Diagnosis and Treatment

For many Americans it is difficult to come to terms with any type of medical diagnosis. Some may know the warning signs and simply ignore them. Unfortunately mental disorders have plagued many people for years. Going without diagnosis and treatment can have devastating effects to themselves and their families. According to the National Institute of Mental Health â€Å"Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder† (NIMH, 2009). These disorders come in several forms and can have many different warning signs. For some these signs or symptoms can be mild and for others the signs are immediately noticed. â€Å"Mood disorders are characterized by disturbances in mood or prolonged emotional state sometimes referred to as affect.† (Psychological Disorders, 2010) Because everyone has their own mental capacity it can be difficult for a professional to diagnose. Some people can’t cry unless it is a highly emotional situation, others can cry at the first sign of emotional distress. While others may show anger in a stressful situation and some may feel the tendency to laugh. These are all nature human behaviors; each of these emotions can also be signs or symptoms of mood disorders. Because these signs and symptoms are so broad and are also specific to several different mood disorders they can be misdiagnosed for years. The range of mood disorders can vary but there are significant signs and symptoms to look for. For some with mood disorders they have extreme highs and lows, meaning that they are extremely happy one minute and can be extremely sad the next. In patients with depression you may see that the â€Å"person feels overwhelmed with sadness; they may have loss of interest in activities and display other symptoms such as guilt or feelings of worthlessness.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) According to the National Institute for Mental Health â€Å"Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44† (NIMH, 2009) These patients usually have experienced the loss of happiness in everyday life. They may be your co-worker, family or friend who has issues with concentration, sleep, or has become reclusive. Even though depression is a mood disorder in itself, there are several forms of depression. Generalized depression is the person who has become withdrawn from life; they may sleep too much or not enough. Another form of depression is clinical depression; this form is much more severe and can be deadly. Unfortunately â€Å"depressed people may be plagues by suicidal thoughts or may even attempt suicide.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) Apart of the signs and symptoms of clinical depression is that the down feel does not go away after time. Those with clinical depression stay depressed; they are unhappy and have moments of extreme depression. â€Å"Some depressions can be so intense that people become psychotic-that is, they lose touch with reality.† (Psychological disorders, 2010). This form can make people believe in a false reality. They often feel as though everyone is out to get them or that they are being subjected to inhuman activities. Depression can be treated in many ways depending on the severity of the disease. There are many drugs out on the market today to help with the symptoms of depression. Generalized depression has become a popular trend in commercial marketing. The signs and symptoms are often discussed and the public is educated on talking to their physician if they may have any of the signs of symptoms that are listed in the commercials. Because of the frequency of these commercials more and more people have followed the trend and are speaking to their physicians about the possibility of depression. According to the CDC â€Å"approximately 15.7% more people were diagnosis with depression or related diagnosis in 2006 compared to 2005.† (CDC, 2006) Some studies may suggest that the increase in diagnosis is directly related to the public awareness brought forth by the commercial campaigns to promote new medication to treat depression. The treatment for many forms of depression is through various forms of medication. These forms of medication are often referred to as antidepressants. The compounding for these drugs are typically neurotransmitters or inhibiters. Some help to produce or block particular chemicals in the brain that are possible causes for particular forms of depression. Counseling can also help those that are suffering the effects of depression. For some counseling may be prescribed with or without the assistance of medication. Speaking to a medical professional about the diagnosis of depression can help each patient to be individually treated for the symptoms of the depressive disorder. Even though the public has a higher level of awareness when it comes to depressive disorders it is still important to seek advice from a medical profession. Reference http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml Diagnosis and Treatment For many Americans it is difficult to come to terms with any type of medical diagnosis. Some may know the warning signs and simply ignore them. Unfortunately mental disorders have plagued many people for years. Going without diagnosis and treatment can have devastating effects to themselves and their families. According to the National Institute of Mental Health â€Å"Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder† (NIMH, 2009). These disorders come in several forms and can have many different warning signs. For some these signs or symptoms can be mild and for others the signs are immediately noticed. â€Å"Mood disorders are characterized by disturbances in mood or prolonged emotional state sometimes referred to as affect.† (Psychological Disorders, 2010) Because everyone has their own mental capacity it can be difficult for a professional to diagnose. Some people can’t cry unless it is a highly emotional situation, others can cry at the first sign of emotional distress. While others may show anger in a stressful situation and some may feel the tendency to laugh. These are all nature human behaviors; each of these emotions can also be signs or symptoms of mood disorders. Because these signs and symptoms are so broad and are also specific to several different mood disorders they can be misdiagnosed for years. The range of mood disorders can vary but there are significant signs and symptoms to look for. For some with mood disorders they have extreme highs and lows, meaning that they are extremely happy one minute and can be extremely sad the next. In patients with depression you may see that the â€Å"person feels overwhelmed with sadness; they may have loss of interest in activities and display other symptoms such as guilt or feelings of worthlessness.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) According to the National Institute for Mental Health â€Å"Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44† (NIMH, 2009) These patients usually have experienced the loss of happiness in everyday life. They may be your co-worker, family or friend who has issues with concentration, sleep, or has become reclusive. Even though depression is a mood disorder in itself, there are several forms of depression. Generalized depression is the person who has become withdrawn from life; they may sleep too much or not enough. Another form of depression is clinical depression; this form is much more severe and can be deadly. Unfortunately â€Å"depressed people may be plagues by suicidal thoughts or may even attempt suicide.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) Apart of the signs and symptoms of clinical depression is that the down feel does not go away after time. Those with clinical depression stay depressed; they are unhappy and have moments of extreme depression. â€Å"Some depressions can be so intense that people become psychotic-that is, they lose touch with reality.† (Psychological disorders, 2010). This form can make people believe in a false reality. They often feel as though everyone is out to get them or that they are being subjected to inhuman activities. Depression can be treated in many ways depending on the severity of the disease. There are many drugs out on the market today to help with the symptoms of depression. Generalized depression has become a popular trend in commercial marketing. The signs and symptoms are often discussed and the public is educated on talking to their physician if they may have any of the signs of symptoms that are listed in the commercials. Because of the frequency of these commercials more and more people have followed the trend and are speaking to their physicians about the possibility of depression. According to the CDC â€Å"approximately 15.7% more people were diagnosis with depression or related diagnosis in 2006 compared to 2005.† (CDC, 2006) Some studies may suggest that the increase in diagnosis is directly related to the public awareness brought forth by the commercial campaigns to promote new medication to treat depression. The treatment for many forms of depression is through various forms of medication. These forms of medication are often referred to as antidepressants. The compounding for these drugs are typically neurotransmitters or inhibiters. Some help to produce or block particular chemicals in the brain that are possible causes for particular forms of depression. Counseling can also help those that are suffering the effects of depression. For some counseling may be prescribed with or without the assistance of medication. Speaking to a medical professional about the diagnosis of depression can help each patient to be individually treated for the symptoms of the depressive disorder. Even though the public has a higher level of awareness when it comes to depressive disorders it is still important to seek advice from a medical profession. Reference http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml

Education in America vs. Education in Third World Countries

Education in America vs. Education in Third World Countries A few weeks ago, I was walking downtown, when this random came up to me and said â€Å"You in school? That’s good, that’s good. Education is important. † From the state of her hair and clothes, and the smell of her breath, I assumed she was homeless. I didn’t really pay much attention to her, because homeless people are so common in downtown Atlanta. I was just hoping that she wasn’t going to ask me for any money! After a while, I started thinking about what the homeless woman had said; â€Å"Education is important. Growing up, I had always been taught that people who lived in the streets had been afforded the same opportunities as I had, but they had simply chosen to ignore them. So, if this woman had basically thrown away her life, why was she here preaching to me that education was important? How far had she gotten with her education? Was she like my great-grandmother, and lacked the sk ills to read and write? Literacy isn’t something that I spend a lot of time thinking about, mainly because all of the people that I surround myself and the people they surround themselves with are all capable of reading at proficient levels.Of course, I was always aware that some people had disabilities that made it harder to read, like dyslexia, but it never occurred to me that some of them allowed for the hindrance to completely turn them off to reading. Is it possible that I have been taking my literacy skills for granted? In this paper, I plan to explore literacy in America, and how it compares to the value other nations put on literacy and even our own country before public schools were instituted. Being literate is defined as any person over the age of 15 that can read and write.The United States had a literacy rate of 99% in the year 2003, according to the CIA census. 99%; almost our entire population is capable of reading and writing at a proficient level. Who does th e least 1% represent? The homeless? Or the dyslexic people who are too embarrassed to admit they need help reading? Every person in America is offered the opportunity to receive an education, admittedly some educations are not the same quality as others, but everyone is definitely offered an education.While 99% of the country is literate, a test conducted by National Assessment of Adult Literacy 14% of US residents have increased difficulty reading at their level. According to the afore stated definition, these people can be classified as illiterate, because they don’t met the standards of what is considered literate, since they have difficulty reading at their proficiency level. Is the lack of literacy due to lack of focus in class while the foundation for reading and writing were being laid, or does 1% of the United States Population that are classified as illiterate completely comprised of people who live with dyslexia?I can’t imagine that the government would knowi ngly incorporate people with documented learning disabilities when it comes time to calculate our nation’s literacy rate. That would be almost intentionally miscuing the results, because you’re including people who have hindrances that keep them from reading and writing at a level equal with their age. It’s also just downright insulting. Can you imagine not only having the s disability that makes you work twice as hard, but to be called illiterate for something you have no control over?Centuries ago, the idea of being able to read and write was a mere parlor dream among the majority of our population. The skill was reserved only for the kings and queens and the other extremely wealthy people of that time period. The commoners who truly wanted a better life for their children would probably have sold everything they owned if it meant their child would have the opportunity to learn to read and write. In today’s society, however, such sacrifices are not nece ssary to make. Our government ensures that an education is made ready to every child in the country.Education is such an available resource in our country that we don’t even think twice about it. We are inevitable taking it for granted. When did such knowledge become common place to us? There are times when I visit my great-grandparents house, and they start telling me all sorts of stories about how they didn’t even get to complete more than a third grade education, because they had to stop going to school in order to support their families. That was their reality; not having that education as available to them as other kids did.The richer, white families of that time period where the only ones who could afford to send their children to school on a daily basis, some even going as far as to ensure that their child received a quality college education. It often came down to that; money. In the end, it will always be the richer families, or even the richest countries that can afford to educate their youth. In lower-income developing nations, going to school is nowhere near a reality. The idea of buying money enough to buy school clothes, shoes, books, paper, encils, and any other supplies necessary for the learning environment is non-existent, because there just isn’t enough money for them to afford it. These are the absolute poorest places in the world; particularly Africa . Every time I turn on a television, regardless of what channel I may be watching, I am almost guaranteed to see a commercial about a charity trying to raise money to support the children in Africa . It’s heartbreaking, to say the least, to see the sad expressions on their sallow faces. I think to myself, that’s not what I was doing when I was 5 or 6. I was outside, playing in the yard, or stuffing my face with ice cream.I wasn’t worried about where my next meal would come from, or whether or not my only water source was toxic enough to kill me. The sa ddest thing I can remember about my younger days is when my parents forced me off the jungle gym to do my homework, because I like any other kid my age, hated reading and writing. Not because it was hard, or even that I was being required to do it; I hated reading and writing because that’s what we always did. Every day, for most of my day, the teacher had us reading directions aloud and writing spelling words and sentences over and over and over again.However, had I switched places with one of those sad-faced kids in Africa , they would have never complained about the amount of reading and writing required of them. They would have relished every single second of the knowledge that they gained in hopes of one day using it to help their families get to a better place. In those types of countries, literacy is to them as it was to us back when the only people who could afford to learn where the ones who didn’t have to work from sunrise to sunset in order to keep their fam ilies from starving.There, education is one of the most valuable resources, because so few have access to it. I remember learning in an economics class that the less you had of a product, the more valuable it became, like diamonds or oil, and vice versa; the more you have of a product, the less valuable it becomes. That’s what happened to our value on literacy in America . Before, when only a few people were awarded the privilege of learning how to read and write, everyone wanted it. I guess you could almost compare it to fads in today’s society.Whenever we see our favorite A-list celebrities wearing this bag or that hat, we rush out to the nearest boutique, and pay whatever ridiculous price they ask for it. Maybe that’s it. Since literacy and education have become so common place in our society that we have moved on another aspect to occupy our attention. Think about it for a moment. How many people in the United States have a Bachelor’s degree? A Master ’s degree? According to U. S. Census Bureau more than 40% of people 25 years and older in the United States has either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree.There’s a saying, â€Å"When everyone is one thing, then no one will be. † Well, in this case when everyone is smart, then no one will be. Since a large enough portion of our population has these degrees, they are slowly starting to lose their value. Even some fast food restaurants are beginning to require that people over a certain age have to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in order to work at their establishment. What does this say for our future? Will we eventually reach a point where even a Doctorate degree holds no value in our economy?What will that mean for the homeless people, or those individuals with learning disabilities, or even people who just have a genuinely hard time keeping up with their course load? Will they be weeded out as Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution s uggests â€Å"Only the strong survive†? But in this case, the strongest are defined by their intelligence. Will they all eventually starve due to the fact that they can’t find a job, because standards are set so high? If the current trend continues, I think it’s definitely possible that eventually even the Doctorate degree will hold no real value.Especially with the way our counselor’s motivate us. They tell us that it’s not just enough to get an â€Å"old-fashioned† 4-year degree anymore, because that’s what everyone has already. No, if we want to compete in the job market, we have to set ourselves above that bar. Logically, that supports my hypothesis. Just think about it for a second. You’re telling an entire generation of kids that the generation that came before them did the now-average-thing by attending four-year institutions.Now we have to go up and beyond that, by obtaining our graduate degrees, and if we really want t o raise the bar, going as far as to earn our Doctorate. Where does that leave the generation that comes after us? In the same position we find ourselves in now. The problem with our country is not that we take literacy for granted. On the contrary, we are steadily improving and bettering ourselves by pushing each generation to do better than the last. Our problem lies with the fact that eventually; there will be no more up to go.

Compare and Contrast of “The Lottery” and “AVOMWEW”

Humans sometimes feel that stereotypical beliefs or values are the black and white of life. In contrast, people are also unfitted to accept misleading truth. The perpetuation of archaic gender roles in â€Å"The Lottery† and the inability to accept unconventional truth in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† highlights the negative effects of unexamined or misplaced values. In the attempt to accept truth, the townspeople in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† finds out the truth in an unexpected manner.The incapability to accept unconventional truth in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† explains the negative effects of unexamined values and beliefs. For example, the family in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† calls in a neighbor woman who knows everything about life and death to see the man. â€Å"He’s an angel†¦ He must have been coming for the child, but the poor fellow is so old that the rain knocked him dow n. † People will often turn to, or use religion as an alternative to examine truth.â€Å"The Parish priest had his first suspicion of an imposter when he saw that he did not understand the language of God or know how to greet his ministers. † When realizing the truth is not unorthodox, the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place. â€Å"That was how Father Gonzaga was cured forever of his insomnia and Pelayo’s courtyard went back to being as empty as during the time it had rained for three days and crabs walked through the bedrooms. Generally speaking, accepting unconventional truth leads to stereotypical beliefs.The longevity of archaic gender roles in â€Å"the lottery† highlights the negative effects of misplaced beliefs or values. For example, when the â€Å"wife draws for her husband† it feels very out of place. The townspeople are not used to a woman drawing let alone draw for her husband. â€Å"Don’t you have a grown boy to do i t for you, Janey? † In these times, the men and boys are the leaders of households and hold the authority out in public compared to women.â€Å"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example†¦ The girls stood aside, talking among themselves, looking over their shoulders at the boys. † The authority of men plays a big role of how well the children listen and respond to their mothers. The women start to call the children â€Å"and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mothers grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones.His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his place between his father and his oldest brother†. The sexist theme of the story explains in great detail how discriminatory the times back then were. In conclusion, the perpetuations of archaic gender roles in â€Å"The Lottery† and the in ability to accept unconventional truth in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† highlights the detrimental effects of unexamined or misplaced values.

Different Kinds of Engineering Material Assignment - 1

Different Kinds of Engineering Material - Assignment Example Brittle fracture basically is a fracture where there is a rapid run of cracks within the stressed material. In this case, the crack works much faster and it is difficult to understand the fracture before failure occurs. The scientific principle in the brittle fracture is that the crack moves close to the perpendicular where the stress is applied, because of this action, there remains a perpendicular fracture which leaves a flat surface at the broken area. Apart from having a flat fracture surface, brittle material more or less showcase a pattern on their fractured surface. Fatigue is the most common material failures found in the engineering field. Fatigue is a kind of failure mode where the material tends to fracture by means of progressive brittle cracking with regard to a repeated cycle of stress. Here, the stress implied on the material is of lesser intensity which means below the average strength. Creep is a failure mode which occurs on engineering materials at an elevated speed. Basically, it is seen on stainless steel when there is constant stress on the material with exposure to high temperatures. According to â€Å"The stress that produces a specified minimum creep rate of an alloy or a specified amount of creep deformation in a given time (for example, 1% of total 100,000 h) is referred to as the limiting creep strength or limiting stress†. The destructive test method is performed to understand the strength, hardness, and toughness of a material. The test utilized here is the stress test and for this purpose, the material chosen was the aluminum crank arm. The specimen was obtained and different loads and stresses were applied on the same. The destructive testing which is also known as mechanical testing displayed some results when stress was put on the iron with the help of a hammer.  

Financial Statement Analysis & Security Valuation Essay

Financial Statement Analysis & Security Valuation - Essay Example The Morrison plc relies on the viable, competitive benefits and the corporate picture or image regards for improvement the strategic requirements. The financial analysis will make use of Reformulation, ratio, valuation using AOP and FCF model (including sensitivity and WACC calculation) to help in creating a meaningful summary of information based on financial statement of the company. The exhibited big difference between cost of goods sold (CGS) to sales and selling, general and administrative expense to sales indicates that Morrison Plc classify their costs based on the major expense category differently. The unexpected dividend changes normally results to the signaling effects and wealth-transfer. The transfer of the wealth between the debt holders and the equity holders in the market depends on the unexpected changes in the market; hence, the wealth transfers in the market (Fabozzi & Grant 2000, 87). The signaling effect is the change in the stock prices in the market with the unexpected change in the dividend. The unexpected increase in dividend will normally signal the decrease in the price of the stock in the market. The dividend is a significant determinant of the operation in the market because it determines the future earnings of the managers in the market. The higher dividend implies that the managers are reducing the agency problems between them and th eir shareholders; hence, they will be able to involve the shareholders in the increase of stock price (MacMinn, 2005, p. 20). The dividend policy determines the payment of which the business will pay to its shareholders. It determines whether the business will be paying the fraction of the profit to the shareholders, or they will be keeping the whole profit in the business (Baker & Kolb 2009). The dividend policy determines the image the firm will be able to uphold in the market especially to the investors. The market

