Saturday, August 31, 2019
Deception Point Page 25
Sexton hung up, looking pleased with himself. ââ¬Å"New Sexton fan?â⬠Gabrielle asked. ââ¬Å"They're multiplying,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"This guy's a heavy hitter.â⬠ââ¬Å"Must be. Meeting him in your apartment?â⬠Sexton usually defended the sanctified privacy of his apartment like a lion protecting its only remaining hiding place. Sexton shrugged. ââ¬Å"Yeah. Thought I'd give him the personal touch. This guy might have some pull in the home stretch. Got to keep making those personal connections, you know. It's all about trust.â⬠Gabrielle nodded, pulling out Sexton's daily planner. ââ¬Å"You want me to put him in your calendar?â⬠ââ¬Å"No need. I'd planned to take a night at home anyway.â⬠Gabrielle found tonight's page and noticed it was already shaded out in Sexton's handwriting with the bold letters ââ¬Å"P.E.â⬠-Sexton shorthand for either personal event, private evening, or piss-off everyone; nobody was quite sure which. From time to time, the senator scheduled himself a ââ¬Å"P.E.â⬠night so he could hole up in his apartment, take his phones off the hook, and do what he enjoyed most-sip brandy with old cronies and pretend he'd forgotten about politics for the evening. Gabrielle gave him a surprised look. ââ¬Å"So you're actually letting business intrude on prescheduled P.E. time? I'm impressed.â⬠ââ¬Å"This guy happened to catch me on a night when I've got some time. I'll talk to him for a little while. See what he has to say.â⬠Gabrielle wanted to ask who this mystery caller was, but Sexton clearly was being intentionally vague. Gabrielle had learned when not to pry. As they turned off the beltway and headed back toward Sexton's office building, Gabrielle glanced down again at the P.E. time blocked out in Sexton's planner and had the strange sensation Sexton knew this call was coming. 27 The ice at the center of the NASA habisphere was dominated by an eighteen-foot tripod structure of composite scaffolding, which looked like a cross between an oil rig and an awkward model of the Eiffel Tower. Rachel studied the device, unable to fathom how it could be used to extract the enormous meteorite. Beneath the tower, several winches had been screwed into steel plates affixed to the ice with heavy bolts. Threaded through the winches, iron cables banked upward over a series of pulleys atop the tower. From there, the cables plunged vertically downward into narrow bore holes drilled in the ice. Several large NASA men took turns tightening the winches. With each new tightening, the cables slithered a few inches upward through the bore holes, as if the men were raising an anchor. I'm clearly missing something, Rachel thought, as she and the others moved closer to the extraction site. The men seemed to be hoisting the meteorite directly through the ice. ââ¬Å"EVEN TENSION! DAMN IT!â⬠a woman's voice screamed nearby, with all the grace of a chain saw. Rachel looked over to see a small woman in a bright yellow snowsuit smeared with grease. She had her back to Rachel, but even so, Rachel had no trouble guessing that she was in charge of this operation. Making notations on a clipboard, the woman stalked back and forth like a disgusted drillmaster. ââ¬Å"Don't tell me you ladies are tired!â⬠Corky called out, ââ¬Å"Hey, Norah, quit bossing those poor NASA boys and come flirt with me.â⬠The woman did not even turn around. ââ¬Å"Is that you, Marlinson? I'd know that weenie little voice anywhere. Come back when you reach puberty.â⬠Corky turned to Rachel. ââ¬Å"Norah keeps us warm with her charm.â⬠ââ¬Å"I heard that, space boy,â⬠Dr. Mangor fired back, still making notes. ââ¬Å"And if you're checking out my ass, these snow pants add thirty pounds.â⬠ââ¬Å"No worries,â⬠Corky called. ââ¬Å"It's not your woolly-mammoth butt that drives me wild, it's your winning personality.â⬠ââ¬Å"Bite me.â⬠Corky laughed again. ââ¬Å"I have great news, Norah. Looks like you're not the only woman the President recruited.â⬠ââ¬Å"No shit. He recruited you.â⬠Tolland took over. ââ¬Å"Norah? Have you got a minute to meet someone?â⬠At the sound of Tolland's voice, Norah immediately stopped what she was doing and turned around. Her hardened demeanor dissolved instantly. ââ¬Å"Mike!â⬠She rushed over, beaming. ââ¬Å"Haven't seen you in a few hours.â⬠ââ¬Å"I've been editing the documentary.â⬠ââ¬Å"How's my segment?â⬠ââ¬Å"You look brilliant and lovely.â⬠ââ¬Å"He used special effects,â⬠Corky said. Norah ignored the remark, glancing now at Rachel with a polite but standoffish smile. She looked back at Tolland. ââ¬Å"I hope you're not cheating on me, Mike.â⬠Tolland's rugged face flushed slightly as he made introductions. ââ¬Å"Norah, I'd like you to meet Rachel Sexton. Ms. Sexton works in the intelligence community and is here at the request of the President. Her father is Senator Sedgewick Sexton.â⬠The introduction brought a confused look to Norah's face. ââ¬Å"I won't even pretend to understand that one.â⬠Norah did not remove her gloves as she gave Rachel's hand a half-hearted shake. ââ¬Å"Welcome to the top of the world.â⬠Rachel smiled. ââ¬Å"Thanks.â⬠She was surprised to see that Norah Mangor, despite the toughness of her voice, had a pleasant and impish countenance. Her pixie haircut was brown with streaks of gray, and her eyes were keen and sharp-two ice crystals. There was a steely confidence about her that Rachel liked. ââ¬Å"Norah,â⬠Tolland said. ââ¬Å"Have you got a minute to share what you're doing with Rachel?â⬠Norah arched her eyebrows. ââ¬Å"You two on a first-name basis already? My, my.â⬠Corky groaned. ââ¬Å"I told you, Mike.â⬠Norah Mangor showed Rachel around the base of the tower while Tolland and the others trailed behind, talking among themselves. ââ¬Å"See those boreholes in the ice under the tripod?â⬠Norah asked, pointing, her initial put-out tone softening now to one of rapt fervor for her work. Rachel nodded, gazing down at the holes in the ice. Each was about a foot in diameter and had a steel cable inserted into it. ââ¬Å"Those holes are left over from when we drilled core samples and took X rays of the meteorite. Now we're using them as entry points to lower heavy-duty screw eyes down the empty shafts and screw them into the meteorite. After that, we dropped a couple hundred feet of braided cable down each hole, snagged the screw eyes with industrial hooks, and now we're simply winching it up. It's taking these ladies several hours to get it to the surface, but it's coming.â⬠ââ¬Å"I'm not sure I follow,â⬠Rachel said. ââ¬Å"The meteorite is under thousands of tons of ice. How are you lifting it?â⬠Norah pointed to the top of the scaffolding where a narrow beam of pristine red light shone vertically downward toward the ice beneath the tripod. Rachel had seen it earlier and assumed it was simply some sort of visual indicator-a pointer demarking the spot where the object was buried. ââ¬Å"That's a gallium arsenide semiconductor laser,â⬠Norah said. Rachel looked more closely at the beam of light and now saw that it had actually melted a tiny hole in the ice and shone down into the depths. ââ¬Å"Very hot beam,â⬠Norah said. ââ¬Å"We're heating the meteorite as we lift.â⬠When Rachel grasped the simple brilliance of the woman's plan, she was impressed. Norah had simply aimed the laser beam downward, melting through the ice until the beam hit the meteorite. The stone, being too dense to be melted by a laser, began absorbing the laser's heat, eventually getting warm enough to melt the ice around it. As the NASA men hoisted the hot meteorite, the heated rock, combined with the upward pressure, melted the surrounding ice, clearing a pathway to raise it to the surface. The melt water accumulating over the meteorite simply seeped back down around the edges of the stone to refill the shaft.
