The Corporate Culture of Zappos Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

The Corporate Culture of Zappos - Assignment Example Considering the importance which Zappos gives the relationship between corporate culture and personal values, it is possible for the company to ask questions that measure the core value of an individual. While measuring an innate quality is difficult, it is easy to get a hint of what an individual perceives a situation (Nelson & Quick 541). This way, through the graduated rating scale, the company’s Human resource team can use the answers given t to evaluate the core values of the person. It is essential to mention that the interview focuses more on personality than technical capabilities. For this reason, the comparison between the core values of the organization and the individual perceptions of the applicant can tell their philosophies. Lack of a formal feedback might bring up issues in the organization. Formalities and bureaucracies have paramount importance as far as communication and consistency are concerned (Nelson & Quick 521). For instance, where an employee does not receive regular feedback, especially in writing, it is likely that any disciplinary action leveled against them will be treated as constructive discharge. As such, formal feedback is essential as it provides inspiration and a basis for employees to improve on their weaknesses as they judge themselves. To avoid such issues, the human resource group at Zappos should always issue a formal feedback. Over time, there are many signs that can be seen in an employee that fits into the corporate culture of Zappos. One of the signs of a character that fits the culture is the subordination of personal interest to organizational interest. Additionally, such an employee will be motivated and satisfied with their job. On the contrary, an employee that does not match the corporate culture of Zappos will be less concerned about organizational interests and will usually be a poor performer whose job is characterized by non-punctuality, and less formality.

H.W 8 GSC125-01 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

H.W 8 GSC125-01 - Essay Example Answer: Coriolis Effect reverses direction between the hemispheres so that the large scale winds in the Southern Hemisphere swerve to the left rather than to the left. This reversal is related to the difference in an observer’s sense of earth’s rotation in the two hemispheres. To an observer looking down from high above the North Pole, the planet rotates counterclockwise, whereas to an observer high above the South Pole, the planet rotates clockwise. For the observer measuring motion relative to a coordinate system anchored to the rotating Earth, this reversal in the apparent direction of rotation between the two hemispheres translates into a reversal in the direction of the Coriolis Effect. Answer: The counterclockwise and inward spiral of cyclone in Northern hemisphere converge surface winds towards the center of the low. Air ascends in response to converging surface winds and diverging winds aloft. The adiabatic expansion of ascending air within a cyclone lowers the temperature and saturation vapor pressure, thereby increasing the relative humidity of unsaturated air. Clouds and precipitation may eventually develop, so that cyclones are typically stormy weather

