Script Footnote to Youth

TITLE: Pneumonia Most Common Infection After Heart Surgery DATE: Nov. 30 , 2011 SOURCE: http://www. sciencedaily. com/news/ The study also revealed that most infections occur about two weeks after surgery, not one week as physicians previously thought. â€Å"It's not what we expected to find,† said Michael A. Acker, M. D. , the study's lead researcher and professor and chief of cardiovascular surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa. In abstract 12247, researchers analyzed more than 5,100 patients in a heart surgery registry. Patients, average age 64, were treated at nine U. S. academic medical centers and one Canadian center. The median time to major infection was 14 days after heart surgeries. Forty-three percent of all major infections occurred after hospital discharge. â€Å"Half of these patients had no evidence of infection before they were discharged from the hospital,† Acker said. â€Å"Then they had to return because of the new infection. One implication is that patients must be followed more closely after discharge. In this study, which excluded patients who were infected before surgery, researchers found 761 infections: 300 were classified as major infections (occurring in 6 percent of patients) and 461 were minor (in 8. 1 percent of patients). Of the major infections: * Pneumonia, infection of the lungs, occurred in 2. 4 percent of all patients. * C. difficile colitis, an intestinal infection, occurred in 1. 0 percent. * Bloodstream infections occurred in 1. 1 percent. * Deep-incision surgical site infections occurred in 0. percent. Minor infections included urinary tract and superficial incision site infections. The most commonly performed procedures were isolated coronary artery bypass graft and aortic and mitral valve surgeries. Seventy-four percent were elective surgeries and 26 percent were non-elective or emergency surgeries. Several risk factors appeared to increase the risk of developing infection, including congestive heart failure, hypertension, chronic lung disease, corticosteroid use prior to surgery, and length of cardiopulmonary bypass time. In the next level of analysis, the focus will be on differences in care, from the types of dressings, the types of antibiotics, and the types of surgical preparations, to show what processes of care are associated with decreased incidence of infections,† Acker said. â€Å"The registry will allow us to modify our best practices to manage post-operative infections. † The National Heart, Lung, and Bloo d Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded the study. Skin preparation reduces cardiac implantable device infections In another study (abstract 10041), special skin preparations for 3,700 patients significantly reduced infections from cardiac implantable electronic devices. Researchers at a Milwaukee hospital washed patients' skin with a special antibacterial solution the night before and morning of the procedure. They also included a strict three-minute drying time for the surgical skin preparation. These steps decreased implant infection rates from 1 percent to 0. 24 percent at a year following the implant placement. More staphylococcal bacterial infections are occurring after implantation procedures, said Renee Koeberl, R. N. , M. S. N. , lead author of the study. Co-authors are Mohamed S. Rahman, M. D. ; Rachel Pedersen, B. A. ; Jasbir Sra, M. D. ; Masood Akhtar, M. D. and M. Eyman Mortada, M. D REACTION: — Pneumonia — not a deep incision surgical site infection — is the most common serious infection after heart surgery, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011. So we need to be aware and curious to everything around us, to secure our good health.

Famine, Affluence, and Morality Essay

In Singer’s article Famine, Affluence, and Morality, his main goal is to get the point across that there are people in the developing world that are starving and have a lack of healthcare and the lack of shelters. He argues about how affluent countries react to the issues like Bengal and the way they look at the moral issue surrounding it. He also argues that the way of life is taken for granted by affluence people. The first counter- argument in the article is â€Å"the view that numbers do make a difference† (Singer, 1971). It refers to if every affluent person would give 5 dollars to the Bengal Relief Fund that money would add up. Therefore, there is no reason to have to give more money than anyone else in the same position. Singer argues that this is based off a hypothetical situation. He, however, says in the article that there is no way for that work since no one would give more than 5 dollars then there would not be enough money to provide food, shelter, and medical care. He says by giving more than 5 dollars he will be able to end more suffering. The second counter argument people do not judge the way Singer suggested they should. Many people tend to keep their judgments to themselves unless they go overboard, step out bounds, and break some type of moral code. The example that Singer uses is taking someone else’s property. Most people tend not to look bad on owning expensive items instead of giving to people less fortunate. Singer’s response to this argument is, â€Å"unless that principle is rejected, or the arguments are shown to be unsound, I think the conclusion must stand however strange it appears. It might, nevertheless, be interesting to consider why our society, and most other societies, do judge differently from the way I have suggested they should. † (Singer, 1972) At what point do people draw the line at what should be done and what is good but not mandatory. Singer brings up a point that, â€Å"In a society which held that no man should have more than enough while others have less than they need. † (Utilitarian Philosophers, NDG) Many people are influenced by the people around them. If people are giving less than people around them are likely to give less, but if people give more than people around him are likely to give more. The third counter argument is the difference between duty and charity. The argument is that in some utilitarian theory that everyone should work full time to increase happiness over misery. Meaning that, if people work more, are paid more money than people would not be as miserable, many people say money cannot buy happiness. Singer’s reaction to this counter- argument is that, â€Å"we ought to be preventing as much suffering as we can without sacrificing something else of comparable moral importance. † (Utilitarian Philosophers, NDG) Singer defines marginal utility as the level at which giving more would result in suffering in his dependents or himself. The meaning of this is that one would limit their material possessions to less than nothing. He further explains that he proposed a more moderate version of marginal utility, â€Å"that we should prevent bad occurrences unless, to do so, we had to sacrifice something morally significant, for one might hold that to reduce oneself and one’s family to this level is to cause something significantly bad to happen. (Singer, 1972) It relates to his arguments because he insists that we need to limit our material possessions to that of the Bengal refugees. Singer compares the distinction between duty and charity as not an easy line to draw. However Singer gives an example as this, â€Å"The charitable man may be praised, but the man who is not charitable is not condemned. When we buy new clothes not to keep ourselves, warm but to look â€Å"well-dressed† we are not providing for any important need. We would not be sacrificing anything significant if we were to continue to wear our old clothes, and give the money to famine relief. By doing so, we would be preventing another person from starving. † (Singer, 1972) In other words, instead of buying expensive worthless stuff for yourself giving the extra money would benefit more people and make it more charitable; however, you do not give the extra money to charity you are not looked at any differently. I do agree with some parts of his article, however, I disagree with most of it. First, I think that his article come off with a major attitude in my mind. He does however make some good points like the way he talks about how some people are influenced by the people around them. Another good point that he made is it should not matter how far the distance is wither they are in the same area as you are thousands of miles away. I do not agree with how he insinuates that the richer you are the more you should give. I believe that a person should give as much as he or she wants. I also believe that a person giving charity should not be held at a higher pedestal then someone that is not able to give to charity.

