Monday, September 30, 2019

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Essay

A motive is a specific need or drive that arouses you and directs your behavior toward a certain goal. Emotion refers to the experience of feelings, (such as fear, sadness, happiness, etc) which also affects behavior. They push us to take some kind of action whether we are aware of it or not. Psychologists have put these behaviors into 3 categories: Arousal Theory, Drive-Reduction Theory, and Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation (Morris, 2012). Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation Shannon comes to work every day on time. She does her job as assigned, works hard, takes on challenging tasks to improve performance, and ensures that this is noticed by others. She is very clear about the expectations for her position as well as the criteria for evaluation. During annual evaluations, she hopes her evaluation scores are high enough for her to be eligible for a merit raise. One of her primary goals for this year is to be nominated for the employee of the year at the company’s annual dinner, which comes with both a preferred parking and a cash bonus. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation may increase Shannon’s motivation because it motivates her to see others see her doing a good job and this behavior can be defined as intrinsic motivation because of the praise she gets from others. Her behavior is also motivated by the goal of being employee of the year, which comes with rewards and this can be defined as extrinsic motivation. Although Shannon enjoys her job the motivation of an award is what motivates her the most. She is motivated extrinsically by the rewards she may receive for her behavior at work, therefore her intrinsic motivation and sense of responsibility for her behavior are likely to increase. The Arousal theory may decrease Shannon’s motivation because she doesn’t need to be stimulated to do her job, and there are no incentives in the end to reward her for a job well done. She is not seeking a thrill for her behavior; she will perform better with praise and rewards (Morris, 2012). Arousal Theory Joe enjoys coming to work each day. He finds pleasure in the outcome of his work. He believes his work helps others. He seeks out new ways to make his work more effective, and often initiates new work projects. He likes to stay busy throughout the day. He sometimes has a hard time if there is not enough work to do. He has no desire to leave the organization and would like to continue to be promoted within the company as he gains experience. The Arousal Theory can best motivate Joe because he is a thrill seeker and is motivated by the challenge of seeking new ways to make his work more effective. Joe is a sensation seeker and without it he will become bored with his work. He needs to keep his arousal at an optimum level in order to be productive. The Drive- Reduction theory may decrease Joe’s motivation because it’s the drive that keeps him going. Homeostasis or balance may not be enough excitement for him, and will lower his motivation and ambition at work. His primary and secondary drives are already established by his work performance, and his reward is the knowledge he has gained (Morris, 2012). These achievement-oriented behaviors can be very useful in the work place because everyone need a motive to do a good job. An employee can motivate by giving new challenges to a bored employee whose job has become routine and boring like in the Arousal Theory, or by giving incentives such as praise and bonuses as mentioned in the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Theory. Once an employer observe an individual’s behavior and work ethics they can decide which method will best motivate their employee to do a good job and enjoy it as well (Morris, 2012). References Morris,C. (2012). Understanding Psychology( 10th ed.).

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Abraham Lincoln and the Struggle for Union and Emancipation

DBQ: Abraham Lincoln and the Struggle for Union and Emancipation, 1861-1865 Lincoln began the civil war claiming to want only to preserve the union, and I think that saving the union was his main goal, but I think even from the beginning, slavery played a part in the start of the war too and another one of his goals was to gradually get rid of slavery. I think as time went on, it started to have a bigger and bigger role in the war, but I don’t think the goal of ending slavery every surpassed his goal of saving the union. He did whatever he thought it would take to save the union, and he also managed to end slavery while doing it.Lincoln knew that slavery was an issue from the beginning, and he wanted to stop it, but wasn’t making an incredibly big deal out of it at first. in March of 1862, Lincoln addressed congress (Doc A), and was encouraging congress to offer compensation to any state that was gradually abolishing slavery, which showed that he didn’t want slav ery anymore, but wasn’t pushing too hard for it and was making it so that there wasn’t any punishment for not abolishing slavery, but that there was a reward for those that were trying to abolish slavery.In a letter to Horace Greeley in August of 1862, he said, â€Å"if I could save the union without freeing any slave I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all of the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others I would also do that. † this again proves that he knew that slavery was a problem and was an inevitable part of the war, but that his primary focus was to save the union, and then worry about the slavery issue later on. He was also trying to keep the Border States happy, not obviously just focusing on freeing the slaves.He did want to gradually abolish slavery but it wasn’t his main goal at the time. Lincoln came to believe that the emancipation proclamation would actually help save the union. There are several different things that the abolishment of slavery could do that would be good for the union and would help keep the union together. In a speech from Lincoln to a Committee of Religious Denominations of Chicago on September 13, 1862, (Doc B) Lincoln talked about how the abolition of slavery would help keep Europe from supporting the south.He also said it would be good for helping the union win the war because without the blacks laboring for the southerners, the south would have an even harder time growing food and getting the things that they need to survive, it’s hard enough with a labor force helping out the south, but if all that labor was taken away from them, then the south would be ruined. He also believed that emancipation would help in saving the union because it would bring in more men that were willing to fight.In a speech from Lincoln to members of the Democratic Party on August 26, 1863 (Doc G), Lincoln said â€Å"You say you will not fight to free Negroes . Some of them seem willing to fight for you, but, no matter. Fight you, then, exclusively to save the union. I issued the proclamation on purpose to aid you in saving the union. † So he was saying that since white men weren’t willing to â€Å"fight to free Negroes† he had to issue the proclamation of emancipation freeing the blacks, therefore making it so that there were more men available to fight and to fight willingly for their freedom, and for the union to stay together.The emancipation proclamation helped in pretty significant ways to save the union. Everyone kept thinking that Lincoln started to put his desire for slavery to end, over his desire to save the union. They all thought that his goal had changed and all he cared about was freeing the blacks when, in fact, his goal of saving the union was always there and was always greater than the slavery issue. Granted, he did want to end slavery and he did what he could to end slavery, but that wasn’t his primary goal. He wanted more than anything to keep the union together.In a speech by Frederick Douglas delivered at the unveiling of the Freedmen’s monument in memory of Abraham Lincoln (Doc K) Douglas said, â€Å"he was preeminently the white man’s president, entirely devoted to the welfare of white men. He was ready and willing at any time during the first years of his administration to deny, postpone, and sacrifice the rights of humanity in the colored people to promote the welfare of the white people of this country. † He is saying that no matter what, Lincoln was doing everything for the whites. He would do to the blacks whatever it took to do what is good for the white men.The white men were his top priority. Even though Lincoln’s goals slightly shifted from being almost entirely only wanting the security of the union to wanting slavery to end, he never lost sight of his main goal. The entire time he wanted, more than anything, to save the union . He did whatever he needed to do to save it, even if some people disagreed on if he made the best choices or not. The war was not about his desire for the abolition of slavery. It was about saving the union, and he ended up being able to abolish slavery along with saving the union.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Study of Nurse Workarounds in a Hospital Using Bar Code Medication Research Paper

