Racism and the Civil Rights essays

Racism and the Civil Rights essays Racism has existed in the United States for hundreds of years. While the issues of racism came to a head in the civil rights era of this country, the issue is still alive and well within many aspects of society. Research shows that Americans are still very influenced by ethnic origin, and that there are still enormous differences in the treatment of people in this country based on race. The President's Initiative on Race, a research organization, has also found that discrimination against groups based on their race still exists today, and still limits the opportunities available to them. This is seen in almost all areas, from the housing market, to employment and banking institutions (Diversity Digest, par. 1). While great improvements have occurred, there is still much racism to overcome. As early as the 1860's, the civil rights movement was beginning to slowly take form. With the end of the Civil War, and with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment, which guaranteed protection of citizens, and the Fifteenth Amendment, which barred voting restrictions, the issue of civil rights came to the forefront. Yet the so called "freedoms" gained through the passage of the Amendments were quickly doused by "scientific" ideas that whites were supreme, and by state governments enacting numerous laws to severely restrict suffrage in the South. Through the combination of local, state and federal government, racial segregation began to emerge as a result. In addition, group such as the Klu Klux Klan formed to show white supremacy and began to emerge in both the north and the south, further limiting the freedoms of the African Americans (Sullivan, par. 1-6). By the 1900's, African Americans were virtually eliminated in all forms of government. Most areas in the south had banned African Americans from streetcars, created se...

Essay Analysis of George Orwells A Hanging

Essay Analysis of George Orwells A Hanging This assignment offers guidelines on how to compose  a  critical analysis of A Hanging, a classic narrative essay by George Orwell. Preparation Carefully read George Orwells narrative essay A Hanging. Then, to test your understanding of the essay, take our multiple-choice reading quiz. (When youre done, be sure to compare your answers with those that follow the quiz.) Finally, reread Orwells essay, jotting down any thoughts or questions that come to mind. Composition Following the guidelines below, compose a soundly supported critical essay of about 500 to 600 words on George Orwells essay A Hanging. First, consider this brief commentary on the purpose of Orwells essay: A Hanging is not a polemical work. Orwells essay is intended to express by example what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man. The reader never finds out what crime was committed by the condemned man, and the narrative isnt primarily concerned with providing an abstract argument regarding the death penalty. Instead, through action, description, and dialogue, Orwell focuses on a single event that illustrates the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide. Now, with this observation in mind (an observation that you should feel free to either agree with or disagree with), identify, illustrate, and discuss the key elements in Orwells essay that contribute to its dominant theme. Tips Keep in mind that youre composing your critical analysis for someone who has already read A Hanging. That means you dont need to summarize the essay. Be sure, however, to support all your observations with specific references to Orwells text. As a general rule, keep quotations brief. Never drop a quotation into your paper without commenting on the significance of that quotation. To develop material for your body paragraphs, draw on your reading notes and on points suggested by the multiple-choice quiz questions. Consider, in particular, the importance of point of view, setting, and the roles served by particular characters (or character types). Revision and Editing After completing a first or second draft, rewrite your composition. Be sure to read your work aloud when you revise, edit, and proofread. You may hear problems in your writing that you cant see.

AIESEC Winter Abroad Program 2011 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AIESEC Winter Abroad Program 2011 - Essay Example Provision of networking contacts is another advantage in this case. My aim is to advance in studies as much as possible, with excellence being an integral part. An internship will greatly determine the specific field of study to specialize in. This is because; it will help define the relationship between my education level so far and the working basics applicable in the industry. An internship will boost my creativity and critical analysis of variables in the place of work. Personal judgement of view of things in more diverse ways will be enhanced through the challenges expected from the permanently employed persons in the place I intend to intern. Getting through an internship will by the end of the designated period determine what next in regard to my field of study. Assessing my performance during an internship will help shape my professional competitive advantage. An internship will cut across my professional strengths and weaknesses, thereby determining what to hold on and what to work on. Yes. I was born in Hong Kong and I have resided in Copenhagen, Denmark and in England since I turned eighteen years. I am currently studying in the United Kingdom. Through students’ exchange program, I have visited Copenhagen, Denmark as a participant in the program. My life has been characterized by social diversity as a result of time to time interaction with different people from different cultures. I have experienced cultural exchanges where I learn other people’s culture and they learn mine in return. This summer I got an internship in Beijing, China in a Business Development Department. My interaction with all these different cultures has shaped my diversity point of view in people and culture. No. Although have not been in international volunteer experience, it is my expectation to get engaged into one. I am socially interactive with different human races that make it suitable for me to explore a volunteer