Ethics: Nursing and Abortion

Working in the field of abortion isn’t an easy task furthermore participating in the abortion procedures. But the field of nursing you have to follow a code of ethics, a set of rules and regulation. Nurses have their personal opinions about abortion, but because they are health professionals and their opinions are sought as such, they are obligated to understand why they hold certain views. Nurses need to be clear about why they believe as they do, and they must arrive at a point of view in a rational and logical manner. To assist nurses in this task, the ethical issues surrounding abortion are enumerated and clarified. To better off explain research on this ethical topic I’m going to further explain my research on my findings on both points of view and balanced both sides so you can get a better understanding. For those of you whose doesn’t know what an abortion is the proper meaning for it is, ending a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother. If abortion happens spontaneously before 24 weeks of pregnancy, it is called a miscarriage. An induced (or â€Å"therapeutic†) abortion is caused deliberately in order to end the pregnancy. Working in that environment is certainly a sensitive one, regardless of your personal opinions or not you must undergo certain training to properly fit the job and follow protocol. Not only working in that surrounding a main issue but the ethics of abortion already another ethical dilemma. There are many strong arguments about the issue for those who are in favor and against it but sometimes there is not proper training assigned to resulting in personal feelings conflict with the pre and post procedure affecting the patient and their decision. Classes on the principles of nursing ethics give the nurse the tools to base ethical decisions upon. However, this knowledge is then shaped by the values, beliefs and experiences of the nurse. Recent investigation and studies have showed there has been conflicts arising within that environment. But in that particular circumstance there is not a wrong or right, but there is do the ethical thing without harm. To first start my paper I’m going to briefly speak about the proper ethical way to deal with the whole abortion procedure including there responsibilities as a registered nurse regardless of the circumstances and different environments. Some of the different responsibly according to nynsa, org are, the responsibility and obligation to provide competent and supportive nursing care (ANA, 2001, Provision #1 & #3). The responsibility to provide the patient with objective information and to offer access to resources before, during and after a voluntary termination of pregnancy (ANA, 2001, Provision #1 & #2). * The responsibility to provide care without imposing personal beliefs on patients who choose to abort (ANA, 2001, Provision # 1 & #2). * The obligation for educational preparation, and the responsibility to obtain such, to assist and meet the emotional, physical and psychological needs of patients who are considering or have had a voluntary termination of pregnancy (ANA, 2001, Provision # 3, #5 & #7). The right to their own moral, ethical and religious beliefs (ANA, 2001, Provision # 1). * The right to refuse to participate in a voluntary termination of pregnancy, except in an emergency situation, where the patient's needs do not allow for substitution (ANA, 2001, Provision # 4 & #5). * The right not to be subjected to coercion, censure or discipline for reasons of such refusal (ANA, 2001, Provision #4, #5, & #6). * The right and responsibility to seek employment in areas where the care of patient choosing abortions will not be assigned. These are some of the responsibilities of being a Nurse within the termination field. Despite the protocols they must follow to prevent harm it’s not entitled to something may agree on. Remember nurses are being rotated on a day to day bases meaning they travel around the hospital working in different departments. Despite being pro- life or prochoice they must follow the ethical guidelines not only to keep their jobs and also comfort the patient in every way as possible. Nurses need to be clear about why they believe as they do, and they must arrive at a point of view in a rational and logical manner. To assist nurses in this task, the ethical issues surrounding abortion are enumerated and clarified. To do this, some of the philosophic and historic approaches to abortion and how a position can be logically argued are examined. According to nursing connect. com, the nurses and social workers that were surveyed worked in a variety of settings including acute care facilities, ambulatory clinics and outpatient health centers. We did find that about 40 percent are frustrated and 40 percent are fatigued. One out of three feels powerless and the same even said they were physically ill. † Many nurses believe that feeling conflicting in the decisions has took a toll on patients because attitudes justify a lot in decision making. In an article I read prior to doing my research a Nurses by the name of Ulrich quoted, â€Å"If one believes that they know t he ethically correct course of action but are precluded from carrying that out, then patient care suffers in some way. Ulrich believes that communication and broader dialogue on the subject will help to limit moral distress and the negative impact it has on health care providers. According to Ulrich again, â€Å"Improving the ethical climate begins with administration and managerial leaders. First, I believe they have to recognize that nurses and other health care workers are facing tremendous ethical challenges in providing care and encountering stress related to these concerns. To me, this only impacts the quality of care that is delivered. I do believe with the proper tools, communication, as well as lots of training they can create a better atmosphere and ethical comfortable environment they can focus less on the ethical problems their facing. Every nurse who speaks up when feeling ethical or moral distress is one step closer to eliminating the issue entirely. Recent research according to the school of political and social science, they create assessment basically having little committee regardi ng the questions and concerns of the nurses and survey says it has increased positively. A lot of associations has been created in effort to reduce the ethical dilemma in the abortion procedure. One to be specific is known as the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) Position Statement on Abortion was in response to the increasing legislative activity concerning abortion law, as well as requests from the professional nursing community with regard to their rights and responsibilities and the rights of their patients pertaining to the issue of abortion. NYSNA has, through the Council on Ethics and Human Rights, continued to study and research the issues surrounding abortion and reaffirms the position of the rights of women as patients and nurses. There’s many more ethical procedures a Nurse to follow according to the clinic or nursing guidelines. The nurse should keep the patient informed of all aspects of the procedure, provide a supportive presence, perform standard physical monitoring during the operation and afterwards, provide contraceptive counseling, and act as a sounding board or discussion of interpersonal relationships and future plans. High quality nursing requires understanding the physical and psychosocial aspects of abortion reflecting the nurse's recognition of the cultural, religious, and socioeconomic factors involved. This requires a nurse who is fully aware of her own feelings and can adapt or defer them to the patient's needs. In cases of suction or dilation abortions, these actions are particularly import ant, since the patient is in the hospital only a short time and can be easily ignored. In cases of saline infusion, the nurse should be fully aware of possible complications, including retained placentae, hemorrhage, infection, or uterine perforation. If the patient is readmitted for any of these complications, the nurse should continue to play the informative, supportive role. The nurse and social worker should also be aware of the possible psychological sequel of abortion and watch for mental health problems. It is concluded that post abortion counseling is the best time for contraceptive counseling. Conscientious professional support along these guidelines should insure a positive experience for the abortion patient. Ethics committees involve individuals from diverse backgrounds who support health care institutions with three major functions: providing clinical ethics consultation, developing and/or revising policies pertaining to clinical ethics and hospital policy. To conclude my research paper I hope you came out with a clear balance on the ethical dilemma involved in nursing with it comes to abortion procedures. Its takes a lot working in a field such of this when you’re pro-choice or pro-life but sometimes when you’re working in a certain settings there’s rules and guidelines that you must follow. But you should never feel obligated to something that’s you’re not for but in this situation your personal opinion should be kept to yourself that’s why in turn they created association, committees, and clubs set up with ethical consultants that helps with your concerns sometimes even with your thought of guilt. Hope you came out with my paper not only with an open mind but also a balancing side to both sides. Of course this ethical dilemma isn’t something that can be changed overnight because it is a very sensitive topic.

Credit and Financial Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Credit and Financial Analysis - Assignment Example A credit operation should do everything to establish a "suitable credit basis" upon which business with "every customer that the sales department desires to have purchase our products." The way I design your terms and policies should protect me from potential lawsuits and keep my operation steady, but should simultaneously work to get me business. Bad debts and losses are part of the job, but if I don't extend credit, I also can't make anything from it (Jacob, 64). Answer # 2. Every business that extends credit has had to deal with customers filing bankruptcy. The debtor has the benefit of an "automatic stay" immediately upon filing a bankruptcy petition. That stops you from taking any further action to try to collect the debt unless or until the bankruptcy court decides to the contrary. In that case I would be better off if I were shipping on a consignment basis, in that way I would seize any further actions and that will eventually save me from a big loss, which could have incurred in the other way. Question # 3. Two companies, A and B, differ in the nature of their business only in the ways that are mentioned below. Indicate which company is likely to be the better credit risk by writing "A" or "B" next to each of the following and explain: "A" Where Credit risk is involved, some consideration also involves local economy but more precisely the credit history of the company itself irrespective of its location. A company you are lending credit can have office in both the location. Both of them are the largest city of their state. But certainly Philadelphia is much older and bigger than Omaha. Company located in better credit risk would be in A as its local economy favors it. Company A's economy is heavily based upon manufacturing, refining, food, and financial services where as B's local economy is based on agriculture. b.) Company A manufactures women's hats; Company B manufactures women's sportswear - sweater, skits, blouses, etc. "B". Definitely Company B, as its product lines are broad and much more established. From their broad product line, their profits would be much higher than company A. c.) Company A manufacturers only against confirmed orders while company B produces inventory before receiving any orders. "A". Company A would be at better risk as they are working on profit based manufacturing. They will have no risk of excessive inventory in their store and subsequently no loss on manufactured product. d.) Company A plans to produce automobiles and B, auto accessories. Both have starting capital of $10,000,000.00 "A" because Company's A turnover will be much higher than company B. e.) Company A manufactures an unbranded product. Company B makes the same product under an advertised brand name. "B". Company that produce branded products are reliable and well established. Question # 4. In each of the following situations, indicate whether your

Non compliance in doing homework assignments between group therapy Dissertation

Non compliance in doing homework assignments between group therapy sessions for substance abuse and depression - Dissertation Example Ries et al. (2009, p.762) state that patients with substance abuse who comply with the group therapy sessions and complete their homework assignments experience positive treatment outcomes and thus are less likely to drop out of the treatment. They state that â€Å"integrated supportive group therapy in a randomized trial has shown a differential effect on treatment retention in subjects with severe mental disorders and substance use disorders†, and homework compliance is the adherence that comes as one positive outcome of group therapy sessions for such patients. Reinecke (2010, p.54) maintains the idea that clients with depression are less likely to adhere with the â€Å"in-session exposure† which makes them non-comply with homework completion. He states that the cause for this is that the in-session exposure of a depressive client or one suffering from anxiety involves others observing him doing homework, which he is already anxious about, thus enhancing his anxiety into social anxiety disorder. However, Reinecke affirms that homework compliance is an important bridge between the in-session activities and change of client’s attitude toward life, especially for patients with depression, anxiety and substance abuse. He suggests that the client’s behavior of homework non-compliance should be addressed very early in the therapy. Cruess et al. (2010) found that the patients reported that they non-comply with the between-session homework because of â€Å"lack of receptivity to details regarding their medical illness†. Lien et al. (2010) studied in their research the relationship between the substance abuse group therapy sessions and patient compliance. They found that what motivates the patients to comply with the completion of between-session homework is the clinical outcome which they want to see as their health benefits. According to them, â€Å"patients balance expected benefits and costs during a treatment episode when deci ding on compliance† and hence comply with the standards if they seem to be benefitting from the treatment since the Lien et al. observed that those patients who were progressing were less likely to not complete homework, not show at or drop out of the sessions. Similar conclusions have been approached by Guardiano, Weinstock and Miller (2011) who have found that patients of substance abuse are at high risk of non-compliance with homework completion or attendance at group therapy sessions due to which they have to suffer from negative consequences. They have proposed an adjunctive psychosocial intervention that will reduce noncompliance in substance abusers. According to them, â€Å"The intervention involves brief in-person sessions and follow-up phone contacts with the patient and a significant other/family member.† They state that this intervention will improve the effects of group therapy on substance abusers by helping enhance the relationship between them and the pr ovider thus motivating them to attend the group therapy sessions while adhering to the homework completion. Abramowitz et al. (2009, p.104) have suggested that patients can be motivated to comply with homework completion in group therapy sessions by encouraging â€Å"self-controlled exposure† so that patients are motivated â€Å"to perform more exposure exercises†. Mausbach et al. (2010) studied relationship between depressive clients’ homework compliance and group therapy outcomes and found