Study of Nurse Workarounds in a Hospital Using Bar Code Medication Administration System - Research Paper Example The implementation of BCMA technology might impact negatively on the nurses’ attitudes toward the medication administration process. This, in turn, might make work processes more difficult to nurses while administering medication to patients. This paper will provide a response to Goodner’s journal article as regards to nurses’ perception to the use of BCMA system and then provide my judgment over the issue. It will also review three other journal articles to demonstrate if they agree with my viewpoint. Finally, the paper will list my evaluation and three points of criteria used in my judgment. Research reveals that medication errors are the most frequently experienced preventable errors at (19%) according to Gooder (2011). Gooder notes that most (34%) medication errors take place during medication administration. The impacts of these errors are directly related to patients and can cause grave injuries. It is for this reason that the Institute of Administration (IOM) recommended the introduction of bar coded medication administration system (BCMAs) as a solution to medication administration errors. This, argues Gooder, will reduce medication errors by about 86%. This is true because it will enhance the prevention of patient injuries, which have characterized most of today’s hospitals. On the other hand, the technology will also improve the overall quality of services offered in the hospital. With the application of the technology, there will be faster administration of medication and improved accuracy in service delivery. This will improve the overall satisfaction o f patients. In spite of the benefits of the BCMA system as regards error reduction, Gooder notes some concerns about its safety and effectiveness. Among the concerns is the non-compliance with the BCMA system by nurses in many hospital settings.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Audit Industry Report - Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Audit Industry Report - Airlines - Essay Example As a comparison between two airlines, higher performance may just not be a measure of a better unit revenue as for many, the airliner may be facing a higher unit cost in contrast to others operating within the same industry. In parallel to all these factors, capital available for growth or horizontal and vertical integration of services is also a key factor to the industry’s long term success (Taneja, 1987). Many successful airliners may have to prefer long term gains and profits to measure their success and would plan to expand or integrate over a longer period of time. Specifically for the airline industry, growth may be accounted for in terms of the capacity for growth. Datamonitor.com (2007) reports that the United States airlines industry grew by more than 8 percent in 2006 which placed it at a combined value of more than $145 Billion. However, In order to grow, an airline and the industry itself would need more funding. The need for funding will be directly correlated to the performance of the company, as capital is generated form investors and for most equity investors, the airline may have to show growth in its equity over time. Moreover, apart the airline must also be a viable interest to the debt investors. For this to happen, and to conform with the debt investors, a more than reasonable ratio of debt-to-asset is required. Apart from the focus on these direct factors that influence investment, there are several other key factors that play a turning role in raising capital for the airline industry and more focus is placed on international expansion. To wage international expansion into the equity of an airline, a risk assessment factor has to be incorporated in the financial sheet of the airlines in such a way that it has to reflect more associated risks such as currency risks or political risks. These forms of risks are more appropriate

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Tableau de bord Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tableau de bord - Essay Example The study has selected Balance Score Card over other performance measurement due to its popularity. Detailed analysis of all the four perspectives of balance scorecard will be important part of the study. In the second part, the study will try to identify key performance driver for both the models and recommend â€Å"best practice† to organizations. The study will try to analyze usefulness of balance scorecard from the view point of supply chain management. Analyzing shortfalls of Tableau de Bord will be an important part of the study. The study will try to address strategic issues regarding the Tableau de Bord. In the last section, the study will try to recommend a neo classical model of balance scorecard for both profit and non profit organizations; the model will describe performance measurement in terms of corporate culture, managerial system, operational system, marketing activities and resource capabilities. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Main Findi ngs 4 Balanced Scorecard 4 Customers 5 Financial Perspective 5 Internal Business Process 7 Learning and Growth 8 Tableau de bord 8 Key Performance Criteria 10 Conclusion 12 Recommendation 12 Reference 13 Introduction It has been observed that companies planning to measure performance of the internal and external stakeholders opt for Balance Scorecard model proposed by Kaplan and Norton although there are plenty of performance measurement tools available such as Performance Prism, Key performance indicator and little known â€Å"Tableau de bord†. Othman (2008) has pointed out that Balance Scorecard is extended version of â€Å"Tableau de bord† while other research have nullified this assumption. â€Å"Tableau de bord† is widely used in countries like France as an effective performance measurement tool while the model has very little applicability in other countries. Flamholtz (2003) has pointed out that balance scorecard is the best performance measurement tool a vailable for managers. Various research scholars such as Epstein and Manzoni (2010) have tried to create a connecting bridge between Balance Scorecard and â€Å"Tableau de bord† while others have criticized the French model for its limitations. Main Findings Balanced Scorecard Research scholars have described balanced scorecard as a strategic option for organizations which helps them to assess performance of different non financial and financial elements. It provides the strategic framework to companies to measure performance variables. Survey conducted by fortune magazine states that more than half of top 500 companies in the globe are using balanced scorecard as a performance measurement technique. Moreover, Harvard business Review has identified balanced scorecard as the most important performance management tool developed in the last forty years. Balance scorecard is complemented with four elements such as Business Process Perspective, Learning & Growth Perspective, Finan cial Perspective and Customer Perspective. The model measures performance on the basis of above mentioned four perspectives and these performance criterions can be explained in the following manner. Customers The model measures performance gap in terms of customer profitability, customer retention rate, churn rate, customer satisfaction level. Organizations select market segment to offer products in order to achieve profitability and business growth hence mangers need to translate marketing strategy according to demand of particular segment. It has been observed that in many cases companies fail to maintain relationship with internal and external stakeholders. In such situation balance scorecard can be a useful tool for companies to adopt a customer relationship strategy. Balance scorecards use generic

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Sexual offender registration and Notification laws in the State of Essay

Sexual offender registration and Notification laws in the State of Florida - Essay Example e and corrections organizations in the enactment of this legislation has helped reduce the occurrence of sexual offenses among the citizen population and visiting tourists. Sexual Offender Registration and Notification laws are beneficial in the state of Florida because they offer the community access to information significant to their ability to safeguard themselves and their families against sexual criminals. The comprehensive national registration system for the registration of sexual offenders reacts to the brutal attacks by forceful sexual marauders on victims such as Jacob Wetterling and Megan Nicole Kanka. The law covers both those who are yet to start their sentence and those who have completed their criminal sentences. The aim is to keep track of the activities the sexual offenders partake and their current residence. This is essential to dissuade current offenders and future offenders. In addition, it ensures that residents are aware of the history of offenders and avert themselves from potential risks. It is easy to enforce restrictions through the application of laws such as the Jacob Wetterling Act. For instance, sexual offenders should not stay next to school institution or near minors. These restrictions must be disparate from those that apply to probationers or parolees. Although critics may argue that the laws are too austere to rehabilitate criminals, sexual offenders still pose a threat to humanity and there is a need to monitor their activities and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Raising and countering objections regarding the decision to get an MBA Essay

