which had decreased slightly. On palpation, her abdomen was soft and non tender. Uterus was 38weeks, presenting part was 3/5 palpable. Bishops Score was done again and cervix is still unfavourable at 3/13. Second prostin was inserted at the posterior fornix. CTG was done 1hour post prostin for monitoring. Six hour later, she had 2 contraction in 10 minutes and it was moderate. There was no leaking, no per vaginal bleeding and the fetal movement was good. Her BP on lying was 112/86mmHg and 122/90mmHg on standing, well controlled BP. Vaginal examination revealed normal vulvovaginal, cervix dilated to 1cm, os was 3cm membrane intact and station was -2. 2hour later, the contraction was 3 in 10minutes and no leaking liquor. Vaginal examination showed 1cm cervix, 4cm os. Artificial Rupture of Membrane (ARM) was done. Clear liquor was noted. Patient was in active phase of labour and was sent to the labour room for delivery. Entonox was given for pain management in the labour room. Contraction was 3 in 10 minutes with moderate intensity and os was 4cm. one and a half hour later, patient complained of having strong contraction and felt the urge to bear down. Vaginal examination done and os was fully dilated at 10cm. She delivered a baby boy weighing 2.53kg with apgar score of 8 in 1minute and 9 in 5minutes. The patient developed first degree tear, placenta was complete weighing 590gm. Estimated blood loss is 250cc. Cord pH was 7.312. In the ward, day 1 post SVD she was alert, conscious, comfortable and was not pale. Her BP was 118/83mmHg which was normal and her pulse rate was 96beats per minute. She was afebrile. Abdominal examination showed that her abdomen soft and non tender. The uterus was well contracted at 18weeks in size. The lochia was normal. Breastfeeding was established and she was ambulating well. The patient can tolerate orally and had pass urine and bowel movement. She had completed her family size and plans to use intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) for contraception. Prescription of labetolol was stopped as her BP has been stable and she had delivered her baby. She was then allowed for discharge and to come again 2weeks later to review her BP. She was given hematinics to increase haemoglobin level. Discharge Summary Name : Siti Arifah Age : 31 MRN : N285492 Race : Indonesian Gender : Female Discharge Date: 01/12/2010 Case Summary Date of admission : 29/11/2010 Date of delivery : 30/11.2010 at 22:35 Date of Discharge ; 01/12/2010 31year old, para 3 @38weeks and 4days of POA, post spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) with first degree tear diagnosed with gestational hypertension @ 38weeks. Antenatally, Dated at 15weeks. Antenatal clinic uneventful. Booking blood pressure (BP) 100/70mmHg. Has been normotensive throughout pregnancy (BP range 110-120/70-80mmHg) until on 38weeks, noted that BP at clinic 160/100mmHg. Tablet labetolol 200mg given stat at the clinic. Admitted to ward for BP stabilization and started on tablet labetolol 200mg TDS. Medical/surgical History Nil. VDRL/HIV/Hep B Non reactive. Admitted in for BP stabilization. Before admit and in the ward, patient complaint of headache. On day 2 of admission, cardiotocograph (CTG) showed sleeping pattern. Opted for induction of labour (IOL). Prostin inserted 2 times. After 7hours of second prostin insertion, patient went into active phase of labour, os 4cm. Artificial Rupture of Membrane (ARM) was done with clear liquor. Os fully after 1 hour 30minutes without augmentation. Second stage 10 minutes. Third stage 13minutes. She successfully delivered a baby boy of: Weight : 2.73kg pH : 7.312 TSH : pending G6PD : normal Estimated Blood Loss (EBL) : 250cc Currently she is normotensive. There is no acute complaints. No signs and symptoms to suggest of anaemia. She is tolerating orally and ambulating well. Passing urine/bowel open without problems and there is no excessive bleeding. Her baby is well and active, suckling well. BCG/Hepatitis 1st dose has been given. On examination, Her vital signs are stable. She is pink and alert. Abdomen soft and non tender. Uterus well contracted and 18weeks in size. There is no excessive bleeding. Lochia is normal. Mother Haemoglobin: 12.3g/dL Contraception: Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) Plan; Off labetolol EOD BP at local clinic To come again (TCA) in 2weeks to review BP. Continue Haematinics. Medications Tablet Hematinics OD Tablet Gelusil Ponstan TDS Syrup lactulose 15mls TDS Diagnosis: Post- SVD with first degree tear. Prepared by, Connie (CONNIE KABINCONG) House Officer Obstetric and Gynaecology ward UKMMC Referral to Doctor For Continued Management To: Medical officer of Obstetric and Gynaecology Department Date: 01 December 2010 Dear Doctor, Regarding: Siti Arifah, N285492 Thank you for seeing this patient, Siti Arifah, a 31year old Indonesian maid, para 3 post spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) with first degree tear at 38weeks and 2days of period of amenorrhoea (POA). She was admitted for blood pressure stabilization and induction of labour. She was referred from antenatal clinic when it was noted that her blood pressure was high which was 160/100mmHg. She never had history of hypertension before until on 38weeks and 1day of POA. However, she had a family history of hypertension. She was given labetolol for blood pressure stabilization and was given tablet Prostin 2times to induce the labour. She was then delivered a baby boy by SVD and her baby was alive and well. Her blood pressure was 118/83mmHg after the delivery. She was then stopped on taking Labetolol. Kindly see this patient for blood pressure monitoring and to exclude pre-existing hypertension in this patient. Thank you. Regards, Connie (CONNIE KABINCONG) House Officer Obstetric and Gynaecology Ward UKMMC Mock Prescription: For Patient on Discharge Name : Siti Arifah Age : 31 MRN : N285492 Race : Indonesian Gender : Female Discharge Date: 01/12/2010 Tablet Haematinics OD Tablet Gelusil/Ponstan TDS Syrup Lactulose 15mls TDS By, Connie (CONNIE KABINCONG) House Officer Obstetric and Gynaecology Ward UKMMC Professionalism Component Communication Issues As communication will be crucial in our future career as a doctor, a