Diet Pills versus Exercise Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Diet Pills versus Exercise - Research Paper Example ResearchDietPills.com (2012) listed the top three diet pills to be # 1 Apidexin, # 2 Phenphedrine, and # 3 7-DFBX. The criteria for ranking was based on safety, effectiveness as fat burner, effectiveness as appetite suppressant, overall effectiveness, value, availability of guarantee, success rate, and the price. Apidexin was reported to be effective because it actually brought about weight loss by increasing the body’s metabolism or the ability to burn calories. It contains an ingredient known as African Mango. The scientific name is Irvingia Gabonensis. Natives of Africa actually used it as medicine before a university discovered its ability to raise metabolism and eventually result in weight loss. Apidexin also contains Cissus Quadrangularis, a substance from one of the grape family members. To help the person using that diet pill, its role is to lower down the level of stress while metabolism is raised. Such an ingredient is also capable of healing broken bones and tissues damaged. Without it, high stress level can trigger the natural storage of excess energy as fat. Another substance found in Apidexin is an herb that will suppress appetite while it also stimulates metabolism. Finally, there is caffeine anhydrous added to facilitate the absorption of multiple ingredients. One testimony (Donna) said that Apidexin can quickly lower the weight by 9 lbs. in 4 days. Another (Linzee) claimed to have lost 25 lbs. in 2 months. A third (Darleen) reported her use of Apidexin for 7 months and lost 58 lbs..These testimonies are available in the website of apidexin.com. Phenphedrine, as the # 2 diet pill, boasts of having the strength of 10,000 chocolate bars. It contains caffeine and malic acid which increase energy level and mental alertness. Chocamine was added. This comes from a Colombian coco plant and serves as antioxidants. Then it also contains Razberri-K, an ingredient meant to prevent the retention of fat. It also prevents weight gain as a result. Ginge r root was likewise included for the protection and even improvement of the heart and gallbladder. Yohimbine, which is an aphrodisiac or stimulant, comes from the so called Indian Snakeroot. So far, all the foregoing ingredients are from natural sources. But chemical components were added as well. These are: Phenylethylamine, known as a love drug, is for the purpose of giving a feeling of satisfaction, contentment, or even pleasure. Evodiamine was included because studies proved that it does burn fat and regulates the temperature of the body. Sclareolide supports the effect of Evodiamine by breaking down body fat. HOPS, the NPY (neuropeptide-Y) inhibitor acts on the brain to relax the body, to relieve pain and stress, and to lower the feeling of anxiety. Because the chemicals are derived from natural sources, advertisements say that Phenphedrine is 100% natural. Only 18 year old people are allowed to take Phenphedrine. Those sensitive to caffeine or stimulants should not take the dr ug. In the list of top 3, this diet pill was least safe and rated only 77% safe while Apidexin has been rated 99% safe. The producers of this drug claim that a person will lose 14 lbs. in 7 days. Their confidence is backed by a money back guarantee if that much weight loss is not attained. What makes it work? First of all, 7-DFBX contains 100% natural antioxidants. There are 35 ingredients on the label of that diet pill product. Its

Impact of information technology on a career Essay

Impact of information technology on a career - Essay Example At the same time, fundamental changes in lifestyle of people and nutrition have reflective an impact on the life length and quality of daily life. The expenses for healthcare are significant portion of domestic yields in developed nations. Increased life duration has provided much importance on preserving high quality healthcare services. Presently, the sophisticated medical technology has added to the increasing tendencies in healthcare expenditures of people. The progression in telecommunication and computer science has resulted in indispensable alteration in healthcare professions. IT has generated great prospects regarding increased cost-effectiveness and quality of services in healthcare. IT opens the door for assuring appropriate healthcare quality which can be acquired within reasonable price (Duplaga, â€Å"The Impact of Information Technology on Quality of Healthcare Services†). Thesis Statement In present days, enhanced healthcare services are a key concern for any p erson. The information about patient and security & competency in the procedure of healthcare is believed to be important aspects for people as they prefer those healthcare organizations which provide quality services. Thus, technological advancements have become a prerequisite for providing good healthcare services. IT in healthcare profession helps to improve the procedures such as patient identification, records management, prescription creation, pathology workroom administration, appointment planning, clinical case examination among other tasks. The paper attempts to recognize the impact of IT on healthcare profession and services. ... The paper attempts to recognize the impact of IT on healthcare profession and services. The objective of the paper is to understand the application of IT in several health facilities, know the significance of IT in providing better health services, recognize the implication of IT in healthcare facilities and realize the future of IT for enhancement of healthcare. Application of IT in Current Health Facilities Healthcare is always regarded as information based activity. From the perspective of business, healthcare professionals generally undertake two types of activities. The first one is medical procedures which are used for supporting patient analysis, treatment and disease prevention and the second one is procurement, communication and management of data. Thus, it is quite reasonable to assume that the changes in availability and ubiquity of information through IT have excessively large impact on healthcare professions. From the perspective of healthcare, information are those key facts and notes which are learnt through certain procedures such as analysis of statistical value of blood pressure or measurement of heartbeat. The information in healthcare helps to inform the consequence of certain examinations or activities such as analysis of hypertension or calculation of diabetes. Consecutively, information can be scientifically structured and examined to generate knowledge, which is the amassed understanding of real world matters and thoughts. In this context, it can be said that knowledge is the basis on which healthcare professionals develop their decisions regarding patients by comparing person based information. In healthcare industry, better management of

Cris Isaak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cris Isaak - Essay Example After three albums that didn't sell, his career was going nowhere fast. Then a movie gave new life to his single, "Wicked Game," and suddenly he was on his way to the big time. Welcome to the club. Bruce Springsteen was calling for tickets. So was Madonna. And Sean Penn. And Sylvester Stallone. And Laura Dern. And Rickie Lee Jones. And Mickey Rourke. And some of the cast from Twin Peaks. They all wanted to see one of the most compelling rock & roll acts to hit the Top Ten in years: Chris Isaak. ``Bruce called about tickets?'' says Isaak, every inch the Fifties-style rocker in his tight black jeans, pointed shoes, white T-shirt and brown leather motorcycle jacket, as he looks up from his plate of noodles at a cheap Thai restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. In a few hours he will headline a sold-out show at the Wiltern Theater, in Hollywood. Adopting the voice of a rube, Isaak, who grew up in Stockton, California, drawls: ``They gonna give 'em free tickets? They git in for free?'' He's grinning now. ``Come on, Bruce,'' he says. ``You sittin' on a big ol' pile uh loot. Git up off it!'' ... Fingering a wooden tiki head that hangs around his neck for good luck, he says: Five years from now, it could be like Oh, man, him Plays a guitar. Everybody else has got keyboards, he's still got guitars.' Or in ten years: Oh, those guys still actually try to sing. It's boring. They sing.' You never know.'' Isaak adjusts a pair of wraparound shades that look like something Jean-Paul Belmondo wore in the Jean-Luc Godard classic Breathless. As if he were quoting from some official music-business rule book, he says, Usually, right after you make it, you can count about seven years until people go, How totally square.' '' The ship has sailed,'' one Warner Bros. executive told Isaak's manager-producer, Erik Jacobsen, in the summer of 1989. The ship has already sailed.'' The meaning of those words couldn't have been clearer. Heart Shaped World, Isaak's third album, was dead; the company had no interest in spending another dime promoting it. Jacobsen contends there was never much enthusiasm at Warners for Heart Shaped World. Executives from the company had flown up to San Francisco to hear it that spring. Not a favorable word was spoken,'' he says about the awkward playback session. It was just the most deadly reaction that I have ever seen to anything in my life. As for getting it on the radio, all they said was Tough, very tough, extremely tough.' '' For Isaak, those were dark days. Although he was loved by the media when his debut album, Silvertone, was released in 1985, his songs didn't get on the radio and his videos never made it onto MTV in any kind of meaningful rotation. No less an authority on authentic American rock & roll than John Fogerty described Isaak as being like a skyscraper against the

Quality in health care administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quality in health care administration - Essay Example effective care management strategies (Upshaw, Kaluzny & McLaughlin, P192) The Process Component involves a critical assessment of the factors required for the delivery of effective patient care that is individualized to meet the needs of each patient, and the effective management of resources and professional associations required to address patient needs. Primary Outcomes addresses issues such as quality care from the perspective of patient and health professional. Strategic Outcomes involves a broader perspective of outcome in relation to health organizations and healthcare consumers. The Professional Model has a more restricted focus than the Transformational Model as it concentrates on the professional health care delivery system from the vantage point of the caregiver (Upshaw, Kaluzny & McLaughlin, P193). The focus is more traditional, based on the autonomous decision-making role of the individual caregiver. The Transformational model is collaborative and reflects the increasing organizational complexity of the healthcare delivery system. This model incorporates many aspects of professional development that are critical to successful health care delivery, and many aspects of the Professional Model are included in the Professional Practice Component of the Transformation Model. The major areas of focus in this area of the Transformational Model overlap the Professional Model, including Professional Growth, Transformational Leadership, Collaborative Practice and care Delivery. The Professional Practice Component is the most important area of the Transformational Model, and is more dynamic and expansive in its professional goals and overall global perspective on health care delivery than the Professional Model. The Transformational Model contains many elements that are central to CQI. Continuous Quality Improvement is an important management concept that has been applied to the delivery of health care services to achieve the most effective practices from

Domestic Violence Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Domestic Violence Abuse - Essay Example This has been the legacy of the Tennessee laws regarding domestic violence. However, recent decades have witnessed a shift in public awareness accompanied by a greater sense of responsibility within the law to protect the women, men, and children who become the victims of abuse and a greater willingness of the courts to prosecute the offenders. One of the key areas that Tennessee law has changed in recent years is the ability of the state to intervene in prosecution of domestic violence with or without the cooperation of the victim. According to the Knoxville Tennessee Bar Association, "unlike in the past when victims were required to swear out warrants, officers now are being trained to swear out all warrants involving domestic violence themselves" (How to Use the Law). If the offender is arrested, the level of the crime will depend upon the egregiousness of the act. In Tennessee most prosecutions for domestic violence are prosecuted as Class A misdemeanors that carry a sentence of not more than 1 year (How to Use the Law). In addition to the criminal sentence most offenders are also required to attend a domestic violence intervention program. The victim is also entitled to obtain a Civil Order of Protection that provides an additional layer of legal protection against domestic violence and threats. The recent changes in Tennessee law that have broadened t... While the change was necessary to prevent losing federal grants, defense lawyer Clay Whittaker "believes the fallout from the law change is that the people with orders of protection against them could end up bearing the burden of court costs in all instances, even if the plaintiffs' complaints eventually are found to have no merit" (Mercer). This is especially relevant due to other recent changes in Tennessee law that define "adults or minors who are dating or who have dated or who have or had sexual relationship" as eligible for domestic protection orders, which could open the doors for abuse of the existing laws in the form of revenge or overreaction (Bohn). These definitions are vague and can include many people who can be subjected to prosecution without any warning or committing any offensive activity. One of the most significant, and widely praised, changes in Tennessee law has been in the provisions and penalties for spousal rape. US law has traditionally defined rape as "sexual intercourse with a female not his wife without her consent" (Spousal Rape Bill Back). In the last 30 years, states have moved to amend the law to repeal the spousal exclusion from the rape laws. In 1998, the Tennessee spousal exemption was changed to read that a spouse could be charged only if there was a weapon involved, there was serious bodily injury, or the couple was separated or divorced (Echegaray). In 2005, Tennessee amended its law again to eliminate the spousal exemption and "made the rape of a spouse as serious as the rape of a stranger" (Echegaray). This was a significant step in recognizing that domestic violence is a serious offense and a grave threat to public safety. In