Raising and countering objections regarding the decision to get an MBA - Essay Example It is also a fact that earning an MBA degree will not automatically grant you a management or executive position-you must have essential skills and experience as well. WHY ONLY THE MBA: For nearly all individuals, advanced education college, technical school, graduate studies, and company training increase employability and average income. Many jobs require minimum education levels to even be considered. For example, I believe every country requires new teachers to have a bachelor’s degree in education. To be a layer you must have a graduate degree in law and the same for medicine and engineering. Individuals planning on college should look at the lifelong income they can expect from a degree. For example very bright student who go into teaching should expect must lower lifetime income than a business major. It’s also important to know that getting masters in education will keep you out of teaching. The schools will not pay for a MA degree in a new hire, they can hire a BA for much less. Only when you have time, you should consider getting the MA. In the case of PHD any jobs do not reward workers for having a PHD, so there is less motivation to get a PHD (expect among college professors). Many careers such as business accounting and law do not demand PHD so there are few people with these degrees. Coming back at my point generally for business the MBA is considered the terminal or highest degree. However mixing a specialty with an MBA can increase income such as Engineer w/ MBA or MD with MBA who can run a company or organization. Simply the MBA can work as evergreen degree. People object that MBA has lost his worth now: People object that MBA has lost his worth in current economic condition where the employment level is increasing with stunning speed. But according to my research MBA still have certain advantages those can beat all the objections. Better hiring opportunities: As general rule it is considered that more education means more earning . But according to me this rule is especially true for MBA. Many of the Companies have decided to increase their hiring of MBA. According to Corporate Recruiters Survey 2011 Unemployment rates in both the United States and the European Union reached 10-year highs throughout 2009 and 2010. But the 2011 MBA class can breathe easier, however, when it comes to finding a job, as hiring for new MBA graduates trends in a positive direction. In addition simply the MBA is the key door to enter in the world of reputed organizations. Better earning opportunities: Because of MBA you will earn higher salary because of your skills. . According to Corporate Recruiters Survey 2011 84% of employers are offering the MBA’s a benefit package in addition to their salaries. According to United Stated department for labors the management occupations have the higher pay scales in relation with other occupations. This simply shows the worth of MBA degree as a lifesaver. Better relationships: MBA is t he other name of relationships. Being a MBA you are able to deal with every kind of person. For example a manager with a MBA degree with the specialization in Marketing is able to tackle and deal a lot of people at a time in efficient manner. Better skills: Being an MBA you can polish your skills in efficient manner. MBA program is designed especially for business skills. With the help of MBA, you will have much of the knowledge,

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Adventist Church National City Concert Report Research Paper

The Adventist Church National City Concert Report - Research Paper Example The concert was governed by a program, which, in my view, presented the event as become the most interesting. There were various items on the program, but were all characterized by intercessions of songs and plays. In particular, a story was told before a song followed. In my view, this aspect of intercession was meant to address audience boredom; hence, making the concert to be particularly interesting.Perhaps, one of the unique aspects of the concert was that its program featured a Midsummer night’s dream, which was recited production by F.Mendelssohn, which was based on the Shakespearean play. In this regard, there might also have been no interesting bit of the concert other than the music brought with it the history live on stage. The concert was attended by many people across various groups, including the interested locals and the tourists. The Midsummer night Dream featured Grossmont Symphony Orchestra, as well as the women of the Grossmont Master Chorale. Randal Tweed w as the music director, but also featured Darron Devillez, Bonin Zackary, Albert Bolina, Andra Nagby, Denise MaMillan, as some main actors, actress and soprano team. These are the figures the figures that are argued as the Most-attend-when-playing. Another interesting bit in the concert presentation is the fact that customs were highly highlighted. The presentation was that which took the audience to the life in the medieval societies, documenting the differences in the customs in the current world and the gone days.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

A Maternity Support Worker Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Maternity Support Worker - Assignment Example A Maternity support care and the work of maternity support workers basically entail antenatal care, intrapartum care and postpartum care for women and babies. Antenatal care is care present/ occurring before birth or during pregnancy. It is an important period for future parents to seek support and advice, explore their expectations as for future parents, their fears, concerns, and questions. However, this period is characterized by depression, commonly called antenatal depression/ prenatal depression. Couples are advised and helped about their depression in antenatal classes to prepare them for the possibility of antenatal and postnatal depression. Maternity support care and the work of maternity support workers basically entail antenatal care, intrapartum care and postpartum care for women and babies. Antenatal care is care present/ occurring before birth or during pregnancy. It is an important period for future parents to seek support and advice, explore their expectations as for future parents, their fears, concerns, and questions. However, this period is characterized by depression, commonly called antenatal depression/ prenatal depression. Couples are advised and helped about their depression in antenatal classes to prepare them for the possibility of antenatal and postnatal depression. During such sessions, expectant parents are informed that antenatal and postnatal depressions can happen to any mother or father, are no one’s fault, are taught about the early signs and informed of available help. The healthcare worker in the antenatal stage monitors the women and their relations closely to identify any signs of depression knowing of the fact that most women mask those feelings. This is done for instance by asking the right questions./ antenatal depression can be a precursor to postpartum depression if not tackled. Tackling these depressions help make childbirth and early parenting easy as any stress felt by mother can have negative effects on feta l development which can injure both mother and child. Factors leading to antenatal depression may be an unplanned pregnancy, history of abuse, difficulty becoming pregnant, economic issues, family constraints, relationship with the father, and jobs and responsibilities. Some of the signs and symptoms of antenatal depression are inability to concentrate, difficulty remembering, feeling emotionally numb, sleep problems not related to pregnancy, extreme/ unending fatigue, extreme irritability, a sense of fear about everything, lack of feeding interest or desire to overfeed, feelings of failure/ guilt, persistent sadness, loss of sexual desire, weight loss or gain unrelated to pregnancy, inability to get excited about the baby and form or feel a bond with the baby and thoughts of suicide/ death.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

A case study on the acute leukemia of lilly a cancer fighter Essay Example for Free