Eco Friendly Product And Environmental Consciousness

Eco Friendly Product And Environmental Consciousness This chapter present the theoretical framework that the method and analysis is built on. This structure has been chosen in order to give the reader a chance to evaluate eco-friendly product and environmental consciousness from a broad set of principles, starting broad to get narrower. 2.1 Concept and Theory Eco-friendly products still have an impact on the environment, but the impact is greatly reduced when compared to traditionally produced products. However, there is some eco-friendly products may even have a positive benefit, depending on how the company does its business. Many such products are also designed at lifestyle changes which benefit the environment; so, even if the product itself is not totally neutral, consumers undertake the actions after buying the product are beneficial. For example, eco-friendly light bulbs require more energy and resources to make, but they save energy once they are installed in a home. This chapter will follow by a comprehensive analysis of the relevant literature; several choice variables that may affect consumers to purchase environmentally friendly products have been recognized. These factors can be classified into six categories: demographics, knowledge, values, attitudes, behavior, and psychological. Figure 1 is representing a theoretical framework for these factors. A review of the literature supporting the relationships posited in Figure 1 follows. Figure 1 2.1.1 Demographics Populations change over time, and companies must be aware of those changes. Demographics can be described as the numerical characteristics of human populations, such as age or income that used to distinguish markets. There are two reasons that had been used to describe demographic by a group of people; where demographics help define a market and studying demographics helps identify new opportunities. (Marshall, 2010) Although much research has been done on the demographic profiles of green consumers, findings are still relatively mixed with some demographic characteristics showing more consistent results than others. According to previous demographic profiling, ecologically friendly consumers generally fall into the category of education, age and income. Demographic profiles linked ecological consumers attitudes and behaviors to education (Micheal, Jasmin, and Guido, 2001). Based on Arbuthnot (1977), Schwartz and Miller (1991), Newell and Greens (1997) study, there have positive relationship between education and the behaviors of ecological consumers. The researchers can anticipate the prospect finding constantly, because most studies have found positive correlations between green consumers education and attitude and/or behavior. Ordinarily, the socially responsible consumers demographic profile is young and/or pre-middle age has been studies by several past researches (Anderson and Cunningham 1972; Weigel 1977; Roberts and Bacon 1997). However, the result is not really trusted by readers. There is no significant relationship between age and green attitudes and behavior (McEvoy, 1972). In others hand, Van Liere and Dunlaps (1981) study argued that the relationship between age and green sensitivity and behavior is important and negatively correlated. Roberts (1996b) argued that the relationship to be important and positively correlated. The previous studies on relationship between income and environmental concerns have been conflicting. There are correlated relationships between income and environmental attitudes and behavior (While Zimmer, 1994), In contrast, there is no significant relationship between income and environmental concerns have been study by Robert (1996b). According to Straughan and Roberts (1999), the researchers have found that using demographics alone to profile and segment green consumers is not helpful. Ability to predict socially responsible consumer behavior is lacking, and the researcher suggested that marketers have to recognize and integrate relevant attitudes and behaviors, individual characteristics, and buying intentions into their exploration (Robert, 1996a). Based on Suchard and Polonski (1991) study, ecologically conscious consumers attempt to protect the environment in different ways, thus, there are different categories of ecologically concerned consumers. Several researchers had studied ecological attitudes within a marketing perspective. According to Kinnear and Taylors (1973) study, the researchers related their Ecological Concern Index to consumer brand impression and found that ecological concern was predicted better by individually rather than by demographic variables (Kinnear , 1974). Similarly, discounted demographic characteristics as possible segmentation variables had been studies by Kassarjians (1971). Nevertheless, socio-psychological and demographic variables were very important and related to social responsibility (Anderson and Cunningham (1972). Van Liere and Dunlap (1980) study had been found as a comprehensive review of social and demographic correlates of environmental concern. According to Gatignon and Robertsons (1985) study, the researchers recommended that younger, better educated, and higher income consumers tend to accept market innovations more quickly. There are particular social-psychographic characteristics, like innovative predisposition, risk-taking attitude, and opinion leadership have also been shown to be related to new product adoption (Midgley and Dowling, 1978; Gatignon and Robertson, 1991; and Rogers, 1995). According to Ostlunds (1974) research, the researcher argued that the effect of demographics was relatively weak. Native consumer innovativeness and new product adoption were positively related in the software product category (Foxall, 1995); and Steenkamp and colleagues (1999) had failed to find a relationship between a value dimension and consumer innovativeness. A contingency model has been called by researchers to better explanation for new product adoption (Midgley and Dowling, 1978, 1993; and Mudd, 1990). Midgley and Dowling (1978) had argued that the basic idea of a contingency model is that to affect individual variables on new product adoption may depend upon other personal variables or situational variables. According to Midgley and Dowlings (1993) longitudinal study, the womens evening wear category supply good support for their contingency model, where the effect of predispositions on new product adoption varies due to the social interaction process. Demographic variables did not judicious the relationship between consumer predisposition and new product adoption behavior as the contingency approach hypothesized (Im, 2003). Demographic variables, most particularly (income, education, and age) are often tested in experimental research on new product adoption. Venkatraman and Price (1990), Midgley and Dowling (1993), and Im (2003) had argued that innovators tend to be younger and have higher levels of income and education. According to Gatignon and Robertsons (1985) study, there is true for high-involvement products such as consumer durables. Higher levels of education are evocative of open-mindedness and ability to process new information and higher income indicates greater financial ability to meet the expense of new products. Age can be analytical of risk-avoidance and conservativeness, and therefore can be negatively associated with innovativeness. The effect of consumption attitudes on new product adoption may be dependently on consumers demographic characteristics and come out with a contingency approach. Briefly, if consumers are young, well educated, and have a high income level, even consumers wi th more conventional consumption attitudes may adopt a variety of new products. 2.1.2 Consumers Knowledge There are some findings have been clashed by the way to judge how knowledge affects consumers ecological behaviors. Alba and Hutchinson (1987) had make a statement that knowledge is extensively relates to how consumers collect, group, and evaluate products, as well as being a principal predictor of environmentally friendly behavior (Vining and Ebreo 1990; Chan 1999). Knowledge can be said that it affects all stages of the decision making process, so that if have any wrong information can cause the consumers make a bad decision. As an example, most consumers are aware of the importance of reusable bag such as Im not a plastic bag , give consumers a way to heal the environment by not using the plastic bag which is harm to the environement (Crane 2000). Some people may perceive themselves as knowledgeable but when by actual measurement they are not. There is a pervasive human tendency to evaluate oneself as better than others or above average that have been study by Taylor and Brown (1988). Those people may actually be defectively educated and their purchase judgment or other actions may actually put into the problem rather than diminishing it. Measurement to weight broad levels of knowledge (not specific to making choices) and enclosed several ecological issues had been explored by previous research (Maloney and Ward, 1973; Maloney, Ward, and Braucht, 1975; Synodinos, 1990). But, Synodinos (1990) was argued that there is no important relationship between objective knowledge and the attitudinal behavioral dimensions that have been studied by Maloney, Ward, and Braucht (1975). Buenstorf and Codes (2008) had stated that complex processes of individual and social learning had shaped out consumers behaviour by this recent theorizing in evolutionary economics. This learning theory of consumption remains within the utilitarian custom of economics proposed that consumers capacity has been motivated by the acts of consumption to fulfil human wants. In this point of view, explicit knowledge on the characteristics of goods has been request by consumers, as well as on the connection between goods and the satisfaction of wants. Ecological want always become a question in case of sustainable consumption. It is a necessary that human need and an explicit knowledge on the causal link between the good and the satisfaction of the need for a thing to become a consumed good (Menger, 1950). According to Oltras study, it suggest that consumers should have a need or a want for ecological products, information on the environmental quality of goods and knowledge on the connectio n between these characteristics and the satisfaction of wants (Oltra, 2009). As a result, consumers knowledge and perceptions, useable information will play a vital characteristic in the creation of environmental preferences. 2.1.3 Values Behavior is influence by values (McCarty and Shrum 1994). Consumers can have the target of purchase ecologically product after they value protecting the environment. Consumers will make some classification of material difference when they buy an eco-product (Peattie, 2001). Wiener and Sukhdials (1990) study argued that the main cause of why consumers are not involved in ecologically favorable behavior is consumers perceived a very low level of self-involvement toward protection of the environment. To solve the problem, consumers environmental behavior should be motivated by highlight the importance of environmental issues. Therefore, marketers have an important role that they should communicate to the potential consumer that buying green products could have a large impact on the environment benefits (Laroche, Bergeron, and Barbaro-Forleo 2001). Individuals had been written themselves as the cognitive patterns by understand values in their environment by come out with a general denominator in social science. The most theoretical type of social cognitions helps to realize the interpersonal world by highlighting the importance of values for behavior. Values are used to select and justify actions and to criticize people, including the self, and events. Values are both self-centre and social-centre in the sense that they are at the crossroads between the individual and the society. Schwartz and Bilskys (1987) study have argued that values are concepts or beliefs about desirable end states or behaviors that excel in specific situations, where it is to guide the selection or evaluation of behavior and events, and ordered by relative meaning. There are three types of universal human requirement clarified as cognitive representations by the meaningful content of values. Kluckhohn (1951), Maslow (1959), and Rokeachs (1973) study the biologically based needs of the organism, social interactional claims for interpersonal coordination, and social institutional demands for group welfare and survival. Hofstede and Bond (1984), and Triandiss (1990) study the combination of both socially and personally interests on values. The theory of values has obtained attentions in cross-cultural social science research, and also in the area of consumer behavior and marketing. Values are adopted to be shared, as a minimum by people within a culture, thats why it used to describe the psychological comparability within and the differences across cultures. Analyze cross-cultural differences in existing behaviors are helped by investigate cross-cultural similarities and differences in values. Cultural differences in specific behaviors is more easily be interpret by point out the more abstract level of consumers cognitive hierarchy. According to Schwartzs (1992) study, values have clarifying power for a specific aspect of consumer attitudes, where namely environmental concern. An indirect approach has been choose to judge the potential values where it is to forecast behavior by testing the strength of relationship between environmental attitudes and self-reported frequency of buying organic foods. According to Kahles (1983) study, the researcher defined that consumer values can applied in a selection of life situations (Kahle, 1983; Kamakura and Mazzon, 1991; Sheth et al., 1991). The studys result is: there is a higher level of concept than consumption behaviors such as new product adoption (NPA) while consumption-level attitudes are at a level of abstraction much nearer to consumption behaviors. Brunsos (2004) study had argued that NPA may be influence situation-specific consumer attitudes than consumers attitudes by applied means-end chain theory. 2.1.4 Consumers Attitudes According to Schlegelmilch, Greg, and Diamantopouloss (1996) study, the researchers came out with the finding that attitudes are the most reliable predictor of pro-environmental purchasing behaviors. In general, there have been found that a positive correlations between environmental concern such as attitude and environmental friendly behavior (Van Liere and Dunlap 1981; Roberts and Bacon 1997). Based on the case of recycling, an important relationship between environmental concern and ecologically responsible behavior has been study by Simmons and Widmar (1990). According to Wickers (1969) study, the researcher had found a powerless relationship between attitudes and behavior. Findings are still questionable in study the impacts of attitudes on behavior when object a category of ecological concerned consumers is much harder than marketers expected. Researchers have been proposed that using a single and multiple behavioral measurements on attitudes. Researchers should include other probable dominant variables (different attitude representations towards different objects), and corresponding the specificity of attitude and behavior measurement by the purposed to strengthen the relationship between attitude and behavior (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1977). Besides, there are a study shows that attitude and behavior may get advantage from the examination of multiple factors, merged with situational characteristics to validate if these factors influenced behavior (Weigel, 1983). Conjoint analysis had been suggested to test attitudes and behavior because conjoint analysis can provide information on where consumers perceived ecologically friendly of specific behaviors (Roozen and De Pelsmacker, 1998). According to Balderjahn (1985), in the late 60s and early 70s, a person that can be defined as those who knows the manufacturing, allocation, utilize, and discarding of products lead to external costs, and who evaluates such external costs negatively, trying to minimize them by behavior. According to Urban (1986), Van Liere and Dunlaps (1981) study, the researchers always interpreted environmentally relevant values, attitudes, and behavioural intentions in the research. A major determinant of buying ecologically products is environmentally concern (Brombacher and Hamm, 1990; Van Dam, 1991; and Grunert, 1993). A consumption-related entity with some degree of favor or disfavor had been evaluated based on Eagly and Chaikens (1993) study. According to Brunsos (2004) study, they are more analytical consumption behavior than other common factors, because consumption attitudes are exact to the consumption domain. Conversely, consumption attitudes are control by the overarching value systems, where it is to cover central dispositions applicable to a broad assortment of situations, contexts, and behaviors (Brunso , 2004 and Steenkamp, 1999). Clearly, consumption attitudes are tied personal values to actual consumption behaviors. Security value is concerned with peoples needs for safety, predictability, and stability (Schwartz, 1992). According to Daghfouss (1999) study, the level of security value hamper the acceptance of new products is high among international consumers. In consumption view, Johnson (1999) had argued that consumers concern for future security can be in part answered by sensible financial planning, which, consecutively reflected in their attitude toward savings (Liu and Cui, 2000). Consumers with a more positive attitude toward savings have a propensity to save more money for prospect used. Consumer purchasing power maybe negatively affected when consumers deposit their income into savings accounts. Attitude implies a combination of factual knowledge and motivating emotional concern which result in a tendency to act. Further, it is understood that clusters of attitudes about similar environmental conditions will motivate individuals to express their attitude. Therefore, to achieved maximum impact on environmental education, it must provide factual information which will lead to understanding of the total biophysical environment, develop a concern for environmental quality which will motive citizens to work toward solutions to biophysical environmental problems, and inform citizens as to how they can play an effective role in achieving the goals derived from their attitudes. 2.1.5 Consumers Behavior According to Zhong, Liljenquist, and Cains (2009) study, the researchers highlight the significance of global sense of morality by study the individuals moral reasoning and reactions to cut off events. This study argued that moral behaviors are figured into an understood calculation of self-perception where righteous behaviors boost moral self-image. It is hard to maintain a positive moral self and always costly. This is because social and ethical dilemmas usually engage in conflicts of interest. Therefore, people have a propensity to be powerfully motivated involved in pro-social and ethical behaviors if peoples moral self is threatened by a recent misbehavior. People are likely to analyze moral implications and regulate their behaviors right after their moral self experienced. This inferred that righteous acts can authorize successive asocial and immoral behaviors. Based on Sachdeva, Iliev, and Medins (2009) research, the researchers feel that purchasing green products declared ind ividuals values of social responsibility and ethical consciousness by reminding people of their humanitarian traits may reduced charitable donations. During the energy crisis of the late 1970s, there is a relationship to the attitudes-behavior had studies by past research (Berger and Corbin, 1992). According to Websters (1975) study, the researcher shows that the consumers were concerns about saving energy, but behavior on such concerns was deficient. However, many investigators believe that low level of attitude and behavioral correspondence is a answer of improper attitudinal specificity (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). According to Suchard and Polonskis (1991) study, the researchers had argued that ecologically awareness consumers are trying to concern for the environment in different ways. The marketers must work out carefulness when attempting to extend environmental initiatives from one ecologically conscious behavior to another (Pickett, 1993). 2.1.6 Psychological An assorted model joins both demographics and psychographics should be preferred to the traditional demographic profiling methods in examining environmental concern; as a correlate of environmental behavior because psychographic variables present stable profiles of green consumption (Straughan and Roberts, 1999). The psychological influences relating to ecological consumption can be supported by previous research. According to Kinnear (1974), Tucker (1980), and Robertss (1996) study, the researchers had argued the effectiveness on consumers perceived. This study investigated the level to any consumer can have an impact on the environment. As a finding result shows that there is a high level of perceived consumers effectiveness in greater levels of green consumerism. Based on Schwepker and Cornwell (1991), and Sparks and Shepherds (1992) research, they argued the self efficacy is related to ones ability to join in green consumption. Some previous studies the meaning of social responsibility and it is an extent to which an individual feels morally responsible to take part (Tucker, 1980; Schwepker and Cornwell, 1991; and Mainerei, 1997). The causal model depicted in Figure 1 includes five dimensions of ecologically responsible consumption patterns. Two of them concern energy conservation patterns. The use of home insulation goods is measured by three indicators (use of double glazing windows, use of wall cavity insulation, and insulation of windows), and the dimension of energy curtailment is measured by two indicators (reduce heating and take a shower instead of having a bath). Ecologically responsible buying and using of products is a further dependent dimension of our causal model, which is operationalized by three indicators (buy less packaged products, use returnables, and use fewer detergents). If a brands ecological impact is questionable, the ecologically concerned consumer has the alternative either to change to a nonpolluting brand or to express dissatisfaction to the manufacturer of that product (Hirschman, 1970). A more general, but not productspecific, act of ecologically concerned consumers is to supp ort or to join environmental protection organizations as a means of expressing dissatisfaction with environmentally harmful goods. To take into account this general ecologically behavioral pattern, our causal model includes a dimension of environmental concern that is measured by two indicators (signing ecologically relevant petitions and support or join an antipollution organization). The ecologically responsible use of automobiles completes the list of dependent behavioral dimensions specified in the causal model. Four measures are used as indicators (only driving if necessary , economical driving, driving bicycles instead of cars, and reduce driving). Henion (1976) postulates that ecologically concerned consumers possess certain psychological characteristics to a significantly higher degree than other consumers. Webster (1975) developed his so-called social involvement model, which suggests that socially conscious consumers are more active and socially involved than the average consumer. This study includes consumers personality traits that reflect the degree of alienation and emotional expressiveness. We hypothesize that ecologically concerned consumers, although they are more alienated from the core culture, are active and not willing to suppress dissatisfaction with the perceived environmental pollution. Each trait is operationalized by two measures (give way to ones feelings and suppress emotions for emotional expressiveness, and unsureness in dealing with others and like to be in the center of attention for alienation) using the multiple indicator measurement model (for further details, see Balderjahn, 1988). Kinnear et al. (1974) were the first who identified the so-called characteristic of perceived consumer effectiveness. This is a measure of the extent to which a person believes that an individual consumer can be effective in pollution abatement. Henion and Wilson (1976) relate that variable to the concept of locus of control. Empirical results suggest that the ecologically concerned consumer is an internally controlled individual. It should be mentioned that this control concept operates as a strong predictor in the domain of the individuals perception of economic problems (Strtimpel, 1976). Furthermore, because the control belief mediates the impact of success or failure on the expectancy of reinforcements, the close relationship between that concept of locus of control and the theory of causal attribution is evident. Here, a binary measure of personal control (internal or external) and a measure of ideology control (perceived power of changing adverse social conditions) are analyzed. We hypothesize that the ecologically concerned consumer is an internally controlled person who believes in peoples power of changing perceived adverse social conditions. The very early research on ecologically concerned consumers focuses on attitudes as descriptor and predictor variables. According to Kinnear et al. (1974), a buyers attitude must express his/her concern for ecology. Attitudes have served as predictors of energy conservation behavior, ecologically conscious purchase and use of products and recycling. In our study, three measures of environmental attitudes are included to explain behavior. These are the pro-con attitude toward nuclear energy, the attitude toward pollution (measured along a 4-point rating scale), and the attitude toward ecologically conscious living. The latter attitude combines two measures in a multiple indicator model (deviate from societal consensus and go to native). We hypothesize that the attitude toward pollution and the attitude toward ecologically conscious living predict behavior-especially the latter, because of its higher specificity. Additionally, it is assumed that the attitude toward nuclear energycan se rve as a proxi-variable to identify ecologically concerned consumers. Socioeconomic and demographic variables are easy to assess, and they therefore play an important role in market segmentation. Unfortunately, the predictive power of demographic and socioeconomic variables is generally low. Here, we hypothesized that ecologically concerned consumers are better educated, younger, and have a higher income than the average consumer. Sex and occupational status are included in a rather exploratory sense. Education, income, and occupational status are summarized to an index of the consumers socioeconomic status. We assume that ecologically concerned consumers occupy a higher status than others. Furthermore, we are interested in the impact of cultural factors on nonpolluting consumption patterns. The number of friends, the friends social position, and the place of residence may be important cultural factors in explaining ecological consciousness, because they reflect different socialization conditions in which the consumer acts.