Sandwich Blitz Essay Example for Free

Sandwich Blitz Essay Dalman and Lei are dealing with a problem regarding their technologic advancements. Dalman and Lei are dealing with pressure to adopt this new technology and implement it in a very short amount of time. With an increase in customers leaving unhappy with the service they received. Their employees are unable to properly fulfill all of the orders coming in which, in turn is reflecting negatively on the Sandwich Blitz. The errors that are being made will eventually roughen their reputation, along with the possibility of having to shut down the business. Customers have become to expect certain customer quality product and an overall good customer experience. This is what the Sandwich Blitz based their business motto on, without it customers will no longer choose to visit the Sandwich Blitz. The other situation of concern is the amount of support that Dalman and Lei need from the managers. In any business communication plays a hug past in the success of the business, but with the success of the new e-customer order system. Without effective communication between lower and upper management, customer service workers, and the technology team the new e-customer order system will not work and the Sandwich Blitz could very well fail. The following is the E-mail that Dalman and Lei should send to the managers regarding the urgency and to prepare them for the technology advancement: Management Team, Here at the Sandwich Blitz, Inc. we are dealing with a number of problems at our locations. We have taken a look at the feedback, and a lot of it is negative receiving. We are fully aware of the huge amount of orders being placed and it is affecting every ones work environment. Since we live in the technology age, and have not even begun to invest into the resources that this era has to offer. We have decided that it is time to take the plunge into the technology era. After significant amount of consideration, we have decided to implement into all sandwich blitz location a new e-customer order input system. With this new technology we will then have better customer satisfaction, bring efficiency to our team and will also relieve a great deal of stress that is currently present in our locations.

Leadership and Power with Teenagers Essay Example for Free

Leadership and Power with Teenagers Essay Communication between patients and health care providers has always been an important topic. Specifically communication between teenagers and health care professionals, a study conducted by Jacobson and others (2001), shows that there has not been much research that specifically show how teenagers relate to the health services. Using the communication aspects of that study, the description of group dynamics shown in the textbook and the assigned readings, we will try to show a more effective way to communicate with teenagers as a health care professional. Power in a Group With few exceptions, most teenagers feel the need to belong to a group. For a teenager group dynamics help to define his or her identity. If we can understand how group dynamics work, we can then use that information to develop a strategy to help us as health care professionals communicate effectively with teenagers. Adler (2010) defines power as â€Å"the ability to influence others† (p. 308). There are many ways to influence other people using the different types of power. We will review a few of them in order to get a better understanding of what level of power we can have in a group. We will not be discussing if the â€Å"power† or level of influence in the group is used for good or bad, only that it is present. Legitimate Power Legitimate power is defined as power received because of title or position. A parent, a teacher or, in our case, a nurse or paramedic, has this kind of power when first approaching a patient. This kind of power is usually acquired through an authority that is recognized by society. We accept this authority because they have a position above us in the chain of command. The end result is the person with the power has the major influence. As a nurse or a paramedic, the uniform, the tools we use and even the environment we are in, are common ways that people recognize our title, is also highlights power and influence that comes with our title. This allows us to approach a patient and get their attention so we can begin their assessment and treatment. Expert Power Expert power comes from what lies behind the title; perceived knowledge â€Å"what we believe that they know or can do†(Adler, 2010, pg. 385). Nurses and paramedics are excellent examples of expert power. We respect their authority not because we know his or her personal background, what university they graduated from or how much experience that they have, but because the person has a professional title that we know has to be earned. This earned title means that the professional has certain level of knowledge in health field and we are more likely to follow their instructions because of it. After we present ourselves as a nurse or paramedic, it is our job to confirm the first impression caused by our uniform and shows the patient that we know how to do our jobs. Once we are assessing the patient it is important to demonstrate our medical knowledge and the experience we have while performing procedures. We do this in order to make the patient feel more comfortable with us and give them more confidence in communicating with us about their current condition. Referent Power Referent power comes from the interactions with the members of a group. It is not bestowed upon a person like the legitimate power and it is not related to the power a person gets because of their knowledge in a particular subject like expert power. The referent power is earned because of the respect that person has earned from the group. There are many important factors that we need to be considering when earning this kind of power; earning trust and admiration of the group member’s and likability, all take part in gaining this kind of power. Leadership is the word that best describes referent power. When a person becomes a leader, they support and push the group toward a common goal that is the best for everyone. Leadership is a skill, not a quality; nurses or paramedics need to develop this skill to have a better have a way to communicate with our colleagues and patients, especially our teenaged ones. Losing referent power. When a leader fails to be an effective, the ineffective leaser will lose the referent power they had gained. In one study a teenager was asked how they felt while talking to a doctor, they described there interpretation of a doctor as â€Å"an authority figure who communicated briskly† (Jacobson, October 2001, p. 813). This statement show the failure in meeting a teenagers need to. The results of the study show that most teenagers don’t trust their trust and respect their health care professional. The results of the study show that most teenagers don’t trust there health care professionals and this can lead to them failing to disclose important medical information. Communicating with a Teenager Patient Legitimate, expert and referent power demonstrate a persons ability to gain power and influence within a group. Returning to our main topic, we know that teenagers have a group mentality. This means that one way to get and maintain their respect is to use referent power. By using the skills of a leader, we are much better to able to connect and to build relationship with out teenaged patients. When we first have contact with a patient we inherently have both legitimate and expert power with us; then begin to develop the referent power and earn the trust and respect of that patient. If we are successful the patient will cooperate with us and we will have a good and open communication. This works for almost every patient, but if the patient is a teenager, we also have one extra challenge, time. Teenagers usually make quick decisions; they don’t usually take the time to consider all ramifications or consequences of their choices. We have to make sure they know we are there to help them and that they are important to us as a person. To earn their trust, they have to feel like they are being treated as an adult, not like another bratty teen and this must be accomplished in a short period of time due to the teenager’s tendency towards quick decisions To summarize, we have described a few of the different types of power a person can have in a group, legitimate, expert and referent. Then we further explained how you go from legitimate and expert power to the referent in your dealing with teenaged patient and how using referent power and being a leader is always your best option. This is so not only can we work better with them but we can do a better job as a health care providers overall. References Adler, R. Rodman, G. (2006). Understanding Human Communication. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press. Jacobson, L. Richardson, G. Parry-Langdon, N. Donovan, C. (October 2001). How do teenagers and primary healthcare providers view each other? An overview of key themes. The British Journal of General Practice, 51(471): 811–816. PMCID: PMC1314126 Sieh, A. Bretin, L. (1997). The Nurse Communicates†¦ (pp. 85-102). Philadelphia, PA. WB Saunders Company.