good basic has to be established now. As a good communicator we must be able to convey our message and information to our patient either in the form of words or from plain body language. Fortunately, my patient Madam Siti was very cooperative. I was able to establish rapport with her rather rapidly. She became more comfortable while answering my questions. Management wise, I found that she was well assured and well informed about what was being done for her. The doctor in charged informed her about her condition and told her about the possible complication that may arise and enough reassurance was given. Psychosocially, she did admits that she was a little scared of the possible complication that might affect she and the baby. Furthermore, her husband was not able to be by her side for moral support. I spent some times consoling her and she felt better afterward. Financially speaking, she and her husband total household income is currently not sufficient as she only earn approximately RM1000 per month and her husband is currently unemployed and waiting for his permit to return to work to Malaysia. However she claimed that her employer are offering to help her out during her confinement period. Spiritual Issues She is a very religious woman and has a strong spiritual side. She believe that God will helped her through this challenge and it had made her become quite cheerful and optimist despite of her current state. Ethical Issues As medical student, we have been reminded from time to time that medical ethics are crucial in order to be good doctors in the future. A good doctor should always put the patients life at the highest priority and respect the patients right to autonomy, information and privacy. Madam Siti should be counseled on options, pros and cons of the choices and the choice that made by her with guidance and advice by the doctor. No information should be withheld from her. Ethically as patient they also entitled to their privacy and confidentiality. Unfortunately, in a teaching hospital such as HUKM, patients privacy is sometimes compromised. Madam Siti was continuously approached by the students who wished to clerk her although it is very tiring to repeat all the words again and again, she still can tolerate it. Unfortunately there isnt much things I can do to help her but I can learn from this by learning not to disturb patient during the visiting hours or when they are tired while still grabbing every opportunity to learn in the ward. Professional Judgement In managing obstetric patient, we must take into account that we are not only dealing with one life but two. Thus extra caution must be taken. Especially with Madam Siti condition, as hypertension in pregnancy if it is not well controlled and monitored it could easily turns into something terrible very quickly. I felt that the management of Madam Siti was fair, she was properly counseled on maternal and fetal complication that could arise from hypertension in pregnancy. She was also well informed on the results of all the investigation done on her and her current management. Critical Appraisal Hypertension in pregnancy is defined as Blood Pressure more than or equal to 140/90mmHg in previously normotensive women that occur in 20th week of gestation without proteinuria until 6weeks postpartum. Or alternatively, a rise in systolic BP of more than 25mmHg or diastolic BP of more than 15mmHg compared with booking BP. Hypertension in pregnancy caused an increase in maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Normal BP usually never went beyond 120/80mmHg. However in pregnancy plasma volume increases on an average 1200ml. So vasodilatation is needed to maintain the peripheral pressure. If the vasodilatation action is counteract by arterial spasm, hypertension occurs and lead to reduction in perfusion to all organ. This includes the uterus and placental site. Hypertension in pregnancy can be divided to pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, chronic hypertention, pre-eclampsia superimposed of chronic hypertension. Pre-eclampsia is defined as hypertension of at least 140/90mmHg recorded on 2 separate occasions with the significant proteinuria of more than 300mg in 24hours urine collection after 20weeks of gestation in a previously normotensive women and resolve completely by 6weeks postpartum. Eclampsia is a serious complication and life threathening complication of pre-eclampsia. It is defined as convulsions occurs in a woman with pre-established pre-eclampsia in the absence of any neurological or metabolic cause. Chronic hypertension is caused either due to essential hypertension or secondary hypertension. Secondary causes include renal artery Stenosis, glomerulonephritis, cushing syndrome and pheochromocytoma. Chronic hypertension is a hypertension diagnosed prior to 20weeks of gestation or history of hypertension preconception and de novo hypertension in late gestation that fails to resolve postpartumly. Pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension is diagnosed when there is: De novo proteinuria after 20week gestation Sudden increase in magnitude of hypertension Appearance of features of pre-eclampsia-eclampsia Sudden increase in proteinuria in women with preexisting proteinuria in early gestation in women with chronic hypertension. Risk factors for women to develop hypertension in pregnancy can be divided into obstetric, medicaland social aetiology. In obstetric aetiology, the risk factor can be further divided into maternal and fetal risk factor where: Maternal risk factors are: Nulliparity or primigravida Advanced maternal age or extreme age (35year old) Family history of hypertension, pregnancy induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Previous history of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia. Maternal obesity (>80kg) Fetal risk factors are: Multiple pregnancy Molar pregnancy Hydrops fetalis From medical aetiology the risk factors are: Diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus Established hypertension Connective tissue disease Renal disease: glomerulonephritis, renal artery Stenosis Endocrine disease: cushings syndrome, pheochromocytoma. From social aetiology the risk factors are: Smoking Alcohol consumption