The Development of the Modern Party System in Western Europe Essay

The concept of Political Parties has been an evolving concept and framework that emerged after the American formation of political parties in the 18th century. Political scientist Edmond Burke, stated in 1770 that political parties are â€Å" a body of men united for promoting, by joint endeavors, some principles which they all agree.† Professor Feigenbaum broadened upon this definition by stating that political parties are institutions that represent diverse yet compatible interests . Both of these definitions led to recognition that political parties develop in a nation parallel to the development of the society and show the nations cleavages and triumphs. Thus, the recent changes to the political parties in The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are parallel to the recent changes in their society, such as the evolution of new social movements that have changed the electoral composition and decentralized the basic party organizations. The foundation of the classic British two-party political system of the Conservative and the Labour party was founded in the 19th century where the concerns and interests of the British population were all economically and class based. The Conservative party foundations lie in the ability of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli’s abilities to create a, â€Å"long-lasting alliance between an upper class leadership and a lower-class following .† It has followed until recently, due to David Cameron modernization of party ideals, has followed a platform of conservatism and unionism and has relied on the support of the upper class and the lower class. The Labour Party developed during the industrial revolution as the need for a party that was founded by trade union representatives and represents the interests o... ...more moderate parties with greater party discipline that are based on common views of political ideology and policy and that have been swayed by slowly emerging fringe groups and third parties. This shift in the political party system of these nations corresponds with the shift of Western Europe towards European integration. Thus, these changes do parallel the development of the Western Europe and each respective nation and show the nations and Western Europe’s cleavages and triumphs. Works Cited Kesselman, Mark. European Politics in Transition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009.Print. Gaspard, Franà §oise. "Rediscovering the citizen." A small city in France . Cambridge,Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995. Print. Burke, Edmond. Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents. London: Printed for J. Dodsley, 1770. Lecture Notes. October 26, 2010.

