Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

Alzheimer disease, the most common cause of old-age-associated dementia, accounts for over 50% of the dementias seen in the general adult population. Current projections indicate that over 4 million Americans will be suffering from various stages of the disease. Clinically, Alzheimer disease is characterized by a progressive deterioration of cognitive and physical status that sometimes begins during middle age (presenile dementia) but more typically has onset late in life (senile dementia), with considerable variability in behavioral manifestation.Diagnosis of Alzheimer disease requires both the presence of dementia and a characteristic pattern of neuropathology, including the presence of gross atrophy. The earliest stage of Alzheimer disease can generally be characterized by mild memory disturbances. This phase may be followed by one or more of a combination of agnosia, aphsia, and apraxia. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia Dementia is a gradual deterioration of mental functio ning affecting all areas of cognition, including, judgment, language, and memory. An irreversible, progressive condition in which nerve cells in the brain degenerate, and the size of the brain decreases.Dementia generally occurs in the elderly, although it can appear at any age. Several substantial studies have been done to determine its prevalence, and in 1991 a major study was conducted which found that dementia occurred in just over 1 percent in ages 75 to 84; and more than doubling to 10. 14 percent in persons 85 and over. Other studies have concluded that many as 47 percent of people over 85 suffer from some form of dementia. Prevalence rates tend to be comparable between the sexes and across socio cultural barriers, such as education and class.It is also worth nothing that, despite what is often commonly thought, dementia is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common degenerative brain disorder, although onset of the disease is rare b efore the age of 60. After that age, the incidences of Alzheimer’s disease increases steadily, and than one-quarter of all individuals above the age of 85 have this disease. In addition, Alzheimer’s disease is the cause of about three-quarter of all cases of dementia in individuals above the age of 65. Researchers have identified many types of dementia.Including dementia resulting from Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, substance induced dementia, dementia due to other general medical conditions, and dementia not other wise specified. More than half of the persons diagnosed with dementia are classified as having dementia resulting from Alzheimer’s disease. This type of dementia occurs in more than half of dementia cases in the United States. There is no definitive method in diagnosing this kind of dementia until after the patient’s death and an autopsy can be performed on the brain. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and DementiaGenerally speaking, dementia has a gradual onset and can take different routes in different people. All sufferers, however, are eventually impaired in all of cognition. Initially, dementia can appear in memory loss, which may result in being able to vividly remember events from many years past while not being able to remember events of the very recent past. Other symptoms of dementia are agnosia, which is the technical term for not being able to recognize familiar objects, facial agnosia, the inability to recognize familiar faces, and Visio spatial impairment, the inability to locate familiar places.Along with cognitive deterioration, sufferers of dementia often experience related emotional disorders as they recognize their deterioration and experience anxiety about its continuation and worsening. Typical among reactions are depression, anxiety, aggression, and apathy. Psychologists are uncertain to what extent these symptoms are direct results of dementia or simply responses to its devastati on. Dementia progressively deteriorates the brain and eventually sufferers are completely unable to care for themselves and, ultimately, the disease results in death.Causes of the Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia The cause of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is not known, but several theories of causality have been advanced. These theories propose genetic, environmental, viral, immunological, biochemical, and other causes for the disease. The specific features of disease vary from individual to individual, but the general course of the disease is fairly consistent in most cases. The symptoms of the disease tend to be more severe at night. The first stage of disease is usually forgetfulness, accompanied by some anxiety and mild depression.This usually develops into a more serious loss of memory, especially of recent events, moderate spatial and temporal disorientation, loss of ability to concentrate, aphasia, and increased anxiety. This set of symptoms is usually follow ed by profound spatial and temporal disorientation, delusions, hallucinations, incontinence, general physical decline, and death. Alzheimer’s disease and memory drugs Since there are many possible reasons for dementia-like attributes, it is important to see a neurologist.A neurologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the brain and the disorders affect the brain. Neurologists often specialize in a particular brain disorders that affect the brain. Neurologists often specialize in a particular brain disorder. For instance, one neurologist may treat primarily patients who have had a stroke (temporary or permanent loss of some body functioning), While other neurologists may treat primarily Alzheimer’s patients. Therefore, choosing an appropriate neurologist is one of the first steps in determining the correct diagnosis. History of Alzheimer’s diseaseA German neuropathologist and psychiatrist named Alois Alzheimer studied a 51-year old female patient with severe dementia. The woman started experiencing symptoms five years earlier, such as memory loss and trouble reading and writing. She rapidly declined to hallucinations and was unable to take care of herself. When Dr. Alzheimer’s patient died, he was able to study her brain at autopsy. Alzheimer noted that the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain responsible for numerous functions such as movement, perception, memory, and speaking, was thinner than normal and had severe atrophy.He also noted two other abnormalities. The first was â€Å"senile plaque† (now know as neuritic plaque) that had earlier been seen in the brains of the elderly. Second, there were neurofibrillary tangles within the cortex that has not been previously described. These hallmarks, for which Alzheimer coined the term presenile dementia, are now known as Alzheimer’s disease. Interestingly, to this day, the only way to definitively know that a person has AD is at autopsy. The impact of Alzhe imer’s Alzheimer’s disease not only affects the patients but also the patients but also the patient’s family.Almost one out of three household in the United States is affected by AD. A little over half of the care provided to AD patients is at home; some estimates place the care at home closer to 75%. The combination of healthcare expenses and the loss of income of both the patient and the caregiver are approaching $100 billion nationwide. The average cost per patient from the onset of symptoms is about $ 174,000. Over half of the nursing residents in the United States have AD or some other form of dementia.The annual cost of caring for an AD patient ranges from $18,400 for mild symptoms to $ 36,132 for those with advanced symptoms. In addition, the average cost of nursing home care is almost $58,000 a year. Medicare and most health insurance plans do not cover the care of an AD patient since it is considered â€Å"custodial care†. Caregivers are a subset of the Alzheimer’s picture that is often overlooked. Stress and depression are reported frequently among caregivers: depression affects approximately 50% of caregivers, with stress occurring in at least 80%.Not surprisingly, the emotional, financial, and sometimes physical burden of witnessing a loved one decline mentally and physically is often overwhelming. Support and hope There are several organizations dedicated to educating patients, families, and caregivers about Alzheimer’s, providing helpful insights into where to go for help and support. Researchers have been studying the AD brain with all its complexities, since Alois Alzheimer presented his patient in 1907. Science is now closer to finding some answers about what may cause AD, and therefore gaining momentum on what may prevent or treat the disease.

How Are the Iais Principles Met with in the Mauritian Legislation on Insuranc

UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS FACULTY OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS MAY 2009 PROGRAMME BSc (Hons) Accounting with Finance – Level 3, 4 BSc (Hons) Finance – Level 3 BSc (Hons) Finance with Law – Level 3 MODULE NAME DATE International Finance Wednesday MODULE CODE DFA3006Y(5) 6 May 2009 TIME 9. 30-12. 30 Hours NO. OF QUESTIONS SET 6 DURATION NO. OF QUESTIONS TO BE ATTEMPTED 3 Hours 4 INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES This paper consists of SIX Questions and you are required to answer ANY FOUR (4) Questions International Finance – DFA3006Y Question 1 a) (i) Explain the term â€Å" foreign exchange exposure† in relation to the operations of a multinational enterprise. [5 marks] ( ii ) How are such exposures usually handled by management? [9 marks] (b) Seattle Inc is a medical device manufacturer. The company’s annual sales of $ 40m have been growing rapidly, and working capital financing is a common source of concern. The Chief Finance Of ficer, Martin Bell has recently been approached by one of the company’s major Japanese customers, Yosaka, with a new payment proposal. Yosaka typically orders ? 12. million in product every other month and pays in Japanese yen. The current payment terms extended by Seattle Inc are 30 days, with no discounts given for early or cash payment. Yosaka has suggested that it would be willing to pay in cash (in Japanese yen) if it were given a 3. 0 % discount on the purchase price. On the basis of the information below: Spot rate 30-day forward rate 90-day forward rate 180-day forward rate ? 96. 60/$ Yosaka’s Weighted average cost of capital ? 99. 08/$ Seattle Inc Weighted average cost of capital ?100. 42/$ ?103. 56/$ 9. 00% 11. 95%Advise Martin Bell on Yosaka’s proposition, assuming that Seattle Inc hedges all its foreign currency transactions. (c ) [8 marks] Calculate the rate of forward premium of the US $ on the 180-day forward rate. [3 marks] [Total marks : 25] Pag e 1 of 3 International Finance – DFA3006Y Question 2 â€Å"When the financial systems fail, everyone suffers† – Edward Carr, The Economist. (a) Explain the importance of regulations in a financial system. [15 marks] (b) In the wake of the financial crisis that has shaken America and Europe, do you think regulators have failed in their role? 10 marks] [Total marks : 25 ] Question 3 (a) Briefly outline the disadvantages of a fixed exchange rate regime? [6 marks] (b) Explain the following terms: (i) Special Drawing Right ( SDR ) ( ii ) Currency board arrangement ( iii ) Euro currency ( iv ) Dollarisation [12 marks] (c) The Thai baht was devalued by the Thai government from Bt 25/$ to Bt 29/$ in July 1997. Calculate the devaluation of the baht against the US dollar [3 marks] (d) Explain the difference between devaluation and depreciation of a currency. [4 marks] [Total marks : 25] Page 2 of 3International Finance – DFA3006Y Question 4 (a) Do you think free in ternational capital mobility is desirable for emerging economies? [15 marks] (b) Explain how an active secondary market for securities can be beneficial to: ( i ) lenders ( ii ) borrowers [10 marks] [Total marks : 25 ] Question 5 (a) Outline the main summary statements of the balance of payments accounts and explain briefly their economic significance. [10 marks] (b) How can flows of ‘laundered’ money from drug trade or international terrorist activities find their way into the Balance of Payments? [5 marks] (c)How can such illegal flows be avoided if a country wants to be perceived as a â€Å"clean† financial centre? [10 marks] [Total marks: 25] Question 6 (a) As a firm evolves, domestic operations are no longer adequate to sustain further development, and the firm seeks other avenues of growth. Outline the considerations that need to be taken if the firm is contemplating a strategic alliance with a foreign partner. [15 marks] (b) Explain the difference between â€Å"internal† financing and â€Å"external† financing† for a foreign subsidiary and give two examples of internal financing. [10 marks] [Total marks : 25] -END OF QUESTION PAPER- Page 3 of 3