Complication that can arise from hypertension in pregnancy are eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, renal failure, thrombocytopenia, abruption placenta, subcapsular haemrrhage and liver dysfunction. Treatment wise, patient need to be admitted to hospital first fo r BP monitoring and stabilization. Used of antihypertensive agents that may be used in hypertension in pregnancy is Labetolol, which is a combined alpha and beta blocker. By blocking alpha adrenoreceptor in the peripheral arteries, it reduced the peripheral resistance. At the same time beta blocking effect protects the heart from reflex sympathetic drive normally induced by peripheral vasodilatation. Nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker can be use as an alternative. Delivery is the ultimate treatment of hypertensive in pregnancy and its timing is dependent on the observation of fetal and maternal well being. Prolongation of pregnancy by drug therapy may reduce the risk of prematurity and improves the chances of delivery. Reference Lists Obstetrics By Ten Teachers, 18th edition; Philip N. Baker. Obstetrics Illustrated, 7th edition; Kevin P. Hanetty, Ian Ramsden, Robin Callander. Handbook of Labour Practice, 2nd edition; Dr. Yun-Hsuen Lim, Professor Dr Muhammad Abdul Jamil, and Professor Dr. Zaleha Abdullah Mahdy. A Practical Approach to Obstatric Problems for the Undergraduate, 4th edition; Professor Kulenthran Arumugam.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Women in the Apology of Socrates Essay -- essays research papers

Women in the Apology of Socrates The most striking thing about women in the Apology of Socrates is their absence from where we might expect them. Only two specific women are mentioned: 1) the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, who answers Chaerephon's question that no one is wiser than Socrates (21a); and 2) Thetis, the mother of Achilles (who himself is not mentioned by name but only referred to as the "son of Thetis"), who warns him that he will die if he kills the Trojan hero Hector (28c). Only two other times does Socrates even mention women: 1) a disparaging reference that those who embarrass the city by coming into court, weeping and carrying on to win the sympathy of the jury, "are in no way better than women" (35c); and 2) a remark that Socrates would enjoy questioning people in the hereafter, "both men and women" (41c), although everyone he actually names is male. Socrates does not mention questioning women in his investigations. Nor do women occur either as spectators to his que stions or in relation to all his talk about educating the "youth." The "youth" are obviously all young men. And again, Socrates mentions his family and his sons without mentioning his wife. Plato relates some relationships Socrates had with women (especially with Diotima in the Symposium), but those may be fictional. The only episode of Socrates questioning a woman that is clearly historical is related by Xenophon in his Recollections of Socrates: Socrates questions the courtesan Theodotà ª, who is famous for her beauty and poses for artists. Socrates lives in a world where the spheres of life of men and women were radically separate. In Plato's Symposium, which is a drinking party, both men and women are drinking and partying, but they do so in separate parts of the house. The musicans and dancers go back and forth between the men's party and the women's party. Political life was regarded by the Greeks as part of the male sphere of things, and so there were certainly no women in Socrates's jury; but it is hard to know whether there were any in the audience. There has been some dispute about whether women attended Greek plays, the comedies and tragedies, when they were staged -- though there are references by Plato to women in theater audiences. We have this difficulty in part because it was not considered proper for strange... ...ly male and all early nude art shows males, an ideal of female beauty rapidly gained ground in the century around Plato. In the three phases we can distinguish in the decoration of the Parthenon, the female figures are shown with progressively more diaphanous and revealing clothing. One of the earliest complete female nudes was a statue of Aphrodità ª that the great sculptor Praxiteles did for the island of Cos. He used as a model a famous courtesan named Phrynà ª (the scene of Phrynà ª posing at right is by the National Geographic painter H.M. Herget in Everyday Life in Ancient Times [National Geographic Society, 1961]). This was all rather shocking for the good people of Cos, who asked Praxiteles to do a more modest statue. He did, but the original went to the island of Cnidos, where it became a major local attraction. In Vamps and Tramps, Camille Paglia mentions that male visitors were so excited by the statue that they sometimes embarrassed themselves after the fashion of Pee Wee Herman. Eventually, the goddess herself was quoted as saying, "Alas, where did Praxiteles see me naked?" By the Hellenistic Age, female nudes were as common as male nudes. Thanks to friesian.com

Monday, November 11, 2019

Reverse Brain Drain

However, around 60,000 Indian professionals returned In 2010 and reverse rain drain seems to be the silver long on the cloud. It Is because though the global economic meltdown caused an upheaval In the western countries, India withstood the trauma and Is still growing at 6 per cent GAP growth rate. Abound with challenging Jobs, attractive pay packages and an equally good lifestyle, India Is succeeding In bringing back the great minds. The US economy had been reaping huge benefits from the migration of tens of thousands of talented Indians who have settled in the country.However, with a reverse brain drain in recent times, India is gaining and will continue to gain in the Eng term by leveraging this pool of highly educated and skilled workers who also have the western experience. It's been noted that almost half of the start ups in the Silicon Valley are headed by immigrants. Intellectual capital in the form of knowledge of western markets and management techniques has been flowing in . These returnees also possess the essence of the country culture and some experience about the