Utilitarianism and Happiness

The philosophical theory that I choose to do is called â€Å"utilitarianism†. In a brief sentence, utilitarianism means the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Basically what this means is, doing the right thing is based on how many people your action benefits rather than how much it benefits you. According to the Oxford American Dictionary utility means â€Å"the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial†(oxford dictionary,2013). The whole theory is all about how much it benefits and how useful or profitable an action or an idea is. For example: if killing one criminal brings forth happiness to a hundred people, then killing that one criminal is not a bad idea. Simply because it makes one hundred people happy. According to utilitarian’s the ultimate goal or the most important part of life is to seek happiness. But the happiness that you seek must not only benefit you, but it has to benefit a large sum of the people. This is called the â€Å"greatest happiness principle†(Wikipedia, Feb, 11,2013). Now this is the main idea of utilitarianism, but it does branch out in the different direction due to many philosophers that thought of this theory. Utilitarianism is not discovered by just one person, it’s made up of many ideas from many different philosophers. Although many people believe that utilitarianism started with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, there were philosophers that came up with similar ideas as utilitarianism. Before we talk about the authors of this theory, we must really understand the history of utilitarianism and how it came to be. Way back in history when humans invented writing in the Sumerian Civilization of the Old Babylon, the ancient Mesopotamian people wrote a poem/story called the â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh† about a friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. In this story there’s a character by the name of Siduri that tells Gilgamesh â€Å"Fill your belly. Day and night make merry. Let days be full of joy. Dance and make music day and night†(Wikipedia, Feb, 3, 2013). This quote dates back to the very first advocacy of hedonistic philosophy in the human civilization. It is believed to be written during 2500 – 2000 B. C. A little forward in time and we come to meet Aristippus of Cyrene (435 – 356 BC). Aristippus is a student of one of the greatest philosophers to ever oam the planet, the father of philosophy, Socrates. Though Aristippus didn’t follow in the footsteps of his teacher, he had his own ideas and own theories of philosophy, one of them being hedonism. Aristippus idea of hedonism is that all people have the right to do anything to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure. For example: if drinking and doing drugs bring you the greatest amount of pleasure and happiness, then there is nothing wrong in doing so. You may be asking yourself, why I am telling you about the history of hedonism. So let me explain, in the 18th – 19th century. The British philosopher’s by the name of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill came up with the theory of utilitarianism by taking hedonism of Aristippus and adding the â€Å"greatest happiness principle† (Kerby Anderson, 2012). The hedonistic theory of doing anything to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure turned into doing anything to achieve the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number of people† which is now called utilitarianism, this philosophical theory is basically an innovation of hedonism. Though many philosophers had part in its discovery, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill brought utilitarianism to its true glory, if they didn’t explain their philosophy in the way they did. Perhaps I wouldn’t be writing this essay right now. So the ones to be credited for utilitarianism is Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. But its not to say that this theory doesn’t have its advantages and disadvantages. Like all things in life, there are benefits and there are hindrances. The Advantage of utilitarianism is simply the happiness that you gain from doing something, whether the happiness is for you or someone you care about. In the end, someone is happy. If you’re in confusion on a certain decision and don’t know what to do, you can simply apply the greatest happiness theory and make your decision based on that. That way, you don’t seem selfish only thinking about your happiness and people will respect that choice and someday repay your kindness by sacrificing their happiness for yours. By sacrificing your happiness for someone else already makes you good human being. Its fits to show that our actions have consequences. If someone cares only about his/her actions alone, he/she wouldn’t have many friends ue to the lack to affection and concerns that he/she shows towards others. Another important advantage of utilitarianism is when you’re faced with a challenging and difficult task; it gives you the methodology of choosing the right path, the one that will benefit the most people. Instead of questioning how beneficial it will be for you. You begin to value other peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s happiness over your own. Therefore giving you the best possible option. Though it is good to put other before you, utilitarianism has its disadvantages as well. This particular philosophical theory has many disadvantages, but the one that matters to me is. Utilitarian’s only care about happiness, whatever brings the greatest amount of people the greatest amount of happiness. Sure, happiness is good, but what about people who don’t get that happiness. For example: out of 50 people, 35 of them get happiness. What happens to the other 15 people? Are we to just ignore how they feel? They are humans too, they have feelings as well. We can’t abandon them just because the other 35 people are happy. Secondly, if we care about others more than we care about ourselves. How can we possibly be able to live with ourselves? We can’t always be looking out for other people. We have to take care of ourselves as well. In the end, it’s our life. We have to look out for ourselves and make the decisions based on how well our life is going to be. There’s a saying in the famous movie pirate of the Caribbean â€Å"Even a good decision if made for the wrong reasons can be a wrong decision†(Jonathan Pryce, 2003) So, I strongly believe that when it comes to making life changing decisions, we must always put ourselves before others.