A case study on the acute leukemia of lilly a cancer fighter Essay Six months after her 30th birthday, Lilly was diagnosed with acute Leukemia. She and her husband, Jake, have no children together. She has been relatively healthy most of her life, despite suffering from minor medical mishaps. Lilly’s socioeconomic factor is that she is a middle class, a Caucasian woman who was a top ranking salesperson for a cosmetic company. While the case study has no mentioned specific issues, Lilly has hinted past confrontations with her parents. Lilly has been evasive about all aspects of her life that occurred before she came to the clinic. The social worker intern mentioned that Lilly gave up a baby in her early 20’s. Despite the closeness with the social worker intern through the physical and emotional upheavals, her defenses surrounding her past would not budge.   Through the case study, the social worker realized that Lilly’s mental health deteriorated when she lost her ability to speak due to sores in her mouth. The social worker believed that because Lily was a sales representative, losing her ability to speak negatively affected her sense of self-worth. To have that taken away from her, as the intern suggested, is an attack on her ego functioning and can deplete her mental stability in fighting this illness. However, the salient aspects that the intern failed to address is the correlation of emotional distress and the fighting spirit on the survival time for people combating life-threatening illnesses like cancer. Due to Lilly’s socioeconomic background and support of her parents, she was able to pay for her treatments and sustain economic stability despite her health deterioration. After the reading the case, I have several questions: was different modalities of treatments other than ego psychology that could have helped her?   Would expose her parents to relaxation training or stress management have helped alleviate some of Lilly’s anxieties? Why would Lilly keep her past so hidden, and more specifically, why wouldn’t she discuss giving her baby away for adoption?   Would there be different ways of conducting interviews with her in times when she was more relaxed? The narrator of this article articulates the typical issues that any cancer patient faces: death, dying, health, family dynamics, physical changes in appearance, and resentment towards others and projection. The intern discussed common experiences from other patients to help normalize what Lilly was going through. For example, when Lilly said she felt like she was hallucinating, the intern informed her that this was common when receiving a morphine drip. The intern seems very helpless at times. She mentions in her transcript that she feels sad and even guilty for being healthy when talking to sick patient. I feel like this social worker is risking the overwhelming need to figure everything out for Lilly, such as digging up the past and figuring out ways to repair her relationships. Her health decline, Lilly’s emotional functioning is not an optimal state and I feel that Lilly just wanted focus on the future. However, I find myself intrigued at what Lilly has to say in coming t o terms with what has happened to her life and what choices she could’ve done differently. I believe there might be something in her past that Lilly is afraid to confront. I don’t believe Lilly felt marginalization due to her race, class or economic background. I believe the mere fact that this social worker intern is alive, healthy and autonomous could create tension in the relationship. For example, Lilly wants to be home with Jake and her cat, but she is forced to stay in the hospital while this social worker intern has the luxury to go back home and rest in her bed, free from the medical tubes, the chemo, and loss of bodily function. I am a first generation Ecuadorean-American who is also a cancer survivor. I come from a lower-middle-class economic background and my parents did not even finish grade school. They do not know how to communicate in English. I hold privilege in the fact that I am 14 years in remission with cancer that I struggled with combating for 1- ½ years. The implications of my sociocultural location in my identity as a first-generation cancer survivor with the lack of resources can help me understand the implications that it might have in my treatment with this client. Due to my class, race and economic background, I am marginalized from Lilly. On the other hand, she is from a middle class, held an influential position and had supportive parents that knew the language.   These differentials can cause a clash of cultures. On one hand, I am marginalized because I didn’t have the same opportunity in my treatment and care as Lilly did. Some of which were unethical such as translating my whole treatment process to my parents from Spanish to English and telling my parents as an 8-year-old, â€Å"I have cancer†. Yet, I am still here and cancer-free. My identity as a first-generation cancer survivor with the lack of resources could have implications in my treatment with this client. I am aware of my role as a social work intern to not influence economic privileges in the assessment. My case writing would have to focus on her mental health and provide a support system with which I am familiar with as well. My hope is despite our many differences, I would have been a support system for her because the communal understanding of the initial feeling after prognosis, the physical changes, the sickness after chemotherapy, the reactions to medications, the dynamic changes in parents due to being â€Å"sick† and having the utter realization of oblivion is   something that is out of your control. With the dynamic of being cancer-free and dealing with a cancer patient, I am afraid of holding the privilege over Lilly because I have beaten cancer and so far, it hasn’t come back. Although it is not a socio-cultural aspect, it is part of my identity. The word â€Å"cancer survivor† will always play a role in how I interact with people as well as being Latina, born from illegal immigrants of South America. With this fact in mind, I think to have someone that was 14 years in remission would’ve given Lilly a glimmer of hope in those moments when the alienation the person feels when they experience cancer and how little they have in common with their healthier loved ones. The cultural differences such as being Hispanic and White could play a role in how we interact with one another. It is a cultural thing to become â€Å"too caring† for someone that is sick. I witnessed it with how my family has taken care of me and I have witnessed it in my time at the Domestic Violence Crisis Center. I realized that it could’ve been something that Lilly needed but it would’ve triggered a complexity in the relationship with transference and countertransference that would’ve been something to be addressed to my supervisor. I feel that I would’ve grown attached and cared for her too much as I would’ve seen a version of myself in her in a nurturing way.   However, I think having someone understand on a more intimate level of the medical terminology and the cancer treatment process would’ve made a world of a difference on the alienation she felt at times between her family and friends. I feel at the stage of the treatment Lilly’s anxiety when she was in the ICU and facing her fears about the irrevocable reality that she might not get better. The fact that she survived those two weeks was a miracle, yet she didn’t see it as a triumph but a truth that this is going to be her reality from now on. This experience of death, dying and the inevitable decline in death is the juxtaposition to my story of recovery and health. I would experience great sadness and anxiety if she were to die in my stay as a social worker intern and would have to have self-awareness with my identity as a â€Å"cancer survivor† and not a â€Å"cancer-statistic†.   Nevertheless, my cultural way to nurture the sick, care for the helpless and communication can be helpful in this situation. I believe that our social locations of class, race and economic boundaries are diminished when we are both bonded by same harsh reality. The truth is, when it comes to cancer, it doesn’t judge of identities or race. I do believe class and economic factors place a role in treatment. However, handling my case with Lilly, I would acknowledge our differences yet manage to find similarities in our situations. We are both women, who even though at different ages, have a self-esteem issue when it comes to losing our hair. Women identify feminity with their hair and even as an 8-year-old; being bald was a harsh reality of my illness. I resonated with Lilly when she felt disgusted when she looked at the mirror and her baldness. I understand the feeling. Although I did not have the luxury of having my parents pay for my insurance, I did have a support system at the time and it helped with the treatment process. I feel like our differences are profound: I was an 8-year-old, Ecuadorean, lower-income, first-generation cancer fighter and Lilly was a 30-year-old, middle-class, American, cancer fighter. The differences are striking when we tell our stories yet the treatment process is still the same across all boards. The conversations that would have would be reassurance, installation of hope and not just by words but by actually being â€Å"living proof† that there is a chance. Lilly talked about that 50% chance of fighting the disease with the bone marrow transplant.   I had a similar prognosis after my first chemotherapy. Our conversation would have been so profound. I would have given her hope by just being there.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Role of amygdala in the experience of fear