Marketing Term Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Marketing Term - Research Paper Example Through engaging the consumer in a dialogue that promotes community and goodwill, there was no advertising campaigns until 2004, the company depending on word of mouth to promote its interests and gain a following. That following measures more than 4 million members, worldwide (Bloomberg). The marketing that has been engaged since 2004 has seen some turmoil with the perceived competitor, Weight Watchers, being directly confronted in a campaign, but the adversary fought back with a court injunction which ended that campaign. However, it might be concluded that Curves gained better publicity as being put in a position as a threat to Weight Watchers, so much so that they were directly confronted through legal action to shut down their advertising. This is a wise strategy, however, the company may soon face the same problems that Weight Watchers faces, which is as their targeted demographic ages out and the rising younger set sees them as a dinosaur of their mother’s age, combatin g a dated image will create an issue. Weight Watchers has confronted their problems through advertising that mimics the Jenny Craig advertising, using celebrities to promote their success through publicly visible weight loss on their programs. However, where Jenny Craig has used a middle aged set of celebrities, Weight Watchers used Jennifer Hudson to kick off their campaign, a decidedly younger star. This leaves curves facing the same problems as Weight Watchers in that through promoting a socialized setting, the age group becomes relevant to the attraction to the program. The following assessment will discuss the current and past methods of marketing that have been introduced for Curves. The background of the company will be given an overview in order to provide context in understanding the nature of the current standing of the company. An analysis of the marketing strategies and their results will be assessed for the successes and failures that have been experienced. A SWOT analy sis will then be conducted in order to provide an overview of the nature of the company in regard to how it will impact a marketing plan. The SWOT analysis will be addressed for the ways in which it can be utilized to address the future of the company. Finally, a summary of the marketing direction of Curves will be made with recommendations for addressing weaknesses and threats through exploiting the strengths and opportunities that are present. Background Curves International Fitness for Women has franchises in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia and Asia. The company has well over 6000 stores, with the rate of their expansion earning them a title in the Guinness Book of World Records (Heavin and Colman 2). The first store was opened in Harlingen, Texas, with the first franchise opening Paris, Texas in 1995 with all stores now being a franchised venue (Curves International Fitness for Women). The company was opened in 1992, and by 2003 had expanded to the 6000 stor e mark, placing them in the record book. Hoovers lists more than 10,000 company stores are in existence to date. Gary and Diane Heavin opened the stores with a specific demographic in mind. Gary Heavin had ten years of experience in the fitness industry before designing this model with a specific target demographic (Funding Universe). The intention was to address the needs of women through nutrition and efficient exercise that kept the sessions short, thus providing an easy

Rational Approaches to Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rational Approaches to Organizations - Essay Example It also highlights through examples how taking an open system or a natural systems approach could benefit managers. Rational Approaches to Organizations Rational approaches present a planned and systematic approach to decision making. Applying such an approach helps managers to maintain order and resoluteness in the decision-making process. Dyck (1997) observes that rational approaches generate reason and order through a sequence of steps starting with the discovery of an opportunity or a predicament and culminating with measures to be undertaken in regard to the decisions reached. Mintzberg (1990) argues that rational approaches are based on meticulousness of analysis and assessment of all probable courses of action. This may be appealing to managers considering the fact that future actions are predetermined at the strategy setting stage. Rational approaches to strategy formulation comprise environmental scanning, portfolio and industry analysis, all which are focused on establishin g the business opportunities and threats. Environmental scanning helps managers to determine the nature of the operating environment and to set strategies for utilizing emerging opportunities as well as dealing with potential threats (Robbins & Barnwell 2006). Portfolio analysis is the formal structured examination that encompasses decisions regarding the relative significance of the accessible business opportunities where a company can invest. It allows the management to devise strategies that can supplement the business portfolio in regard to emerging investment openings and products (Ferraro et al. 2005). Industry analysis helps managers to understand the nature of a particular market in which an organization presently sells its products or is planning to penetrate in future. Such rational approaches allow managers to determine the significance of the various strategic business units and prioritize the allocation of resources depending on market attractiveness (Williamson 2000). Strategy development through this process culminates in a well-detailed scheme with various courses of action that are meticulous with monetary aspects and resource affiliated data. This process is characteristic of the standard SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) analysis in strategy development. Mitzenberg (1990) developed a comparable approach to strategy development. His planning approach involves formulating a strategy with a time line, goals and objectives which are stated and formulated to help achieve the organizational objectives. A plan is a critical source of direction for the company since it contains clearly stated objectives. Planning is a continuous process as variables keep changing hence the need for management to be ready for changes through out the organization’s life cycle (Glueck 2009). Litzenberg's planning model is limited in the sense that it is suitable for static operating environments otherwise the management needs to continuously review plans in a constantly changing environment. Plans can also not be relied upon in the long run due to technological and infrastructural advancements. The rational approaches integrate an evaluation of the organization and its operating environment with the underlying assumption that changes in the business environment will seldom affect the plan.  

Home Depot case study for Strategic management for mba class

Home Depot for Strategic management for mba class - Case Study Example Switching costs were low in this industry and this situation assisted consumers to change their retailers easily. In addition, the industry faced threat of substitutes because many products had close substitutes available. In 2006, buyers’ bargaining power was high as they had different market options and good understanding of various brand choices. In contrast, supplier power was low as majority of the retail players received suppliers from a large number of distinct vendors. Need of high initial capital investment eliminated the threat of new entrants to some extent at that time. The home improvement industry underwent tremendous changes over the next six years. Degree of rivalry got intensified because the price factor became paramount. As compared to 2006, threat of substitutes became higher in 2011 mainly because of the innovation and development of improved substitute products. By 2011, the industry adapted to a competitive pricing strategy and this situation added furth er value to buyer bargaining power. Naturally, suppliers were also forced to provide material to retailers at minimum cost; hence, supplier power further declined in 2011. Similarly, threat of new entrants also reduced to a considerable extent because new entrants found it difficult to confront with huge players like Wal-Mart. 2. While analyzing the market environment of the Home Depot for the year 2006, brand awareness seems to be the most competitive strength of the company. The Home Depot was the world’s largest home improvement retailer during that time, and this dominance boosted its brand awareness. Increased utilization of rapid deployment centers also added to the strength of the company as this strategy contributed to the efficient supply chain operations. In addition, the organization’s simple and distinct business model has entirely changed the way consumers shop home improvement

John Q Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

John Q - Essay Example â€Å"John Q† is a highly romanticized representation of real world financial trouble that is experienced by normal people such as George Tillman on a regular basis. Denzel Washington’s character in the movie is a common man with a common name who encounters extraordinary problems. John is a factory worker and is experiencing financial hardship in lieu of his hours being cut. At a baseball game, his son passes out and the parents soon discover that the son is in desperate need of an emergency heart transplant. Although the family has health insurance, the coverage will not provide for such an expensive procedure. John is able to convince a heart surgeon to complete the surgery at a lower cost but he is still unable to cover the costs. Faced with the impending death of his son, John holds the hospital hostage in order to complete the surgery. In the end, his son receives a heart transplant but John must serve time in jail. The article about George Tillman deals with a similar circumstance but applies to a real world setting. Mr. Tillman found himself on welfare and living in a shelter with his children after quitting his security job. However, Tillman was able to pull himself out of the system and even founded a successful business enterprise after receiving work training. Tillman was an outspoken critic of the system and continually wrote to government agencies to voice his complaints regarding the inefficient nature of work training agencies. The two men both faced daunting circumstances that could have potentially damaged their families. In the case of John Q, the healthcare crisis in the United States is examined and criticized. A common man took on an unfair system, but was forced to resort to violence when everyone refused to help him. John Q’s story is highly romanticized because in real life situations, holding up an emergency room is not an option. Tillmans

Can freedom be measured Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Can freedom be measured - Essay Example Can freedom be measured? In some fashion, it would appear so, as many organisations and institutions attempt to quantify freedom utilising various matrices founded on specific criteria which is intended to define freedom. However, the operational definition of what legitimately constitutes freedom, in a fashion that would satisfy the majority, has yet to be developed which makes freedom measurement difficult to justify using existing criteria in various quantitative or qualitative measurement instruments. Hanke and Walters (1997) sees freedom as being invariably linked with political factors, such as the presence of democratic systems within a state and individual wealth. With this in mind, in democratic structures, many nation states attempt to create capitalistic systems, an economic and social system where various economic assets are owned and managed by private individuals, where capital gains are allocated to private ownership, and where pricing is determined by private business with very limited regulation of these capital assets by dominating or oppressive political actors (Degen 2008). If we are to view freedom from an economic perspective, then freedom can most assuredly be measured statistically. An individual attempting to measure freedom could potentially examine the distribution of wealth within a nation and determine whether the majority of wealth is held within elite ruling regimes with considerable power and authority or whether these assets are controlled by the majo rity of a citizenry. Utilising graphic representations, it would illustrate whether this economy being evaluated maintains significant capitalistic tendencies, as compared to other nations where assets are controlled by government, to determine whether this society is freer than another. Of course, such a statistical measurement would be dependent on wealth as a