Friday, August 30, 2019
History of Blackpool â⬠growth and decline Essay
For the majority of the 19th century Blackpool was a small fishing village, which received small numbers of upper class visitors who came due to the supposed healing capabilities of the coast, and itââ¬â¢s fresh air. This changed in 1846 with the creation of a railway line going up to Blackpool, which made travel to the area cheap and affordable for the public. The majority of those who decided to visit Blackpool were factory workers and their families who came from cities like Liverpool and Manchester. Due to air travel being very expensive at the time and only the rich could afford to go abroad. Blackpool became the destination to go to for the working class during their holidays. Blackpool recognised their popularity and over the years constructed three new piers to house new attractions. Three new piers were constructed, named the North, Central and South Piers and were constructed in 1863, 1868 and 1893 respectively. The Winter Gardens, which was effectively an indoor mall, was set up in 1878 and housed an opera house and a theatre. The Blackpool Illuminations, which were put up a year later, and the Blackpool Tower, built in 1894, which housed a Ballroom, Circus Hall and an Aquarium, accompanied this. Due to all these attractions Blackpool became a major tourist destination. In 1930 7 million tourists came to the area and this number increased to 17 million in 1950. Blackpoolââ¬â¢s Decline Blackpool began to enter its decline period during the mid 20th century onwards. During this time the disposable income and free time of workers started to increase. This combined with cheaper air flight tickets and package holidays meant that people could go abroad for the first time in their lives. France and Spain were the most popular destinations and over the years started to gain more and more tourists. This took away from the number of people visiting Blackpool. As an attempt to claw back tourists hotels and restaurants in the area started to dramatically decrease their prices with the aim of attracting more tourists. This ended up having the opposite effect. While more tourists did come to the area, they were more downmarket than what Blackpool used to receive. The new crowds attracted by Blackpool were seen as antisocial and unpleasant and removed the family friendly nature associated with Blackpool. The loss of families as potential tourists was a major blow to Blackpool and further added to its decline. Blackpoolââ¬â¢s Rejuvenation Recently Blackpool has made attempts to restore its status as a popular tourist destination. Winter Gardens was bought from its private owners and brought back into the public market and a contract with Merlin was made to include the Blackpool Tower with its other hosts of amusement parks. Additionally ? 300 million was spent in improving the state of Blackpoolââ¬â¢s infrastructure. While the effort is helping Blackpool it isnââ¬â¢t increasing its status as a tourist destination. Instead of entering Rejuvenation Blackpool has entered a state of slowed decline.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Minimum or living wage on unemployment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Minimum or living wage on unemployment - Essay Example Consequently, minimum wages stifle job vacancies for the minorities, low-skill workers, and the youth. In view of this, the essay classically analyses the impact of a minimum or living wage on unemployment. Minimum wage policies originated from Fair Labour Standard Act (FLSA) which was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938(Waltman 2004, p.141). During that period, the act covered specific areas in production industry, which include transportation, mining, and manufacturing industries. However, as time went by, other sectors of the economy were added such as public schools, laundries, and construction industry. Currently, the act covers over 85 percent of the labour force. Thus, the state requires employers to comply with the minimum wages set by the state. Minimum wage policies affect the overall economy. Employers are forced to change their living standards to ensure that they accommodate the increase in the minimum wage. Although the government has set a specific level of minimum wage payment, there is only a specific group that is affected by the law. Most employees who get the minimum wage are part-time workers, young workers, and people from poor families. Companies employ people are highly skilled and can perform different tasks at the same time. As a result, some of the workers have lost employment as a result of specialization or lacking the skills that are required in a company. Most employers employ the experienced workers living out the young people who are inexperienced. Thus, most young people are unemployed who paid minimum wages in their areas of work (Waltman 2008, p. 152). A research done by the Bureau of Labour Statistics shows that, 1.8 million employees are paid minimum wages. 49 percent of 1.8 million are the young adult aged 24 and under. 51 percent, or about 1.8 million people are over 25 years old (Rutkowski&Scarpetta 2005, p. 2009). They consist of
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Compare Mac and Windows System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Compare Mac and Windows System - Essay Example These systems have been put up against each other over decades, and the debate seems destined to be eternal. Cost is key among the cited difference between MAC and Windows systems. Windows based computers tend to be cheaper than MAC computer. The cost difference is mainly because of the hardware running on these operating systems (Junior & Kumar, 2014). Apple has exclusive rights to the hardware produced that run on the MAC operating system. On the other hand, many manufacturers produce Windows-based system hardware. Therefore, unlike MAC systems hardware, with Windows based system hardware there is a great competition, which results in lower prices. Windows based systems allow the consumer to select the components they would like in their systems based on the price they are willing to pay for a system. The Windows systems are, therefore, budget-friendly to a wider range of consumers. Hence, they dominate the market. However, Appleââ¬â¢s consumer support is superb given that the quality of their products is among the best in the industry. Availability of the two system is also affected by manufacturers who produce the hardware. Windows systems are more widely available since different manufacturers push their products with Windows operating system installed. Apple; however, is selective about where it sells its products when it comes to third-party retail stores. The design is another big difference between Apple MAC and Microsoft Windows systems. In this aspect, MAC products tend to be superior. The unconventional focus on design by the former Apple CEO Steve Jobs explains this. He focused on the outward appearance of the companyââ¬â¢s products with an enthusiasm unmatched by the competitors. Manufacturers of Windows based hardware often attempt to create more design-oriented models to compete with Apple products with none yet to achieve the popular
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Transition Plans for Special Education Students Essay
Transition Plans for Special Education Students - Essay Example 288) and identified a gap in collaboration between parents and students and a variation between reported and actual levels of collaboration. Importance of collaboration, self determination, person-specific planning, and empirical studies for effective transition planning are explored with recommendations for empirical studies on collaboration based person-centered planning for planning and implementation of transition process (Michaels and Ferrara, 2005). The article is explorative of its objectives and its reliance on external sources and scope as a peer-reviewed article identifies its credibility and reliability to inform a new study. Its theme is also consistent with my topic on transition plans in special education and this makes it a suitable source for developing background information into my study (Michaels and Ferrara, 2005). The article is based on an empirical study towards a model for improving transition planning for students with disability. The authors note that while self-determination concept is recommended for effective transition plans, students are seldom involved in meetings for developing transition plans. The studentsââ¬â¢ interest that would facilitate development and implementation of transition plans is therefore not captured and teachersââ¬â¢ failure to include instruction on self-determination in their course materials is a factor. Barely 50% of the studyââ¬â¢s participants reported inclusion of instruction on self-determination in their lectures and they regarded importance of the instructions (Thoma, Baker and Saddler, 2002). The studyââ¬â¢s small sample size threatens reliability of its results but its empirical approach and reliance on other authorââ¬â¢s knowledge resolves this weakness and develops its validity. It also relates to my proposed study and will therefore offer significant background hypothesis for development of problem statement and research questions (Thoma, Baker and Saddler, 2002). Trach identifies inefficiency in
Monday, August 26, 2019
What are the global implications of the internationalization of news Essay
What are the global implications of the internationalization of news - Essay Example This then implies that the history of news can be dated back to the first empires such as in Egypt and Ancient Rome. In Egypt, ââ¬Å"pharaohs spread word of their decreesâ⬠that were written and spread by messengers back in 2400BC (Stephens, 2007, p.57). In Ancient Rome, news were conveyed by Julius Cesar who made government announcements that were curved on metal or stone tablets. However, this efficiency can be attributed to the already established oral spread of news established long before beginning of written communication. As years advanced agencies dealing mainly in conveying news through newspapers, audio media and later televised media, were established. These agencies have over the years evolved and spread their role across the borders amid competition to be the first to give new information. Internationalizing news has further been fueled by the need to give a wide variety of news thereby commanding greater audience. However, internationalization of news has promoted imperialism due to content control and use of media to advance selfish gains especially by media agencies from developed counties (Shah and Tajima 2012, p. 26). The internationalization of the news has led to the deterioration of news on a global scale. News outlets in different countries are focusing on gathering the most audience rather than focusing on reporting the news, as it should. The main implication this has is that people will become less interested in hard news stories that influence politics, economy, and public
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Art binder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Art binder - Essay Example I will then paint Canada Newfoundland where I took two years of high school, Seattle, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Diego, and finally Pennsylvania. Therefore, I will have seven paintings each representing the above-mentioned places. I paint because of my passion to exploit and expose the beauty that is before us, but people rarely notice. In my work, I communicate the energy and exciting nature of my subjects by use of vibrant colors combined tactfully to create exemplary compositions. My desire to paint these places is brought by what I have felt, seen, and experienced while staying in the different towns. Additionally, I am interested in exploring human emotions, and thus, this is another area that I focus on in my artwork. My goal is to become a professional renowned artist and inspire other young people in my community who are interested in becoming artists. I am writing in response to the above referenced position. I would like to express my keen interest in joining your company in the position of Exhibition Assistant. It is my firm conviction that I will make a valuable contribution in steering the given task to fulfill the mandate of the company and lead it to levels of higher productivity and growth. Extensive learning about art and communication coupled with internship and volunteer involvement has given me a good background in handling and organizing exhibitions. In college, I majored in Art and Communication, which I have just finished awaiting graduation. Additionally, I have participated in voluntary program at the T.E.E.N and internship program at Karin Weber Gallery. These have helped me develop valuable skills especially communication and organizational skills on top of my creative thinking and decision-making ability. Additionally, I am well versed in computer programs and applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Filemaker Pro. Moreover, I have
Saturday, August 24, 2019
The Gap Inc. as a major retailer of wearing apparel and accessories Case Study
The Gap Inc. as a major retailer of wearing apparel and accessories - Case Study Example Gap is in the fashion industry and must continually compete on the basis of brand desirability. Brand name equity is Gap's greatest asset. However, the recent economic downturn has had, and will continue to have, a negative impact on Gap's ability to generate revenue. Gap is a luxury apparel item and would be one of the first to be reduced in a consumer's budget. In 2007, Gap closed several Forth and Towne stores after test marketing did not meet with customer acceptance (We Are Gap Inc. ). In addition, protectionist attitudes in the US, and the coming election, may alter the trade agreements that have benefited Gap's manufacturing and distribution strategies. The industry environment is best analyzed by using Michael Porter's five forces. New entrants into the fashion apparel industry are faced with the ease of entry, and the difficulty of marketing. Globalization has made it easier for international brands to compete via the Internet or established distribution networks. According to Formisano, "As more countries develop around the world, more competitors are created, which fuels more competition for market share" (58).
Factors That Influence and Shape Organizational Behavior Research Proposal
Factors That Influence and Shape Organizational Behavior - Research Proposal Example They include the personality of the founder, the ethics of the organization, employment relationships, organizational structure, and national culture. These are the specific features that describe the culture of an organization. They include their values, vision and philosophy, goals, customer relations, quality of service, and interrelationships amongst the stakeholders. Organizational behavior is basically a culture that characterizes the nature of interaction and operations within and organization. If exploited appropriately, this culture can give the organization a competitive edge. However, it is worth noting that the development of a particular culture is influenced by several factors, which also vary from one organization the next. This book outlines how social systems emanate in organizations and further explain the positive and negative effects of such social systems. The book concludes with reviews on how organizations can successfully employ social systems to employeeââ¬â¢s performance. Proper knowledge of an organizational behavior is vital for the process of establishing healthy relationships through aspects such as social objectives and organizational objectives.
