Economics paper

Mall Sullivan University Operations Strategy April 26, 2014 Abstract: Shoulders hospital has been the best service provider for treating hernias and been in demand since a long time. However, due to the limited capacity of 89 beds the hospital is not able to meet the market demand which is causing it to lose its market share and success. The main constraints mentioned in this case study are the number of beds in the hospital for patients and the number of surgeons to operate.In order to remove the above two limitations, Shoulders hospital should come up with single solution that can help them to expand their facility without losing the current service quality. The current paper deals with the analysis of current operations followed by few recommendations for improving their facility without upsetting the present work force and the quality of service. About the Company: Shoulders hospital was started by an Ontario born Dry. Edward Earl Shoulders in 1945. Dry. Shoulders showed interest in medical research since 12 yr of age and graduated from University of Toronto.Dry. Shoulder's work was related to find the cure for pernicious anemia, intestinal obstruction, hydrocephalus cases and his facial concentration was to find innovative surgical method for hernia. The shoulders hospital was initially a six room facility, however the capacity was increased to 36 beds in 138-acre estate and 17,000 square foot main house and then to capacity of 89 beds due to the increasing inflow of patients of both first time and recurring cases. Shoulders method has become so popular for treating hernia. After Dry. Earl, Dry. Bribes Shoulders and Mrs.. W.H Request, the children of Shoulders method inventor followed their father's footsteps and continued practicing and managing the teeth since 1961. In 1965, Dry. Nicholas Boney, companion of Dry. Shoulders started his work as chairman of the board and increased the capacity to 6,850 operations per year by 1982. They have developed the ho spital to a facility with five operating suites, expert surgeons, nurses and staff all working together to treat patients with hernias. History: Dry. Shoulders showed interest in medical research and graduated from University of Toronto in 1916. Dry.Shoulders served medical examining board during World War II and operated many young men in the army for hernias before their training. Due to he limited number of doctors and hospital area, he invented an ambulation method to provide free service to 70 people and named it as Shoulders method. Shoulders method became popular and a large group of people started contacting Dry. Shoulders to get operated for hernias. The lack of hospital area, beds etc. And the demand from the people allowed him to open a hospital in Toronto, Canada and it gained a demand of 48% from northern part of United States.The site initially had a hospital with a capacity of 36 beds and a clinic in one building allowing patients to move from one to other for communi cation and interaction. The site was later expanded to a capacity of 89 beds allowing more patients into the hospital facility. Shoulders Hospital Process: Success rate: The treatment of hernia with no pain and fast recovery is the main objective of the doctors working at Shoulders hospital and had served hernia patients for more than 55 years with 300,000 cases and 99% success. The surgeons at the hospital have 100% success rate executing primary and recurring cases.Customer satisfaction was the primary importance of the shoulders hospital and this was very well taken care by the nurses who provided counseling during recreational activities and socializing vents for patients. The cost of operation was $1030 which is comparatively cheaper than other hospitals. Also the patients were allowed to work, perform physical activities and meet other patients immediately after the operation to discuss their experience in a comfortable environment. The hospital used word of mouth from the pat ient and their experience as a sole source for advertising which brought huge demand.The hospital used standardized equipment for operations thus reducing their operating costs. There were patients from outside the country and were provided with very good care which proves its success. Advantages of Shoulders technique: Unique method Broad patient experience Thoughtful employee policies Experienced surgeons and staff The above mentioned are certain advantages of shoulders technique that differentiate it from other methods used by various surgeons across the country. Situation Analysis: Shoulders method was invented to treat young military men with hernias.This method became more popular due to its speedy recovery and positive surgical results. Dry. Shoulders after serving for the army started his hospital due to the increase in demand for the treatment. Shoulders method involved operating hernia under local anesthesia and pain killers. The method helped the patients to move from the operating table to their rooms and move freely immediate after operation to talk to other patients. The patients have dinner together as a routine so that they can discuss and build up their confidence.The whole process was so successful with 140,000 happy customers due to the positive experience, speedy recovery and lower recurrence percent of 0. 8. The technique was popular among the surgeons as it allowed them to have time for their families, daily activities and good wages. The technique was popular among nurses due to the good wages and time for counseling deeds. Though the hospital was running with good success rate, it had its own further challenges with an accumulation of 1200 patients and available resources.Shoulders hospital needs to come up with a plan to decrease such patient backlog and improve its business with existing quality of service. Problem: The problem that is bothering Shoulders hospital management is that though having a very good method and work force, the y are not able to meet the demand and accumulated a huge number of cases (1200 patients). This might cause them to lose their market. In order to sustain its market share, Shoulders hospital should come up with an idea that can increase its capacity without losing its quality of service.The other problem is that Dry. Boney, the chief surgeon is retiring soon. So, the position has to be filled with someone who has the knowledge of the technique as well as the system. Problem analysis: Shoulders hospital has been treating hernia successfully since 55 years. The fee charged by this hospital for treatment is $2230, which is very less when compared to other hospital facilities who charge $5240. The excessive demand for their treatment method doesn't require any advertising and promotional conducts and was spreading its fame by word of mouth.Such excessive demand has been compelling to expand their facility; however the management has several fears and concerns such as losing its basic pr oficiency and market share etc. Expansion and advertising fear: The management has a fear about expansion in response to the demand for their technique as they preferred in improving their services giving complete proficiency. They also feared about competitors using their name in order to promote themselves which might lead Shoulders hospital to lose its name and be blamed in case of any failure in treatment.Fear about scheduling operations on Saturday: Due to the demand and backlog, if the hospital decides to perform operations on Saturday, they need to set 6 surgeons and 1 supervising surgeon at work on Saturdays. This may disappoint the staff as its not they signed the contract for. The staff also feared that if they increase the capacity, the quality of service might not be the same. Options: The options would include 1 . Performing operations on Saturdays utilizing the existing facility 2. Adding a new floor with 45 hospital beds 3.Opening off new hospital facility in US. Eval uation of options: The criteria for evaluation include costs, quality, comfort, approvals and discontent among staff members. 1) Performing operations on Saturdays can be considered valid as it would use the existing facility thus saving the cost of new construction and avoiding additional investments. The routine of the hospital can be maintained same with similar environment and culture. With this option, the number of surgeries performed per week would increase from 165 to 185 (14% rise).However, there might e a decline in the service quality due to the increase in the work load in the given time period for the staff and the only solution to this problem is to appoint additional staff or by paying additional wages to the existing staff. The benefits of performing operations on Saturdays option would be that it doesn't require approvals from the state, increase in wages and incentives to the staff, reduction in the backlogs and surgeons can spend time with their family. ) Adding a new floor plan with 45 beds would increase the bed count by 50% and can still help in maintaining the quality of service, environment and culture. However, adding a new floor plan would cost 2 Million $ and that can take at least 4 years to recover the costs. It would also require additional staff and surgery rooms due to the increase in the work load by increase in number of beds, housekeeping, laundry and other utility maintenance to accommodate increase in patients.The construction of new floor can cause disturbance to the existing patients. Also, it is difficult to accommodate the increasing patients in the canteen that would disturb the meal hours. 3) The formation of new hospital facility can solve problems like staff working n Saturdays and increase in wages and incentives of the existing staff as the new facility would need a whole new staff and surgeons reducing the pressure on existing setup. Patients can directly consult qualified surgeons rather going to the unqualified ones as earlier.However, the quality of the service cannot be maintained as of the existing facility as it would need hiring of very qualified surgeons and staff which is not an easy task. Also, the new staff should be trained to treat patients as in the existing facility. Finally, the formation of new facility and hiring people is not only mime taking but also requires huge investment and the patients might not come to visit Toronto campus anymore. So this might not be a better option to reduce the patient backlogs.Recommendations: From all the above analysis, I would like to propose few recommendations that can help Shoulders hospital in reducing patient backlogs and improve the facility. The first recommendation would be working on Saturdays with slight changes such as making Saturdays as working days in the month of September (high inflow of patients in this month) and adopting a plan of action to synchronize various activities. Also, the additional rooms in the third floor can be used for keeping patients.The second recommendation would be not to expand or form a new facility in US as hernia operations are common in US and involves huge investment. Also, there can be regulations and issues pertaining to USA government and administration issues to build and run hospital in different country. However, if expanded it might provide new opportunities. The third recommendation would be to patent the Shoulders technique of external hernia treatment so that any other organizations cannot use the name illegally.The forth recommendation would be to implement and adapt a succession and retirement plan for doctors and staff and their families. Giving bonus and incentives to them depending upon their efficient performance and seniority, survey and votes etc. The fifth recommendation would be to continue as a specialized hospital for hernia treatment rather expanding to other treatments thus preventing diversification from its competency. The sixth recommendation woul d be to increase the nurse-patient ratio by hiring more number of nurses to take care of patients and improve the quality of service.The seventh recommendation would be to convert the hostel facilities to hospital beds to allow more inflow of patients and decreasing patient backlogs. An eighth recommendation would be contracting with other local and similar facilities as silent partners and team up with their doctors providing them the required training. This would allow holding the existing position in market with no competition. The final recommendation would be to alter the inflow of patients that can prevent adding more beds by utilizing the freed bed-space. Reference: Hackett,J. (2003). Shoulders hospital limited. Harvard Business Review.