The Theory Of The Unitary Executive Essay Example for Free

The Theory Of The Unitary Executive Essay The theory of the ‘unitary executive’ posits that the constitution vests all executive power in the executive. Thus it is a breach of the constitution for other arms of the executive to try and limit the powers of the president in his execution of his duties. Attempts by Congress to limit the ability of the president to prosecute the war on terror should be seen in this light. President Bush established the Department of Home land Security in the aftermath of the 9/11 bombings and most of the executive orders he has made since then have taken advantage of this theory. He has been able to consolidate a lot of power in the executive and is at the risk of becoming a dictator. In the process of establishing security safeguards the, executive has trampled on the rights of the citizens. The executive has appended signing statements to a number of bills that congress has passed that in essence would have limited his authority. An example of this is the bill H. R. 986, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 , which the president signed a statement saying that he will construe the provisions on the law in accordance with the theory of the unitary executive. This in effect circumvents any limitation the bill placed on his administration spending funds on national security. Cheney’s law shows how the vice president was instrumental in helping the executive to amass more powers by using the constitutional tools at his disposal. By invoking the principle of the unitary executive, the president was able to have his way on such blatant violations of the constitution like the torture and detention of prisoners of war on Guantanamo Bay. Wiretapping of people’s phones without a judge’s warrant was allowed on the basis of mere suspicion that one was a member of a terrorist organization. The sweeping powers given to the department of Homeland Security made it possible for any suspect to be picked up, tortured and detained all in the name of maintaining security and winning the war of terror. Cheney and David Addington interpreted the law in their own way so as to fulfill their objectives. They had the audacity to present the view that the president had the authority to ignore international agreements like the Geneva Convention because the constitution of the US allowed him to. This buildup in presidential powers was not without controversy and many people in the Justice Department disagreed with the assertions made by Cheney and his advisors. The illegality of the actions being taken was tantamount to usurping the constitution and overturning international law. Under normal circumstances there should have been an investigation into the president’s conduct but because the administration intimidated people citing the 9/11 terrorist attacks, few people stood up to challenge the blatant misuse of presidential powers. Taking advantage of Ashcroft’s illness, the White House appointed its point man, Gonzales, to the post of attorney general. He quickly overruled any objection his office had concerning the extrajudicial measures that Bush had put into place to fight the war on terror. This action will frustrate the prosecution of individuals who may have committed crimes in the name of unitary executive mandate. I believe that the new administration should repeal a number of the executive orders made by Bush concerning the war on terror and a commission be appointed to look into the excesses committed by fronting presidential powers that do not explicitly exist under the constitution.

Mass programming Essay Example for Free

Mass programming Essay PLDs are standard ICs, available in standard configurations. They are sold in high volume to many different customers. PLDs may be configured or programmed to create a part customized to a specific application. They have a single large block of programmable interconnect and consist of a matrix of logic macrocells that usually consists of programmable array logic followed by a flip-flop or latch. Types of PLDs are PROM, EPROM, PAL and PLA. PROM uses metal fuse that can be blown permanently. EPROM uses programmable MOS transistors whose characteristics are altering by applying a high voltage. PAL or Programmable Array Logic consists of a programmable AND logic array or AND plane, and fixed OR plane. PLA or Programmable Logic Array has a programmable AND plane followed by programmable OR plane. Based on type of programming PLDs may be classified as Erasable PLD (EPLD) and Mask-programmed PLD. It is characterized by customized mask layer and logic cells (Smith, 1997: 14). (Smith, 1997) Advantages Fast design turnaround. Disadvantages Mass programming is not possible. It is more complex than PLDs. A field programmable gate array is a VLSI circuit that can be programmed in the user’s location. A typical FPGA consists of an array of hundreds or thousands of logic blocks surrounded by programmable input and output blocks and connected together via programmable interconnections. There is a wide variety of internal configuration within these devices. The performance of each device depends on the circuit contained in their logic blocks and their efficiency of their programmed inter connections. Here none of mask layers are customized. There exists a method for programming basic cells and the interconnect. The core of FPGA is a regular array of combinational and sequential programmable basic logic cells. It has a matrix of programmable interconnect that surrounds the basic cells and programmable I/O cells around the core. A typical FPGA block consists of look up tables, multiplexers, gates and flipflops. The look up table is a truth table stored in a SRAM and provides a combinational circuit functions for the logic blocks. These functions are realized from the truth table stored in the SRAM (Smith, 1997: 16). (Smith, 1997) Advantages Design turnaround is a few hours The truth table can be re-programmable. Easy to layout on PCBs. Disadvantages The memory is volatile and presents the need for the look up table content to be reloaded when power is disrupted. Routing is easily blocked. The design requires extensive CAD tools to facilitate the synthesis procedure. FPGAs may be broadly classified as homogenous and heterogeneous FPGAs. As the name implies homogenous consists of only one type of logic cell and heterogeneous contains different types of logic cells. They can also be classified as Island type, Hierarchical and Row based FPGAs. Island Type FPGA It is common to Xilinx and Altera. Here, the logic blocks are arranged in a matrix form. They are interconnected by horizontal and vertical routing wires. The routing wires are connected using programmable routing switches. (Sharma, 2005) Hierarchical FPGAs It comprises of a tree based interconnect structure. The leaves represent logic blocks. Two types of connecting boxes are present. The hexagon shaped boxes represent non compressing switches (no. of root going tracks = twice the no. of incoming tracks) and the diamond shaped boxes represent compressing switches (no. of root going tracks = no. of incoming tracks).

Jazz Age A Clash Of Cultural Values History Essay

Jazz Age A Clash Of Cultural Values History Essay Cultural civil war (Digital History), Symbolizes the era of the 1920s. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald labeled this decade the Jazz Age. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, he criticized the exterior and possessive lives of Americans after the war. The traditional lifestyles were fading away while the luxurious, party lifestyle flourished. Throughout the 1920s Americans continually tested the universal image of desired behavior. The decade was shaped by wealth, parties, moonshine, and sexually expressive dancing. The changing lifestyles developed major cultural conflicts within America. Alcohol, music, immigration, racism, and flappers of the 1920s illustrate the changing lifestyles brought about by the jazz age. During the 1920s, alcohol was the greatest contributor to the lifestyle changes and cultural conflicts. These changes eventually became noticed by the governing power, and on January 16, 1920 the 18th Amendment came into effect. The 18th Amendment, known as prohibition, was the forbidding by law of manufacture, transport, and sale of alcohol. Along with 18th Amendment, congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce the new prohibition on alcohol. The mob and gangsters took advantage of the opportunity and began smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and became quite profitable. Alcohol was smuggled in from Mexico and Canada, also being shipped from abroad to the U.S. from Europe and the Caribbean. Canada was exporting roughly a million gallons of alcohol to the United States a year. Bootleggers made their own drinks with wood, alcohol and medical supplies, sometimes causing blindness, paralysis, or death. In The Great Gatsby, and in the 1920s, bootlegging was sociably acceptable. In F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel, Nick comments on Gatsbys house after his huge party, telling him that his house party glowed immensely like the worlds fair (Fitzgerald 86). All of Gatsbys guests knew he was involved with organized crime, but yet seemed to attend all of his parties without hesitation. Because of the Prohibition law, Gangsters developed secret drinking establishments, Speakeasies; which provided an entertaining atmosphere, jazz music, food, and alcohol. The illegal bars were called speakeasies because you had to speak the password to enter. With the flood of liquor expanding, the government created the Prohibition Bureau, which always fell short of men and money. The mob, due to the amount of money they were making, were able to expand their influence on bribe public officials; many judges, law makers, police, and Prohibition Bureau members were on various crime organizations payrolls. Alphonse Scarface Capone was one of the famous bribers of the Jazz Age. Capone essentially owne d Chicago, and in 1927 he made around $60 million by bootlegging. In the End, The idea behind Prohibition was to reduce crime and poverty, and generally improve the quality of life in America-by making it impossible for people to get their hands on alcohol. But this so called Nobel Experiment was a colossal failure (Speakeasies, Flappers Red Hot Jazz: Music of the Prohibition). Lasting roughly thirteen years, Prohibition ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment, on December 5, 1933, legalizing alcohol. In addition to alcohol parents, teachers, and pastors blamed the lifestyle changes on the musical changes of the Jazz age. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement where black authors, musicians, and artists show cased the talent that African Americans had to offer, marked the beginning of the musical changes. It was F. Scott Fitzgerald who called the 1920s the Jazz Age, but it was the African Americans who gave the era its jazz. Jazz is a musical form, native to the United States, creatively mixing different forms of music, including African American blues and rag time, and European-based popular music. As slaves African Americans learned few European cultural traditions. Becoming popular in the late 1920s, jazz was very addictive to people because of its unusual beat and rhythm. In The Great Gatsby, when Nick, Daisy, and Tom are walking to their car, Daisy is drawn back inside by the music, tuning all other surrounding sounds out (Fitzgerald 115). Jazz was so distinct it didnt just sp read among the U.S., but around the world. Some of Jazzs most famous artists within the 1920s were Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Louis Armstrong. Jazz along with the beat and rhythm developed new dance styles, such as the Charleston, becoming so popular that it still symbols the Jazz Age. Along with Jazz, other musical forms and changes emerged, such as Blues, Hillbilly, and boogie woogie music. Of the 1920s, Bessie Smith was the best and most influential classic blues singer. Hillbilly music, also known as country music, was best represented by musician Jimmie Rodgers. Pianist Cow Cow Davenport developed the trademark tune cow cow blues, giving life to boogie woogie piano style. The Roaring twenties, known as the Jazz age because of Jazzs unusual beat and rhythm, became the most popular music of the era. The invention of the radio drew the nation together by bringing news, entertainment, and advertisements to more than 10 million households by 1929 (The Formation of Modern Ameri can Mass Culture). The newly invented radio contributed to the flourishing of jazz, and gained widespread appeal during the decade, even among the whites. Another Contributor to the lifestyle changes in the 1920s was immigration. 4,107,209 immigrants immigrated into the United States from 1921 to 1930. Immigrants brought along their lifestyles and culture; thus forming a culture clash. This is exampled in The Great Gatsby when those from the Midwest Nick Carraway were fair, honest, and straight forward, while those living in the East for sometime Tom and Daisy Buchanan were unfair, corrupt, and materialistic. Many immigrated to America hoping for the American Dream, social advancement, freedom, and endless opportunities. Main issue with immigration was the competition for jobs. In 1921 a quota system for immigrants was developed by congress. A quota system is an arrangement that limited the number of immigrants who could enter the U.S. from specific countries. In 1924 the National Origins Act, states that the number of immigrants of a given nationality each year could not exceed 2% of the number of people of that nationality living in the United States in 1890. By the middle of the 1920s one out of every four people was an immigrant. The Quota Law of 1924 and 1929 act limited the number of immigrants to 150,000 to be distributed among people of various nationalities in proportion to the umber of their compatriots already in the United States in 1920. Many Americans viewed these immigrants as a threat to American religious and social values, as well as economic opportunities. Due to the number of immigrants, racism peeked during the 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan, a hate group, reached nearly 4-5 million members in the 1920s, spreading throughout the U.S. The KKK aimed at killing non-whites and other religious groups, harassed and promoted hatred towards African Americans, but also aimed at the new America forming within the cities. They targeted Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. One center of Klan strength was Indiana, where leader David Stephenson was strict and controlled few politicians. In the darkness of night the KKK burned crosses, boycotted business owned by Jewish, Catholics, and Africans, terrorizing the citizens. The Klan wore masks to conceal their identities, waved flags and preached hate. Famous leaders of the Klan during this era include Grand Dragon and Imperial Wizard. Behind the hard, hateful exterior, were just Americans fearful of change. Flappers, directly illustrate the changing lifestyles and cultural battles within the Jazz Age. Many of the young unmarried women of the twenties rebelled against the conventional patterns of behavior and became known as flappers. Flappers often cut their hair short, wore it in a bob, and wore short straight dresses that would flap around when they would dance. Flappers flaunted their independence from parents by going away to college or moving to the city. They also abandoned social taboos that said women shouldnt drink, smoke or become sexually active. Daisy and Myrtle from The Great Gatsby embody the flapper image by drinking and their party lifestyles. Both of them also cheated on their husbands, having love for more than one man. Flappers were known to hang out in speakeasies and night clubs where they danced with bear arms and legs flying. Flappers flaunted their sexuality; this marked the 1920s individuality of the modern woman. The 1920s was a decade of deep cultural conflict (The 1920s An Overview). The cultural conflicts of the twenties were between a more metropolitan culture, and a more traditional culture. Americans were no longer interested in politics, but entertainment. Because the 1920s produced a breed of artists, musicians, and writers, who were among the most ingenious and clever in American history, the 1920s developed into one of the most crucial periods in the countries cultural history (The Formation of Modern American Mass Culture). Author F. Scott Fitzgerald called the 1920s the Jazz Age and the decade was truly was Jazzs golden age. The stock market crash of 1929 signaled the end of the party. The roaring 20s came to a close in economic chaos and the lighthearted atmosphere of the Prohibition era fizzled out with the end of the decade (Roaring Twenties). The changing lifestyles brought about by the 1920s Jazz Age was embodied by alcohol, music, immigration, racism, and flappers.