Role of amygdala in the experience of fear The amygdalae (from the Greek for almond) are two groups of almond-shaped nuclei located deep within the medial temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans, (see Fig 1 below). Research has shown that the amygdalae perform a primary role in the processing and memory of emotional reactions, and are considered to be part of the limbic system. [pic] Fig 1: Location of Amygdala. (Image from: imemat.blogspot.com) The regions described as amygdalae are a combination of several nuclei with distinct functions. Among these nuclei are the basolateral complex, the cortical nucleus and the centromedial nucleus, (see Fig 2 below). The basolateral complex can be further subdivided into the lateral, the basal and the accessory basal nuclei. Anatomically, the amygdala and more particularly, its centromedial nucleus, may be considered as a part of the basal ganglia. The amygdala sends impulses to various parts of the brain, for example, to the hypothalamus to activate the symp athetic nervous system; to the thalamic reticular nucleus to increase reflex movement; and to the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus for the activation of various neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. The cortical nucleus is involved in the sense of smell and pheromone- processing. It receives input from the olfactory bulb and olfactory cortex. The lateral amygdalae, which send impulses to the rest of the basolateral complexes and to the centromedial nuclei, receive input from the sensory systems. The centromedial nuclei are the main outputs for the basolateral complexes, and are involved in emotional arousal in rats and cats. [pic] Fig 2: Nuclei of the rat amygdaloid complex. (ABmc = accessory basal magnocellular subdivision; ABpc = accessory basal parvicellular subdivision; Bpc = basal nucleus magnocellular subdivision; e.c. = external capsule; Ladl = lateral amygdala medial subdivision; Lam = lateral amygdala medial subdivision; Lavl = lateral amygdala v entrolateral subdivision; Mcd = medial amygdala dorsal subdivision; Mcv = medial amygdala ventral subdivision; Mr = medial amygdala rostral subdivision; Pir = piriform cortex; s.t. = stria terminalis). (Image from: Physiol Rev 83: 805) The amygdala filters sensory information and acts as a sort of interpretation channel. The basolateral amygdala receives sensory information from the thalamus and cortex and then forwards a signal to the appropriate target areas (see Figure 3 below). It is also known as the amygdala proper, and the several areas of the brain that it targets are part of a broader network that serves much more specialized functions. Because the basolateral amygdala is critical for emotion, a better understanding of the chemicals within these brain circuits should lead to improved pharmacological treatments for emotional dysfunction in psychiatric disorders. [pic] Fig 3: The basolateral amygdala. (Image from: Current Biology, Vol.10, (4)) Within most of these disorders i s a common symptom in that the patient often says I didnt think, I just reacted. Straker, D. (2006) believes they may be exactly right. All sensory data, with the exception of the sense of smell, is sent by the body first to the thalamus which then forwards it to both the relevant part of the cortex and to the amygdala. The information is sent out over two parallel pathways: the thalamo- amygdala pathway (the short route) and the thalamo-cortico-amygdala pathway (the long route). The short route transmits a quick estimated representation of the situation, in which no cognition is involved. This pathway activates the amygdala which, through its central nucleus, generates emotional responses before the mind can form a complete representation of the stimulus. The amygdala does a quick threat assessment by comparing the sensory data received with already stored fear responses. If any of these are triggered, then the amygdala floods the cortex with chemicals to stop it taking over. The r esult is action without conscious thought. (See Fig 4 below). Subsequently, the information that has travelled via the long route and been processed in the cortex reaches the amygdala and tells it whether or not the stimulus represents a real threat. Should a real threat be presented the amygdala will then activate the efferent structures responsible for physical manifestations of fear, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweaty hands, dry mouth, and tense muscles. The parallel operation of our explicit (hippocampal) and implicit (amygdalic) memory systems explains why we do not remember traumas experienced very early in our lives. At that age, the hippocampus is still immature, while the amygdala is already able to record unconscious memories. Early childhood traumas can disturb the mental and behavioural functions of adults by mechanisms that they cannot access consciously. In complex vertebrates, including humans, the amygdalae perform primary roles in the formation and storage of memories associated with emotional events. Amunts et al (2005) indicate that, during fear conditioning, sensory stimuli reach the basolateral complexes of the amygdalae, particularly the lateral nuclei, where they form associations with memories of that particular stimuli. These associations between stimuli and the aversion may be mediated by long-term potentiation, a lingering potential for affected synapses to react more readily. Memories of emotional experiences that become imprinted in the reactions of synapses in the lateral nuclei produce fear behaviour through their connections with both the amygdalaes central nucleus and the bed nuclei of stria terminalis (BNST). These central nuclei are involved in the production of many typical fear responses, including freezing (immobility), tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), increased respiration, and stress-hormone release. Damage to the amygdalae impairs both the attainment and the expression of Pavlovian fear conditioning, which is a form of classical conditioning of emotional responses.    [pic]Fig 4: The Amygdala Bypass System. (Image from: www.changingminds.org) Advances in neuroimaging technology such as fMRI, have allowed neuroscientists to show just how much of a role the amygdala plays in many psychological disorders. Donegan et al. (2003) studied patients with Borderline personality disorder who showed significantly greater left amygdala activity than the normal control subjects. Some of these borderline patients even had difficulties classifying neutral faces or classed them as being threatening. In support of these findings, in 2006, researchers at Monash University, Australia, observed increased levels of activity in the amygdala when patients with social phobia were shown images of threatening faces or when they were confronted with frightening situations. These activity levels in the amygdala were in direct correlation with the severity levels of the social phobia. Similarly, depressed patients showed more activity in the left amygdala when interpretin g emotions for all faces, and especially for fearful faces, although this hyperactivity was normalized when patients were prescribed antidepressants. Cultural studies such as Williams et al (2006) showed that normal subjects exposed to images of frightened faces or faces of people from another race will show increased activity of the amygdala, even if that exposure is subliminal. However, according to Tsuchiya et al (2009), the amygdala is not necessary for the processing of fear-related stimuli, since people with bilateral damage show rapid reactions to fearful faces. Early research on primates has also provided explanations for the functions of the amygdala in relation to emotional disorders. An early study by Brown Shafer (1888) observed rhesus monkeys with a lesioned temporal cortex (including the amygdala) and found that they suffered from significant social and emotional deficits. Kluver Bucy (1939) later expanded upon this observation by showing that large lesions to the an terior temporal lobe produced not only fearlessness, but also severe emotional disturbances including increased sexual behaviour and a propensity to place objects in their mouths. Some monkeys also displayed an inability to recognize familiar objects and would approach both animate and inanimate objects indiscriminately, while also exhibiting fearlessness towards the researchers. This behavioural disorder was later named Klà ¼ver-Bucy syndrome. However, their study can be criticised in that these lesions were so large and crude when compared to todays techniques, that researchers werent exactly sure of the structures responsible for these significant changes in behaviour. Improved techniques, such as using the neurotoxin ibotenic acid to make more precise lesions are partly responsible for the more detailed understanding of the amygdale today. | | | |[pic] |   | Fig 5: Sensory data routes, the fear response and the amygdala. (Image from: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/index_a.ht ml) Previous studies have examined activation of the amygdala in response to emotional facial stimuli, but these have been carried out in either the U.S. or Western Europe, although none of these explored cross-cultural differences. Although culture shapes several aspects of human emotional and social experience, including how fear is perceived and expressed to others, very little is known about how culture influences neural responses to fear stimuli. In response to this gap in the research, a study by Chiao et al (2008) found that the bilateral amygdalas response to fear faces is, in fact, modulated by culture. Using fMRI, they measured the amygdalas response to fear and non-fear faces in two distinct cultures, Native Japanese in Japan and Caucasians in the United States. Both culture groups showed greater activation in the amygdala to fear expressed by members of their own culture, (their in-group), than in any of the other emotional measures such as anger, happiness or neutrality . (See Fig 6 below). [pic] Fig 6: The amygdalas response to fearful facial expressions is culture- specific. (Image from: Chiao et al 2008). As mentioned earlier, sensory data, apart from the sense of smell, is sent by the body to the thalamus and then forwarded to both the cortex and the amygdala. In relation to this sense of smell, when faced with a threatening situation, many organisms, including insects, fish and mammals, release volatile pheromones, signalling the danger to other members of the same species. Nearly 70 years ago, Karl von Frisch (1941), described the alarm response in a species of small freshwater fish called the European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus). Frisch, who was one of the founders of the scientific study of animal behaviour, demonstrated that when a minnow was eaten by a predator, a chemical released from its damaged skin would be reacted to by other minnows that were close by. They would at first dart about randomly, form a tight school and then retreat fro m the source of the chemical. Frisch called this substance schreckstoff, meaning scary stuff, and we now know that similar chemicals are used throughout the animal and plant kingdoms. A team of researchers from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland (Brechbuhl et al, 2008) have shown that mice detect alarm pheromones by means of a recently identified sensory system in the nose by examining a structure called the Grueneberg ganglion (GG), which in mammals is located on both sides in the tip of the nose, close to the openings of the nostrils. When the GG was first discovered by Hans Grueneberg in 1973, its anatomy was not known in such detail and so it was thought to be a non-sensory structure. It is only very recently that the olfactory system has come to be viewed as containing 3 distinct channels, each with a unique structure and function. The main channel is involved in detecting aromatic molecules; the second channel is called the vomeronasal system, and is an accessory olfact ory system which is now known to be involved in the detection of pheromones; the GG constitutes a third component of the olfactory pathway, one that was thought to be involved in mother-pup recognition and suckling behaviour, because it is present at the time of birth. The researchers sought to investigate the role of the GG in behaviour. Because of its location, the GG is easily accessible, so they were able to cut the axons of GG neurons in live mice (axotomy), thus preventing any signals from reaching the brain. But after numerous tests for nipple finding and other possible functions, the team actually found that the ganglion played a role in danger communication. [pic] Fig 7: Scanning electron microscope images of the mouse Grueneberg ganglion. Left: a cluster of neurons (GC) in a meshwork of fibroblasts (Fb) Right: and a higher magnification of a single GG neuron (green), with its axon (red) and thin ciliary process (blue). Scale bars: 20 microns (L) and 5 microns (R). (Image f rom: Brechbuhl et al, (2008)). 30 days after the axotomy, the researchers then compared how mice with and without their Grueneberg ganglia responded to alarm pheromones. According to Broillet, the contrast was very striking. Normal mice with the ganglia showed fear immediately by freezing while mice without the ganglia seemed to be unaffected and they carried on as before, apparently unaware of the danger signals that affected the normal mice. Although their sense of smell did not seem to be affected as they were able to sniff out cookies hidden in their cages as well as the normal mice. This study clearly shows that in mice the GG is involved in detecting alarm pheromones, rather than in mother-pup interactions, as was previously thought. It is able to perform this primitive function thanks to a specialized yet very basic structure as the GG consists simply of a small group of cells separated from the external environment by a water-permeable sheet of epithelial cells. Its location , far away from the main olfactory system, enables rapid detection of alarm pheromones. Such a mechanism is crucial an organisms survival rate, and the GG is found in every mammalian species examined so far, including humans. However, whether or not alarm pheromones affect, or even exist in humans, has been a subject for debate in the scientific community. Since pheromones are not detectable by the human sense of smell, scientists believe that pheromones are sensed by the vomeronasal organ (VNO), part of the olfactory system and located inside the mouth or nose. For many years, the existence of the VNO produced much speculation because it had only been found occasionally in adult humans, and when it was found, it was believed to be vestigial. However, Johnston et al, (1985) conducted a study in which the noses of 100 human adults were examined post-mortem and the VNO was found in the septums of 70% of those examined. Since then, much evidence has been gathered to support these findi ngs of a presence of the VNO in most adult humans, but many scientists still believe it to be a functionless organ that was inherited from some ancestor of humans. However, recent genetic research has shown the possibility of a receptor in the nose that could sense pheromones. When searching the human genome for genes that had similar sequences to those of rodent pheromone receptors, a team of researchers from The Rockefeller University in New York and the Yale University School of Medicine identified for the first time a candidate pheromone receptor gene in humans. The findings, reported in Nature Genetics, may shed new light on the molecular basis of social communication between humans, including the fear response. In conclusion, despite the saying, have no fear, to live without the ability to experience and recognise fear is to be deprived of a vital neural mechanism that enables appropriate social behaviour, and possibly even survival.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Drug Abuse and Addiction Essay -- Drug Abuse, Substance Abuse

