The Impact Of The Repeal Of Dont Ask Dont Tell Policies On Military Research Paper

The Impact Of The Repeal Of Dont Ask Dont Tell Policies On Military Families - Research Paper Example As the military grapples with the issue of changes in policy, the sociological effects will also be an issue. The nature of the policy, however, has been a failure causing problems within the secrecy that has been created. Change has become necessary in order to facilitate a safer, and more enlightened environment in which the military can move past this issue and make it a non-issue, a standard of acceptance in which sexual orientation is a moot point, but conduct is standard for all personnel who accept that their sexual nature must be kept out of their service. Through aggressively taking down the level of sexual harassment and eliminating sexual displays of dominance, the military can become a more solid and unified organization in which men and women are safe and honorably treated with respect. The following study through secondary research will examine the nature of the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy and the ways in which the repeal is a necessary meas ure. Through understanding the ways in which the sociological nature of the military will undergo changes, this will be related to the ways in which the repeal of the law will impact military families. ... he ‘don’t ask don’t tell policy, creating a background for the controversy and then relating the information to the effect that the repeal of this policy will have on military families. As the issue is intertwined with those who support political factions that support the ‘family values’ platform, the new policies and philosophies that will be included in the sociology of military life will have some form of impact on families within the military. The paper will be structured with a history of the military philosophies on homosexuality and the consequences of those philosophies. The research will reveal the way in which the policy was successful and unsuccessful, thus creating context from which to determine how the repeal of the policy will affect members of the military. Finally, the paper will make a brief exploration of the ways in which homosexual openness has affected family life in the United States, including the effects that other social poli cy changes in regard to homosexuality has effected sociological structures and experiences within society. The paper will conclude with a discussion of all of the elements of the research, providing an in-depth analysis of the topic. The research will be approached through secondary methods of study, the relevant literature searched in order to find contributing information to the topic. The first method of research will be conducted through Google Books, where relevant key words will be put into a the search in order to find relatable information. The nature of the discovered work will be put into context with the reliability of the information. Not all of the information that is used will be from reliable sources as some of the search will entail finding controversial opinions, but those pieces will be

History 1112 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History 1112 - Essay Example reatest of the social changes that occurred out of these contacts and interactions between the continents is colonization, where the Western/central Europe sought to colonize America and Africa, in search for resources, free labor and settlements (Prak, 41). Slavery is yet another social change that occurred, resulting to the shipment of Africans from their continent to Europe and America to provide the required free labor. A range of economic changes also took place as a result of these contacts. The first notable economic change that occurred following the contacts is industrialization, which was majorly promoted by the availability of labor and raw material which could easily be sourced from America and Africa and then shipped to Europe (Prak, 60). Infrastructural development is yet the other economic change that occurred as a result of the contacts, where the Europeans had to construct infrastructural facilities in their colonies both in Africa and America, as well as at home to enhance the transportation of labor as well as raw materials required by the established

Campylobacter Infection Symptoms

Campylobacter Infection Symptoms The species Campylobacter is part of the family Campylobacteriaceae and contains 16 species. The Campylobacter spp. is one of the most common agents of bacterial gastroenteritis (campylobacteriosis) in Europe, with 1% of the European population becoming infected each year   (around nine million infections annually in the European Union (EFSA, 2011)), costing the EU economy approximately â‚ ¬2.4 billion (EFSA, 2012; Humphrey et al., 2007) whilst in the USA it costs the economy $2.9bn (Batz et al., 2011). Whilst globally is responsible for 400-500 million cases of diarrhoea yearly (9). Over 90% of all human Campylobacter infections are instigated by C. jejuni and C. coli, both of which can be found easily in the environment, wild birds, and mammals. All campylobacter species have one polar unsheathed flagellum at one or both ends of the cell except Campylobacter gracilis (which is non-motile) and Campylobacter showae (which has multiple flagella), C. jejuni is a Gram-negative, curved rod gastrointestinal pathogen that uses polar flagella for motility and is a major cause of human gastroenteritis across throughout the world. It was first identified in 1972 however specific isolation from humans and animals was not achieved until 1979 (Butzler and Skirrow, 1979; Dekeyser et al., 1972). Campylobacter jejuni is a foodborne pathogen and a leading cause of enteritis in humans and has the ability to cause significant mortality in the children of developing nations. Human infection is a result of ingestion of food sources such as meat, milk and water contaminated with C. jejunicontaminated resulting in diarrheal disease. When infected with some strains of C. jejuni the risk of developing Guillain-Barr`e syndrome(GBS) increases. Although C. jejuni is normally a gut colonizer, there has been some strains found to be have hypervirulent sites and so may be able to move across intestinal epithelium, creating bacteraemia and systemic infections (13). As well as being a foodborne illness, C. jejuni also has the ability to be a primary etiological agent for ruminant abortion (14). Recently, it has been reported that there is some forms of an antibiotic resistance developing as well as a the development of a hypervirulent clone of C. jejuni in the United States (15). The mechanism by which C. jejuni causes human infection and survives within the host isnt fully understood, although it is believed to be a multifactorial process involving motility, attachment, colonisation, toxin production and invasion (Bolton, 2015; Wassenaar and Blaser, 1999). The Campylobacter species are of a particular research interest as they consistently cause the highest number of confirmed foodborne bacterial infections in developed countries. Symptoms of infection: After exposure to C. jejuni, the bacterium firstly colonises the lower intestinal tract (ileum, jejunum, and colon) usually without causing any symptoms. In the majority of symptomatic cases, campylobacteriosis is a self-limiting disease and will present as 1-3 days of prodromal symptoms with leukocytes, fever, vomiting, and headaches followed by 3-7 days of watery or bloody diarrhoea with abdominal pain. There is a lot of variation in the severity of the illness, it can range from a mild case of the disease to dehydration that could require hospitalisation. Recently it has been thought Campylobacter enteritis could be a risk factor for the development of inflammatory bowel disease (Garcia Rodriguez et al., 2006). Diagnosis is made with direct or enriched culturing of stool samples or rectal swabs on selective media containing blood under microaerobic conditions at 42-C. C. jejuni−infected individuals may be treated with antibiotics such as erythromycin or ciprofloxacin, however it is rarely needed (Allos, 2001; Blaser, 1990). Best treatment includes fluid replacement. The effectiveness of the pathogen is dependent on the immune status of the host as well as the virulence characteristics of the Campylobacter strain. In a minority of individuals Campylobacter infection is a precursor of more serious illness, including immunoreactive complications such as Guillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and Millere Fisher Syndrome (MFS), a chronic and potentially fatal form of paralysis (EFSA, 2011).

Prescription narcotics Essay -- essays research papers

The Need for Restrictions â€Å"Why there should be stricter regulations on the availability of prescription narcotics† Despite efforts to decrease the number of deaths and overdoses related to narcotic medications, such as OxyContin, and minimize the number of people illegally obtaining them, the measures that the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) in specific are taking are not enough. The literal definition of a narcotic is a drug that produces numbness or stupor; often taken for pleasure or to reduce pain; extensive use can lead to addiction. Narcotics are normally prescription medications that are given to patients to help ease the constant pain cause by cancer or other long term illnesses. â€Å"When one in 10 high school senior’s reports abusing prescription painkillers, the DEA is obligated to protect our children and the public safety† says Karen P. Tandy administrator of the DEA(1). Tandy is saying that when the abuse of prescription pain medication is taking over that many students the DEA must step in for the sake of future generations. There is a long process that not many average Americans know about that all pharmaceutical products, especially addictive medications have to go through before they reach home medicine cabinets. This process is called â€Å"Diversion†. It is an important chain like process that the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) have been using for years to look at where highly addictive drugs, like OxyContin, go and who they come into contact with. From the pharmaceutical company that literally make the product, to the drug wholesalers that sell the product, and then into the hands of doctors and pharmacies who prescri be and distribute the medications. The purpose of diversion is to take the information and look for certain situations where drugs were lost, stolen, or illegally distributed and give proper punishment to those people. The problem of abusing prescription narcotics became noticeably out of control in the 1990’s. The problem lies in the fact that it is 2005 and the numbers of overdoses and deaths have been and are still rising at astonishing rates. An argument however, that many people have about advancing restrictions on OxyContin and other schedule 2 narcotics is that the needed process that one might have to go through in order to properly obtain the drug would be an ‘invasion of privacy.† Some believe that reportin... ...rs†¦the number of patients in motor vehicle crashes who are ‘methadone impaired,’† says John H. Burton, MD Medical Director for Maine Emergency Medical Services.(3) To think that the problem of abusing any kind of drug would just disappear with one solution is naive and absurdly optimistic. However, to think that all the DEA is doing right now to prevent harmfully addictive and destructive medications is enough is plain ignorant. The DEA has made substantial progress toward making OxyContin and other prescribed narcotics less available for abusers. But first hand accounts and shocking statistics prove that these measures are clearly not enough. It is true and will always be true that free will is a legitimate part of this equation. The abuse of any kind of drug is almost guaranteed to be present at all times no matter how hard the government tries. If a person wants it they will have it. The fact also remains that people with addictions cannot control themselves or their addictions, that’s why it is called an addiction. Therefore making it the partial obligation of the DEA and the government to not only recognize this desperate need for r estrictions but do something more about it.