Excretion and Osmoregulation Essay

In every aspect of an environment, there is a variance in the concentration of fluids present in the environment and the bodies of organisms. Osmoregulation is the regulation of water and ion concentrations in the body. Keeping this regulation precise is critical in maintaining life in a cell. Balance of water and ions is partly linked to excretion, the removal of metabolic wastes from the body. An animal’s nitrogenous wastes reflect its phylogeny and habitat Introduction: Osmoregulation is the control of water content and the concentration of salts in the body of an animal. In freshwater species osmoregulation must counteract the tendency for water to pass into the animal by osmosis. Various methods have been developed to eliminate the excess such as contractile vacuoles in protozoans and kidneys in freshwater fish. Marine vertebrates have the opposite problem; these species prevent excessive water loss and enhance the excretion of salts with short tubules. In terrestrial vertebrates the dangers of desiccation are reduced by the presence of long renal tubules that increase the reabsorption of water and salts. Moreover, an osmoregulator is referred to as the state when body fluids whose concentration is different from that of their environment, so these organisms use up a lot of energy in having to control and gain water. An osmoconformer, is when body fluids with a solute concentration is equal to that of seawater. Furthermore, this report aims to ide ntify the osmoregulator and the osmoconformer of the given species as well as to compare the specific gravity of each body fluid. Materials: As per the BI108 lab 6 handout. Method: As per the BI108 lab 6 handout. Results: Notes: The Malpighian tubules function as an excretory system and aid in osmoregulation. The tubules empty into the alimentary canal, and remove nitrogenous wastes from the insect’s body. These structures were named for an Italian anatomist named Marcello Malpighi, who discovered the tubules in the seventeenth century. In Earthworm (pheretima posthuma), the excretory system is performed by segmentally arranged, microscopic, coiled, glandular & vascular & complicated excretory tubes, called as Nephridia. The Nephridia are found in all segment of the body of earthworm except the first 2 or 3 segment. According to the position & structure of Nephridia in the body, 3 types of Nephridia are found: Septal Nephridia, Pharyngeal Nephridiam and Integumentary Nephridia. The contractile vacuole controls the amount of water in paramecium. Figure 2.0 Discussion: Figure 1.0 displays the graph of specific gravity against concentration for P. lurca and U. coarctata. From the Figure 1.0 it can be seen that P. lurca is an osmoconformer in that the body fluid is equal to the concentration of seawater. Moreover, this means that the body fluid (internal fluid) is the same concentration as that of its surroundings. On the other hand, U. coarctata is depicted in the graph as seen by the plot as an osmoregulator. So, the body fluid has a solute concentration that is different from its surroundings. These suggest and confirm that the hypothesis is correct and it is quite evident as obtained in the results and graph plotted. Similarly, the body fluids collected (extracellular fluids) are known to be denser than water itself. To add on, the dissections of the various arthropods which included the cockroach, sipunculid and also the annelid, the earthworm. Earthworms and sipunculids have structures called nephridia for excretion, whilst cockroaches have mal phigian tubules for excretion. Conclusion In conclusion, in determining which organism was the osmoregulator and  osmoconformer various other structures of numerous arthropods were also studied and analyzed. The hypotheses was indeed proven correct, as the P.lurca is the osmoconformer and U.coarctata is the osmoregulator. Osmoregulation is an important process in any animal as it assists in maintaining stable internal conditions in terms of water content and the concentration of ion soluble contents in any given body. Furthermore, as predicted by obtaining specific gravity would indeed determine the two types of osmoregulation, the organisms P.lurca and U.coarctata displayed different specific gravities that contributed in the decision. Hence, to reiterate, osmoregulation is a vital process that enables an animal’s survival as well as it contributing to the environment. Reference Martin, E. and Hine, R. (2008). Osmoregulation. Oxford Dictionary of Biology. (Web Link: http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199204625.001.0001/acref-9780199204625) Bot, C. 2013 Sipuncula, Wikipedia encyclopedia, viewed on 24th September 2014, http://www.wikipedia.org Campbell, N and Reece, J and Mitchell, L and Taylor, M. 2003, Control of the Internal Environment, Biology- Concepts and Connections, Fourth Edition p.506, 507, Pearson Education Incorporation- Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco Hickman, C and Roberts, L and Larson, A I’Anson, H and Eisenhour, D, 2008, Integrated Principles of Zoology, Fifteenth Edition, McGraw Hill. Walker, R. L, 1993 ‘Using crustaceans to illustrate the principles of osmoregulation, Acid- base balance and respiratory physiology’ Tested Studies for laboratory teaching, Volume 7, p-149-178 Yintan 2013, Wikipedia encyclopedia, viewed on 20th September 2014, http://www.wikipedia.org Martin, E. and Hine, R, 2008, A Dicti onary of Biology, Sixth edition, Oxford University, Great Britain. 2013, ‘Biology Notes: ‘Osmoconformers and osmoregulators’ Hadley, D., Malpighian Tubules, About Education viewed on 26th September, 2014 on http://insects.about.com/od/m/g/def_malpighian.htm Science (about Earthworm), (Web link: http://sachit.nepalscout.tripod.com/id1.html) Eukaryotes: Protists and fungi, BSCS Biology, 9 ed. Chapter. 12, pg. 328, viewed on 25th September, 2014 on http://books.google.com.fj/books?id=xC-WGtA7eP8C&pg=PA326&lpg=PA326&dq=contractile+vacuole+in+paramecium+function&source=bl&ots=1mI4GsePJi&sig=Yo2c_8IYaJ4Y XhuZk7RxE2UYDDo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xhklVOXtCY6wogS-p4DYBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=contractile%20vacuole%20in%20paramecium%20function&f=false

The Rise and Fall of Andrew Johnson Research Paper

The Rise and Fall of Andrew Johnson - Research Paper Example He was also the only southern senator who remained loyal to the movement during the US civil war. He was inaugurated as the Vice president of united stated in 1865 and six weeks later, the president was murdered. His first obligation as the president was to ensure that the south was drawn back to the union as he clashed with Radical republicans. The Congress impeached him in 1868, but he survived and remained in power. It is said that this was the key reason why he opted not to run for the second term in office. Early Life Andrew Johnson was born in a log cabin in Raleigh on 29 December 1808 in North Carolina (Venezia, 23). His mother was Mary â€Å"Polly† McDonough Johnson and was married to a porter at an inn by the name of Jacob Johnson who is the father of Johnson. He died while Johnson was 3years old. This situation made him grow up in an impoverished situation which made him not to attend school, but in his early teen, he was an apprentice to a tailor (Venezia, 23). He m oved to Greenville Tennessee in 1826 where he managed to be an established tailor. He got married in 1827 to Eliza McCardle who was a daughter to a shoemaker. The two had a family, which comprised of five children. His wife managed to tutor him in learning writing skills and rudimentary reading at the same time learning some math. In time, he was able to prosper in life, and he bought properties including several slaves who worked in his home. Political Life Johnson’s political journey started in 1829 after he became an alderman in Greenville through an election. It was in this year that fellow Democrat and Tennessean, Andrew Jackson was elected the seventh president of the United States. The two of them considered themselves as champions of the common people. He was angry with the rich planters and he always favored the policies and rights of the populists (Gordon-Reed, 45). Since he was a skilled orator, he was given the position of the Greenville’s mayor in 1834 and the following year marked his election to the Tennessee state legislature. He served for in the 1830s and early 1840s and in 1843, he was elevated again and joined the U.S. House of Representatives (Gordon-Reed, 45). He championed the introduction and passing of the Homestead Act, which granted the settlers the mandate of acquiring undeveloped public land. This act was passed in 1862. During his time in the congress, the slavery issue was a crucial issue and majority of the Americans were divided on this issue. There are individuals who were interested in giving an extension to the peculiar institution, which was seen to be on newly acquired territories in the west while others were gravely against it. Since Johnson was a strong supporter of the constitution, he believed that people had the right of owning slaves. He became the Governor of Tennessee in 1853 after he had left the congress (Stewart, 27). In 1857, he vacated the seat of governorship to join the US Senate. He continued to push for the slave ownership in 1850s even as the country was divided between the South and the North. This struggle led to the Southern leaders to call for secession, but he still remained remorseful and wanted them to retain and preserve the union. Johnson and the Civil War The whole ideology is traced back to 1860 after the Abraham Lincoln was elected the president, and was believed to be a strong anti-slavery advocate together with his party members. The same year, the

Can Alligators Be Saved Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Can Alligators Be Saved - Research Paper Example On the contrary, the Chinese alligator is smaller in both length and weight, measuring almost two meters in length. (SREL - Alligator Brochure). Like all animals, in general and reptiles, in particular, alligators are confined to specific, respective habitats and are native only to the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. The American alligators  are inhabitants of the southern part of the United States of America and all the states falling that very region. With respect to the Guinness Book of World Records, published in the year 2005, the state of Louisiana was declared as the state with the largest alligator population, in whole of America. The American alligator specie is confined to freshwaters and similar environments. They live in ponds, marshes, mangroves, lakes, swamps, rivers, streams as well as environments with a rich consistency of brine and saline. In order to survive in such environments, the alligators construct gator holes, which are made by the alligators with the use of their mouth and clearing out of vegetation by the tail, henceforth, making a trough or a depression, to survive and hibernate, when required. When a gator hole is constructed in the wetland environment, it leads to an increase in a variety of plants to grow as well as a shelter for most animals, in situation of a drought or a famine, therefore making the alligator, a significant member of the ecological cycle as well as the food pyramid. There are instances when the alligators enlarge their gator holes by digging a pendulous underneath in order to create a stealth den. This tunneling and stealth methods used may extend up to twenty feet. This is not the alligator's nest but merely a way for the reptile to survive the dry season and winters.â€Å"During the cold, dry months (October - March), Chinese alligators hunker down in caves or burrows and  brumate, rather than truly hibernate -- a way that  reptiles  respond to cold weather.† (Saint Louis Zoo). The other type of alligators existential in the world, are the Chinese alligators. This type of alligators are residents of the Yangtze River and the adjoining valley The Chinese alligator has been declared as an endangered species and appears on the Red List issued by the International Union for Conservation as well as the World Wildlife Fund. Zoological gardens are home to more Chinese alligators than the aforementioned Yangtze River valley itself. To name a prominent few, the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, the Miami Zoo are the notable alligator sanctuaries in the global picture today. The male animals are always lesser in number and confines itself to specific duties, be it a human or any other animal, such as a lion. Respecting the traditions of the global society and popular culture, male alligators, which are massive in size remain confined to specific areas, separate from the other creatures. The smaller creatures normally remain and stay in unity. The mal es and females that are larger in size often play the role of the provision of defense and security to the clan and are normally the dominant and the aggressive ones. Despite having a mammoth sized body, the alligators are owners of a very slow breakdown process. They can move very fast, however for very short distances only. An alligator would always hunt down an animal which maybe inferior in size and easy to catch, however like a python or any snake, in general, an alligator needs a single bite to finish off or eat a larger