The True Meaning Of Freedom Philosophy Essay

The True Meaning Of Freedom Philosophy Essay Freedom is one of the central philosophic categories in characterizing the essence of man and his existence. In the history of philosophic idea this conception got over a long evolution process- from negative (meaning freedom from) up to positive (freedom for) theory. The philosophy of freedom was the subject of consideration of I. Kant, G.W.F. Hegel, A. Schopenhauer, J.P. Sartre, F.W. Nietzsche, K.T. Jaspers. The range of insights on this notion starting from the complete negation of the free choice possibility (in the conception of behavior science) up to argumentation escape from freedom in the conditions of modern society is quite wide. It is impossible to underestimate the influence of Humes work on world philosophy. David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of the Scottish Enlightenment and Western philosophy. The opinion of David Hume, presented in the book A Treatise of Human Nature appeals to the modern investigations of freedom. Besides, it is considered to be one of the most important books in the history of philosophy. According to the Book II, Part 3, of the Treatise of Human Nature and in section VIII of An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Of Liberty and Necessity Hume sets out his views concerning freedom of the will. The philosopher holds to an opinion of compatibilism, by it he states that all human actions are caused and that all people possess liberty of action. Hume endows humans with the other kind of freedom freedom of will, which occurs to be very complicated, impossible to define notion and gives the following explanation: by the will he means nothing but the inner impression we feel and are conscious of, when we purposefully originate any new motion of our body. One more question worth to be touched is the necessity which makes an essential part of causation, an d accordingly liberty by extracting necessity totals the chance. Liberty or chance in its deep understanding are nothing but a demand of determination, and a certain uncertainty we feel in passing or not passing from the idea of one to that of the other. We have a feeling that our actions are mostly regulated by our will and by thinking that our will itself is subject to nothing we make a big mistake, as by denial of will we are provoked to try we feel and it moves easily every way and makes an impression of itself even on that side on which it didnt settle. The image we persuade ourselves couldnt have been completed into the thing itself. Despite all our caprices and incorrect actions we may perform, the desire of demonstration our liberty is the sole motive of our actions, we can never free ourselves from the bonds of necessity. Hume initiates this discussion between the notions of necessity and freedom by proposing that ambiguities in language have kept interlocutors in the disputes over freedom of the will talking past one another. Actually, according to Hume, all mankind, both learned and illiterate, have always shared the same opinion with regard to this subject, and several intelligible definitions would immediately have set the limit to the whole arguing. Hume sets out to clarify what we can best be understood to mean when we talk about liberty and necessity, and to show that so understood, there is no conflict between them. Discussing the necessity, Hume argues that all our actions are first and foremost caused by necessity, and all our operations are caused by a necessary force, in addition to it every natural effect is dictated by the energy of its cause. It is commonly recognized that the actions of people are mostly uniform and the human nature remains the same according to its principles. It clos ely coincides with the events in the natural world that we draw inferences concerning them. Analyzing our interaction with other people and how we reflect on human activities it seems almost impossible to make our own opinion without recognition of philosophy of necessity. When it refers to liberty of human beings actions, Hume discloses that we shouldnt believe that actions have so little connection with motives, inclinations, and circumstances that one does not link with the other. Any such view of liberty would set at defiance of common and philosophical ways of thinking about humans behavior. Contrariwise, the meaning of liberty is very simple as it is determined by power of acting or not taking actions; according to the determinations of the will; that is, if we choose to remain in the shade, we vice versa; if we choose to move, we also may. Every person who is independent, not a prisoner has this liberty. Hume proves that his opinion on liberty and necessity do not only correspond with each other but also correspond with moral and legal standards. We are too condemning a man for an act caused by a durable trait than a person who behaved under the influence of passing impulsion. And definitely it would be pointless to accuse someone for an action the cause of which lies beyond him or her. Analyzing Humes point on liberty I have come to conclusion we can be free only we have a necessity of determination ourselves in this life. We have a liberty to choose of whether to take actions or to keep out. And in such a way we get our determination, our life principles. Its worth to take into account the opinion of one more eminent philosopher of that time Immanuel Kant. The best idea in Kants philosophy is directed to the study of freedom concept. The detailed research of freedom is given in his book Critique of Pure Reason, the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, and the Critique of Practical Reason. Kant believed that morality is directly connected with freedom. According to his dogmas: To be free is to follow our own rational principles instead of just our desires to follow our own legislation to act on maxims that we will to be universal laws. Resuming all above said to be free is to be moral. In this way freedom and morality are finally the same enigma. His standpoint is opposed to Humes view that both natural and moral actions must be regarded as part of a single chain of causes, effects and explanations. As a matter of fact, if they were regarded in such a way, and on the assumption that we accept natural causal laws as global and d eterministic, there could be no freedom at all according to Kants moral philosophy. Speaking about free will Kant considered that people are able only to accept it. Judging from his principles I have reached a conclusion that we can only be free by in a positive sense as this freedom is controlled by our morality principles. Those principles will never force us to do bidding of our emotions. In the historic development of freedom notion the idea of creative freedom is gradually replacing the concept of liberty from obstructions casualty, fate. There are a number of points on the question of whether freedom exists, namely, whether people possess a power to make a choice, making a selection from several alternatives or when an act of free will is a case of agent-causation: whereby a person generates an event. The concept of incompatibilism was closely developed by Peter van Inwagen who is an American analytic philosopher and the John Cardinal OHara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. His monograph An Essay on Free Will (1983) illustrates the philosophic understanding of incompatibilism about free will and determinism. Van Inwagens central evidence for this view says that If determinism is true, then our acts are the consequences of the laws of nature and events in the remote past. But it is not up to us what went on before we were born, and neither is it up to us what the laws of nature are. Therefore, the consequences of those things (including our present acts) are not up to us. Van Inwagen gave a profound explanation to what he called a mind argument. It is developed by identifying indeterminism with chance and by debating that if an act that happens by chance is not controlled by a man then it couldnt be completed freely. If free will and determinism co-exist, the n someone has a chance to do something not contained in that one possible future that is connected both with the past and the laws of nature that is the most important argument presented in the Free Will monograph by Van Inwagen. Resuming on Inwagens conclusions I would like to point out that a person can only be free, has free will when he has to choose between two or more mutually incompatible courses of action such that he can, or is able to, or has it within his power to accomplish. It is proved that free will is closely connected with determinism as quite simply the thesis that the past determines a unique future. To my mind, freedom is the present ability of choice from a variety of variants and realization of the event outcome. The lack of such choice and choice realization is equal to the absence of freedom. Analyzing the freedom concept I confine myself with liberalistic approach. In my opinion it implies the deficiency of enforcement from the side of other individuals. Freedom is one of kinds of haphazard manifestation, directed by a free will (purposefulness of the will, recognized freedom) or by the stochastic law (unpredictability of an outcome of event, unconscious freedom). In this sense, the concept of liberty is opposed to the notion of necessity. According to moral philosophy, freedom is connected with the availability of persons free will. The free will imposes an individual with responsibility and imputes his words and actions in a merit. The action is considered ethic if it is conducted by free will, and appears to be a free wills expression of a person. I am fully concerned th at the demand for freedom reveals as a biological response of a humans organism. This point could be supported by the fact that in the whole field of our history people and classes contested against its oppressors without consideration whether there was any hope or not. Properly speaking, the history of mankind turns to be the history of struggle, history of revolution, starting from the liberation war of Israelites against Egyptian people, from national rebellions against the Roman Empire and up to revolutions in the United States of America, France, Russia, China and so on. The hypothesis about a congenital struggle for freedom impulse of a person is supported with the freedom as a background for evolution of all the human abilities, its physical and mental health and, of course, balance. Freedom is the vital biological factor for the persons life, which determines the unobstructed development of the organism. I am upholding to the opinion of Erich Fromm, who considered freedom to be the sense of humans happiness. But if to ponder in the essence of these words, freedom is not a fact, it is surely a process which is impossible without a subject of freedom. If a person does not realize his freedom, he does not possess it. That is why we can be free if we have a choice, an opportunity to realize our choice, when we are independent of the other persons opinion, when we subject to our personal outputs performing a decision making. We can be free when we live our life the way we want and we do not permit anyone else to take a decision in our stead.

The Turn of the Screw Essay -- Literary Analysis, Henry James

Superficially, Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw seems to reinforce the status quo of American literature as male, whereby men are viewed as having power over women leaving women to become mere objects. James creates a nameless female protagonist whose story is told through the guise of a male narrator. She becomes an object viewed by Douglas’s audience and is used simply as means for the master on Harley Street to avoid being bothered by his charges. She is then set up as naà ¯ve and love-struck, willing to do just about anything, including risking her own sanity, for the sake of keeping the master undisturbed. However, on closer examination, James actually creates a novella that subverts the traditional idea of men having power over women as it is the governess who has the final word in her story, not the male Douglas, and it is the male heir Miles who becomes the scapegoat leaving the governess free, â€Å"awfully clever and nice† (James 24). James’s unfinished frame tale creates frustration and confusion but his experiment with form also draws attention to what has largely been left unconscious. Through Douglas’s initial telling of the governess’s story she is reduced to a nameless object that they all raptly listen about rather than listen to. While at the start, Douglas does have power over the governess’s story, in the end it is the governess who has the final word and Douglas, who disappears after only the first seven pages, is never to be heard from again. James relinquishes power to the governess and allows her to participate as there is no need to return to the male voice once she takes over. Furthermore, as the governess does remain nameless throughout her own narrative this hardly is a power issues as both the master on... ...til finally â€Å"the air was clear† (116-117). In this way the governess is able to reverse the roles of passive/female and active/male as she denies Quint the power of his gaze and instead forces him to be the object of her gaze. Through his distortion of traditional male dominated structures and ideas, James is able to not only draw attention to the inequality of men’s power over women but he also uses the same devices to subvert this binary opposition. Through a distortion of the assumed patriarchal order the governess is able to adopt male characteristics in order to wrest back some of the power initially taken from her. Whether consciously or unconsciously James’s unfinished frame, disturbing death of Miles, and the disappearance of Quint’s ghost all point to a hidden power within the governess allowing her to survive long after her weaker male counterparts.

What i did for love :: essays research papers

You better come back here you good for nothing brat!" I covered my ears with my palms. That was my stepmother calling me. Her voice sounds murderous and I didn't want to face her today. She had slapped and hit me too much already. I'm afraid I can't take it anymore so I hid in my closet. I peeked through the crack in my closet and saw my stepmom with a really pissed off look on her face. She was holding that stick that I'm always afraid of. I was thinking about how much it would hurt if she hits me with it again. I'm just thirteen and whoever said 13 was an unlucky number, they were right. My mom had died when I was just turning ten. Before she died she told me that I was the most beautiful girl in the world and how proud she was to be my mother. She said even though she'll be gone, her love is with me always. Tears rolled down my cheeks. 'If you love me mommy, how can you be so selfish to leave me?' So now when I had turn 13 my dad had married Mok Young A, who is my stepmom today? She was a cold-hearted woman who tortured me all day. Any self-esteem I had for myself was shattered and I was living a nightmare. My closet door suddenly opened. "There you are you wicked girl!" My stepmom started cussing at me as she pulled me out and threw me onto the floor. I began to tremble because I knew what was going to happen next. *Whack whack whack. * I cried out in pain but I knew that no one is going to hear my cries. I desperately began to gasp for air. My heart was aching again. I couldn't breathe. "Not again! Don't you see how much you're costing your father and me with your heart problems? If it wasn't for all these medical bills we wouldn't be so poor now!" I had this heart condition where air would suddenly shut off and I couldn't breathe. The doctors are trying to save me by giving me a respirator and pills, but they're not sure how much longer I'll be able to live. My dad (who was a pathetic excuse for a man) came in. He looked down at me with sorrowful eyes. He held my stepmom's arm lightly and said, "I think she had enough.