Balance Score Card Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Balance Score Card - Essay Example of the management in terms of implementation of the strategy balance scorecard is often used by the management to analyze whether the objectives have been properly implemented or not. Balanced score card is the most popular tool of performance management. Balanced scorecard helps the manager in keeping a track on the progress of the activities and matching them with the desired level. In this project the balance scorecard of the Coca-Cola Company has been made on the basis of the four different perspective and objectives of each perspective. Different types of metrics have also been used to let in building the balanced scorecard. Performance management is very important for every company. It enables the management to assess the performance of the company and also helps the company to analyze the loop holes or the room for improvement. It helps the management to identify the direction in which the organization is moving. It helps the organization to perform better by enabling the organization. The performance management is done on the basis of various tools of performance management system. The performance management system helps the organization to plan control and measure the performance of activities of the organization beforehand. The different performance management system used for performance management are balanced scorecard, activity based management, quality management, economic value added etc. among the various performance management system the most popular methods are balance scorecard, activity based management and economic value added. Activity based management is done by analyzing those activit ies which adds value to the organization. This is done on the basis of activity based costing. It mainly focuses on reducing the cost and increasing the value received by the customers. The economic value added method enables the organization to analyze the overall performance of the organization. In this method the financial measures are used to measure the

Arguments for and against GM crops Essay Example for Free

Arguments for and against GM crops Essay GM crops are genetically modified crops that have been genetically enhanced using modern biotechnology to carry one or more beneficial new traits. 1. What is the difference between GM and conventional plant breeding? Conventional plant breeding involves changing the genes of a plant so that a new and better variety is developed. New varieties of plants are bred to suit different climate conditions, improve taste or nutritional value, cope with disease or pests better, or to use water or nutrients more efficiently for example. Breeding using genetic modification (GM) also involves changing the genes of a plant so that a new and better variety is developed. It is done for the same reasons as conventional breeding. The key difference is that instead of randomly mixing genes, which occurs as a result of a sexual cross, a specific gene, which is associated with a desirable trait, is selected and inserted directly into the new plant variety. 1. What is a Pharma crops? Pharma crops are genetically engineered to produce pharmaceutical drugs. Rather than manufacturing such substances by chemical methods, the idea is to turn farmed plants into mini-factories that can mass produce medicines and other chemicals cheaply and much more efficiently. Trials of this technology have used conventional farm plants, such as maize or soya. 1. The GM supporters argue that GM crops: -Help to feed the developing world and this is a social/ economic/ political effect. This is because GM crops help increase the yield of crops for the farmers and thus benefit food distribution and benefit the country’s economy. -Are cost effective and this is social/ economic/ political effects. This is because they become more commercially available and there is wider availability. The seeds also have a resistance to disease and therefore farmers also save on insect resistance. GM crops also lower the costs of production by reducing inputs of machinery, fuel, and chemical pesticides. In addition, due to more effective pest control, crop yields are often higher. -Could benefit human health and this is related to health. This is because GM crops eradicate disease so it therefore does not create human health issues as they can repel viruses and fungi and are less toxic. -Could reduce pesticide and herbicide use and this is environmental, health, social/ economic/ political effects. This is because they have improved traits and therefore are resistant to viruses and fungi. They also increase the yield of crops and thus, do not require herbicides and so reduce costs. -Could help preserve natural habitats is environmental. This is because the efficiency gains from GM crops will place less pressure on wild or natural habitats and thereby help preserves biodiversity. In addition, Eutrophication is prevented as less fertiliser is used. The people against GM claim that: -There will not be enough to feed the world which is health and social/economic/political effects. This is because GM seeds are much more expensive than conventional seeds and therefore means the poor cannot afford them, and thus they cannot be fed. In addition the soybeans, corn, and cotton crops that are mainly produced are not crops that will help feed most of the world. -It could damage organic farmers which are social/ economical/ political effects. This is because organic farmers still spray the bt toxin on the plants whereas GM already have the bt gene encoded in the plant and therefore does not require the toxin. Therefore less people buy the organic produce and buy more of the GM produce. -It could increase herbicide and pesticide use which is environmental, health, social/ economic/ political effects. This is because even though GM plants do use fewer chemicals in the first few years, afterwards they use considerably more chemicals, as was reported in the U. S. In addition with bt corn, it required more pesticide as most pesticides are directed at other corn pests. -It could reduce biodiversity which is environmental. It can do this because it is resistant to viruses, fungi and contains toxins which therefore mean the natural environment affected as the insects and bacterium lose their food source which results in a lesser population and thus, affects the consumers like birds and so on. -It mainly benefits big biotech companies which are social/economical/ political effects. This is because they claim most of the profit for the GM seeds and these companies are also concentrating their efforts in high-volume crops, such as soybeans, corn, and cotton, and not in crops that might help feed the billions of people who live in poor countries. -It raises ethical conflicts over the control of food production which is social/ economical/ political effects. Examples of these are; 1. The possible monopolisation of the world food market by large multinational companies that control the distribution of GM seeds. 2. Using genes from animals in plant foods may pose ethical, philosophical or religious problems. For example, eating traces of genetic material from pork could be a problem for certain religious or cultural groups. 3. Animal welfare could be adversely affected. For example, cows given more potent GM growth hormones could suffer from health problems related to growth or metabolism. 4. New GM organisms could be patented so that life itself could become commercial property through patenting. Show preview only The above preview is un.