“Health Disparities” in Uninsured Americans Essay

According to (Kilbourne, Switzer & Fine, (2006), Health disparities are significant differences that are needed and viewed clinically and statistically in health care and health outcomes. These differences between groups of people can affect how often an illness(disease) have group affects, the number of people who have gotten sick and how many times do this particular disease or problem ends up with death occurring. There are a number of populations that can be affected by health disparities. ( Felton, (2013). Some of these differences are: Ethnic and racial minorities Rural area residents The elderly, children and women People with disabilities. (Medline Plus.com., (2013). Health disparity can also be defined as differences of populations in health care access, environmental exposures, health status, quality or utilization and outcomes involving your health. Health disparities are related generally to social issues and healthcare systems. The worldwide web coming in existence in the mid – 1990’s also can lead to health disparities since some ethnic groups would not be able to afford the internet. One of the objectives of Healthy People 2010 was to provide more internet services to the home. (Gibbons, (2005). Since this study will be a quantitative study it will focus on the total number of uninsured or underinsured Americans who didn’t have health insurance by the end of 2012. Another focus of this study will be coming up with possible solutions to this growing trend in healthcare. In this study we will also seek to discover how the uninsured or underinsured individuals or families are being effected positively and negatively by gaining feedback from these individuals. There are several ways to obtain this feedback for this study in which we will be conducting surveys and questionnaires to get the answers we need. These ways are: the reasons why they do not have insurance to determine how this may affect their access to care, to determine whether the cost of care is directly affecting the reason why these individuals may not be insured and in this study we need to try to find the problems, come up with solutions and look for ways to get rid of any barriers to persons so that they can find affordable health care policies. Since the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is in effect we need to study how the introduction of a new healthcare law to totally replace the healthcare system that has been in place for years will effect uninsured and underinsured Americans. According to the article by (parkdatabase.org.,(2012). For the surveys we will be conducting our survey samples will be coming from males and females  who are American citizens, all races or ethnic groups, 200 participants will be equally divided by gender. In order to cover a wide variety of people that are being effected by health disparities in quantitative research usually will require a large sample size in order to quantify the research. (Felton, 2013). Background of the Study There are several factors that join together populations to influence someone’s health and health status which results into health disparity. According to the Healthcare Fairness Act of 2000 House Resolution #3250, populations that have health disparities suffer from numbers that are significant as it relates to the total rate of incidence of disease, mortality, survival and morbidity when compared to the population in general. The most contributing factor to health disparities most often mentioned when watched in the United States population is Socioeconomic status (SES). Other factors related to health disparities include: physical and cultural environment, lifestyle, working and living conditions, and community and social networks. Socioeconomic status can be defined as how persons, households, families, and aggregates and census contracts as it relates to the size to consume or create goods that our society values. (Shavers, (2007). The quality of healthcare experienced by our patients may be related to issues of disparity, socio-environmental determinants of health, practice variation, and substandard of care as scientific evidence seemed to show by the late 1990’s. (Gibbons,(2005). Since Disparities in the United States can be caused by rather a mixture that is complex, historic injury intertwined with problems with access along with systematic quality. Health disparities have many sides which include ethnicity, status, geography and race. For policymakers it is critically important to give meaning to the problem in the correct way to make sure any solutions that are goal-related will be able to address the solutions reached. The goal is to provide health security for everyone no matter what your socio-economic characters are. Even though the United States goal is to completely get rid health  disparities there will be efforts to become a part of a broader effort to change health care and by doing so, there must be focus on improving the quality of care delivered to patients individually first and foremost. (Frist, (2005). We can now ask the question, Why the study of health disparity should be pursued and for whom is the study important to? The study of health disparity should be pursued because if nothing else but to determine if the research into health disparity will show any differences in organizational features that are specific. Furthermore the idea that organizational factors may play a significant role in health disparity has brought about more of a deep research on the role of organizational processes that are mutable when you look across the treatment setting. (Kilbourne, Switzer & Fine, (2006), Purpose of the Statement The purpose of this study will be to test the framework that is conceptual that will cover health disparities in 3 phases. Detection Reducing and/or Eliminating Understanding The survey will include 200 male and female divided equally on uninsured Americans adults 18 years and older to gain feedback on why they do not have health insurance. (Felton, 2013). Viable Research Questions and Hypotheses What role if any how access to care directly affected your health status because you don’t have health insurance? How has the cost of healthcare affected you individually, your families  health status because of no health insurance? How do you think your health status would change if you could afford health insurance? Do you think the new health care law will positively or negatively affect your ability to purchase health insurance? What factors do you believe are directly associated with the uninsured status as it relates to health insurance access? (Felton, (2013). Hypotheses Having no health insurance is directly impacting my access to care. Also the cost of care while having no health insurance is directly affecting my general health of me as well as my family. Also, if I had no cost for health insurance or low cost this would positively affect my health status as well as my family. With the Affordable Care Act of 2010 partially enforced, how do you believe this law will be directly associated with your uninsured status when it comes to access to health insurance. (Felton, 2013). Nature of the Study Design The strengths of Experimental Designs research according to the textbook, (Frankfort-Nachmias, & Nachmias, (2008), designs begins with the understanding of the 4 components of research design which are: _comparison(correlation of two variables), manipulation(control over), control, (removal of other factors(, and generalization(different settings, larger populations can be use)._ (Frankfort-Nachmias, & Nachmias, (2008).  The strengths of experimental designs is it will help a researcher understand the logic behind all other research designs, another strength is that an experiment lets the researcher observe and draw inferences that are casual with less difficulty no matter what type of variable is used and it allows researchers to be able to understand other design limitations. (Felton, (2013). According to the author,( Bhattacherjee, (2012). The limitations of Experimental Design research can be in the world of experimentation, the situation in the real world may not always relate, in situations where you have to randomly assign the persons to groups this may be impossible and unethical and another limitation would be getting rid of variables that are extraneous may not even be possible. (Felton, 2013). According to textbook by, (Frankfort-Nachmias, & Nachmias, (2008). When I consider the quantitative research plan I am developing and my research questions, hypotheses, and variables, I would recommend the classic experimental design for research. The reason is my research plan involves, â€Å"Health Disparities,† which is a topic that can touch on several specific groups whether it be based on race, gender, insured, uninsured. In the classic experimental research design as the researcher you do have more control over the intrinsic and extrinsic variables for your research which is an advantage for me. Also in experimental design it allows the researcher to have control to introduce the variable that independent to help determine which direction the causation is being led to. Since Health Disparities will need to cover several areas in order to be effective I feel that experimental research design offers me the best chance of reaching the goal of my research which are three phases: 1. Detection, 2. Understanding of the problem and 3. getting rid of or eliminating health disparities all together. ( Felton, 2013). Since there are so many issues that are affecting â€Å"Health Disparities in our world today, I feel I need to choose a research design plan that offers flexibility to the researchers which allows them to properly research the  issue, look at all sides to the issues to help come up with valid and ethical conclusions. Also, since I want to focus on uninsured Americans, just like me, and a hot topic in our world today, I will need an research design that will aid in my success to properly research this issue fully. iii. Instrumentation and materials According to the authors, (Keppel, Pamuk, Lynch, Carter-Pokras, Kim, Mays, Pearcy, Schoenbach, & Weisman, (2005). S The levels of measurement that will be important for my study in Health Disparities can involve at the nominal level, ordinal level and ratio level. Health disparities can be measured according to six issues that are between populations and groups: 1. a reference point will need to be selected in order to measure disparity. 2. Disparity need to be measured in either relative or absolute terms. 3. Measurements for health disparities need to be in terms of adverse or favorable events. 4. Health disparity needs to be measured in summary fashion or pair-wise. 5. In health disparity you need to choose whether to weigh groups according to the size of the group. 6. In health disparity there needs to be a decision whether to order the groups in a inherent way. (Felton, (2013). According to the textbook, (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). The nominal level will be important to my study on health disparity because at this level you can measure a different symbol that will represent each symbol. For example: ethnicity, gender, nationality, martial status, religion, and where you live. According to Messer, (2008). The ratio level is also another level of measurement that can be used in my research study on Health disparities  because variables at this level have fixed natural zero points and absolute because these variable can be based on length, time, weight and area. Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). Ratio measurement are the most common level of measurement used in disparity due to the scale of measurement. At the ratio level when measuring disparity it can be used in both as an absolute measure as well as a level of ratio. (Felton, (2013). Validity in research is concerned with whether you are measuring what you really need to or intend to measure for your research. There are three kinds validity in research: content, empirical and construct validity. I will ensure content validity, empirical validity, and construct validity for my study in health disparity in uninsured Americans by first understanding what each of the three types of validity mean: 1. Content validity is when your measurements are actually covering all areas you are intending to measure. In other words, nothing is left out. According to the textbook authors (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). Under content validity we have what is called face validity or the researcher’s evaluation that is subjective in their research. Another content validity is called sampling validity which is concerned about whether the population given in the research is sampled adequately. (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). Since health disparity covers a large area to be sampled, as a researcher I will have to find one area to focus on such as â€Å"uninsured Americans, covering persons 18 years and older, male and females, all ethnic groups will all be a part of the sample. (Felton, 2013). According to authors (Hidalgo & Goodman, (2012). Empirical validity refers to the relationship that is between an instrument that needs to be measured and the outcomes of the measurements. Construct validity relates the issues you are measuring to theoretical framework that is general. In disparities research it will be important to assess the standard criteria needed for the research to do what it is intended to do, especially if you are using different populations. In some cases, questionnaires may be needed to create validity in the study, but not in all studies. If in your disparities  research for uninsured Americans, where things like racism, race, ethnic groups which are considered constructs that are social can be hard to measure. (Felton, 2013) According to the article from (Active Campaign, (2009). In order to ensure validity in my research using content research which will be requiring all areas in my research I want to cover as it relates to health disparities for the uninsured American I would need to use a subjective form of measurement.