Friday, August 23, 2019
Science project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Science project - Essay Example To understand that, we first need to understand what makes such materials into magnets. At the atomic level, materials that exhibit strong magnetic susceptibility have unpaired electrons in their electronic shells. These unpaired electrons all have a certain spin direction associated with them. Due to this spin, and the revolution of electrons around the nucleus, electrons generate their own magnetism. As all the electrons spin in the same direction for a certain nucleus, their magnetic field directions are also the same. So these magnetic fields add up and give the whole atom a net magnetic field (Mohammad et al., 2003; Rajendran, 2004). When these atoms are subjected to a magnetic field, they align themselves with the applied magnetic field. When the magnetic field is removed, some of these atoms remain aligned with the magnetic field. These regions where the magnetic field of the atoms is aligned in the same direction are known as domains (Saleemi et al, 2002). For ferromagnetic materials, a net magnetic field is always present. The maximum magnetism that a ferromagnetic material may retain in the absence of an external magnetic field is known as its saturation magnetization. This is an important property which changes when we change the temperature of the magnetic material (Callister, 2007). There is an important factor which dictates the ease with which atoms align with each other to form domains under the effect of an external magnetic field ââ¬â the thermal agitation of the atoms. Atoms vibrate and have energy associated with their vibration. This vibration increases as the temperature of the material increases. As the atomic vibration/agitation increases, it becomes harder for these atoms to be forced to be aligned in a certain direction, and vice versa. So, if we apply the same amount of external energy through a
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Brief View of Buddhism on Different Perspectives Essay Example for Free
Brief View of Buddhism on Different Perspectives Essay Buddhism in China was not first welcomed. People had different opinions on Buddhism. To analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in china by who expresses to the audience, why some people believe Buddhism is better for the country, and why some believe Buddhism is bad for China. Depending on what time period they lived in, changed the opinion of those who expressed their opinion to the audience. (Document 2) Zhi Dun is a Chinese Scholar, author, and a high official. During circa 350 C.E Northern China was invaded by Central Asian Steppe Nomads. There is war between the Asian Steppe Nomads and Zhi Dun believes that if you believe in Buddhism and have the right intentions, you can reach nirvana. (Document 3) This document is written by an Anonymous Chinese Scholar that expresses his opinion to the people of China. This is during circa 500 C.E., which was during the time of instability and disunity. He wrote this document anonymously because he was fearful of what other people think. They might not agree with his idea. (Document 6) The emperor response is toward the people of china. This is during 845 C.E, which is after the imperial structure is restored and he is saying that they donââ¬â¢t need Buddhism. Although some people agree with Confucianism, people think Buddhism helped China. (Document 1) In this document, it talks about the four Noble Truths. It shows how everyone suffers and the only way to get rid of suffering is to get rid of your desires. This was the first sermon preached by the Buddha in India during the fifth century. This document was written to persuade those to become Buddhists and follow the teachings. (Document 2), this document explains how if you have the right intentions, then you will reach Nirvana. This helps relief the people of china. (Document 5), Zong Mi, a Buddhist scholar said that Buddhism helped China. He said that the Buddha taught many teachings and in result, it encouraged the perfection of good deeds. Although Buddhism might seem good for China, other people believe that it ruined the country. Usually the higher classes thought Confucianism was better. This is because the lower classes are to respect the higher class. Han Yu is a Confucian Scholar and official of the Tang imperial court. This is during the 819 C.E. he says Buddhism didnââ¬â¢t even originate from China. He also says that Buddhism has nothing to do with the country and the culture. (Document 6), this is during 815 C.E. This is the time period after the instability and disunity of china. China is restored and they have an imperial rule, Tang Emperor Wa. His attitude towards Buddhism is furious. Since China is restored, he believes in Confucianism and Legalism, so there is no need for Buddhism. He even explains that Buddhism is selfish. All they do is eat and meditate, not helping the country by working. To analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism by observing those who expressed their opinion to the people of China. It differed depending on what time period they lived in. it depended if they lived in the time of instability and disunity or when china was restored. Others believe that Buddhism helped China. They believe that it helped China during the time of instability and disunity. During this period of time, there was an invasion against the Asian steppe nomads in circa 350 C.E. Buddhism helped comfort those that were going to war by saying that they can reach nirvana. Even though Buddhism helped China, higher officials and Confucius believe that it ruined the country. This is because during 845 C.E. they had an emperor. They didnââ¬â¢t need Buddhism anymore because they had an emperor and china is unified by one leader again. A missing voice that is needed in the document section is a person that does not express their opinion to the public, like a private voice such as a person putting something down in a diary. The second voice that is needed is the common peopleââ¬â¢s opinion in China. This will show which philosophy they are rooting for during a period of time. The third voice should be a historianââ¬â¢s view during their period of time, so it shows how he interprets it.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Interprofessional Working in Nursing
Interprofessional Working in Nursing Mr Alfred Robinson is 85- year-old and lived happily with his wife for 50 years in a London inner city borough. They had no children but got on well and socialised with friends and neighbours. Mr Robinsons wife, Lucy, recently passed away. Alfred seems to carry on with his life as usual, going to bingo, having lunch twice a week with friends and doing gardening. Six months after the wifes death, he seemed less communicative, unkempt and frail. He confided in Susan, a family friend, that he was missing his wife, having no appetite, and feeling tired all time. After discussion, Susan volunteered to accompany Alfred to his GP for a check up. Mr Robinson was diagnosed with chest infection and admitted to hospital. Within a short time he had two further admissions, one with dehydration, and weight loss, and the other with a fall which affected his self-caring ability and confidence to walk. Three hospital admission, Mr Robinson needs were met holistically by different health and social care professionals through an inter-professional working teamwork and he always made good progress. Using relevant literature, observations made and experiences gained during my clinical placements, this essay will discuss the case of an 85-year old frail and widowed man, Mr Alfred Robinson, who appears to be grieving from the loss of his wife, has suffered a chest infection, suffering from loss of appetite and weight and has had a fall which has affected his self-caring ability and confidence to walk. In addition to discussing interprofessional working, this essay will identify three health and social care professionals, and their roles within the interprofessional working team in their quest to restore Alfreds health. The essay will next focus, in greater detail, on one of the professionals and will cover issues such as accountability, responsibility, legal, moral, ethical and statutory regulation of the professional body to which the individual belongs. The essay will then reflect on how engaging in group discussion and presentation helped in writing this piece, and then conclud e with a summary of the main points raised. Interprofessional working, simply put, means working and learning together and sharing knowledge to achieve a common goal in relation to a patient care. As specialization grows in all the healthcare professions, so too does the need for the simultaneous development of practice that encourages working together. As Bleakley et al (2006, p467) have pointed out, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that interprofessional practice offers greater benefits for patient care and safety than multi-professionalism. Hutchings et al (2003) opined that it is impossible for one professional to possess all the skills, knowledge and resources needed to meet the total healthcare needs of the society. Quality care and effectives services are the product of good team and these aspirations should be central in clinical guidelines, position statements or standard of practice. In spite of the apparent benefits of interprofessional practice, there are obstacles to interprofessional working. Headri ck et al (1998, p773) have identified some barriers to interprofessional working. These include: differences in history and culture, historical interprofessional and intra-professional rivalries, differences in language and jargon, varying levels of preparation, qualifications and status, fears of diluted professional identity and accountability, as well as concerns regarding clinical responsibility. Three health and social care professionals this essay has chosen to collaborate in order to restore Mr Alfred Robinsons health are: a bereavement counsellor, a dietitian and a physiotherapist. The bereavement counsellors role is to help Alfred to adapt to the death of Lucy, his wife for 50 years. Alfreds response and reaction to the loss (grief) of his wife includes physical, psychological, social and spiritual components. Alfred appears to be experiencing more complicated grief reactions to his bereavement and loss (Doka, 2006) and lack of progress towards psychical assimilation after passage of time and appears to be exhibiting the presence of maladaptive behaviours (Freud, 1917). The bereavement counsellor will assist in healing of Alfreds grief psychically in order that he experiences a less psychologically painful living without Lucy. The counsellor will also assist Alfred to have within the self an inner awareness of movement through his grief and towards a more adaptive relationship with Lucy (Fenn, 2011). A dietitian is a healthcare professional who focuses on proper food and nutrition in order to promote good health (WHO, 2010). Dietitians assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems at individual and wider public level. Uniquely, dietitians use public health and scientific research on food, health and disease which they translate into practical guidance to enable people make appropriate lifestyle and food choices (The British Dietetic Association, 2011). Working in consultation with other health care givers, a dietitian was involved in the diagnosis and dietary treatment of Mr Robinson. As Mr Robertson had poor appetite and had lost weight, the dietitian would have advised and provided a nutritional plan based on a comprehensive needs assessment of Mr Robinson, against which progress was monitored and outcomes evaluated in order to optimise his nutritional status and prevent re-infection and further weight loss. For instance the dietitian would have prescribed special diet , and nutritional supplement and Mr Robinsons weight reviewed regularly to ensure that the desired progress was being made. The rest of the essay will focus on physiotherapist, statutory regulatory of the physiotherapy practice, professional body of physiotherapy and the roles of physiotherapist. The rationale for the choice of a physiotherapist is that Mr. Robinson had had a chest infection and a fall which had affected his self-caring ability and confidence to walk. The physiotherapist would have helped restore Mr Robinsons movement ability and confidence to walk. The physiotherapist would have, in addition, helped treat his chest infection through the removal the excess secretion in Mr Robinsons lungs, assisted cough, and tried to improve ventilation of the lungs by physical means. All physiotherapists in the United Kingdom have received training on dealing with chest diseases and infections. (The Jennifer Trust, 2009). As a student nurse, I had the opportunity to observe, explore, interact and collaborate with physiotherapists in delivering quality care to patients during