Effect of Incorporation of Carrot Powder in Wheat Flour Essay

Effect of Incorporation of Carrot Powder in Wheat Flour for the Preparation of Stick Noodles Kripa Shakya1 and Anup Halwai2 1. College of Applied Food and Dairy Technology,Kathamndu, Nepal 2. Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, Kathamndu, Nepal krips16@hotmail. com Abstract Noodles were prepared by incorporating carrot powder in the percentage of 5, 10, 15 and 20 in wheat flour. The main objective of the work was to prepare the nutritious noodle enriched with Vitamin A. Sensory evaluation of the carrot powder incorporated stick noodles revealed that the product prepared with 5% carrot powder and 95% wheat flour was found to be most acceptable. The chemical analysis of the most acceptable product were found out to be 10. 8% moisture, 0. 6% fat, 10. 3 % crude protein, 0. 7% crude fiber,1. 7% total ash, 0. 1% acid insoluble ash, 75. 8% carbohydrate and 12166 I. U. Vitamin A content. Keywords: Noodle, wheat flour, carrot powder, Vitamin A 1. Introduction: Noodles are among the oldest forms of the processed foods consumed in Asia and other parts of the world (Hou, 2001). Noodles can be prepared from wheat flour alone and/or in combination with other ingredients such as rice flour, buckwheat and mung bean.. In the noodle preparation, a crumbly dough is formed which is then passed through a series of rolls to form a sheet. The sheet is then slit to produce noodles (Hou, 2001). Carrot (Daucus carota) is a root vegetable, usually orange or red- white blend in color with crisp texture when fresh. Carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange color from ? – carotene, which is metabolized into vitamin A in human when bile salts are present in the intestines. Carrots are also rich in dietary fiber, and antioxidants. Carrot can also promote colon health as it is rich in fiber. Vitamin A deficiency remains widespread in many countries in South Asia and contributes to a significant proportion of preventable blindness (Bloem, 1997). Vitamin A supplementation can reduce the risk of blindness in case of the children (Hennig et al. 1991). In Nepal, two types of noodles are consumed. They are stick (sinke) noodle and instant noodle. In case of instant noodle, different ingredients and nutrients has been added to improve the nutrient content and to increase the consumer appeal such as iron, calcium and vitamin A and different flavors like spinach, chicken and vegetables. But, to the best of my knowledge, in case of noodles, no such studies have been conducted. The main objective of this research is to prepare the noodle enriched with Vitamin A and to analyze its chemical composition of the product. 2. Materials and methods: The raw materials used for the noodle making for wheat flour, carrot powder and salt. Five samples of stick noodles were prepared and labeled A (0% carrot powder and 100% wheat flour), B (5% carrot powder and 95% wheat flour), C (10% carrot powder and 90% wheat flour), D (15% carrot powder and 85% wheat flour) and E (20% carrot powder and 80% wheat flour). Wheat flour was cleaned by passing through a fine sieve screen. Fresh carrots were washed with potable water, sliced, dried at 100Â ±2 ? C for 6 hours. The dried carrots were then powdered in the grinder. Salt was bought from the local market. The method involved cleaning of raw materials, sieving, mixing, of water, kneading, sheeting, cutting, drying and packaging. The raw materials were weighed and mixed manually. 1% of salt was added to the mixture. The required amount of water (33%) was added to the flour. The mixture was kneaded manually to form dough and then left for 30 minutes. The dough was passed through rollers to obtain a sheet. Then it was passed through the cutter to cut into strips. The noodles were dried at a low humidity room for 3 days and then sun drying was done for 1 hour. The products were packed in a plastic bag to protect from the moisture absorption and also to extend its shelf-life. Sensory evaluation of the five noodles samples were performed. Ten panelists were asked to score for the quality attributes viz. , color, flavor, texture and taste in order of their preference according the 9-point Hedonic rating test described by Ranganna (1994). Chemical analyses were performed for the best sample from the sensory evaluation The moisture content and ash content were determined as per AOAC method (1995)Fat rude fiber content and protein content were determined as per Ranganna, 1994. Vitamin content was determined by HPLC as prescribed by Pharmacopeia, 1985. The product was also tested for physical properties such as length, color, edge and thickness. The cooking quality of the product was also determined in terms of cooking time, water absorption capacity, volume expansion and cooking loss as per Poudyal, 1988. 3. Results and Discussions The moisture content of the wheat flour was determined as 12. 2% and its gluten content was determined as 10%. To make noodles, the wheat flour containing 10-12% gluten is suitable. The quality of the wheat flour to make noodles depend on the gluten. If the gluten content is low, there is chance of breakage of noodles. Similarly, the moisture content of the carrot powder was determined as 9. 5%. Sample A with 5% carrot powder had the highest score in terms of quality attributes although the quality attributes among other products except product D (with 20% carrot powder) were not significantly different. (p=0. 05) In case of stick noodle, according to Nepal Standard, the moisture content must not exceed 12. 5%. The moisture content of both type of noodle is less than 12. 5% and there is no big difference between the moisture content of the two products. The protein content of stick noodle must not be less than 8% on dry basis. The protein content of plain noodle was found to be 10. 2% and that of carrot noodle was found to be 10. 3%. There was not much difference in the protein content because the protein content in carrot is very low. Fat is an energy giving constituent. Fat content of the plain noodle was found to be 0. 6% and that of carrot noodle was found to be 0. 6%. The fiber content of the plain noodle was found to be 0. 35% and that of carrot noodle was found to be 0. 7%. The fiber content in high in carrot.

Matters of Life and Death Essay

In a new book, A Miracle and a Privilege, Dr Francis Moore, 81, of Harvard Medical School, discusses a lifetime of grappling with the issue of when to help a patient die. An excerpt: Doctors of our generation are not newcomer to this question. Going back to my internship days, I can remember many patients in pain, sometimes in coma or delirious, with late, hopeless cancer. For many of them, we wrote an order for heavy medication – morphine by the clock. This was not talked about openly and little was written about it. It was essential, not controversial The best way to bring the problem into focus is to describe two patients whom I cared for. The first, formerly a nurse, had sustained a fractured pelvis in an automobile accident. A few day later her lungs seemed to fill up, her urine stopped, her heart developed dangerous rhythm disturbances. So there she was: in coma, on dialysis, on a breathing machine, her heartbeat maintained with an electrical device. One day after rounds, my secretary said the husband and son of the patient wanted to see me. They told me their wife and mother was obviously going to die, she was a nurse and had told her family that she never wanted this kind of terrible death, being maintained by machines. I told them that while I respected their view, there was nothing intrinsically lethal about her situation. The kidney failure she had was just the kind for which the artificial kidney was most effective. While possibly a bit reassured, they were disappointed. Here was the head surgeon, seemingly determined to keep everybody alive, no matter what When patients start to get very sick, they often seem to fall apart all at once. The reverse is also true. Within a few days, the patient’s pacemaker could be removed, and she awoke from her coma. About six months later I was again in my office. The door opened and in walked a gloriously fit woman. After some cheery words of appreciation, the father and son asked to speak to me alone. As soon as the door closed, both men became quite tearful. All that came out was, â€Å"We want you to know how wrong we were† The second patient was an 85-year-old lady whose hair caught fire while she was smoking. She arrived with a deep burn, I knew it would surely be fatal. As a remarkable coincidence, there was a similar going on at the time in medical ethics, given by the wife of an official of our university. She asked me if I had any sort of ethical problem I could bring up for discussion. I described the  case and asked the students their opinion. After the discussion, I made a remark that was, in retrospect, a serious mistake. I said, â€Å"I’ll take the word back to the nurses about her, and we will talk about it some more before we decide†. The instructor and the students were shocked: â€Å"You mean this is a real patient?† The teacher of ethics was not accustomed to being challenged by reality. In any event, I went back and met with the nurses.  A day or two later, when she was making no progress and was suffering terribly, we began to back off treatment. When she complained of pain, we gave her plenty of morphine. A great plenty. Soon she died quietly and not in pain. As a reasonable physician, you had better move ahead and do what you would want done for you. And don’t discuss it with the world first. There is a lesson here for everybody.  

The Bourne Identity essays

The Bourne Identity essays The Bourne Identity directed by Doug Liman tries to create suspense by assigning the difficult mission of piecing together evidence that may reveal Jason Bournes true identity and bring back his memory, the entertainment aspect, while simultaneously establishing the artistic quality of the film. Liman achieves this by presenting different elements of film; Color, Mise-en-scene, and Screenplay. He uses these elements in an effective way to provide the film with a great artistic feel as well as having an action, suspense movie. Color is an element that directors use very often because of the fact that it works. It can create a symbolic representation of something or someone. Liman was no exception. In the movie he uses the color red many times to signify some sort of action or adventure. I believe that he used it to signify to Jason was around or was coming, meaning that he had some influence in the upcoming scene. This is very evident from the beginning of the film. The movie starts out in a boat in the Mediterranean where several fishermen are playing cards on a table. The color of the table in which they are playing is red. Later in the scene, after they pick up Jason from the sea, they put his almost life-less body on the red table, this is where the movie actually begins. When Jason is lying on the table on the boat, Jean-Carlo, the fisherman that operates on him, pulls out the two bullets in his back. He also pulls out a laser with a message about the Zurich bank and Jasons account number. The lette rs that tell the account number are also red meaning that something bad will go down if he goes to the Zurich bank. When Jason does go to the Zurich bank he finds his identity but also acquires a red bag that almost takes a life of its own. He is surprised to find a safe deposit box filled with currency of various European and U.S. denominations and about seven passports made out in different names. He puts all of the i...

Bios For Loveline essays

Bios For Loveline essays Adam Carolla is the funny guy behind Westwood Ones Loveline. Adam Carolla and co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky dispense their original style of humor and advice on love, romance and relationships. In December 1996, Carolla and his co-host, Dr. Drew Pinsky, took their successful radio program to MTV and last year they published their advice on a myriad of subjects in their first book entitled The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and Love. Adam Carolla can also be seen on Comedy Centrals The Man Show, with Jimmy Kimmel of Win Ben Steins Money. For Carolla, becoming qualified to discuss issues surrounding matters of the heart in a fun yet sincere manner is a combination of upbringing and a good sense of timing. His father is a psychologist, and his 82-year-old grandmother is a sex therapist. To perfect his timing, Carolla spent years training with the famous Groundling's and ACME Improv groups in Los Angeles. He also spent considerable time on the boards as a stand-up comedian. An experienced carpenter and boxing instructor, Carolla developed the character Mr. Birchum, the Shop Teacher, which he brought to the KROQ-FM morning show in Los Angeles. It was Carollas appearances on KROQs morning show that caught the attention of Dr. Drew and the station brass who brought him onto Loveline to add a few laughs. Things worked out great, so they decided to bring him on as a regular host. Raised in North Hollywood, Carolla enjoys sports and is an accomplished writer. He also loves anything done by Aaron Spelling and believes the best-written show on the air is The Simpsons. Carolla has a simple philosophy: Figure out what you wanna do, then take a nap. Dr. Drew Pinsky is best known as Dr. Drew, the warm, sincere beacon of advice on Loveline, Westwood Ones radio call-in show. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and his...