(Felton, 2013). In the textbook, (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). The strengths and limitations in the reliability and validity I chose Construct validity strengths are based on how many dimensions and measures construct validity has, construct validity can be operated in a number of ways. (Felton, 2013). In order to ensure reliability for the measurement in my study, first I need to understand as a researcher the importance in the degree of reliability. Reliability is when your measuring instrument contain variable errors or mistakes that appear not all the time between your observation of your research for one time only or every time a variable is measured. So measurements contain two components which are called error component and true component. To further explain reliability which is measured on a ratio between true-score variance and variance in the total score measured. To ensure that my research study on health disparities is reliable for the measurement I will need to be able to distinguish that the results of the research may not be the exact same each time it is done. (Felton, (2013). The strengths and limitations when it comes to health disparities in the terms of reliability and validity can be linked to the fact that there are several components by which health disparities can be measured. Empirical validity and reliability are part of the research that deals with health disparities. One strength of empirical validity is relationships between prediction and results. According to the authors, (Ogden and Lo, (2011). The scale that is most appropriate to use for researching health disparities in uninsured America  Likert scale (tests attitudes) since it requires the researcher build a list of items that needs to be scaled, random research, then total of results. In using Likert scales there will be some limitations in the research involving health disparities. Some limitations are due to the debate on the role of comparisons socially and the impact it would bring on how the scales are completed and the results of the data being researched. ( Felton, 2013). According to authors Lobo and Mateus, (2013). Since in health disparities there are so many areas that need to be measured even access to health care and scales for measurement can help to achieve the needed results for the researcher if you take into account the aspects of the scale that you can enhance and you will continue to need to validate scales in your other populations. (Felton, (2013). According to ( Nowjack-Raymer, (2013), the test that is appropriate for my health disparities research plan would probably looking to better understand inequalities as well as health disparities, another test could involve developing testing with interventions that would be targeting people living in poverty, and we could also consider testing implementation and dissemination approaches for exploration to findings that would be effective in order to assure translation that is fast that could be put into practice, bring about some policies with action within communities. (Felton, (2013). The populations used for the scale and test as it relates to health disparities according to the NIDCR authors (Nowjack-Raymer, (2013), will involve research that will be focused on the vulnerable and disadvantaged population in subgroups. The testing population could include: Elders All ethnic and racial populations that are considered to be under health disparities, this will include Hispanic(Mexican, Puerto Rican, South and Central America, Cuban, and all Spanish speaking nations), African Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islander, and Alaskan Rural low income persons, urban dwellers, including Appalachians Persons who are unable leave their homes due to disabilities and persons who are in institutions  the special needs populations that includes persons living with AIDS, developmental or acquired intellectual or physical disabilities. (Nowjack-Raymer, (2013) Data analysis plan: Since in program research there a number that is limited in the efforts to evaluate and create health disparities involving new strategies with the health care system. Here are some of these program that are being supported by the AHRQ – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for example: (EXCEED) or Excellence Centers to Eliminate Ethnic/Racial Disparities, this is a grant program that looks for ways to eliminate health disparities. (Gillian, (2004). Sampling According to website (HHS.gov.,(2013), For my Quantitative Research Plan on Health Disparities using ratio measurement because it is the most common level used to measure disparity. The population (units of analysis that are relevant) for this research will include all uninsured African Americans in the United States today. Statistically according to the new Health Care Law or the Affordable Care Act there are 6.8 million African Americans eligible for benefits under the ACA. (Felton, 2013). The population for my study includes all uninsured African Americans in the United States according to the ACA. Population: 6.8 million – African Americans (including male and female), almost half of this number of young adults. This population need to be defined on the basis of: A. Content, B. Extent, and C. Time. Size: 6.8 million. (HHS.gov.,(2013). I have made a  change in my population for research which will be first finding a reference point which is critical when doing research on disparity. According to the authors, (Keppel, Pamuk, Lynch, Careter-Pokras, Kim, Mays, Pearcy, Schoenbach, and Weissman,(2005). I will also need to measure disparity in relative or absolution terms. Disparity is very obvious when you realize that disparity occurs when the amount that separates a group from a reference point that is specified on a measure that is particular to health that is expressed in the terms of percentage, rate, means or some other measure that is quantitative. (Felton, 2013). . According to authors, (Keppel, et al, (2005) Sampling: an individual within the Population such as for example the young adult population size of 3.2 million or 47% don’ t have health insurance from the ages 18 to 35 years of age. Type of Sampling used: Probability sampling. A sample need to be able to represent the population it will be used for. When you want to measure a sample and your objective is to work from individual groups in a certain domain then use comparisons that are pair-wise. When you summarize the measures used in your disparity this will quantify all the groups in opposition and any conclusions based on your summary results should be joined and interpreted using all groups. (Felton, 2013) How the sample will be drawn? When disparities are measured, first the reference point need to be identified, next if any two groups need to be compared the reference point with the favorable group need to be used(lowest rates). When using disparities samples it should be measured in both relative and absolute terms and when you are measuring disparities over various of health indicators it should be shown in terms of events that are adverse. Why did you choose this sample size and why it was chosen in relation to the size of your population? I initially chose this sample size since I had 3 populations to choose from  for the uninsured African American population which were male, female, or young adults and I chose the young adult population since I had a solid statistical number of how many of young adults between the ages of 18 to 35 who are uninsured. I am not totally convinced that choosing a sample size representing millions of people will be the correct course for me to take and I had a terrible time trying to create a graph or chart to show my numbers and I could not get the graph to show. Since the number of uninsured Americans is very high even with the Affordable Care Act being in place, I may have to consider working in another area in health disparity. I was attempting to doing a basic line graph chart showing the age of young adults with no health insurance. Since health disparities covers such a wide range of issues I will have to reconsider what area under health disparity I want to cover and research. Ethical Concerns Health Disparities research has emerging advances which include comparative effectiveness studies and controlled trials that are often conducted at academic sites and multiple communities. The institutional review boards (IRBs) has presented a impediment that is major to the effective and timely conduct of health disparity research. When the research involved the underserved communities and minority along with institutional requirements, ethical standards interpretation may be different. These differences can cause complications in the research protocol and informed consent process and may have a negative effect on how the participants will respect this type of research and the quality of the trials. Also the IRB or institutional review board, can also lead to delays that are unnecessary, jeopardizing the capacity to perform collaborative projects and funding. The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), Translational Research Network (TRN) have created a community-partnered approach to run side by side with the IRB review directly across the 18 RCMI institutions grantees that make sure compliance while making it better quality of health disparity research. (Hammatt,. and Nishitani, Junko and Heslin, Kevin and Perry and Szetela, and Jones, and Williams, and Antoine-LaVigne, and Forge, and  Norris, Keith C, (2011). Even though Americans are living longer and are healthier, health disparities still exist. However, policymakers are making a response to the health disparity issue by putting together and introducing legislation that are geared toward getting rid of health disparities. (ncsl.org., (2014). The Uninsured Americans as a health disparity There is about 44 million Americans total without health insurance and another 38 million Americans who do not have enough health insurance to meet their healthcare needs. If persons do not have health insurance it will usually mean putting also necessary care such as: Childhood Immunizations Preventive care Routine check-ups no Primary care doctor no access or limited access to prescription drugs being hospitalized for a condition that otherwise would not have led to a hospital stay that could have been avoided if you had health insurance Because of fear of medical bills you may choose to delay care which will usually lead to more cost to you, especially if you have to go to the emergency room. We must also understand that when the uninsured persons face a health crisis because they can’t pay the burden of the cost will be to the insured population. (Glied, (2014). References: Active Campaign, ( 2009). Validity in Research Design. Retrieved from website http://www.activecampaign.com/blog/validity-in-research-design/ Bhattacherjee, A.,(2012). SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH: PRINCIPLES, METHODS, AND PRACTICES. Retrieved from website http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=oa_textbooks Felton. (2013). _An analysis of personality theory._ Unpublished manuscript, Walden University. Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Nachmias, D. (2008). Research Methods in the Social Sciences 7th Ed. New York: Worth Frist, W., (2005). Overcoming Disparities in U. S. Healthcare. _Health Affairs. Retrieved from website http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/2/445.short._ Gibbons, M., (2005). A Historical Overview of Health Disparities and the Potential of eHealth Solutions. _Journal of Medical Internet Research. Retrieved from website http://www.jmir.org/2005/5/e50/_ Gillian, S., (2004). Addressing Unequal Treatment: Disparities in Healthcare. _The Common Fund. Retrieved from website http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/SteelFisher_unequaltreatment_cong2004_70 9.pdf?section=4039_ Glied, S., (2014). The Uninsured. Retrieved from the website http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/uninsured.html HHS.gov(Health care.,. The Affordable Care Act and the African Americans. Retrieved from website http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/factsheets/2012/04/aca-and-african- americans04122012a.html012). (HAMMATT,. AND NISHITANI, JUNKO AND HESLIN, KEVIN AND PERRY AND SZETELA, AND JONES, AND WILLIAMS, AND ANTOINE-LAVIGNE, AND FORGE, AND NORRIS, KEITH C, (2011). PARTNERING TO HARMONIZE IRBS FOR COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH TO REDUCE HEALTH DISPARITIES. PUBMED.GOV. RETRIEVED FROM WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/PUBMED/22102302 (Hidalgo & Goodman, (2012). Validation of Self-Reported Measures in Health Disparities Research. _Journal of Biometrics and Biostatistics. Retrieved from website_ http://www.omicsonline.org/validation-of-self-reported-measures-in-health-disparities- research-2155-6180.1000e114.pdf (Keppel, Pamuk, Lynch, Carter-Pokras, Kim, Mays, Pearcy, Schoenbach, & Weisman, (2005). Methodological Issues in Measuring Health Disparities. Retrieved from website http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/sr02_141.pdf Kilbourne, A., Switzer, G., Hyman, K., Crowley-Matoka, M., & Fine, M., (2006). Advancing Health Disparities Research within The Health Care System: A Conceptual Framework. Retrieved from website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1698151/ LOBO, A., & MATEUS, S., (2013). VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF AN EQUITY IN HEALTH CARE SCALE. _SAGE JOURNALS. RETRIEVED FROM WEBSITE_ HTTP://SGO.SAGEPUB.COM/CONTENT/3/4/2158244013506716 Messer, L., (2008). Invited Commentary: Measuring Social Disparities in Health-What Was the Question Again? _American Journal of Epiderminology._ Retrieved from website http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/8/900.full.pdf ncsl.org., (2014). 2014 Health Disparity Legislation. Retrieved from website http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/2014-health-disparities-legislation.aspx nlm.nih.gov., Medline Plus., (2013). Health Disparities. Retrieved from website http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthdisparities.html Nowjack-Raymer, (2013). Health Disparities Research Programs. Retrieved from website http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/DER/ClinicalResearch/HealthDispar.htm Ogden, J., & Lo, J.,(2011). How meaningful is data from Likert Scales? An evaluation of how ratings are made and the role of the response shift in the socially disadvantaged. Journal of Health Psychology. Retrieved from website http://hpq.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/08/06/1359105311417192, Parkdatabase.org.,(2012). Qualitative and Quantitative Research Techniques for Humanitarian Needs Assessment. _An Introductory Brief._ Retrieved from website http://reliefweb.int/report/world/qualitative-and-quantitative-research-techniques- humanitarian-needs-assessment. Shavers, V., (2007). Measurement of Socio-economic Status in Health Disparity Research. _Journal of National Medical Association. Retrieved from website_