my clinical placement. I was once placed in a stroke rehabilitation unit where I worked closely with other health and social care professionals. These include doctors, nurses, dieticians, physiotherapist, clinical psychologists, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, healthcare assistants and others. During the placement I had the chance to observe the physiotherapist helping an elderly patient in maintaining his mobility and independence after a fall. I also had a unique chance to assist a stroke patient to walk around under the supervision of a physiotherapist. I also observed a speech therapist helping the same patient to re-discover his speech while a dietitian offer advice on nutrition and diet to the same patient who happened to be a diabetic as well. The World Congress of Physical Therapy in1999 described the nature of physiotherapy as providing services to people and populations to develop maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout the lifespan. Besides, physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximising movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, (cited in Hammond and Wheeler, 2008, p3). The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) (2002b) defines physiotherapy as a health profession concerned with human function and movement and maximising potential. Physiotherapy uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being, taking into account of variations in health status. Physiotherapy is science- based, committed to extending, applying, evaluating and reviewing the evidence that underpins and informs its practice and delivery. The exercise of clinical judgement and informed interpretation is at its core (Hammond and Wheeler, 2008 p3). In the CSP revised Scope Professional Practice (2008), the definition of scope of physiotherapy practice is based on four pillars of massage, exercise, electrotherapy and kindred forms of treatment (cited in Dimond, 2009, p4). With its root in massaging, the therapeutic touching of patients sets physiotherapy aside from other professions. Physiotherapists continue to use massage therapeutically in addition to manual techniques such as manipulation and reflex therapy. Therapeutic handling underpins many aspects of rehabilitation, requiring the touching of patients to facilitate movements (Hammond and Wheeler, 2008, p3). To practise in the profession of physiotherapy in the UK, one is required by law to be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC), UKs statutory regulator for health professions. The titles physiotherapist and physical therapist are protected by the powers of Health Profession Order 2001 and may only be used by persons who are on HPCs statutory register. The essence of this is to protect patients from unqualified or inadequately skilled healthcare providers. HPC keeps a register for health professional that meets its standards and it takes action if registered health professionals do not meet those standards. The HPC sets the standards of professional training, performance and conduct for fifteen professions including physiotherapist (HPC 2011). The HPC has since 2006 put in place a system, requiring re-registration at intervals of two years and that all physiotherapists provide evidence that they have been developing and are continuing to develop their skills and knowledge while they are registered. The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) standards require physiotherapist to supply a profile on request demonstrating fulfilment of the CPD standards (tested through sample audit). The standard requires all registrants to maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities. This is to ensure that registrants CPD has contributed to the quality of practice, service delivery and benefits the service user. All registrants are expected to able to demonstrate that their CPD is a blend of learning activities relevant to current and future practice. Physiotherapists are fully autonomous practitioners and do not require a medical referral in order to see a patient. Patients may access a physiotherapist directly themselves, or may be referred to a physiotherapist by other health professionals. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) is a professional body for physiotherapist. The CSP provides a framework for curriculum of physiotherapy education and approves those physiotherapy programmes that meet the requirements of the framework on behalf of the profession. Additionally the CSP publishes rules of professional conduct and standards of physiotherapy practice derived from within the profession and are in harmony with those of the HPC. Anyone on the HPC physiotherapist register may call themselves a physiotherapist, however, only those who are also members of the CSP, may call themselves as chartered physiotherapist. It is worthy to note that relationship with the HPC is one of registrant; with the CSP it is one of membership. The breadth of activity and resources that the CSP undertakes and provides seek to establish a level of excellence for the physiotherapy profession. Its education and professional activity is centred on leading and supporting its members delivery of high-quality, evidence-based patience care. The CSP is the primary holder and shaper of physiotherapy practice in the UK and works on behalf of the profession to protect the chartered status of physiotherapists standing, which is the one denoting excellence (Hammond and Wheeler, 2008, p2). The CSP sets standard and ideals of behaviours for its members. The CSPs Rules of Professional Conduct was first endorsed in 1895 (Barclay, 1994) and has been revised and updated periodically since that time. A new Code of Professional Values and Behaviour which will supersede the Rules of Professional Conduct (still valid) is being piloted with members (CSP, 2011). The Rules of Professional Conduct (the Rules) defines the professional behaviour expected of chartered physiotherapists which are intended to safeguard patients. The Rules require chartered physiotherapist to: respect and uphold the rights, dignity and individual sensibilities of every patient; ensure the confidentiality and security of patient information; work safely and competently; not exploit patients; and act in a way which reflects credit on the profession and does not cause offence to patient and carer (CSP, 2002a). The CSP has since 1990, periodically published CSP Standards of Physiotherapy Practice (the Standards), the fourth edition was in 2005 and currently being revised (CSP, 2011). The Standards describes the professional consensus on the practise of physiotherapy and reflect the collective judgement of the profession. The Standards provides statements about the practical application of the ethical principles set in the Rules. The core standards provide a framework within which all chartered physiotherapist and associate members are required to practise. The core standards play a central role in the delivery of safe and effective physiotherapy to patients. For instance, the Core Standards 2 (CSP, 2005a) states Patients are given the relevant information about the proposed physiotherapy procedure, taking into account their age, emotional state and cognitive ability, to allow for informed consent. The expected measurable performance or activity set out for this standard include: the patient s consent is obtained before starting any examination/ treatment; treatment options, including significant benefits, risks, and side-effects, are discussed with the patient; the patient is given the opportunity to ask questions; the patient is informed of the right to decline physiotherapy at any stage without that prejudicing future care; the patients consent to the treatment plan is documented in the patients records. The Standards include clinical audit tools for measurable performance or activity to be assessed against. The clinical audit tool consists of a template for physiotherapist to assess both core and service standards so as to identify areas of good practice and also areas for development work. The essay will now consider some of the roles physiotherapists play in the health delivery system. Physiotherapists work in outpatients department of healthcare institution where they treat spinal and joint problems, accidents and sports injuries. In caring for the elderly like Mr Robinson, physiotherapists help maintain mobility and independence, rehabilitation after falls, treat arthritis and chest infection. In neurology, physiotherapists help restore normal movement and function in stroke and multiple sclerosis in patients. Physiotherapists play important roles in mental healthcare delivery by giving classes in relaxation, improving confidence and self-esteem through exercising. Physiotherapists work in hospice where they treat terminally ill people suffering from ailments such as AIDS and cancer. In paediatrics care, physiotherapists treat injured and sick children as well as those with severe mental diseases and physical deformities and conditions such as cerebral palsy and spi na bifida. This essay was facilitated by the feedback received during the group presentation. It helped me to research more to understand the topic in general and also to plan and structure the essay. In conclusion this essay has taken a cursory look at interprofessional working, its benefits and challenges in general and specifically how a dietitian, bereavement counsellor and physiotherapist collaborated in restoring Mr Robinson to good health. The essay explored the HPC as statutory regulators of physiotherapy to ensure high standards and to protect patients from unqualified or inadequately skilled healthcare providers. The CSP is the primary holder and shaper of physiotherapy practice in the UK and works on behalf of the profession to protect the chartered status of physiotherapists standing, which is the one denoting excellence.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Case study: ANXIETY DISORDER
Case study: ANXIETY DISORDER Feeling anxious is a normal part of our life. We all feel anxious every now and then, at one time or another. For example, having to present a project in front of a class, having dinner for the first time with the in-laws, or expecting a baby may make anyone feel anxious. Its perfectly okay. It is when the anxiety is persistent, unexplainable, and intense that it interferes with an individual from having a normal day and disrupts ones life goals, then it becomes a disorder. Its when the autonomic nervous system is stimulated (Warren and Zgourides, 164). It is when a person worry so much that its difficult on ones concentration because the focus goes from worrying about one thing to worrying about another thing (Myers, 462). To protect themselves from the anxiety, the people then builds up mechanisms for avoidance by thinking of the things over and over, or perform a ritual. According to Sherman, environmental conditions, and psychological is a factor combinations that include social and genetic disposition, (Widerhold, 31). Somatic symptoms of an anxiety disorder are dizziness, insomnia, weakness, fatigue, dry mouth, palpitations, diarrhea, nausea, hyperventilation, chest pain, rapid heart rate, paresthesias, restlessness, and frequent urinating (Widerhold, 33). Anxiety disorder is an exaggerated and excessive feeling of worry. (Warren and Zgourides, 164). The worries are often unrealistic and unreasonable. The person often worries about family, money, health, or work excessively (p165). It really is an unpleasant feeling. High level of an anxiety disorder leads to hypertension, fatal heart attack, coronary heart disease, and a risk of myocardial infarction. In addition, there is a correlation between sudden death on heart attack and high anxiety. (Widerhold, 33). Anxiety disorder is considered the one with the biggest health problem in the United State (Winning Ghinassi, 7). People in the United States who suffered from an anxiety disorder at one point in their life are about 60 million and counting (Winning Ghinnassi, 7). Two-thirds of women have an anxiety disorder (Myers, 462). Groups that are in lower socioeconomic, divorced or separated women, who are below the age of 45 have the largest incidence of the illness (Widerhold, 4). According to Sherman, ones who had suffered with an anxiety disorder have had abdominal pain, insomnia, or chest pain by 33%. As well as joint or limb pain, fatigue, or headache (Widerhold, 4). Treatments for an anxiety disorder are exposure, role-play or modeling, which are behavioral. Thought stopping/recording, mental distraction, psychodynamic, medication, biofeedback, and family therapy are all cognitive, which is also another type of treatment, according to Goisman (p5). According to Moffitt, children who were inhibited and maltreated often develop an anxiety disorder when they get older. However, the anxiety disorder becomes rare by the age of 50. Emotions tend to mellow as years passes according to Rubio and Lopez-Ibor. (Myers, 462). According to Sigmund Freud, there are two types of anxiety disorders: anxiety hysteria and anxiety neurosis. The difference between the two is that the cause of anxiety hysteria is psychogenic, and the cause of anxiety neurosis isnt psychogenic. Anxiety neurosis is extremely painful from the start, which is also known as panic attack or panic anxiety. And there is free-floating anxiety, which is when the anxiety happens slowly (Wolfe, 15). Moreover, phobic reaction and anxiety reaction are the two disorders of the anxiety hysteria and anxiety neurosis (Wolfe, 18). Phobic neurosis means phobic reaction, which is an extreme fear of a situation or of an object (p18). Agoraphobia, an irrational fear of open spaces or public is a type of a phobic disorder (p18). On the other hand, panic disorder is a state of an anxiety (p18). Panic attacks, anticipatory anxiety, and phobic avoidance behavior are what behavioral theorists consider as what agoraphobia consist of. Anticipatory anxiety and phobic avoidance are the main focus of behavioral theorists over panic attacks when treating an individual. It was discovered that panic attacks were able to block off without affecting generalized anxiety by antidepressant migraine (Wolfe, 18). Furthermore, other types of anxiety disorders are obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (Wininning Ghinassi, 7). Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a repetitive thoughts and actions (Myers, 463). Phobia is an irrational persistent fear and avoids certain object, situation, or activity (p462). Post-traumatic stress disorder is when a person is haunted by memories and has nightmares after a traumatic experience (p464). The common treatment for an anxiety disorder is pharmacological. But cognitive therapy, medication, behavioral therapy or a combination of them are the most effective treatment for an anxiety disorder. Prozac, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor is the most common choice because its not that addictive. Also, it has only a few of side effects. An anxiety may not be completely be eliminated by medication, but it reduces the anxietys level of intensity (Widerhold, 38) Furthermore, beta blockers, anticonvulsants, such as gabapentin, antipsychotic, anxiolytics, such as benzodiazepines and azapirones are the other effective medications (Winning Ghinassi, 98). Theyre just as effective as antidepressants, such as serotonin-norephinphrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), SSRIs and retricyclics. In addition, the new miracle drug is Prozac. Prozac also helps patients deal with lifes stresses aside from treating depressive and anxiety disorders. It has become more popular than Valium. Then theres also Paxil, but it has an unpleasant withdrawal syndrome (p99). Clearly, it takes more than willpower of an individual to overcome an anxiety disorder. Also, understanding of anxiety disorder has progressed throughout the years and has led to more options for effective treatment, as well as for comprehensive assessment. Why is intellectual property important? Why is intellectual property important? Intellectual property (IP) refers to a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations, both artistic and commercial, and to corresponding fieldsà of law and other types of rights that the law gives for the protection of investment in creative effort and knowledge creation.à Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets in some jurisdictions are some common types of intellectual property. Although, there have been several evolution of many of the legal principles governing intellectual property over centuries, it was only in the 19th century that the term intellectual property began to be used, and became a commonplace in the late 20th century in the United States. The Origin of copyright and patent law originate from The British Statute of Anne 1710 and the Statute of monopolies 1623 respectively.à However, intellectual property rights differ in one fundamental respect. The intangible, abstract objects constituting intellectual property have no natural, self-defining boundaries like physical objects do. In fact, they do not even exist until they are created by explicit definition and designation. For this reason, in addition to general property legislation, IPRs are covered by specific legal systems, and most forms of IPR require a specific registration procedure. Applications need to be made and examined by specialists in order for an IPR to be established. Frequently, the exact boundaries of an IPR subsequently become the subject of litigation between the holder and holders of related IPRs. In short, the transaction costs of acquiring and holding IPRs are much higher than for ordinary physical property. While the subject matter of intellectual property is intangible objects such as information, knowledge or ideas, intellectual property rights are expressed in practice as righ ts over the tangible products resulting from those intangible objects. For example, an industrial patent confers the exclusive right to manufacture the protected product or use the protected process, and copyright the exclusive right to perform the protected work of art or multiply it in the form of books, compact discs, etc. 1.2 TYPES OF INTELLECTUAL PROPRETY RIGHTS The main categories of intellectual property rights are: Patents: As the strongest form of IPR, patents are awarded subject to a thorough examination procedure. They confer a very high level of exclusive rights over an invention for a period of 20 years from the date of the application. Any use of the patented matter, except strictly private use, requires permission (license) from the owner. To receive a patent, an invention must fulfill three main criteria: novelty, non-obviousness (inventive step) and industrial applicability (usefulness). A detailed description of the invention must be submitted, which becomes public after the grant of the patent. Copyrights: As the name implies, and in contrast to patents, copyrights do not protect the intellectual content itself, only the reproduction of that content in tangible form. Copyright is granted without any registration or application procedure to authors of original works, and also to computer software and databases. A copyright holder cannot prevent others from using the copyrighted material in development of other original works, as long as it is not directly copied. The period of protection is normallyà granted by adding 50 years to the life of the author, or 50 yearsà only when the author is a corporate body. Trademarks: Names, signs and symbols used to identify goods or services can be registered as trademarks. There is no limit to the period of protectionà given the trademark continues to be used. Trade secrets: The right to keep trade secrets (confidential business information, undisclosed information) is protected through civil and/or criminal law. In the nature of the case, there is no registration procedure, nor is there any exclusive right guaranteed. Industrial designs: The form of an industrial product can be protected. Exact requirements for protection vary widely between countries. Layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits: A recently created Sui generis2 IPR similar to copyright, although with much shorter term of protection, typically 10 years. Only the right to reproduction and distribution is protected, not use in further research and development. Plant breeders right: A Sui generis IPR specifically created to protect new plant varieties. Varieties can be registered provided they are new, stable, homogenous and distinguishable. Protection is similar to a copyright in that it protects the rights to sell and distribute propagating material, while use of the protected variety in further breeding and development is not restricted. The term of protection is comparable to that for patents, around 20 years. Geographical indications: Typically used for food products and in particular for wines and spirits, these are signs or names whichà indicate that a product or service originates from a particularà geographical location. Utility model: Sometimes referred to as petty patents, this more unusual form of IPR provides protection for models and designs. Although there are normally requirements for novelty and inventive step, these are less strict than for patents, and examination is simpler or sometimes nonexistent. The term of protection is correspondingly shorter, typically less than 10 years. Expanding IPRs in Developing countries is still a major concern for policy makers and a constant topic of discussion and debate among the civil society. There is considerable speculation on the impact that expansion in IPRs will have on Research Development, technology transfer, and economic development in developing countries. 2.1 DEFINING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Developing countriesà a term referring a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no one single agreed upon internationally-recognized definition of developed country, where the levels of development may vary widely within some developing countries, which result in some developing countries having high average standards of living.à Some international organizations likeà the World Bank strictly useà numerical classifications. The World Bank considers all low- and middle- income countries as developing. In its most recent classification, economies were divided using 2008 Gross National Income per capita. In 2008, countries with GNI per capita below US$11,905 were considered as developing countries. While other institutions use less specific definitions. Newly industrialised countries are those countries with a more advanced economy than other developing nations, but which have not yet completely demonstrated the signs ofà developed country. Therefore,it seems quite difficult to get an exact definition for developing nations. The characteristics of developing countries can vary from one person or organization to another.à The World Trade Organization (WTO), for example, recognizes some nations as developing countries but mainly allows the members to classify themselves. Therefore for each, the standards and definition could differ. Generally, everyone agrees that developing countries are poor. But what is the meaning of poor? The range of poverty foundà greatly varies in developing nations. A person from one developing country may travel to another which seems richer and may not realize that the two nations carry the same status. This reveals a common misconception; which is ,people believe that in developing nations everyone is poor. In almost every developing country, we can find wealth and luxury. However, these wealth and luxury is usually concentrated only among a small portion of the population, thus, the majority of the people are usually poor. The lack of income, skills and knowledge often affect the source of revenue and standard of living of the average citizens; Leaving large portions of the population, without water or electricity in their homes, and limited access to quality medical care. There may be inadequate military resources to protect the population during times of attack or unrest. Developing countries generally suffer from inadequate social services programs, if they have them at all. For that reason, it is common to find aid groups active in developing countries which provide the citizens with items, such as food, medicine, and education, which would be inaccessible to them otherwise. Other aid groups work is toà protect human rights, which are commonly violated. In the following sections, we present a conceptual analysis of the issues, challenges and options faced by developing countries in expanding their IPR framework. For a long time, Developing countries have been facing demand from developed nations to implement intellectual property rights. The main concern by the developed countries was to protect the inventions or innovations in the developing countries from the dishonest replication and copying. The debate among both developed and developing nations is getting more prevailing since the last two decades. The protection for the innovation has been extended from innovation to discovery, from mechanical devices to living organisms (Bystrà ¶m et al., 1999; chakravathi,1999); from privately funded research and development to publicly funded scientific and technological results; from information technology to information about scientific information (David, 2000); from industrial products and technological processes to services,financial and administrative methods (Lerner, 2000) and from `brick to `click trademarks (Bubert and Bà ning, 2001).However the emerging countries are divided on the basi s of their economic situation, foreign direct investment and technological sophistication.