Malicious Babo of Benito Cereno by Melville Essay -- Benito Cereno

Malicious Babo Benito Cereno is a short novel written by Melville, with a surprise ending. At least it was quite a surprise that Babo, the negro servant of Cereno, ends up being the one in charge of the ship. Babo fought for his freedom, which is good, but Babo went above and beyond the means necessary to get his freedom. Along with that he has much more serious problems with himself. Here are some ways to see it. There are two ways to look at what Babo did. When he was fighting for his freedom he was either fighting for his life or for his quality of life. Babo was fighting for a cause that is unjustifiable after the actions that he committed. Babo was fighting for his quality of life and what Babo did to improve his quality of life was terrible and with malicious intent. Yet, there is always another side to an argument so first I will show the way Babo could be seen as a symbol of good. These concepts, life versus quality of life and how Babo is seen as both good and evil, I will clarify in the paragraphs that follow. Babo could be considered a good leader Babo could also be considered a genius Another good quality of Babo is his will to live Fighting for your life is when you are in danger of losing your life. Babo was never in danger of losing his life before he took over Cerenos' ship. Babo didn't like the situation that he was in. So yes, do something about being a slave but there is no need to kill anyone. Babo could have remained on the ship, been sold into slavery and then reposes his freedom much like how Fredrick Douglass attained his. Fredrick Douglass got out of slavery without a single life lost. If Babo had done what he was told to do, Babos' head wouldn't be on a stick right now. Babo would b... ... to steal his ship. Another trait of Babo is that he is a selfish human being. He tries to get what he wants all the time. Babo forces his way of thinking onto his fellow slaves by telling them what to do. If you put these qualities together in one person you will get something bad. Actually to be specific you will get an unethical, dictating liar that rules in such a way that he will get the most personal gain. In conclusion, Babos' actions can speak for themselves. He took fighting for his life over the top, to the point where he became a malicious, gruesome, savage beast that fought to improve his life without taking into consideration the lives of others. He was willing to stop at nothing to get what he wanted. This included murdering and stealing his way to the top where he thought nobody would be able to stop him. I think Babo is where he needs to be.

Stereotypes, Stereotyping and Teen Pregnancy :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Teen Pregnancy and Stereotypes Teen pregnancy is increasing yearly. According to the March of Dimes, teenage birth rates have decreased steadily in the country since 1991. Teenage birth rates in the United States remain relatively high compared to the more developed countries. According to the March of Dimes, "nearly thirteen percent of all births in the United States were teens ages fifteen to nineteen. Almost one million teenagers become pregnant each year and about 485,000 give birth (Teenage 1). Babies, as well as the teenage mothers, face long-time problems may face long-term problems from the pregnancy. These problems may include school failure, poverty, and physical or mental illness. Babies born to teenagers are at greater risk for neglect and abuse than those of a woman. Teenage mothers may feel like they are being demanded to do the job and they may take their frustration out on the child (When 1). Why are so many teenagers having children at such a young age? What are the parents doing about it? For a long time now, I have thought about these questions. I am a teenager, why aren't I pregnant? Teenage girls feel pressure from their peers. Peers may say to you "Everyone is doing it." You may feel that you need to be part of the group to be "cool". Sometimes you may even feel that you know what you are doing. You think that nothing is going to happen to you until one day, and then you are delivering a baby. Parents are not as smart as they used to be in the sex education area. Many parents are afraid to speak with their children. Some may feel that their children are learning about it in school so why should they say it again. Many teenagers are sent to foster homes because the parents are too busy to take care of their responsibilities. Neglect is a cause for teenagers to get pregnant. They feel that if they have a child that they can be loved. Teen pregnancy, in my opinion, is awful. I feel that young women should not be having children at such a young age. I feel that these teenagers that are having babies are children themselves, and do not know how to take care of them as well as an older, more mature person might.

Ethical Controversies Involved in the Use of Germ-line and Somatic Gene

Ethical Controversies Involved in the Use of Germ-line and Somatic Gene Therapies Abstract There are many sides to the issue of using germ-line and somatic germ therapies. Many people argue that it should be stopped completely, whereas others argue that both germ therapies should continue for the benefit of all people. There are other arguments that lie somewhere in between. Most of the controversy is caused by germ-line gene therapy because it can be passed on through generations. Somatic gene therapy has more support and funding but is still considered untrustworthy by many who believe it may also affect the germ-line in some cases. These moral arguments have called the stop to many cases and experiments, more so after a patient treated with gene therapy dies. In the ongoing fight for the elimination or continuation of gene therapy, there are four main positions (Sadler et al., 2005). One position is to bring an end to both germ-line and somatic gene therapy practices. This group argues that using gene therapy on humans is dangerous and that changing genes to attempt to make improvements is wrong. It is seen as creating the possibility to design children before birth and change mental and physical characteristics of the next generation, bringing an end to diversity (Sadler et al., 2005). In 2000, the American Association for the Advancement of Science banned â€Å"inheritable genetic modification† (Fischer, 2000). They believed that risks from the gene therapy procedures might not cause genetic problems for a few generations after the patient is treated. The AAAS suggested that trials and experiments with gene therapy be stopped. Another position in the gene therapy ethical argument is to proceed with all gene therapy... ...rapy investigations proliferate. Nature Medicine [On-line serial]. Vol. 6. Retreived July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v6/n3/full/nm0300_235a.html Nowak, R. (1995, March). Patent award stirs controversy. Science [On-line serial]. Vol. 267. Retreived July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/184/377/69240368w5/purl=rcl_EAIM_0 Sadler, T. & Zeidler, D. (2005). Negotiating Gene Therapy Controversies. The American Biology Teacher [On-line serial]. Vol. 66. Retreived July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://www.bioone.org/bioone/?request=get-document&issn=0002-7685&volume-66&pa Shannon, T. (1999, March). Ethical issues in genetics. Theological Studies [On-line studies]. Vol. 60. Retrieved July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/184/377/69240368w5/purl=rcl_EAIM_0