Nike Supply Chain Essay

Nike has been able to become a global player in the industry of sports apparel and athlete endorsements because of many different factors that are outlined in the way they manage their company. By analyzing the business plan of Nike we can see how their supply chain is set up as is illustrated above. The supply chain is very important for the transfer of their goods from the supplier of raw materials to a manufacturer, then to a distributer, then to a retailer, to then be available for the customer. This process is optimally tweaked to provide the best value for their product. One factor that Nike has strived to make as a standard for their company is the idea of reverse logistics. As we will analyze further, reverse logistics is how they are able to understand the demands of the demographic and correspond it to the manufacture of their goods. This is seen as a vital tool for product research and development at Nike. As we explore the different parts of the chain, it is important to keep your mind on the big picture and how this process comes together. 1. Contract Suppliers What Nike has implemented into their system with outsourcing the production of raw materials, has been done by many large apparel companies and is seen as something that can be highly profitable rather than producing the materials within the company. So what Nike has done, is brought in contract suppliers from all over the world like Vietnam for instance. To help visualize this part of the process, we must understand that the supplier has its own supply chain and it ends with exporting the products to Nike, which is where Nike’s supply chain begins. In the 90’s there were serious allegations of unethical practices carried out by Nike in terms of their Asian suppliers and how services were being carried out. In an effort to get away from this image that was painted of them, Nike has taken strides to implement disclosure to how the supply chain is run. Over the years, they had been using a â€Å"push† system to measure sustainability based on compliance from overseas suppliers. As of recently however, Nike has turned to a â€Å"pull system† which is focused around incentives for a well carried out process from their contract suppliers. With this system in place, Nike is closely watching the performance of their  suppliers and rating them in colors with the best being gold and descending from silver, bronze, yellow and red. Colors from bronze to gold are seen as successful and are given benefits and opportunities that would not be accessible to suppliers given a rating of yellow or red. These benefits and opportunities are seen as incentives for these suppliers and form the system they have created for managing sustainability. 2. Logistics This part describes the movement of the raw materials from the contract supplier to the manufacturer. This is usually done by either boat or plane and this step varies due to the fact that Nike’s manufacturing plants are located all over the world along with the suppliers. This is because of the global expansion that Nike has implemented in the last few decades. The parties responsible for this transportation are also measured on this new system of incentives. Nike closely records each transaction and is in touch with the supplier and manufacturer to get the best idea of how the transportation was carried out. These third party transporters are rated in the same way as the suppliers and are given rewards for timely deliveries of material. 3. Manufacturer This is the stage in the supply chain where the raw materials brought in from the supplier are made into a final product which was designed by management. This is an important step in the cycle because this is where the ideas set by the research and development team, which are influenced by the target demographic, are made into reality and are kept until further movement of the product. Most Nike manufacturing plants aren’t designed to hold a large amount of products as once which brings us to the following step. Nike has also been known to use manufacturing plant from a third party. Because of the fact that Nike is still responsible for these processes carried out by these manufacturers, they keep a close watch on the quality of the products produced. This is a very important part of the supply chain because it is where the product is built that will eventually be sold to the customer so it is important for Nike to know that these manufacturers are  worth using. For measuring this, they have also been rating these manufacturers in the same ways they rate their other third party contracts for the different parts of their supply chain. 4. Logistics The second time that logistics comes into play is when the final product has to be moved to a distributing warehouse. This step also depends on the location of points A and B for each situation due to how global the Nike Company has become. This transport of products is a crucial part in the flow of the chain to move the manufactured product to a place where it can be stored. Again, we are able to see the rating system built around incentives at work when we analyze the logistics between the manufacturer and the distributor. It is highly possible that both the distributor and manufacturer was third party companies used in Nike’s supply chain and so they have to be closely in tune with the two stages of the supply chain as well as the transportation in between. For this reason they record timely deliveries of products and of course look for damage and inconsistencies that the transportation company may be responsible for. 5. Distributor This stage in the chain is composed of either Nike warehouses set up to store their finished goods until it is demanded by a retail store or other vendor or a third party distributor which would serve the same function. Oftentimes, a third party is used for this step but this all depends on the most cost effective and logical method of distributing the products at hand. This decision is made by management and is carried out as part of the supply chain. The warehouse would hold the product for as long as it is needed but due to how well measured out the manufacture of each product is carried out compared to their well estimated demand for the product, it is usually moved fairly quickly to continue the flow of the chain. Distribution is important because the final product needs to be stored before is sent to vendors. For this reason, Nike also works in monitoring the companies that work with them for warehousing purposes. To do this they closely analyze the inventory of their products being held at these  distributors and make sure everything is kept by the books and reported back to Nike. The rating system is also in place for distributors to better measure this stage of the supply chain to make future decisions regarding what third party distributors they should use. 6. Logistics For the third time in the supply chain, Nike has to move their goods to another part of the process. This time, the product has been stored in a distributing warehouse and is now ready to move to a place where it would be available to the customer. Nike is available all over the world and uses many different systems of transportation for bringing the product to the vendor. We have noted that the â€Å"pull† system in place for rewarding third party companies on merit which serves as incentives are very much used by Nike to handle their logistics. This is no exception with the transportation of the finished goods from the distributor warehouse to the vendors. They are graded on the condition of the products when they arrive to the vendor and how efficiently and timely the delivery was just like in the other parts of the supply chain where transportation of either materials or the finished product were needed. 7. Nike stores/ Retail stores/ Online stores This is the first and only time in the cycle where the finished product becomes accessible for the public. In today’s world, there are many people whom shop online for most of their needs so it is important to mention the distribution of the products to online vendors such as Amazon whom keep the product in their own facility until it is ordered. Retail stores are still a big part of this step because many purchases are still made in stores around the world that are licensed to sell Nike products. Finally, there are specific Nike outlet stores which get direct shipments from the distributor and exclusively sell Nike products. From here, the products are purchased by the customer, but the cycle does not end there. 8. Reverse logistics/ Customer feedback An important part of Nike’s supply chain and business plan is being in tune with the demands of their customers. This helps them to design new products  that they hope will sell efficiently because of the feedback they received from their target demographic. This process is known as reverse logistics and can be implemented through blogs, ratings, customer support, and other services set up by Nike for this purpose. 9. Product Development/ Management Even though this is the last step which I am describing, it is right in the beginning of the process where it comes into play and is where the cycle of reverse logistics and the supply chain meet. This is because the information collected from the customer feedback is researched by management and in turn is used to form a new design or designs. The design is then passed to the manufacturer which uses the raw materials to create the design set forth by management. This way, the cycle is continuous and efficient. This is the part of the cycle where innovations come into play. Ideas like switching to a â€Å"pull† system of managing sustainability are a prime example of what management is tasked with. Nike is constantly looking at ways to improve their processes. An example of this is how they’ve worked on a shoe made to be lighter for athletes but also optimized to produce the least amount of waste as possible. By utilizing a single thread to basically make the entire shoe. By doing this they were able to not only cut waste but also cut costs and therefore became optimal in multiple ways. Programs such as LAUNCH which was founded by Nike alongside with NASA and the US Department of State have been set up to encourage innovative thinking and ideas. These are just a few examples of the work being done by the people in charge of product development and supply and Nike says that their ultimate goal is â€Å"a fully sustainable supply chain†. Nike also hopes that their new rat ing system for parts of their supply chain will help them to soon have all the companies working with them to be rated a bronze level or above. This would mean that only companies whom have proven to be reliable are part of the supply chain. Reference Nike, Inc. 2011. Sustainable Business Performance Summary. Available at http://www.nikeresponsibility.com/report/files/report/NIKE_SUSTAINABLE_BUSINESS_REPORT__ FY10-11_FINAL.pdf Paine, L. S., Hsieh, N., Adamsons, L. 2013. Governance and Sustainability at Nike. Harvard Business School Teaching Case. Porteous, A.H., Cohen, S. A., Lee, H. L., Rammohan, S., V. 2012. Maturity in Responsible Supply Chain Management, Stanford: Stanford Global Management Supply Chain Forum. Available at: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/scforum/sisscr Schifrin, D., Carroll, G., Brady, D. 2013. Nike: Sustainability and Labor Practices 1998-2013. Stanford Graduate School of Business Teaching Case.

Behavior Modification related to Old Habit Change and New Habit Research Paper

Behavior Modification related to Old Habit Change and New Habit formation as related to Martial Arts - Research Paper Example Boxing, Kray maga, kungfu, kick boxing, tae Kwon Do and Karate are the examples of this style. (Rousseau) 4 b.Grappling or Ground Fighting Styles; This technique involves the act of hand to hand physical involvement with the combat in which the participant try to gain advantage with clinching, holding, locking, and leverage. (Centre) This technique is used in the martial art styles of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,Russian Sambo, Shoot fighting and Wrestling. 4 c.Throwing or Takedown Styles; in this technique of martial art the participants begin the fight in the standing position. Hence, once the fight begins the throwing and takedown styles amidst the fight determining the victor. The art includes the styles of Aikido, Judo, Hapkido and Shuai Jiao. 4 d.Weapons Based Styles; this style has primary focus on weapons. It includes the arts of Iaido, Kali and Kendo. 4 e.Low Impact or Meditative Styles; This style encompasses the breathing techniques, fitness, and the spiritual side of things. It in cludes Baguazhang, Tai Chi and Chi Gong based styles. 4 f.MMA- A Hybrid Sports Style; In each style of martial art there are adaptations from other styles of the art. This styles includes an essence of various style and is propagated as a sport style of martial arts that allows for grappling, stand up fighting, takedowns/ throws, and submissions. ... Hence, the same perception with advancement is adhered in modern times that are martial art in recent times is practiced for the sake of self defense, physical fitness, sport and law enforcement preparations etc. (Jason M. Winkle) 5 4.Benefits of Martial art in Human development: thus, it can be stated that physical grooming is a mere part of the benefits of Martial Art. Other than the fitness benefits, muscular strength, flexibility and capacity development in an individual the art also retain certain features that adds to the element of spirituality in an individual. A boost to psycho social variables eliminating the negative factors is the impact of this art on human psychology and mental health, endorsed by Weiser, Kutz, Kutz, and Weiser (1995). (Jason M. Winkle) 5 5.Spirituality in Martial arts; 6 6.Dimensions of the Power of Martial Arts; 6 The dimensions of the power of martial arts vary from spiritual evolution to physical vigor. The selection of the domain of power is the ch oice of an individual. Hitherto, the features to be adopted in each of the domain are discipline, desire, openness and focus. Although the origin n of the art is all marked by spiritual entities, yet the path to be chosen is primarily the choice of the learner. The word â€Å"Do† (as in Judo, Aikido, and Tae Kwon Do) means â€Å"way† or the path you choose to walk. In other words, logically a human entity comprises of spirit, mind and body. The three components are intimately related as the spirit controls mind which controls the body. Hence, the action of an individual is the consent of the three elements altogether. Therefore, martial art has the potential to groom all the three factors but it is the choice of the learner to select a prime area of focus for practicing the