Ethical Issues Surrounding Gay Marriage Essay

When I think of Ethical issues in the world today, Gay Marriage seems to hits me the hardest. Now Maybe it is the fact that I am bisexual myself or that I have a homosexual uncle who has been married for 2 years. Either way, I am a strong supporter of the entire marriage institution, especially gay marriage. In this paper I will first indentify the ethical issue of gay marriage and specifically explore the ethical problems gay marriage presents including their pros and cons. I will then explain the classical theory of and determine how it would resolve the problems at hand. Next I will continue by contrasting the theoretical solution with perspective of towards gay marriage. Lastly, I will go over which view is the closest to my own personal outlook of gay marriage. Let’s begin with the ethical issue at hand, Gay Marriage. The right for homosexual couples to become married is frowned upon in most of the world. In fact, Gay Marriage is and has been one of the greatest ethical issues in the United States since Slavery and Women Rights. In my own personal opinion, I believe Same-sex Marriage should not be an ethical issue. What is unethical, is how A person may lie, cheat, or fornicate, and still experience the grace of God; but if they are in a gay relationship they are somehow socially damned. I believe by denying any one person their constitution rights to equality is wrong. If a person is homosexual and they choose to marry their significant other, they have the civil right to do so under the constitution as a U. S. citizen. By denying any one person the right to marry whomever they choose, that is a violation of said persons civil rights, because marriage holds legal civil status. We all are Americans who have the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. How can anyone deny Americans this right primarily because of their sexual orientation? People pride themselves on being law abiding citizens, but choose to discriminate against homosexual person’s lifestyle and love interest based on the so called facts written many years ago in a â€Å"religious† book. The Bible is not the law! That is one thing that most religious groups have not yet grasped. No matter what any one person’s religious beliefs are, there is no law, power, or authority that gives them the right to push their religious beliefs onto another’s life. I do not nor have I ever thought religion should ever be the deciding factor in the worlds verdict about gay marriage? Today the growing acceptance of homosexuality is a direct threat to the domination of traditional Christian norms. According to the Christian Bible and many other religions texts, there is the believe that marriage is meant solely between a man and women, anything else is considered a act of sin. However, due to the bible stating that one should not pass judgment on another, many churches are more recently accepting same-sex couples. Personally speaking, many religious â€Å"church goers† use the bible as a means to attack others. They walk around presenting this holier than thou appearance, but neglect to follow all of the teachings their bible possesses. It is funny how those same religious groups that try to argue that gay marriage is a sin are the same people that are protesting to band their children’s public schools of religious content and practices. The separation of Church and State has been put into place in many U. S. cities. Knowing this, I do not understand how any government is to follow the rules on the separation of church and state, but then be given the right to place laws against gay marriage solely based of the Bibles written word. Homosexuals do not spend time going around telling heterosexual people that they are not allowed to engage in intercourse until marriage, while that’s in the bible. The Bible vs. The Constitution seems to play the biggest role in the argument against gay marriage. People have stated, â€Å"the constitution should be changed, its outdated. † However, their entire argument is incorporating the first amendment right of freedom of speech. before the constitution was written, going against the government was unlawful. No one was allowed to speak their minds. I know that even in the bible when one went against what god said they were punished or put to death. Heterosexuals don’t like certain rights in the constitution that go against their own personal beliefs, but will turn and cater to others, like freedom of speech. Without some of those rights it would be unlawful for me to write this paper. Plus, I would have been murdered some time ago for being a white and black, bisexual man. what most fail to realize is that yes the bible thought of gays as a sin but it also listed a number of other acts as sin. If our lives were truly run solely by the Bible’s scriptures, Gay marriage would be the last of the heterosexuals problems. Especially when most of the worlds murders are committed by heterosexuals. I personally do not like to base my arguments off a source unless I plan to use the entire source as foundation. I cannot say the constitution is wrong solely off on right I do not agree with. But turn around and accept the others that cater to my better living. That would label me as a hypocrite. Just like how many people use their religious beliefs to fight gay rights, but fail to follow other aspects of the bibles teachings. I am just human, who am I to judge anyone. This is just one of the many reasons why I can argue that many of the firm believers against gay marriage are set in hypocritical views. People against gay marriage claim that marriage is dedicated to starting a family. They argue that with marriage you have children and build a happy home. However, for many people, marriage is more about love and mutual trust than about starting a family, and so they would say that gay marriage is not an issue. So for those who say it’s only to start a family, I would call this a delusional fantasy. For one there are more broken homes in the world now than anything. Now yes, Homosexual couples cannot physically reproduce on their own. However, this does not give reasonability to deny the couple the right to marry. There are heterosexual couples that cannot physically have children of their own as well. There are many women out in the world that cannot bear children due to a numerous amount of health issues. My own aunt Kelly was told that she can never have children of her own. Her body just doesn’t have the strength and or properly functioning organs to create life. The same goes for many men. I have a neighbor that recently told me that he has a condition that denies him the ability to produce reproductive sperm. As he likes to say, â€Å"he is shooting blanks. † Knowing this I didn’t see any government laws stopping them from getting married. My aunt was told about her inabilities to birth, over 20 years ago. Today she has been married twice. May I remind you that she is a heterosexual woman that cannot have children of her own and is still legally allowed to marry. In today’s world, there are many alternative options for couples to start a family. The most popular way is adoption. Also, there is much more controversy no-a-days regarding adoption . It has become apparent that more and more Homosexual couples are going outside of the United States to adopt children. They are forced to go outside of the United states due to the fact that they are not legally allowed to adopt here in the states. Lesbian and gay-parented families may be more likely than others to include members from more than one ethnic group . So because the government wants to discriminate against the homosexual lifestyles, there are more and more American children left without a home. No one that can legally adopt them is stepping up for the responsibility. It is true that you truly respect something more that you have to fight for. My grandmother used to tell me this since I was really young. There are so many heterosexuals out there that are â€Å"horrible parents† or that take the gift of parenting for granted. They do drugs and make extreme decisions that break up their families or make the decision to rid themselves of the responsibility of parenting all together. I speak from person experience. As a young boy at the age of 5, my mother gave me and my 5 younger siblings up to child protective services. At the time she chose her friends and her drug abuse over her children and family. She did not care whether we would be okay or not, she dropped me off with only 1 shoe. All my mother cared about was being able to get high without the guilt of us seeing her do it. I ended up back in the family, but my siblings were all separated some are still in the system. Now I personally have never seen a homosexual couple that are bad parents. It is usually the exact opposite. Homosexual couples have to fight in order to build their families so they try not to do anything to mess that chance up. I have also never met a homosexual couple that didn’t want children. Along with starting families, those against gay marriage also argue that children brought up in a same-sex marriage household are taught morals and beliefs. Some say that this type of household is poisonous to the child, that it teaches them to go against â€Å"our creator†. what if their families do not share in the same religious beliefs as others. Contrary to what most assume, there are many people that do not believe in God. Just like there are many cultures that believe in gay rights. So no one can make the basis of their argument on â€Å"the creator† when not everyone believes in him. Also, they like to say that by growing up in a gay household, the child is going to turn gay. the association between religious attendance and attitudes toward gay marriage is mediated by a belief that sexual orientation is a choice rather than innate & . This is so ridiculous in so many ways. For one being gay is not a disease, you can’t just catch it. Being gay is not something you inhabit like a accent. People are not made gay they are born gay; its just a matter of when they decide to accept it. I was raised in a house with a male and female parenting role, and I still knew I was different. I am a bisexual male and so are many of my friends. These friends of mine were raised in all types of different households, but known were raised in same-sex households. At the same time I have 3 friends that were adopted and raised by two homosexual men and not a single one of them are gay. They are all in heterosexual relationships and never once thought of being with the same-sex. These are a few examples of discrimination against gay marriage. Another major problem with gay marriage that people are beginning to argue is the affect of heterosexual couples. Many people argue that the world will change for heterosexual couples if same-sex marriages were allowed. Income taxes is one on the many reasons they have behind this outrages claim. Many people are in the belief that income taxes will be increased. Also, the IRS gives certain credits and benefits to those individuals that have children and other dependants. Heterosexuals believe that the government will be forced to apply the same financial benefits and credits on income taxes towards homosexual couples which they believe will lower everyone’s benefits. Along with their income taxes, they’re under the assumption that social security taxes will increased and the benefits decrease if the government has to provide accommodation for these same-sex married couples. One of the more common ignorant claims is regarding heath care. People are arguing that their medical insurance premiums will rise based on these stereotypical images of homosexual lifestyles. They have always believed that homosexuals get diseases and illnesses like Aids or HIV easier than heterosexuals. Based on this belief they think that there will be a higher health care needs associated to the treatment of these more at risk diseases. These potential changes in circumstances do not hold enough credibility to deny a person the right to join the institution of marriage. It is unethical to claim the power to control if someone can get married. Most of the world believes Gay marriage is unethical. I have to disagree with that assumption. This is another way that heterosexuals choose to be hypocrites. Using Arranged marriage as an example, I prove my case. Mostly everyone in the world, whether homosexual or heterosexual, can agree that arranged marriage is unethical. Many people believe that all want arranged marriage is wrong because you should have the right to choose whom you marry. So how is that any different than what homosexuals want. Homosexuals are also being denied the chance to marry who they choose. Again being hypocritical! People believe Marriage is about love and commitment. Both homosexuals and those forced into arranged marriages are victims. Neither gets to decide what they want to do, how to live, who to love. The only difference between the two is that at least arranged marriage is marriage. The couple that is actually in love cannot be married. When two people fall in love, they all want the same thing. They dream of this life together, married, with a family, and more. Why should homosexuals be revoked that reality. It should not matter if you are gay or straight, you should be able to get married if you want. On another note I also, do not believe that anyone should have to travel away from home to legally get married. Some people have to travel multiple states away, because none of the states near them allow same-sex marriage. The day that all 50 states come to the same decision accepting gay marriage will not come anytime soon, but I do hope I am still alive to see a good size amount of them jump the bandwagon. This is one way that would begin to solve the issue. When it comes to gay marriage, I believe the classical theory of Utilitarianism would help solve many of the problems. Utilitarianism is a consequential theory. It is the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good . The Utilitarian view seeks to maximize the overall good in a situation. In other words, one should always act in a way that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. It is proven that there are fewer people against same-sex marriage, than for it. So the theory of Utilitarianism is the best resolution to the issue the ethical problems of gay marriage. If the government acted with utilitarian views, then we would have less anger, debate, spend less money on a unnecessary battle. Along with this view one would also need a clear perspective of the issue. A clear perspective of the issue of same-sex marriage would be relativism. Relativism is the idea that one’s beliefs and values are understood in terms of one’s society, culture, or even one’s own individual values . It is the philosophical concept that all points of view are equally valid, and that all truth is relative to the individual . Both sides that are involved realize that neither side will ever agree nor neither side is right or wrong. Each Society, culture or religious group is formed by its own ethical values and beliefs, with how they see things to be right and wrong. I believe that when it comes to gay marriage everyone is going to have to agree to disagree. Religion is the top reason to why people are against same-sex marriage. What church goers fail to realize is that they are forcing their religious beliefs onto not only the homosexuals but to all. Everyone has their own views and when Homosexuals try to voice theirs, they are attacked, (metaphorically). The only way that this problem is ever going to get anywhere is if both sides try to understand that just because everyone doesn’t share your same views and beliefs, that doesn’t make them wrong. The cannot ignorantly believe that everyone automatically shares their beliefs. Homosexuals are already at this point, they are the hypocrites in this situation. All they want is equality, the same equality that everyone else has been fighting for all these years. In conclusion, I have indentified the ethical issue of gay marriage and explored the ethical problems gay marriage presents including the pros and cons. I then explained how the classical theory of Utilitarianism would resolve those problems. I continued by contrasting the theoretical solution with perspective of relativism towards gay marriage. Lastly, I went over which view is the closest to my own personal outlook of gay marriage. I do not believe that there should even be such a thing as â€Å"gay marriage†. The title itself is discriminatory. Gay people do not go around referring to a heterosexual couple’s marriage as straight marriage. So why should a society filled with diverse lifestyles be allowed to refer to homosexual marriages as â€Å"gay marriage†. Marriage is marriage, either way. It should not be labeled as any other. Whether, heterosexual or Homosexual, it’s the same institution and should hold the same rights. At the end of the day I am a firm believer that the discrimination against gay marriage should be outlawed. Gay people do value the institution of marriage, therefore their relationship and want to marry is ethical in my eyes. References Driver, J. (2009, June 21). The History of Utilitarianism. Retrieved from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato. stanford. edu/archives/sum2009/entries/utilitarianism-history/ Haider-Markel, D. P. (2008). Beliefs about the origins of homosexuality and support for gay rights. Public Opinion Quarterly, 72, pp. 291–310. doi:10. 1093/poq/nfn015 Mosser, K. (2010). Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Patterson, C. J. (2013). Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents: Psychology, Law, and Policy. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(S), 27–34. Rosenfeld, M. J. (2007). The age of independence: Interracial Unions, Same-sex Unions, and the Changing American Family. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Swoyer, C. (2010, December 21). Relativism. Retrieved from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/relativism/ Todd, N. R. , & Ong, K. S. (2012). Political and Theological Orientation as Moderators for the Association Between Religious Attendance and Attitudes Toward Gay Marriage for White Christians. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 4(1), 56–70.