“The storm” kate chopin Essay

Kate Chopin’s story is set in Louisiana in the early 1900s and in it she portrays the act of love and infidelity. There are two people in a marriage and it is important for each party to feel loved, special, and to receive their desired fulfillments. Chopin uses this story to depict the passionate urges that a person can be overcome with if they are missing it in their own relationship. In the short story â€Å"The Storm,† she uses the literary elements symbolism, point of view, and setting to reveal her perspective on the theme of marriage and fulfillment. Kate Chopin uses the approaching storm as a symbol of bringing the main characters back together. The two main characters, whom are former lovers are Calixta and Alcee. Alcee was coming upon Calixta’s house during the time of the storm and had to take shelter in her home while it passed. The storm is the most significant symbol in the story because it is portrayed as the reason for bringing Alcee and Calixta b ack together. Alcee and Calixta had not seen each other â€Å"very often since her marriage, and never alone† (Chopin 122) which made this approaching storm very convenient for the two because her husband and son were held up at the store and Alcee’s family was out of town. Also, in the story, Chopin describes the storm as â€Å"crashing torrents† (Chopin 123) which could symbolize the passion the two have for one another. The use of colors is also a sign of symbolism for both the lack of passion that is in Calixta’s marriage and also the passion that she has for Alcee. This does not mean Bibinà ´t doesn’t love or care about her because it is mentioned that he â€Å"purchased a can of shrimps, of which Calixta was very fond of† (Chopin 121) which meant he had his wife on his mind. The color white is the most significant color used throughout the story. White symbolizes innocence and purity and in the story it is used to describe Calixta’s breast and neck, and also the â€Å"white, monumental bed† (Chopin 122) that she shares with her husband which could indicate that their marriage is lacking the love and passion. Chopin also describes Calixta’s lips â€Å"as red and moist as pomegranate seed† (Ch opin 123) and the color red symbolizes passion and also danger. The story consists of five different sections and each section is being told from the point of view of different character. Kate Chopin’s use of this method gives the readers the opportunity to understand what is going  on through the eyes of each character. Bobinà ´t and Bibi were caught up at the store during the storm’s passing which left Calixta at home alone with Alcee coincidentally showing up. The story being told in third person omniscient lets the readers know that the narrator understands what is going on in the minds of the character. For example, early in the story the narrator points out that â€Å"she remembered; for in Assumption he had kissed her and kissed and kissed her until his senses would well-nigh fail† (123), which indicated that the narrator knows their thoughts and feelings; this takes place a lot throughout the story. Finally, the setting is a significant literary element because each character’s story takes place in different locations. While the storm was approaching, Bobinà ´t and Bibi were at â€Å"Friedheimer’s store and decided to re main there till the storm passed† (121) and they spent the majority of the story in that location. Next, there is Calixta and Bobinot’s marital home and is the most significant setting in the story because that is where the climax of the story takes place. While Calixta’s husband and son are away she invites Alcee into their home where the two proceed to have long awaited relations with one another. Finally, there is the least significant – but nonetheless, significant – town Alcee’s wife and kids are away at. In the end Chopin makes it seem that infidelity can sometimes be a good thing; after the affair it made both Calixta and Alcee better people as a consequence. The message of the story is not that adultery is only okay if it is necessary it is rather that marriage is between two people. To have a good, healthy relationship each person should be fulfilling of each other’s wants and needs. Through her use of symbolism, point of view, and setting, Chopin gives her readers the understanding of what marriage was like and how a woman could express her womanly fulfillments in the nineteenth century. Work Cited Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Storm.† Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 121-124. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Vol. 7th Edition. New York: PEARSON, 2013.

Breast reconstruction Essay

Breast reconstruction Essay Post-mastectomy Breast reconstruction Essay is not a simple procedure. Reconstruction of a breast is done when the natural breast has to be removed due to cancer or other diseases. Breast removal is referred to as mastectomy. The best candidates are women whose cancer has been eliminated by breast removal. Women with other health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure or smoking, may be advised to wait. Surgeons are now able to create a breast that can come close to looking like a natural breast. Reconstruction can be done immediately following mastectomy. The patient will wake up with a breast mound already in place. So the woman does not have to go through the trauma of waking up without her other breast. A tissue expander is inserted following the mastectomy to prepare for reconstruction. The expander is gradually filled with saline through a separate tube to stretch the skin enough to accept an implant beneath the chest muscle. After the surgery the breast mound is restored. The areola is reconstructed at a later date. With flap surgery, tissue is taken from the back and tunneled to the front of the chest wall to support the reconstructed breast. The transported tissue forms a flap for a breast implant, or it may provide enough bulk to form the breast mound without an implant. Tissue may be taken from the abdomen and tunneled to the breast or surgically transplanted to form a new breast mound. After surgery, the breast mound, and areola are restored. Scars at the breast, and abdomen will fade with time, but may never disappear entirely. Your reconstructed breast may feel firmer and look rounder or flatter than your natural breast. It may not have the same shape as your breast before mastectomy, and it will not match your other breast. But the difference will only be noticeable to you. For most mastectomy patients, breast reconstruction dramatically improves their appearance and quality of life following surgery. After your surgery you are likely to feel tiered and sore for a week or two after reconstruction. Youll probably be released from the hospital in two to five days. Many reconstruction options require a surgical drain to remove excess fluids from surgical sites immediately following the operation; they are removed within the first week or two after surgery. If youd like more information on this you can contact the American Society of plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and get a free brochure. Bibliography: .

Introduction to Organisations and Management Essay - 2

Introduction to Organisations and Management - Essay Example By comparing the two companies we will try to learn how these challenges can be solved. The difference in the management style of both the companies will also be discussed under the light of relevant theories of management and business. Watsons Engine Components and H&M Consulting are the two companies that will be discussed in the report. Watsons Engine Components is a manufacturing company of parts for car engines. It is a family owned business and is in a lot of trouble because of the increased competition in the industry. The human resource management issues are also staring the company right in the face. On the other hand, H & M Consulting is a consultancy company and has made massive inroads in many engineering and management sectors all over the world. Since its inception in 1989, it has grown into a large organization with a global presence. The company is doing very well and has a friendly culture which in turns yields good profits for the company. The differences between th ese two companies will be highlighted in the report. Organizational Design and Structure The first area of difference between the two organizations is the organizational structure. Structure in companies is very important because all communication is done within the organization according to its structure. The lower levels of employees communicate their demands and insights on the business through the structure. This is why the importance of organizational design in great. A major chunk of the problem of Watsons Engine Components lies in its organizational structure. The structure of the company is hierarchal and old fashioned. In a hierarchal structure, the flow of information is very slow. The communication gap in the company is very evident from the highly unionized employee base. When the voices of employees are not heard they feel compelled to make such forums where voices are raised. It is actually an individual need, to raise his or her voice about the work he or she is doing and in absence of proper communication channels unions are formed. Cross-functional integration is very important in environments where demand is unpredictable (Germain, Claycomb, & Droge, 2007). This integration is also lacking in Watsons Engine Components. The company is not interested in training employees so that they can work in different areas. The employees are not even motivated themselves to work hard because of the structural issues with the company. Employees working at the lowest level have great ideas about improvement of a product but these ideas are not heard because of the vertical structure of the organization. Workers find it difficult to communicate their ideas to the top management. The business activity of Watsons Engine Components requires a structure that is flexible. The company produces complex products that are engine parts. Innovation is actually required when manufacturing complex products and design structure is very important when developing complex pr oducts (Danilovic & Browning, 2007). This is because innovation will only take place when ideas from employees are listened to and implemented. In a business of manufacturing, the company should have a decentralized structure and a small company like Watsons Engine Components should have an open door policy. H & M Consulting, on the other hand, has a much-decentralized structure and this is the reason for their success.