Nestle Profit Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Nestle Profit Making - Essay Example His stance regarding that there is no social responsibility inherent for corporations directly coincides with the idea that was presented by Milton Friedman in that private expenditures on social or environmental objectives represents dollars stolen from the pockets of shareholders and employees. (Redman, 2006 p 96) This theory is a principle approach by Milton Friedman and in many ways, it is a beneficial approach monetarily, at least initially. What is important to understand is that the sole purpose of many privately created companies is to generate profit. Because they are private they have no responsibility except to their employees and owners. However, publicly traded companies are increasingly being seen as having a greater social responsibility given their large number of â€Å"owners† via stock or shareholders. According to some corporate social responsibility is really just a brilliant marketing strategy, it serves purely to enhance the corporation’s image and increase market shares. (Pardy, 2009 p 9) This leads to the easy assumption that many corporate organizations actually embrace or more traditional model and that they simply market or outwardly represent a more beneficent model of corporate social responsibility. These organizations may not view efficiency as a type of CSR, simply because efficiency is a necessary operating approach for profit-making versus becoming efficient to reduce carbon emissions. However, even a small amount of community or social awareness and minor changes in approach can affect the long-term sustainability in such a way that it benefits everyone including the shareholders and the employees. There are the other CSR fields that are not directly climate or earth related and can affect the consumer base directly as well. If there is no desire to promote the health and well-being of the consumer base then there is the potential for a loss of market due to a sharp potential decline in the consumer base.

Urban Water Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Urban Water Cycle - Essay Example The Consent Decree does not contain a completed schedule both for upgrades and construction. In other words, the Decree is not by all means a full resolution of claimed violations. In the Decree, Akron is required to submit an updated long-term control plan detailing the construction of every project. Akron was required to upgrade its Water Pollution Control station so as attain a minimum secondary treatment capacity of 130 million daily by not later than October, 15, 2017. In the same way, Akron was also needed to separate the sewers for the combined sewer outflow outfalls at Racks 8, 13, 21, and 25, as well as 30 within eight years of lodging the decree. The city was imposed with fines amounting to more than $1 billion for more than 4,000 violations of the federal Clean Water Act over the years (Davidson, ‎Howard and ‎Jacobs 825). Therefore, the courts held that the decree as not fair, adequate, reasonable, and in the best interests of the public. The ruling implies tha t rates of more than 300,000 Akron together with the suburban residents who make use of the city’s sewer system would be boosted on a less expensive plan. The sewer clean-up was necessary since it was a threat to the ecosystem of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Cleveland area is also dealing with the same problem. The Akron/Cleveland CSO area covers about 167 square miles and includes majority of the Akron metropolitan area. The population is about 352,000. When it rains heavily, the industrial and domestic wastewater exceeds the capacity of the Akron Waste Water Treatment overflowing into the Ohio Canal, Little Cuyahoga River, Cuyahoga River, and Camp Brook. It may cost the City of Akron about $1.4 billion to implement its long-term control plan. In the plan, the green infrastructure would reduce the storm water from getting into the sewers. They would rely

Multilingualism in new york Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multilingualism in new york - Essay Example If these current trends are not reversed, then the endangered languages are soon going to be extinct within the next century (Welcher). Attempts to prevent the extinction of endangered language have resulted to the formation of the Endangered Language Alliance. Therefore, a student at The City University of New York with basic linguistic fieldwork who wills to take part in documenting the endangered language should join the group and together with the members. The student should also develop an interest in learning those languages that are almost facing extinction. Grenoble & Lindsay (85) asserts that vast knowledge of the endangered language will act as a security incase the language becomes extinct. This will ensure that all facts regarding the language do not disappear all at once. Secondly, the student may visit the speakers of the endangered languages and conduct interviews. While conducting the interviews, the student is expected to make audio tapes and videotapes, as well as make written records of the endangered languages used in informal and informal settings (Davis 76). The translations of the endangered language are also included in the recordings so as to preserve the data in the best appropriate manner to avoid confusion in the future. Analysis of the vocabulary and rules of the endangered language is an initiative that helps significantly preserve the endangered languages. In addition to that, the student should write grammars and dictionaries of these languages that they wish to preserve (Grenoble & Lindsay 45). Working hand in hand with other linguists’, the student should visit neighboring communities within the city of New York to meet speakers who are willing to preserve their language. While visiting the endangered language speakers, the student should offer practical and technical help with language maintenance, teaching and revival. The assistance comes about while working on the grammars and

Unique effects of apathy and depression signs on cognition and Research Paper

Unique effects of apathy and depression signs on cognition and function in amnestic mild cognitive impairment - Research Paper Example According to Zahodne & Tremont (2013), apathy and depression are distinct signs in amnestic MCI and for different patients the two are associated with specific executive functions. For mental health nurses, the distinction of apathy and depression relative to the presented differential frontal lobes neuropathology patterns and the affected functions are crucial in planning and delivery appropriate care. Zahodne & Tremont (2013), present the current diagnostic criteria as indicating that about 43% and 20% patients meet apathy and major depression criteria correspondingly with and without baseline dementia. Through a multiple regression framework, apathy and depression linked to specific cognitive abilities and functional status as presented in a sample of 90 elderly persons (with mean age 75.8 years) highly vulnerable to Dementia following amnestic MCI. For all participants, clinical assessments presented unbiased memory impairment and exclusion criteria of comorbid neurological illnesses, brain trauma history, and medical problems like cancer, and severe psychiatric disturbance (Zahodne & Tremont, 2013). The independent variables were apathy, depression, education, and age, while the dependent variables were unprocessed scores on individual tests. The result linked depression to inferior exclusive functioning and was independent of age, apathy, and education. Conversely, apathy pre sented intricacies in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living or IADL and did not link to age, depression, or education. These findings proved that apathy and depression distinctively associate with varying elements of executive functioning in amnestic MCI. For a mental health nurse, this information fundamentally contributes to the formulation of interventions aimed at fostering health, assessing dysfunction, and helping patients in regaining their coping abilities (Daniel, et al., 2014). Further, the nurse

During those times when I have lost hope Essay Example for Free

During those times when I have lost hope Essay I cannot imagine life without Christina. In fact, I cannot remember a time in my life when she was not there with me or for me. More than best friends, we are like sisters. We shop together and we talk about everything and anything. And just like sisters, we too have our own fair share of misunderstandings and arguments but in the end, it is our bond of friendship that makes us kiss and make up. Christina was not my best friend when I was younger. In fact, we did not like each other. She was the type who was always hanging around with the cooler girls in school while I was the one who was always hanging around with the guys. So she was the princess and I was the tomboy. We could hardly look at each other because our crowds were of two completely different worlds. But an unfortunate event happened that made us talk to each other. You see, Christina and I were neighbors. And on that fateful rainy spring day, I got locked out of my house while my parents were out of town for a conference. I had to knock on the door of Christina’s house and her family let me stay until my parents got home. It was then that we realized that we were not really that different from each other. We liked the same movies and the same kind of music. From then on, we started hanging out in school and after school. Christina is a very optimistic person, the complete opposite of how I am. I always see the worse in things while she always saw the sunshine after the rain. During the lowest times of my life, she was there to cheer me up and always reminded me that there is no problem big enough that cannot be solved. She always told me that the problems that come my way are just challenges in life that I must overcome to become a stronger and more mature person. During those times when I have lost hope, her hug or simple pat on the shoulder would make everything alright because she makes me feel that I do not have to go through life alone. It is from Christina that I have learned that there is something good in every person and in every thing. I must admit that I am a very judgmental person but Christina has influenced me to be more open minded about how I perceive the people I meet and the things that I encounter. She would constantly tell me the cliche don’t judge a book by its cover and I would just laugh her off. But then she would remind me of the circumstances on how we started becoming friends. And she’s right that by her appearance alone, I will choose not to be friends with her. But she is also correct that since I took time to get to know her, I learned that her appearance alone does not define her entire being. Now, I am very careful with how I interact with people and that before I dismiss them and not want anything to do with them, I try to talk to them first and get to know a little bit of them to see if we have things in common. Another good thing that I have learned from Christina is how to take a break from school and all the other stressful extra-curricular activities that I have. I come from a very demanding family when it comes to school and my parents do not realize how much pressure they put on me to do well in school. So there are times when I would be awake for days, trying to prepare for an exam or a paper and would miss out on parties and shopping with friends. Christina taught me the importance of balance in life. For one, she is the type of student who can go to a party every weekend and yet still manage to get those A’s in school. She constantly reminds me that rest is important and that there is no use in studying all the time if I would be too tired or weary to take the exams. I have learned that there is a time for everything and that balance is essential to keep myself sane. But by far, the most important thing that Christina has taught me is how to love myself. My insecurities are like little battles for me everyday. When my boyfriend broke up with me for a girl who looked like a supermodel, all my insecurities started to envelope me. I started hating and doubting myself. There came a point when I found nothing good about myself and started wasting my life away. But Christina was there to pick me up and to shake some sense into my head. She, with some other friends, talked to me through some sort of intervention and told me all the good things that they see in me. They pounded in my head that unless and until I start seeing the good in myself, I will never be able to offer what I have to other people; and that if I didn’t believe in myself, then other people will start losing their faith in me as well. It was not easy to bounce back into the life I used to have: the more focused and idealistic me. But I am grateful that Christina was with me every step of the way, helping me collect the pieces of my life and putting them back together, as if completing a puzzle. Differences brought me and Christina together as friends. And it is differences that continue to bind us. I no longer consider Christina as my best friend but as my sister, someone that has shaped my life and continues to shape my life for the better. I just wish that someday I can give back to her everything that she has done for me as my way of saying how grateful I am that she is a part of my life.