A Financial Analysis of Coca Cola

The Coca-Cola Company is the world largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the company markets four of the world’s top 5 non-alcoholic sparkling brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, and Sprite. Consumers in more than 200 countries are enjoying the company’s beverages at a rate exceeding 1. 4 billion servings each day. The Coca-Cola Company engages in the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups worldwide. The company offers nonalcoholic beverages, principally carbonated soft drinks, as well as noncarbonated beverages. Its beverage products comprise bottled and canned soft drinks and beverages products. The companys products also include beverage concentrates, such as flavoring ingredients and sweeteners; syrups, the beverage ingredients produced by combining concentrates, sweeteners, and added water; and fountain syrups that use equipment for mixing the syrups with carbonated or noncarbonated water for immediate consumption, and are sold to fountain retailers, such as restaurants. The Coca-Cola Company owns or licenses more than 400 brands, which consists of noncarbonated beverages, including waters and flavored waters, juice and juice drinks, energy and sports drinks, teas, and coffees. It also has ownership interests in numerous bottling and canning operations. Finished beverage products bearing the CompanyGCOs trademarks are sold in more than 200 countries. As of December 31, 2006, the Company operated through eight segments: Africa; East, South Asia and Pacific Rim; European Union; Latin America; North America; North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East; Bottling Investments, and Corporate. In June 2007, the Company completed the acquisition of Energy Brands, Inc. , known as glaceau. The company markets its nonalcoholic beverages under various brand names, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, and Sprite. It sells its finished beverage products primarily to distributors. The company sells its beverage concentrates and syrups to bottling and canning operators, distributors, fountain wholesalers, and fountain retailers. History In May 1886 Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. John Pemberton concocted the Coca Cola formula in a three legged brass kettle in his backyard. The name was a suggestion given by his bookkeeper Frank Robinson who also scripted the famous logo . The soft drink was first sold to the public at the soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta. Until 1905, the soft drink, marketed as a tonic, contained extracts of cocaine as well as cocoa nut. In 1887, Asa Candler, his partrner bought the formula from Mr. Pemberton for $2,300. By thelate 1890s, Coca Cola was one of the America’s best selling drinks, largely due to Candler’s aggressive marketing of the product. Under Candler’s ownership the company increased its sales by over 4000% between 1890 and 1900. Mission,Vision Values Mission The Coca-Cola Company in everything they do is inspired by their enduring mission: †¢To Refresh the World in body, mind, and spirit. †¢To Inspire Moments of Optimism through our brands and our actions. †¢To Create Value and Make a Difference everywhere we engage. Vision To achieve sustainable growth, they have established a vision with clear goals. †¢Profit: Maximizing return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities. People: Being a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be. Taken together, these statements will give an accounting picture of the firm’s operations and financial position. Detailed data will be provided to show what has actually happened to assets, earnings, and dividends over the past few years and somehow include some verbal statements to explain somehow why things turned out the way they did. Furthermore, we will also be presenting the following measures or indices to provide clear insights of the management and how well they have performed in maximizing shareholder wealth. 1. Net Operating Working Capital (NOWC) 2. Total Net Operating Capital (TNOC) 3. Net Operating Profit After Taxes (NOPAT) 4. Free Cash Flow (FCF) 5. Net Investment in Operating Capital (NIOC) 6. Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) 7. Economic Value Added (EVA) 8. Market Value Added (MVA) Balance Sheets Table 1 shows The Coca-Cola Company’s most recent five-year balance sheets, which represent â€Å"snapshots† of its financial position on the last day of each year. The Balance Sheet presents a picture of the business net worth at a particular point in time. It summarizes all the financial data about the company business, breaking that data into 3 categories; assets, liabilities, and equity. The relationship between them is expressed in this equation: Assets = Liabilities + Equity. Assets are what a company uses to operate its business, while its liabilities and equity are two sources that support these assets. Owner’s equity, referred to as shareholders’ equity in a publicly traded company, is the amount of money initially invested into the company plus any retained earnings, and it represents a source of funding for the business. Table 1. The Coca Cola Company 5 Year Balance Sheet Analysis of Total Assets As shown above, the total assets of the company is consistently depict an increasing trend, which shows that it is financially stable and has been profitable. The increase in cash and cash equivalent in 2004 compared to 2003 was due primarily to net cash provided by operating activities of $5,968 million. A significant portion of this cash was generated in locations outside the US. The decrease in cash and cash equivalent in 2006 compared to 2005 was due to increase in property, plant and equipment amounting to almost 1. million brought about by acquisitions and purchases which consequently increases the net fixed assets and other non current assets. Along with the assets, the total liabilities and stockholder’s equity also increased throughout the past 5 years. Based on the company’s annual report, the increase in loans and notes payable of $1,948 million in 2004 was due to the issuance of commercial p aper to meet short-term cash needs in the US, including the quarterly dividend payments and repurchases of common stock. The decrease in loans and notes payable in 2006 compared to 2005 was primarily due to the net repayment of commercial paper and short term debts. Income Statement The Coca Cola Company’s income statement for the past 5-year as shown on Table 2, reflects the company’s performance during these period unlike the balance sheet that provides snapshot of a firm at point in time. The Income Statement is also known as Profit and Loss Statement (PL). The Income Statement shows your Revenues, Expenses, and Profit for a particular period. Its a snapshot of the company that shows whether or not your business is profitable at that point in time. Below is a simple illustration of the PL: Revenue Expenses = Profit/Loss. This is very useful for internal use as well as to external users for it shows whether the company made or lost money during the period being reported. Through this income statement, investors and creditors would be able to forecast future performance, assess the risk of achieving future cash flows. As shown on Figure 1 and Table 2, the Coca Cola Company had experienced a consistently profits for the past five years. Thus, it projects that they operate profitably and demonstrates its ability to use borrowed and invested funds in a successful manner. This positive result that was manifested in the Coca Cola Company’s PL is synonymous to company’s ability to operate profitably which benefits its employees particularly the management, shareholders, as it’s also equally important to creditors particularly current lenders and investors The increase in cash and cash equivalent in 2004 compared to 2003 was due primarily to net cash provided by operating activities of $5,968 million. A significant portion of this cash was generated in locations outside the US. The decrease in cash and cash equivalent in 2006 compared to 2005 was due to increase in property, plant and equipment amounting to almost 1. 9 million brought about by acquisitions and purchases which consequently increases the net fixed assets and other non current assets. Figure 1 The following table indicates, on a percentage basis, the estimated impact of key factors resulting in significant increases (decreases) in net operating revenues: Percent Change Year Ended December 31 2006 vs 20052005 vs 20042004 vs 20032003 vs 2002 Increase in gallon sales4%3%2%3% Structural cahnges-20-3-1 Price and product/geographic mix2101 Impact of currency fluctuations versus the US dollar 0255 Total Percentage increase 4%6%4%8% Net Cash Flow The net cash flow differs from accounting profit because some of the revenues and expenses reflected in accounting profits may not have been received or paid out in cash during the year. Depreciation is typically the largest noncash item, so net cash flow is Table 2 – Income Statement ften expressed as net income plus depreciation. Investors are at least as interested in a firm’s projected net cash flow as in reported earnings because it is cash, not paper profit, that is paid out as dividends and plowed back into business to produce growth. Figure 2 – Net Cash Flow The above calculations are in accordance to the income statements and balance sheets. As exhibited, the net cash flow is continuo usly increasing which strongly suggests that the Coca-Cola Company’s ability to generate cash from operations is one of the fundamental financial strength Free Cash Flow (FCF) This is the cash flow that is actually available for distribution to investors after the company has made all the investments in fixed assets and working capital necessary to sustain ongoing operations. Figure 3 – Free Cash Flow (FCF) As shown in Fig. 3 that in 2004 the FCF of the company plummeted but this was primarily the impact of the major acquisition of plants and bottling companies in Germany, South Africa including the big purchase of San Miguel Corporation, the biggest bottling company in the Philippines. And in year 2005, the company was able to bounced back in their FCF, a significant increase from -$236. 0 millions to almost 6 billion. Net Operating Working Capital (NOWC) This is a traditional measure of company’s liquidity and potential for growth. Net operating working capital is defined as non-interest bearing current assets minus non-interest charging liabilities. This also known as â€Å"investor-supplied capital†, which is equal to cash, account s receivables, and inventories less accounts payable and accruals. This particular measure is not being used when assessing management’s performance as it is not including natural or human capital in its calculation. Total Net Operating Capital (TNOC) It is defined as the sum of net operating working capital and operating long-term assets (liabilities). Other way of calculating this is by adding up the funds provided by investors, such as notes payables, long-term bonds, preferred stock, and common stock. Year 2004 always shows a major changes among the five years operation of the company. The company increased its operating capital to $25,248 from $21,593, or by almost $4 billion, during 2004. Furthermore, most of this increase went into working capital, which rose from $2,647 to $6,015 million, or by almost $4 billion. This is again caused by the aforementioned major acquisition. CONCLUSION Performing this research on Coca-Cola was very hard work. It took a lot of time and dedication to put all of this information together. Coca-Cola can be seen as a group of individuals working together to become stronger and the best. If one individual appears to be weak, the others must pull together to help compensate for the weakness being presented. Working as a team on this project is similar to how we view Coca-Cola. We were a group of individuals working together to become stronger and the best. We fed off of each others energy to achieve a good project in the end. By doing this research, I found out that Coca-Cola makes Odwalla, which I believe is well-known in Africa and was recently introduced in the United States. I learned that Coca-Cola has used commercial paper throughout various years. For those who do not know what commercial paper is, keep reading. Commercial paper is a type of unsecured promissory note issued by large, strong firms and sold primarily to other business firms, to insurance companies, to pension funds, to money market mutual funds, and to banks (Brigham, page 803). This came as a surprise to me at first, but then I realized that even successful firms need help along the way. Coca-Cola appears to be doing well with its current operations. Since Coca-Cola has done well in the past, I believe that they will continue to do well in the future. The non-alcoholic beverage industry seems to be growing with each passing societal change-from people wanting to have soda, but with fewer calories, from people wanting water with a kick, from people wanting energy, and for moms who want their kids to drink things that are good for them. Coca-Cola will be able to keep up with these changes as long as they keep inspiring and letting their employees to be the best they can be. With success comes hard times trying to stay the best and Coca-Cola is living proof of that. Coca-Cola has been around for more than 200 years and counting. With business of this longevity, they must be doing something right. After all, a building is only as strong as its foundation. Coca-Cola was built on a foundation of being the best at what they do and they have not fallen as of yet, so keep up the good work.