This Changes Everything, Again: The Remediation of Print on the Web Ess

Introduction The introduction of the printing press changed society permanently. Along with this invention came the emergence of mass production of texts. Suddenly, information could be efficiently replicated, thus facilitating the dissemination process. Widespread alphabetic literacy, as Havelock states, could finally become a reality. Print media, however, are fundamentally restricted by their physical nature. Enter the Internet, arguably modern society’s greatest technological advancement, with its ability to digitally recontextualize the written word. Again, forever changing the nature of communication. This paper will focus on the web’s functional, social, and cultural remediations of print media. It can be argued that the Internet is a modernized version of the printing press. The web created an explosion in production, self-published content, and new forms of machine art. Through contrasting physical and digital print media, it will be shown that the Internet enhances aspects of the printing press in defining itself. Functional Factors At its beginnings, the internet crafted a new but familiar form of manufacturing: the mass production of digital texts. In fact, in 1440 Gutenberg first originated the idea of mass production of texts with his invention of the Printing Press. For the first time, an automated process was able to replicate script. This new technology was not without its shortcomings. First, the printing press used limited materials. Next, as Mumford notes, the advent of print led calligraphers and manuscript copyists out of work. Furthermore, as Graff finds, it created â€Å"typographical fixity†Ã¢â‚¬â€material once printed cannot be changed. Finally, mass production was dependent and limited to large markets (Mumf... ...ames, and Ornstein, Robert. â€Å"Communication and Faith in the Middle Ages.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 56-62. Print. Gladwell, Malcolm. â€Å"Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted.† The New Yorker October 4th 2010. Web. 31 May. 2012. Graff, HarveyJ., â€Å"Early Modern Literacies.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 86-96. Print. Havelock, Eric A., â€Å"The Greek Legacy.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 38-43. Print. Mumford, Lewis. â€Å"The Invention of Printing.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 74-77. Print. This Changes Everything, Again: The Remediation of Print on the Web Ess Introduction The introduction of the printing press changed society permanently. Along with this invention came the emergence of mass production of texts. Suddenly, information could be efficiently replicated, thus facilitating the dissemination process. Widespread alphabetic literacy, as Havelock states, could finally become a reality. Print media, however, are fundamentally restricted by their physical nature. Enter the Internet, arguably modern society’s greatest technological advancement, with its ability to digitally recontextualize the written word. Again, forever changing the nature of communication. This paper will focus on the web’s functional, social, and cultural remediations of print media. It can be argued that the Internet is a modernized version of the printing press. The web created an explosion in production, self-published content, and new forms of machine art. Through contrasting physical and digital print media, it will be shown that the Internet enhances aspects of the printing press in defining itself. Functional Factors At its beginnings, the internet crafted a new but familiar form of manufacturing: the mass production of digital texts. In fact, in 1440 Gutenberg first originated the idea of mass production of texts with his invention of the Printing Press. For the first time, an automated process was able to replicate script. This new technology was not without its shortcomings. First, the printing press used limited materials. Next, as Mumford notes, the advent of print led calligraphers and manuscript copyists out of work. Furthermore, as Graff finds, it created â€Å"typographical fixity†Ã¢â‚¬â€material once printed cannot be changed. Finally, mass production was dependent and limited to large markets (Mumf... ...ames, and Ornstein, Robert. â€Å"Communication and Faith in the Middle Ages.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 56-62. Print. Gladwell, Malcolm. â€Å"Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted.† The New Yorker October 4th 2010. Web. 31 May. 2012. Graff, HarveyJ., â€Å"Early Modern Literacies.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 86-96. Print. Havelock, Eric A., â€Å"The Greek Legacy.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 38-43. Print. Mumford, Lewis. â€Å"The Invention of Printing.† Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010. 74-77. Print.