Difference Between Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives

What's the Difference Between Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives? Learning Objectives: †¢tend to describe specific, discrete units of knowledge and skill †¢were useful during the 1970's and 1980's when attempts were made to describe workplace activities as specific tasks to be completed †¢can be accomplished within a short time frame – still may be relevant for a class period †¢tend to be statements of intent; do not necessarily suggest that the behaviour has been demonstrated Learning Outcomes: describe broad aspects of behaviour which incorporate a wide range of knowledge and skill †¢increased use in the 1990's when workplace requirements involve broader skillsets which are transferable to a wide range of work settings †¢accomplished over time in several learning experiences †¢refer to demonstrations of performance ________________________________________ More about the difference between Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives Learn ing outcomes tend to represent the â€Å"big picture† as opposed to the specific details and discrete aspects or chunks of performance.In the 1950’s and 60’s, the emphasis was on a person doing specific job tasks which required specific knowledge for an extended period of time. In contrast, rapid technological changes of the 1990’s require that the worker readily and repeatedly adapt to new job skill requirements which emphasize an ability to focus on broader concepts. As part of this new workplace structure, the ability to work in teams has been increasingly emphasized. Curriculum design trends have undergone similar transformations.Behavioural objectives of the 60’s and 70’s which described very specific and detailed aspects of behaviour, have now been replaced with the broader learning outcomes statements that incorporate broader aspects of performances. These performances have a variety of knowledge, skills and attitudes embedded within them. Contrast the following behavioural objective statement: †¢Given a paragraph of ten sentences, the student will be able to identify ten rules of grammar which are used in its construction with the Learning Outcomes statement: The student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to use the conventions of grammar when creating paragraphs. How might the learning activities and methods of assessment differ in view of the two statements? As another example, consider the following statements: Learning Objective: At the end of this class, the learner will be able to: †¢Define affirmative action; †¢Describe three factors which promote affirmative action in the workplace. Learning Outcome: At the end of this course the learner will have reliably demonstrated the ability to develop affirmative action programs within a workplace environment.What differences can you see between these statements? Differences L. O. is a much broader performance statement L. O. represents an end stage of performance Learning outcomes are not written at the class level since they represent broad, statements which incorporate many areas of inter-related knowledge and skill that may be developed over time through a wide range of experiences. Class room or short learning sessions would address course learning outcomes, but not be considered sufficient opportunity for the student to achieve the outcome in a single episode of learning.

Interpreter of Maladies Essay

Secrecy is a recurrent theme of Interpreter of Maladies. With reference to at least three stories, what are the causes and effects of this trait on the lines of the characters? Secrecy is the act of hiding information from certain individuals or groups. Secrecy is often controversial, depending on the content of the secret, the group or people keeping the secret, and the motivation of secrecy. Jhumpa Lahiri’s anthology, â€Å"Interpreter of Maladies†, explores this theme through several characters in different stories. In the story Interpreter of Maladies, A Temporary Matter and Sexy, the characters hide their emotions and do not express themselves. Due to this, the relationships that they are involved in become dysfunctional. Mrs Das’s infidelity in Interpreter of Maladies puts a strain on her marriage. The secret affair she had with her husband’s friend causes her to hide behind her sunglasses and disengage with her family. She is selfish and self-absorbed, that she doesn’t realise how her actions would affect the others around her. This is demonstrated by her, when she refuses to share her food with her children, reluctantly taking her daughter to the bathroom and refusing to paint her daughter’s fingernails. She has not revealed her unfaithfulness to anyone apart from Mr Kapasi and as a result of this she feels the strain in her marriage only as her own pain. Mrs Das fails to recognise, the impact her affair takes on her husband and children. She openly mocks her husband’s enthusiasm for tourism and illustrates her lack of love for her husband. The puffed rice that Mrs Das scatters across the trail in India, represents her mistakes and careless actions. Physically Mrs Das is young and attractive, but she is spiritually empty. She does not love her children and husband and is caught in the boredom of her life as a housewife. This is evident, when monkeys surround Bobby and terrify him; she refuses to take responsibility to the situation, just as she refuses to acknowledge the affair with Mr Das’s friend. If Mrs Das’s secret is ever revealed, Bobby would be the true victim. Conceived out of anger, boredom and spite and lied to about his father, Bobby is surrounded by deceit. Lahiri shows that, lack of communication leads to misunderstandings and breakups in relationships. As their electricity gets cut off from 8pm for a few days, Shoba and Shukumar play a game. A game where they tell all their secrets. Every night they played the game, Shukumar would feel Shoba getting close to him, as they used to be before their child passed away. Since the death of their child, Shoba and Shukumar have had less communication. On the last day, Shoba told him, how she desired to move out of the house and has already found an apartment. Looking at the fact that Shukumar was not there, when their child passed away, gets Shoba angry along with the fact that his still a student and hasn’t got a job annoys her. The relationship ends when Shoba confesses that she had been ‘looking for an apartment’, and has now found one. She thought they had been ‘through enough’, and that it was ‘nobody’s fault’. Shukumar is both ‘relieved’ at the release and yet ‘sickened’ that she had played a game all along while knowing that their marriage was only a ‘temporary matter’. At the end Shukumar reveals that he was actually at the hospital when their son passed away. You would never be too late to realise your mistake. In the story Sexy, Laxmi always tells Miranda about her cousin’s husband who had cheated on her. Miranda has a similar story that she never told anyone. She had an affair with a married man named Dev. Miranda was attracted to Dev, because he is different to her. When Dev’s wife went overseas, they got together and went out to many places. Miranda preferred to keep Dev a secret from Laxmi, but she didn’t realise how Laxmi’s cousin’s life was similar to hers. When Miranda had to babysit, Rohin (Laxmi’s cousin’s son), she realised what her relationship with Dev was like. She realised the point that she was affecting Dev’s wife and his kids.

Explain the Argument for Legalizing Euthanasia

Explain the argument for legalising euthanasia. (30 marks) The term ‘euthanasia’ derives from the Greek language meaning ‘a good death’. Euthanasia is the process in which a person who is suffering from a painful or crippling ailment or disability decides to end their own life, or a persons life being legally ended by another person. Currently, the laws in the UK make it illegal for a person to assist in allowing a person to commit suicide under the murder Act of 1965 and the Suicide Act 1971.The law states that intentionally ending a persons life, even with their consent, is illegal, as is assisting person to commit suicide. These are both offenses that are seen in the same light as murder. There have been over the last few years attempts to pass bills through parliament to change the laws around euthanasia within the United Kingdom. In 2009, Scottish Parliament tried to pass the End of Life Assistance Bill, which was put forward by Parkinson’s disea se sufferer, Margo Macdonald MSP.The law would allow those whose lives have become ‘intolerable’ due to a progressive degenerative illness, serious trauma or terminal illness to have the assistance of a doctor to help end their lives. Despite a series of proposed safeguards to be put into to prevent abuse of the system should the law be passed, the Scottish Parliament failed to pass the bill, with 85 votes against to the 16 for passing the bill. Similarly, in 2006, the Parliament of the UK tried to pass a bill that would allow a person who has less than 6months to live, suffering unbearably and sound mind would be able to end their life.This law was proposed by Lord Joffe who said â€Å"We must find a solution to the unbearable suffering of patients whose needs cannot be met by palliative care. † Other member of the House of Lords welcomed the bill with support. Baroness David who stated â€Å"If I were terminally ill, I believe I would be the only person with t he right to decide how I died† and also said that allowing euthanasia â€Å"would provide me with an additional option on how to end my life which I would find tremendously reassuring. † This bill was also received with opposition.Other members of the House of Lords who were against the bill included The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and The Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor. The ProLife alliance had stated that they would resist any changes in the laws surrounding euthanasia. The bill was eventually blocked by the House of Lord, with 148 against the bill, with the 100 votes for the bill. Mark Slattery from the charity Dignity with Dying, said they will continue to campaign to introduce an assisted dying bill.More recently, Anna Soubry, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health stated â€Å"I think it's ridiculous and appalling that people have to go abroad to end their life instead of being able to end their life at home. † This statement from Ms Soubry came days after locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson lost his right-to-die case in the High Court, and resulted in refusing food which led to his death 6 days. Tony had wanted his wife to help him end his life without her being prosecuted for murder, after a stroke, left him paralysed and unable to communicate verbally.He once stated, â€Å"I am fed up with my life, I do not want to spend the next 20 years like this† There have been other high profile cases, which have shown support for the allowing of Euthanasia within the UK. Terry Pratchett, a renowned author and sufferer of Alzheimer’s disease, is currently campaigning for the right-to-die and assisted suicide. He fears that with his condition, he would not be able to die with dignity, which he wishes. He strongly supports euthanasia, saying that when his time comes, he would wish that he would be able to end his life in the way in which he wants.Terry has produced and presented television documentaries around his argument of assisted dying, where he met other people who wish to have assisted suicide, and showed the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland, where British people could go to legally end their life. There are several arguments in favour of euthanasia. One argument is based around the idea that we all have personal autonomy – the freedom to make choices over our own lives. It is argued that we all have control over our wn lives, so therefore, that should include our right to choose whether we live or die. By not allowing euthanasia would be breaching the persons rights and taking away persons autonomy, as their choice of life would be made by the law and not by themselves. In addition, it stated in the General medical councils â€Å"Good Medical Practice† guide for doctors (2006) that doctors should listen and respond to patients concerns and preferences, furthermore, it is argued that doctors should respect the decisions of their care and treatment.Putting this into context, it is argued that doctors would not be upholding or respecting the patient’s rights or preferences, should they not be able to respond to their wishes, even if it were to die by means of assisted suicide. It is also argued that doctors already can administer involuntary passive euthanasia legally, so what is the difference of them administering active euthanasia. For example, by switching off a person’s life support machine that they are dependent upon to preserve their life, so the doctor is therefore affectively ending the person’s life.In addition, doctors can also administer medication (such as morphine) to relieve a person’s pain, even if they know this could speed up a person’s death. In this case, it is known as the ‘Principle of the Double Effect’ which protects doctors who perform actions in order to achieve a good primary outcome (such as to relieve pain), in case there were unintentional secondary outcomes, such as death. Also, people already have assisted suicide, despite it being outlawed in this country.There have been cases where family members or friends have been imprisoned for assisting in the death of loved ones who could not end their lives independently. It is therefore argued, if euthanasia already happens throughout the country, which includes the actions of medical professional, and it would be the practical idea to legalise it, as it would allow us legalise what already happens and to have the ability to regulate it. Finally, other arguments can also be based around the ‘Quality of Life’ Principle.The quality of life is a condition where a person enjoys a life of independence and physical, emotional and intellectual well-being. Many people who suffer from progressive ailments or disabilities, will often begin to lose their quality of life in one way or another. For example, they may become incontinent, lose the ability to ca rry out every day personal tasks such as cleaning themselves, or unable to feed themselves, and this can be become prevailing throughout the progression of their illness or disability.This can cause people to lead an undignified and unhappy life, which can be distressing to both the sufferer and the family. Many people, such as Terry Pratchett, when diagnosed with progressive illnesses wish they could end their lives before they enter the stage were there quality of life is insufficient to lead a good life. Some people argue that it is wrong to not allow people who do not lead a good quality to end their lives, as it is seen as the more justified and righteous thing do, as it ends the suffering both the family and the sufferer endure by being in that condition.