Retaining talented workers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Retaining talented workers - Essay Example The current economic crisis also increases the probability of talented employees moving to bigger and more established companies. This paper will assess different ways of employee retention and reduction in the turnover over talented professional. In specialized professions such as engineering which have a demand; employers have to ensure that their employees are given a well structured career path and the ability to advance in their role both for the company and their personal growth. Many employees often leave when they feel they do not have the possibility to reach higher standards both financially and professionally as they are often kept stagnant in their career. Talented employees are always looking to improve their role and financial position hence, the first aspect that can be implemented involves bonuses depending on the duration which one has been employment. Money may not be the central motivation for all employees; however, it also has a role to play in keeping the employees satisfied. A survey was carried out among middle aged managers to assess the different factors which determine whether they stay or leave company. The following factors were found to be the most relevant: challenging and interesting work, ability to meet personal commitments, good relations with the owners, good culture and values and the opportunity for career development. Career planning is an aspect which the organization can use to help an individual remain with the company and at the same time improve his professional status. One of the main focuses of career planning is to aid employees and enable them to match their personal aspirations to what the company can realistically offer them. One way to do this is by facilitating career growth through assisted education. This enables the employee to increase his qualifications throughout his or her career and hence enables him or her to occupy higher posts within the company. The company benefits

Financial Analysis of Coca-Cola Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Analysis of Coca-Cola - Research Paper Example The four financial statements of a company are included in its annual report. The four financial statements are the income statement, balance sheet, statement of retained earnings, and the statement of cash flow. This paper will analyze the financial performance of Coca-Cola to determine if the company is a good investment option. Two financial tools that are going to be used to analyze the financial performance of Coca-Cola are horizontal analysis and ratio analysis. The Coca Cola Company is the largest soft drink company in the world. The company has a long history of success in the market since it was founded 127 years ago. The flagship product of the firm is the Coca Cola drink. Other brands that the company owns include Sprite, Fanta, Diet Coke, Coca Cola Zero, and Danasi. The company has a product portfolio of 3,500 products. The organization is a global company that operates in 200 countries worldwide. The mission of the company is to refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference (Coca-colacompany). The values of the company include leadership, collaboration, integrity, diversity, and quality. The company is a publicly traded firm whose stocks are sold in the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol KO. The price of Coca Cola common stocks as of April 19, 2014 was $40.72 (Yahoo). The market capitalization of the firm is $178.84 billion. Horizontal analysis measures the year to year difference in all the accounts of the income statement and balance sheet. The revenues of Coca Cola decrease by 2.42% in 2013, while its net income went down by 4.82%. The cash of the firm went up by 23.36% in 2013. Coca Cola’s total assets increase by 4.5%. In 2013 the enterprise had a 0.82% increased in total equity. The total liabilities of the firm increase by 6.81%. The gross margin is a measure of the broad profitability of a company. Coca Cola Company had a gross margin in

Casinos in Nevada Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Casinos in Nevada - Research Paper Example The first influence comprised of the regulation of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (Standards) which support the effective accomplishment of the duties in accordance with the guidance laid by the acts governing them. The second influence refers to the authoritarian failure to notice, whether an obligation or a proposal from the supervisory bodies, that an official scheme of in-house controls is implemented, which takes into account the various prerequisites which a certain type of an in-house assessment task is executed at a casino. In several jurisdictions the measures adopted and implemented by the internal audit systems are exclusively governed by such directives. The third and ultimate influence refers to the sustained participation of blatantly dealt casino corporations, which fall under the directive of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as proprietors or workers of the various functions related to the casino. Given that the IIA's Standards direct all assessors, irrespective of the industry to which they belong, this paper focuses on the key influences which govern the money management and accounting part of the casino industry with respect to the Nevada casinos against the background of the regulation 6A and Title 31 acts1. 2. Brief Background Gaming is the one of the chief 'money-making' businesses in the State of Nevada which is also incidentally a major contributor of large amount of returns to the state. The economic accomplishment of the industry is hence, reliant on the successful and methodical licensing of individuals as well as institutions involved in the industry within the State. The contemporary age of gaming can be traced back to its origins in the early 1931 period, with the implementation of the "wide open gaming bill" in Nevada. During the early 1950s, the endeavors to establish strong controls over the industry were accelerated and enhanced. This involved a detailed and in-depth study of the casinos in Nevada ultimately translating into the establishment of the gaming regulatory body which was set up to sanction and manage the swiftly growing industry. The Nevada Gaming Control Board was eventually set up to legalize and sanction the day to day functions of the casinos, together with the compilation, calculation, and settlement of the day to day gaming proceeds besides upholding the veracity of the games on the casino floor2. The Nevada Gaming Commission is entrusted with the responsibility of managing punitive issues and ratifying gaming regulations within the state of Nevada3. As each state or ethnic venture has characteristically formed an authoritar ian structure with the introduction of gaming, there is a simultaneous introduction of a wide range of practices and audit requirements. While every gaming regulatory organization characteristically comprises of numerous sections, there are three most important divisions with which internal

Feature-length American film with a theatrical release between 1970 - Essay

Feature-length American film with a theatrical release between 1970 - 1999 - Essay Example As he came running out of the house, he dropped a folder and had to bend to the ground to pick up the documents that had fallen out (American Beauty 1). However, I think that the angles of the camera changed after Lester learned to stand up for himself. One particular scene that I found to be interesting was when Lester yells at his wife as they are lying in bed as opposed to the usual muttering that he always does under his breath. Here the camera moves from a high angle shot to a slightly low-angle one while Carolyn is shot in a slightly high angle shot. This I think, was intended to reflect on the audience the fact that Lester was now becoming more confident in himself and that Carolyn’s power over him was essentially decreasing (American Beauty 1). I also think that this was also a way for the director to show the audience that a number of positive things were to occur in Lester’s life. At the end of the film, both Carolyn and Lester are viewed through a mid shot showing how each of them was striving to live his life how he wanted it-I saw this when I watched Carolyn having an affair and Lester turning to smoking m arijuana(American Beauty 1). In another scene showing a basketball game, a long shot is taken from a high angle view and is used to provide an overview of the school gymnasium where Angela and Jane will begin acting as cheerleaders. Thereafter a single-cut of Angela and Jane is quickly followed by a medium shot that is in a straight on-angle and which shows Jane making complaints about her parents (American Beauty 1). This particular shot for me served as an introduction to Angela and essentially enabled me to have a clear image of the role that she will play later on in this scene. A match-cut shows Lester and Carolyn driving to the gym to watch Jane cheerleading. Here the shot changes from a close up to a

Internationalization of Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Internationalization of Trade - Essay Example The research is about international trade, mainly strategies of becoming internationally competative. It is limited to the study of the East Asian markets. The topicality of the work is stipulated by the fact that since East Asian economies have joined the world trading community they have been causing a huge shift in relative prices and incomes of labor, commodities, goods, and assets. The new models of business and strategies used in these economies are based on their adoption of free market policies, liberalization and permission for FDI, and, of course, abundantly available cheap labour. Tax incentives and lowering and removing of trade barriers opened these markets to the West. With reference to relevant theories and models, the author tries to outline and critically appraise the learning and capability development strategies used by East Asian emerging companies to become internationally competitive. The researcher attempts to explain how international competitive advantages in the cars, clothes and chips sectors are shaped by production features, market structure, nature of competitive rivalry, and government policy. Using examples the writer seeks an answer why and in what ways the retail, financial and telecommunications sectors are becoming more international. The work describes the role of information and communication technologies and deregulation in the internationalisation of those sectors.

Kingdom of Heaven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kingdom of Heaven - Essay Example For example, if a film is set in the time of Christ, the people need to be following the customs of the Roman Empire along with wearing the correct robes. They should not be in a three piece suit and penny loafers, unless the movie has to deal with a man out of time. The third responsibility of the filmmaker is to not keep the locations to their accurate size so that the viewer seems as though they were there. The historical piece that will be used to determine the three responsibilities is Ridley Scott’s 12th Century epic, Kingdom of Heaven. Kingdom of Heaven is a film set during the Crusades about a French blacksmith named Balian, who is searching for a reason to go on after the death of his wife and children. A fabled knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, has briefly returned home after serving in thr East. Godfrey approaches Balian and let’s the blacksmith know that he himself is the blacksmith’s true father. Godfrey, then, asks Balian to join him and his troops in thei r journey to return to the Holy City of Jerusalem to help in the city’s defense. The blacksmith accepts the offer of Godfrey. Their arrival falls in between the Second and Third Crusades when Jerusalem is enjoying a period of peace between the Muslims and the Christians. This peace was all thanks to the Christian monarch King Baldwin IV, his second-in-command Tiberius, and the Muslim potentate Saladin. Unfortunately, the peace does last since violent agitators set out to increase their power. Saladin had to bow down to the pressure Godfey and his men stayed o give their allegiance to the king and his community of diversity. The knights, as well as Balian, use their skills as warriors to build a lasting peace. Orlando Bloom (Balian) is one of the main stars of the film along with Liam Neeson (Godfrey), Edward Norton (Baldwin IV), and Jeremy Iron (Tiberias). In Kingdom of Heaven, I noticed that the overall peace between the Muslims and Christians seemed to show the lack of reli giousness. Rather, the situational tension amongst the Christians and the Muslims seem to be more like a backdrop, than a major part of the story. The story is set between the Second and Third Crusades. However, the action and fighting as warriors is more prevalent than the religious aspects of the Crusade that should be more available. King Baldwin IV was a monarch who wanted to convey peace and diversity amongst the religious factions that want to control the Holy City of Jerusalem. Thus, the filmmaker seemed to use the facts of the time period as more of a symbol for the setting, than as the setting itself. The fighting may have been more gruesome for a film that should be more focused upon Baldwin’s Kingdom of Heaven, then the relationships of a lone person. The relationships should be more about the groups trying to vie for power in Jerusalem, than that of a single man. This story portrays single man being effective in the war to maintain the peace and diversity througho ut the city of Jerusalem during the reign of Baldwin IV. However, the portrayal should be how Baldwin could bring about the change in the ancient fight of the Muslims and the Christians, not how a French blacksmith becomes a knight to help defend the ancient, Holy City from the agitators that wish to overthrow Baldwin IV and claim power for themselves. I feel the overall responsibility of keeping the accuracy of the facts was a little massacred instead of being kept intact by the screenwriters or even portrayed effectively by