BMG entertainment Essay

Strengths: *First major record label to create websites branded towards different music genres. First major record label to use downloading technology to promote sales of CD’s and cassettes. *Merged with AOL–AOL has the largest internet service provider in the industry. *BMG was the largest music club in the world, and arguably the leader of the five major labels. *BMG set up a series of websites dedicated to specific genres of music. These sites linked fans to the artist’s websites, where they could download or purchase CD’s. (Another innovative move from BMG) Weaknesses: * Through sites like CDNow and Amazon.com customers had the option of having CD’s or cassettes mailed to them. Consumers may not want to â€Å"deal† with downloading music from the net. They may just stick with what they have. Many sites had illegal downloads, so the conventional consumer may not want to bother with this new type of technology. * Although BMG was the first company to create branded websites for specific music genres, they only focused on promotional aspects here, rather than focusing on selling music and in turn making money. Opportunities: * The innovativeness and newness of the digital era could spark a surge of  consumer interest in the music industry. For instance, the CD had a big impact on industry revenue; owners of tapes simply replaced their collections with CD’s. * ;BMG is arguably the leader in the music industry, and consequently has the influence to take its existing customers with them into the digital mp3 era. * BMG had close relationships with all the players involved in setting tech standards for downloadable music. This could give BMG the heads up on newest technology, and an advantage for market entry. * If BMG begins to sell music on the internet, they can reduce their costs greatly by doing away with distribution and manufacturing expenses. Threats: * -In 1929 the new technology of radio posed a serious threat to the music industry. Could a similar event take place with Digital music, where BMG loses a lot of money due to a decrease in CD and cassette sales? * -Time Warner had one of the most advanced cable systems in the US. They were experimenting with services such as video on demand and HD TV so the possibility of digital music was definitely there for TW, and they had the internet resources to distribute it too. * -Would conventional music buyers want to go through the â€Å"hassle† of joining a website, installing a media player, and then buying additional software to play the music at their convenience? * -With a 56K modem (one that many still used 7 years ago), a song took roughly 7 minutes to download. Ten songs can take 70 minutes, and that is not appealing or convincing enough for conventional consumers to switch over to mp3’s usage. * -Sony’s Kiosks in retail music stores posed a threat for BMG. These kiosks  allowed customers to choose from a variety of over 4,000 songs, and create their own CD within 15 minutes. Attacking Piracy at the Source- the CD’s In order to attack piracy, record labels must start at the source. Nearly all of the music traded on the Internet originally comes from CDs, which can be easily copied, or â€Å"ripped,† onto any computer as MP3 digital audio files. Most analysts point to CDs as the biggest hole in the music industry’s strategy for aiding online piracy. The recording industry wants to make it harder for consumers to directly copy CDs, but it faces enormous hurdles. First, any barriers to copying must be â€Å"backwards compatible†Ã¢â‚¬â€œmeaning the new technologies would have to work on old CD players that don’t screen for pirated material, and vice versa. Eventually, the group â€Å"SDMI† was formed, consisting of all the major players involved in setting the technological standards for downloading music.(AT&T, Microsoft, Liquid Audio, IBM, etc) SDMI’s efforts have focused on installing digital â€Å"watermarks† on CD tracks that would enable copyright holders to trace illegal copies and to create devices that would refuse to play copied tracks. In its first phase, SDMI selected a watermark system created by Verance Technologies as the global standard. Future record releases for BMG- Copy Management. It is the Record label’s responsibility to protect the work of their artists. Copy management technology is one of several responses to illegal file sharing and mass copying, which has had a detrimental effect on the music industry (unit shipments have fallen 26% from 1.16 billion units in 1999 to 860 million units last year). There are a few features that are new to this type of technology: Device playability- These discs play just like an enhanced CD. Certain products recently tested had playability issues with DVD players, car  stereos and game consoles, yet these discs play on nearly all DVD players, car stereos, etc. Anywhere an enhanced CD will play, these discs will play. Mac playability – The discs can now be played on a Mac like any other CD. Voluntary Collective Licensing- Music Industry and the Internet Many Record Labels have spent countless amounts of time evaluating alternatives that would pay artists while making file sharing legal. One solution that has emerged as the favorite is voluntary collective licensing. The concept is simple: the music industry forms a collecting society which then offers file-sharing music fans the opportunity to â€Å"get legit† in exchange for a reasonable regular payment, for example $5 per month. So long as they pay, the fans are free to keep doing what they are going to do anyway–share the music they love using whatever software they like on whatever computer platform they prefer–without fear of lawsuits. The money collected gets divided among rights-holders based on the popularity of their music. In exchange, file-sharing music fans would be free to download whatever they like using whatever software works best for them. The more people share, the more money goes to rights-holders.