Effects of a College Education

A college education has numerous impacts on an individual other than just a better education. Individuals who have attended college and graduated tend to be more successful in life than those who didn't. There have been studies through the years that provide evidence showing that a college education can be very beneficial to a person and have major impacts on their lives. The most comprehensive review to date on the question of the impact of college is found in Ernest Pascarella and Patrick Terenzini's book, How College Affects Students.They used over twenty-six thousand practical studies completed over a period of 50 years in order to what aspects of a person's life is affected during college. They concluded that an individual's cognitive skills and intellectual growth; changes of identity, self-concept, and self-esteem; changes in relating to others and the people around them, attitudes and values, moral development, career choice and development, economic benefits, and quality of life after college are all affected while the student attends college.The details concerning cognitive skills and intellectual growth suggest that â€Å"students make statistically significant gains during the college years on a number of dimensions of general cognitive capabilities and skills† (p. 155), including the ability to deal with conceptual complexity, formal abstract reasoning, critical thinking, the use of evidence and reason to address ill-structured problems, and both written and oral communication. Most of these benefits seem to occur during the first two years of college.Research on the net effects, or changes that can be accredited to the college experience itself, rather than other potential influences, of these outcomes suggests that college has a â€Å"net positive influence on diverse measures of critical thinking† (p. 156), reflective judgment, and intellectual flexibility, above the maturity level of individuals who didn't attend college. Perhaps â€Å"college is the one [experience] that most typically provides an overall environment where the potential for intellectual growth is maximized† (p. 156).Although the may not be dramatic, changes concerning identity, self-concept, and self-esteem during the college years consistently support a significant positive effect, are evident. The evidence tends to support generally linear gains in academic and social self-concepts, as well as â€Å"students' beliefs about themselves in such areas as their popularity in general and with the opposite sex, their leadership abilities, their social self-confidence, and their understanding of others† (p. 203). In addition, they gain in self-esteem.With the caveat that much of the research on the net effects of college on these particular outcomes is too often confounded by age and normal maturation, and absent controls for family background or other relevant characteristics, Pascarella and Terenzini concluded that â€Å"post-sec ondary educational attainment appears to be related positively to changes in students' ratings of themselves relative to their peers† (p. 204), in terms of both academic self-concept and social self-concept. Such effects, however, appear to be small, mostly indirect, and interrelated with other characteristics.As far as changes in relating to others and the world around them, Pascarella and Terenzini concluded that, â€Å"students' relational systems change during the college years,† including increases in â€Å"students' freedom from the influences of others, †¦ in non-authoritarian thinking and tolerance for other people and their views, in intellectual orientation to problem solving and their own world view in general, in the maturity of their interpersonal relations, in their personal adjustment skills and general sense of psychological well-being, and in their more globally measured levels of maturity and personal development† (p. 57). It is believed th at â€Å"the early college years may be somewhat more influential than the later ones† in their effect on these outcomes. The authors also state that â€Å"the weight of evidence therefore fairly clearly supports popular beliefs about the effects of college in helping to reduce students' authoritarianism, dogmatism, and (perhaps) ethnocentrism and in increasing their intellectual orientation, personal psychological adjustment, and sense of psychological well-being† (p. 259).One of the more ample topics concerning research on the impact of college over the decades has focused on charting changes in the values and attitudes of students in five general areas: (1) cultural, aesthetic, and intellectual; (2) educational and occupational; (3) social and political; (4) religious; and (5) sex and gender roles. Pascarella and Terenzini found that the evidence for change during the college years is both plentiful and consistent, in that â€Å"colleges, as their founders and supp orters might hope, appear to have a generally liberating influence on students' attitudes and values.Without exception, the nature and direction of the observed changes involve greater breadth, expansion, inclusiveness, complexity, and appreciation for the new and different. In all cases, the movement is toward greater individual freedom: artistic and cultural, intellectual, political, social, racial, educational, occupational, personal, and behavioral† (p. 326).The research on the net effects of college support a consistent but modest influence â€Å"above and beyond the characteristics students bring with them to college,† as well as independent of â€Å"changes that have occurred in the larger society† (p. 326) Long considered an important goal of American higher education, the character education and moral development of students has only recently gained the systematic attention of researchers.Evidence to date suggests that â€Å"college is linked with stati stically significant increases in the use of principled reasoning to judge moral issues,† and that the college experience itself has a unique positive net influence on such development and may be accentuated differentially, from one institution to another, through the student peer context. Furthermore, the key to within-college effects in fostering moral reasoning may â€Å"lie in providing a range of intellectual, cultural, and social experiences from which a range of different students might potentially benefit† (p. 66), such as certain curricular or course interventions.Conditional effects in that regard are, in particular, more positive for those of high levels of cognitive development. Nevertheless, any influence in that direction seems to be long-term and consistent, and may even be linked ultimately to â€Å"a range of principled behaviors, including resisting cheating, social activism, keeping contractual promises, and helping those in need† (p. 367). Ind ividuals may change their career paths or interests while attending college. It is clear that students frequently change their career plans during college,† and that they â€Å"become significantly more mature, knowledgeable, and focused during college in thinking about planning for a career† (pp. 487–488).In terms of net influence, one of the â€Å"most pronounced and unequivocal effects of college on career is its impact on the type of job one obtains† (p. 488), offering an advantage through occupational status and influence. Whether by socialization or certification a college education offers access to better positioned, and potentially more satisfactory, mployment. Study of the economic benefits has also attracted the attention of post-secondary education researchers, especially since this factor â€Å"probably underlies the motivation of many students who choose to attend college rather than enter the work force immediately after high school graduati on† (p. 500). In terms of net effects, it appears that a bachelor's degree â€Å"provides somewhere between a twenty and forty percent advantage in earnings over a high school diploma† and an estimate of financial return on such an investment is â€Å"somewhere between 9. and 10. 9 percent† (p. 529).As I've said before, a college education has numerous impacts on an individual other than just a better education. Ernest Pascarella and Patrick Terenzini, while not the first to do so, are two people who have studied research to find the impact of a college education. Their research actually has evidence to support the argument that a college education is a valuable thing.