Enrons Collapse and Ethical Framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Enrons Collapse and Ethical Framework - Essay Example This essay discusses the collapse of Enron company, that presented the social scientists, media and business professionals with several other ethical issues that are prevailing in the business world. The collapse of Enron meant that many employees who were working really hard would also lose their job. The investors or the owners of the company were faced with the ethical dilemma of whether to hold on to the stock and lose their money or to support the company for the sake of hardworking employees who had nothing to do with these frauds. The increase in power of auditors was another source of concern. The Laws that were legislated in response to the corporate failure were a fair attempt to institutionalize the ethical behavior. The harsh laws were implemented for executives trying to mislead using wrong or far-fetched financial figures. It also increased the terms jail sentences for executives that were found to have been involved in any abuse of their power. Auditors can now blackma il the accountants or people working in finance and abuse their power. This will lead to further problem for the companies and create further ethical issues. Both of these issues are related to truthfulness. The employees who are being fair in their work are losing their job despite being truthful and that is something iron. Similarly, auditors require to be truthful the shareholder and the committee that oversees their work. If they are loyal to them then no ethical issues will occur from the increase in power of auditors.

How having child would change or has changed your life Essay

How having child would change or has changed your life - Essay Example At first, I naturally felt anxious and scared of having a child because of the enormous responsibility that was ahead of me. But the moment my daughter was born, I learned to confront the challenge of raising my child. I became a braver person who faced her new life as a parent for the first time. From a once happy-go-lucky type of girl, I became more serious in taking care of my children and making sure that I secure their own future. It must have been a motherhood instinct that, as I faced parenthood, I immediately felt as though I could not afford being reckless with my actions and decisions. Indeed, I became more mature in making sound judgment and choices in life. When it comes to my personal relationship, I believe that having kids made me become more focused in keeping my relationship in harmony. When I was younger, I tend to be too demanding and impatient with my partner. However, as soon as my kids were born, I became more forgiving and understanding because I recognized the hardships that we both have endured while raising our kids. As much as possible, it was my goal to keep my family intact through communication and understanding. Together with my husband, I faced parenthood to provide the welfare, support, and happiness that our children need. We became more focused in securing our child’s well-being and making sure that both of our kids can find happiness within the family. Moreover, becoming a mother made me become more appreciative about my own parents. It dawned on me that they too must have sacrificed a lot to properly take care of me and my siblings. Because of this realization, I became close with my parents more than ever. I found myself being comfortable as I asked them questions about practical decisions on parenthood. I also patiently listened for their sincere advice and I have always been grateful whenever they extend help to my family When it comes to achieving goals, I have now mastered to base all my career decisions to whate ver is good for my family. For every career move that I make, I see to that it would be for the benefit of my children. When I was younger, I was more open to career changes, but when I had kids, I thought about securing my job for their future. I am working harder now and as a result, I am able to provide for their needs. With added focus on my work, I sometimes have barely enough time for myself. I am not able to hang out with my friends after work like I used to. Instead, I would always rush home to check and see my children. As a mother, I do not see this as a hindrance or curtailment of my personal freedom because I always look forward to be at home and enjoy quality time with my kids. Lastly, I believe that the most significant change that happened in my life because of motherhood is my renewed perspective of happiness. My previous idea of enjoyment changed a lot. Before, it was more about satisfying and thinking about myself. But now, it is more about sharing joy with my chil dren. I became selfless about happiness. And so, while parenthood gave more responsibilities in life, it also gave me twice the enjoyment and delight by simply seeing my kids smile. Aside from that, I developed adoration for other kids as well. Over time, I learned to engage more with them. I previously had a difficult challenge in dealing with kids before, but now that I have become more

Project Plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Plan - Coursework Example The newly developed product being addressed by this marketing plan is software with about 95% accuracy in predicting products that customers are likely to buy in the next 30 days. The software is a tool for obtaining information on buying habits from customers and their unmet needs and therefore, it accurately predicts future purchases. The software will enable businesses to obtain information concerning expected changes in customer taste or general demand trends for the various products they sale. The information collected can be utilized by businesses for timely matching of products supply with customer demand. English (2004) agrees that quality information is required for meeting customer satisfaction. The main goal of the company is to develop products that are timely in meeting customer needs and enhance their capacity to achieve their own goals. The company focuses more on software that addresses marketing and production needs and this is well achieved because of the company’s culture. Our culture as a company is to be a mile ahead in developing products for customers before they can request for them. As a result of this, the company dominates about 40% of the software market share due to timely product launching. Despite competition, the company has been able to maintain good profit margins due to its unique and timely products, a good marketing strategies and high level of customer satisfaction. Krell (2005) explains that efforts to achieve customer satisfaction will also enable a business to attain customer loyalty without much effort, fear for competition or customers shifting to substitute products despite changes in prices. Our company holds to a similar point of view and so customer satisfaction is the main value driver for the company. The main target customers for this product are businesses. This customer base is large due to the

Should juvenile be tried as adults Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Should juvenile be tried as adults - Case Study Example After Jory and Jeremy left Scorchers the four men followed them to their car, where they attacked and robbed them. The scene turned violent when the men shot both Jory and Jeremy at point blank range. The suspects fled in a stolen car. Jeremy was shot in the head and shoulder and later passed away. Jory, shot in the back of the head, remained in critical condition at Metro Hospital, with bullet fragments lodged in his body. Seventeen-year-old Rafael King turned himself in the next day, and the police soon arrested the other three suspects in connection with the shooting. Rafael King was the youngest of all the suspects in the case, but had a long criminal history from the time he was twelve-year-old boy. Rafael is now awaiting trial for his role in this violent incident. The question has been raised whether Rafael should be tried as an adult or be given the considerations afforded a juvenile. When making the decision as to the appropriate court to try teenagers that are under eightee n, we should consider a certain set of standards before trying them as an adult. One of the first considerations that are examined in the case of a juvenile, potentially tried as an adult, is the type and severity of the crime. Cases that are exceptionally violent or result in a death are often the ones most likely to be sent to adult court. Children as young as 12 years old have been tried as adults in some states, and "nineteen states allow capital punishment for 16- and 17-year-olds, and more than 70 juvenile murderers are on death row" (Grace). According to Hernandez, "If a juvenile commits one of 30 felony offenses spelled out in the law, ranging from murder to witness intimidation, the law allows prosecutors to send the case to adult court" (3). This is an indication that the public is willing to lower the age requirement when a capital crime or serious offense is involved. According to Steinberg, "Most reasonable people agree that a small number of offenders should be kept out of the juvenile system because they pose a genuine threat to the safety of othe r juveniles, because the severity of their offense merits a relatively more severe punishment, or because their history of repeated offending bodes poorly for their ultimate rehabilitation" (1). The severity of the crime brings in several aspects and considerations. As Steinberg points out, housing a criminal that is capable of heinous violence is beyond the capability of the juvenile holding system. They are minimum-security facilities that are not designed for maximum security situations. There can be no reasonable expectation that the public will spend the millions of dollars required to overhaul the juvenile jails and make them more secure. It is more likely that they will continue to transfer these cases to adult court, where they can be housed without being a threat to the juvenile population. While the current crime and its magnitude is a prime consideration, the juvenile criminal's prior record needs to also be examined. If there is a long history of criminal activity that includes violence, then this could be a candidate for a transfer to an adult court. The philosophy behind the juvenile court system was to provide an environment where a youthful offender could be rehabilitated and reenter society as they grew into adulthood. State laws call for juveniles to be released at the age of 18 or 21 years old, and the juvenile records are sealed. In this way, the offender is given a

Family business research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Fast Moving Consumer Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Food safety Essay Example for Free