The Pulmonary Function Tests Health And Social Care Essay

Development of our state has lead to rapid urbanisation and there is addition usage of cars that is worsening environmental pollution. Occupational exposure to automobile fumes and industrial fumes has been shown to impact operation of different systems of the organic structure. The present survey was taken up to measure the Pulmonary Function Tests ( PFT ) in car jinrikisha drivers of Gulbarga metropolis. Methods: Fifty non -smoker male car drivers in the age group of 20-50 old ages for more than 5 old ages of car driving experience formed the survey group. Age and sex matched persons non exposed to car rickshaw driving [ administrative staff ] formed the control group. Pulmonary map parametric quantities FVC, FEV1, FEV1 % , PEFR, PIFR, FEF25-75, FEF50 and MVV were assessed utilizing computerized Spiro metre during their on the job hours and were statistically analyzed. Consequences: There was a extremely important lessening in FVC and FEV1 in survey group compared to command group. The lessening in FEV1 % , PIFR, FEF25-75 and FEF50 were statistically important but the lessening in PEFR and MVV were statistically non-significant. Decision: Our findings point towards the inauspicious effects of vehicle fumes on lung maps, chiefly on lower air passages with restrictive form of disease. Keywords: Cars, Auto drivers, Pulmonary maps trials.IntroductionNumerous epidemiological surveies have documented decreases in pneumonic map and assorted other wellness jobs associated with long term air pollution exposure1.Health effects of occupational exposure to crude oil bluess and air pollution from vehicular beginnings is comparatively undiscovered among car jinrikisha drivers. To run into the present twenty-four hours demand, there is an addition car usage and because of the prevailing function of gasolene [ gasoline ] as a motor vehicle fuel, the effects of gasolene engine emanations are potentially even greater jobs. In the individuals exposed to these pollutants, pneumonic map trials are used as testing trials to find their effects2.Therefore, the present survey is taken up to measure the alterations in Pulmonary Function Tests ( PFTs ) like Forced Vital Capacity ( FVC ) , Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second ( FEV1 ) , FEV1/FVC ratio, Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ( PEFR ) , Peak Inspiratory Flow Rate ( PIFR ) , Forced Expiratory Flow in 25-75 % of critical capacity ( FEF25-75 ) , Forced Expiratory Flow at 50 % of critical capacity ( FEF50 ) and Maximum Voluntary Ventilation ( MVV ) of car jinrikisha drivers in Gulbarga metropolis.Materials & A ; Methods:The present survey was conducted in Salgar infirmary of Gulbarga metropolis. Ethical clearance was taken from the Institutional Ethical Committee and each topic gave the consent. The survey group consisted of 50 males in the age group of 20-50 twelvemonth, who were driving car jinrikisha for 8 hours per twenty-four hours for more than 5 old ages in Gulbarga metropolis. The control group consisted of 50 males of same age group from administrative station, who were non exposed to car jinrikisha drive. The topics chosen in the survey and the control group had no history of allergic upsets, respiratory upsets like asthma, or any systemic disease, no history of smoke, masticating baccy and consumption of intoxicant. Age, tallness, and weight were recorded. All the Pulmonary maps were tested during twenty-four hours clip utilizing computerized Spiro metre [ MEDSPIROR ] .The topics were familiarized with the instrument. All the trials were carried out at the same clip of the twenty-four hours, between 10-11 AM. All the topics were in sitting place and have oning nose clips3. The topics were asked to take a breath forcefully following deep inspiration into the mouthpiece attached to the pneumatachometer. 3 trails of maximum Inspiratory and expiratory attempts were made and the best reading was taken for statistical analysis. Statistical method used in our survey was pupil ‘s odd T trial utilizing SPSS-16. The P & lt ; 0.05 was considered statistically important and P & lt ; 0.001 was considered extremely statistically important.Consequences:The average value of the ages of the topics was 36.4AÂ ±7.40 and that the average value of the controls was 34.8AÂ ±3.76. The average value of the highs of the topics was 170.40 AÂ ± 3.39 and the average value of the controls was 174.60 AÂ ± 4.15 and the average value of the weights of the topics was 72.60 AÂ ± 7.56 and that of the controls was 74.40 AÂ ± 8.24. The topics and controls did non differ significantly on above parametric quantities. Table-1: Comparison of lung volumes and capacities between survey and control groups Parameter Study group ( n=50 ) Mean AÂ ±SD Control group ( n=50 ) Mean AÂ ±SD p-value FVC ( L ) 2.77AÂ ±0.41 3.33AÂ ±0.50 0.001** FEV1 ( L ) 2.67AÂ ±0.46 3.11AÂ ±0.33 0.001** FEV1 % 88.25AÂ ±13.34 90.31AÂ ±10.12 0.050* MVV ( L/min ) 110.80AÂ ±18.63 130.16AÂ ±26.89 0.059 *P value & lt ; 0.05 is statistically Significant, **P value & lt ; 0.001 is extremely statistically Significant Table-2: Comparison of flow rates among survey and control groups Parameter Study group ( n=50 ) Mean AÂ ±SD Control group ( n=50 ) Mean AÂ ±SD P value PEFR ( L/min ) 5.47AÂ ±1.40 7.05AÂ ±1.59 0.15 PIFR ( L/min ) 2.21AÂ ±0.67 3.61AÂ ±1.10 0.04* FEF25-75 ( L/min ) 3.60AÂ ±1.33 4.85AÂ ±1.11 0.04* FEF50 ( L/min ) 4.16AÂ ±1.22 5.17AÂ ±1.32 0.05* *P value & lt ; 0.05 indicates statistically Significant value.Discussion:Occupational wellness has been deriving importance for the fact that long term exposure to vehicle fumes, gasoline and dust can take to a lasting morbidity. The acute wellness hazards involved are minimum, provided that the precautional methods are used in conformity with appropriate wellness and safety patterns. Highly statistically important lessening in FVC and FEV1 was observed in car drivers when compared to their controls, and their ratio ( FEV1 % ) was important between the two groups. This determination indicates the restrictive form of pneumonic engagement in the survey group. Auto jinrikisha drivers are at hazard of dust inspiration, gasoline vapour inspiration and besides inspiration of car fumes for a longer period of clip that is at least 8 hours per twenty-four hours for more than one twelvemonth and they have more opportunities of chronic engagement of lungs as indicated by the consequences in the present survey. The benzine content of gasoline has typically been in the scope 1-5 % may be an aggravating factor for the lung map abnormalcies observed as the survey groups were nonsmokers. Smoking as an independent variable was found to impact FEV1 significantly and smoke has shown to speed up the diminution in lung map in a clip dependent manner4. As the car drivers are most of th e clip on busy roads and exposed to automobile fumes and other air pollutants. Automobile fumes is a complex mixture of different gases like Sculpture dioxide ( SO2 ) , Carbon dioxide, Carbon monoxide ( CO ) , Nitrogen dioxide ( NO2 ) and particulate affair. Some surveies have demonstrated that exposure to particulate affair combined with exposure to an irritant gas such as NO2 consequences in greater harm to the lung than when exposed to either substances individually5.In combination with particulate pollutants, SO2 and NO2 have a greater opportunity to make the deeper parts of the lungs. The gaseous pollutants may besides change the belongingss and concentration of surfactant and contribute to the early closing of little air passages. Much of the terminal bronchioles may be compromised before other pneumonic map trials such as FEV1 are affected6. Few histopathological surveies have provided grounds that the little air passages are the site of harm in people populating in countries of high air pollution7. Atoms generated from Diesel fumes are highly little and are present in the karyon or accretion manners with diameter of 0.02 am and 0.2 am severally. These little sized atoms, by virtuousness of their greater surface country to mass ratio, can transport a much larger fraction of toxic compounds, such as hydrocarbons and metals on their surface. Importantly they can stay airborne for long periods of clip and acquire deposited in greater Numberss and deeper into the lungs than big sized atoms. Hence chronic exposure to them can take to chronic redness of respiratory piece of land and lung parenchyma. These would lend to the significant lessening in lung maps in the signifier of restrictive form as indicated in the present survey. Rajkumar studied the consequence of air pollution on respiratory system of car jinrikisha drivers i n Delhi. The survey found that ( 19 % ) drivers showed normal Pulmonary Function Test ( PFT ) . ( 80 % ) showed mild and moderate to terrible obstructor, of which ( 48 % ) were non-smokers and ( 52 % ) were tobacco users and the consequence concludes that car jinrikisha drivers have a high respiratory morbidity due to exposure to pollution.8 In a survey, reduced mechanical belongingss of take a breathing were attributed to exposure to benzene in the bluess of petrol9. Bijendra Kumar et Al examined the pneumonic map trial in three Wheeler Diesel cab drivers in Bikaner metropolis. They found restrictive damage in 87 % of survey group, of which 50 % were tobacco users and 37 % were non-smokers, assorted form ( both restrictive and early clogging damage ) was found in merely 13 % of survey group, of which 7 % were tobacco users and 5 % non-smoker. So they concluded that when all the five parametric quantities ( FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF 25-75 % and PEFR ) were taken together they were de clarative of assorted form ( clogging and restrictive ) lung impairments10. Chattopadhyay et al conducted a survey on garage workers, drivers and music directors of Kolkata metropolis to measure the pneumonic map position of these workers and found that FEV1, FEV1 % and flow rates, FEF 02-121, FEF25 % -75 % values showed gradual decrease as age and continuance of exposure increased11.From the present survey it was concluded that respiratory maps of car jinrikisha drivers who are continuously exposed to emanations from vehicles, gasoline vapour and dust were significantly reduced as compared to respiratory maps of age, weight and tallness matched control groups.Recommendation:To forestall the respiratory disfunction among car drivers, medical observation and periodic check-ups for pneumonic map trials should be performed. Control schemes should be adopted to cut down the vapour concentration in the air, like vapour adsorbents and to cut down the benzine concentration in the ambient a ir. Personal protective equipment must be worn by car jinrikisha drivers. Imparting wellness instruction to car jinrikisha drivers will forestall respiratory morbidity. Further long term position surveies on car jinrikisha drivers will assist in acquiring a comprehensive image of long term effects.Recognition:This research paper is made possible by the support from the participants of our survey. We dedicate our recognition of gratitude towards Mr.Shaik.Meera and Dr. Rashmi.C.G as they kindly read our paper and offered valuable elaborate advices on grammar, organisation, and subject of the paper. Finally, we unfeignedly thank Godhead, household and friends, who provided fiscal support and timely advice.