Globalization of health care Essay

The world, as you know it, has changed as a result of globalization. Local or nationalistic perspectives is transforming to broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with free transfer of capital, goods, and services across national frontiers. To be more specific, due to the development of transportation and telecommunication that the globalization plays an important role of life is irreversible. It presents in plenty of aspects of life, namely trade, culture, tourism, sports, medical treatment,†¦ People now find it much easier struggling to deal with things, ranging from daily demands to huge decisions not only domestically but internationally as well thanks to the advanced technology brought about by efforts of nations. For example, contacting with friends, even visually in distance is just like a piece of cake with a mobile phone or laptop. In terms of transports, it now allows you to make it to the opposite side of the Earth within few days. Concerning health care, receiving the same quality treatment but lower cost is not unthinkable, it is a reality to developed citizens who dare travel to developing areas. Our group chose this name because it was the first potential name crossing our minds after the question was raised. In order to adapt to the world, it is essential that you first of all become a globalized student. Approaching the globalization requires general and detailed knowledge of specific fields. For instance; if you want to send an email, then you learn how to write an email; if you want to call a partner, then you must have the numbers; if you want to use airplane service, then you must know how to make it to the waiting lounge. Simply speaking, you want to fly, you must have wings first. We not only hope for the best but also prepare for the worst. How does this name relates to International Business? Plainly in evidence that chapter 1 of the subject tells the importance of the name. It represents not only as the foundation of the study but as the future of how students establish their points of views towards economic, financial, trade, and communications integration. Students planning to work in multinational enterprises or run their own business have to master and learn how to be a globalized students in the range of university,  specifically in class of home before any further matters can be discussed. Frankly speaking, learn how to swim well at pool first or else you are going to be drown in deep ocean. 1.A decade ago the idea that medical procedures might move offshore was unthinkable. Today it is a reality. What trends have facilitated this process? The conventional concept of receiving medical treatment abroad some decades ago was something rare or even unthinkable. However, in recent years, this whole traditional idea has completely changed. The trend has shifted dramatically from the point which the citizens of many countries traveled to the United States and to the developed countries of Europe to seek the expertise and advanced technology available in leading medical centers, to the situation nowadays wherein citizens of highly developed countries choose to bypass care offered in their own communities and travel to less developed areas of the world to receive a wide variety of medical services. This significant change is brought about by the two main factors: the relentless development of technology and the cost advantage The relentless development of technology The 21th century has witnessed many outstanding breakthroughs in technology, especially in telecommunication, transportation and medical field. The development in telecommunication, in which the Internet is the biggest example, allows medical treatment abroad to be carried out in a faster and more convenient way. For example, with Internet, radiologists in the US can beam images to India where they could be interpreted by the Indian counterparts. Moreover, since India is on the opposite side of the globe, the interpretation of the images could be done while it was nighttime in the United States and be ready for the attending physician the following morning. Also, the advance of transportation makes possible the travel from one country to another in the shortest time and the least expensive way. Furthermore, the improvement in the medical field also provides developing countries to not only develop their domestic health care services but also expose to higher technological equipment. This contributes to the expansion of a global health care supply chain. As a result for people who seek overseas medical treatment, they can get access to a more various marketplace that provide the services. Some typical examples are India, Thailand, †¦ The cost advantage Although technological advance plays an important role in bringing about the overseas medical treatment, still the strongest driving force that facilitated the globalization of health care is the cost. In developed countries such as the US, the expenses are far greater than that of those provided in less developed or developing countries. This alone has persuaded a large amount of patients to find treatment elsewhere. In fact, it also gave birth to a new trend which is called â€Å"medical tourism†, wherein patients would visit a foreign land to receive complex, sophisticated and often serious medical or surgical care. Following the treatment the â€Å"tourist† can experience personal medical attention in a luxurious setting with first class accommodation and subsequently has the chance to enjoy vacation for a short time before going back home. Howard Staab is an ideal example for this cost advantage. Mr. Staab underwent a leaking heart valve surgery in New Delhi and toured the Taj Mahah afterward with the total price of $10.000, which is a lot cheaper than the $60.000 cost alone for the operation cost in the US, without the visit to the Taj Mahal. Others Besides the two main drivers mentioned above, there are some other factors involving in the decision – making of the consumers in this overseas health care services. Some people who had undergone medical care in a foreign country said that they did it to circumvent the delays associated with long waiting list. This so called â€Å"long waiting list† phenomenon recently has made as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA hospital. Also, the involvement of insurance companies by offering enrollees the option of getting treatment abroad for expensive surgeries could provide this trend a big boost. 2.Is the globalization of health care good or bad for patients? Globalization is becoming more and more a part of our society. The health care industry is also affected by globalization. Physicians are traveling to other countries to perform volunteer work and patients are traveling to other countries to receive medical care. This has both beneficial and harmful influence on the patients’ health. Positive impacts Adequate care for patients in developing countries Globalization has brought access to medication from manufacturers to less developed countries where patients can either not afford it, or would not have access to it. Patients in these countries also have a lack of diagnostic capabilities and poor transport options. The Glievec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP) is an international program that works with drug manufacturers to distribute medication to patients. Under the program, the manufacturer provides drugs at no cost directly to eligible patients. This program helps over 18,000 patients worldwide each year. Furthermore, physicians, students, and other professionals volunteer to travel to other countries and provide medical treatment to those who live in countries that do not have adequate health care. For instance, sub-Saharan Africa has roughly twenty-five percent of the global disease burden, yet only three percent of the global health care workforce. Since globalization of the health industry is currently in process, physicians from around the world are participating in â€Å"medical missions† to developing countries to administer medical care. The circulation of patients The outsourcing of medical procedures to nations where medical professionals are paid lower could clearly benefits consumers. The movement of patients is a more recent phenomenon. Though still marginal, so called ‘medical tourism’ is becoming more important. Treatments offered in western Europeans countries attract infertile couples from United States because they cost half or one third of those provided in North America. Elective surgery offered in highly sophisticated Indian hospitals tends to cost only 10–20% of identical treatment in western countries. There is also a shift from personal initiatives to national incentives. Tunisia, for example, organized a conference at the beginning of December 2004 to attract health care purchasers from abroad. Purchasers, even those belonging to public systems can potentially be interested, when a reduction of costs by as much as 50–80% can be realized. Negative impacts Developing international standards in medical education and health care delivery can help improving quality in health care all over the world. Nevertheless, two problems remain. Potential of such developments to improve the quality in health care within the world International standards cannot be created that will fit the cultural, social, and economical contexts of very different countries. It is often assumed that, simply demonstrating compliance with quality processes, will lead to a result (of the treatment) that will be the same, whatever the country or the professionals involved. But it cannot be definitely sure that applying North American (or European, or for that matter African or Asian) procedures and quality rules in other countries will lead to adequate quality. Issues of access to health care and