Strategic Leadership in a Changing World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Leadership in a Changing World - Essay Example Existing cultures and prevailing organization cultures to be precise plays an important role in ensuring success. As discussed by Becker and Baloff (1969), the need to place cultures on a psychological platform will distinguish the procedural and declarative knowledge. The culture of an organization displays on the economic performance and the company’s continuity. For instance, an organization with a dedicated and strong team built through visionary leaders end up with more financial successful years on a long-term basis. Organizations structure also facilitates the success of new products and process innovation and change. Culture management is a relevant process in the growth of an organization and its extent is felt on the two articles above. Becker and Baloff (1969) explain that managing organization culture is the ultimate goal for an organization to realize the length of its potential. Fairfield-Sonn (2001), however, states that culture just gives direction to the staff on what they believe and how things should be run (Kapferer, 2008). Business platforms require both leaders and managers. Though taken by many individuals to mean the same, the two aspects of business are different. A good manager and leader offer success of the organization in different levels (Northhouse, 2009, p. 23). Corporate culture is a strategic investment that ensures well driven business activities. The needs to create success in the economy that come with corporate change are extensive. Approaching a change requires putting into consideration the important cultural themes that ensure expression in and organization, without any neglect. The cultural web is a tool designed to help managers with the challenge that comes with cultural change. Originated by Gerry Johnson (2002), the tool is applied by many companies including, KPMG, Shell and Castrol. The web is designed to compare to a spider’s web where the centre is the paradigm or main idea for the organization, ac ting as a centrifugal force aimed at weaving cultural themes together. The cultural web brings out the concept of change, most employees feel comfortable with the normal happenings (Charles &Jones, 2009). Expressions can be considered cultural to an organization after cultural artifacts have been made active. Selecting a process includes incorporating the aspects that require change. It is important to facilitate a clear understanding of the analytical process with which members of the organization can relate to, once the culture has been incorporated. The cultural web is a device that ensures a practical aspect of the themes with aspects placed on anthropology. The Characteristics of a Good Manager A good manager should be able to manage time properly as supervisory positions can be tasking if the manager lacks proper time management skills to adhere to deadlines. Proper time management skills translate to generation of revenue and proper budgeting skills adopted by the company (Sc hein, 2004, p. 12). Possession of proper communication skills is an essential for a manager. Management of business and project teams depends highly on communication to succeed. A manager should be able to communicate clearly to other managers, other businesses, employees, and most of all to customers. Proper communication comes with the personality and confidence growth with the knowledge of the running of the business (Bax,2002). Conflict resolution abilities

Stem Cell Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Stem Cell Research - Essay Example Indeed, when all the fact are in about stem cells, it still a very polarizing debate. On one hand, certain people think the issue is black and white. Theyre certain that using stem cells is morally wrong. They believe it can be solved simply, sometimes by just interpreting the constitution. For many people it is very hard for someone to believe research involving them should be banned. Stem cells offer some of the substantial and important possibilities in the fields of medical science open to us today. I believe we must seize this opportunity. The issue is a nuanced one that society really needs to think about (Herold 22). Whether or not you believe using an embryonic stem cell for research purposes is destroying a potential life, you must admit that it is opening up the possibility for someone else to live longer or better. The world today is more complicated than ever. In part this is because we know more about it than ever before and technology has dramatically shaped our world views. Certain moral questions have exploded in recent years because of the way technology is changing the moral dimensions of our lives. We can now see foetuses in the womb using ultrasound technology and can tell a lot about them and their health early on. We now know that there are certain cells inside the body—called stem cells—that are effectively the building blocks for many different cells. They can become a fetus, they can become a brain cell, or, for example, they can become a skin cell. Some people believe this proves that stem cell research involves killing. They think it is wrong. Other believe that with the right type of manipulation—something scientists are becoming increasingly proficient at—it may be possible for many previously incurable diseases to be dealt with. There are also gre at possibilities involving the generation of organs for transplant, among a

The European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The European Union - Essay Example As relevant in any social scenario, when the disintegrated resources of different European nations united under one single label, it turned out to be mighty force in terms of economy and politics. The primary impact that the European Union has had on the global economy is that it has turned out to be a huge bargainer. This should be read together with the fact that whole of the European Union has a population of 500 million. This very fact makes it a huge consumer society. Contributing to the economic control this unified force can have, the consumer needs and the trade related issues of the whole European Union is controlled by a standardized and single window regulation system. This means that the every trade within the European Union will be controlled through a unified system of trade polices and laws. Considering these facts together, a unified demand of such a big population cannot be considered loosely by any business entity. Thus the European Union will have a great bargaining capacity. On the other side as far as the production is concerned, the European Union produced 30% share of the nominal gross world product in the last year. Thus in terms of production also, th e European Union becomes a vital force in the global market. This would highly influence the trade both bound inward and outward. The sourcing process so as to have the resources to maintain the high production level will distinguish the European Union as an important market. The importance as a vital force in global production and consumption thus would leave the European Union with the luxury to have control over competition. The unified regulations can very well check the possibilities of monopolistic economies and trade developing within its jurisdiction. The global giants will have to amend their business strategies as liked by the Union. As the economic system encourages highly the free movement of manpower, goods, capital and services

MPH503 - Infertility and Public Health Module 1 - SLP Essay

MPH503 - Infertility and Public Health Module 1 - SLP - Essay Example ay, infertility is a global problem and â€Å"It is estimated that one in six couples face difficulties in conceiving† (Major causes of infertility, 2009, para.1). The major cause of infertility among men is due to the tube blockage or any obstructions in the tubes which take the sperm, problems with the sperms like low sperm counts, inability of the sperm to move through the tube and an abnormal shape of the sperm and sperm allergy which means the immune reactions of the sperm. Infertility among females is because of some of the factors like growing of uterus lining to the outside of the uterus, ovulation problems, female tube blockage and developing chromosomal abnormality by way of damaging eggs. There are three ways to treat infertility and they are intake of medicine, conducting surgery and doing artificial insemination. It is found that the treatment is very effective among many couples. Northern California fertility Medical Center provides In Vitro Fertilization and Vasectomy Reversal and Infertility Treatment for the people who are inflicted with infertility throughout the world. In Vitro Fertilization which is â€Å"known as assisted reproductive technology, or ART, the ability of physicians to retrieve mature eggs from a woman’s ovaries and fertilize them outside of the body before returning them to the uterus has made it possible to overcome many causes of infertility.† (Assisted reproductive technologies: In vitro fertilization, 2008, para.1). It is the fertilization in glass and it has a number of stages in this process like ovulation induction, egg retrieval, fertilization and embryo placement. Washington State Nursing Association is an organization dedicated to provide quality nursing practice and education and in the treatment of infertility it also uses reproductive technology to meet the needs of the patients all over the world. West Texas Physicians Assistant Association and Alaska Midwife Association are very distinguished associations for

Articel reviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Articel reviews - Essay Example These four words, although vague, have dominated classical management theories. However, this is shown to be in contrast to the reality wherein â€Å"managers are not reflective, regulated workers, informed by their massive MIS systems, scientific, and professional†. In other words, in practice, managers fall short of what is expected of them. The purpose of the article is to highlight these points as deficiencies and therefore the need for managers to take on their expected role in order to improve their effectiveness. The author’s intention is clearly set out: to divert the reader from Fayol’s words based on the classical view and â€Å"introduce him to a more supportable †¦ description of managerial work†. This entails that managers recognise their role and develop an understanding of both themselves and their jobs. The study involved managers from selected western countries being observed intensively and in some cases their diaries and records analysed. The synthesis revealed findings contrary to the classical view. Four perspectives were found not to hold true and are therefore folklore: (1) The manager is a reflective, systematic planner – Evidence showed that managers work unrelentingly, and their activities tend to be brief, various and discontinuous. Moreover, they dislike reflection and are more oriented towards action than planning. (2) Effective managers have no regular duties i.e. they carefully organise everything and then reap the rewards of this organisation – Evidence shows that there are always exceptions, and there are also various regular duties to be performed such as ceremonious, negotiating and processing various types of information including its relation to the business environmental. (3) Senior manager’s use aggregated information as this is best provided formally – Total or management information systems are not perfect. Evidence shows that manager’s tend to favour verbal mediation instead. (4)

The European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The European Union - Essay Example As relevant in any social scenario, when the disintegrated resources of different European nations united under one single label, it turned out to be mighty force in terms of economy and politics. The primary impact that the European Union has had on the global economy is that it has turned out to be a huge bargainer. This should be read together with the fact that whole of the European Union has a population of 500 million. This very fact makes it a huge consumer society. Contributing to the economic control this unified force can have, the consumer needs and the trade related issues of the whole European Union is controlled by a standardized and single window regulation system. This means that the every trade within the European Union will be controlled through a unified system of trade polices and laws. Considering these facts together, a unified demand of such a big population cannot be considered loosely by any business entity. Thus the European Union will have a great bargaining capacity. On the other side as far as the production is concerned, the European Union produced 30% share of the nominal gross world product in the last year. Thus in terms of production also, th e European Union becomes a vital force in the global market. This would highly influence the trade both bound inward and outward. The sourcing process so as to have the resources to maintain the high production level will distinguish the European Union as an important market. The importance as a vital force in global production and consumption thus would leave the European Union with the luxury to have control over competition. The unified regulations can very well check the possibilities of monopolistic economies and trade developing within its jurisdiction. The global giants will have to amend their business strategies as liked by the Union. As the economic system encourages highly the free movement of manpower, goods, capital and services