Drugs Abuse occurs when a drug is taken for unintended purposes and can lead to addiction. Addiction occurs when a person must use the drug to feel and function normally. Addiction occurs in two types, physical and psychological. Physical addiction is caused by the brain, the brain produces fewer chemicals or neurotransmitters to make up for the extra chemicals therefore the brain needs the chemicals from the drug to reach the correct balance and individual becomes out of touch with reality. Psychological addiction is much simpler, the individual simply likes the way a drug makes him/her feel and must have it, therefore becoming addicted. (Lawrence, F. 1996) Addiction has six steps. The first step is occasional use; a person takes his/her first drink or uses other drugs for the first time, and likes the way it feels and the way it reduces stress, the individual then starts using the drug in social settings. Step two is occasional trouble with drugs; a person shows mood swings or personality changes, they may experience blackouts, where they do not remember what was said or done. Step three is regular use of the drug; tolerance therefore increases and use of the drug can not be controlled and the individual denies having a drug problem. Step four is multiple drug use; drugs may be combined or switched for a new and stronger effect, the individual may then become a cross-addict or hooked on more than one drug. Step five is increasing dependency; the individual needs the drug to function and the drug no longer has the same effect. If the individual does not have the drug they will start shaking, feel sick, lose interest in school, family, or work. Step six is total dependency; the individual suffers from a maj... ...e in smokeless tobacco is addictive. Smokeless tobacco causes the production of more saliva and users swallow some without knowing it; this then introduces tar and other chemicals into the digestive and urinary systems. Cancer of the pharynx and esophagus may result. Irritation causes leukoplakia, thickened, white, leathery spots on the inside of the mouth. This can result in cancer of the lip or mouth. Users also get tooth decay, inflammation of the gums, loss of teeth, bad breath, discolored teeth and decreased ability and taste, especially salty and sweet foods. (Lawrence, F. 1996) Drug abuse is a serious issue. Not many people are aware of how serious it is. Drug abuse is so serious because it has physical and psychological affects that are fatal. Because of the fatal results drugs can have on the body people need to educate themselves and never use drugs.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Essay --

I have a great interest on how to help young children with challenging behaviors. I have work in the preschool field for the last 14 years and I have noticed a growth of children with challenging behaviors. Although I get support from the behavior specialist in the program, finding more information in this area will give me more skills and knowledge. I will feel more competent to serve the children and be efficient in the social emotional area. The questions that I created are questions that I want to research and educate myself to better serve the children who are having difficulties in this area. One of the ethical responsibilities to children mention on the NAEYC ideals I-1.4 say, â€Å"To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults.† Children of young age in our programs required that we give them the necessary skills to become competent in all areas of development including the social emotional. What is my topic? Challenging behaviors in young children Why am I interested in this topic? In recent years working with preschool age students I noticed a hig...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Inspiration and Manipulation Essay -- Essays Papers