prevalent mindsets.They either Join corporate or make their own start ups thus making the economy more competitive. The foreign experience that they earned also helps them to capitalize on the untapped market and earn better remuneration. The play ground will be level as hundreds of companies are started which provide equal or better opportunities than that available in the western companies. The growth of domestic industries and foreign investments has helped the country to resist the meltdown that has badly affected most of the developed countries.Like everyone else, Mahayana Seriatim left India for US to get a broader world view. He left a job at Google to return and start his own company Greenish Planet which manufactures solar power lamps for rural India. Evades Imitate, after studying at the London Business School, is now a partner at the Iambi branch of Hollered & Struggles. Kanji Shah, studied Design In Atlanta, worked In New York, now owns her company Big Red Tent with his husband which Is trying to broaden the appeal of weekend camping in India.All such ventures create thousands of employment opportunities and compete effectively In World market. With Indian's economic might rolling, expatriates are coming back In Increasing number and In the process It seems that the pastures for them are greener In India now. Reverse Brain Drain By semiquavers chime India is on the brink of an economic upturn as the phenomenon of brain drain has many as 100,000 professionals were heading to the US every year in search of a great career.However, around 60,000 Indian professionals returned in 2010 and reverse brain drain seems to be the silver lining on the cloud. It is because though the global economic meltdown caused an upheaval in the western countries, India withstood the trauma and is still growing at 6 per cent GAP growth rate. Abound with challenging Jobs, attracti ve pay packages and an equally good lifestyle, India is succeeding in bringing back the great minds. Job at Google to return and start his own company Greenish Planet which London Business School, is now a partner at the Iambi branch of Headrace & Struggles. Kanji Shah, studied Design in Atlanta, worked in New York, now owns her company Big Red Tent with his husband which is trying to broaden the appeal of opportunities and compete effectively in World market. With Indian's economic might rising, expatriates are coming back in increasing number and in the process it seems that the pastures for them are greener in India now.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Free Essays on B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two

B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two On the first day of the visit by the author’s group of six to the utopian community, Walden Two, there is a brief break from the lecture/tour given by the community’s founder, Frazier. The narrator and his friend, Castle, the intellectual academics with an interest in political science and public administration, immediately begin to inquire into the mode of government with which the members of the commune manage their affairs. Frazier describes the scheme of the â€Å"Board of Planners†, three men and three women who are invested with broad powers, both in policy formulation and in the judiciary of Walden Two. Frazier tells the visitors that the Planners serve for ten-year terms, reviewing the work of the â€Å"Managers† who actually carry out policy decisions. One of the visitors innocently inquires into the selection process: â€Å"How do you choose your Planners?† said Rodge. â€Å"The Board selects a replacement from a pair of names supplied by the Managers.† â€Å"The members don’t vote for them?† said Castle. â€Å"No,† said Frazier emphatically. (Page 48) Frazier goes on to explain that the Planners are the guiding geniuses of the project, and the Managers the managerial specialists who carry out their programs. The bellicose Castle glumly remarks that the members have â€Å"no voice whatsoever† in the decision making process, to which Frazier replies, â€Å"Nor do they wish to have.† (Page 49) The fate of democratic government in the utopian world depicted in behaviorist B.F. Skinner’s imaginative work, Walden Two, might well trouble the visitors, and indeed the readers of the book. The commune which the narrator Burris (Skinner’s first name) visits with his friends is the dream and the accomplishment of one man, Frazier, who has drawn nearly one thousand enthusiastic adherents to his idyllic rural setting with the promise of a sane, happy, efficient existence. At Walde... Free Essays on B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two Free Essays on B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two On the first day of the visit by the author’s group of six to the utopian community, Walden Two, there is a brief break from the lecture/tour given by the community’s founder, Frazier. The narrator and his friend, Castle, the intellectual academics with an interest in political science and public administration, immediately begin to inquire into the mode of government with which the members of the commune manage their affairs. Frazier describes the scheme of the â€Å"Board of Planners†, three men and three women who are invested with broad powers, both in policy formulation and in the judiciary of Walden Two. Frazier tells the visitors that the Planners serve for ten-year terms, reviewing the work of the â€Å"Managers† who actually carry out policy decisions. One of the visitors innocently inquires into the selection process: â€Å"How do you choose your Planners?† said Rodge. â€Å"The Board selects a replacement from a pair of names supplied by the Managers.† â€Å"The members don’t vote for them?† said Castle. â€Å"No,† said Frazier emphatically. (Page 48) Frazier goes on to explain that the Planners are the guiding geniuses of the project, and the Managers the managerial specialists who carry out their programs. The bellicose Castle glumly remarks that the members have â€Å"no voice whatsoever† in the decision making process, to which Frazier replies, â€Å"Nor do they wish to have.† (Page 49) The fate of democratic government in the utopian world depicted in behaviorist B.F. Skinner’s imaginative work, Walden Two, might well trouble the visitors, and indeed the readers of the book. The commune which the narrator Burris (Skinner’s first name) visits with his friends is the dream and the accomplishment of one man, Frazier, who has drawn nearly one thousand enthusiastic adherents to his idyllic rural setting with the promise of a sane, happy, efficient existence. At Walde...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