Food safety Essay However, according to Unit 04 Communication of Health Consumers Directorate-General of the European Commission (SANCO): The Codex, while being recommendations for voluntary application by members, Codex standards serve in many cases as a basis for national legislation. The reference made to Codex food safety standards in the World Trade Organizations Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS Agreement) means that Codex has far reaching implications for resolving trade disputes. WTO members that wish to apply stricter food safety measures than those set by Codex may be required to justify these measures scientifically. So, an agreement made in 2003, signed by all member states, inclusive all EU, in the codex Stan Codex 240 – 2003 for coconut milk, sulphite containing additives like E223 and E 224 are allowed till 30 mg/kg, does NOT mean, they are allowed into the EU, see RASFF entries from Denmark: 2012. 0834; 2011. 1848; en 2011. 168, â€Å"sulphite unauthorised in coconut milk from Thailand â€Å". Same for polysorbate E 435: see 2012. 0838 from Denmark, unauthorised polysorbates in coconut milk and, 2007. AIC from France. Only for the latter the EU amended its regulations with (EU) No 583/2012 per 2 July 2012 to allow this additive, already used for decades and absolutely necessary. Australia[edit]Food Standards Australia New Zealand is working toward ensuring that all food businesses implement food safety systems to ensure food is safe to consume in a bid to halt the increasing incidence of food poisoning, this includes basic food safety training for at least one person in each business. Smart business operators know that basic food safety training improves the bottom line, staff take more pride in their work; there is less waste; and customers can have more confidence in the food they consume. Food Safety training in units of competence from a relevant training package, must be delivered by a Registered Training Organization (RTO) to enable staff to be issued with a nationally recognised unit of competency code on their certificate. Generally this training can be completed in less than one day. Training options are available to suit the needs of everyone. Training may be carried out in-house for a group, in a public class, via correspondence or online. Basic food safety training includes: Understanding the hazards associated with the main types of food and the conditions to prevent the growth of bacteria which can cause food poisoning and to prevent illness The problems associated with product packaging such as leaks in vacuum packs, damage to packaging or pest infestation, as well as problems and diseases spread by pests. Safe food handling. This includes safe procedures for each process such as receiving, re-packing, food storage, preparation and cooking, cooling and re-heating, displaying products, handling products when serving customers, packaging, cleaning and sanitizing, pest control, transport and delivery. Also the causes of cross contamination. Catering for customers who are particularly at risk of food-borne illness, including allergies and intolerance. Correct cleaning and sanitizing procedures, cleaning products and their correct use, and the storage of cleaning items such as brushes, mops and cloths. Personal hygiene, hand washing, illness, and protective clothing. People responsible for serving unsafe food can be liable for heavy fines under this new legislation, consumers are pleased that industry will be forced to take food safety seriously. China[edit]Main article: Food safety in the Peoples Republic of China Food safety is a growing concern in Chinese agriculture. The Chinese government oversees agricultural production as well as the manufacture of food packaging, containers, chemical additives, drug production, and business regulation. In recent years, the Chinese government attempted to consolidate food regulation with the creation of the State Food and Drug Administration in 2003, and officials have also been under increasing public and international pressure to solve food safety problems. However, it appears that regulations are not well known by the trade. Labels used for green food, organic food and pollution-free food are not well recognized by traders and many are unclear about their meaning. A survey by the World Bank found that supermarket managers had difficulty in obtaining produce that met safety requirements and found that a high percentage of produce did not comply with established standards. [6] Traditional marketing systems, whether in China or the rest of Asia, presently provide little motivation or incentive for individual farmers to make improvements to either quality or safety as their produce tends to get grouped together with standard products as it progresses through the marketing channel. Direct linkages between farmer groups and traders or ultimate buyers, such as supermarkets, can help avoid this problem. Governments need to improve the condition of many markets through upgrading management and reinvesting market fees in physical infrastructure. Wholesale markets need to investigate the feasibility of developing separate sections to handle fruits and vegetables that meet defined safety and quality standards. [7] European Union[edit]The parliament of the European Union (EU) makes legislation in the form of directives and regulations, many of which are mandatory for member states and which therefore must be incorporated into individual countries national legislation. As a very large organisation that exists to remove barriers to trade between member states, and into which individual member states have only a proportional influence, the outcome is often seen as an excessively bureaucratic one size fits all approach. However, in relation to food safety the tendency to err on the side of maximum protection for the consumer may be seen as a positive benefit. The EU parliament is informed on food safety matters by the European Food Safety Authority. Individual member states may also have other legislation and controls in respect of food safety, provided that they do not prevent trade with other states, and can differ considerably in their internal structures and approaches to the regulatory control of food safety. France[edit]Agence nationale de securite sanitaire de lalimentation, de lenvironnement et du travail (anses) is a French governmental agency dealing with food safety. Germany[edit]The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer. Protection (BMELV)[8] is a Federal Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. History: Founded as Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Foresting in 1949, this name did not change until 2001. Then the name changed to Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture. At the 22nd of November 2005, the name got changed again to its current state: Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. The reason for this last change was that all the resorts should get equal ranking which was achieved by sorting the resorts alphabetically. Vision: A balanced and healthy diet with safe food, distinct consumer rights and consumer information for various areas of life, and a strong and sustainable agriculture as well as perspectives for our rural areas are important goals of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV). The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety is under the control of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. It exercises several duties, with which it contributes to safer food and thereby intensifies health-based consumer protection in Germany. Food can be manufactured and sold within Germany without a special permission, as long as it does not cause any damage on consumers’ health and meets the general standards set by the legislation. However, manufacturers, carriers, importers and retailers are responsible for the food they pass into circulation. They are obliged to ensure and document the safety and quality of their food with the use of in-house control mechanisms. Hong Kong[edit]In Hong Kong SAR, the Centre for Food Safety is in charge of ensuring food sold is safe and fit for consumption. India[edit]Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, is the regulating body related to food safety and laying down of standards of food in India. New Zealand[edit]See also: Food safety in New Zealand The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), or Te Pou Oranga Kai O Aotearoa is the New Zealand government body responsible for food safety. NZFSA is also the controlling authority for imports and exports of food and food-related products. The NZFSA as of 2012 is now a division of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and is no longer its own organization. Pakistan[edit]Pakistan does not have an integrated legal framework but has a set of laws, which deals with various aspects of food safety. These laws, despite the fact that they were enacted long time ago, have tremendous capacity to achieve at least minimum level of food safety. However, like many other laws, these laws remain very poorly enforced. There are four laws that specifically deal with food safety. Three of these laws directly focus issues related to food safety, while the fourth, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Act, is indirectly relevant to food safety. The Pure Food Ordinance 1960 consolidates and amends the law in relation to the preparation and the sale of foods. All provinces and some northern areas have adopted this law with certain amendments. Its aim is to ensure purity of food being supplied to people in the market and, therefore, provides for preventing adulteration. The Pure Food Ordinance 1960 does not apply to cantonment areas. There is a separate law for cantonments called The Cantonment Pure Food Act, 1966. There is no substantial difference between the Pure Food Ordinance 1960 and The Cantonment Pure Food Act. Even the rules of operation are very much similar. Pakistan Hotels and Restaurant Act, 1976 applies to all hotels and restaurants in Pakistan and seeks to control and regulate the rates and standard of service(s) by hotels and restaurants. In addition to other provisions, under section 22(2), the sale of food or beverages that are contaminated, not prepared hygienically or served in utensils that are not hygienic or clean is an offense. There are no express provisions for consumer complaints in the Pakistan Restaurants Act, 1976, Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Act, 1996. The laws do not prevent citizens from lodging complaints with the concerned government officials; however, the consideration and handling of complaints is a matter of discretion of the officials. [9] South Korea[edit]Korea Food Drug Administration[edit]Korea Food Drug Administration (KFDA)[10] is working for food safety since 1945. It is part of the Government of South Korea. IOAS[11]-Organic Certification Bodies Registered in KFDA: Organic or related claims can be labelled on food products when organic certificates are considered as valid by KFDA. KFDA admits organic certificates which can be issued by 1) IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement) accredited certification bodies 2) Government accredited certification bodies – 328 bodies in 29 countries have been registered in KFDA. Food Import Report: According to Food Import Report,[12] it is supposed to report or register what you import. Competent authority is as follows: Product.