Articel reviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Articel reviews - Essay Example These four words, although vague, have dominated classical management theories. However, this is shown to be in contrast to the reality wherein â€Å"managers are not reflective, regulated workers, informed by their massive MIS systems, scientific, and professional†. In other words, in practice, managers fall short of what is expected of them. The purpose of the article is to highlight these points as deficiencies and therefore the need for managers to take on their expected role in order to improve their effectiveness. The author’s intention is clearly set out: to divert the reader from Fayol’s words based on the classical view and â€Å"introduce him to a more supportable †¦ description of managerial work†. This entails that managers recognise their role and develop an understanding of both themselves and their jobs. The study involved managers from selected western countries being observed intensively and in some cases their diaries and records analysed. The synthesis revealed findings contrary to the classical view. Four perspectives were found not to hold true and are therefore folklore: (1) The manager is a reflective, systematic planner – Evidence showed that managers work unrelentingly, and their activities tend to be brief, various and discontinuous. Moreover, they dislike reflection and are more oriented towards action than planning. (2) Effective managers have no regular duties i.e. they carefully organise everything and then reap the rewards of this organisation – Evidence shows that there are always exceptions, and there are also various regular duties to be performed such as ceremonious, negotiating and processing various types of information including its relation to the business environmental. (3) Senior manager’s use aggregated information as this is best provided formally – Total or management information systems are not perfect. Evidence shows that manager’s tend to favour verbal mediation instead. (4)

Exaggerated Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Exaggerated Global Warming Essay Global warming is worldwidely experienced climatic phenomenon; but the question is, is it really that serious? Global warming has been a major issue as a result of industrialization as well as human progress since the past few decades. The cry to bring global warming to an end has been carried on by private in addition to international organizations since the initiative was first put forward. Global warming occurs as a result of devastating factors that negatively affect the climate. There are numerous sources that give details about the causes and effects of global warming. Each and every living organism has been negatively affected by the current global warming. This paper will evaluate various sources in order to demonstrate the dangers of global warming. Introduction Gupta asserts that global warming is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth (p, 4). These climatic conditions differ as a result of various reasons; both internal and external. Changes to climatic conditions and thus global warming can occur as a result of natural, for example volcanic emissions and solar activity, or man-made circumstances, such as deforestation. The issue concerning global warming in the United States has in the past few years generated heated debates in the political arena. The former U. S. Vice President, Al Gore, an anti-global warming crusader, through the U. S. National Assessment of Global Warming as pointed out by Harmon, convinced a lot of people that global warming manifest an evident and current danger to the United States (p, 29). However, Al Gore’s report was termed as a misrepresentation claiming that it portrayed deliberate scientific deceit for the purpose of political agenda (Johnston para, 7). Many people, according to Johnston, claim that Al Gore failed the movement for climatic change and that his negligence resulted in an irreplaceable harm to the climate (para, 8). All in all Al Gore notes that global warming is an overwhelming danger currently facing the United States and the world at large. Gore asserts that left uncontrolled, global warming will tremendously affect the future of humankind (Harmon p, 36). Exaggerated Global Warming Global warming occurs as a result of a combination of numerous factors. The solar variation theory, according to DSilva, states that the suns energy has been increasing day by day over the past sixty or so years (para, 1). This theory states that the sun may now be acting as a major cause of global warming. Studies, as illustrated by DSilva, have revealed that the amount of sunspots in a particular area directly affects the amount of time taken by the nearby earth to cool (para, 1). The sun acts as the main source of energy to the earth. The earth takes in a very large percent of the earth’s solar flax. As a result of this flax, the earth, land, and ocean’s atmospheric temperatures increase drastically (Sinha p, 89). Orbital forcing, as Sinha states, is the other factor believed to be a natural cause of global warming (p, 90). The slow tilting of the axis of the earth is also believed to have some negative effects on the climate. This tilting causes the sun to be positioned at different angles than normal, thereby causing it to hit the icebergs. The most significant cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect (Sinha p, 91). Green house effect is the increase in earth’s surface temperature as a result of infrared radiation from the atmosphere. Green house effect has led to an in crease in the atmospheric temperature by about 24%. Increase in carbon dioxide is the main factor that results in greenhouse effect (Gupta p, 8). Methane is the other gas that is linked to global warming. The other factor that may lead to global warming is solar variations; these are the changes that occur in the quantity of radiant energy emitted by the sun. Rapid industrialization is the other factor, in addition to natural causes, that result in an increase in global warming presently. Global warming is believed to have first been experienced about 8,000 years ago with the start of agriculture (Maslin p, 40). Forests were cleared, a factor that increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Industrialization is believed to increase the release of gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, which lead to global warming to the atmosphere. Forests are cleared in order to establish industries. Cutting down of trees results in an increase in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere as trees contain a very high quantity of carbon. Burning of fuel fossils is the other humankind activity that increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and, thus an increase in global warming. Over the past two decades the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that results in global warming has increased by about 80% (DSilva para, 5). Although global warming is believed to cause numerous negative environmental effects, it is hard to link specific conditions to global warming. It is also hard to tell whether the link between the global warming and the tremendous global effects attributed to it are true. The former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, was highly criticized for publishing work that many claimed over exaggerated the effects of global warming for political gains (Harmon p, 41). However, the effects of global warming are dangerous and real. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters (Roleff p, 54). Increase in global temperatures result in a wide range of changes including rise in sea levels as a result of thermal expansion of the ocean, along with melting of the land ice. The numbers as well as the patterns of climatic phenomenon predictions are changing at a very high rate as a result of global warming (Maslin p, 45). The total power of hurricanes has increased as a result of global warming; this is due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Extreme changes in temperature and patterns of prediction increase the frequency, duration, and magnitude of other climatic events such as floods, tornadoes, heat waves as well as draughts (Roleff p, 68). Hurricanes as well as other storms are likely to become more and more intense if the current rate of global warming is not checked (Gupta p, 16). Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Some species are moving from regions experiencing adverse effects of global warming to cooler regions. This if left unchecked will result in tremendous changes in the ecosystems. Global warming is also believed to cause diseases, which had been eradicated in certain places, to return with severe consequences (Schneider p, 57). On average, precipitation has increased across the world. Schneider notes that the amount of fresh water drastically reduces with increase in global warming (p, 75). This leaves a lot of people as well as animals which rely on it for drinking water and power production without a source. Scientists predict that heat waves, hot extremes in addition to heavy precipitation will become a common phenomenon (Roleff p, 51). Scientists argue that the sea will become more acidic as a result of taking up more carbon dioxide (Schneider p, 79). Global warming, as asserted by Kriengsak, causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world (para, 1). Kriengsak argues that tornadoes and hurricanes in addition to other storms result in bullions of dollars in damage, disease and control of conflicts that may arise (para, 4). Global warming, according to Roleff, is also believed to be the major cause of extreme cold weather that has recently afflicted the eastern and southern regions of the United States (p, 87). This is believed to be as a result of movement of cold polar air masses to the southern regions. Global warming is also attributed to heavy snow falls. This is due to the fact that higher temperatures results in more evaporation of water in addition to higher humidity content in the atmosphere, and therefore to heavier snows incase the warm, humid air comes across cold air masses moving to the southern regions from the polar regions. The real exaggeration of global warming as a result of man-made related factors must be somehow greater than a factor of two, due to the fact that most of the rise in atmospheric temperature occurred before 1940, but carbon dioxide in addition to other green house gases entered the atmosphere after 1940 (Maslin p, 65). This may lead to a conclusion that the effect of green house can only be accountable for only a few proportions of the observed rise in temperature. Exaggeration of global warming for the last few years, as argued by Maslin, is important as it acts as a resource of the forecasts of a devastating global warming in the next century (p, 112). Conclusion It can therefore be concluded that global warming, which is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth, is a real danger to not only the united states, but also to the rest of the world. Private as well as international organizations have been in the forefront in the fight against global warming. The former vice president of the U. S, Al Gore, though was highly criticized, clearly illustrated the effects of global warming to humankind. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters. Global warming has also resulted in an increase in the total power of hurricanes due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. Global warming causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Work Cited: DSilva, Roy. What Causes Global Warming? N. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/what-causes-global-warming. html Gupta, KR. Global Warming, ISBN 8126908815: Atlantic Publishers Distributors, 2008 Johnston, Robert. Falsehoods in Gores An Inconvenient Truth, 2006 viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. johnstonsarchive. net/environment/gore. html Kriengsak, Global Warming: The Economic Risk Factor, n. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://blog. nationmultimedia. com/print. php? id=1693 Maslin, Mark. Global Warming: Causes, Effects, and the Future, ISBN0760329656: Voyageur Press, 2007 Roleff, Tamara. Barbour, Scott. and Swisher, Karin. Global warming: opposing viewpoints, ISBN 1565105125: Greenhaven Press, 1997 Schneider, Stephen. Global warming: are we entering the greenhouse century? ISBN 0718828151: James Clarke Co. , 1990 Sinha, PC. Global Warming, ISBN 817488954X: Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. , 1998 Harmon, Daniel. Al Gore and Global Warming, ISBN 1404217614: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008