Extraordinary Measures Film Analysis

Extraordinary Measures Film Analysis The film Extraordinary Measures is based on a true story which follows the journey of a father who is determined to save his young childrens lives. John and Aileen Crowley have three kids, two of which who have a rare genetic disorder called pompe disease. Pompe disease is a rare inherited disorder in which the glycogen in the body is not broken down, and thus the glycogen builds up within the bodys cells. This can cause muscular dystrophy and eventually lead to enlarged organs. The children born with this disease often times live a very short life of about ten years and die because their organs can no longer function with this glycogen build up. In the film, John Crowley has two children with pompe, but the story revolves around his eight-year-old daughter Megan. Megan just recently turned eight years old when she fell ill and was rushed to the hospital because to her respiratory system was starting to fail. While in the hospital, the doctor spoke to John and Aileen about Megans conditions. When explaining that her chances of survival were slim, he used the phrase think of it as a blessing when talking about Megans impending death. While the doctor was trying to help the Crowleys with this situation, the Crowleys obviously didnt want to think of their daughters passing away as a blessing. Though Megan survived, John didnt want to sit around and watch as his children were slowly dying in front of him, so he took matters into his own hands and reached out to Dr. Robert Stonehill. Dr. Stonehill was a scientist who was researching pompe disease and the enzyme that breaks down the glycogen in the body, which is missing in those d iagnosed with the disease. During their meeting, Dr. Stonehill explained to John that the university wasnt providing enough funding to allow him to further test his theory about the missing enzyme. When he told John that he needed at least half a million dollars, John and Aileen decided to create a pompe disease foundation to help raise the money to create the treatment. As John worked as an advertising executive, Dr. Stonehill saw that as an opportunity to work with John to create their own biotech company to research the enzyme. The only issue with this was they needed a lot more funding then the foundation was able to raise. Though John tried to get Dr. Stonehill to meet with investors, he was very uncooperative. Though the two of them often disagreed with one another, the one thing they agreed on was that it was important to find a treatment for the disease, thus allowing them to eventually come to terms and sign a business deal. Months into research on the enzyme, John realizes that the investors were unhappy with the slow progress of the study. Dr. Stonehill and John had promised that they would bring the enzyme into clinical trials in a year, but they werent making enough head way to do so. This lead to another disagreement between John and Dr. Stonehill, resulting in them selling their company to the competition. Dr. Stonehill, being the stubborn man he is, angered and annoyed many people in the company, leading to John going behind his back to make the competitors happy. A group of researchers, excluding Dr. Stonehill, went on to further enhance the enzyme. Eventually, the drug was approved to go into clinical trials, but the scientists agreed that they would use it on infants. As Johns children werent infants, they wouldnt be treated with the enzyme, which was John was working towards the whole time. This lead to John doing some unethical things, such as breaking into the lab and trying to steal the enz yme himself to give it to his children. Luckily, Dr. Stonehill was able to get John out of trouble, but there was still the issue that John worked for the company and using his children in clinical trials would be a conflict of interest. The movie concluded with John getting fired from his job, allowing them to use his two children in a sibling study. The film ended with his children laughing in their hospitals beds, showing what is called a sugar high, indicating that the enzyme was indeed working and breaking down the glycogen. In the beginning of the movie, it seemed to relate with the topic of the patient-professional relationship that was discussed in an earlier lecture in this course. When the Crowleys had a health scare with their daughter Megan, it seemed as if they didnt have a good relationship with the doctor. I understand that the doctor was trying to be professional and make sure not to give the family a false hope, but I believe that there could have been a different way to go about telling a family that their daughters chances of survival were slim. The doctor had used the phrase think of [Megans passing away] as a blessing. Personally, I feel as if using that phrase came off as a little insensitive. There is no easy way to tell parents that their childs chances of surviving were low. Also with the case of pompe disease, the family must need to visit various doctors all the time, so Im not sure if they have enough time to have a good relationship with the many doctors that they visit. Even so, when dealing with a disease as serious as pompe, I do believe that it would benefit the family to have a doctor that they trusted and had a good relationship with. Another topic that was discussed in this course was death and dying. When faced with death, many people often turn to religion as a way to cope. Though death was heavily touched in this film, religion was only mentioned once or twice. The part that stood out to me in the film regarding religion was when Megan was in the hospital when her respiratory system was starting to fail. John had mentioned later in the film that when she was on her death bed, he has prayed to God that if it was her time, that she would die fast and peacefully. While Megan herself did not pray, her father had turned to religion as a coping mechanism. When Megan did not die, John used this as inspiration and a sign from God that he needed to be the one to help save his daughter. This just shows one of the many ways that people can turn to religion to make themselves feel better. Personally, I think the thing about the movie that related most to this course is the ethics that are involved in this movie. It seems as a huge dilemma in this movie was between John and the scientists differing points of view. John was very passionate about finding a treatment for pompe disease because he was closely linked to the disease through his children who were affected by it. He was desperate to save his childrens lives. In the movie, it seem that his desperation got the best of him and he would have done anything to save his children such as stealing the enzyme from the lab. Though he didnt end up stealing the enzyme, he was willing to do anything to help his children. I know that if I was a parent, I would probably do anything myself to help my children live longer. Though the love he had for his children was strong, that still doesnt make what he was about to do right. When it came to the scientists, they were very conservative with what they did. They followed the rules very seriously. Dr. Stonehill on the other hand did not. He was also willing to do anything to help these children. When John brought in the families who were affected by pompe disease, one of the scientists was upset. He explained to John that science was not a field that should get mixed up in emotions. If the scientist got emotional, they were willing to do anything to save those childrens lives, even changing the results to show that the drug worked. While I do agree that its important the scientist is truthful about the results, I also believe that being emotionally connected to a project could benefit the scientist in a way. I see nothing wrong with a scientist being motivated by their emotions to work on a project, as long as the scientist is truthful in their results. They need to remember that their job is to help people, and if they skip steps or lie about results, that c ould ultimately hurt more people in the long run. The film Extraordinary Measures touched many of the topics that were mentioned in this course thus far. It showed examples on how it is very important to have a medical team that you have a good relationship with and trust. In hard times, such as having a close call with losing a child, I believe that it is extremely important to have a good support system. In that support system, I think that its also important to be able to have a doctor that you trust fully. You want to know that your child or loved one is not only in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, but someone who cares about them as a patient.ÂÂ   It showed that many families, if not the patients themselves, turn to religion as a coping mechanism during hard times. I believe that it is very therapeutic to turn to religion as a coping mechanism in hard times. Like in Johns case, he used religion as an inspiration and push into looking for a cure for his children. Personally, I am a firm believer that eve rything happens for a reason. This way of thinking can be hard if something terrible happens, but in the end I do think it helps with looking at the silver lining. The film also showed that it may be hard to be passionate about something but also to follow the rules and not let your emotions get in the way of the purpose of the study. Passion is a very good motivator for many things and people. It can help you get through the days that you feel you are too tired to do something. It can help you push through the bad days when it feels as nothing is going your way. Its a fantastic motivator if you use it the correct way. You need to make sure that your passion doesnt cloud your judgement and get in the way of ethical solutions. Overall, I think the movie showed the importance of teamwork in the medical field. While it is important to be passionate about what you do, it is also important to be reasonable. John and Dr. Stonehill showed passion in different ways. John showed passion in finding a cure as his childrens lives were depending on the cure and he was running out of time with them. Dr. Stonehill showed passion in his research and finding a treatment to help those who had the disease. The scientists in the movie were the more responsible, logical characters. The scientists, while wanting to find a treatment, also knew the importance of following policy. They didnt want to pursue a study if there were not going to be any results. They knew the FDA regulations, and wanted to make sure that they were followed. As much as they wanted to help find a treatment, they wanted to make sure they were not overly optimistic and there was a successful outcome in the end. This movie is a direct indicator that humanit ies are important in not only the medical field, but any science field, and as long as people work together and combine their knowledge and the humanities, they can make a difference in the medical field.