There are many elections that occur in the United States

There are many elections that occur in the United States. In most peoples opinions, the most important election is the presidential election. Although most ordinary people do not overanalyze how they get the information about the candidates during elections, in Thomas E. Pattersons book Out of Order he has proposed the thought that the media provides their election information to the people in an unfair and biased way. I will now explain to you the ways that I disagree and agree with him on different points. Patterson has gone into many different points, but I have chosen the ones that are most important to me, which are how the media directs voters towards one candidate, the amount candidates are quoted, if the media favors the Democrats over the Republicans, the amount the polls are covered, how the media manipulates articles with fighting words, the results of candidates not cooperating with the press, and the true importance of a third party. The de facto premise of todays system is that the media will direct the voters toward a clear understanding of choosing one candidate rather than another.1 There are two parts to this statement. I agree with the part stating that the media directs voters toward one candidate, however I do not agree that this is done to one candidate throughout the entire election. I collected articles between September sixth until September eleventh that clearly directed the positive information to the Democratic candidate, Al Gore. Before the day was over, it was Bush who was having to reinvent himself, after nearly four straight weeks of playing sloppy defense.2 As you can see, this article had completely negative information that was being directed towards the Republican candidate, George Bush. Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore demanded the entertainment industry agree to an immediate cease-fire in the marketing of adult materi...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Unemployment In America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Unemployment In America - Research Paper Example Moreover, tax remission declines because the unemployed group includes individuals who have lost their employment for some reasons. Unemployment also increases the expenditures of the federal government. In the long run, the unemployed experience erosion of their skills which causes productivity when they get employed in the future (Bluestone, 2013). Researchers indicate that those who stay unemployed for long periods of their youthful years end up earning lower wages because it takes them a long time to adapt to the work environment, as well as acquisition of skills. Working conditions and rate of salaries have forced a significant number of employed Americans to drop out of their jobs. Part-time jobs, on the other hand, are deceptive to the statistics of unemployment rates since most of the part-time jobs are not satisfactory to the needs of the part-time workers. Only about 47.7% of adults in the United States work in full-time jobs. These are the only American adults working on jobs that are not satisfactory enough. It implies that most Americans would like to work on better paying jobs under proper working conditions Declines in the demand for services and goods are a major contributor to unemployment. Products and services create employment through the many transactions needed to deliver them to consumers. The production of products and services requires a significant number of employees. If the demand for goods is weakening, firms producing goods and services are forced to lay off some employees to reduce extra costs. Therefore, some people lose employment when demand for goods and services they were producing becomes lower (Bluestone, 2013). Most goods and services go through many processes before reaching the consumer. These processes create employment for many people as well. For example, some industries manufacture goods and deliver them to other industries for further processing.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Intelligence Analysis Question 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Intelligence Analysis Question 2 - Essay Example Different professionals have come up with theories on the upcoming threats to the United States and going through the views of George Roger and Bruce James is effective in that it assists in understanding their viewpoint and the actions that the country ought to take in preventing actual occurrence of the risks. The two professionals mentioned are actual officers of the law where one of them, James works for the Central Intelligence Agency while Roger is also a member of the high leagues in terms of intelligence. According to George, the biggest threat that faces the United States both currently and in the future is regarding intelligence. Intelligence is critical information that a government accumulates and stores in its agencies that ought to assist the government run its operations and protect the citizens of the country1. George further states that the concept of hacking was the initiator of this problem and this is because the fact that people had the ability to access information and actual private date belonging to people made the trend famous to a point people started challenging one another. According to Roger, the issue is not quite rampant and this is because of the strict rules incorporated by the government where anyone that carries out this type of behavior faces strict legal action. This action has been a positive factor in ensuring that the number of these people reduces to a point that the concept of hacking stops completely. However, with the advent of more sophisticated internet technology, there are hackers that have come up with skills that they cannot be located. These hackers have the ability to hack into government systems and still critical information that has different implications on both the government and the content subject. Over the past few years, these critical hackers have had the ability to hack into systems such as that of Russian