The Conservation Of Madagascar And Its Lemurs Biology Essay

The Conservation Of Madagascar And Its Lemurs Biology Essay The extraordinary island of Madagascar is unlike anywhere else on earth. Roughly the size of France, with an area of 226,658 square miles, it is the worlds fourth largest island. It lies in the Indian Ocean, approximatly 250 miles off the coast of Southern Africa. Madagascar, and the tiny island of Comoro, provide the only present-day native habitat to lemurs (Butler, 2009). Nicknamed the 8th Continent because of its diversity of species (Hooper, 2005), Madagascar lacks the dominant form of primates distributed worldwide. Instead, their niche has been filled by an older group of primates, the Lemurs. Due to Madagascars isolation, lemurs have an interesting evolutionary history. Madagascar was originally part of the super continent Gondwanaland. As Gondwanaland began to break apart around 160 million years ago, Madagascar broke away from Africa (Carwardine, 2009). The Island continued to drift, moving away from Africa and by the evolution of monkeys, 17-23 million years ago, Madagascar was already isolated. As highly intelligent and adaptive primates, monkeys, quickly became the dominant primates around the rest of the world. The Strepsirhini, the suborder that includes the lemurs, lorises, bushbabies, and pottos, were driven away and towards extinction by these advanced primates. The lorises, bushbabies, and pottos were able to relatively successfully coexist with the monkeys, largely due to their nocturnal and insectivorous traits. They did not compete with the monkeys; however, the lemur lineage was driven to find a new home, Madagascar (Baines, 1997). As the island of Madagascar drifted futher from Africa, the lemurs were then isolated from the rest of the world and its evolutionary changes. They are now By far the most renowned and diverse group of Madagascars mammals (Sauther, 2009). They have spread throughout Madagascar, filling the niches without much competition or predators. Today lemurs are found in almost all of the ecosystems of Madagascar (Carwardine, 2009), many have adapted in amazing and bizarre ways to ensure their survival. Higher primates or homo-sapiens did not reach Madagascar until around 2,000 years ago, when they learned to navigate the seas (Oldfield, 2002). Once there, humans began to systematically destroy the previously untouched island .15 species of lemur are known to have become be extinct, but many more are thought to have disappeared before they were even discovered. Currently all lemurs are in danger, largely due to habitat destruction and hunting. Madagascars terrain is as diverse as its wildlife with coastal plains, mountain ranges, dramatic escarpments, and dense rainforest. As such, there is a great diversity of ecosystems, each with differing vegetation and therefore: different species. This is usually in accordance with relief, geology and rainfall. The first humans to arrive on Madagascar were the ancestors of the Sakalava people, who originated in Indonesia and now live in the West of the island. These early settlers practiced shifting cultivation, burning the previously untouched vegetation. In the 9th and 13th centuries respectively, the ancestors of the Merina people and Betsileo tribes of Northern Madagascar also arrived from Indonesia, and began farming rice. During the last 1,200 years people from Africa and the Arabian Peninsular have also settled in Madagascar, bringing with them Zebu cattle. Many traditional ceremonies and rituals are based around Zebu cattle, even today many Madagascians measure their wealth by the number of Zebu they own. As such there is now more Zebu than people on Madagascar. Every year vast areas of vegetation are burnt in an attempt to improve pasture for these animals (Oldfield, 2002). In 1895 Madagascar became a French colony. These new settlers began harvesting valuable hardwoods for export, such as ebonies and rosewoods, the harvesting of these trees continues today. The endangered Dalbergia delphinensis tree is one of over 30 rosewoods threatened due to selective felling (Oldfield, 2009). The restricted distribution of this species also coincides with a proposed site for a titanium mine which threatens all the remaining coastal forest in Southeast Madagascar (Kimball, 2009). Also to its detriment, Madagascars rainforests contain valuable minerals, such as gold and sapphires. Attempts to extract these poses further threats. Mining is one of the many threats to Madagascars forests and the many species that rely on them. Wood is also cut for fuel and many logging companies are keen to acquire forest concessions. Another threat is the local form of shifting cultivation known as tavy. Most of Madagascars 13 million human inhabitants depend on the land for their livelihood. Massive amounts of forest are cleared every year by cut and burn techniques for rice cultivation, maize and cassava. Many areas are exhausted of their nutrients and then abandoned, the secondary vegetation that then grows is known as savoka, this is eventually replaced by grassland (Oldfield, 2002). Madagascar is home to a massive 10,000 or so plant species, 80% of which are endemic to the island (Carwardine, 2009). Although Madagascars animal diversity is less striking, many species are unique to the island. Over 250 bird species, nearly half of which are endemic to the island, 300 species of reptiles, over 90% of which are found only on Madagascar (Oldfield, 2002). The islands only amphibians, 178 frog species, all of which are endemic and more than 33 known species of lemur inhabit Madagascar, more than half in its depleting rainforests. According to the Botanist, Henri Perrier de la Bathie, writng in 1921, The once mighty rainforests of Madagascar have declined dramatically. As early as 1921, felling had destroyed ninety per cent of Madagascars forests (Sauther, 2006 ). Biologically, it is regarded as one of the richest areas on the planet (Green, 1990), however, no one has ever managed to make a full evaluation of Madagascars many threatened rainforest species. Conservation-status information on some species of animals and trees has been assembled, but is nowhere near complete. Of the rainforest species of lemurs alone, threatened species include the Indri, as well as the Aye-aye, Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur, Golden Bamboo Lemur and the Red-bellied Lemur. According to Ian Tattershal in Michelle Sauthers report, Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptations, there is general agreement that the lemurs, including the recently extinct subfossil forms, should be classified into seven families: Cheirogaleidae, the dwarf lemurs with five living genera; Lemuridae, the true lemurs and their close relatives, with five genera (one extinct); Lepilemuridae, with two genera (one extinct); Indriidae, with three living genera, Archaeolemuridae, with two genera (both extinct); Palaeopropithecidae, with four genera (all extinct) and Daubentoniidae, the aye-ayes, with a single living genus and species. Depending on whose classification is accepted, living lemurs may number up to forty different species and possibly even up to seventy two species, if subspecies are included in the count. With these numbers, and despite recent extinctions, Madagascar ranks third highest on the list of high-primate diversity countries worldwide (Sauther, 2009), despite being only one tenth of the size of the world leader, Brazil. All of these species of lemur are endemic to Madagascar. According to the ICUN Red List of Threatened Species, each of these species has different threats to their survival. Many lemurs, such as the Red-ruffed Lemur, and many types of bamboo lemurs are critically endangered. With a drastically reduced habitat there are few left in the wild. The Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur, Golden-brown Mouse Lemur, and the Black and White Ruffed Lemurs are not as close to extinction, but are listed as endangered. Some of the lemurs listed as vulnerable include the Black Lemur, Crowned Lemur, and a number of Fork-marked Lemurs. Perhaps the most remarkable lemur species have long been extinct. These included the Archaeoindris, which was larger than an adult male gorilla, the Babakotia and the Magaladapsis. All lemurs are protected by law, and in many communities it is considered taboo to kill an Indri, but elsewhere, the Indri, and many other species of lemur, are hunted for food and sometimes sold as bush meat or pets (Carwardne, 2009). Madagascar has suffered environmental degradation over a significant part of its land mass. Once covered with rainforests, most of the Eastern third of Madagascar is now, either barren, or reduced to shrub land. As indigenous vegetation is cut and burned for fuel many areas such as the Spiny forest, which contains many rare plant and animal species endemic to the island, have given way to cactus scrub. Around eighty per cent of the original plant cover has been destroyed and much of the terrain is now degraded grassland (Oldfield, 2002). Each year, a further 1% of Madagascars forests are levelled. This mass deforestation not only affects the land and its inhabitants directly, but also indirectly. Without vegetation to absorb moisture the soil is eroding away at an alarming rate. Enviromental regulations have been in place to protect the forests and species of Madagascar since 1881 and at present, more money is put towards the conservation of Madagascar, than any other part of Africa (Butler, 2009). Madagascar is one of the worlds poorest nations, with a per capita income of approximately $240 per year. About 80 percent of the population are subsistence farmers, many of whom depend entirely on natural capital to support their way of life. The peoples dependency on the land and natural resources is of major consequence to Madagascars ecosystems and endemic biodiversity (Kremen, 2010). The major environmental problems of Madagascar include deforestation, and thus loss of habitat, agricultural fires, erosion and soil degradation and the over exploitation of resources. The deforestation of Madagascar can be mostly attributed to three activities. Tavy, or slash and burn agriculture, logging for timber, and fuel wood and charcoal production. Tavy is a large part of Malagasy culture, and has been since the arrival of humans on the island. It is used to convert tropical rainforest into rice fields. An acre or two of land may be cut or burned; it is then planted with rice. After several years production the land is then left fallow for up to six years before replanting (Kremen, 2010). After several of these cycles the land is exhausted of all its nutrients and no primary vegetation will grow. The land then becomes barren and only scrubs and a few grasses will grow. This vegetation is often insufficient to anchor the soil, especially on slopes, making erosion a problem. According to the ICUN, the high value of Malagasy hardwoods also makes logging for timber a significant problem in many areas of Madagascar, especially in the rainforests of Eastern Madagascar. Even the few areas that are protected are often illegally logged and even the endemic spiny forests of Madagascar are being cut at an alarming rate for charcoal and fuelwood production. Every year, as much as a third of what remains of Madagascars forest burn. Fires set for land clearing and pastureland often spread into adjoining forests ,causing much damage and further reducing the habitat of many species of flora and fauna. For Madagascar, a country that relies on agricultural production as the foundation of its economy, the loss of this soil, due to erosion, is a massive problem. The deforestation of Madagascars central highlands plus weathering has resulted in massive soil erosion accounting for up to 400 tons per year. Every yea,r the cost of environmental damage is approximated to between 100 and 290 billion US dollars. Deforestation represents 75% of this loss and 15% due to the erosion that effects agricultural and pastoral production (Oldfield, 2002). Due to the factors mentioned throughout, and many more, Madagascars species are among the most threatened in the world. Since the arrival of man Madagascar has lost a known 16 species of lemur, including one the size of a gorilla; a pygmy hippo, the largest land bird to ever walk the planet, and giant tortoises, a species that had survived for 200 million years. The ICUN Redlist currently includes 472 Malagasy species at risk of becoming extinct, although this number is probably massively optimistic. Today, Madagascar is arguably the worlds highest conservation priority (ICUN, 2011). Ensuring the survival of lemurs is not only important because they are endemic to Madagascar, but also because they benefit plants and other animals. Many species of lemur are very important seed dispersers for forest trees and pollinators for many of the plants that are also endemic to Madagascar. They are also an important source of food for other animals. The National Association for the Management of Protected Areas in Madagascar (ANGAP) was founded in 1990 to manage Madagascars protected areas system. ANGAPs mission is to safeguard Madagascars ecosystem, research the potential of Madagascars biodiversity, develop environmental education programs for local people, promote potential commercial applications of Madagascars biodiversity, for example ecotourism, and to support sustainable development activities in areas surrounding protected zones. One of ANGAPs goals is to enable local communities to directly benefit from the conservation of Madagascar. Half of the entrance fees to the conservation parks go directly to local communities and visitors can not enter a park without hiring a local guide. ANGAP also works closely with many other organisations and scientists to asses the impact of visitors to the parks and reserves and study the biodiversity of Madagascar. The ANGAP manages the protected areas network in Madagascar (Butler, 200 9). The network includes three types of protected area. Strict nature reserves, national parks, and wildlife reserves. In 2003, at the ICUNs world parks congress, Marc Ravalomanana, the Malagasy president, announced a bold plan to expand the amount of area under protection from approximately 1.7 million hectares to over 6 million hectares. In 2005 the first 10,000 km2 of the new protected areas system of Madagascar was granted protection status and in 2006 1 million hectares was added, both contributing to the overall goal of 10% of Madagascar being protected. This plan also involved broadening the definition of protected areas in Madagascar and legislation has since been passed to allow four new categories of protected area, natural parks, natural monuments, protected landscapes, and national resource reserves (Butler, 2009). Madagascar currently has 19 terrestrial national parks, 2 marine national parks, 5 complete natural reserves, and 21 special reserves. Reference List Baines, E (1997) University of Edinburgh Natural History Museum. Retrieved from http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.504.513. Accessed 28/4/2011 Burnie, D (2001). Animal. London: Dorling Kindersley Butler, R. (2009) Wild Madagascar. Retrieved from http://www.wildmadagascar.org/history/. Accessed 29/4/2011 Carwardine, M (2009). Last Chance to See. London: Harper Collins Green, G Sussman, R (1990). Science, New Series, Vol. 248, No. 4952, Pages 212 215 Hooper, R (2005). New Scientist Madagascar Reveals Two New Species of Lemur. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7818. Accessed 14/4/2011 ICUN, 2011. ICUN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. Retrieved from http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/search. Accessed 24/4/2011 Kimball, S et al (2009). USGA Minerals Yearbook, Area Reports: International 2006, Africa and the Middle East. Washington DC, USA: United Staes Government Printing Office Kottak, C (1980). Past in the Present: History, Ecology and Cultural Variation in Highland Madagascar. Chicago, USA: University of Michigan Press Kremen, C (2010). Traditions That Threaten. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/edens/madagascar/paradise.htm. Accessed on 1/5/2011 Oldfield, S (2002). Rainforest. London: New Holland Publishers (UK) Sauther, M (2006). Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptation. New York, USA: Springer Science and Business Media