Inspiration and Manipulation Emily Dickinson is a poet of great interest because she is one of a handful of artists that â€Å"refuse to conform to the Anglo-American literary traditions† (Howe 11). One of the most fascinating aspects of Emily Dickinson’s character is that she willingly shuts her door to the world which ultimately allows her creativity to thrive without criticism. While historical documents allow contemporary readers insight into her life and provide potential reasons for her seclusion, but the best reflection of Dickinson’s character is found in her poetry. Dickinson’s poetry creates a paradox because her intentions are only seen through her critics. This makes it difficult to fully understand what Dickinson really meant through her words. Dickinson compresses the world around her and in doing so, she redefines literature. Dickinson is a part of her poetry, which is a personal, physical portion of what may be considered her soul. While the Anglo-American heritage tr ies to decompress Dickinson’s poetry so that the masses can understand, readers lose a part of the intensely personal piece that Dickinson put into her art. It is up to the contemporary reader to rediscover her tradition and to incorporate it back into an understanding of her work. Emily Dickinson challenges rules of language and provides a different way to arrange her words on paper. Anglo-American systems are generally uniform to create a coherent, regular, and distinctive form of communication through language and literature. Dickinson had the courage to question the uniformity of language. Dickinson lived in a time when males were considered to be the scholars and females were designated to household tasks. The advancement that she had over ... ...s shifted slightly, but the main threads are still visible. Although Todd does have a point, the controversy lies in whether or not she had the right to do what she did. Of course not all of Dickinson’s intention can be recovered, but closer representation through the investigation of original works is now possible. The question still remains pertaining to the issues of editing in general and how the process affects the artist’s true intentions. Let us look to Emily Dickinson’s situation as a reference for the future. Works Cited - Franklin, R. W. The Editing of Emily Dickinson: A Reconsideration. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Press, 1967. - Howe, Susan. My Emily Dickinson. Berkley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1985. - Jamison, Kay R. Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. New York, NY: Free Press Paperbacks, 1993.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Do Young People Today Make Good Use of Their Leisure Time? Essay

Leisure time can be well spent in many different ways. One popular option among the young is playing video games and watching television. While other activities like sports,social gathering and reading are available to them,many people feel that they spend too much time on these indoor games and screens and prefer them to be more active. In this essay,I will discuss my view on the issue to get positive results out of free time. Nowadays, younger generation has greater choices of leisure facilities than previous one. Among such facilities are television and video games. Some social experts and families are concerned about health of teenage overindulge on these activities. This is supported by some reports that sitting too long in front of television could lead to problems of eyes and back. On the other hand, some medical experts believe that some video games can improve the dexterity of the player and this could help his or her future career like operating doctor or pilot. In addition, watching television keeps young audience inform about what happens around locally as well as globally. That would enhance teenagers’ inquisitive mind and encourage them to keep eyes on challenging local and international issues. While such benefit is welcomed, there also are dangers of exposing them to violence, crimes and explicit scenes on some television series which can have negative impact on younger personalities. Alternatively, there are many activities which have positive results in term of social, physical and educational values. For example, walking, jogging and trekking in a recreational park improve their physical strength and give an opportunity to observe nature and environment. Furthermore, spending time with family, relatives and friends outdoor enriches their social lives. As a result, they would be more interactive and responsible socially. Finally, one could simply be entertained by reading at home or playing some music. In conclusion, how much time should we spend on each activity during extra time is debatable. Each has its own merit so long as individual does not involve excessively. In my opinion, young and adult alike should choose sensibly on type of activity and time spent to get most benefits out of their free time.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Wasp Factory and American Psycho Protagonist Comparison