ethical dimension Countries which continue to accept patients from other lands for expensive services run the risk of either pricing out poorer citizens, or creating a second tier of medical care in those countries. Further, ethically speaking, it is not acceptable to exclude the local population from the benefits of care that is provided in their country for rich strangers, even if this organization allows less rich countries to develop employment in the health care sector. In addition, medical tourism may shift services from  preventive public health measures, to less effective and more expensive private clinics. The treatment standards in countries such as India may not be up to the standards found in the United States, and that the process takes some control out of the hands of the consumers. Finally, there are some of the potential dangers of volunteerism. When students or physicians with little education or knowledge of the culture they are in or volunteer, patients of those countries run the risk of making their symptoms worse. In conclusion, with healthcare globalization, patients in less developed countries can receive medication and care that they would not receive otherwise, doctors and physicians can volunteer and travel to other countries to provide care and treatment. Patients also have the ability to travel to other countries to receive care that would normally be very expensive in their own country. However, globalization runs the risk of patients in other countries not receiving quality care due to volunteers lacking in education, as well as ethical dilemmas. 3.Is the globalization of health care good or bad for American Economy? In general, there are many concerning about globalization of health care that have been proposed by Americans economists. In fact, many aspects has come up to this problems. Here are the examples. Impatient Americans seeking medical care are increasingly making trips far from home, often at their own expense—not just short hops to Caracas for a nip and tuck or dashes across the frontier for cheap Mexican pills. As Mr. Steele’s testimonial suggests, they are now travelling across the world for knee and heart surgery, hysterectomies and shoulder angioplasties. One motive is to save money. America’s health inflation has consistently outpaced economic growth, making it the most expensive health market in the world. The average price at good facilities abroad for a range of common medical procedures is, by Deloitte’s reckoning, barely 15% of the price a patient would have to pay in the United States (see table). But costs have long been much higher in America than in poor countries, so this alone does not explain the new exodus. Two other factors are now at work. One is that the quality at the best hospitals in Asia and Latin America is now at least  as good as it is at many hospitals in rich countries. The second, more worrying, factor is that America’s already imperfect insurance safety net is fraying. Over 45m Americans are uninsured, and many millions more are severely underinsured. Such people may find it cheaper to fly abroad and pay for an operation out of their own pockets than to find the money for deductibles or â€Å"co-payments† charged for the same procedure at home. Arnold Milstein of Mercer, a consultancy, calls them America’s â€Å"medical refugees†. Big business may soon join this wave. Epstein, Becker & Green, an American law firm, says that in the past year big employers have become interested in promoting medical travel among the employees they insure. Many are struggling to cope with soaring health costs and some, they report, are willing to take radical steps to save money. Behind the mask How will that affect the health systems in rich and developing countries? Listen to critics of medical travel, and you might think that all of this is a tragedy. It has come about, they argue, because of the terrible state of America’s health care, and its consequences for developing nations will be dire. The flow of foreigners will encourage capital and trained staff to flee state-run health-care systems in poor countries in favor of better-paying jobs catering to foreigners and local fat cats. It is surely right that medical tourism is partly the result of the failings in America’s health system. Moreover, recent research by the World Bank does indeed suggest that â€Å"internal brain drain† is a worry in some countries, especially those with few doctors and nurses. However, in many huge net exporters of doctors and nurses, such as India and the Philippines, an internal brain drain is hardly much of a worry, because there are plenty of medics to go around. And shortages, in countries where they exist, can be alleviated by reforms changing the way nursing education is funded, for instance, that would help to improve their ailing state-run health systems. 4.Who might benefit from the globalization of health care? Who might lose? Throughout history people have always shared information, traded commodities and exchanged some forms of currency across various borders, which proves globalization an enormous interest of human being. Consequently, health care  industry is no longer a norm of services provided where the patients located. The links between globalization and health are complex and globalization is a multifaceted phenomenon that can affect health in myriad ways. Its consequences can be either direct, at the level of whole populations, individuals and healthcare delivery systems, or indirect, through the economy and other factors, such as education, sanitation and water supply. For the health community, globalization offers opportunities but also poses significant challenges to many sectors. The customers (the patients) Benefits: †¢Quick response to deceases with lower costs: Due to the imbalance between supply and demand of health care in the United States, the patients have been undergoing overloaded treatment with high costs. The shortage of radiologists in America cause patients’ diagnostic medical images (including X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans and ultrasounds) to be read and interpreted for longer hours. However this can be resolved more quickly by beaming the images over the Internet for Indian radiologists. Another situation of Howard Staab, who completed his leaking heart valve cure in New Delhi, India for $10,000 instead of paying $60,000 for American hospitals, proves financial benefits for patients. †¢Chances for traveling: Medical tourism is a second mechanism through which the patients can benefit through trade liberalisation in healthcare. Taking advantage of abroad trips for medical services, patient could also travel for convalescence in famous tourist attractive destinations, which costs totally lower than treatment in the United States. Losses: †¢Spread of infectious deceases: The flip side of the above benefit is that due to the rapid mobility of people across borders for health care services, the spread of infectious diseases is a threat to everyone, particularly the poor. It is entirely possible that a person in the early stages of an infectious disease could travel halfway around the world in 12–15 hours, which functions as a vector for that disease to spread into non-immune populations. The recent epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is the best contemporary example of serious damages to the community due to  globalization of health care. †¢Involved risks due to absence of international insurance policy: Since the U.S Government-sponsored medical insurance program, Medicare, would not pay for services done outside of the country, patients without international medical insurance could be harmed. The developing countries Benefits: †¢Improve health care status & create employment opportunities for health care and tourism: Several decades ago very few hospitals in developing countries could claim to offer the highest quality of health care. Due to globalization of health care, hospitals around the world are striking to meet the stringent requirements, improving health systems standards to attract foreigners, which also benefits local patients. Besides, it would also be useful to encourage developing countries to tax medical tourism and use the proceeds to support their domestic healthcare system. Consequently, health care globalization is creating more works for local health care and tourism industry. According to the management consultancy McKinsey & Co., medical tourism was a$2.3-billion industry in India in 2012. Losses: †¢Internal brain drain of medical professionals: Another dilemma that seriously affects people in developing countries, as well as poorer communities in the industrialized nations, is a lack of health professionals. If there are going to have a global world, then people who have these needed skills should be paid appropriately, which induces them to work for well-paid medical industry. The developed countries (the United States) Benefits: †¢Potential gains for the economy: The U.S government could attain profits on providing education of modern technological medical system for developing countries. Besides, insurance companies could offer international healthcare vouchers to be secured while using foreign facilities and sharing their savings. Losses: †¢A small fraction of work and treatment moving offshore: Even though the U.S  regulations require that a radiologist be licensed in the state and will not pay for international medical treatment through Medicare, there would be a small fraction of patients travel abroad for health care due to their overweighed benefits. Reference Question 1 http://carey.jhu.edu/one/2009/fall/globalized-health-care-driven-by-technology/ http://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2014/08/no_proof_veterans_on_waiting_l.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2234298/