Examine how Valvular heart valve disease has caused a major problem worldwide The WritePass Journal

Examine how Valvular heart valve disease has caused a major problem worldwide Introduction: Examine how Valvular heart valve disease has caused a major problem worldwide Introduction:Definition:Cellular sources:Biomaterials:Sterilization methods:Pre-clinical trials:Biomechanical culture:Commercialized products:Challenges:Conclusion:REFERENCES:Related Introduction: Valvular heart valve disease caused a major problem worldwide, result in increasing rate of morbidity and mortality (Rashid et al., 2004). Each of the four valves of heart can be affected by dysfunction (Mol et al., 2009). The common solution is the replacement of diseased valves either mechanical or bioprostheses. However, they are associated with shortcoming. Patients with mechanical valves are associated with long term of anticoagulation therapy which leads in higher risk of complications (Hjortnaes et al., 2009).   Bioprosthetic valves are less durable, enable to grow and repair and lead to calcification. Moreover, they are associated with reoperation especially with young patients. None of these valves are capable to restore native valves functions.   To overcome replacement shortage of heart valve, in the mid of 1980s in the USA, tissue engineering concept was proposed as alternative solution and has the capability to produce autologous heart valves (Matsumura, 2003). Definition: Tissue engineering of heart valves is manipulation of biological molecules and cells for the purpose of creating new structures capable of metabolic activity. (Vesely, 2005). Approaches: Worldwide, two main approaches have been used to achieve the desirable and clinical needs of heart valves; regeneration and repopulation (Vesely, 2005). In the first approach, decellularized xenograft (ECM proteins; collagen or fibrin) or allograft served as valve biological scaffold, mixed with autologous cells (myofibroblast and endothelial) has been seeded in vitro (Mendelson and Schoen, 2006), (Neuenschwander, 2004). However, limitations of this approach are; the construct lack the ability to grow, long term mechanical properties could alter physical properties of the native valves and a possibility of disease transmission (Neuenschwander, 2004). Moreover, inflammatory reaction due to ECM proteins used may deteriorate the scaffold result in biomechanical damage (Mendelson and Schoen, 2006). A biodegradable synthetic scaffold is the traditional approach in which cells of a specific phenotype are transplanted onto a bioresorbable scaffold in the shape of heart valves (Vesely, 2005).These biocompatible materials offer several advantages; Due to degradation products, they have neither side effects nor immunogenic reactions.   They are harmless and easy to handle. At the site of implantation, the remaining autologous living structures after complete biodegradation of the scaffolds have the ability to remodel, to adapt and to grow (Neuenschwander, 2004). The danger of the transmission of new infections and immunogenic reactions is minor as a result of utilization of autologous cells which lead to identical bioengineered tissues to host cells (Neuenschwander, 2004). Extracellular matrix material is formed by the cells after attachment and the polymer scaffold degrades (Fuchs et al., 2001). As shown in (Shinoka et al., 1995) mixed cell population of endothelial cells and from ovine arteries were isolated and separated from each other by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. An acetylated low-density lipoprotein marker was used to label endothelial cells. Myofibroblasts were seeded onto polyglycolic acid scaffolds which then seeded with endothelial cells. Before new tissues being regenerated, the degrading scaffold cannot tolerate pressures of the left ventricle (Vesely, 2005). Therefore, the constructs were implanted in sheep in place of the native right posterior leaflet of the pulmonary valve.   This approach results in trivial pulmonary regurgitation in autografts but moderate in allografts and doesn’t show stenosis (Shinoka et al., 1995). Repopulation is the less popular approach. Complex structure (collagen) is fabricated by manipulating biological molecules.   Prior to implanting, cleaning off the porcine aortic valve from cells is required, and leaving intact the connective tissue matrix. Then, the acellular matrix of the patients cells is repopulated, stimulated and thus result in creating a living tissue resemble to the native tissue (Vesely, 2005). Cellular sources: In tissue engineered valve applications, mesenchymal stem cells and differentiated tissue-specific cells (including circulating endothelial progenitor cells or smooth muscle cells) are the two main types used. They are harvested from either patients or experimental animals (Vesely, 2005). Stem cells along with the appropriate matrix are expected to provide a broader source of either autologous or allogenic cell lines once differentiated to the proper end point. Thus, they are beneficial for therapeutic use in the cardiovascular field (Vesely, 2005). Animals’ tissues such as canine and pigs are conducting in a research with variability in successful implantation.   Mesenchymal stem cells for TE of ECM scaffolds have been obtained from canine tissues. Also, due to presence of type 1 and IV collagen and fibronectin, ECM from pig’s tissues showed ability to grow to a single layer (Rashid et al., 2004). In most approaches, veins (saphenous vein) or peripheral arteries (radial artery, mammary artery) are efficient sources of cells. Mixed vascular cell populations give rise to myofibroblast and endothelial cells lines. myofibroplasts derived from arteries show decreased proliferation in monolayer culture and ECM formation when cultivated on three dimensional structure compared to cells obtained from veins (Neuenschwander, 2004). Another promising alternative source of heart valves can be derived from progenitor cells derived from peripheral blood and bone marrow cells (mesenchymal stem cells). MSC can be differentiated into different tissues, are easy to obtain, shows high proliferating capacity in vitro and faster growing than vascular derived cells. They produce well developed ECM after cultivation under bio-mimetic conditions (Neuenschwander, 2004). Biomaterials: There are two principal choices of scaffold; naturally or synthetic polymeric scaffolds. Exogenous ECM scaffolds are required to provide mechanical support until the target newly tissue is formed and become stable. Designing is based on the target cells population needed to implant at the injury or diseased sites. In vivo, they are degraded alongside the implanted functionally tissues grow and organize their matrix structure (Kim et al., 2010). Non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds serve as a temporary matrix for the seeded cells due to their own a highly porous microstructure that supply nutrients required for growth and necessary for waste removal. They possess structural integrity to withstand in vitro and in vivo loading. The most widely used in HVE are polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid (PLA) and their copolymers (PGLA). PGA is highly resorbable, linear, a highly crystalline and have a high melting point. PLA reduce the rate of hydrolysis and have limited water uptake. In all of that, to facilitate tissue growth, growth factors are integrated in the scaffold. However, a number of disadvantages must be overcome; slow or incomplete degradation that cause inflammation, limited nutrients and oxygen delivery to deep cells and fibrosis (scar) occupied the space formed after scaffold degradation (Mendelson and Schoen, 2006). Natural scaffold composed of decellularized xenograft or allograft tissue or ECM components such as collagen or fibrin (Mendelson and Schoen, 2006). Fibrin gel scaffold can be designed into a valve structure to form a biodegradable, autologous scaffold.   Blood is the source of fibrin gel and mould into autologous manner to work against immunogenicity. Seeding cells into fibrin scaffold results in good tissue development with viable fibroblast. However, fibrin scaffold would lack mechanical strength (Knight, 2004). Furthermore, in a process similar to the contraction of a wound healing, cells entrapped in collagen gels compact the gel, improve their property and increase density (Mendelson and Schoen, 2006). But, any scaffold made from collagen alone would like to degenerate very quickly due to in vivo forces affected heart valves (Knight, 2004). Moreover, hyaluronan is a glycosaminoglycan polymer with a repeating disaccharide structure and being used as biocompatible material ECM scaffold. It imparts viscoelastic properties and applies pressure that gives tissues compressive resistance (Vesely, 2005). Sterilization methods: Several methods are used to sterile materials utilized in process of seeding and tissue harvesting. 1) Dry heat sterilization in which items are placed in an oven for one hour at 160T to be sterilized by dry heat. 2) Moist heat sterilization is used to autoclave objects and solutions not suitable for dry heat sterilization for 20 minutes at 121 T, 15 pounds per square inch (psi). 3) 0.2ptm filters are used to sterilize solutions not suitable for autoclaving (Knight, 2004). Pre-clinical trials: Animal model is an essential part of biomedical research to approve tissue engineered devices by FDA in order to carry on clinical trials. Using animal tissues as sources relies on many factors; cost, ethical considerations, availability and the nature of the tested tissue. In Zilla study (Zilla et al., 1994), baboons were used to study the proliferation of seeding (endothelial cells) EC on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts. Compared to the control of unseeded graft, seeded graft showed persistent confluent EC layer through time with the aid of fibrin glue enriched with RGD (Zilla et al., 1994). Due to similar anatomy and physiology to that of humans, pigs have been used widely for experimental study. Also, they are cooperative without general anesthesia. They are capable of rabid growth so limiting the time required for TE construct (Rashid et al., 2004). Biodegradable polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffold was treated by sodium hydroxide and modified seeded bovine SMC and EC were used by Niklason and co-workers in after 24 days of implantation in swine model. Ovine and caprine are also models to study TE due to large size and easy access to the carotid artery in the long neck. They can be used for long term study because adult animal can’t grow (Rashid et al., 2004). In a number of researches, sheep model was used widely but ordained for failure as a result of exuberant fibrotic response to implants (Vesely, 2005). Compared to humans, implants grow rapidly with fibrotic tissue in sheep (Schoen, 2011). In preclinical testing, the choice of animal model is a challenge owing to immunologic considerations (Mendelson and Schoen, 2006). Biomechanical culture: Various parameters determine the optimal conditioning protocols; the scaffold, the magnitude and types of mechanical cues, the sensitivity of cell to the used scaffolds. Bioreactors in TEHV have been developed to improve tissue formation, organization and functions and to stimulate dynamic mechanical of the TEHV. Moreover, to mimic native excitation-contraction coupling, electrical stimulation has been used. Additionally, to mimic the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle, a diastolic pulse duplicator bioreactor has been developed which result in dynamic tissue straining (Sacks et al., 2009). Commercialized products: In October 2000, CE Mark approved use of the CryoLife Synergraft. It was similar to decellularization matrix approach by removing cellular antigens using extraction and dissolution. It was expected to sound mechanically as acellular matrix. Unfortunately, complications related to stenosis, inflammation and valve rupture result in death and thus withdrew from the market (Vesely, 2005). Challenges: Till date, no EHV constructs have been commercialized. Before translation of the construct to patients, numerous steps must be considered and assured laboratory.   For example; ethical issues, safety, efficacy and quality of the product should be evaluated. Additionally, medical devices interactions results such as; thrombosis, infection and inflammation will have to be accepted. There is a need to develop tools to monitor the fate of transplanted and endogenous cells, biomarkers to evaluate the patients variability to implantation. in all of that, suitable approach is required that ensure efficiency and safety (Schoen, 2011). Conclusion: Three main issues determine the success of tissue engineered heart valve; 1) sources of cells, 2) the (matrix) scaffold that serves as a guiding structure and determines the three dimensional shapes of tissue development and cell attachment and 3) the optimal culturing condition for cell growth. State of art of TEHV today is still on research, significant challenges must be solved before start in clinical application. REFERENCES: FUCHS, J. R., NASSERI, B. A. VACANTI, J. P. 2001. Tissue engineering: a 21st century solution to surgical reconstruction. The Annals of thoracic surgery, 72, 577-591. HJORTNAES, J., BOUTEN, C. V. C., VAN HERWERDEN, L. A., GRUNDEMAN, P. F. KLUIN, J. 2009. Translating autologous heart valve tissue engineering from bench to bed. Tissue Engineering Part B: Reviews, 15, 307-317. KIM, B. S., PARK, I. K., HOSHIBA, T., JIANG, H. L., CHOI, Y. J., AKAIKE, T. CHO, C. S. 2010. Design of artificial extracellular matrices for tissue engineering. Progress in Polymer Science. KNIGHT, R. L. 2004. Development of methods for the tissue engineering of cardiac valves using mesenchymal stem cells. MATSUMURA, G. 2003. Successful application of tissue engineered vascular autografts: clinical experience. Biomaterials, 24, 2303-2308. MENDELSON, K. SCHOEN, F. J. 2006. Heart Valve Tissue Engineering: Concepts, Approaches, Progress, and Challenges. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 34, 1799-1819. MOL, A., SMITS, A. I. P. M., BOUTEN, C. V. C. BAAIJENS, F. 2009. Tissue engineering of heart valves: advances and current challenges. Expert Review of Medical Devices, 6, 259-275. NEUENSCHWANDER, S. 2004. Heart valve tissue engineering. Transplant Immunology, 12, 359-365. RASHID, S. T., SALACINSKI, H. J., HAMILTON, G. SEIFALIAN, A. M. 2004. The use of animal models in developing the discipline of cardiovascular tissue engineering: a review. Biomaterials, 25, 1627-1637. SACKS, M. S., SCHOEN, F. J. MAYER JR, J. E. 2009. Bioengineering challenges for heart valve tissue engineering. Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering, 11, 289-313. SCHOEN, F. J. 2011. Heart valve tissue engineering: quo vadis? Current Opinion in Biotechnology. SHINOKA, T., BREUER, C. K., TANEL, R. E., ZUND, G., MIURA, T., MA, P. X., LANGER, R., VACANTI, J. P. MAYER, J. E. 1995. Tissue engineering heart valves: valve leaflet replacement study in a lamb model. The Annals of thoracic surgery, 60, S513-S516. VESELY, I. 2005. Heart valve tissue engineering. Circulation research, 97, 743. ZILLA, P., PREISS, P., GROSCURGH, P., Rà ¶SEMEIER, F., DEUTSCH, M., ODELL, J., HEIDINGER, C., FASOL, R. VON OPPELL, U. 1994. In vitro-lined endothelium: initial integrity and ultrastructural events. Surgery, 116, 524-534.