Climate change Essay Example for Free

Climate change Essay In this era of industrialization there is no doubt that countries are developing in terms of resources and technology but there are repercussions as well. Scientists are of the view that human activities are contributing to not only a rise in world temperatures but also to the extreme climatic occurrences. Such climatic induced natural disasters have displaced many people from the shelter of their homes, have turned fertile lands into barren parts and have caused a depletion of fresh water resources (China tells rich nations to pay up on climate change, 2008). â€Å"It is predicted that the average global temperature will rise from between 1. 5 and 5 degrees Celsius over the next 100 years leading to a rise in sea level by one meter or more along with other disastrous climatic changes† (Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies, 2002). But the world today is so engrossed in reaching the top most position amongst industrialized countries that there is absolute ignorance about the causes of climatic disasters. Although there are people who believe that the drastic temperature increase over the last 100 years is a natural phenomenon, but the wide majority of the scientists argue that human activities are the root cause. â€Å"When it was realized that the radical climatic changes are an important issue and need to be tackled, the first milestone was launched in 2005, termed as the Kyoto protocol which aimed at reducing the gas emissions from industrialized countries† (Pettifor, 2008). But the main problem regarding this protocol is that some of the world’s biggest current and future polluters are not a signatory to this agreement as a result of which this protocol is unlikely to have any impact on the climatic changes (Climate Change, 2008). Population growth in such countries is allowing for the set up of more industries which will eventually accelerate the problem on hand. If technologies which cause less pollution and are comparatively cheaper are created and adopted then even countries which are not committed to the climatic change improvement will adopt them for their own economic self interest. Such technologies can be implemented in electricity production and transportation because these are the two factors which contribute to environmental pollution in all developing countries. In many countries carbon free alternatives have already been implemented for energy production and transport purposes and the added costs have been considered to be meager when compared to the benefits. Emission trading is a phenomenon that allows for the achievement of pollution reduction at reduced costs whereby a country which is able to meet its target of reducing emissions sells its pollution permit to another country which is unable to meet the target set (Howden, 2007). Policies are required both in developing and the developed countries to finance the regime of saving the planet. These policies include certain incentives and subsidies for the innovator who adopts the carbon free technologies in his production plant , taxes and charges enforced on those who fail to follow the reduced emission target and also government regulations that allow remove the barrier to entry for new entrants willing to adopt the lower carbon alternatives. In January 2007 the EU set out proposals for a global agreement on saving the planet from further climatic deterioration (Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies, 2002). Two key targets to be met by 2020 were set which included a 20% reduction in energy consumption and use of renewable energy resources to be increased by 20%. The EU countries also committed to cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions by 30% given that other developed countries also commit to reductions in gas emissions under a global agreement (Climate Change, 2008). It is the rich countries that need to be pressurized to take steps in the mitigation of climatic changes and provide finance for the poorer countries that may be reluctant to cut down on emissions since it would have adverse affects on their economy (Climate Change, 2008). In spite of the current economic turmoil which the entire world is facing, the U. S has promised to provide subsidies to the car industry to help them develop green cars which will help in creating a cleaner and less polluted environment. This step taken by the U. S motivated the EU member states to do the same. Similarly the German government is thinking of offering tax incentives to the general public to install energy efficient heating systems in their homes and to purchase the carbon free, environmentally friendly green cars. And the list goes not stop here, governments of different countries are thinking of providing subsidies to industries to produce green appliances, green airplanes, efficient lighting equipment, and better insulation and so on (Howden, 2007). To implement all this money is required which is expected to come from private investors. In the future years it is predicted that a vast portion of government spending will be directed towards saving the environment from climatic changes (Pettifor, 2008). China, one of the most enthusiastic country in dealing with the climatic change crisis has emphasized on the need for rich nations to contribute 1% of their GDP to help poorer nations counter the effects of the drastic climatic changes, to enable them to adopt the ‘green technologies’ and to simply assist them in tackling disasters like earthquakes, floods, heat waves and droughts (China tells rich nations to pay up on climate change, 2008). A main human activity which is adding to global warming is deforestation which has been occurring worldwide at a large scale. Carbon emissions caused by deforestation cause far more damage then either factories or cars do. Countries are implementing strict regulations regarding deforestation and have imposed penalties on those indulging in this act on lands where it is prohibited. No new technology is required it is just the enforcement policies, political will and incentives that need to be provided to government and individuals alike to make them realize the importance of forests to the environment. But poorer nations are unwilling to cut down on deforestation since it means compromising on their source of income and ultimately compromising on their economy. Forestry experts and policy makers have held meetings in Germany to try and put deforestation on top of the agenda of UN for dealing with climatic changes but Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s poorest nations refused to co-operate when it declared that it can’t cut down on deforestation unless it was offered financial incentives to do so. Natural forestation acts as a thermostat for the earth generating much needed rainfall and stabilizing the amount of harmful gases in the environment yet governments are ignorant or rather choose to stay unaware of this fact and are focusing more on implementing economic policies , encouraging bio-fuel subsidies and carbon capture schemes to tackle the problem of climatic changes (Summary for Policy Makers, 2007). For domestic users of energy, education and training programs need to be implemented to break down the reluctance of adopting environmentally friendly products and to help in creating a carbon free environment. For industries as well staff training, rewards system, awareness programs can reduce energy consumption considerably and reduce the green house gases emissions (Pettifor, 2008). There are certain economic policies which can be implemented to achieve the desired effects like taxes and charges on industries emitting carbon toxicants above a certain given level can be imposed which will induce them to eventually cut down on polluting the environment. Voluntary agreements between the governments and industries as well as between developing countries like the Kyoto protocol can accelerate the adoption of technological advances and cause considerable emission reductions (Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies, 2002). But on the other hand it needs to be kept in mind that although harsh regulations and standards and tax impositions may have the desired effect in the industrial sector but when it comes to domestic households, who are also a major contributor to environment emissions due to car usage and domestic heating, we need to think out of the box and come up with more feasible and practical solutions Individuals need to be convinced of the need to adopt technology and embrace ‘green appliances’ and for that the main motivation is the monetary incentive. Majority of the global population is not an early adopter of technology and for their sake it needs to be kept in mind that they will look for reduced costs rather than being termed the most techno-savvy person of the year (Pettifor, 2008). People need to be educated rather than forced into adopting renewable energy resources. Same goes for the industrial sector of the rich nations though harsher methods to cut down on their emissions can be applied as well by the government. It is the poorer nations that show the maximum reluctance and are unwilling to co-operate in the regime to save the earth from further climatic destruction. These nations are more concerned about their economy since already they are far behind the rich nations and on top of that the international bodies impose restrictions on them to cut down on emissions which eventually mean a restraint on their business operations (Summary for Policy Makers, 2007). The short term efforts that are being done to save the world from global warming and ozone depletion are basically a waste of resources and money since they tend to have little effect. It would be wiser to spend more yet come up with long term viable solutions which promise an improvement in the climatic conditions. Those who are worried that the cost of saving the world from climatic changes need to realize that the atmosphere cannot determine if the reduced carbon emission has come from an expensive decision or a cheap choice because it can only feel if the emissions have reduced or not. Works Cited 1. China tells rich nations to pay up on climate change. (2008, November). Retrieved November 9, 2008, from NewScientist. com: http://environment. newscientist. com/article/dn15148-china-tells-rich-nations-to-pay-up-on-climate-change. html? DCMP=ILC-hmtsnsref=news1_head_dn15148 2. Climate Change. (2008). Retrieved November 6, 2008, from EUROPA Commission: http://ec. europa. eu/environment/climat/home_en. htm 3. Climate Change: Economic Sense and Non-sense of Carbon Mitigation Policies. (2002). Centre for Economic Performance , 2. 4. Howden, D. (2007, May 14). Deforestation: The hidden cause of global warming. Retrieved November 8, 2008, from The Independent: http://www. independent. co. uk/environment/climate-change/deforestation-the-hidden-cause-of-global-warming-448734. html 5. Pettifor, A. (2008, October 28). Beyond the triple crisis: a green new deal. Retrieved November 7, 2008, from http://www. opendemocracy. net/article/beyond-the-triple-crisis-a-green-new-deal 6. Summary for Policy Makers. (2007, May 5). Retrieved November 5, 2008, from http://www. globalpolicy. org/socecon/envronmt/climate/2007/0504ipccthree. pdf