Sonnys Blues :: essays research papers

Brothers tend to grow apart yet eventually find a way to revive an old beat up relationship. These brothers grew up on the rough streets of Harlem and went their separate ways. Sonny was a drug-addicted musician and his older brother was a high school algebra teacher with a family. The way the two brothers reunite through addiction, memories and strife make their bond seem stronger than ever. Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin, is a story about enlightenment through brotherhood when Sonny and his brother go to the club. Sonny’s brother saw the newspaper while he was on his way to work and realized that his little brother was in trouble because of drugs. The beginning of the enlightenment started when Sonny’s brother ran into the man who got Sonny started on heroin, or how they call it â€Å"horse.† â€Å"A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting. Sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spilling out or that I was going to choke or scream. This would always be at the moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done.† The fact that Sonny’s brother wanted to have nothing to do with helping Sonny made it seem that he did not care that his brother was killing himself but deep down he knew that I wa s killing him too. Sonny’s brother felt like he had to help Sonny but he should not because his brother got himself into the drug scene. Sonny’s brother and him finally decided to reconcile when Gracie, Sonny’s niece, passed away at a young age. The brothers wrote back and forth and one thing became clear to Sonny’s brother, music affected him. Sonny’s brother always saw the music/jazz scene as an unhealthy lifestyle full of drugs and scandal. The only thing Sonny would really reinforce was that it was not because of the music. Sonny came back to New York after rehab from heroin and came to see the old neighborhood in Harlem. The brothers see that they have so much to be thankful for and that they will always have each other.

My Theory of Human Nature Essay

It is human nature to treat other people, animals, and yourself in different ways depending on how you feel, experiences you have had, and your upbringing in life. From the way that people act you can group people into different categories. These categories are based off people’s culture, economic situation, and values and faith. Throughout my life and especially this semester of college I have witnessed people treat other people, animals, and themselves considerately, inconsiderately, fair, unfair mean, kind, destructive, and prudent. I am not sure what made these people treat these things in that way, but each person has their own reason on why they did it. In this essay I am going to talk about examples of how people treated animals, people, and themselves in different ways, different ways you can group people, and if people are born the way they are, or molded into the person they are through their upbringing. A very common thing in today’s society is inconsiderate people and a more rare thing are people that are considerate. It used to be common manners to do simple things that made you be considerate, but as time has passed many people have become more inconsiderate. During this semester I have witnessed many people act inconsiderately and considerately towards others and themselves. I see examples of inconsiderate people and considerate people everyday, whether I am walking to class, trying to sleep, or just sitting in my room. On example of this is the most common and easiest way to be inconsiderate. I see this when I am walking to class and someone goes into a door ahead of me and they do not hold the door open for me and instead just let it slam in my face. Another example is when I was in Chicago my friend Josh Rainer was sitting in a seat on the train and an elderly lady got on the bus and instead of asking her if she wanted his seat he stayed seated and the elderly lady had to stand up. Along with the inconsiderate people in society there are considerate people. Simple tasks like my friend introducing their friends to me is an example of a considerate thing that I have witnessed this semester. Finally this week Dr. Monaco asked my class is we would rather have a take home final or an in class final. A little considerate task like this changed the whole week for many of us students and took stress off of us. So even if you are having a bad day going out of your way to do something considerate for someone else could change your day and that person’s day for the best. Unfair people and fair people have been around forever and always will be. People are unfair for many different reason, whether it is because they feel like they need to have an advantage, or they dislike the person they are being unfair to, or many other reasons, but we see these types of people in our everyday lives. Along with this people are fair because they feel like it is the right thing to do, they like the person, or for other reasons, but we also see these people in our everyday lives. During this year of football I saw coached treat players unfair everyday. Eddie Pope is a player on my football team and just because he was out of shape the coached would not let me participate in team sessions. He was only allowed to participate in individual sessions because they did not want him taking up time. Another example of people being unfair is seen in the work place. At my moms work my mom, Debbie Graves, and one of her co-workers, David Brookfield, have the exact same job and credentials, but he gets paid more than she does and more opportunities than she does. This is seen all the time in the work place whether is because of sex or race. While we see many unfair things everyday we also see things that are fair. Everyday in my dorm room I witness people being fair. I see it when people take turns playing the Xbox and sharing food and drinks with each other. Finally many people believe that life is not fair and they are always getting cheated, when in reality life is fair it is all about the effort you put into it. People know that they should be kind and that being mean can hurt people, but they still decide to act that way. In our lives we have been mean and kind and have also witnessed other people being mean and kind. During this semester this has been the easiest thing to notice. In the locker room during football I witnessed people being mean to each other everyday. Whether it was name-calling, fighting, or just taking things from each other. An example of this is Quentin taking different freshmen’s game pants until he finds the pair that he thinks fits the best. Many players on the teams call my roommate, Dominic, names about because he is over weight. People do kind things everyday whether they want to make somebody’s day better or are just kind person. My parents send me cards in the mail for no reason, but to tell me they love me and hope I am having a good semester. Kate complements different people everyday just to put a smile on their face and make their day better. Finally these are examples of people that I have witnessed being kind and mean throughout the semester. When people are self-destructive and prudent they usually harm themselves and can sometimes harm others. These are things that I have not witnessed as much as the others things that I have talked about. My roommate Zach is self-destructive by his money spending habits and studying habits. He is self-destructive in these ways because in the long run these will hurt him because he will become poor and could fail classes if he does not change them. Examples of people being prudent that I have witnessed is my roommate Scott. He plans ahead and when shopping looks for discounts to save money. These things are acts of being prudent because he is looking out for the well being of him and these things will help him out in the long run. Finally people think that being self-destructive and prudent have to be things that will hurt you right then and there, but really they are things down the road that will help or hurt you. Philosophers question is every human is alike or not. I believe that every human is not alike, but quite different. Humans act in different ways because of things that they have experienced, the way that they were brought up, how they feel, what they know, and may other reasons. Not all humans have experienced the same thing, were brought up the same way, feel the same way about things, have the same knowledge, or are the same in other ways. How can humans be all be alike of this is the case? Finally humans may have the same features or look the same, but their nature is not all alike. Human nature is different from person to person, but it is similar enough between certain people that you are able to group humans in to different groups by how they act. I came up with three different groups that I can group people into. These groups are by culture, economic status, and values and faith. I chose these groups because these groups are distinct things that make their human nature different. I chose culture because where you grow up and how you grow up shape you into what you will be and how you will act. People that all grew up under the same culture will have similar human characteristics in nature. Economic situation is the same way. People that grew up in a wealthy family are going to act the same and have the same tendencies, while people that grew up poor are going to have different tendencies because of how they grew up. An example of this is that wealthy people will take more things for granted and be more inconsiderate about what they get, while poor people are going to be more considerate about what they get. I also picked values and faith as groups for humans because when you grow up your parents teach you their values and faith. If a kid grows up learning about God and learns to always be kind, fair considerate, and prudent they are going to act differently than someone that grew up in a family that did not teach about God and taught their kid that it did not matter if you were inconsiderate or considerate, unfair or fair, mean or kind, and self-destructive or prudent. Some people believe that humans act the way they do because of their upbringing while other believe that humans act the way they do because of genetics, but I believe that humans act the way they do because of only their upbringing. Every human is born with different traits from their parents, but these traits are not what will make them who they are when they are adults. The things that their parents teach them, where they grow up, and how they grow up is going to be the final molding process for how they will act when they are adults. The environment that they grow up in, the things that they experience when they are growing up, and the values that they learn are what is going to make them act the way they will when they are adults. Finally even though they are born with traits of their parents these traits are not what will make them act in different ways. The way they will act is learnt through their lives. Finally as the semester passed and I learnt more about ethics and philosophy I decided that Aristotle came closest to the truth as I saw it. He agrees that humans are born with traits, but these traits are not what make us who we are as adults. â€Å"Virtue, then, being of two kinds, intellectual and moral, intellectual virtues in the main owes both its birth and its growth to teaching (for which reason it requires experience and time)†(Denise Nicholas Sheldon 28). This supports how we are born with some traits, but these traits are not we act how we do. It is the experience and time that make us the way we are. Aristotle also agrees how nature is what molds us into who we are as adults. â€Å"Neither by nature, then, nor contrary to nature do the virtues arise in us; rather we are adapted by nature to receive them, and are made perfect by habit† (Denise Nicholas Sheldon 28). This also supports how nature is not what makes us who we are. It is the morals our family teaches us and nature is only what molds those teachings. Finally traits like intelligence is not what makes a human act the way he does when he grows up, but it is the things he learns that does. â€Å"For in speaking about a man’s character we do not say that he is wise or has understanding but that he is good tempered or temperate† (Denise Nicholas Sheldon 28). In conclusion I believe that humans do not act the way they do because they are born with these traits, but they are molded from different experiences in their lives, the environment they grew up in, and the family values they are taught. Humans are not all alike, but they can be grouped together into three different categories, culture, economic situation, and values and religion. Work Cited Denise, Theodore Cullom, Nicholas P. White, and Sheldon Paul Peterfreund. Great Traditions in Ethics. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008. Print.