Leadership And The Competing Values Management Essay

Leadership And The Competing Values Management Essay This chapter has two parts: a management theory part of leadership and the competing values framework that puts the topic of research in context; and the second part provides a background insight on the applied field of research which is newspapering in Yemen. This part of the literature review chapter represents an attempt to dive into the ocean-deep literature on leadership is exerted to provide a theoretical background on this heavily studied domain in management. This argumentative collection and discussion of leadership literature will attempt to provide a quick overview of leadership different definitions and the associated theories that enrich leadership literature. A quick reference to the most important models and tools used in leadership studies will be made and discussed. From the various models, the selected theoretical framework of leadership the (Competing Values for Leadership) by Quinn (1983, 1993, 2006) will be subject of more focused presentation and discussion. The reasons of selecting this model not any other will be explained. This part concludes with reference to effective leadership and the role of leadership in the overall organizational effectiveness. 2. 2.2. Leadership 2.2.2.1 Leadership as an Area of Research Due to the extensive attention, leadership is one of the most extensively researched  areas  in organizational contexts for the significance role leadership play in organizations or at a larger scale in nations. Early studies and theories of leadership provided theoretical frameworks which were used as basis for the following eras of studies. Historically, leadership was studied from different perspectives and the following chronology of major studies and resulted theories: the Personality Traits (1841-1927); the Power and Influence of a Leader (1928-1956); the Behavioral Leadership (1955- 1983), where famous Managerial Grid Model was first presented by Blake and Mouton in 1964; the Situation theory (1943-1978) with a new research model: Open-Systems Model presented by Kats and Kahn in 1978; the Contingency approach to leadership (1964-1989) during which the situational theory presented by Hersey and Blanchard, 1969-1977); the Transactional model (1958-1979);and finally the Transformational approach (1977-1989). This volume of theoretical work is categorized under four generational groups. These are in chronological order: Trait theories, Behavioral theories, Contingency theories, and Transf ormational theories. Across sectional, leadership becomes an interdisciplinary field with contributions from political science, psychology education, history, agriculture, public administration management, community studies, law, medicine anthropology, biology, military sciences, philosophy and sociology. In many of these disciplines, leader ship is now an established subfield (Goethals, et al., 2004 p. xxxiv). These different approaches to leadership across management and organizational literature particularly the researches made in the second half of last century call for different leadership styles, and competencies. However, Hofstede (1980) argued that most process leadership theories share a common factor which is their advocacy for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦participation in the managers decisions by his/her subordinates participative management' (Hofstede, 1980 p. 56). As referenced above, the past century witnessed a remarkable change in the field of leadership research and the major in-depth wave of studies started in seventies and eighties. Two features stand out when the current situation is compared to that of today. These two features are the greater optimism about the field and its greater methodological diversity (Bryman, 2004). However, the evolution of leadership theories did not stop at this stage, a new era emerged in which researchers attempt to develop a more integrated approach to leadership (Vilkinas, et al., 2006). One of the most important theoretical advancement toward this result is the Competing Values Framework (CVF) for leadership (Quinn, et al., 1981, 1983), (Denison, et al., 1993), (Cacioppe, 1998), (Vilkinas, et al., 2006). 2.2.2.2 Definition of leadership Different scholars come up with different theories and consequently introduce their definition to the term leadership based on their respective areas of study. Leaderships guru, Bernard M. Bass (1990) for instance, considers leadership as one of the worlds oldest preoccupations and that its understanding has figured strongly in the quest of knowledge. Leaders of organizations or nations who were described as effective leaders did not have necessarily the same traits, which poses a challenge to the traits theory, especially when it come to the secondary attributes. Researchers traced the lives of these leaders and came up with general characteristics that distinguish leaders from subordinates. John Gardner, in his book On Leadership by Free Press in 1989, studied a large number of North American organizations and leaders and came to the conclusion that there were some qualities or attributes that did appear to mean that a leader in one situation could lead in another. These characteristics included: Physical vitality and stamina; Intelligence and action-oriented judgment; Eagerness to accept responsibility; Task competence; Understanding of followers and their needs; Skill in dealing with people; Need for achievement; Capacity to motivate people; Courage and resolution Trustworthiness; Decisiveness; Self-confidence; Assertiveness; and finally Adaptability/flexibility (Doyle, et al., 2001). On the contrary, leadership gurus Bass and Stogdill conceive leadership as the focus of group processes, as a matter of personality, as a matter of inducing compliance, as the exercise of influence, as particular behaviors, as a form or persuasion, as a power relation, as a instrument to achieve goals, as an effect of interaction, as a differentiated role, as initiation of structures, and as many combinations of these definitions. Under each phrase above, scholars define leadership, and the handbook defines leadership as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ an interaction between two or more members of a group that often involves a structure or restructuring of the situation and the perceptions and expectations of the members. Leaders are agents of change-persons whose acts affect other people more than other peoples acts affect them, (Bass, 1990 pp. 20-21) Bass and Stogdill (1990) present above a competency-based definition, which comes after an extensive digest of the various concepts and approaches of organizational leadership. This definition goes along with Chemers (200) who defines leadership as process of  social influence  in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task (Chemers, 2002). As leadership is a process not a person; involves influence; occurs in groups; and involves a common goal, Northouse (2010) defines leadership as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2010 p. 3). Following the same path yet in a wider scope, John W. Gardner (1993) defines leadership as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the process of persuation or example by which an individual (leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared by the leaderand his/her followers (Gardner, 1993 p. 1) Another example of the process perspective leadership is found in Burns book Leadership (1978), in which he introduced two types of leaders: transformational leader and transactional leader, presenting a new approach to leadership literature. Burns (1978) said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ transforming leadership ultimately becomes moral in that it raises the level of human conduct and ethical aspiration of both leader and the led, and thus it has a transforming effect on both. (Homrig, 2001). However, these two types are deemed as modern leadership styles in the organizational contexts. The argumentative set of definitions brought above are built on the interaction between a leader and follower, rather than the personality traits or behaviors of a leader, although leadership traits approach suggests otherwise. This approach suggests that if these traits are truly present in a person, they will manifest themselves almost without regard to the situation in which the person is functioning (Gardner, 1993 p. 6). The researched confidently can argue that a leader is identified by followers/subordinates as well as an organization or any collective effort with a common goal that provides situational context in which he/she practices leadership. However, having those traits identified in a person, but without people of context, the traits will make of him/her a leader just for the sake owning them. In conclusion, it can be inferred that leadership is process of complex behavior whereby a person is set to inspire, and motivate his/her followers toward achieving common goals that are not effectively achievable otherwise. 2.2.2.3 Leadership vs. Management Both leadership and management are used in organizational context with little sensitivity to the terms especially when the right balance is maintained among all organizational elements that include people, processes, design, system, and technology. However, Doyle, et al. (2001), argued that not all managers, for example, are leaders; and not all leaders are managers. An attempt to make a distinction between managing and leading, one risk of this separation is that management is pushed into the background. Technically there is an overlap of domains and activities between management and leadership and thus in literature you will find managerial leadership (Gosling Mintzberg, 2003). Although leadership is not confined to management, there is wide agreement that the most successful organizations have strong, effective leaders. Most organizations contain both formal and informal leaders, some of which are in management positions, some are not (Albarran, 2006). To lead is to take risks on behalf of purpose and the greater good.   To manage is to mitigate risk on behalf of the bottom line.   A successful organization does both as well as a successful executive. A valuable employee at any level of the organization does both too (McBride, 2010). Although Gardner (1993) believes that leaders perform managerial jobs, he made several points to differentiate managers from leaders. The manager is more tightly linked to an organization than is the leader. Although he stresses on the interchangeable roles of leaders and managers, he argues that leaders do not necessarily have organizations and used Ghandi who was a leader before he had an organization (Gardner, 1993 p. 4). This leads to the term managerial leadership which is more practical in terms of leadership development and training. 2.1.2.4 Leadership Models and Tools As highlighted above, leadership has been studied extensively and dimensionally for more than a century (Seters, et al., 1990). The remarkable change and dimensional development in leadership research resulted in the introduction of several models and frameworks on leadership. Some researchers combine more than one theoretical framework to come up with a unique approach based on the scope of their studies. Yet, each approach is based on a theoretical framework whether it examines leaders personality traits, and behaviors or examine leadership as a process of interaction. Numerous tools and instruments have been developed to examine, study, and evaluate the impact of leadership in search of developing effective leaders (Ladyshewsky, 2007). Over the last decade the 360-degree review process has become a very popular tool in evaluating the impact of Leadership Development programs. The 360-degree assessment is now replacing the traditional performance appraisal (Toegel, et al., 2003). Despite its growing popularity, is not without its weaknesses. Some of these weaknesses include collusion to promote self-interests and selection of raters who will influence results positively. This reduces the value of the 360-degree review because the opportunity for receiving accurate feedback is lessened. Managers, peers and subordinates may also ground their responses using different perspectives because of their relationship to the ratee. These tools give a comprehensive understanding of the roles, and behaviors of leaders/managers One of the recent popular tools is The Leadership Circle Profile (TLCP), which contributes effectively to major advances on the best 360 instruments. As a validated tool, TLCP is designed to measure a battery of key leadership competencies. The Leadership Circle Profile is designed to integrate many of the best theoretical frameworks from the leadership, adult development, psychological and spiritual bodies of knowledge. Few, if any, 360 tools have a theoretical framework to complement their research base. TLCP has a rich and integrated theory base. This allows practitioners to use multiple frameworks that help the client connect the data to deeper insight (Anderson, 2006). Bryman (2004) concludes that leadership research is dominated by a single kind of data gathering instrument-the self-administered questionnaire. The field is replete with countless studies that employ questionnaires within the context of experimental, cross-sectional, and longitudinal designs. The Ohio State LBDQ scales, Fiedlers LPC scale, and more recently the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), which exemplify respectively the style, contingency and new leadership phases of the fields development, are emblematic of this feature. The questionnaire has become the instrument of choice for researchers working in a variety of different theoretical traditions and within different research designs. The Full Range Leadership Development Theory provides the backbone for analyzing the leadership style of each manager by using the MLQ (Saad, 2008). The different tools and models create more confusion for organizations, leaders/managers, and researchers which is more valid or more appropriate as each assumes and defines different set of competencies (Cacioppe, et al., 2000). Regardless of the confusion between these models and framework in the leadership literature, none can argue if one particular framework to be right while others are wrong. Rather, the most appropriate frameworks should be based on empirical evidence, should capture accurately the reality being described (in other words, they should be valid), and should be able to integrate and organize most of the dimensions being proposed (Cameron, et al., 2006). One of the most popular leadership-management assessment instruments that integrates several aspects of leadership and previous models is the Competing Values Framework (CVF) introduced by Quinn and colleagues in 1981 and 1983. The CVF has been the subject of several organizational studies ever since. In all previous studies, it achieved high level of reliability and validity (Yu, et al., 2009) based on all empirical studies structured around the concept of organizational effectiveness (Quinn and Rohrbaugh, 1983; Quinn  et al., 2003; Belasen, et al., 2008; (Cameron, et al., 2006); (Denison, et al., 1993) (Ladyshewsky, 2007) (Quinn, 2006) (Vilkinas, et al., 2006) (Vilkinas, et al., 2009). The CVF instrument is developed to study the behavioral complexity of leaders (Denison, et al., 1993) and a later stage the CVF, which was developed in the early 1980s as a tool to examine the organizational culture and its variables was introduced as a framework of leadership effectiveness (Cameron, et al., 2006) (Belasen, et al., 2008). 