Standardized Testing Essay Example for Free

Standardized Testing Essay The focus Ingernira pinpoints on in the article is recognizing that testing is required to gauge how much the student learned however, I feel that testing is needed to establish the financial solutions for each state and school to determine rather or not they will be able to receive a grant. Also the article elaborates that the student should be tested on what they’re good at and for the students who aren’t able to test well should be able to have incentives. Since testing has become a must in schools now it should be done at no harm to the student and the school should have guidelines and minimize the negative effects on test. I will use this article to help me elaborate more and give tips to different ways standardized testing should be done. This article will help my argument by giving a different view on ways students should be tested. McKinney, Brennan. â€Å"Standardized Tests: Support, Criticism, and How it Affects Teachers and Children.† Yahoo Voices, Web. 17 Dec. 2010. McKinney Brennan looks at how teachers feel about standardized testing and how it affects their voices in order to be able to teach the students there way. Throughout the summary standardized testing is pretty clear that the goals for the teacher and students are that the student needs to learn and the teacher is supposed to be teaching. However, this method has backlash because the teachers and the school have little to say about what content is put on the test and it’s up to the government to decide and there not with the students every day. Also, the teacher’s feel the test is too difficult, broad, and not age appropriate which causes the students to fail and make the state and school look bad. I will use this article to illustrate the teacher’s point of view behind standardized testing. This article will help my argument by proving that teacher plays a major role in student’s lives and if they feel a certain way about the test then there voice should b e heard too. The Engines for Education Team. Engines for Education. EFE, n.d. Web. 11 March. 2013. Engines for Education explain the problems for standardized testing. The group says that we need to cut out the competiveness in the test and focus more on the student’s performance. Also the test kills the type of education that matters most because teachers are more focused on teaching what will likely be on the test instead of teaching at a comfortable style there able to choose. Also, the site in tells how it effects the students in the near future on test- taking and how it mobilizes there brain into I need to get a high score, I need to remember the information, and have all this anxiety before the test is even here. I will use this article to help me explain the people’s point of view on testing and the anxieties kids have when testing. This article will help my argument because it points out valid points that students go thru every day. Testing anxieties and the test has blocked the important things in education and now it’s all about rank and who can hav e the highest score.

Video game console and Nintendo Essay Example for Free

Video game console and Nintendo Essay In the world of video games, Nintendo has been a household name for nearly three decades. After all, it was one of the pioneers of home video game consoles with the Nintendo Entertainment System in the early 1980s. It continued as the market leader with its Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 systems. But in the mid-1990s, all that began to change. Along came Sony with its Playstation and Playstation 2, and Microsoft introduced the xBox. Before long, Nintendo was reduced to a fraction of its former glory, running a distant third in a highly competitive market. What happened? In certain respects, Nintendo fell prey to the industry model that it had created. More advanced technology led to the creation of more powerful gaming consoles, which in turn paved the road for more sophisticated games with more realistic graphics. As each new generation of product hit the market, Nintendo found that it could not keep up with more technologically advanced rivals. While more than 120 million Sony PS2s became fixtures in homes, apartments, and dorm rooms around the world, Nintendo moved just slightly more than 20 million GameCubes. As the most recent generation of gaming platforms from the gaming industry’s â€Å"big three† came to market, many industry insiders figured Nintendo was destined to continue its downward path. Sony’s PS3 and Microsoft’s xBox 360 were so advanced that it looked like Nintendo was due for another drubbing. Oh what a difference a couple of years makes. For Nintendo, everything is now coming up Super Mario Bros. â€Å"flowers. † Last year, revenues and profits were up by 73 percent and 67 percent, respectively. In the last couple of years, during a time in which the Nikkei Stock Average fell nearly 25 percent, Nintendo’s stock price tripled. In fact, Nintendo’s stock price rose so high during 2007 that its market capitalization exceeded that of the Sony Corporation. On that measure alone, Nintendo became the second largest corporation in Japan, trailing only Toyota Motor Company. How did this struggling number three player go from product loser to product leader in such a short time? FROM PRODUCT LOSER TO PRODUCT LEADER Most people probably don’t know that Nintendo was founded way back in 1889. Obviously, Nintendo did not make video games back then. It began as a playing cards manufacturer. But it also found success in hotels, packaged foods, and toys. When it came time to revive itself as a veteran in the video game industry, Nintendo did something that it had done time and time again. It focused on customers to find true opportunities. For the video game industry, â€Å"the customer† typically means one of two groups: the 18 to 35-year old hard-core gamers and the children/teenagers. The industry earns most of its revenue and profits from these core consumers who spend a great deal of time and money enhancing their virtual skills. Over the years, as hardware became more sophisticated and games more realistic, these tech junkies were all the more pleased. In the process, Nintendo watched its revenues slide and its rivals strengthen. It realized that it could not compete against technologically superior products. So when it set out to develop the Wii console, it didn’t even try. Instead, it focused on something the others were ignoring. It set its sites on the masses. â€Å"Nintendo took a step back from the technology arms race and chose to focus on the fun of playing rather than cold tech specs,† said Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO of Nintendo of America. â€Å"We took a more intuitive approach and developed something that could be fun for every member of the family. † 298 Part Three | Designing a Customer Driven Strategy and Mix placed on a separate scale. The light bulb went on as Sawano thought about the possibility of tracking a user’s shifting weight on a game pad as they shimmied and twisted their way through virtual worlds. That game pad is now called the Balance Board and lies at the heart (or rather the foot) of the Wii Fit’s portfolio of exercise applications. Users can do aerobic, strength training, balancing, and yoga exercises all in realistic virtual settings. â€Å"It is now possible to go beyond the fingertip controls of past games and now use your whole body,† Sawano told a crowd of game developers. The Wii Fit also facilitates exercise programs as it tracks and analyzes individual performance over time as well as keeping track of stats like weight and body-mass index. Perhaps the most promising part of the Wii Fit is not that it continues to broaden an ever-growing market segment. In addition, the Balance Board component has the potential to be integrated into a nearly limitless number of applications. Already, Nintendo has developed ski jump and slalom games. It’s only a matter of time before Nintendo develops a Balance Board version for just about every sport imaginable. Releasing hit after hit, Nintendo has vaulted to the top of the Wall Street Journal’s latest Asia 200 survey. Placing first in the â€Å"Innovative in Responding to Customer Needs† category, the company placed second overall, trailing only Toyota. For a company that hadn’t placed in the top 10 since 2002, the sudden turnaround is a telling demonstration of consumer confidence. For the Wii, this meant that Nintendo had to do more with less. The Wii boasts a humble combination of low-powered processors and a standard optical disc drive. Compared to the powerful, state-of-the-art chips and high definition lasers contained in the PS3 and xBox 360, the Wii’s graphics are out right scrawny. But at the core of the Wii’s broad appeal lies a revolutionary motion-sensing wireless technology that forces the once sedentary gamer to get up off the couch and get into the game. The Wii controller resembles a television remote. This feature was no accident as Wii designers correctly speculated that the familiarity of a TV remote would be more inviting than the more typical and complex video game controllers. The Wii’s basic software also allows users to custom design avatars from a seemingly infinite combination of characteristics. With this configuration, users play tennis, go bowling, and hit the links by swinging the controller like a racket, ball or golf club, all with characters resembling themselves. The Wii met with immediate and drastic success. Entering the market after the release of the xBox 360 and the PS3, Wii consoles flew off the shelves. Not only did the Wii’s contain an enticing combination of features, it also had a cost advantage. Microsoft and Sony had priced their offerings in the stratosphere. And even at $599 for the top and most popular PS3 model, Sony was still losing hundreds of dollars on each unit that it sold! Nintendo’s low-tech approach allowed it to earn a hefty profit and be the low-price leader at only $250. With such a favorable benefit-to-cost ratio, the Wii easily won the launch phase, outselling each of the two competing consoles by nearly two-to-one in the first few months . 9 Chapter CXXXX 43550 Page 298 08/15/08 MD SECURING THE FUTURE Although the success of the Wii has largely been attributed to attracting non-traditional gamers, hardcore gamers have hardly been absent. In fact, many of the industry faithful saw the Wii as a relatively cheap second gaming platform—as a nice diversion from more graphic-intensive games. The Wii also has the nostalgic advantage of appealing to the gaming elite with characters they grew up with, such as those from the Mario and Zelda franchises. But developers and executives at Nintendo are not content to sit back and risk having hardcore gamers lose interest. Part of Nintendo’s future strategy includes games focused on more serious gamers. CEO Satoru Iwata shocked the industry last year when he announced that Nintendo would soon add games from two Sony allies: Capcom’s Monster Hunter series and Square Enix’s Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. The release of these titles will do more than appeal to traditional gamers. It will elevate the Wii’s image from that of a machine with little firepower to one that will run the industry’s most advanced games. Said one game industry analyst at a tradeshow sneak preview, â€Å"It’s symbolic. I didn’t think the Wii could handle this type of game. Everyone in the room today saw that it can. † As Nintendo has successfully attracted an untapped audience of gamers over the past few years, it has done more than revive its business. It has transformed a market. The competitors that once trounced Nintendo now find that they must play catch-up. Both Sony and Microsoft are now developing easierto-play games that depart from their usual fast-action fare. Game publishers, including powerhouses such as Electronic Arts Inc. , have started putting more resources into developing games for the Wii. And even small, independent shops are getting into the action as Nintendo’s download channel reduces barriers to entry. All this is causing an already huge $30 billion industry to swell. NOT JUST A FAD Although the Wii was an instant smash hit, many analysts wondered whether or not its appeal would hold up. That speculation began to subside when retailers were still having trouble keeping the Wii in stock more than a year after it was introduced. In its first 18 months, Nintendo moved more than 24 million Wiis. Even though the xBox 360 had been on the market a full year longer, it had sold only 19 million units. And Sony, once the undisputed industry champ, placed only 12 million PS3s. Nintendo’s willingness to reinvent what a video gaming system can mean continues to drive Wii sales. For example, the Wii can scan weather, news, and Web sites through a wireless Internet connection. Through the Wii Shop Channel, an iTunesstyle store, customers can download classic Nintendo games as well as games from independent developers. But in its pursuit to break gaming boundaries, Nintendo has also relentlessly pursued new applications for the basic motionsensing technology. A plastic rifle contraption allows users to realistically play shooting gallery games. Snapping the Wii controller into a steering wheel has made driving games all the more electrifying. And tiny in-controller speakers add touches like the sound of an arrow being shot while the TV makes the â€Å"thwack† of that arrow hitting its target. But perhaps one of the greatest strokes of creative genius in Nintendo’s continuing stream of new applications is the Wii Fit, an add-on device targeted directly at women wanting to lose weight or keep in shape. The idea for the Wii Fit came to Takao Sawano, general manager of development for Nintendo, as he watched sumo wrestlers being weighed in for a television match. The tubby athletes were so heavy that they had to have each foot Company Cases Chapter 9 | New-Product Development and Product Life-Cycle Strategies 21 299 Chapter 3. In which stage of the product life-cycle is the Wii? Based on that stage, is Nintendo employing good marketing mix strategies? Simon Jeffery, president and COO of Sega of America, summarizes why Nintendo has been successful and why the rest of the industry must keep up. The fundamental interface in games has always been a controller, and Nintendo is bringing opportunities to developers to think about how interactions use motion. That has opened doors of creativity throughout the video game business. Nintendo’s success is about creative leadership and the willingness to do things differently. As long as Nintendo can stay focused on these elements that have returned it to its throne, it will reign for a long time to come. 4. Develop a strategy for the Wii’s next product life-cycle phase. 5. Discuss the potential threats to Nintendo’s future success. What will help Nintendo avoid a premature decline for the Wii? Sources: Robert Levine, â€Å"Fast 50 2008: Nintendo,† Fast Company, February 19, 2008, accessed online at www. fastcompany. com; Yukari Iwatani Kane, â€Å"Nintendo Captures Top Spot in Japan For Innovation,† Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2008, accessed online at www. wsj. com; Yukari Iwatani Kane, â€Å"Nintendo is Ahead of the Game, But Sustaining May Be Hard,† Wall Street Journal, April 15, 2008, p.C3; Yukari Iwatani Kane, â€Å"Wii Sales Help Nintendo Net Rise 48 Percent,† Wall Street Journal, April 25, 2008, p. B8; Kenji Hall, â€Å"Nintendo: Calling All Players,† BusinessWeek, October 10, 2007, accessed online at www. businessweek. com; Brian Caulfield, â€Å"Nintendo’s Sumo-Inspired Hit,† Forbes, February 21, 2008, accessed online at www. forbes. com. Questions for Discussion 1. Was Nintendo just lucky, or does the Wii’s success have strategic merit? 2. Has Nintendo put the â€Å"fad† question to rest? State a case as to why the Wii is or is not here to stay. 9 Chapter CXXXX 43550 Page 299 08/15/08 MD.