Acer Weaknesses

Acer closes in on Dell's No. 2 PC ranking By Bruce Einhorn, BusinessWeek Tuesday, January 20, 2009 11:33 AM Just a few years ago there was a clear pecking order in the PC industry, with Dell at the front and Acer way back in the queue. Dell and its U. S. rival Hewlett-Packard were the clear champions, selling far more desktops and laptops than anyone else. Meanwhile, little Acer, a Taiwanese company that had tried and failed in the 1990s to crack the U. S. market, was an also-ran, with worldwide market share in the single digits. As recently as 2003, Acer ranked just seventh in sales around the world. Lately, though, the Taiwanese have been pushing their way ever closer to the front of the line. Market-share numbers published on Jan. 14 by research firm International Data show HP is still on top, with 19. 6 percent of all PC shipments, and Dell is No. 2. But Michael Dell has reason to worry. While Dell shipments fell 6. 3 percent in the fourth quarter, Acer's jumped 25. 3 percent. That not only puts the Taiwanese company solidly in the No. 3 position worldwide, it puts Acer less than two percentage points away from Dell, with 11. 8 percent share to Dell's 13. 7 percent. And Acer is likely to keep on closing the gap, say analysts. In the next two or three quarters, you will probably see Acer surpass Dell,† predicts Daniel Chang, an analyst in Taipei with Macquarie. Gateway Was an Opening What accounts for Acer's rise? The company is benefiting from its US$710 million purchase of Gateway, announced in August 2007. At the time of the deal, Gateway was the third-biggest PC brand in the United States, and the purchase has helped Acer gain ground in a market that had long stymied the Taiwanese company. Shortly after that deal, Acer followed up with the acquisition of the Packard-Bell brand, popular in parts of Europe. According to the latest IDC numbers, Acer now ranks third in the United States, with shipments of 2 million computers in the fourth quarter. That puts Acer ahead of Apple and behind only Dell and HP. Acer declined to make any executives available for comment. Even more important for Acer's market-share rise has been its focus on the hottest new segment in the computer industry, so-called netbooks. These pint-size laptops are light, simple computers that typically cost no more than US$500 and are based on a design that Intel first developed for schoolchildren in emerging markets. The first to realize that the netbook could become a crossover hit in wealthier countries was Acer's Taiwanese rival Asustek Computer, which launched its Eee PC in late 2007. Acer quickly followed, and it soon grabbed the lead. Meanwhile, Dell, HP, and Lenovo hesitated before launching netbooks of their own. â€Å"They didn't start producing the mini-notebooks until late in the game,† says Robert Murtagh, worldwide PC tracker research analyst with IDC in San Mateo, Calif. â€Å"That has given Acer a strategic advantage. † Low-Price Trend With recession-weary consumers hunting for bargains, Acer's focus on inexpensive netbooks—and its longtime role as a lower-cost alternative to the likes of Dell and HP–have helped the company boost shipments. And while the competition in the mini-notebook business is bound to get tougher in 2009, Acer's head start should give it an important edge. â€Å"We believe Acer will continue to be the winner in the low-price trend and the netbook market,† wrote Credit Suisse analysts Robert Cheng and Jill Su in a Jan. 13 report. Moreover, one of Acer's weaknesses, its relatively poor position among corporate customers in the United States, has meant the company has suffered less than Dell and Lenovo, both of which have relied more on sales to businesses. According to IDC, Lenovo shipments fell 4. 8 percent in the fourth quarter; the company on Jan. 8 announced plans to lay off 2,500 employees, 11 percent of its workforce. Tracy Tsai, an analyst in Taipei with market research firm Gartner, says Acer won't need to make the sort of layoffs that others have. â€Å"Acer has real tight management on its costs,† she says, and it has just 6,000 workers. â€Å"The smaller size f Acer puts it in a better position. † Still, Acer faces some headwinds. Credit Suisse estimates 2008 earnings rose 7 percent, to US$353 million, on sales of US$16. 5 billion. But this year profits are likely to fall 7. 5 percent, on a 6 percent drop in sales, the bank says. Macqaurie's Chang expects a slowdown, too, and he warns that Acer's focus on building market share distracts the company from a more important statistic: earnings. As competition heats up further in netbooks, he says, Acer will face pressure to cut prices even more, drawing would-be customers away from its laptops and hurting Acer's bottom line. Everybody's netbook looks very similar now,† says Chang, so companies selling them â€Å"can compete only on price. † For its part, Dell argues against paying too much attention to market-share rankings. â€Å"When we reported our Q3 financial results, we said our focus in this challenging environment was–and continues to be–on positioning Dell for long-term profitable growth by improving our competitiveness and enhancing our leading product and services portfolio,† Dell spokesman David Frink says via email. â€Å"We're in the midst of that now. â€Å"