Buddhist Nuns in Tibet

Our work aims to research Buddhist nunnery in Tibet. We are going to give information about Tibet in general and about peculiarities of Tibetan religion. We are going to pursue a case study of ordination to a nunnery. Buddhism is one of the world religions. Its believers live through in India, China, South-East Asia, Tibet and other countries. In old times inhabitants of Tibet didn’t practice Buddhism. Their folk religion called â€Å"mi-chos†, which meant the law of men. In after years it transformed to â€Å"bon-chos† – Bon religion. There some people who practice it in Modern Tibet and a handful of handful of Moslems..Nowadays Tibet is a poor Chinese province. It makes modern Tibetan Autonomous Republic. Besides of TAR Tibetan people live in the Chamdo region of Szechwan; some are found in Tsinghai and Kansu (Chang-tu Hu 66). Population carries on animal husbandry. Most of Tibetans consider themselves Buddhists Tibetan Buddhism is differs from the other national forms of this religion. It adapted to everyday life of inhabitants. As Guiseppe Tucci stated, â€Å"the entire spiritual life of the Tibetan is defined by a permanent attitude of defense, by a constant effort to appease and propitiate the powers whom he fears† (187).Tibetan Buddhism is heavily influenced by belief in supernatural. Tucci observed, that religion of Buddha in Tibet shot with a certain ambiguity: on the one side the fear of capricious spirits that was inherited by Lamaism from the country's original religions and, on the other, the conviction that man possesses the means to control these dark vengeful forces demanding propitiation. Magic, ritual, acts of piety, liberality towards monasteries and teachers, exorcism, liturgical technique, all come to his aid. And the human victim he was at the outset, at the mercy of a thousand invisible forces, is able to become their master.(73-74) On this basis scientists state there is a detached Tibetan form of Buddh ism. They called it Lamaism. Lamas were privileged class in Tibetan society. They operate in many sectors of daily life, and the monasteries are important social and economic centers of society. Basic concepts of Buddhism (karma, nirvana, transmigration, and reincarnation) are the same in Lamaism. There were three religious sects in Tibet: Nyingmapa, Kargyu, Sakya, and Gelugpa. The last one is known as the â€Å"Yellow School,† because monks wear yellow hats during ceremonies.It emerged in China since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and became the most influential school in Tibet since the 17th century. Gelugpa sect governed over the country until the Chinese re-exerted control over Tibet when head of â€Å"Yellow School† Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959. The Panchen Lama, who resided at Shigatse, has been elevated by the Chinese government to the position vacated by the Dalai Lama. Followers of the Panchen Lama used to claim that his spiritual powers rival those of the D alai Lama. Both of them were reincarnations of their predecessors.When either dies the priesthood have to decide in which newly born child he has been reincarnated. The reincarnation can happen anywhere, even in a peasant family, but such a family automatically becomes a member of the noble class. Our study of Tibetan nunnery will be incomplete without defining the role of monasteries. Monastery system is the basis of Lamaism. There were 6000 of Buddhist monasteries in Tibet until the Chinese invaded in 1950. Nowadays only six of them are restored (Kerr 37). Monasteries as landowners were authority under units of villages. Many of them used to house five thousand monks.Percentage of the monks composes from 20 to 33-1/3 percent of male population. According to Havnevik Hanna, there were also 27,000 nuns in 1959 (37). In Buddhist countries nuns are called by many different terms —bhik? un? i, don chee, sikkhamat, dasasilmata, jomo, mae chi, tila shin. According to Tibetan tradi tion celibate female Buddhist practitioners are known as ‘ani’. Karma Lekshe Tsomo states in her book, that many women in Tibet became ‘anis’ because nunnery provides an opportunity to get an education (201). Knowledge turned out to be an important theme in the history of many monastic communities.Owing to the isolation from the rest of the world, there was a lack of scientific knowledge in Tibet. Alexandra David-Neel notes, that many Tibetans believed that the earth was flat (26-29). The first radio station in Tibet started operating on January 1, 1959 (Chang-tu Hu 251). There were no primary schools prior to 1950. After the defeat of revolt against Chinese authority in the late fifties Tibetan diaspora began. In the sixties many young people from western countries began heading to the East searching for religious and philosophic alternatives to replace inadequacies they felt in their own cultures.Communication innovations of the eighties established close r connections among people. That’s why desire for knowledge and education affected even remote nunnery high up in the Himalayas. Karma Lekshe Tsomo narrates what was the monastery education to be: The monks and nuns had been recruited with promises of a life of study. Instead, they had to work day in and day out on the ‘gonpa's’ (settlement) construction. At night, they were too tired to concentrate on the lamas' teachings in Tibetan, an unfamiliar language†¦.In this culture, women only left home if they had specific, compelling reasons to do so. For many women, the quest for religious learning and an aversion to hard labor do not constitute compelling reasons. (204) If there is no senior monk in the monastery nuns live in the villages with their parents and work with them. They could gather together only several days on month to read few ‘pechas’ (religious texts). Those, who are not ordained just have to take five precepts: not to kill, steal, lie, commit sexual misconduct, or take intoxicants. Beijing notes that it’s not easy to be a teacher.To be appointed as a teacher of nuns, a monk must fulfill sixteen qualifications : respectability (not having incurred a defeat or partial defeat and being conscientious in that he has forsaken unwholesome deeds such as killing animals); steadfastness (twenty years of standing as a monk); learning (knowledge of the three collections of the scriptures); and thirteen qualities of helpfulness (the twelve explained in the first chapter of this work in the discussion of the qualifications of the monastic preceptor, plus not having previously been appointed as a nuns' teacher and then removed from that position).A monk with these qualifications is appointed to be the nuns' teacher within the boundary of his monastic community; qualified fellow monks perform the appropriate ceremony during the confession ceremony of the fifteenth of the lunar month (132). At first to be accepted as a monk it was enough to take refuge in front of the Buddha. Then special rules were instituted. To be a monk or a nun became a matter of maintaining regulations.Aspirant needs to assume vows. To enter the Buddhist community novice have to pass a long way. According to Beijing, vows of personal are of seven categories when distinguished according to the person: the [vows of the] monk (bhik? u), the nun (bhik? uni), the male novice (srama? era), the female novice (srama? erika), the layman practitioner (upasaka), the laywoman practitioner (upasi?ka), and the postulant nun (sik? amana) (122). In the original procedure for conferring monastic ordination, the aspirant became a monk without any complex ritual. The present-day procedure confers ordination with a considerable amount of ritual. Beijing recorded several ways in which persons became instantaneously ordained as monks and nuns. For example by accepting the eight severe precepts:To receive ordination from monks; to await announce ment of the proper date for the fortnightly confession from monks; to participate in the rainy season retreat near a place where monks are also in retreat; to attend the ceremony of lifting of restrictions (imposed during the rainy season retreat) in an assembly of both monks and nuns; to serve respectfully both monks and nuns if one has transgressed any of these eight precepts ; not to reveal the corrupted morals of monks; not to reproach a monk; to behave respectfully (prostrating and so forth) toward the community of monks, including prostrating before a newly ordained monk.(89) The ceremonies that confer the lay practitioner vows or the novice vows on a woman are essentially the same as those for a man, except for the aspirant being referred to as â€Å"the woman known as†¦ ,† instead of â€Å"the man known as†¦ ,† and the additional questions posed to the woman. The precepts of the postulant nun may be assumed at the age of eighteen in the case of one wh o has not been married and at the age of ten in the case of a woman who has been married. This ordination is conferred by a group of twelve nuns through a two-part ceremony including proposal.A female novice must receive the postulant nun's vows and observe them for two years before she can receive full ordination as a nun. The aspirant nun should give the vow for strict observance of celibacy. Beijing mentions that a woman cannot receive this vow if she has any of the following five obstacles: having both the male and female organ or having neither; menstruating continuously or having no menstruation; having no feeling in the vagina; and having been a nun before (178). The bestowal of this vow constitutes the intermediate part of the nun's ordination.In the first part, her request to become a nun is forwarded to the abbess with a report on whether she is free from obstacles to her ordination (not having received permission from family or husband, being pregnant, etc. ). The second part of the ceremony consists of her request for the vows of strict observance of celibacy, which is forwarded to the abbess along with a report confirming that she will abide by such a vow (determined from further questioning), and the final agreement by the abbess which signals the conferral of the vow.In the third part, she is fully ordained by a group of both monks and nuns. An extensive explanation of the rules for nuns concludes the ceremony. Then the full ordination is bestowed in the presence of group of nuns augmented by a group of ordaining monks. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the preceptor instructs the new nun on the twelve points of discipline, which include the eight defeating offenses, the eight severe precepts, and other rules.However, it should be mentioned that the traditions for the ordinations of the postulant and fully ordained nun were never introduced in Tibet. Once became a nun, female practitioner of Buddhism must observe three hundred and sixty-four ru les: not to commit the eight defeating offenses that constitute root downfalls, twenty partially defeating acts, thirty-three downfalls involving forfeiture, one hundred and eighty downfalls requiring confession alone, eleven downfalls to be individually confessed, and one hundred and twelve minor infractions.In Buddhism, vows are viewed in many ways, depending on the context of the discussion, but generally the ethical systems are designated as three sets of vows, as two sets of vows, or as one all-inclusive vow. The three sets of vows spoken of throughout all divisions of the Buddhist scriptures are those of personal liberation (pratimok? a), of meditative absorption (dhyana), and of the uncontaminated (anasrava) vows. These are essentially identical to the three forms of training on the Buddhist path: the development of morality, meditation, and wisdom.In fact, in order to gain the different types of enlightenment of their systems, proclaimers (Rravaka), solitary sages (pratyekab uddha), and bodhisattvas must forsake disturbing emotions and other obstacles on their paths by cultivating an uncontaminated discriminative awareness which is developed by training in wisdom. This discriminative awareness is grounded in mental quiescence achieved by training in meditation, and mental quiescence is developed on the basis of training in pure morality.The proclaimers' system speaks of two sets of ethics, each with three vows: the vows of a lay practitioner, novice, and monk (or nun); and the vows of body, speech, and mind. The three vows in the scriptures of the Universal Way (mahayana) refer to the processes of refraining from the unwholesome, of aiming at acquiring good qualities, and of working for the benefit of all living beings. These are also known as the three trainings, or ethics, of the bodhisattva. The tantras speak of four sets of ethics, each with three vows.The first set includes the commitments of awakening mind, the vows related to the creation phase, and those related to the completion phase. The second set includes the pledges of the Buddha's body, speech, and mind. The third set, as taught by the great adept Vitapada, consists in not conforming to the practice of accepting what is good and rejecting what is bad with respect to any physical, verbal, or mental action. The fourth set includes the vows of personal liberation, the bodhisattva commitments, and the pledges of the awareness holder (vidyadhara).The tantras also speak of two types of ethics: the common pledges received during the vase initiation of the five awarenesses (of the vase) and the stages of the initiation prior to these; and the uncommon ones received at the time of the irreversible vajra-master initiation. According to a different explanation, the two types of ethics in the tantras refer to the vows related to the creation phase and those related to the completion phase, also known as the outer and inner vows.Moreover, when the tantric adept assumes all the v ows of personal liberation, the bodhisattva commitments, and the tantric pledges, he or she maintains these ethics in both their outer and inner aspects. Works Cited Beijing, Chos ‘byung. The History of Buddhism in India and Tibet. Delhi: Sri Satguru, 1986. David-Neel, Alexandra. â€Å"Edge of Tibet†, AATA 44:1 (January 1944): 26-29. Chang-tu Hu. China: Its People, Its Society, Its Culture. New Haven, CT: HRAF Press, 1960. Havnevik, Hanna. Tibetan Buddhist Nuns.History, Cultural Norms and Social Reality. Oslo: Norwegian University Press, 1989. Kerr, Blake. Sky burial : an eyewitness account of China's brutal crackdown in Tibet. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 1997. Shen, Tsung-lien and Liu, Shen-chi. Tibet and the Tibetans. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1977. Tucci, Guiseppe. The Religions of Tibet. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1980. Tsomo, Karma Lekshe. Innovative Buddhist Women: Swimming against the Stream. Richmond: Curzon Press Limited, 2000.