What Makes Citizens Trust Political Institutions Politics Essay

What Makes Citizens Trust Political Institutions Politics Essay Issues of distrust in political institutions are very common in post-communist states in Europe. Even though trust is one of the key components for a successful democracy, the communist regime has left a trail of political distrust which will last for generations. When trust is low, the government cannot operate efficiently, and that creates further distrust, and a vicious circle is created (Mishler Rose, 1997: 419). This scepticism in post-communist Europe creates a paradox, because the states want to become more democratic, and see the senior EU members as an example of democracy and a direction they should be heading to, however the distrust in political institutions slows down the growth of the democracy and declines citizen participation in politics. It is reasonable to argue that no government should have an absolute trust as it might create instability. The trust in political institutions has been declining steadily since 1991 even in Western democracies, for example in Brita in the percentage of citizens who trust politicians decreased from 33 to 16 per cent.  [1]  In order to improve democracy in Eastern and Central Europe, political parties face a challenge of dealing with cynicism and distrust when communicating with the society. It is understandable, because many people, especially from the older generation, have lived a large portion of their life under the communist regime, and that changed their views on politics dramatically. Communist parties created various institutions such as party and trade unions, however the citizens felt it was all initiated by the state and did not intend to strengthen the civil society, but instead it was a tool to which was used to reduce the liberty of the society and create political conditions favoured by the leaders of the communist party. Instead of participating voluntarily, the citizens were forced into political participation or compliance by the communist party, and that resulted in further distrust of po litical institutions and destroyed free social life. This essay contains two main parts in the first part theory of institutional trust will be examined. The second part will be an analysis of Mishler and Rose article, which intended to explain issues of political trust in post-communist societies in Europe.  [2]  In the last bit of this essay both theory and the published article will be looked upon together, and a final conclusion will be made. Theory It is critical to understand the theory of political trust before we can proceed with the further research. Political trust is different compared to the personal trust. In order for an individual to trust someone, he needs to know that person quite well. However, political institution is not an individual and it is difficult to develop that kind of trust. The citizens trust institutions in a different way on a presumption that they will complete their duties as a governing body. Even though it is known that trust in political institutions has been declining steadily over the past two decades, there has been limited amount of research made purely on Eastern and Central Europe. Two main types of theories are identified which explain trust in political institutions in a different way cultural and institutional theories. Cultural theories explain political trust by the values and attitudes towards politics. Inglehart (1997) argued, that we form these values while we are growing up, and by the time we are eligible to vote we already have our own opinions towards politics, and it is extremely uncommon for an adult to change his political attitude completely. The trust in politics emerges from a non-political sphere, an overall life experience. In that sense, political trust is an addition to persons interpersonal trust, which develops while we are growing up and while we interact with others. Interpersonal trust can be affected by outside sources, for example the media, which is a big part in todays society; it can shape an individuals opinion towards something even if the individual does not have a good understanding on that subject. Many other factors can contribute towards an individuals attitude towards political institutions education, parents social status or the overall experience with institut ions while growing up. If a child is born in a family with high social status they are more likely to have better education. There has been evidence of correlation between familys social status and the childs trust in political institutions (Tong, 2007). Cultural theories argue that because cultural values are rooted to people when they are growing up, at least a few generations should pass in post-communist states in Europe before we can notify a significant increase in trust of political institutions. However, the trust of political institutions cannot be assigned only to the way people are brought up. Economic conditions of the state and overall well-being of the citizens might re-shape the values of the society. Because of that, the citizens can be categorised into two groups materialists and post-materialists (Inglehart, 1998). Materialist values for a successful democracy depend more or less solely on economic performance of the state if citizens are happy with the economic situation in the country, they are likely to trust the political institutions. Post-materialists, on the other hand, focus towards personal freedom and individuality, and therefore they might have issues of trusting political authority. Social background of the citizens is also important in cultural theory. Many post-communist states in Europe have a diverse population, and there might not be a lot of unity towards the political trust. For example, about one quarter of the Estonian population is Russian.  [3]  A question emerges whether the Russian population in Estonia would trust political institutions, because after the Independence was restored in 1991, the Estonian government shifted to a completely new direction and Estonia became a right-winged state. And indeed, there is a lot of tension in Estonia, as the Russians demanded that their language should be adopted as the second national language in Estonia. Despite these demands, the Estonian government did not give in, and even got tougher on Russian speaking citizens they might lose their jobs if they do not speak Estonian. This results in a clash of interests and Russian distrust in political institutions. However, cultural theories do not state that everyone goes through the same process, and everyone has a different experience of trust in life. Therefore, we should not assume that every citizen in a social group (based on age, race, ethnicity etc.) has the same attitude towards political institutions or interpersonal trust. Cultural theories have been criticized by Fukuyama, as he stated that it is in the human nature to develop a trust for groups and individuals who often interact directly. However, the degree of interpersonal trust varies significantly among democracies, and therefore we cannot make an assumption that high trust in political institutions is necessary for a successful democracy (Fukuyama, 1999). Institutional theories focus on the model of rule and the performance of the political institutions. If they perform well, that creates a sense of trust among citizens and benefits the democracy in the state. Institutional theories do not see the governments performance in the past or cultural aspects of individuals life as decisive factors on individuals political trust, although they can influence an individual to a certain degree (Mishler Rose, 2001:36). Unlike in cultural theories, short-time effects are stressed as highly important. Institutional theories make an assumption that citizens make rational choices by evaluating the political and economic performance of the political institutions. In that respect, citizens need to have a previous experience of interaction with an institution, or at least to have some knowledge about it. Institutional theories do not agree which factors are the most important when measuring the performance of the government. In Western democracies, th ey usually focus on economic conditions and policy performance, when in post-communist societies different measurements can be used. For example, the reduction of corrupt political officials or the liberalization of trade can be extremely important in post-communist states, because Eastern and Central Europeans have been oppressed for decades. By making these policy changes the governments are more than likely to receive positive feedback from the citizens, and that results in strengthening the trust of the institutions. However, institutional theories do recognize the importance of individuals values and political affiliations. If a citizen was in favour of communism, his trust of political institutions might be decreasing, despite the good performance of the new democratic government. It is important to understand, that not everyone sees economic factors as the key priority, and that people have very different values in life, and one model does not apply to everyone. Institutional theories have a significantly different approach towards the future of the political trust in post-communist countries. Unlike in the cultural theories, institutionalist scholars believe that trust for newly formed democratic institutions can be generated in a much shorter period of time (Mishler Rose, 2001: 33). If the newly formed government performs well economically and the citizens are happy with the new democratic system it should not take generations to develop the trust for political institutions. Micro and macro theories Both cultural and institutional theories can be sub-categorised into two dimensions micro and macro. It is important to distinguish the differences between them, because political trust is a very complex issue and these dimensions will play a crucial part in analysing Mishler Rose publication in section 5. Micro dimension is linked with an individual, while macro dimension is focused on the society as a whole. Both micro theories state that political trust is different among individuals, due to different background, experiences or individual perceptions. On the other hand, both macro theories see trust as a value, which is shared by all members of the society (Mishler Rose, 2001: 33). Macro-cultural theory has very limited interest in trust of individuals, because they focus on national traditions and sees society as one body, which either trusts political institutions or not. Micro-cultural theories, on the other hand, emphasise the importance of the individual within the society . Personal experiences are the main subject of focus, and the opinions on political institutions are formed by every member of the society individually. The differences between micro-institutional and macro-institutional approaches are even more significant. Macro-institutional theories are shifted towards the performance of political institutions while micro-institutional theories leave the evaluation of political performance to the individual. Both micro-institutional and macro-institutional theories have three implications. Firstly, with the accurate sampling, decent research techniques and sensibly asked questions the responses about trust of political institutions will be quite accurate on how well the system is actually performing. Secondly, if the political institutions do not have a high public trust, this can be fixed in two ways by either lowering the public expectations for the institutions or by improving the efficiency of the institutions. And thirdly, these theories r ecognize an indirect relationship between trust in political institutions and social trust. This relationship is expected to be strong on the aggregate level of societies, but not on the individual level (Newton Norris, 2000). This is because the trust of the political institutions is the direct outcome of the performance of the government, just like people trust others by knowing how they acted in the past. Measurement of trust Measurement of trust is a tricky concept. Most surveys, such as Eurobarometer or European Social Survey, ask only one question in order to find data on causes of political trust. That is why new approaches of theory are useful; however their implementation in current study seems to be a very difficult task. To current day different scholars use different methods and variables to measure political trust. Many different sources of literature have been used for this essay, which enabled me to see a pattern in scholars research on measuring political trust. However, I will be using Putnams model (Putnam, 2000) which, to my understanding, provided the broadest explanation and measurement of trust. This model consists of five key concepts, which need to be examined thoroughly in order to develop an understanding and measurement of trust. The reader must bear in mind that the questions asked about these five concepts were made up by me, as I found them to be the most relevant. However, in t he next paragraph of this essay the authors of the examined article used different methods and different questions in their research. The five concept approach was selected because I argue that it provides the best measurement of trust the literature could offer, despite being just a recommendation. The first concept is civic engagement, which, according to Putnam, has four dimensions (Putnam, 2000). Political activity is the first dimension, however it is impossible to justify an individuals political involvement by asking just one question (with the exception of question Do you engage in any kind of political activity? and the answer being no). A series of questions need to be asked in order to determine ones involvement in political activity, such as Have you voted in your local election?, Have you recently contacted any elected official about a certain issue?, Do you participate in local council meetings?. The second dimension of civic engagement is volunteering activity, and the respondents should be asked whether they volunteer for political, cultural, religious or charity organizations. The third dimension is leisure activity, and we should ask whether the respondent is attending any group meetings, for example, a book club or football practice. Leisure activities are im portant, because they are the key attributes of interpersonal trust. The last dimension is the engagement with the media, and the respondents should be asked how often do they watch the news on the television or the radio and how often do they read the newspaper. The possible answers to all the questions should be based on frequency, as Putnam argued that voluntary participation in civic engagement increases the trust among the citizens. The second concept is trust. Again, this is a tricky question and it needs to be approached with caution. The respondent should answer three questions whether he trusts the majority of the society, whether he trusts local political institutions and whether he trusts federal or international institutions. The third concept is social demographics, because according to cultural theory on the micro level, personal experiences are important and should have significant results in institutional trust (Mishler Rose, 2001: 34). The questions for this concept should reveal the age, social status, gender, education, occupation and marital status of the respondent. All this information is commonly used in analysis of political trust (Job, 2005: 8). The fourth concept is the government performance and, according to micro-institutional theory, a decent performance by the government allows the citizens to trust the institutions, as long as the needs of the society are being met. The questions for the respondents should ask do they feel any corruption in their institutions and whether they would support the decision to provide the government with more power for implementation of law and security. If the citizens are in favour of giving the government more power, it means that political institutions are generally trusted. However, this puts the citizens in a difficult position, because more power to the government leads to stricter control and therefore less democracy. The fifth concept is the world views and general well-being. The well-being most commonly determines whether the citizens will blame the government for being incompetent or not. If the majority of the population feels happy with their lives, that means political institutions are doing good work, and that increases the trust in society. The world views might have major consequences on political trust as well. We should ask the respondents their willingness to co-operate with the government and comply with the law. There should also be a question on whether the respondents feel overall happy or not and whether they feel secure under the current government or not. A negative response would indicate distrust in the current government. The analysis of the publication This section of the essay analyses Mishler and Rose article What are the origins of Political Trust?: Testing Institutional and Cultural Theories in Post-communist societies. The authors used two datasets, which were both compiled in 1998. The first dataset comes from the fifth New Democracies Barometer (NDB), and it contains data from nine post-communist countries Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania. Each country had around 1000 respondents in a face-to-face interviews. The second dataset comes from the seventh New Russia Barometer (NRB), and it contains 1904 face-to-face interviews. Both datasets used probability samples, in order to increase validity of the research. The authors used the following question for determining the trust in political institutions: There are many different institutions in this country, for example, the government, courts, police, civil servants. Please show me on this 7-point scale, where 1 represents great distrust and 7 represents great trust, how much do you personally trust in each of the following institutions (Mishler Rose, 2001: 40).