Shallow Persecutions :: essays research papers

In April of 1999, two students shot 15 fellow students and a teacher in Columbine High School. A few years before that, a teenage boy committed suicide in his bedroom. What do these two have in common? In both instances, their choice of music was to blame. Alternative music has been the center of a lot of controversy as well as a scapegoat for many adolescent tragedies. This type of music is meant to be different and it is being persecuted because artists do not fall into the categories of R&B and pop rock. Music is the artist’s livelihood and religion. Condemning the music is breaching both an artist’s freedom of expression and religion. Millions of teenagers listen to alternative rock groups such as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails every day. These same teenagers walk into their schools every morning and don’t blow their classmates’ heads off. These same teenagers don’t go home and blow their own brains off. However when these things do happen, parents all over the country start protesting against the entire genre of alternative rock. Alternative rock has become a national scapegoat for adolescent violence. But is it really to blame? The parents that protest are probably the same ones that deny that the teens lashed out because of bad parenting. Of course it can’t be that because parents such as themselves are all perfect. This sort of attitude is precisely why teenagers respond to their environment so violently. Parents refuse to get help because they’re afraid of how they as parents would be perceived. Some parents even refuse to admit that there is a problem in the first place. With this view, parents often search for something else that might have caused such violent behavior. That is where alternative rock comes in. Parents say that it breaches hate, violence, and anti-Christianity. However, are they really protesting these issues or the way the artists look? Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca glorifies a prostitute but there wasn’t a huge uprising over it. He even makes a music video that is near pornographic. Ricky Martin is off the hook because he has a pretty face. He can do anything and sing anything he wants as long as it is legal. On the other hand, if Marilyn Manson calls their CD â€Å"Anti-Christ Superstar,† the whole country erupts in disbelief. This shallow hypocrisy is enough to make anyone sick.

Analysing Kant Essay -- essays research papers

Kant Sewction 1 Kant starts off making two distinctions regarding kinds of knowledge, empirical/rational and formal/material. Empirical or experience-based knowledge is contrasted with rational knowledge, which is independent of experience. This distinction between empirical and rational knowledge rests on a difference in sources of evidence used to support the two different kinds of knowledge. Formal is contrasted with material knowledge. Formal knowledge has no specific subject matter; it is about the general structure of thinking about any subject matter whatsoever. Material knowledge is of a specific subject matter, either nature or freedom. Rational knowledge is metaphysics, of which there are two branches, the metaphysics of nature and of morals. The metaphysics of nature is supposed to provide rational knowledge of the laws of nature. These are not empirical laws; they are more like universal principles of nature that any empirical physical would presuppose, such as that no event in nature oc curs without a natural cause. The metaphysics of freedom is supposed to provide knowledge of the laws of freedom. These are the universal rules which free agents devise to govern them. Thus, Kant's grounding, his initial attempt at a critique of rational reason, is an investigation of the possibility of purely rational knowledge of morals. Take, for example, the Moral Rule: Thou shalt not lie. If the moral law is valid as the basis of moral obligation or duty, then it must b...

Developing Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Continuing Professional Development ?