SWOT Analysis of Chile: Business and economic trends

SWOT Analysis of Chile: Business and economic trends Country Profile – Chile 2014 2014 LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT REPORT INTRODUCTION In 2014 the business environment in Latin America did not live up to expectations, and seems that it will not deliver significant results for 2014.Growth rate dropped again, down in 13 of the 18 countries covered in the LABER analysis. Lower commodity prices and financial market volatility in Latin America Governments struggled to cope with growing economic imbalances and rising social discontent. The 14 countries adhering to the centrist social-market paradigm, in spite of these pressures, did not deviate from its more business-friendly policies. Should the economic slump deepen in 2014, it was not unreasonable to expect pressures for change to deepen. Country Profile –Chile Political Factors: SWOT Analysis of Chile: Strengths Chile experiences open economy and the bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements led to a increase in foreign trade International competitiveness has faced an increased growth rate due to the trade agreements Chile offers foreign investors some of the world’s most competitive business costs Privatization and deregulation have created public utility and telecommunications industries Corporate taxes and labor costs are relatively low No evidence of active terrorism in Chile Occurrence of serious offences remains relatively low, despite reports of increased crime levels Chile capital, Santiago is considered one of the safest countries in Latin America Enjoys a stable democratic political system, with strong institutions Comprehensive legal framework and independent judiciary Weaknesses Binomial electoral system is ripe for reform Chile is vulnerable to external shocks due to overdependence on primary export industries Supply shortages and potential power stoppages due to heavy dependence on imported sources of energy Reforms of Chile’s institutions and labor market remain unlikely. Absence of reform exacerbate structural imbalances in the economy Absence drags on economic growth Opportunities Foreign investors are supported by the Government through three investment mechanisms The mechanisms offer the rights of both the state and the investor throughout the implementation of project Significant opportunities for inbound investment in areas of power generation and transportation, as well as copper production Since 1990, Chile has enjoyed an uninterrupted period of stable democracy Voting is compulsory for all voters older than 18. Government took important measures to increase efficiency of public administration by 2003 and ensuring a transparent government Congress also approved a law to regulate the financing of political parties and election campaigns Threats Growing public protests among the poorer sections of society High levels of income inequality and discontent with the cost of education Weakening government’s popularity Chile’s major ports and industrial mines suffer growing labour unrest Business environment in the country: BMI Business Environment Risk Ratings Chile ranks 28th out of 191 countries in business environment rankings and scoring around 64.0. This makes Chile the outperformer of the neighboring countries by some distance and places it higher than several developed industrial economies. In terms of ‘market orientation’, it ranks well ahead of many developed states including the US and the UK. Nonetheless, causes for concern remain. The country has a sizeable infrastructure deficit, reflected in our relatively weak score for Chile’s business infrastructure, a category in which Chile ranks just 55th globally. Chile is an open economy and practices bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements. This has led to a steady increase in foreign trade and the country’s international competitiveness. Chile offers foreign investors some of the world’s most competitive business costs. Privatization and deregulation have created sophisticated telecommunications, healthcare and public utility industries. Chile at the same time has maintained a moderately low corporate taxes and labor costs. Environmental factors: Chile is a highly Election dominated environment. It possesses the following features with regard to the environment: Solid economic performance Throughout the region of Latin America growth softened, but the drop was not steep in Chile and the outlook was encouraging with average annual growth rates for the period 2004-12. The causes of slower economic growth were lower export earnings, weaker investment and slower growth in the domestic demand. The local stock market has downgraded by 15% in dollar terms for the year, making it the worst performing of the major exchanges. This fall in the exchange rates made the economic scenario quite unfavorable for the foreign investment. The depreciating peso was accounted for the major fall in the economic performance. (upto 521 to the dollar) Exports softened but FDI surged Chile is the world’s largest producers of copper. Being in its maximum height of production, the decline in world copper prices affected Chile’s market negatively. Copper accounts for 60% of exports and 20% of GDP. Chile drew its attention away from copper due to the long-term need to diversify the economy and such heavy dependence on a single commodity. As the Chinese economy relaxed, copper prices fell down by 12% in November affecting Chile’s trade and exports, resulting in a fall in 2012. The CAD (current account deficit) and debt increased due to the exports slump. Chile has favorable access to bond markets and foreign investors due to its best managed economy and the highest credit rating in Latin America, and hence its environment remains very investor friendly. Resulting in a Net FDI tripled in 2012. Public protests broke out again Chile was recognized as a world leader in the implementation of the market reforms that was responsible for the generation of growth and rising standards of living. Chile has proven unemployment rate that fell to a historical low of 5.7% in October. Despite the growth, Chile was the first country to face rising citizen discontent in the form of the street demonstrations, which are now common throughout Latin America. Chile experienced for the first time in 2013 students, unions and Mapuche Indians all conducted disruptive demonstrations. Election returned center-left coalition to power As expected, former President Michelle Bachelet easily defeated Alianza por Chile, the candidate of the governing party, and her New Majority coalition won a majority in Congress. In many respects, the outcome was disappointing for Bachelet and her supporters. The disappointing fact was the low turnout , with voting was no longer mandatory, especially among first-time voters who were expected to deliver an easy first-round victory. Central Bank lowered interest rates to stimulate growth In order to stimulate the growth in the face of weak domestic demand, the Central Bank cut interest rates. This will further enhance the growth of the economy and productivity. National strategies and public policies: Chile follows the strategies to raise taxes, reform education and providing free tuition for university students. These reforms were mainly targeted in reducing inequality, thereby reducing the protests. Keys: Progress on reform agenda; price of copper Industry structure and competitive dynamics in terms of Infrastructure Labor: Infrastructure: Chile has a well developed and efficient infrastructure network, which contributes to the governments export-driven development strategy. Since the adoption of build-operate transfer concessions the countrys physical infrastructure has improved substantially. Though considerable damage was done to the existing countrys infrastructure network by the devastating 2010 earthquake, the ongoing focus of government attention ensure the rebuilding of Chiles infrastructure. The Pan-American Highway is considered to be high international standards and backbone of Chiles road system. Chile also has world-class airport and seaport infrastructure. Chile is working to develop a network of transport corridors across the region, using rail and road infrastructure. This will uplift the Chiles exports to Argentina and Brazil, and also facilitate the use of Chilean ports for exports to Asia. Energy: Energy supply in Chile is considered the Achilles heel. With its limited domestic energy supply, the country heavily relies on the bulk of its energy resources on Imports. It has to maintain sound relations with its neighbors to realize the valuable energy supply. The reliance on energy imports, particularly on natural gas from Argentina (where 80% of gas imports originate), is a growing problem. The Chilean government has prioritized addressing the electricity issue. Intellectual Property Rights In the International Property Rights Index of 2013, Chile comes in 28th place out of 130 countries. This places Chile the highest ranked of all emerging markets. Chile approved legislation to bring the country into compliance with the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) signatory obligations .As per the TRIPS signatory, Chile must meet the agreed standards pertaining to copyrights, including producer rights, industrial designs, patents and trademarks. The area in which Chile was most scrutinized is IPR in pharmaceutical products. This is due to the fact that Chile lacks a transparent system for protecting pharmaceutical patents. In 2005, the MOP established a system in protecting data related to pharmaceutical products. Business-government relations: Chile is positioned with a stable political outlook and sound economic fundamentals for steady, albeit slower, economic progress. Due to its high reliance on copper exports and oil imports, Chile is posed to a high risk to economic progress. Diversification of the countrys economic drivers will be essential to ensuring sustainable growth to remove the high dependence on the copper exports and oil imports. But this diversification may drag the GDP of the country leading to a more consumer-driven economy. Moreover, the GDP per capita is envisioned to nearly double between 2013 and 2022, in line with President Sebastià ¡n Pià ±eras goal of at least US$25,000 GDP per capita by 2020. This would give Chile de facto developed country status. Nevertheless, we will face two obstacles that would hamper Chiles economic growth over the upcoming years: Despite the countrys vast reserves of hydroelectric power, periods of drought have exposed Chiles dependence on energy imports; modernizing power generation and transmission will be highly essential to continued growth. Potentials Risks and bottlenecks faced by Chile Government: Chile faces few terrorist activity and regional security threats in comparison with neighboring countries. Other Potential risks are in the field of labor, education, healthcare, communication and transportation facilities. Strikes and public protests present a significant risk to business in Chile. In recent years these events have been concentrated in the areas of health, education, transportation, communication and civil service sectors. The real wages are slowly increasing in a less alarming way and high corporate profits have led to greater worker resentment. Strike action is becoming more widespread. It is not totally uncommon for labor tensions to develop into full-blown conflict. These labor conflicts largely affect the copper mines functioning. This leads to a significant amount of delays in certain large mining and energy projects. Mapuche political activists pose a growing threat to the foreign investments due to hindrances in the domestic security and the countrys business climate. These conflicts lead to a significant drag on the Chilean business environment if left unresolved. According to government statistics, crime rates are falling. Chile OUTLOOK in the face of Attractive Business Environments In the business environment analysis conducted by Business Monitor, only 9 nine countries emerged with the most business attractive environments in the Latin America region. Although there are differences among them, they all share significant positive strengths: Sustained growth with moderate inflation Favorable external profiles Declining poverty and growing middle classes; Stable, multiparty, centrist politics; Social-market economic policies; Slowly improving legal systems Seven of the nine ranked highest of the 18 LABER environments on the 2013 World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness score as given below. Chile government supports business and related investments with its strong and efficient legal framework Most accommodative in the region Government continues to place attracting foreign investment high on its priority list Infrastructure network is a major asset to the Chilean business climate Open foreign trade regime, helps to maintain the countrys reputation as an attractive foreign direct investment (FDI) destination Corruption and criminal activity remains a nuisance Pià ±era government has struggled to produce results on these fronts