2.1.3 The Competing Value Leadership 2.1.3.1 Theory and Definition The Competing Values Framework was developed initially from research conducted on the major indicators of effective organizations (Cameron, et al., 2006, p 33). It was developed as a result of empirical research on the question of what makes organizations effective (Quinn, et al., 1981) followed by studies of culture, leadership, structure, and information processing (Denison, et al., 1995) (Cameron, et al., 2006). Those conducting the preliminary research asked certain key questions like: What are the main criteria for determining if an organization is effective or not? What key factors define organizational effectiveness? When people judge an organization to be effective, what indicators do they have in mind? A spatial model was developed from the judgment data. It indicated that three value dimensions, focus (taskpeople), structure (controlflexibility), and time (short-termlong-term) underlie conceptualizations of organizational effectiveness. Furthermore, the model suggested some fundamental criteria of organizational effectiveness that differentially reflect these three value dimensions (Quinn, et al., 1981). However, Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983) conducted further analysis and came up with two major dimensions; (a) one that differentiates a focus on flexibility, discretion, and dynamism from a focus on stability, order, and control; and (b) a second that differentiates a focus on an internal orientation, integration, and unity from a focus on an external orientation, differentiation, and rivalry (Cameron, et al., 2006, p 34). Figure 1: The Competing Values Framework Together these two dimensions form four quadrants, with four different organizational cultures. Figure 1 illustrates the relationships of these two dimensions to one another. What is notable about these four core values is that they represent opposite or competing assumptions: flexibility versus stability and control, internal versus external. The upper left quadrant, for example, identifies values that emphasize an internal, organic focus, whereas the lower right quadrant identifies values that emphasize an external, control focus. Similarly, the upper right quadrant identifies values that emphasize an external, organic focus, whereas the lower left quadrant emphasizes internal, control values. The competing or opposite values in each quadrant give rise to the name for the model, the Competing Values Framework. The resulted quadrants are labeled to distinguish their most notable characteristics-clan, adhocracy, market, and hierarchy, which were derived from the scholarly literature. They also match key management theories about organizational success, approaches to organizational quality, leadership roles, and management skills (Cameron, et al., 2006, p 35-37). 2.1.3.2 The Competing Values Approach to Leadership The Competing Values Framework (CVF) has been named as one of the forty most important models in the history of business (Cameron, 2010). The framework was developed as a result of extensive empirical researches focusing on organizational effectiveness (Quinn, et al., 1983). It predicts that balancing the full range of leadership roles should help managers perform their job effectively; yet, limited cognitive and emotional resources constrain employment of the full range of roles (Belasen, et al., 2008). 2.1.3.3 The CVF Leadership Quadrants In keeping with the emphasis of this model on behavioral complexity and leadership as a portfolio of capabilities, the eight roles in the model are defined in terms of a set of skills necessary to perform each role (Denison, et al., 1993 p. 6). The figure 2 below highlights the rights managerial leadership roles. Figure 2 Eight CVF roles of managerial leadership (Denison, et al., 1993 p. 6 27) Figure 2 suggests a spatial model with eight separate roles presented in terms of two underlying dimensions, with a specific set of relationships among these roles. The roles should take the form of a circle within these two dimensions, such that some pairs of roles (such as the monitor and the coordinator) should be very closely related, while other pairs of roles (such as the mentor and the producer) should be far less closely related. Opposite roles are presumably more contradictory and adjacent roles are more similar. One might expect, for example, that a leader who was highly proficient as a mentor would also have facilitator skills in their behavioral portfolio, but might be somewhat less likely to be highly proficient as a director or producer (Denison, et al., 1993 p. 9). 2.1.3.4 The CVF Leadership Roles As we have seen above the CVF has four quadrants with four types of cultures, the Competing Values leadership model divides each of its four quadrants into two leadership roles (Quinn, et al., 1983), (Denison, et al., 1993), (Cameron, et al., 2006), (Belasen, et al., 2008), (Cameron, 2010). The CVF leadership quadrants and roles are explained below (Denison, et al., 1993, pp. 6-8). The upper-right quadrant, which the effectiveness framework links to open-systems theory and the process of adaptation to the organizations external environment, defines two leadership roles: Innovator Role The innovator is creative and envisions, encourages, and facilitates change. Broker Role The broker is politically astute, acquires resources and maintains the units external legitimacy through the development, scanning, and maintenance of a network of external contacts. Moving clockwise to the lower right quadrant, labeled the rational goal model in the effectiveness framework, two more leadership roles are specified. These roles emphasize the rational pursuit of goals external to the group, and the leaders role in defining and motivating the attainment of those goals. Producer Role The producer is the task-oriented, work-focused role. The producer seeks closure, and motivates those behaviors that will result in the completion of the groups task. Director Role The director engages in goal setting and role clarification, sets objectives, and establishes clear expectations. The lower left quadrant is referred to in the effectiveness framework as the internal process model and places primary emphasis on internal control and stability. Two additional leadership roles are specified in that quadrant. Coordinator Role The coordinator maintains structure, does the scheduling, coordinating, and problem solving, and sees that rules and standards are met. Monitor Role The monitor collects and distributes information, checks on performance, and provides a sense of continuity and stability. The upper left quadrant is referred to in the framework as the human relations quadrant, placing primary emphasis on human interaction and process. Two final leadership roles are defined within that quadrant. Facilitator Role The facilitator encourages the expression of opinions, seeks consensus, and negotiates compromise. Mentor Role The mentor is aware of individual needs, listens actively, is fair, supports legitimate requests, and attempts to facilitate the development of individuals. 2.1.3.5 Leadership Effectiveness Extensive research by management scholars has identified critical competencies that characterize the most effective leaders and the most effective organizations worldwide. Quinn and Cameron (2006) introduced an instrument that assesses 20 key areas of leadership competency based on the Competing Values Framework. The leadership skills being assessed were not arbitrarily selected, but were derived from more than a dozen studies of leadership effectiveness. Figure 3 The Competing Values Framework culture, leadership, value drivers, and effectiveness. The focus of this study is to identify the competing values leadership roles of the chief editors of the participant newspapers, rather than assessing their competencies. Therefore, the suggested leadership competency assessment by Quinn, et al. (2006) will not be used in this study. However, it is of paramount significance to get a comprehensive view of the CVF different instruments. The congruence of leadership competencies and organizational culture leads to effectiveness, according to Quinn and Cameron (2006). To create value, managers competencies must be congruent with their organizations dominant culture. Demonstrating leadership competencies in the quadrants that dominate the organizations culture is associated with higher levels of success for the leader (Cameron, et al., 2006, p. 160). The management guru, Drucker (2006) in his book Effective Executive argued that effective executives should be able to manage time; choose what contributed to the organization; know where and how to mobilize strength for best effect; setting the right priorities; and knitting all of these together with effective decision-making. 2.1.3.6 CVF Model Application Though the framework is most often thought of as a leadership tool it has shown to have many important advantages. The CVF can be used for all aspects and levels in organizations. For example, It can be applied to personal style, yet the same framework can also be used to assess communication, leadership, organizational culture, core competencies, decision making, motivation, human resources practices, quality, employee selection, organizational capabilities, organizational change patterns, strategy, financial performance and many others (Cameron, 2010). The CVF is an approach to thinking that is, to interpreting or making sense of complex phenomena as well as to developing a repertoire of competencies and strategies that address the complexities being encountered (Cameron, et al., 2006). Criticism Development of the CVF Model Beyond the organizational effectiveness, the CVF has been studied and tested in numerous organizations for the past 25 years by scholars and professional experts not only in the United States but also in China (Vilkinas, et al., 2009); Australia (Vilkinas, et al., 2006); Malaysia (Yiing, et al., 2009); Yemen (Al-Marhadhi, 1996) and elsewhere. As a tool, the CVF is not only used in academic research, but also in as an assessment tool in the service industry (Degraff, et al., 2010). Although the model has been widely used in management and leadership research and development, it receives some criticism and further development by other researchers. Hooijberg (1996)  questioned the two dimensions of the CVF model and some of the questionnaire items that measure the leadership role distributed across the model. According to Cacioppe et al (2000), who reference the work of Hooijberg (1996) the CV framework, for instance, does not adequately capture vision or customer orientation roles or competencies that are fundamental to many models of leadership and management. As a result, Cacioppe and Albrecht developed a framework that used several of the aspects of the CV model supported by research with modifications to a number of roles and question items (Cacioppe, et al., 2000). Further application and empirical testing of the CVF led to further advancement. In response to developing researches, Quinn and colleagues developed the model further. In Australia, for instance, the Integrated Competing Values Framework (ICVF) was approached by Vilkinas and her co-authers who introduced the Integrator, as the ninth leadership role (Vilkinas, et al., 2006). Why the CVF? The Competing Values Framework provides a theory of effective leadership through managing tensions, which is the subject of this research. It includes predictions that congruence among disparate elements in organizations leads to success, paradoxical management is required for effectiveness, and comprehensive strategies and tactics representing all parts of the are needed to create value. (Cameron, et al., 2006, p.158-159). The selection of the CVF as a framework for this research is not because it is the best model or framework, but rather because of the significance it has left on leadership and organizational effectiveness, through hundreds of studies around the world. Moreover, the simplicity of the model; and its relevance to the internal and external competing environments of newspapering in Yemen represent supportive factors for selection. Besides, the CVF as a model can be applied as a multi-purpose model to assess leadership effectiveness; leadership managerial competencies, organizational culture, and overall organizational effectiveness. The abundance of literature on CVF, its measurement tools, research questionnaires, and analysis frameworks contribute positively to be the chosen model for this research. The CVF has been adopted in various organizational contexts as an assessment as well as a development tool. According to Quinn and Cameron (2006), the CVF is valid and significant for organizational and personal contexts alike. Chapter II: Literature Review Part 2 Yemeni Newspaper Industry 2.2.1 Introduction This part of the literature review is dedicated to the newspaper history, background and industry in general. A discussion of the environment, newspapers exist is given with examples and citations from existing literature. The overall part aims to present a comprehensive view of newspapering in Yemen with existing merits and challenges. 2.2.2 Background The Republic of Yemen embarked on democracy, political plurality and public freedoms in 1990 after northern and southern parts of the country were reunified. The reunification gave birth to a national constitution which guarantees political and social rights and public freedoms including freedom of the press. The emerging democracy in Yemen and plurality of the political system necessitated the plurality of media as one of the main pillars of a healthy democracy. Although the state continues to control the broadcast media including TV and radio until today, a wide spectrum of print media outlets exists. Although, Yemen has known journalism as early as 1872 when the Turks established a printing press and issued Yemen and then Sanaa newsletters in both Arabic and Turkish (The Evolution and Development of Journalism in Yemen, 2008) Free press plays a key role in sustaining and monitoring a healthy democracy, as well as in contributing to greater accountability, good governance, and economic development. People need to be able to watch the performance of their government and public authorities through a free and independent coverage of relevant news and events. Media as an educational tool is supposed to contribute to raise peoples awareness about their rights and duties. It is assumed that the news media can best fulfill its functions in a democracy if there is a rich and pluralistic information environment that is easily available to all citizens. There is a large body of American literature which suggests that if TV has taken over from the press as our main source of news this may limit our capacity to learn about public affairs; newspapers are believed to be far more effective than television at conveying detailed information necessary to understand complex and detailed policy issues (Norris, Fall 2000). In Yemen today, there are three major types of media: broadcast (TV and Radio); print (newspapers and magazines); and electronic (internet). 2.2.3 Classification of Print Media in Yemen The print media, which includes newspapers and magazines, in Yemen is categorized into three categories from ownership perspective: public or state-run newspapers, political or partisan newspapers, and privately owned newspapers (Al-Asaadi, 2007, Raja, 2010). However, Hassan Mansour (2009) added a fourth category that includes newspapers published by civil society organizations or trade unions, which I believe shoul