The Pandas Thumb -- Stephen Jay Gould Essay -- essays research papers

The Panda’s Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History With a touch of humor, geology, evolutionary theory, biology, cartoon characters and even some references to baseball, The Panda’s Thumb definitely makes excellent reading for people with all types of interests. The old clichà ©, â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover,† or in this case, title, holds true for The Panda’s Thumb. Theories concerning adaptations of the panda are only a fraction of the many exciting facts held within the pages of this publication. Gould is able to put what he writes about in words that are easy to understand without compromising the quality of the information. Many questions are raised in this book. Some questions that science just can’t answer at the moment. Time is a major theme in some of the essays in The Panda’s Thumb. I found these essays of utmost interest. Stephen Jay Gould writes as if you were sitting in a chair across from him having an insightful conversation. His essays are written in ways that are down-to-earth, entertaining, and easy to understand. Bits of humor are scattered throughout the book. One passage read, â€Å"The history of any one part of the earth, like the life of a soldier, consists of long periods of boredom and short periods of terror.† These little scraps of humor are placed in the just the right locations. After reading one of his essays concerning bipedalism (walking on two feet) I chuckled at the following statement, â€Å"It is now two in the morning and I’m finished...

Reducing Sex Segregation at Work and Home :: Womens Studies

Reducing Sex Segregation at Work and Home Paula England in her article "Work for Pay and Work at Home: Women's Double Disadvantage" treats women's lives in our society. She presents us a double disadvantage in women's lives: disadvantage at work and disadvantage at home. A sex segregation exists. Almost all jobs are filled by one of the sexes. Because of socialization and employer's discrimination there is a gap in earnings between men and women. Also at home women do the bulk of child rearing and other work. Compared to 40 years ago the men have increased their contributions at home. Also sex segregation and the pay gap are reduced, but they still exist. However, because roles are changing the truth is in most families people are now negotiating about the work at home. According to David Molpus, studies show that especially among two-job couples there is an agreement about equal sharing at home when the man and the woman both work full time. Mothers and fathers find different ways to contribute to childcare and other household work. They like equal parenting and don't want to leave their children in the hands of strangers. Equal sharing at home gives the fathers opportunity to stay more with their children and to know more about their lives. To do so, working-class couples try alternating their work shifts, and middle-class couples try working at home for one or two days. They both share enjoyment and the sacrifices of their family. I like and support the changes that are taking place now in our society. Equal sharing in both child rearing and domestic work is the best thing couples can do in their family. Children at home are such a joy and happiness. They need both the mother and the father to take care of them. I think the parents should have the same feelings. It is so important for fathers to spend more time with their children, to know what they like and dislike. This way they will enjoy their kids and their love. It is a sacrifice for some parents to work different shifts, but sacrifices also keep the family close. When you go home tired from work, their hugging and kissing is such a joy and rest for you. Smiles in their faces are love and life. Fathers that share child rearing have more love in their family. Also equal sharing in other domestic work like cooking and cleaning, fixing things and paying bills or shopping is important for family.

Live With Lightning Essay -- Essays Papers

Live With Lightning The main hero of the novel is looking for an answer to the question: â€Å"What is his place as a scientist in the world.† The book focuses on the historic period from the 30s till the end of the World War II. A common American post-student wants to become a scientist. He has nothing except his talent, courage, patience, persistence, and strong will to devote his life to physics. On obtaining his diploma and his appointment as an assistant and teacher in the University of Columbia, he spent his summer washing dishes, working at a gas station in a place with a significant name High Hope. He found by chance that he had taken the job from a man who had a family to support. Eric Gorin moved on. When asked whether he is especially interested in any particular field of physics, Eric frankly answered that he didn’t know enough about any of them yet. One of Eric’s professors Hollingworth is very kind to him, but physics is only a career, his way of making money. Eric was going to teach freshman physics lab and take his own courses towards his doctorate as well. â€Å"You’ll probably find the first year rather confusing and hard work to teach between the two schedules, but things will straighten out for you after a while. â€Å" – indifferently notices Earle Fox, department chairman. Eric is proud of talking to the Nobel Price winner, such a prominent figure in science But Earle Fox is a good artist. No one could guess how empty and unhappy his life is, the life of a skeptic and pessimist, the life of stereotype and standard. He never cared for the work, never put even a spark of passion into it. No soul there could be in the pure, abstract science. The men Fox saw had a fine and delicate intelligence, but the society which had reared them, had also told them that they were working in fields that were foreign to mainstreams of ordinary endeavor. The knew the verdict pronounced on them was the opposite of justice, they had made themselves willing to believe that science which they found most interesting in life had no connection with life. They found the peace, which made work possible. So that from disenchantment with the science, he had progressed to contempt for its practitioners and to a still profounder contempt to what he did. Earl Fox is the first symbolic impediment for Eric. He asked Gorin what made a young man choose of all... ...e going to make the grade as a civilization. The millennium was at hand. But the hopes were destroyed; atomic energy was used as a threat, open or implied to frighten other countries. He preferred painful, distressing truth to a peace-giving lie. He chose his way, and understood that every lab in the country was under pressure buy the military men and the people who had deliberately confused the bomb with atomic energy. He says: â€Å" I’m not going to be any Earl Fox. No student will hear me say, â€Å" What difference does it make?† Everything makes a difference now. Indifference is condemnation of the human race said Febermaher. Indifference is innocence sinister, which makes the minds and souls deliberately atrophied. When Americans asked, with horror, â€Å" How could the Germans be made to believe such things?† Febermaher was tempted to reply, â€Å" What makes Americans think that they would be any different†. Indifference is the bovine stupidity with which a herd of cows watch one of their own number being slaughter. And this sinister innocence is the ultimate cruelty of the universal kind. In America it is called cruelty, in Europe, the other side of the coin was called practicality.