à The concern for the developing countries is the economic implications for the execution of such intellectual property regimes in their respective countries. The case can be even more harsh for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), where intellectual property rights are seen as the driver for the high technology cost, difficulties to access technology by the public. On the other hand, higher technology transfer with foreign direct investment may somehow excuse such establishment. However such `lucrative offers in exchange for intellectual property rights in the developing countries, are according to some developing countries, in view of the developed nations benefits and not to raise the economic conditions of those developing countries from their present states. The debate for the introduction of `proper intellectual property rights in the developed countries is motivated since the modern c ountries faced a menace to their innovative technological and non-technological inventions and their commercialization in the emergent countries. Until now, several measures, particularly led by the United States haveà indeedà enforced the implementation of intellectual property rights in the developing countries, specifically backed by the strong business communities in the United States. 3.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Intellectual Property Rights are among those sensitive areas for developing countries whose correct execution and timing could boost the socio-economical situation of the developing countries. However, debates on the policies on intellectual property rights in the developing country have followed a pendulum like movement (Forero-Pineda, 2006). United Nations took the responsibility to highlight the importance of technology in trade and development, cooperated by independent economists from developing countries. The main dispute was the problem of monopoly and oligopoly in the technology markets thus preventing developing countries from having fair access to technology (Cruz, 1998) and its associated benefits. Penrose in 1951 also stressed that it is virtually inevitable for the developing countries to benefit from the strong intellectual property rights owned byà inventorsà in the urbanized countries. From global welfare perspective, arguments on the fact that developing countrie s having weaker intellectual property necessarily means thatà inventorsà in industrialised countries would lose is not true, however only the relative economic benefits associated with such inventions could be less. From the years 1950s to 1980s, developing countries were able to abstain from the implementation of intellectual property rights, maintaining a special status in the IPR system (David, 1993, p.19). Regional trading blocs like Latin American Free Trade Association (LAFTA), the Andean Pact, and other pacts among the developing countries pursued the common system of intellectual property rights. In 1970, India was the first developing country to adopt a patent law with substantial restrictions on the patent holders (SUNS/IPS, 1995)3.à Raghavan in 2001 argued that the choice of process patents rather than product patents allowed local production of imported products given that the use of a different process was demonstrated. Such legislation in India had the biggest impact on its pharmaceutical industry, making it one of most competitive in pharmaceutical research and development. Those practices were carried out in Brazil and Argentina which set up their own national offices which wer e charge of controlling technology transfer and contracting. Yet those practices and initiatives could not pilot a consolidated intellectual property and technology transfer offices, in lines to the European countries (Cruz, 1998).à In the mid 1980s, a shift in this scenario began to occur on the United States Government initiative. Responding to the concerns of the US based firms, and in context to the agreements with advanced countries, David, in the year 1993, concluded that US followed `a direct, unilateral course of action, instead of renegotiating the international intellectual property rights agreements i.e., Paris or Bern Conventions. Such type of intellectual property regulation was further enacted in Uruguay round of 1990s negotiations, as part of conditions to join the World Tradeà Organization. In developing countries, the terms of the debate changed beyond what could be expected; Local interests in support of enforcing stronger intellectual property protection had emerged, together with the commercialization of imported goods and with the development of local technology. Products such as software, video films and music are easier to copy than traditional industrial products are to copy. For this reason, copyrights have been the focal point of debate for less developed countries, whereas in newly industrialized countries, both in Asia and Latin America, patents and trademarks are issues. Passing from 1970s and 1980s, very recently the debate for introduction of intellectual property rights in different systems within different regions of developing countries have spurred. The main concern, as obvious was raised by the highly influential business lobbies and association in most the developed nations, led by United States. As discussed earlier, United States rebound to the similar kind of strategy by offering market access, technology transfers and foreign direct investments in the (developing) countries, which will successfully implement the intellectual property regimes. Somehow, this was and still a very lucrative incentive for the developing countries, which would definitely raise their present economical conditions, however the policy makers in these countries have different perspective. Theà u-turn in the developed countries strategy is to position differently the impact of implementation of intellectual property protection in developing countries, as it was do ne in negotiations at Doha Round of the WTO onà the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Theà Doha Round of discussion was meant to exclude the development related IPR issues as the cost of medicines, agricultural products, bio-diversity or genetic materials (Lall, 2003). Doha Declaration classified the countries based on their domestic technological imports, research and development and their innovation system. 4.1 IPR IS IT A BENEFIT OR A DETRIMENTà FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES? According to World Bank Global Economic Perspective, there are certain specific reasons for developed countries, and interestingly for the developing countries to follow the TRIPS agreement, i.e., it may provide developing countries better access to agricultural and apparel markets in rich nations, an expectation that stronger IPRs would also encourage additional technology transfer and innovation.à However, according to World Bank,à the promise for long-term benefits seems uncertain and costly to achieve in many nations, especially the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). In addition, the administrative costs and problems with higher prices for medicines and key technological inputs loom large in minds of policy makers in developing countries. Many are pushing for significant provisions in the agreement. Certain developing countries also applied for the provisions in implementation for the patent protection, particularly in pharmaceutical industry. Certainly there are specific short-term costs associated with intellectual property rights for the developing countries, like higher prices for the technology and protected products. Given this, the case for stronger intellectual property rights in these countries must rest on long term benefits like larger technology or foreign direct investment inflows and stronger stimuli to local innovation. Thisà would be an economic case only if the present value of these benefits is more than the present value of these costs. Given the mechanics of the compound interest, this means that the long-term benefits would have to be very large indeed, particularly if they accrue after some time. Some countries have also agreed to support TRIPS in return for the concessions in other (non technological) spheres of economic activity, such as larger aid, freer access to developed country markets for primary exports and so on. Whether they actually benefited in these ways remains an open question, since neither the costs nor the benefits of TRIPS related concessions have been properly measured. However the discussion might be fruitful, if the implementation of intellectual property rights are associated with the state of economy of the country in which it is being implemented, for instance in the case of developing countries. One main fact regarding the IPR is the certainness of the benefits to developed countries by implementing the intellectual property rights in developing countries. Nevertheless such implementation would also stimulate the local innovation in the developing countries, allowing them to import the foreign technologies and have hands-on experience in learning and using the technologies. The state in whichà present developing countries is analogy of the state in which the developed countries were in the era of their industrialization, by having weak intellectual property rights, to promote, build and foster the development of local firms and industries. Theory also suggests that the benefits of IPRs rise with income and that at very low levels the costs o f strengthening IPRs may well outweigh the gains. In a world whereà so many industrial country firms are acquiring strongà intellectual property rights, often covering fundamental research tools (e.g., tools used for genetic transformation) and marketable products, it is becoming difficult for developing countries to play isolationist and ignore IPR policies. Given the concerns highlighted in the previous sections, the challenge for policy makers in developing countries is to strike a balance between their need to access modern technologies and developed countries need to access the markets and biodiversity. Policy makers in developing countries need to also ensure that the Research and Development sector serves the country well and safeguard the interests of local companies Scope of protection Policy makers face the difficult task of defining the scope and breadth of protection (within the minimum standards framework defined by WTO) so as to maximize social welfare and to achieve certain distributional objectives. Too weak protection may lead firms to invest less than socially desirable in the creation of new knowledge. Overly stringent protection may lead to wasteful research spending as firms compete to be first to innovate, which may make public research more socially desirable than private Research Development. Only rarely will a single level of protection for all technologies or sectors maximize domestic welfare as the trade-off between the economic benefits of innovation and imitation will depend upon the sector involved. Complying with various international treaties. Developing countries are under pressures of not only the TRIPS Agreement but also other international treaties and conventions such as CBD, which have conflicting requirements in terms of protecting a countrys natural resources and intellectual property. The laws and regulations for intellectual property protection in developing countries have to meet the international standards and practices specified in the TRIPS Agreement and, the CBD (if they are members of both treaties). If they chose to join UPOV they will also be bound to accept the requirements of the UPOV Convention. Social and Administrative costs. IPRs may have social costs if the granting of temporary monopolies, lead to excessive rent seeking by firms. To minimize these social costs, governments will need to ensure competition from both private and public sector. The public sector may have to play an important role in continuing research in traditional crops and technologies and strengthening capacity in modern biotechnology research.à Legislation without implementation is of little value; and implementing the IPR system involves a number of administrative and institutional costs to the society. These include the costs involved in developing the appropriate laws and enforcement mechanisms within each country. Patent examiners need special training to deal with biotechnological applications or countries need to hire new examiners with degrees in biology and biotechnology. For PVP, an appropriate administrative system must be established. WIPO and UPOV operate training schemes for developing countries and provide assistance to those seeking to implement the TRIPS Agreement. Empirical evidence suggests that these direct costs to the society could be particularly large in a developing country. Enforcement legislation.