Pardon Debate :: essays research papers

Pardon Debate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Does money increase power over the rest of the nation? President Clinton’s last minute pardons before leaving the White House has left a lingering shadow over his two year Presidency. To understand this controversy, we would need to discuss the Mar Rich pardon, the Glenn Braswell pardon, and the negative impact that these had on the former President and former first lady.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article â€Å"A President and a pardon, a price?† written by Mark Mezzetti and Gary Cohen, stated that Marc Rich fled from the U.S. to Switzerland in 1983 to dodge a tax fraud charge. On the morning of Clinton’s final day in office, the criticism was becoming well known around the White House. President Clinton had pardoned her from the tax fraud charge. Carol Elder Bruce, the clients lawyer, informed committee staff members that Mrs. Rich had contributed over $200 million to the Clinton Library Fund. (26). A well known source told U.S. News Today that so far Marc Rich has contributed $450,000 in the past three years. (26). Mr. Rich had donated more than $1 million for Democrats between 1991-1992. He also gave $70,000 to Hillary Clinton’s campaign for New York’s Senator.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While Micheal Milken, former Junk-bond king, waited for a pardon, Clinton fundraisers approached him for money. His spokesman stated that Mr. Milken gave nothing to the fund raiser.(26). But on Presidents Clinton’s last day in office an e-mail had been sent to Jack Quinn by Denis Rich, Marc’s ex-wife, that there was news that Milken will not get the pardon. Milken, who was a pardon applicant that did not contribute to the Clinton Library Fund.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another pardon that was given before President Clinton left was for Glenn Braswell. An article written by Mark Mazzetti and Shelia Kaplan called â€Å"The scandal that keeps on giving†, gave the impression that herb supplement dealer Glenn Braswell was pardoned the same day also. President Clinton’s brother-n-law Hugh Rodham had accepted $400,000 to plead Braswell’s case. (25). This damage was felt mostly by Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Clinton was disappointed in her brother. The former first lady insisted that Rodham return the money that he had taken for the case. The White House log books records each visitor’s time and date they enter the White House. Therefore they can track the times and days when Rodham was at the White House. The White Houses formal couple stated in an interview, that they know nothing about Rodham’s connection with the Braswell pardon.

Cultural Environment :: Televisions Technology Culture Essays

Cultural Environment The invention of the television and its advancement through technology in our world has affected the cultural environment significantly. It has affected the way we act, perceive things, and even changed our lives as a whole. The cultural environment in today’s society is totally different from the time period before the invention of the television. First, the television has affected the pre-existing cultural institutions. Before the television was invented most of the children all over the world would play outside with their friends after school. Children would be playing ball in the streets, buying candy at the convenience store, and so on. Ever since the television was invented, more and more children are watching television rather than playing outside after school. In today’s society, it’s even worse since children are usually glued to the television all day. This eliminates their chance for some exercise and to meet new people. The invention of the television also has changed the meaning of family night. Back before the television, families used to come together one night a week to play board games and to socialize. Ever since the television was invented, less and less families come together to play games. If they do come together, it is usually in front of the television. This changes th e meaning of family night because now families don’t socialize as much because they watch television. This technology has also affected the way people see themselves and their place in the universe. Television has become such an integral part of society that people are confusing fantasy with reality. Violence seems to be in almost every television show in today’s society. This excessive violence makes society accustom to it and therefore people don’t believe violence is as bad as it is when it happens. â€Å"Although few anti-television activists would agree that excessive television viewing can exculpate a murderer, a huge body of evidence -- including 3,000 studies before 1971 alone -- suggests a strong connection between television watching and aggression† (Stossel 3). This is concrete proof that the television has changed people’s attitudes and the way they see themselves in society.

Autobiographical Narrative: Draft

Title: The Raintree parade, Double space and indent paragraphs It’s early Monday morning; I stretch my arms wide, and yawn as I struggle to pull myself out of bed. I look over at the clock, Gasp! It’s already 8:30†¦ I run around as if I’m a lunatic, and I hop around and put my pants, shirt and shoes on. I hear my mom yell from down stairs, â€Å"James, are you up yet?! † I yell back â€Å"In a minute mom! † Begin a new paragraph each time a new person speaks. So I rush out of my bedroom and past the bathroom in a rush, the sound of my backpack flapping against my back fills the empty hallway.As I run down the steps I’m sure to skip every other one to save time, and its just plain fun to see how many steps you can skip. I grab my breakfast, and lunch of the counter just before I yell goodbye to everyone. You see, my family consists of Me James, my mother Susan, My father Ricky, and my little sister Olivia. Yep that’s my family and most of the time if you asked me I indeed would change them for the world. Would or wouldn’t change them? Just as I get to the bus stop, to my shock, it pulls up.I try to calm myself by saying everything will be ok under my breath, â€Å"Here I go, another day of school it’ll be ok you can do it James† I climb aboard the chaotic bus, and look into the faces of what seemed like 1000 eyes staring me down. So I scan for a seat I can use, carefully though if you pick the wrong one you could end up a black eye or laughed at by the entire school, that’s my favorite of the two by the way. To my surprise I make it to class alive for another day. Just as I take my seat in class the teacher takes attendance.She calls out everyone’s name. And after that comes the announcements, she tells us that the Raintree parade is coming next week. She goes on to tell us that our class must get in groups and work together on a float. It’s time to get in pairs and g o to the gym where we will be assigned jobs for the float. She tells us our partners she says â€Å"Philip and Hmm†¦Abby, Brian and Sarah, Milton and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At that point I am yelling out in my head â€Å"Don’t say James, don’t say James, don’t say James† And, she says James.It’s no big shock I get paired up with the nerdiest kid in the world. He walks up to me and in a nasally voice he says â€Å"Hey James, ready to get started? † There’s no way I want to start on this with you is what I was thinking but out loud I say, of course. Let’s do this! So we walk over to the gym in what was supposed to be a single file line. One at a time we†¦ This is a great start. I hope you get a chance to finish it by the time you turn in your final draft. Remember to indent a begin a new paragraph each time a new person speaks when writing dialogue.

Egyptian Religion Essay

The Egyptians took great care of their dead because of their religious beliefs. According to John Catoir, author of â€Å"World Religions: Beliefs Behind Today’s Headlines,† Egyptians believed that an afterlife involved a full human existence, not a mere spirit life, therefore the soul must join the body in heaven. It was hoped that by preserving their bodies from decay they would enhance the process of resurrection and provide themselves with a decent start in the new life. The priests who performed the mummification were thought of as acting in the role of Anubis, the god of the dead. The organs, excluding the heart would be removed, and the mouth would be broke open. This allowed for the testimony and the weighing of the heart when attempting to gain entrance into the underworld (afterlife). According to Geoffroy Parrinder, author ofâ€Å"World Religions: from Ancient History to the Present,† the whole embalming of the body seems to have implied an imitation of what was done (in the legend to Osiris by Anubis in Abydos) so the dead person was thereby identified with Osiris:charms were usually placed within the wrappings of the mummy, and special importance was attached to the heart scarab which was placed on the chest. Because of the Egyptians belief that the body and soul unite again in the underworld, their response to cremation would not be a positive one. Since the soul and the body meet up in heaven again, the body would be destroyed, making it impossible to meet up with the soul. In addition, the heart will not have an opportunity to be weighed and the mouth would not be able to testify. After a king died, Osiris would personally identify the king. The motive behind the identification of the dead king with Osiris was to ensure the perpetuation of the king’s rule after death:by becoming Osiris the dead pharaoh would rule over the realm of the dead (Parrinder). According to Roveri Donadoni, author of â€Å"Egyptian Civilization: Religious Beliefs,† a dead Pharaoh lived in the heavens as a star and a new pharaoh came to power as a new incarnation of the divine power of Ra, the Sun God. The stars appeared as minor suns illuminating the night sky, each one the lasting impression of a former earthly pharaoh. Rituals involved the everyday life of the typical Egyptian. According to Christopher Moreman, author of â€Å"Beyond the Threshold: Afterlife Beliefs and Experiences in World Religions,† ritual performance was necessary to ensure that the spirit of the dead would not be lost but would continue in association with the sun after an arduous journey through the underworld. †Every day and several times within the day, the god was the object of ritual activity similar to that which would be accorded to an earthly prince (Donadoni). Distinctive rites were naturally found in the special festivals of the pharaoh and of the gods (Parrinder). The king’s jubilee-festival, called the Sed, re-enacted ritually the unification of Egypt under Menes, and its climax was a dance performed by the king in a short kilt with an animal’s tail hanging behind it. A procession or ‘coming forth’ was usually a conspicuous feature of the festivals of the gods, whose statues were carried by priests to other sacred places in order to visit other deities or in order to enact a mythological episode connected with these places (Parrinder).