Introduction The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has set out at least four domains of competencies for entry to the register in Adult Nursing. In this brief, I will focus on the second domain of communication and interpersonal skills. Communication plays a crucial role in addressing the needs of the patients. Adult nurses are expected to communicate effectively, listen with empathy and advocate for their patients (Department of Health, 2012a, 2012b). Specifically, the Department of Health (Commissioning Board Chief Nursing Officer and DH Chief Nursing Adviser, 2012) has introduced the 6 Cs of nursing, which encompasses compassion in nursing practice. Compassion in care is only possible when patients feel that their nurses understand their feelings and show empathy (Chambers and Ryder, 2009). Communication is essential in helping patients articulate their needs (Hall, 2005). Similarly, poor communication could result to misunderstanding, anxiety for the patients and poor quality of care (Chamb ers and Ryder, 2009). In this brief I will focus on the domain of communication and interpersonal skills since these form the foundation of my relationships with my patients. Developing my competency in this domain would help me identify both verbal and non-verbal messages of the patients and address their needs accordingly. Meanwhile, effective communication is needed when I communicate with my colleagues and other healthcare practitioners. A focus on my communication skills with my patients will be made in this reflective brief. Communicating effectively with my patients and other health and social care professionals would help improve the care received by my patients. Benner’s (1984) stages of clinical competence would be used to underpin my development from novice to competent. Gibb’s (1988) reflective model will be utilised to reflect on my experiences in the last three years from novice to competent. Professional Development from Novice to Competent Level Reflective practice (Gibbs, 1988) allows healthcare practitioners to improve current practice by learning from incidents and one’s own experiences. Pearson et al. (2009) explains that one’s own experiences are another form of evidence in healthcare. With the focus on patient-centred care, the NHS (Department of Health, 2012b) has encouraged evidence-based care when addressing the needs of the patients. I will use Gibbs (1988) model in reflecting on my communication experiences in years 1 to 3. This model starts with a description of an incident followed by analysis, evaluation, conclusion and action plan. An incident during my year 1 exemplifies how I developed my communication and interpersonal skills as a novice. I was assigned to the mental health ward and assisted an elderly patient with dementia who was admitted for pneumonia. During his first day in the hospital, my senior nurse performed a nutritional assessment and informed me that I should assist the patient during feeding time. This was consistent with the Patient Mealtime Initiative (PMI) (NHS, 2007) implemented in our ward. As a student nurse, I would be assist the patient to self-feed and make his environment comfortable and uncluttered. During mealtime, I talked to the patient and informed him that I would assist him in eating his food. He stared at the wall and did not respond. I gently asked him if he was ready to eat. When he turned to me, I informed him that he could now start eating. He only stared at his food and did not seem to understand my instructions. I placed the utensils near his hand so he could grab it and eat. When he did not respond, I asked him if he wanted me to help him eat. After a few minutes, he got his spoon and held it for a few minutes. I began to realise that he did not seem to understand my instructions so I started to place the spoon with food in his mouth and gently touched his chin to remind him to chew his food. My senior nurse passed by and informed that I have to put some pressure on the patient’s chin and make some chewing motions to help remind him that he needs to chew his food. It took me an hour to feed my patient. On reflection, communicating with older patients with dementia could be a challenge. Most of these patients suffer from cognitive impairments, which make it difficult for them to communicate their feelings and concerns (NICE, 2006). A significant number of older patients with dementia who are admitted in hospital wards are underweight (World Health Organization, 2014). Jensen et al. (2010) explain that many of these patients have forgotten how to eat and chew their food while others lack cognitive abilities in understanding instructions on feeding. Hence, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2006) guideline on nutrition for older patients highlights the importance of assisting the patients during feeding. For patients in the advanced stages of dementia, the main aim of nutrition is to maintain hydration and comfort feeding. Meanwhile, some patients could also suffer from swallowing problems, making it more difficult to ingest food (Lin et al., 2010). The hospital ward environment is also new to older patients with dementia and might trigger anxiety and fear (Lin et al., 2010). Since patients are in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar people, they might express their fears and anxieties through aversive behaviours (NICE, 2006). It is shown that nurses react negatively to aversive behaviours of older patients with dementia (Jensen et al., 2010). On reflection, the incident taught me to be more patient and to understand both verbal and non-verbal messages. It took some time for me to realise that I have to feed the patient since he appeared confused. I was also unprepared on how to communicate with an older patient with dementia. As a novice nurse, my feelings and apprehensions are normal and are also shared by other nurses (Cole, 2012; Murray, 2006). Best and Evans (2013) have shown that nurses feel unprepared to communicate and care for older patients with dementia. On reflection, I should continue with my professional develop ment by joining training and seminar on how to communicate with older patients with dementia and address their nutritional needs. When faced with a similar situation in the future, I am better prepared and would not need more supervision from senior nurses on how to communicate with older patients with dementia and address their needs. For instance, I am now aware that these patients have difficulty verbalising their needs and I have to be sensitive of non-verbal cues and interpret aversive behaviour as possible signs of distress, anxiety or fear (Best and Evans, 2013). The second incident occurred during year 2 in my placement in the Urology Department. At this stage, I already considered myself as an advanced beginner (Benner, 1984). I was assigned to care for a 45-year old male patient who was admitted due to testicular pain. I introduced myself to the patient and informed him that I was part of a team that would be caring for him during his hospital admission. I noticed that he was uncomfortable communicating with a student nurse and asked for a more senior nurse. I gently informed him that my senior nurse was supervising other student nurses and he was left to my care. I tried to communicate and noticed that he had difficulty with the English language. I asked him if he needed a language interpreter. Once an interpreter was identified and assisted me with communicating with my patient, I noticed a change in his behaviour. He began to open up and was willing to take his prescribed medications. I slowly understood that he was anxious about his co ndition and wanted a male nurse with the same ethnic background to be his nurse. When he realised that most of the nursing staff are composed of female nurses, he began to accept me as his nurse. On reflection, this incident illustrates the importance of taking into account individual differences and using communication strategies to understand the patient’s needs. Specifically, I became aware that he had difficulty with the English language. The act of getting an interpreter greatly improved our communication. One of the competencies stated under communication states that nurses should be able to use different communication strategies in order to identify and address the patient’s needs (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010; National Patient Safety Association, 2009). It was apparent that the patient was self-conscious that a female nurse was addressing his needs. It is shown that a patient’s perception about his condition is also influenced by their cultural beliefs and ethnicity (Department of Health, 2012b). He was uncomfortable that a female nurse was providing care when he was suffering from testicular pain. However, the patient shares similar ethnic background as the interpreter and only became comfortable when the interpreter assured him that he could trust me. I realised that patients with different cultural background could be anxious about their treatment and might have difficulty communicating. On evaluation, I felt that I was able to address the immediate language barrier gap by getting an interpreter to help me communicate with the patient. My experiences during my first year in placement with patients who have different ethnic backgrounds and have difficulty expressing themselves in English helped me prepare for this situation. As Benner (1984) stated, nurses develop competency through experiences. I felt that I have improved on my communication skills and have achieved the advanced beginner level during year 2. Being sensitive to the communication needs of my patient is also consistent with the 6 Cs of nursing (Commissioning Board Chief Nursing Officer and DH Chief Nursing Adviser). In this policy paper, nurses are encouraged to show compassion in caring through effective communication. On analysis, I could have improved my communication skills by learning how to communicate with patients with different cultural beliefs about human sexuality. The patient was shy that a female nurse is part of the healthcare team managing his testicular pain. As part of my professional development and action plan, I will participate in training and seminars on how to communicate about health issues, such as testicular pain, that are considered sensitive and may carry some cultural taboo. The third incident happened during year 3, in my placement in the surgical ward for orthopaedic patients. At this stage, my previous experiences in communicating with patients during year 1 and 2 have helped me develop important communication skills. These included recognising non-verbal messages, understanding how culture influences my patients’ perceptions of nurses and the care they receive. Culture plays a crucial role in how patients place meanings on the words and symbols I use when communicating (Funnell et al., 2009). Apart from culture, I realised that the patient’s own perceptions of the illness and pain they are experiencing could also influence the quality of our communication. In the incident, I was assigned to assess the level of post-operative pain of a patient after surgical operation. He was a 32-year old male and was unable to communicate even after four hours of surgery. I tried to communicate with him to help assess his level of pain. Since he could not verbalise his level of pain, I used the visual analogue scale (VAS) to identify the level of pain. On analysis, I felt that I have done the right thing and have fulfilled one of the competencies under the domain of communication. Specifically, the NMC (2010) states that nurses should be able to use different communication strategies to support patient-centred care. The use of the VAS helped the patient articulate his level of pain. The VAS is often used as a tool in healthcare practice when assessing the patient’s level of pain. This tool is reliable and has been validated in different settings (Fadaizadeh et al., 2009). On analysis, my personal experiences in the last three years helped me be come acquainted with current guidelines on pain assessment. It also helped me identify a simple but valid and reliable tool in assessing patient’s level of pain. Pain perception in post-operative patients is highly subjective and could be influenced by several factors (Gagliese and Katz, 2003). These include age, gender, prior pain experience, medications and culture (Lavernia et al., 2011; Grinstein-Cohen et al., 2009; Gagliese and Katz, 2003). Regardless of the factors that influence pain, nurses should be able to assess the patient’s pain accurately and communicate with the patient strategies on how to control pain (Clancy et al., 2005). Hence, communication is crucial in ensuring quality post-operative care. On reflection, I was aware that the patient has difficulty communicating. Hence, choosing a more complex tool in assessing pain could add to more distress and anxiety for the patient (Gagliese and Katz, 2003). I realised that choosing a simple assessment tool helped calm down the patient since I was able to deliver care appropriately. On reflection, I would follow similar procedures in the future. However, I would improve my knowledge on pain assessment by participating in pain education nursing classes in university or in the hospital where I am assigned. This would form part of my continuing professional development and action plan. Abdalrahim et al. (2011) argue that nurses with high knowledge on patient education are more likely to accurately assess patient pain, leading to earlier relief and management of the patient’s pain. However, Francis and Fitzpatrick (2013) express that despite high levels of knowledge on pain management, there are some nurses who have difficulty translating this knowledge into actual practice. One of my roles as a nurse in an orthopaedic surgical ward is to manage post-operative pain of my patients. Failing to manage pain could lead to chronic pain, longer hospital stays and poorer health outcomes (Grinstein-Cohen et al., 2009). I also realised that effective communication with patients is needed to ensure that the patient’s needs are addressed. Conclusion In conclusion, the three incidents portrayed in this reflective brief demonstrate how I evolved as a nurse practitioner from novice to competent. Specifically, my communication skills have developed from year 1 until Year 3. In the first incident, I had difficulty communicating with older patients with dementia. Beginner nurse practitioners have no experience in the situations they find themselves in. This was true in my experience with the older patient with dementia. It was my first time at communicating with a patient with cognitive impairment and feeding him. I lacked confidence in carrying out the task and only improved after several meetings with the client. However, in year 2, my communication skills improved. For instance, I was able to immediately identify the needs of the patients by depending on verbal cues and non-verbal messages of the client. I was able to get an interpreter and communicate with him. However, I also realised that I still need to improve by participating in classes and training on how to communicate effectively with patients with different ethnic background. Finally, in year 3, I was now more competent in communicating with patients. Even when the patient in post-operative care could not communicate, I was aware that he was in pain. I was also able to use an appropriate assessment tool that is consistent with the guidelines in our hospital. I realised that I possess more confidence in communicating with the patient and identifying his needs. My previous experiences in communicating with different groups of patients helped me become competent in identifying the needs of the patients. Importantly, care was delivered promptly since I was able to appropriately assess the level of pain of the patient. All these three experiences show that I could hone my skills in communication. My communication experiences in nursing will help me become more competent and ready as a future nurse registrant. References Abdalrahim, M., Majali, S., Stomberg, M. & Bergbom, I. (2011) ‘The effect of postoperative pain management program on improving nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward pain’, Nurse Education in Practice, 11(4), pp. 250-255. Benner, P. (1984) From Novice to Expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice, Menlo Park: Addison-Wesley. Best, C. & Evans, L. (2013) ‘Identification and management of patients’ nutritional needs’, Nursing Older People, 25(3), pp. 303-6. Chambers, C. & Ryder, E. (2009) Compassion and caring in nursing, London: Radcliffe Publishing. Clancy, C., Farquhar, M. & Sharp, B. (2005) ‘Patient safety in nursing practice’, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 20(3), pp. 193-197. Cole, D. (2012) ‘Optimising nutrition for older people with dementia’, Nursing Standard, 26(20), pp. 41-48. Commissioning Board Chief Nursing Officer and DH Chief Nursing Adviser (2012) Compassion in Practice, London: Department of Health. Department of Health (2012a) The Power of Information, London: Department of Health. Department of Health (2012b) Bringing clarity to quality in care and support, London: Department of Health. Fadaizadeh, L., Emami, H. & Samii, K. (2009) ‘Comparison of visual analogue scale and faces rating in measuring acute postoperative pain’, Archives of Iranian Medicine, 12(1), pp. 73-75. Francis, L. and Fitzpatrick, J. (2013) ‘Postoperative pain: Nurses’ knowledge and patients’ experiences’, Pain Management Nursing, 14(4), pp. 351-357. Funnell, R., Koutoukidis, G., and Lawrence, K. (2009) Tabbner’s nursing care: Theory and practice, 5th Edition, Chatswood, London: Elsevier. Gagliese, L. and Katz, J. (2003) ‘Age differences in postoperative pain are scale dependent: a comparison of measures of pain intensity and quality in younger and older surgical patients’, Pain, 103(1-2), pp.11-20. Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods, Oxford: Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic. Grinstein-Cohen, O., Sarid, O., Attar, D., Pilpel, D. and Elhayany, E. (2009) ‘Improvements and Difficulties in Postoperative Pain Management’, Orthopaedic Nursing, 28(5), pp. 232-239. Hall, L. (2005) Quality work environments for nurse and patient safety, London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Jensen, G., Mirtallo, J., Compher, C., Dhaliwal, R., Forbes, A., Grijalba, R., Hardy, G., Kondrup, J., Labadarios, D., Nyulasi, I., Castillo Pineda, J. & Waitzberg, D. (2010) ‘Adult starvation and disease-related malnutrition: a proposal for etiology-based diagnosis in the clinical practice setting from the International Consensus Guideline Committee’, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 34(2), pp. 156-159. Lavernia, C., Alcerro, J., Contreras, J. & Rossi, M. (2011) ‘Ethnic and racial factors influencing well-being, perceived pain, and physical function after primary total joint arthroplasty’, Clinical Orthopaedic and Related Research, 469(7), pp. 1838-1845. Lin, L., Watson, R. & Wu, S. (2010) ‘What is associated with low food intake in older people with dementia?’, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(1-2), pp. 53-59. Murray, C. (2006) ‘Improving nutrition for older people’, Nursing Older People, Vol. 18, No. 6, pp. 18-22. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2006) Nutrition support in adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition. London: NICE. National Patient Safety Association (2009) Being open: communicating patient safety incident with patients, their families and carers, London: NPSA. NHS (2007) Protected mealtimes review: Findings and recommendations report, London: NHS. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2010) Standards for pre-registration Nursing education, London: NMC. Pearson, A., Field, J., Jordan, Z. (2009) Evidence-Based Clinical Practice in Nursing and health Care. Assimilating Research, Experience and Expertise. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing. World Health Organization (2014) Nutrition for older persons [Online]. Available from: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/ageing/en/index1.html (Accessed: 1 February, 2014).