à TRIPS is the first agreement in the IPR field to create direct obligations to enforce the protection granted. It sets standards both for civil and criminal law. In the fields of copyrights and trademarks, it also requires that customs authorities assist right holders in preventing trade with counterfeited or pirated goods. For most developing countries, there will be a need both for new legislation and perhaps even more for strengthening capacity in the judiciary, in customs, and in the police force. Particularly in countries where illegal trade in copyrighted or trademarked goods is widespread, this may be a major implication of TRIPS. Infrastructure and human capacity. In many cases, TRIPS will entail a considerable need for investment in infrastructure and human capacity. New forms of IPR, as well as expansion of existing systems to new fields of protection, will require increased numbers of staff, better training, and new computer and administrative systems. The expansion of IPRs to living organisms will require access to systems for deposition of biological material and facilities for identification of plant varieties, both entirely new branches of activity for most developing country IPR administrations. Costs of implementation. Apparently, no attempts at estimating the costs of TRIPS implementation were made prior to the finalization of the agreement. Some rough estimates done later by UNCTAD and the World Bank (UNCTAD 1996, Finger Schuler 1999) have not yielded reliable figures but indicate that the costs may be substantial, in the magnitude of 10 or more million dollars per country. Costs can be expected to be relatively higher in less developed countries, because they start from a lower level of IPR legislation. It is likely that in many developing countries, much of this cost will need to be covered by development assistance funds, at least the initial investment in new legislation, infrastructure and human capacity. At any rate, especially in LDCs, TRIPS implementation will directly compete for resources with other development needs. However, IPRs can also be beneficial to Developing countries.It is widely assumed, especially at the policy level in developed countries, that strengthened IPR protection will generate economic benefits for developing countries. It has also been argued that this will more than offset the cost of TRIPS implementation. In particular, the importance of strong IPRs for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) is routinely cited as a key mechanism to this effect. The scientific literature is however inconclusive on this point. There are studies which demonstrate some correlation. But there are also studies which document substantial increases in FDI despite weak IPR protection (Kirim 1985, cited in South Centre 1997), and studies which show little correlation between strengthened IPR protection and changes in FDI. The provisional scientific consensus appears to be that the level of IPR protection most likely is one factor influencing FDI decisions, but far from the only one and not usually the decisive one. With standardization of IPR protection under TRIPS, differences in this respect will no longer exist and other factors will decide FDI choices. Moreover, it has been argued that the TRIPS agreement may also lead to reductions in the flow of FDI (South Centre, 1997); with stronger IP protection, the risk of imitation will be lower and title-holders may prefer export of products rather than local production in export market countries. It has also been pointed out that any benefits will likely be concentrated in NICs, while LDCs and other countries at the opposite end of the development scale will risk net costs even over the longer term (UNCTAD 1996). Strictly speaking, however, even if economic benefits from strengthened IPR protection could be conclusively demonstrated, they would not be benefits of TRIPS implementation, but of IPR implementation. Also before TRIPS, developing countries were free to implement TRIPS levels of IPR protection, or indeed higher levels, if they saw fit. None of the potential benefits of IPRs depend on the existence of TRIPS. What would need to be demonstrated are benefits of having mandatory minimum standards of IPR protection, which is the only new contribution of TRIPS. These administrative costs may only be partially borne by governments.Patent and trademark offices can be self-financing operations through the levies from application and renewal fees. A careful balance has to be struck, however, between generating revenues for the administrative office and keeping fees sufficiently low so as not to exclude small-scale inventors from the IPR system. An alternative to reduce administrative costs is to contract researchers at universities and other institutions to provide technical reports (the cost of which should be borne by the applicants). Another alternative is to provide for a deferred system (which exists in many countries), whereby a special request for examination needs to be made by the applicant during a certain period (UNCTAD 1996). The rationale for this system is that some inventors may decide to abandon the application, thus reducing the number of applications to be examined by the patent office. Yet another option for keeping the costs of running the patent system down, as is the case in South Africa, is to not require any patent examinations and let the patent holders defend their patents in court. 5.1 FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED Administrative costs are likely to increase with the implementation of the IPR framework. But these should be viewed in light of the costs of alternatives. Thus, an important question that policy makers need to address is whether the costs of setting up a patent or a PVP system are large relative to the cost of strengthening public sector research and development in agriculture? Intellectual property protection provides greater benefits than costs in the advancement of science, technology, and economic performance. However, the benefits of intellectual property protection often accrue in the future, thereby making the near-term costs seem large. The protection benefits both private and the public sectors and it is the allocation of the return, which is determined by public policy. Yet another factor that policy makers need to consider in establishing an IP system is the cost of protection to the innovators as well. The standard system of patenting would be inaccessible for many small entrepreneurs and grassroots innovators due to limited resources and their risk-averse nature. National governments may have to think about establishing innovative low cost system like Petty Patents that can ensure protection for shorter time at lower cost (Gupta 1999).12 Petty patent will help small entrepreneurs to explore the commercial application of their invention in a given (shorter) time. Later they can choose to go for regular patent or else their petty patent expires and their invention becomes part of regular prior art. Some recommendations on how developing countries can reduce the cost of implementingà IPR: Developing countries need to be given a greater sense of ownership and involvement in the IPR system. Manyà see TRIPs as primarily a mechanism for shifting profits to creative interests in rich countries. Thus it is important for developed countries and multilateral organizations to provide adequate technical and financial assistance for implementation of the new standards in developing nations, to remove impediments to future technology flows, and to meet and extend their own commitments to liberalize market access for products of interest to poorer countries (notably apparel and agriculture). Assistance should aim to develop rights and opportunities suitable to the needs of entrepreneurs, inventors, and artists in poor economies. Analysis is also needed of potential mechanisms for securing the rights of developing countries to export interests of their own such as geographical indications, traditional knowledge, and genetic resources. Sensible methods need to be found for balancing rights of patent holders in pharmaceuticals against users needs for product availability at reasonable cost. Evidenceà in the book points to potentially large increases in drug prices in developing countries as patents are implemented. Governments should work to offset these impacts by using innovative procurement programs. In particular, development and transfer of treatments and vaccines for diseases in the poorest countries should be expanded via public-private partnerships. WTO members should not rush to expand multilateral protection in controversial areas until we know more about how new systems function. Requiringà broad scope for biotechnology patents, and extending them to plant and animal varieties, could damage the interests of lagging countries in return for little gain in innovation. Many countries need to adopt or strengthen systems of plant breeders rights and it would be premature to req
Monday, August 19, 2019
Tom Wolfeââ¬â¢s: O Rotten Gotham Essay -- New York City Literature Transpo
Tom Wolfeââ¬â¢s: O Rotten Gotham ââ¬Å"It got to be easy to look at New Yorkers as animals, especially looking down from some place like a balcony at Grand Central at the rush hour Friday afternoon.â⬠(Tom Wolfe). ââ¬Å"O Rotten Gothamâ⬠argues that New Yorkers are in a state of behavioral sink. It would not be long before a ââ¬Å"population collapseâ⬠or a ââ¬Å"massive die offâ⬠. Throughout the article, Wolfe made his opinion clear. He believes everything New Yorkers go through is unhealthy and inhumane. Humans were compared to rats using the overcrowding, the ways of life, and the filth as examples. From the adrenaline rushes and car horns to helicopter noises and constant overcrowding, New York City is a constant stress causing environment. Dr. Hall, another author presented in the article, saw this overcrowding in the city causing a lot of problems. He states that work takes place in massively congested areas such as small cubicles in offices. This, however, is not just a problem in New York City. All across the US people are confined to a cubicle for their work space. It is not the end of the world either. You are there a certain amount of hours a day, and when workers come home they can relax and spread out. New York City homes are not the most spacious, but they are not as bad as being in a cubicle. Wolfe really makes you look at the differences your environment can make and how it affects its citizens. One with no knowledge of city life would probably be disgusted of it after reading this article. If they were looking to move to New York City, they would most probably think it through again. Who would want to live in filth with animals? What Wolfe doesnââ¬â¢t mention in his article are all of the good things about New York City.... ...ace to place to fit the needs of the area. When you listen to Wolfe, you get one side of the story. Without knowing the other side anyone would agree with him and his opinions. Thirty years ago the city was on its way to a massive behavioral sink, but has been cleaning up its act. The streets, subway systems, workplaces, and attractions have all cleaned up and done there part. More and more people are living in the city. Wolfe believes that this city is on its way to the sink, but the city is proving him wrong. SOURCES: Anderson, Chris and Runciman, Lex. A Forest of Voices: O Rotten Gotham. Peter. www.citynoise.org/index.php?article=610 Oââ¬â¢Sullivan, David. Morehead State University student from Yonkers New York. Crime Rates and New York City. http://www.policetalk.com/nyc_crime_rate.html NYC Subway Systems. http://www.ny.com/transportation/subways/
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Legalization of Medicinal Marijuana Essay -- medical cannabis should be
In the U.S., cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, is illegal for medicinal purposes only because the federal law places it in Schedule I, a category for drugs that have been deemed unsafe, highly subject to abuse, and possessing no medicinal value. After much scientific research, and investigations of evidence, this has been proven to be quite inaccurate. First of all, Judge Francis L. Young, concluded not only that marijuanaââ¬â¢s medical utility had been adequately demonstrated, but also that marijuana had been shown to be ââ¬Å"one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to manâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Medical Marijuana Briefing..). He also ruled that marijuana has legitimate medical applications and should be available to doctors. à à à à à Only eight people today receive marijuana through a federal ââ¬Å"compassionate useâ⬠program which stopped admitting new patients in 1992, after the number of applications, mostly from AIDS patients, increased dramatically. Young also ruled that ââ¬Å"â⬠¦the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act permit and require the transfer of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule IIâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Medical Marijuana Briefingâ⬠¦). As a Schedule II drug, marijuana would be allowed to be prescribed to patients by physicians, but only under highly regulated conditions. à à à à à Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a wide variety of therapeutic applications s...