Personal Values Development Essay

In each and every day of an individual’s life he or she has to face various kinds of decisions. He or she has to make simple choices like the clothes to wear for a particular day or the right food to eat. There are also crucial and important decisions that can change his or her life such as choosing a career path or moving to another state. Nevertheless, individuals also have to assess the way in which they will deal with particular situations as well as their interaction with other people. In these instances, it is very important that every individual has a particular ethical standard that he or she must adhere to. These will serve as a basis in which a person could be guided according in his or her decisions and actions. It is also important to realize that in almost all of the choices that a person made there are corresponding consequences that will directly or indirectly affect the person who made the decision and even other people. Being the case, it is vital that an individual’s decision-making process is governed by ethical standards. Personal values can be considered as an ethical standard of an individual. These are the morals and principles that he or she believe and uphold. His or her judgment is usually based upon these personal values that he or she stands for. In the process of his or her interaction with other people as well as his or her stance regarding specific societal issues are usually guided by personal values. Simply put, the personal values of an individual govern his or her behavior. The development of these personal values does not happen overnight. In order to enhance the personal values of an individual ample amount of time is needed and important factors around him or her must also be given due consideration because these greatly influence the formation of his or her morals and principles. Personal values tend to developed as an individual matures. The level of maturity of an individual that is enhanced by the different situations and challenges that he or she went through also contribute to that person’s perspective and attitude ethical behavior. The formative years of a child is the most important phase by which values and principles could be instill in him or her. It is during this time that a child simply obeys and believes in almost anything that a parent or other adults would teach him or her. This could be exemplified by my personal experience when I was still a kid. I remember that my parents applied the concept of reward and punishment in disciplining me when I was just a young child. They would give me things that I want like toys and food such as chocolate and candies as long as I follow what they instructed me to do. My mom would usually say that I am doing the right thing that is why I should be rewarded. On the other hand, whenever I disobey their wishes like when they told me not to play in the mud, I would be reprimanded. They would punish me by spanking me and then explaining why they have to result to such action. Due to these, at a young age, I learned that if I do what is right then I would reap the benefits of it while doing the opposite would entail consequences that I must suffer from. As such, it developed in me that in order to acquire good things I must do what is right. When I was in pre-school, I started to interact more with kids that are around my age. I can say that my teachers at that time influenced some of the values that I formed in my life. Every recess period, most of the kids like me would usually spend their time in the playground. Almost all of the children were allowed to bring their favorite toy at school. One time, when I was playing with my toy, a classmate of mine approached me and asked if he can see it. At first, I was hesitant to let him borrow it but then our teacher approach me and convinced me that I should share it with him. My teacher further explained that for other people to also lend me their toy I should also do the same thing to them. This was one of the instances that I realized the principle of reciprocity wherein in order for you to be treated nicely you should also do the same for others. An individual get what he or she gives out (Maxey, 2005). This principle of reciprocity was further developed in me when I started to become aware of my religious faith. My family gives importance to our religion, which is why it has become part of their responsibility in rearing us to also enhance our spiritual growth. Our religion has played an important role in their method of disciplining us. They would see to it that the rules and regulations that they impose upon us coincides with our religious teachings. One of the most important lessons that I will always remember is the Golden Rule. The idea of the Golden Rule is also similar with the principle of reciprocity wherein it states that â€Å"Do not do to others what you would not like yourself† (Teaching Values, 2000). I also found out that this exact teaching also exists in other religious belief. This value was instilled in me in a sense that most of the time before I do something I always think of its possible consequences. I would place myself in the shoes of other people and analyze what I would feel if this particular action is done towards me. Since then I became conscious of my decisions. This could be best exemplified by my idea of respect wherein in order for other people to respect me I must also give the same courtesy to them. However, I later found out that not all people are guided by this same kind of principle. There are those who would still do you harm regardless of whether you do good things to them. I found this the hard way when I was in high school. I experienced interacting with students who are considered as bullied of the campus. During my freshman year, they approached me in this good natured manner and I thought that they were actually trying to be friendly to me. Later on, I realized that I was just part of a joke wherein they would ask me to do a lot of things for them like their school works and asked me to run errands for them. The time came when I had enough of such kind of maltreatment and I started to stand my ground and told them that I would no longer obey any of their orders. At first, they were shock with such kind of reaction coming from me but later on they just let me go as they no that they could no longer bully me. In this situation, I realized that there are instances that the golden rule is not always applicable because even though you behave properly toward other people there are still those who would take advantage of you. Due to this, I also realized when to fight and stand your ground in defending your right especially when other people are violating it. As I grow older, I become exposed with more harsh realities of the world. There are situation wherein people tend to put their selves in an advantageous position at the expense of others. I experienced this kind of event when one of my classmates encouraged me to cheat in one of our exams. He told me that he got the set of questions from one of his friend who was in charge of the copying machine. This classmate of mine asked me to help him in answering the questions. In doing so, we are both sure that we could get high grades for this subject. However, doing so would be very risky not only for us if we get caught but also for our other students who are also taking that subject because the teachers would automatically impose a re-test and will surely make a harder exam questions. The situation would indeed be beneficial for me and for my friend if we successfully accomplish it but it would be detrimental for many people if not. The costs in this situation are greater than its benefits. As such, I decided not to participate in this kind of cheating and I was able to also encourage my classmate not to do it. The influence of my family, religion, and educational institution as well as the various events that I have to go through was able to help me in developing my personal values. My personal values tend to focus on doing what I deem is right and just that will not only benefit me but also take into consideration the welfare of other people. Having this kind of morals and principles are very essential especially when the time comes that I already have to pursue a career in my chosen field of profession. This would help me in dealing with various kinds of people that have different personalities and attitude from each other. Moreover, this would also guide me in making decisions and choices when it comes to the challenging situations that I will encounter I my future endeavors. My personal values also adhere to the principles of some theories of ethics. The morals that I adhere to during my childhood days up to my older years is greatly exemplified by the ideas of Cognitive Moral Development. As proposed by Lawrence Kohlberg the idea of ethics could be acquired through education. Just as people develop other aspects of their being, they could also develop ethical values. As an individual matures, he or she has to go through different stages of ethical thinking that helps him or her to know oneself better. A person strives to make the next level better than the previous one in his or her process of moral development (Northern Arizona University, n. d. ). This described the development of my personal values that improves and become wider and diverse as I get older. My values in life that follow the principle of reciprocity and the teaching of the Golden Rule could be linked to the Universalism theory of ethics. The Universalist perspective explains that ethical principles should be applicable to everybody and not merely to an individual or group of people (Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2002). In the same manner, the concept of reciprocity and the Golden Rule is similar to the Universalism theory of ethics because it gives emphasizes that an action made by one person should also be applicable to other people. An individual should put his or her self in the position of others to see if such decision or action is also agreeable to them. Lastly, the instance wherein I gave importance to the welfare of the majority of schoolmates instead of the benefit my friend and I will get from cheating follows the tenets of the Utilitarian theory of ethics. Utilitarianism asserted that a right act is the one that gives the greatest amount of good as compared to evil for all people concern (Northern Arizona University, n. d. ). In this sense, I was able to apply the utilitarian concept in the development of my personal values. The development of an individual’s personal values is largely dependent upon many aspects. Some essential factors are the span of time and level of maturity of a person. This allows him or her to interact with other people and experience various events. In relation to this, the people around an individual like his or her family and friends also have a great influence in the formation of his or her values in life. Different institutions like the church and school also help in molding the morals and principles of a person. In all of these, it can be said that personal values are something that an individual can learn, change and enhance in order for it to adhere to the beliefs that he or she uphold. Having this personal values are indeed important to guide a person in his or her journey in life.