Interracial Adoption and Diverse Family Units †African American Studies

Interracial Adoption and Diverse Family Units – African American Studies Free Online Research Papers Interracial Adoption and Diverse Family Units African American Studies Adoption laws differ from state to state and even from country to country but one thing that remains is the benefits, happiness and joy it brings to families and children. The practice of adoption dates back at least as far as the 18th century BC, but it wasn’t always a good experience as children were sold into black market. It wasn’t until Hammurabi, who took the corruption out of the process, wrote the first legal reference about adoption. After WWII, organizations attempted to place children within families of other ethnicities and designed programs such as â€Å"Operation Brown Baby†. During the civil rights movement, interracial adoption began to radically multiply. The family experience is more important than growing up in a same-race environment; orphaned children are better off received care and love from a family unit, regardless of skin color. Throughout the decades, prejudice and racism has plagued this country by encompassing the minds of the each generation’s youth. Not until recently has people’s ideologies truly changed to begin accepting other cultures and the notion of interracial families. The Howard M. Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act was instituted in 1994 which â€Å"prohibits an agency that receives Federal assistance and is involved in foster care and adoptive placements from delaying or denying the placement of a child based on race, color, or national origin of the child or adoptive foster parent or the child involved†(Wikipedia). In order to remove ambiguous language and any latent discrimination, this act was revised. The Interethnic Adoption Provisions, â€Å"forbid agencies from delaying or denying the placement of a child solely on the basis of race and national origin† (Wikipedia). There are many pros and cons of adopting interracially, however this development provides more benefits than harm. Although it may be challenging for a child to learn their culture with a family who does not share the same background, many believe that these children are still able to grow up as healthy individuals. Same race adoption is falsely considered to make most sense, and to inflict the least disruption in a child’s life. However, by practicing only race-matching adoption, minority children are left in the system to wait; most never getting adopted. â€Å"Minority children made up 60% of those in foster care nationwide in 1994 and waited twice as long for permanent homes as did other foster children (www.gao.gov).† The longer children are in the foster care system, the less chance they have of leaving. When they age out of foster care, â€Å"27% of males and 10% of females were incarcerated within twelve to eighteen months. 50% of these children were unemp loyed and 37% had not finished high school†. (Adoption.com). The statistics show that it is crucial to provide these children with support and encouragement as they grow older and it would be a crime to deny them this merely because of skin their color. Even if such issues such as culture and identity arise, the family can contribute to helping the child learn about it. Tips for raising a child of a different background include: Become intensely invested in parenting; Tolerate no racially or ethnically biased remarks; Surround yourselves with supportive family and friends; Celebrate all cultures; Talk about race and culture; Expose your child to a variety of experiences so that he or she develops physical and intellectual skills that build self-esteem; and take your child to places where most of the people present are from his or her race or ethnic group (Adoption.com). You should not allow your children to practice racially biased comments or others in your family network. By showing that it is unacceptable you are setting a boundary for your children. If you have a Hispanic child, take them to the Hispanic fair in your town. If you have a black child, buy her a black doll. Show that all cultures are unique, special, and should be celebrated and appreciated. Through discussion of other races and cultures, the child’s background will be rich in culture and diversity. Just by using some of these ideas, you can make having an interracial child a rewarding experience. There are an abundance of horrifying stories in which children are neglected and abused in the foster care system and even in their own homes with their biological families. Two-year old Brianna Blackmond was shuffled back and forth between foster care and her neglectful biological mother. On December 22, 1999, the judge handling Briannas custody case ordered the District of Columbia Child and Family Services to return her to her mothers home. There Brianna lived with her mother, her godmother, and twelve other children in a rat-infested, feces-stained home where the children went without food for days at a time. Two weeks later, Brianna died. Her godmother had beaten her with a belt and struck fatal blows to her head. (Swize) Placing a child in a home based on the biological and or ethnic similarities just reflects a self serving interest. It reflects society’s agenda to control the fate of economically disadvantaged children. Brianna’s fate is shared with many others who have suffered as the result of a system that cares more about the color of their skin then their quality of life. Regardless of the ethnic similarities a child and parent have in common, this does not mean they are more capable of providing a nurturing environment than a person of a different ethnicity. How can anyone place cultural awareness over a child’s physical well being? The fact that Child and Family Services placed Brianna back into the custody of a parent who had a history of being unable to provide for her is a disgrace. The very agency that is supposed to ensure the safety of millions of children in the system issues death warrants every time they carelessly return or place a child into unsuitable c onditions. The first time Brianna was removed from her biological mother’s home she was placed in a foster home with parents that were not black. The judge in her case openly stated that â€Å"the destruction of the black family (through trans-racial adoption) was driving her crazy†. This statement reflects the misguided focus and perception of those responsible for the placement of these children. It is obvious that they were anxious to take return her to an â€Å"unfit† mother for the sake of saving the â€Å"black family†. Situations like Brianna’s reveal the contradictions in the debate over trans-racial adoption. Kids are discarded to be victims of the system. The reality is there are not enough black families to meet the staggering numbers of foster children who need parents. Why would one deny them access to a better life based on the color of their skin? The standard that determines a child’s fate should be based on the love and support a family is able to provide not the superficial image of what a family should look like. ` People misconstrue the notion of interracial adoption as trying to obtain a color-blind society and erase the effects of past discrimination which society views as impossible. But this is truly not the case at all. The emotional and physical effects of growing up in the foster care system are far more traumatic than being raised in a trans-racial yet supportive family. Interracial adoption is not aiming at solving societal issues of prejudice but rather to benefit the quality of life of our children. This type environment encourages constructive exposure and identity to one’s race. Parents who have adopted children of another race may embrace their child’s culture and background by choosing to live in a more racially diverse neighborhood to ensure that their child is regularly exposed to families of the same race. As with any life experience, obstacles will be encountered when adopting a child of a different background but there are ways that you may overcome these. With the amount of minority children in foster care, and the people who have the means of adopting, we should not place a limit. Statistics show that interracial adoption is becoming more common place and it is worse to leave these children in the foster care system rather than placing them in an adoptive home regardless of race. There are ways to integrate an interracial family together and to ensure that the child will not lose their racial identity. An attempt to incorporate a color-blind society in today’s world is not what interracial adoption is trying to accomplish. The only concern is for the welfare of the flood of children in the foster care system and not to solve deep rooted societal issues. It is imperative to keep an open mind on this topic in order to facilitate the excessive and unnecessary amounts of ch ildren in foster care. The importance lies with providing these children with stable, healthy homes so they will be given a fair opportunity to live a mindfully healthy and happy life. 1. adoption.com. Introduction to Transracial or Transcultural Adoption. 1995. 13 Oct 2006 . 2. Answers.com. Interracial Adoption. 2006. 13 Oct 2006 . 3. Horne, Charles. The Code of Hammurabi. Ancient History Source Book 1910 12, October 2006 . 4. Implementation of the Multiethnic Placement Act Poses Difficult Challenges. United States General Accounting Office GAO/HEHS-98-20409/2006 16, October 2006 . 5. Interracial Adoption. Wikipedia. 2006. 11 Oct 2006 . 6. Swize, Jennifer. Transracial Adoption and the Unblinkable Difference:. Virginia Law Review (2002): 1079 1118. 7. The Adoption History Project. African-American Adoptions. 2005. 16 Oct 2006 . Research Papers on Interracial Adoption and Diverse Family Units - African American Studies19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationHip-Hop is ArtThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseWhere Wild and West MeetOpen Architechture a white paper