Physics of Electric Guitars :: physics music guitar

Electric guitars play a very important role in today's music. Without it, we would be stuck with the acoustic guitar, which has limited volume, and a narrow range of sounds it can produce. Understanding just exactly how the electric guitar works isn't as intuitive as with the acoustic. With this website, I attempt to brighten the knowledge people have on the physics behind the electric guitar, since one cannot appreciate something, truly, until he knows how it works. The Acoustic guitar, originating from Spain, has been around since the 1500s. It wasn't till the 1920's with the advent of swing and big band music that musicians needed louder instruments. The acoustic guitar, even with steel strings, was simply too quiet. At this time, Los Angeles musicians, George Beauchamp and John Dopyera started working on figuring out how to make the acoustic guitar louder. After a few failures, Dopyera came up with the idea to put aluminum disks onto the body of the acoustic guitar. These disks would then resonate and increase the volume about 3 to 5 times. In 1927, the two founded the National String Instrument Co., which patented this resonator design. Due to internal problems, Dopyera fired Beauchamp in 1930 and then eventually even sold the company, patenting the resonator with his brother under a new company named "Dobro". Beauchamp, a bit unhappy about being fired, set out to figure out a different way to increase the volume of the guitar. Even before, as early as 1925, he had been experimenting with phonograph needles and produced a single string electric guitar that would "pick up" the vibration in the string and turn it into sound. He then started experimenting with ways to pick-up the vibration of all 6 strings, each string seperately. After months of experimentation he and Paul Barth developed a working pick-up made of 2 horse-shoe magnets and 6 coils of wire with electric current running through them. With this new pick-up, Beauchamp had Harry Watson carve a body for his first electric guitar. They called this the "Frying Pan" due to its similar shape. This was the first guitar fitted with an electric pick-up. Around the same time, Llyod Loar, acoustical engineer for Gibson, had started marketing a new Spanish style acoustic electric guitar. Loar, famous for the mandolin, headed the subdivision of Gibson responsible for producing these guitars, named Vivi-Tone. This guitar actually failed, but had left the idea that acoustic guitars with electric pickups were the way to go for Gibson.

Jurassic Park Essay -- Jurassic Park Dinosaurs Movies Essays

Jurassic Park The story of Jurassic Park was written about fourteen years ago by a man named Michael Crichton. His book has now evolved into three movies of Jurassic Park I, II, and III. Steven Speilberg has taken the story of Crichton is transformed it into one of his action packed, suspense thrillers. The first main theme that makes the story of Jurassic Park is its setting. The setting is a huge factor in the understanding of the story. The story takes place on an isolated island off the coast of Costa Rica that has become a theme park exhibiting prehistoric dinosaurs. Here dinosaurs roam unrestricted. The only restraint they have were gates and fences that could easily be knocked down by the gigantic animals. The island in the book sets an eerie setting. The island is said to be top in security and nothing could go wrong, but it is just a death trap waiting to happen. The reader gets this impression when the helicopter first arrives to the island. The island is referred to hell very often in the book, but the movie does not come out and state it. Rather the movie makes you think that everything will be alright on the island, but the audience knows that something bad is going to happen just because of the setting. Crichton has a master plan to show that the island isn't only hell but a trap. The book tells that once the island becomes chaotic and hectic most of the scientists on the island go their separate ways. It is not so when it comes to the movie. In t...

Macbeth :: essays research papers

In Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, the characters and the roles they play are critical to its plot and theme, and therefore many of Shakespeare's characters are well developed and complex. Two of these characters are the protagonist, Macbeth, and his wife, Lady Macbeth. They play interesting roles in the tragedy, and over the course of the play, their relationship changes and their roles are essentially switched. At the beginning of the play, they treat each other as equals. They have great concern for each other, as illustrated when Macbeth races to tell Lady Macbeth the news about the witches and she immediately begins plotting how to gain for her husband his desire to be king. At this point, Lady Macbeth is the resolute, strong woman, while Macbeth is portrayed as her indecisive, cowardly husband. He does have ambition, but at this point, his conscience is stronger than that ambition. Lady Macbeth explains this characteristic of her husband in Act I, Scene v, when she says, "Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o' th' milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way." The next stage of change developing in the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is in Act II. This is the act in which Macbeth kills King Duncan. Macbeth's character change is apparent because it is obvious that he has given in to his ambition and has murdered the king. He is not entirely changed, though, because he is almost delirious after he has committed the crime. He exclaims, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red." He believes that instead of the ocean cleaning his hands, his hands would turn the ocean red. Macbeth's role has changed somewhat but not entirely, since he has committed the crime but his conscience is still apparent after the murder. Lady Macbeth's role similarly changes somewhat in Act II. The reader sees a crack in her strong character when she tells Macbeth in Scene ii of Act II that she would have murdered Duncan herself if he had not resembled her father as he slept. Her boldness is still evident, though, when she calms Macbeth after the murder and believes "a little water clears us of this deed." Unlike the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, their relationship remains unchanged from Act I to II.