Investors Gain New Clout Essay

From the many problems now being experienced by the US in their economy and the way they conduct their businesses, legislators and other groups are turning to new ways to improve the old system and pull America’s economy out of its slump. The latest among these moves is the move by the legislative to give shareholders more power and control in placing and ousting members of the board of directors. This move has become an issue due to the shift in power in terms of whose interest is favored by the ruling. There are several different interests that exist in a company especially when individuals and groups within it make decisions. There are shareholder interests, employee interests, management interests and stakeholder interests that conflict with each other. The current issue highlights the conflicts that arise between the interests of the management and the shareholders as well as the different interests of the shareholders themselves. This is where the clash begins. On the one hand, those who approve of the new ruling maintain that their interests are being upheld especially because they are the ones who invested in the business. This forwards their main interest of the organization succeeding in the long term because of the investments they have put into the business. While the previous ruling handicaps small shareholders, this new rule gives them voice through the process of â€Å"proxy access† as long as they have at least 3% of the controlling stock. This will enable them to express their dissent and dissatisfaction in the board members and oust them especially if they think that the actions of the board are not appropriate. On the other hand, the interests of the management, will be challenged by the new ruling and could result in problems in implementation and efficiency. While the constitutionality and the perceived negative effects of this ruling are contestable, one thing is clear: big business that angered their investors would go under pressure and could find themselves rethinking their strategies. A noticeable thing about this change is the apparent relativity on how democracy is perceived. Before the ruling, many directors served as the signing body for the chief executives and other high ranking officers they are tasked to oversee. This brings into light the apparent control of CEOs and other executives regardless of how the owners of the company feel about their decisions. With owners finally having a measure of control to a fair and impartial opportunity to elect independent directors, many things are going to change in corporations starting with both the board and top management focusing, instead, on serving the interests of the shareholders as their priority. With the democratization of the shareholders as they are given more power, many in management will see such democratic procedures as a bane rather than the boon they have always perceived it to be. Business roundtables, in order to veil their attempts at skewing the corporate election processes to favor the corporation over substantial shareholder interests, have tried to stop such democratization of power within their systems. However, their efforts have recently been trumped by the â€Å"proxy access† rule. The new ruling has made corporate directors directly accountable to the actions of the company. This will result in (at least speculatively) the improvement of performances of the directors unless they want to be voted out of office and replaced by independent candidates chosen by the shareholders who are against their performance. This power is, however, a double-edged sword. Advancing the interests of shareholders who, among themselves, have different interests could prove to be an overly bureaucratic and cumbersome process where all sides would need to be appeased in order to incur no one’s wrath and be dismissed from the position they have been holding. With as little as 3%holding shares, corporate directors will have many parties to appease, which will require them to be very dynamic and charismatic, as well as having an overall good performance, if they want to stay on the board.

Intensive Livestock Operations in Industrial Agriculture

As the world’s population continues to grow at an ever increasing rate, we are forced to find more efficient ways to produce sufficient quantities of food in order to satisfy consumer demand. Although there are several alternatives, the most convenient solution seems to be the development of industrial production agriculture, which results in the farming practices of confined animal feeding.Intensive livestock operations or confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are farms in which anywhere from several hundred to several thousand animals are being raised in tremendously condensed spaces for the commercial production of poultry, meat and dairy. The Swiss College of Agriculture defines â€Å"industrial systems [as having] livestock densities larger than 10 livestock units per hectare, and they depend primarily on outside supplies of feed, energy, and other inputs, as in confined animal feeding operations†(Menzi. Oenema.Shipin. Gerber. Robinson. Franceshini. ). Althoug h CAFOs are currently the most cost-effective and efficient way to produce animal products, there are multiple adverse effects associated with these production practices. Tons of manure, waste, and other by-products generated from intensive livestock operations pollute the air, soil, and water in surrounding areas due to agricultural run-off. CAFOs pose a serious threat to the environment from water and air pollution, which in turn is potentially harmful to the wellbeing of humans.Nevertheless, supporters of modern industrial agricultural production practices claim that the economic benefits of theses farming practices currently outweigh the potential consequences to the environment and society. Although modern industrial agricultural practices may have a few problems, there are a multitude of advantages that are commonly overlooked when discussing the effects of these production techniques. After all, the development of industrial agriculture was the solution to a problem before it was ever the problem.When demand for cheap food began to grow substantially in the mid twentieth century, farmers began to use production techniques such as intensive livestock operations to supply this increased demand. In addition to increased production quantities, intensive livestock operations have significantly lowered food prices by allowing farms to enjoy lower production costs, greater production efficiency and increased consistency and control over product output due to standardization.According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, â€Å"the benefits of industrial agriculture have been cheap food; a release of labor from agricultural activities for employment in other sectors; large, profitable chemical and agricultural industries; and increased export markets. † It is difficult to ignore the massive economic contributions indirectly related to intensive livestock operations as well. For example, â€Å"the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that nontherapeut ic animal agricultural use (drugs given to animals even when they are not sick) accounts for 70 percent of total antibiotic consumption in the United States† (Sayre).The excess profits these pharmaceutical companies earn each year as a result of confined animal feeding operations enables new business investments, which in turn creates new jobs. Nevertheless, the system is not perfect and several problems do exist with industrial production agriculture. However, the revenues generated by these industrial production practices account for a significant portion of US GDP and are an integral part of the economy. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, â€Å"agricultural products make up 10 percent of all exported US merchandise. It would simply be too detrimental to global and domestic food supplies as well as the economies associated with each to suddenly discontinue the use of industrial farming practices. Industrial livestock operations are widely scrutinized, and right ly so. Although the monetary production gains from industrial livestock operations are substantial, there are countless environmental and social costs associated with these production practices. Pollution from animal waste is the most immense problem concerning CAFOs.John Cotter of the Canadian Press states that, â€Å"Canadian livestock produced 164 billion kilograms of manure in 2001, enough to fill Toronto’s Sky Dome stadium twice a week. † There is simply too much manure in too small a space to be able to economically dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way. The inability to properly dispose of all the tons of animal waste produced results in farmland around industrial livestock operations to become overly saturated with excrement, which leads to agricultural run-off; polluting streams and rivers.Polluted water from agricultural runoff has tested positive for â€Å"E. coli from farm animal manure [and] was responsible for killing seven people and making 2 ,300 others ill in the rural Ontario community of Walkerton in May of 2000†(Cotter). Antibiotics used in intensive livestock operations may contaminate the water supply as well; causing a â€Å"rapid rise of antibiotic-resistant microbes, an inevitable consequence of the widespread use of antibiotics as feed additives in industrial livestock operations† (Sayre).Air pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations is of growing concern as well, â€Å"they emit methane gas, a factor in global climate change, and hydrogen sulfide, which causes flulike symptoms in humans and, at high levels, leads to brain damage†(EH Update). Although there are numerous additional consequences resulting from industrial livestock operations, water and air pollution have the greatest impact on human safety and the environment.The adverse social and environmental costs of intensive livestock operations must be taken into consideration when determining the true cost of â€Å"cheap food. † Although substantial conflicts arise between the two opposing views on CAFOs in industrial production agriculture, neither side can deny the resulting economic benefits nor the potential environmental and societal hazards related to these production practices. The core discrepancy between the two outlooks lies within the cost/benefit analysis of industrial farming practices.Supporters of industrial agriculture and intensive livestock operations claim that the economic benefits gained through these efficient production techniques; such as increased output, lower production costs, and profits to input suppliers significantly outweigh the latent environmental and societal dangers associated with these production practices. On the other hand, opposing parties maintain that the water, air, and soil pollution caused by industrial livestock operations along with the resulting detrimental consequences to society and the environment are far greater than the economic benefits pr ovided by these production practices.Although I am an avid believer in the free market and the theory that public resources such as water and air should be shared, there is much needed regulation in industrial livestock farming practices. These factory farms are extremely unhealthy: not only for consumers of the products produced, but for society as a whole. The farming practices related to concentrated animal feeding operations are socially, environmentally, and economically unsustainable in the long run. Antibiotic resistance, the creation of new pathogens as well as water and air pollution will have detrimental effects on society.Nevertheless, a healthy domestic and global economy is critical to the well being of the US and world populations. It would be impossible to simply stop or ban industrial agricultural practices without causing a huge disruption in both domestic and global food supply, as well as the economies associated with each. If we are serious about cleaning up prod uction agriculture, â€Å"government policies such as zoning regulations and taxes can discourage large concentrations of intensive production†(Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations).Other policy decisions include, â€Å"eliminating subsidies, adjusting taxes and providing incentives for investing in technology to reduce pollution could reduce the environmental damage caused by industrial livestock production† (Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations). Above all, it is imperative that we implement policy decisions that aim to reduce industrial agricultural practices by limiting government subsidies and transfer payments, in addition to increasing the benefits farm income programs provide to farmers who practice sustainable forms of agriculture.It is somewhat difficult to truly analyze the costs and benefits related to CAFOs and industrial agricultural practices because many of the consequences cannot be quantified. However, we must r emember that these industrial farming practices were adopted in order to increase output to meet the growing demand for agricultural products. Without the use of industrial farming, it would be nearly impossible to economically supply the global population with sufficient quantities of food. In addition, these farming practices support numerous other business ventures that allow other sectors of the economy to grow.Nevertheless, these industrial agricultural practices pose serious threats to the environment and society due to the pollution they produce. Although it is unreasonable to suggest that these farming practices should be prohibited, steps can be made toward reducing agricultural pollution by implementing effective and economical policy decisions, that support sustainable agriculture. Works Cited Cotter, John. â€Å"Rein in factory farms, group tells Ottawa; Environmentalists’ report urges federal; regulation of large-scale manure dumping. Canadian Press (2002): Lexu s Nexus. 17 Sep. 2011. â€Å"EH Update; Water Fluoridation Debate. † Journal of Environmental Health. Issue 65. 3 (2002); Vol. 52. pgs 1-7. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 Sep. 2011. (No author listed) â€Å"Environment; Industrial Livestock Production Near Cities Considered Damaging. †Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Africa News. (2006); LexusNexus. 17 Sep. 2011. Sayre, Laura. â€Å"The Hidden Link Between Factory Farms and Human Illness. † Mother Earth News 232 (2009): 76-83. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO.Web. 17 Sep. 2011. Swiss College of Agriculture, Menzi, H. ; Oenema, O. ; Burton, C. ; Shipin, O. ; Gerber, P. ; Robinson, T. ;Franceschini, G. â€Å"Impacts of intensive livestock production and manure management on the environment. † Livestock in a changing landscape, Volume 1: drivers, consequences and responses. 2010 pp. 139-163. ISBN: 978-1-59726-671-0. Union of Concerned Scientists. â€Å"The Costs and Benefits of Industrial Agriculture. †Sustainable Agriculture—A New Vision. 1997. http://www. portaec. net/library/food/costs_and_benefits_of_industrial. html