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Management seminar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management seminar - Essay Example In 2004, there was a global spread of SNS after the invention of the Facebook fundamentally used as exclusive Harvard School social networking site. Facebook developed very fast becoming popular among the college students who would use it for inter-college social networking platform among students and lecturers. Facebook became a very reliable tool for both communication and marketing purposes with many members including professionals and the teenagers. It provides a platform for various marketing and recruitment activities and the largest storage of individual photos online (Peacock, 2011). LinkedIn created a social networking site for professionals to share their educational and work expertise and job postings. The career experts suggest that SNSs are a wonderful way to perform recruitment dialogs since the applicants extensively use them. Most recruiting organizations save many funds by using Social networking sites in hiring process as since it is affordable and pocket-friendly. There are some shortcomings associated with the SNSs. The organization, for instance, could get inaccurate information about the individuals. There are online propaganda and malice stirred by wrong information about colleagues when the business and personal relationships break. The incorrect information posted online creates permanent scar on the applicant forever causing individual Web phobia that may run for long time (Solove, 2008). The online application may also lead to privacy and legal issues emanating from posting irrelevant recruitment information online. SNSs connect the whole world through most popular three being Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn offering the same functions while used in different countries by different customers. Facebook is the largest SNS with about 500 million members globally, which started becoming popular in America and escalated internationally becoming the most sought after. Orkut became prominent in Brazil and India,

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Instructional design Essay Example for Free

Instructional design Essay 1 â€Å"Well begun is half done†. So goes a saying. Action plans are like roadmaps for a meaningful journey toward a specific destination. Hence they are essential in any developmental work, including education and training. ADDIE is one of the most widely used action plan models used by instructional designers. It is an acronym for five terms â€Å"Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation† that constitute the five phases of the process. Analysis, the first phase, is a process of studying something by taking into account the characteristics of individual parts and their inter-relationship. The instructional designer curriculum content developers and teachers evaluate the cognitive â€Å"entry† behavior (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that his students possess before they are introduced to the prospective module, for instance a set of virtual laboratory experiments for use in a Grade 12 physics classroom. The team seeks answers to questions like â€Å"Are all students familiar with the theoretical concepts? †, â€Å"How much do they differ individually? † etc. It also considers the cognitive behavior that is expected from the learners at the end of the module (â€Å"What knowledge, skills and attitudes are they expected to have acquired after being taught in the virtual laboratory module? †) and the logistic aspects (â€Å"How best should the module be delivered? † â€Å"What is the time factor involved? †). The team considers all the pedagogic and logistic aspects of the issue in order to get a complete picture of any discrepancies between the â€Å"current† and â€Å"desired† levels of resources and processes used in the system. In effect, this is the phase in which measurable instructional aims and objectives are stated. In the design phase, the instructional designer and the design team develop a sequence of strategies that are most appropriate to realize the stated aims and objectives. Here the ID team creates comprehensive storyboards (Number and sequence of animations and interactivities, GUI, Voice over etc), uses wide range of strategies such as brainstorming, concept mapping, group discussions to collect information and implement Critical Path Networking etc.to monitor time and resources management. This phase answers â€Å"Why? †, â€Å"What? † and â€Å"How†? of the whole process. In the development phase, the ID works with the development team (consisting of content developers, animators and action script writers) to develop the virtual laboratory experiments as a pilot product, ready to be tested. This phase is usually more complex than the previous ones, as there is a higher probability of bottlenecks, such as lack of proper communication, unrealistic expectations, lack of convergence and inappropriate multimedia system configurations. This phase is mainly concerned with authoring and production and hence the most crucial. In the implementation phase, in practice the last phase of the model, the instructional designer and the team decide on the logistical aspects of implementation and the strategies for training the teachers, multimedia coordinators and learners. The team ensures that the process is smooth. The phase also includes delivery of the prototype. The most important phase in the model is â€Å"Evaluation† and it is carried out from beginning to end of the ADDIE process. Both types of evaluation, viz. formative and summative, are used in the process. The former is used to trouble shoot problems and apply alternative strategies when needed. The latter is used to assess the learner outcomes by providing evaluation tools such as criterion-based tests to the end users (learners). The feedback from them helps in bringing about modifications in the product, until all the stated aims and objectives are met. Thus ADDIE model serves as a wonderful canvas on which the concerned professionals can work on so that the instructional aims and objectives are realized in a smooth, efficient and effective manner. Thus, â€Å"Well begun, promptly followed by ADDIE, is almost perfectly done†. References Carliner Saul (2002) , DESIGNING E-Learning, American Society for Training and Development. http://alpha. nsula. edu/~gillan/08id. htm http://www. itrc. wvu. edu/coursedev/preproduction/addie. html.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