Starbucks Case

As a result, Cataracts consistently appears on â€Å"Best Places to Work† lists, and Schultz continues to be recognized for leadership by organizations such as the Deciphers Institute, Fortune, and Glissando (â€Å"Cataracts and Howard,† 2014). Schultz also appears on Fortunes first list Of the Android's 50 Greatest Leaders† as number 29 (Cataracts News). Although critics may believe that Schultz success is a result of mere luck and situational factors, several leadership theories explain why Schultz and Cataracts continue to be successful.The most important of these theories include trait theory and transformational leadership theory, which Schultz illustrates with many of his leadership traits, skills, and beliefs. Situational factors contributed to the initial success of Cataracts, but Schultz leadership abilities, ethics, and passion are what make Cataracts a driving force in the food and beverage industry today. Schultz exemplifies dynamic leadership skills b y his ability to push Cataracts forward without losing integrity.Although Schultz led Cataracts to be the successful company that it is today, he stepped down from his position in 2000. However, the company experienced several problems in 2008 because of an unstable economy and a series of poor management decisions. Schultz then felt compelled to return to the company. When Schultz returned, he found that â€Å"things were worse than [he'd] thought† (Igniting, 2010). The Cataracts leadership team admitted to failing the company's employees and heir families, and Schultz had to make several difficult decisions to restore the company.In addition to the crises in management, the financial crisis of the economy added stress on the Cataracts leadership team. Customers began to rethink spending four dollars on a latte, and eventually competition set in as other businesses saw Cataracts turning a profit from selling coffee. The overwhelming amount of problems challenged Schultz goal of preserving and improving the integrity of the company and its â€Å"values, culture, guiding principles, and the reservoir of trust with Cataracts people† Igniting, 2010).Howard Schultz got Cataracts back on track by using his existing knowledge of the company, an asset other Coos did not have. He tried to do ‘the right thing† by shutting down the stores for three and a half hours for retraining. He said, ‘†We are retraining our people because we have forgotten what we stand for, and that is the pursuit of an unequivocal, absolute commitment to quality† (Igniting, 2010). Schultz motivation and thirst for success allowed Cataracts to regain its strength.In the years 2006 to 201 3, the company underwent several leadership arrangements because Schultz carefully chose certain people for leadership positions that would optimize the growth of the company. In 2011, Cataracts adopted a new corporate structure to accelerate its growth strategy. Schult z said, â€Å"Our company performance over the past two years has positioned Cataracts for significant international opportunities ahead† (â€Å"Cataracts Announces New Leadership,† 2011 He decided to execute a multi-brand, multinational strategy that would optimize the company's speed and focus going forward.Schultz implemented a three-region organization Structure including China and Asia Pacific, the Americas, and MEME (Europe, LLC. K. Middle East, Russia, and Africa). He selected John Culver, Cliff Burrows, and Michelle Gas to serve as president of each region, and the presidents' responsibilities included working with licensed and joint-venture business partners and reporting to Schultz. Cataracts also created a â€Å"multi-brand, multi-channel future by building a portfolio of branded business united beyond the Cataracts retail brand† (â€Å"Cataracts Announces New Leadership,† 201 1).Cattle's Best Coffee and Taco Tea both continued to be important growth opportunities as they generated revenue for the company. Building on the new corporate structure and company success, Schultz decided to strengthen the Cataracts Senior Leadership team in 2014 because he wanted to position the company ‘to leverage its assets and operations, and gain maximum benefit from the retail, consumer, mobile, and digital shifts currently underway in the global marketplace† (â€Å"Cataracts Strengthens Senior Leadership Team†, 2014).Schultz said, â€Å"These organizational moves map our internal talent to the rapidly evolving retail environment and significant strategic and market opportunities ahead of us. With the new leadership structure, Schultz wanted to bring â€Å"greater financial and operational discipline† and to focus on the Cataracts mission and its growth (â€Å"Cataracts Strengthens Senior Leadership Team†, 2014). Senior leadership changes include Troy Lasted to Chief Operating Officer, Scott Maw to Execut ive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Craig Russell to Executive Vice President.With these changes, Schultz intended to focus on â€Å"generation retailing and payments initiatives in the areas of digital, mobile, card, loyalty, and e-commerce† and to prepare for â€Å"its next wave of global growth† â€Å"Cataracts Strengthens Senior Leadership Team†, 2014). The senior leadership changes took effect on February 3, 2014, and Cataracts continues to thrive under the leadership of Howard Schultz. Although Schultz is only one of many leaders who has appeared throughout history, he continues to help redefine what leadership is and how to use one's leadership skills to run a successful company.In general, leadership is defined as the process of providing general direction and influencing individuals or groups to achieve goals, but leaders convey leadership in many different ways (Collar, 201 1). One theory that explains why Schultz is an exceptional lead er is the trait theory of leadership. Atone time, â€Å"it was thought that some people were born with certain traits that made them effective leaders, whereas others were born without leadership traits† (Collar, 201 1).However, research has shown that leaders can learn or develop many of the traits or characteristics that they posses. Still, researchers agree that most successful leaders tend to share common leadership traits, regardless if they learn or inherit them. Some of these important leadership traits include drive, motivation, integrity, self- inference, cognitive ability, knowledge of domain, openness to new experiences, and extroversion, all of which Howard Schultz and other successful leaders exhibit. For example, Schultz displayed both drive and motivation when starting his company.Despite financial stress and emotional struggles with his father's death, Schultz â€Å"channeled his drive to build a company where his father would be proud to work† (George, 2007). Schultz used his past struggles to drive him forward and motivate him to create a working environment that his employees loved and were satisfied with. Rather than displaying a personalized power motive, Schultz displayed a socialized power motive to achieve goals that were in the best interest of the organization and its followers.Schultz also exhibits integrity, since he is honest and maintains consistency between what he says and what he does. As a result, his employees trust him and are happy to work for a company that is ethically sound and fair. The Deciphers Institute named Cataracts as one of the â€Å"World's Most Ethical Companies† for the eighth year in a row because of its honest and trustworthy leaders and employees (â€Å"Cataracts and Howard†, 2014). Furthermore, Schultz also uses his cognitive ability and knowledge of gourmet coffee and customer service to positively influence and teach his employees and partners.Schultz even traveled to Italy t o gain insight on the unique community experience that many Italian espresso bars play in customers' lives so that he could apply many of these concepts that he learned in Italy to his own coffee shops. As a result, Schultz has used traits like his knowledge, drive, motivation, and integrity to make Cataracts into the successful organization that he had always dreamed of as a young child (George, 2007). In addition to trait theory, Schultz leadership skills also support the transformational leadership theory.Transformational leadership theory involves motivating followers to do more than expected, to continuously develop and grow, to increase their level of self-confidence, and to place the interest of the organization before their own. As a result, transformational leaders, like Schultz, are charismatic as well as intellectually stimulating and show individual consideration of followers. Schultz is the perfect example of a transformational leader because he created a company based on his vision f excellence and innovation for the modern coffee shop.His goal was to create a â€Å"third place† for customers in addition to their home and office by focusing on customer service and satisfaction. Therefore, he focused on empowering and instilling pride even in bottom line employees, so that they could be happy at work and create the positive environment that Schultz wanted Cataracts to have. In order to motivate employees, Schultz â€Å"instituted a training program designed to groom knowledgeable employees who would enjoy working behind a counter,† since he believed that friendly, efficient employees would boost sales (â€Å"Howard Schultz,† 2008).By providing high quality products for customers that employees were knowledgeable about, Schultz was able to give employees a job that they could feel proud of and happy to be at. According to John R. Scarsdale, â€Å"Schultz believes the only competitive advantage Cataracts has as a national retai l company is its workforce† (Scarsdale, 2013). Therefore, Schultz values his employees' performance and happiness over everything else that Cataracts offers. As a result, Schultz leadership style â€Å"is based on his compassion for, and commitment to, customers and staff alike† (â€Å"Howard Schultz,† n. D. ).Schultz knows that the key to any company's success begins with its workforce, because the employees interact with the customer everyday and deliver the actual product. Schultz notes, m{U can't expect your employees to exceed the expectations of your customers if you don't exceed the employees' expectations of management. That's the contract† (â€Å"More Excellent Customer Service Quotes†, n. D. ). Although Schultz leadership traits and transformational leadership style are both crucial reasons for Cataracts huge success over the past 40 years, some situational factors are also responsible for part of Cataracts' success.Some Of these situationa l factors include higher demand for quality, increase in fast food businesses, and convenient store locations. Today more and more individuals are focusing on the quality of the food and beverages that they put into their bodies, which has resulted in a higher demand for quality. Rather than just simply buying the cheapest product, consumers want a product that offers the most value for a reasonable price. For example, today more consumers prefer a cup of coffee that is fresh and made to order rather than a cup of coffee that is pre-made from synthetic ingredients.Therefore, any customers are willing to pay a dollar or two more for a higher quality coffee product rather than a lower quality coffee product. However, customers still expect the price for high quality coffee to be fairly reasonable, since the focus on quality in food products is becoming so important. Therefore, consumers now expect high quality products at a lower price. As a result, Cataracts has been able to capitali ze on this new demand for high quality products at a reasonable price with its wide array of quality coffee and beverages.In addition to demand for quality, fast food businesses seem to be lose by no matter where one goes because the demand for food and beverages to go has skyrocketed over the past few decades. Many individuals these days are always on the move and looking for a food or coffee establishment that can satisfy their needs in a short and efficient amount of time. Although it seems as though fast food and beverage options are never out of reach these days, this was not always the case for many coffee shops.For example, Schultz encountered the original Cataracts Coffee in the 1 sass during a sales call in Seattle, when the company only sold roasted whole bean coffees and did not brew coffee to sell. However, now Cataracts offers a huge variety of beverages, snacks, and much more that take only under a few minutes to make for customers. Additionally, Cataracts' convenient locations are another situational factor that helped add to its fast success, since the locations are typically very accessible and easy to find. In addition, the demand for drive thru windows has also given Cataracts a boost for customers in a hurry.Rather than having to physically go into a Cataracts store to order coffee, customers can order from their car if they are in a hurry. As a result, Cataracts has benefited tremendously from its convenient actions and fast service. Situational factors, such as demand for quality, increase in fast food chains, convenient locations, and many others, are all extremely important contributions to Cataracts' huge success. However, Howard Schultz leadership traits and skills that he instilled within his employees were also critical to keep Cataracts the number one coffee chain in the world.For example, Cataracts could be a completely different type of coffee company without Schultz guidance, and both his employees and Cataracts customers would not be as happy without his focus on employee satisfaction and quality service. Although Cataracts would likely still be somewhat successful without Schultz leadership, the company would likely have trouble differentiating itself from other coffee chains. Furthermore, the company also would not have as many loyal customers without their focus on quality customer service, since the employees would not be required to go through intense training.In addition, employees would not be as happy, since many of the employee benefits such as health care may not exist without Schultz. Consequently, unhappy employees could turn away potential and existing customers and only allow Cataracts to have short-term success. As a result, without Schultz focus on employee and customer satisfaction, the situational factors would not have mattered in the long run. Therefore, Schultz leadership skills were essential in establishing Cataracts as a dominant force in the coffee industry.Although Schultz allegi ance clearly lies with Cataracts, he could apply many of his leadership skills and abilities to another organization if needed. For example, if Howard Schultz was the CEO of Wall-Mart, he could use his knowledge and experience from Cataracts to lead Wall-Mart in a more positive direction by improving the quality of employees' jobs. Currently, several issues exist that may hold the company back from reaching its full potential. Hidden beneath operational problems, diminished sales, and low customer service ratings, employees are complaining about low salaries, erratic scheduling, and understanding (Heal, 2008).Currently, as many as 825,000 of Wall-Mart workers have an annual income of less than $25,000 (â€Å"Five Ways:' 2014). Wall-Mart is one of the most successful companies in the country and can certainly afford to raise these salaries so that hard working employees are able to support a family. Also, Wall-Mart employs a large annuity of employees in part-time positions, allowin g the company to skimp on costs, when most of these employees desire more hours (â€Å"Five Ways,† 2014). Workers are becoming frustrated with executives avoiding this crucial issue.Protests occurred at roughly 1,500 Wall-Mart stores on this past Black Friday alone. The protesters, a mix of workers and supporters, held signs calling for higher pay and better working conditions. To make matters worse, massive cuts of worker hours are taking a toll on consumer ratings of the company. A recent Consumer Reports Survey placed Wall-Mart at the bottom of the list of grocers. Shoppers mentioned the understanding, a clear cause of, â€Å"long lines and an overall poor customer service† (â€Å"Walter Ranks,† 2014).According to Geoffrey Heal (2008), accusations against Wall-Mart include â€Å"gender discrimination, low wages, excessive use of part-time labor, and harsh working conditions. † Based off these accusations, if Schultz were the CEO of Wall-Mart, its posit ion would be much different. Many of these weak areas are exactly where Cataracts has excelled over the past few decades. Schultz recon sized an approach that would build success for a Company with such a large number of employees. First, Cataracts pays its employees wages far above the service branch average and offers low-cost health benefit opportunities.Cataracts realized early on that properly training employees and acting generously towards them would lead to a very low employee turnover rate, which would reward the company in the future (Heal, 2008). Perhaps Wall-Mart's biggest challenge is that, unlike Cataracts, many of the employees are not proud to work there. Schultz prides Cataracts on being an employer that people trust. Workers share genuine hope for the company's future, and they want to be a part of it. Wall-Mart, on the other hand, is facing new lawsuits continuously -? and its own employees file a lot of them.Within the past year, the National Labor Relations Boar d filed a complaint against Wall-Mart for illegally firing and punishing about 60 workers who vocalizes a desire for change (â€Å"Five Ways,† 2014). In comparison, Howard Schultz has always treated his employees with respect and valued their individual opinions. Cataracts often holds open forums and encourages employees to speak their minds, even it they have negative comments. The combination of these criticisms along with praise in table areas has been important in contributing to shape the future of Cataracts and its culture.Schultz realized the value of personal connection when building Cataracts, and this is the major area that Wall-Mart needs improvement in. According to the case study, Schultz notes that remaining a humble and grounded entrepreneur is crucial. Schultz would bring this attitude to the executives at Wall-Mart, who currently do not cherish their employees as assets of the company. The case study reinforces Cataracts as a company that listens to and under stands each employee by noting the many has â€Å"implemented generous employee benefits, training programs, and employee stock ownership programs. For this reason, the transformation of Cataracts serves as a great model for the hypothetical situation of Schultz as CEO of Wall-Mart. Schultz would excel as the CEO of Wall-Mart, providing a fresh perspective to the executives and managers, and instilling values from the immense growth at Cataracts during his time there. No longer would bullying workers be acceptable, and â€Å"changing this culture of intimidation would go a long way to improving labor relations† (â€Å"Five Ways,† 2014). The basic change off higher minimum wage would reduce the number of protests and cause employees to feel a more prideful connection to the company.With Schultz as CEO, Wall-Mart executives would begin to recognize the importance of listening to employees across all levels and this simple act would go a long way to make the company a st ronger unit. Despite Howard Schultz eight-year hiatus in 2000, he has been one of Cataracts' greatest assets by building its fundamental ideals and values and staying involved to communicate his vision. For these reasons, Schultz is known around the world as one of the greatest leaders in the business world cause of his ethical values, passion, and communication skills.