The Saxons Were a Germanic People

The Saxons Were a Germanic People The Saxons were an early Germanic tribe that would play a significant role in both post-Roman Britain and early medieval Europe. From the first few centuries B.C. up until about 800 C.E., the Saxons occupied parts of northern Europe, with many of them settling along the Baltic coast. When the Roman Empire went into its long decline in the third and fourth centuries C.E., Saxon pirates took advantage of the reduced power of the Roman military and navy and made frequent raids along the coasts of the Baltic and the North Sea. Expansion Across Europe In the fifth century C.E., Saxons began to expand fairly rapidly throughout present-day Germany and into present-day France and Britain. Saxon migrants were numerous and dynamic in England, establishing along with several other Germanic tribes settlements and power bases in territory that until recently (c. 410 C.E.) had been under Roman control. Saxons and other Germans displaced many Celtic and Romano-British peoples, who moved westward into Wales or crossed the sea back to France, settling in Brittany. Among the other migrating Germanic peoples were Jutes, Frisians, and Angles; it is the combination of Angle and Saxon that gives us the term Anglo-Saxon for the culture that developed, over the course of a few centuries, in Post-Roman Britain. The Saxons and Charlemagne Not all Saxons left Europe for Britain. Thriving, dynamic Saxon tribes remained in Europe, in Germany in particular, some of them settling in the region that is today known as Saxony. Their steady expansion ultimately brought them into conflict with the Franks, and once Charlemagne became king of the Franks, friction turned to out-and-out war. The Saxons were among the last peoples of Europe to retain their pagan gods, and Charlemagne became determined to convert the Saxons to Christianity by any means necessary. Charlemagnes war with the Saxons lasted 33 years, and in all, he engaged them in battle 18 times. The Frankish king was particularly brutal in these battles, and ultimately, his ordered execution of 4500 prisoners in one day broke the spirit of resistance the Saxons had displayed for decades. The Saxon people were absorbed into the Carolingian empire, and, in Europe, naught but the duchy of Saxony remained of the Saxons.

Pollution Control Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pollution Control Issues - Essay Example Introduction to Policy Area Pollution control is a major policy area of not only national but also global importance. We generally agree that pollution of land, water, and air should be controlled. But when it is the question of designing these controls or ascertaining that how much control is sufficient, major disagreements begin to surface. In this regard, Crandall states, â€Å"In 1970, popular concern about environmental degradation coalesced into a major political force, resulting in President Richard Nixon’s creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the first of the major federal attempts to regulate pollution directly—the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970.† With the lapse of time, the federal government took several regulatory majors through the EPA. Non government organizations, research organizations, civil activists, etc. also got involved in the process. The contemporary trend in this policy area is to consider market based metho ds and strategies for pollution control. According to many legislators and lobbyists, the traditional command and control model is not working effectively enough. Classic Iron Triangle Structure Before describing what the classic iron triangle in the context of pollution control would look like, let’s focus on the concept of iron triangle itself. In U.S. politics, iron triangle defines the threefold interaction between the congressional committees, the interest groups, and the governmental agencies. Clientele directed executive functionary mechanism is the main characteristic of iron triangle, which may harm or neglect the greater public interest and provide benefit to the interest groups that are mainly formed of powerful corporate bodies (Hix, 251). The diagram below represents the iron triangle in the sphere of pollution control policy area. In the case of the policy area of pollution control, at one corner of the triangle will be the U.S. Congress Senate Committee on Envi ronment and Public Works, which is a major congressional committee that provides oversight and funds. On the other corner, there will be the EPA, which is a part of bureaucracy, or in other words, the executive of the governmental agencies. At the third corner, there will be the interest groups, which are major corporate bodies, particularly the energy and chemical giants. Significance of Issue Networks Issue networks can be defined as allied structures of several individuals and interest groups that attempt to promote an issue in the federal policy making and think tank. Landy and Milkis think that issue networks are instrumental in balancing rights and democracy vis-a-vis the political tradition and formation of sub-government of iron triangles. Issue networks are a sort of fluid mechanism that would provide the constituency of general public a practical and supple organization, which can accelerate a sustained civil action. In the context of pollution control we can say that the powerful corporations pursue the Congress members and EPA to loosen the regulations so that less money can be invested to obtain improved pollution controlling technologies that are relatively costlier or call for industrial unit replacements. Pollution control issue network can become a contextual counterbalancing factor, where people will have voice. Research organizations, civil activists, non government agencies, independent observers, social

Processing the Crime Scene and Establishing Identity Case Study

Processing the Crime Scene and Establishing Identity - Case Study Example Murder is suspected as there is no reason for the girl to have committed suicide. It is an open and shut case, as the mother has named the suspect. After completing the formalities of investigation, it will become clear to establish motives and nail the suspect who is a school drop out and has been stalking the girl. She agreed for a date the previous night but failed to return until the suspect brought her home in an unconscious condition. According to the mother, she was a bright girl and did not need to be woken up. She had agreed to date the boy on the condition that he never asked her out again. Probably she felt he would see reason if she talked to him and encouraged him to resume schooling. She wanted the best for him. She was the type who met challenges head on. The police had come and sealed off the bedroom. The photographer was taking photographs from various angles. There were others with the police to take fingerprints, analyze DNA samples, footwear experts, and another person who looked after computer forensics. The fingerprint and DNA samples were taken. The computer forensics was only present to see first hand the body position of the deceased. The forensics report would have to wait as it came under analysis that took place at the general hospital.

Loyalty Programmes in Hotels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 19000 words

Loyalty Programmes in Hotels - Essay Example This research attempts to achieve an insight into the value of loyalty programmes to businesses and more specifically examine the value of loyalty programmes to hotels. Review of secondary data is applied to understand the value of loyalty programmes to businesses while a survey among hotels is conducted to examine its value to the hotels. Loyalty Programmes are defined as â€Å"schemes offering delayed, accumulating economic benefits to consumers who buy the brand†. Satisfaction does not equal loyalty. A customer can be very satisfied with the product, but still be not loyal towards it. In order to encourage loyalty, firms develop loyalty programs. Typically, in a Loyalty Program, customers accumulate assets, points or rewards by accumulating their purchases from a local firm which is either exchanged for goods or the services, though not always associated with the firm. This generally adopts the system of points wherein the points can be exchanged for a variety of benefits s uch as free flyer points, gifts, trips, etc. â€Å"Airline frequent-flier programs have been a prototype for many of the schemes†. Such schemes are based on the concept of repeat purchase, and in most businesses today, a large part of sales results from repeat purchase. This fact is being increasingly recognized by enterprises that are implementing loyalty programmes to encourage such purchase pattern.  ... The literature in general helped in understanding various factors and concepts associated with loyalty programme and then those had to be applied to the hotel industry for the research. 34 3.4 Research Approach 36 3.5 Research Strategy 38 3.6 Sample selection 41 3.6.1 Administering the questionnaire 41 3.6.2 Analyzing the responses 43 3.7 Time Horizon 43 3.9.1 Reliability 47 3.9.2 Validity 48 Limitations 49 50 Ethical Considerations 50 4. Analysis and Discussion of Findings 51 4.1 Hotels' definition of loyal customers 52 4.2 Reason for launching loyalty programme 53 4.3 Target segment and benefits offered 55 4.4 Designing loyalty program for corporate segment 58 4.5 Loyalty programmes that attract maximum guests and justify expenses 59 4.6 Objective of loyalty programs 61 4.7 Managing loyalty programme 63 4.8 Delivery mechanism 64 4.9 Involving staff 65 4.10 Assessing the success of loyalty programme 66 4.11 Failure of loyalty programme 70 5. Recommendations 72 Introduction Brief overview and background This research attempts to achieve an insight into the value of loyalty programmes to businesses and more specifically examine the value of loyalty programmes to hotels. Review of secondary data is applied to understand the value of loyalty programmes to businesses while a survey among hotels is conducted to examine its value to the hotels. Loyalty Programmes are defined as "schemes offering delayed, accumulating economic benefits to consumers who buy the brand". Satisfaction does not equal loyalty. A customer can be very satisfied with the product, but still be not loyal towards it (Charles and Lamb, 2008).In order to encourage loyalty, firms