My Antonia essays

My Antonia essays After good experiences pass by, it is natural for a human to feel as if though the pleasure from spending that time should have lasted longer. In the same way, Optima dies... prima fugit, is true for the life of Jim Burden also. Experiencing many of his good child hood times in the country, and thereafter being far away from there in Lincoln for college makes him feel that the jovial moments went by very quickly. Visiting familiar places where Jim spent good times produces memories of childhood delight. Jim Burdens mentality of reminiscing past events and dwelling upon them in deeper thought lends him to feel like the first days are the first to flee. Jim Burden is keen to reflect upon memorable moments of his past because of his poetic and pensive disposition. Jim often thinks of the prairies vividness when he describes the ocean of copper-red prairie grass, golden sunflower bordered roads, and the fierce sunlight drenching the blonde cornfields. His strong feelings are manifested for the prairies beauty when he says, The whole prairie was like the bush that burned with fire and was not consumed. That hour always had the exultation of victory. It was a sudden transfiguration, a lifting-up of day (22). Jims nature leads him to believe that he can never become a scholar because the excitement of thinking is quick to remind him of his cherished prairie land and the people who inhabited it (125). Jims is more reminded of moments like these of his friends when he goes off to college. In college, Jim thinks more of Black Hawk, the prairie, and all the people he knew. He would often reminisce about Antonia and others he knew and wished those fleeting times would come back again. For instance, he expresses the concept of Optima dies... prima fugit when he states, As I sat down to my book at last, my old dream about Lena coming across the harvest field in her short skirt see...