North American Free Trade Agreement Economics Essay

North American Free Trade Agreement Economics Essay The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of American that came into effect January 1st, 1994. This agreement established the worlds largest free trade region involving over 400 million people and 11 trillion dollars in annual production.  [1]  It established a new trading relationship based on more secure and more open access to each others markets. It was supposed to bring benefits to several sectors of the Canadian economy. Overall, consumers in all three countries were supposed to reap the benefits of the more efficient distribution of resources and by paying less for goods and services. NAFTA advocates that capital owners win, workers win, consumers win therefore everyone is better off living under NAFTA. Many government officials, businesses, and citizens however, have debated whether NAFTA has been beneficial to Canada. Proponents of NAFTA claim that because the agreement will increase trade throughout N orth America and moderate product prices, it will lead to creating new jobs in all three countries. NAFTA, while it has brought some disadvantages for Canada, as a whole it has had a positive effect. The positive effects of job creation and higher wages has been outweighed by the negative effects on the manufacturing industry specifically, the auto sector. In addition, Canada has succeeded in maintaining high labour standards and laws compare to its NAFTA partners due to Canadian legislative environment that alleviate against downward harmonization. This paper will examine three aspects of NAFTA and its effects on Canada. First, it will look at labour and discuss the effects of NAFTA on employment and wages. Then it will examine the manufacturing industry, in particular Canadas automotive industry. Finally, the paper will look at why Canada has been able to maintain high labour standards and laws compare to Mexico and the United States. It will conclude that any loss for Canada is outweighed by the gains. One of the main issues by labour rights advocates was that increased trade liberalization would jeopardize the Canadian economy to compete with low-wage workers in Mà ©xico and the southern United States.  [2]  This was supposed to push investments away from Canada, especially from low-skilled industries, leading to plant closures and cutbacks resulting in job losses. It was further argued that the competitive environment would causes wages to decrease. Gunderson simulated the possible impact of NAFTA and analyzed the expected wage and employment impact of trade liberalization. His study showed that the overall impacts are likely to be positive but extremely small for both Canada and the United States, as job created associate with export expansion is slightly higher than job destruction associated with increased imports. He also found that job gains would be at the high end of the wage spectrum, while job losses, which can be significant in some sectors, would be at the lower e nd.  [3]  Opponents may argue that this is not beneficial to the economy as there are more people in Canada working in low-end jobs than there are in high-end jobs. When the low-end job workers are unable to find employment they would be forced to go on social welfare such as unemployment insurance. This would cost the government more because the government would lose a source of income due to the elimination of tariffs, less people paying income tax, and supporting the unemployed through unemployment insurance and other welfare programs. However, this is not the case because studies have shown NAFTA has had no effect on unemployment, instead since NAFTA came into effect Canadas employment rate has increased. In a recent study conducted by the Bank of Montreal involving 109 senior executives in Canada, it concluded that majority of the businesses have either hired more or employed the same number of people since NAFTA came into effect. In addition, most employers reported that NAFTA has not affected their labour costs and it has increased their productivity level.  [4]  This increase in productivity may have to do with fear of relocation to southern United States or Mexico. In Canada, 50 percent of the senior executives reported that they had hired more workers, 39 percent stated no changed in work force size, and merely 11 percent reported they had lost workers.  [5]  This study shows critics that NAFTA has not resulted in unemployment and companies have either hired more or employed the same number of people while increasing productivity levels. A study conducted by Vicario, an economist with the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation (NAALC), supports the findings of the Bank of Montreal. Using Canada Labour Force statistics, she found that the average growth rate of employment from1994-1998 remained at 1.9 percent per year, or an annual increase of 258,000 jobs. Most of these jobs were full-time, as matters of fact, in 1998, 9 out of 10 jobs created were full-time. What is more surprising is that workers salary increased by 2.6 percent between 1994 and 1997 and 0.3 percent in 1998.  [6]  This study goes a step further because it proves to NAFTA critics that NAFTA has helped create jobs and increased wages for the employees. It is safe to say that employers are making a larger profit because they would only increase wages if their profits increased. This research shows that NAFTA has not only created jobs but also increased company profits and employee wages. Kumar and Holmes conducted a study in the auto industry of Canada, a sector that NAFTA critics feared would have harsh negative impact due to low-wage competition from Mexico and southern United States. Their study concluded that production level and employment in the Canadian automotive parts industry grew significantly between 1991 and 1996. They further claim that there is no evidence to suggest that NAFTA has had any negative effects on the Canadian auto industry.  [7]  Regardless of these positive effects, employers and unions have been pressured to reduce wages and cut jobs in the manufacturing sector.  [8]  This is a small price to pay because overall Canada has become a richer country since NAFTA came into effect. Overall, Canada has had a higher employment rate, higher company profits, and higher wages. According to Canadian unions, companies would invest where there are reasonably low labour and environment standards. These investment decisions, and the threat to re-invest, would consequently force governments to lower their labour standards in order to attract new or retain existing business.  [9]  Although these fears are legitimate, studies have shown when investors choose a country to invest, they place the value of workforce, social, and political steadiness over labour cost.  [10]  They do so because high labour standard result into high levels of productivity and economic performance. Satisfied workers are an outcome of high wages and high work place standards that results in a higher quality of performance. Higher safety standards have proven to reduce costly workplace accidents and save on health care bills. Freedom of association and collective bargaining will result in better cooperation between management and workers, thereby reducing if not eliminating costly s trikes and improve social stability.  [11]  Since Canada has a higher rate of unionization than the United States thanks to Canadas beneficial labour laws, downward harmonization posed a serious threat to Canadian unions.  [12]   There are a number of factors that prevent downward harmonization in Canada. First, labour laws fall mainly under provincial jurisdiction and therefore, ideological forces are more influential.  [13]  For example, the New Democratic Government in Ontario under the leadership of Bob Rae passed several pieces of pro-labour legislation such as, prohibition on the use of replacement workers. The social democratic governments in British Columbia and Saskatchewan have also passed several labour-friendly legislations to protect the interest of workers.  [14]  The successful implementation of these legislations proves that NAFTA has strengthened Canadian labour standards and laws. Secondly, labour boards and independent arbitrators have enjoyed greater autonomy in enforcing their decisions though court orders in Canada. Over time, and with relevant court decisions, a significant body of case law  [15]  has developed, and it would be tough for pressure from free trade to weaken this base. In the United States, employers often use the means of courts to oppose decisions by the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB). This however, is not a problem in Canada.  [16]   Third, unions in Canada are often more cautious and political than in the unions United States. Their constant support from left-leaning New Democratic Party governments has strengthened their agenda on the legislative process. In addition, their vigilance against free trade was in a large part responsible for public dissatisfaction of NAFTA in Canada, as shown in national polls, and making NAFTA an election issue.  [17]  These kinds of tactics will most likely continue to prevent anti-labour laws being passed in Canada. According to research conducted by Gunderson, four relationships must exist for downward harmonization of labour laws and standards to occur because of trade liberalization. First, the labour laws must be implemented and actively enforced. Secondly, the laws must lead to an actual or perceived increase in labour costs to business. Third, the higher labour costs must discourage investments and influence plant location decisions. Fourth, jurisdictions must compete against each other for investments and jobs based on decreasing their costly labour laws.  [18]  Though it is possible for the race to the lowest common denominator, considering the inter-connectivity of these relationships and the political and institutions influence working to prevent downwards harmonization, it is highly unlikely it will ever occur in Canada. Many critics argue that there has been a decline in Canadian social standards, such as cutbacks in employment insurance, pensions, and health insurance since NAFTA came into effect  [19]  However, these cuts back are probably due to fiscal problems facing governments rather than NAFTA. There is also persistent pressure on both provincial and federal governments to cut taxes that may result in less spending on social welfare programs. Thus, the optimistic results of job creating and higher wages have outweighed the negative results on the auto sector. Canada has also been able to maintain its high labour standards and laws compare to Mà ©xico and the United States. Critics have argued that Canada would lose jobs due to re-location to other NAFTA partners this has not been the case as studies have shown NAFTA has not resulted in unemployment. NAFTA has shows to increase company profits, employee wages, crate jobs, and increase productivity levels. Though unions in the auto sector have been forced to reduce wages and cut jobs, it is a small price to pay for higher employment rate, higher company profits, higher wages, and the ability to retain business in Canada. Unions thought Canada would have to lower its labour standards and laws to compete with Mexico and the United States however, studies have shown when investors choose a country to invest, they rank the quality of workforce, political, and social stability above low labour cost. There are also several institutions and ideological forces in place that work against downward harmonization of labour standards. After 16 years of living under NAFTA, it is safe to assume that Canadian consumers will keep reaping up the benefits for many decades to come.