Blacks Attempt To Achieve Equality :: United States History Historical Essays
Blacks' Attempt To Achieve Equality The second amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right of American citizens ââ¬Å"to bear arms shall not be infringedâ⬠by the United States government (2nd Amendment). Robert Williams understood how significant this right was to the protection of Black lives which were targets of racism and violence. He advocated the use of violence as a means of self defense and organized local blacks into a ââ¬Å"rifle club with a charter from the National Rifle Associationâ⬠(60). Skip Curtiss defends this position saying, ââ¬Å"any steps that (Williams) had to take in order to prevent his family and his people from being slaughtered like cattle were completely within his rightsâ⬠(Curtiss). This is certainly true regarding Williams right to own guns, as explained above, but below the surface of Curtissââ¬â¢ statement, lie many questions regarding the results the threat of violence has produced. Retaliating against racism with violence actually produces effects whi ch are detrimental to the integrationist movement. Whites felt threatened by Williams militaristic statements, which caused them to hold onto their power with a increasingly tighter grip. Non violence has moral superiority to, is more logically sound than and has produced much more favorable results than armed self defense, and is thus a much better method in the struggle to achieve equality. The most famous advocate of non violence was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his essay ââ¬Å"A Letter From a Birmingham Jailâ⬠he articulates the position of non violence. Justified is King in his civil disobedience because certain laws treat people unequally, and are therefore immoral. He demonstrates out of protest of these laws, but knows that by breaking laws he must accept certain penalties. King feels that resorting to violence only equates the abused with the abuser. Thus in the fight for a morally just cause, Blacks must not resort to immoral tactics else they becomes victims of hypocrisy. The major problem with armed resistance to protect Blackââ¬â¢s lives is that it is does not have a means to produce the ends, which is equality. Williams Asserts that ââ¬Å"the basic ill is an economic ill, (Blacks are) denied the right to have a decent standard of livingâ⬠(40). No one can logically disagree with this, but threatening to use violence is not a solution. As Williams found out, his position actually made matters worse. Blacks' Attempt To Achieve Equality :: United States History Historical Essays Blacks' Attempt To Achieve Equality The second amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right of American citizens ââ¬Å"to bear arms shall not be infringedâ⬠by the United States government (2nd Amendment). Robert Williams understood how significant this right was to the protection of Black lives which were targets of racism and violence. He advocated the use of violence as a means of self defense and organized local blacks into a ââ¬Å"rifle club with a charter from the National Rifle Associationâ⬠(60). Skip Curtiss defends this position saying, ââ¬Å"any steps that (Williams) had to take in order to prevent his family and his people from being slaughtered like cattle were completely within his rightsâ⬠(Curtiss). This is certainly true regarding Williams right to own guns, as explained above, but below the surface of Curtissââ¬â¢ statement, lie many questions regarding the results the threat of violence has produced. Retaliating against racism with violence actually produces effects whi ch are detrimental to the integrationist movement. Whites felt threatened by Williams militaristic statements, which caused them to hold onto their power with a increasingly tighter grip. Non violence has moral superiority to, is more logically sound than and has produced much more favorable results than armed self defense, and is thus a much better method in the struggle to achieve equality. The most famous advocate of non violence was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his essay ââ¬Å"A Letter From a Birmingham Jailâ⬠he articulates the position of non violence. Justified is King in his civil disobedience because certain laws treat people unequally, and are therefore immoral. He demonstrates out of protest of these laws, but knows that by breaking laws he must accept certain penalties. King feels that resorting to violence only equates the abused with the abuser. Thus in the fight for a morally just cause, Blacks must not resort to immoral tactics else they becomes victims of hypocrisy. The major problem with armed resistance to protect Blackââ¬â¢s lives is that it is does not have a means to produce the ends, which is equality. Williams Asserts that ââ¬Å"the basic ill is an economic ill, (Blacks are) denied the right to have a decent standard of livingâ⬠(40). No one can logically disagree with this, but threatening to use violence is not a solution. As Williams found out, his position actually made matters worse.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Normative Leadership Style
In this article have analyzed Normative Leadership theory, a theory that is theoretically elegant and characteristically practical. Even in todayââ¬â¢s increasingly changing global business scenarios, this robust theory enables Leader to select one of the five leadership styles namely decide, consult individually, consult group, facilitate and delegate by using the modelââ¬â¢s time-driven and development-driven decision tree. Trait and Behavioural Theory Timeline: In the 1930s leadership theories were based on leadersââ¬â¢ traits. Two dimensional behavioral theory (autocratic versus democratic) was published at University of Iowa in 1939.In 1940s University of Michigan published Job centered versus employee centered theories and in mid 1950s University of Ohio published considerations versus structure theories. In 1960s Fredrick came out with two factor theory maintenance or extrinsic factor versus motivators or intrinsic factors. In 1967 McGregor suggested leadership behavi ors based on different assumptions on employee motivations in describing his ââ¬Å"Theory Xâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Theory Yâ⬠. Birth of Contingency Leadership Theory: In 1970s, it became evident that no single leadership style is best for all situations; leaders need to change their leadership style to suit situation.Researchers then started working on situational and contingency factors which led to the development of contingency theories such as Fiedler theory (1967), Leadership continuum theory (Tannenbaum & Schmidt, 1973), Path goal theory (House & Mitchell, 1974) and Normative theory (Vroom & Yetton, 1973; Vroom & Jago, 1988, 1995). While Fiedler theory recommends changing the situation rather than changing leadership style, rest of the contingency theories recommend using right style at right situation to deliver effective leadership.Normative Leadership Theory: In 1973 Vroom and Yetton developed a contingency model based on the leaderââ¬â¢s choice of autocratic versus par ticipative responses to decision making situations. Extensive validation research of the model resulted in the development of Vroom-Jago model in 1988 (again updated in 1995). The research aimed to develop taxonomy for describing leadership situations, which could be used in a normative model linking situations to the leadership styles.A set of seven situational variables were used (Vroom & Yetton, 1973) to predict which among the five leadership styles would be the most effective to deal with the situation. Vroom conducted extensive empirical studies to investigate how leaderââ¬â¢s behavior is affected by situation faced by leader keep. The studies were conducted with a focus on the leadership role and on how differences in the challenges that leader face would affect leaderââ¬â¢s behavior. The five leadership styles are (1) Decide: The leader makes the decision and announces it or sells it to the followers.Leader may gather information from others within the group and outsid e the group without specifying the problem, (2) Consult Individually: The leader explains follower individually about the problem, gathers information and suggestions and then makes the decision, (3) Consult Group: The leader holds a group meeting, explains followers the problems, gathers information and suggestions and then makes the decision, (4) Facilitate: The leader holds a group meeting and acts as a facilitator to define the problem and the limits within which a decision must be made.The leader seeks participation and concurrence on the decision without pushing his or her ideas and (5) Delegate: The leader lets the group diagnose the problem and make the decision within stated limits. The role of the leader is to answer questions, provide encouragement and resources. Originally seven situational variables were identified to answer the questions with high (H) or low (L) score. These are (1) Decision significance: How important is the decision to the success of the project or o rganization high or low? 2) Importance of Commitment: How important is the follower commitment to implement the decision high or low? (3) Leader Expertise: How much knowledge and expertise does the leader have with this specific decision high or low? (4) Likelihood of commitment: If the leader were to make the decision alone, is the certainty that the followers would be committed to the decision high or low? (5) Group support for objectives: Do followers have high or low support for the team or organizational goals to be attained in solving the problems? 6) Group Expertise: How much knowledge and expertise do the individual followers have with this specific decision high or low? and (7) Team Competence: Is the ability of the individuals to work together as a team to solve the problem high or low? Not all seven variables/ questions above are relevant to all decisions. A minimum of two and maximum of seven questions are needed to select the most appropriate leadership style in a given situation.During year 2000, Vroom revised the model with eleven variables. Each of these eleven is a moderator variables linking leadership style with components of decision effectiveness. Most of these eleven variables have also been used in empirical studies to investigate how leader behavior is affected by the situation faced by the leader. Both Time-Driven Model and Development-Driven Model using seven variables are presented in Appendix 1 along-with instruction how to use the model.Vroomââ¬â¢s theory has also been criticized by many raising questions such as (1) whether small set of seven or eleven factors really determines how one should use the answers (2) will answers depend on the quality of the person who is answering (3) will answer vary from person to person and time to time and (4) will use of tacit knowledge in evaluating a situation; weaken the outcome of the model? These criticisms have resulted in further research and deliberation on the model.All parties (both followers and critics) agreed on the importance of matching of personal qualities and situational requirement towards delivering effective leadership in an Organization. They also agreed that leadership effectiveness will depend on the use of realistic scenarios describing actual situations confronting a leader in an organization. Conclusion: The powerful model which Vroom and his colleagues at Yale University developed after interacting with more than 100,000 managers making decisions has proved to be a robust and useful model even in todayââ¬â¢s dynamic business context.The model has identified the following three distinct roles that situational variables play in the leadership process. 1. Leadership effectiveness leading to Organizational effectiveness is affected by situational factors not under leaderââ¬â¢s control 2. Situations shape how leaders behave and 3. Situations influence the consequences of leader behavior. Appendix 1 Instruction how to use the model: 1. Select one of the two models based on whether the situation is driven by importance of time or development of followers, i. e. short term or long term. 2. Define problem statement. 3.Answer the question from left to right skipping question not appropriate to the situation and avoiding crossing any horizontal line. The last column will prescribe the appropriate leadership participation decision-making style for the situation. Normative Leadership Time-Driven Model | Decision Significance? | Importance of Commitment? | Leader Expertise? | Likelihood of Commitment? | Group Support? | Group Expertise? | Team Competence? | | PROBLEMSTATEMENT| H| H| H| H| -| -| -| Decide| LEADERSHIPSTYLE| | | | | L| H| H| H| Delegate| | | | | | | | | L| Consult (Group)| | | | | | | | L| -| | | | | | | L| -| -| | | | | | L| H| H| H| H| Facilitate| | | | | | | | | L| Consult (Individually)| | | | | | | | L| -| | | | | | | | L| -| -| | | | | | | L| H| H| H| Facilitate| | | | | | | | | L| Consult (Group)| | | | | | | | L| -| | | | | | | | L| -| -| | | | | L| H| -| -| -| -| Decide| | | | | L| -| H| H| H| Facilitate| | | | | | | | | L| Consult (Individually)| | | | | | | | L| -| | | | | | | | L| -| -| | | | L| H| -| H| | -| -| Decide| | | | | | L| -| -| H| Delegate| | | | | | | | | L| Facilitate| | | | L| -| -| -| -| -| Decide| | Normative Leadership Development-Driven Model | Decision Significance? Importance of Commitment? | Leader Expertise? | Likelihood of Commitment? | Group Support? | Group Expertise? | Team Competence? | | PROBLEMSTATEMENT| H| H| -| H| H| H| H| Delegate| LEADERSHIPSTYLE| | | | | | | | L| Facilitate| | | | | | | | L| -| Consult (Group)| | | | | | | L| -| -| | | | | | | L| H| H| H| Delegate| | | | | | | | | L| Facilitate| | | | | | | | L| -| | | | | | | | L| -| -| Consult (Group)| | | | L| -| -| H| H| H| Delegate| | | | | | | | | L| Facilitate| | | | | | | | L| -| Consult (Group)| | | | | | | L| -| -| | | | L| H| -| H| -| -| -| Decide| | | | | | L| -| -| -| Delegate| | | L| -| -| -| -| -| Decide| | References: Achua, Christopher F and Lussier, Robert N. : Effective Leadership, 4th Edition, South- Western Cengage Learning Chan, Patrick Dr. , Class Lecture Notes Palanski, Michael E. and Yammarino, Francis J. : Integrity and Leadership: A multi-level conceptual framework: The Leadership Quarterly 20 (2009) 405-420 Vroom, Victor H, Yale University and Jago, Arthur G, University of Missouri. Situation Effects and Levels of Analysis in the Study of Leader Participation: Leadership Quarterly Vol. 6 No. 2 1995 Vroom, Victor H. Research: A New Look at Managerial Decision Making
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