Definition of Consumption within Sociology

Definition of Consumption within Sociology In sociology, consumption is about so much more than just taking in or using up resources. Humans consume to survive, of course, but in todays world, we also consume to entertain and amuse ourselves, and as a way to share time and experiences with others. We consume not only material goods but also  services, experiences, information, and cultural products like art, music, film, and television. In fact, from the sociological perspective, consumption today is a central organizing principle of social life. It shapes our everyday lives,  our values, expectations and practices, our relationships with others, our individual and group identities, and our overall experience in the world. Consumption According to Sociologists Sociologists recognize that many aspects of our daily lives are structured by consumption. In fact, Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman wrote in the book Consuming Life that Western societies are no longer organized around the act of production, but instead, around consumption. This transition began in the United States in the mid-twentieth century,  after which most production jobs were moved overseas, and our economy shifted to retail and the provision of services and information. As a consequence, most of us spend our days consuming rather than producing goods. On any given day, one might travel to work by bus, train, or car; work in an office that requires electricity, gas, oil, water, paper, and a host of consumer electronics and digital goods; purchase a tea, coffee, or soda; go out to a restaurant for lunch or dinner; pick up dry cleaning; purchase health and hygiene products at a drug store; use purchased groceries to prepare dinner, and then spend the evening watching television, enjoying social media, or reading a book. All of these are forms of consumption. Because consumption is so central to how we live our lives, it has taken on great importance in the relationships we forge with others. We often organize visits with others around the act of consuming, whether that be sitting down to eat a home-cooked meal as a family, taking in a movie with a date, or meeting friends for a shopping excursion at the mall. In addition, we often use consumer goods to express our feelings for others through the practice of gift-giving, or notably, in the act of proposing marriage with an expensive piece of jewelry. Consumption is also a central aspect of the celebration of both secular and religious holidays, like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween. It has even become a political expression, like when we buy ethically produced or sourced goods, or engage in a boycott of a certain product or brand. Sociologists also see consumption as an important part of the process of forming and expressing both individual and group identities. In Subculture: The Meaning of Style, sociologist Dick Hebdige observed that identity is often expressed through fashion choices, which allows us to classify people as hipsters or emo, for example. This happens because we choose consumer goods that we feel say something about who we are. Our consumer choices are often meant to reflect our values and lifestyle, and in doing so, send visual signals to others about the kind of person we are. Because we associate certain values, identities, and lifestyles with consumer goods, sociologists recognize that some troubling implications follow the centrality of consumption in social life. We often make assumptions, without even realizing it, about a person’s character, social standing, values, and beliefs, or even their intelligence, based on how we interpret their consumer practices. Because of this, consumption can serve processes of exclusion and marginalization in society  and can lead to conflict across lines of class, race or ethnicity, culture, sexuality, and religion. So, from the sociological perspective, theres much more to consumption than meets the eye. In fact, theres so much to study about consumption that theres a whole subfield dedicated to it: the sociology of consumption.

Discuss the extent to which the globalisation of consumer culture Essay

Discuss the extent to which the globalisation of consumer culture engenders a cosmopolitan culture, where individuals show 'op - Essay Example Obviously, globalization is wide and it involves economic integration, policy transfers across borders, knowledge transmission, cultural stability and the reproduction of power. This paper looks at globalization in the context of consumers’ culture. It particularly seeks to establish the extent to which globalization of consumers’ culture engenders a cosmopolitan culture. In this sense, the paper looks at those issues that make globalization a process that brings about heterogeneity in consumer preferences and behaviours. While the paper looks at the heterogeneity of culture as a result of globalization, it also sets the limits beyond which globalization cannot bring about heterogeneity of culture, but as such, bring about universality of culture. Hannerz (1999 p.12) described cosmopolitanism as an intellectual and aesthetic openness toward divergent cultural experiences. This implies that globalization results in cultural diversification and not the homogeneity of cult ure. According to Hannerz, people make their way into other cultures through listening, looking, intuiting and reflecting. In the words of Hannerz, cosmopolitanism is the willingness to become involved with the other in a bid to attaining cultural competence. However, in order to make one’s way into a different culture, the social bonds between locals must be weak, less binding and universal (Usunier, 2009 p. 11). These conditions are necessary because they make it possible to allow and accommodate different cultures. One of the widely accepted impacts of globalization is the development of individual outlook, behaviors and feelings that cut across local and national boundaries. This comes about as a result of globalized or globalizing cultural elements which are always related to Western cultural imperialism (Hollensen, 2000 p. 44). A case in point regards to products that originate in the West finding their way to non-west countries. Normally, these products carry Western v alues with them and are consumed daily on a global scale. Examples of these products include newspapers, music, movies, TV programs, books and magazines. Such products have widely been accepted in many regions of the world. The problem that emerges is whether to call this civilization clash or cultural imperialism. While some people will accommodate this foreign culture, others will protest against it in the name of cultural imperialism (Gesteland, 1999 p. 38). This brings in the concept of cultural relativism. This is a concept that marked the end of the era of Western colonialism. In light of this, the concept recognizes the unique or relative values of different cultures. The extent to which these values are recognized as a result of globalization is limited for the simple reason that these unique values may not be self-sustainable. Also, these cultures may not be in equal positions. From this, it is safe to conclude that globalization is uneven, differentiated and asymmetrical p rocess. As such, the extent to which it engenders cosmopolitan culture is restricted by these characteristics. Human beings are defined by their culture (Gesteland, 1999 p. 44). It is culture that differentiates man from other creations and also differentiates man from other men. This is to say that human beings are unique in the universe due to their culture and that human beings