â€Å"The authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists Patrick Bateman and Frank Cauldhame to have very similar personalities. † How far do you agree? ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are two controversial dark novels in which the protagonist gets away with murder. They were published only seven years apart, ‘The Wasp Factory’ being the first. ‘The Wasp Factory’ was Iain Banks first published novel, and was released into the conservative United Kingdom in 1984, which would have coolly accepted it.This era of the United Kingdom did not approve of horror, especially when the protagonist remained uncaught. However, the book gained a great deal of attention and publicity via its controversy, and has maintained popularity throughout the years. ‘American Psycho’ by Bret Easton Ellis was originally published in 1991. At this time there was great controversy over its extent of gore and pornographic scenes, so much so that Ellis received numerous death threats and hate mail after its publication.Both protagonists narrate their author’s novel and each appears to mirror their author himself. However, the protagonists clash with each other when it comes to their settings, needs and reasons for behaviour. This demonstrates how the personalities of both Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame are presented differently by their authors. On the other hand, there are ways in which Bateman and Frank are presented to have similar personalities. For instance, they are both obsessive, misogynistic, have the desire to kill and have an abnormal mind set.These factors suggest a strong similarity between Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho' and Frank from ‘The Wasp Factory', even though their upbringing and personal characteristics more than often differ. Due to this, the true extent of similarity between their personalities is hard to distingui sh. Through Bateman's narration in ‘American Psycho’ the reader learns of his career on Wall Street and everyday life in great detail. For example, when describing to the reader his morning routine, the yuppie states how he uses â€Å"a deep pore cleanser lotion [†¦] a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub†.This shows the true extent of unnecessary detail that he will go into. As well as this, from the very start of the novel the reader is introduced to this rich and perfected lifestyle in New York of this â€Å"self-absorbed† character who thinks of himself to always â€Å"look great†, be superior to everyone else and constantly try to maintain his hierarchy within society. Ellis starts the novel with Bateman and his friends at a posh dinner party; this immediately demonstrates his wealthy lifestyle that Ellis is trying to portray.As well as this, Bateman showing off his â€Å"platinum American Express Card† demon strates his feeling of superiority. This provides the reader with a strong rather negative impression of Bateman as a rich, selfish, predatory man living in New York. This lifestyle can relate to that of Ellis himself, a man who isn’t affected by the recent recession, in his late twenties and living in the city that never sleeps. As well as this, like Ellis, Bateman’s parents are divorced. Validating this, Ellis has even admitted in an interview that â€Å"Patrick Bateman was about me†.In contrast to Bateman's lifestyle is Frank's. Frank is half-educated and lives in an isolated unnamed island off the Scottish coast. Frank is only sixteen, unemployed and greatly controlled by his father. This can be said to relate to the life of Iain Banks, who lived in a small village on the Scottish coast and moved around due to his father’s work. As well as this, Banks was sixteen when he completed his first book, indicating why he might have chosen this age for Frank. He also spends most of his time with the wildlife torturing, killing, collecting and â€Å"sacrificing† animals.In addition to this Frank entertains himself with his imagination and talks to his wasp factory. When Frank plays games such as building the dams and chooses which of the imaginary people live or die. Here the reader sees his childish and dark side as well as how there is little for him to actually do on the island. This also relates to Banks as he must have been very imaginative at Frank’s age as he was writing. In relation to this, making him seem incapable of his own choices, Angus has a huge amount of control over Frank.For example he home-schooled him, limiting his contact with society; he constantly tests him on the measurements of the furniture in their house; and uses the story of their dog, Old Saul, to cover up Frank's real identity. This shows the great contrast between Bateman's busy city life and of Frank's in the rural; as well as the contrast of their author’s lives. However, the protagonists Frank and Patrick do have things in common, such as obsessions and their love of control. Both Patrick and Frank have obsessions which are seen throughout through the novels. Ellis uses Patrick Bateman to demonstrate the obsessions which one might have.Most of Bateman's obsessions are very artificial, such as his obsessions over designer brands and technology. Patrick’s obsession to keep up to date with the latest technology, such as VCR, CD’s and Walkman’s, reflects the lifestyle of many American’s living 1980s-1990s. This demonstrates Ellis using Patrick’s obsessions to connect with the readers of his novel. Patrick also obsesses over â€Å"taking care of [himself]†; which can be shown via his â€Å"balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine† and his detailed daily movements which link to his obsession of detail and routine.His comment stating how he only uses â€Å"an afte r shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older†, further validates his obsession over appearance and health. Ellis places the information of Patrick's obsessions from the very start of the novel to increase their impact upon the reader and to truly reveal their importance to Patrick. Throughout the novel, Ellis also portrays Bateman's true love and need for control. The reader sees this many times, for instance the control he can have over people's lives. He is always control of a life.Even when he â€Å"can't control [himself]†, (which often occurs when committing murder), he is still controlling the life of his victim. This idea of control is used by Ellis to demonstrate the power Bateman feels, and needs to feel, he has. Similarly to Patrick, Frank's obsessions are frequently mentioned throughout ‘The Wasp Factory’; however some of Frank's obsessions are different to Patrick's. Frank appears to have an obsession with animals and torture. Throughout the book we see how Frank is fascinated by animals and collects their remains suggesting that Frank is obsessed with animals.In addition to this, Frank is shown to be obsessed with killing and torturing. For instance, within the novel he states how he once tied wasps to the â€Å"striking-surface of each of the copper-coloured bells† on his alarm clock â€Å"where the little hammer would hit them† when the alarm went off, and that he always woke up before his alarm went off, â€Å"so [he] got to watch. † This shows Frank's dark mind consisting of thoughts about death, torture and the need for control over others, like Bateman.This shows the reader how even young minds can think this sadistically. Similarly to this, the reader learns of Frank's need for control when he is placing signs around their â€Å"private property† to warn off â€Å"intruders†. This demonstrates a way in which Frank feels ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s essential to control people and his father's property. Frank’s overly meticulous attention to detail also connects with Patrick’s obsessions. Like Bateman this can be seen in the description of his grooming routine which, like Patrick, is the same every time.These obsessions show a similarity between Patrick and Frank's personalities, demonstrating how Ellis and Banks present their protagonists in a similar manner even though they have different lifestyles. In conjunction to this, both Ellis and Banks show their protagonist’s to have misogynistic attitudes; further presenting them to have similar personalities with one another. Frank states how his â€Å"greatest enemies are Women and the sea† and that Women â€Å"are weak and stupid and live in the shadow of men and are nothing compared to them†, expressing Frank's misogynist view towards women.Showing Bateman's views on women are his comments such as â€Å"you're a fucking ugly bitchâ⠂¬  and â€Å"you piece of bitch trash†. These comments are used by Ellis to portray Bateman to have an aggressive misogynistic view. This shows a way in which the authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists to have similar personality traits as they are both sexist and have anger towards women. However, saying this both Bateman and Frank show misogynistic behaviour for different reasons. Frank's hatred towards women has stemmed from his father who independently brought Frank and his brothers up.Angus dislikes women so much so that he changes Frank's gender from female to male and leads him to state how he hates his mother â€Å"her name, the idea of her†. In contrast to this, Bateman's misogynistic behaviour is based more on the idea of dominance, lust and control. This shows a way in which Ellis and Banks portray their protagonist's to have contrasting personalities with each other, disagreeing with the statement. Altho ugh Bateman and Frank have contrasting lifestyles; a ten year age gap; different obsessions and versions of hate towards women; they both have one pastime in common: killing.Their murderous ways and attitudes towards it present Frank and Patrick to have mental disabilities like that of a sociopath and psychopath. For instance, Bateman and Frank both display symptoms of antisocial personality disorder, (which is a factor of both psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour). As well as this, they both display a high predisposition to violence, maybe Patrick more erratically, and a tendency to act impulsively when it comes to crime, which a psychopath can display. In addition to this, both protagonists find it hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy.This, and his psychopathic ways, can be shown when Frank states how he â€Å"must be lots of different people inside [his] brain†. Banks uses Frank's psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour to show the importance of parenting, stab ility and connections within society that a child needs to be able to function adequately. Patrick’s confusion with reality is also shown to the reader. For instance, as said by Andrew Jacobsen, (a literacy critic), â€Å"the supposed ‘real’ world around him becomes as one with his insane imagination world.†As well as this the mystery of the bodies at the end of the novel can be said to demonstrate Bateman’s misperception of reality. Due to this, Ellis and Banks can be seen to portray their protagonist’s to have similar personalities. This is because they are presented to be mentally ill and confused with reality. In connection to this, both protagonists show a lack of empathy towards their victims, and are able to commit a crime and act as though it's the norm and not really a crime at all. For example in ‘The Wasp Factory' Frank states how he killed Esmerelda because she was â€Å"simply the easiest and most obvious target†.Thi s simple view and minimal motive for murder displays Frank’s lack of empathy, and expresses his absence of perception that murder is abnormal or morally wrong. Iain Banks presents Frank in this way to illustrate how cold, cruel and absent-minded humans can be, even the young. In relation to this, Bateman sleeping with and killing girls whilst in a relationship with Evelyn as well as the homeless and young shows his lack of moral rights and care towards others. Furthermore, Patrick crimes are opportunistic with little or no motive, normally due to urges, lust or as a means of superiority.Bateman commits these crimes without hesitation, suggesting that to him it is just the norm. Also demonstrating Patrick’s dark personality, lack of empathy and morals he jokingly says how he is â€Å"into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly†. This comment and others similar to it demonstrate to the reader Patrick’s sinister view on his murders; thus, they are used by Ellis to cause the reader to despise Patrick yet be slightly amused by his satirical sense of humour. These similarities suggest that the personalities of the protagonist’s from ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are presented in the same way.To conclude, I believe that the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonists to have personalities which are similar with each other as well as dissimilar. Aspects such as their lifestyles; having different obsessions; and reasons for being misogynistic present a complete contrast between Patrick’s and Frank’s life, and their personalities. This is because their lifestyles can lead them to desiring different effects. This links to obsessions, as for example, Frank obsesses over animals but Patrick doesn’t, as there are a lot less in the city.Also, Bateman, who unlike Frank has frequent contact with people, obsesses more over appearance and health. As well as this, there reasons for being misogynistic are due to their upbringing and the environment surrounding them. This shows how lifestyle and upbringing can affect ones personality traits such as their obsessions. Therefore, this demonstrates how lifestyle is a key subject which has been used by Ellis and Banks to present their protagonist’s personalities in different ways, which also results in other personality traits being different too.However, both the protagonists have similar obsessions with one another; have a desire to kill; personality traits suggesting they have mental issues; and misogynistic views resulting in them having similar personalities with each other. These are very strong personality traits which all connect Frank and Patrick closely together, even though there are some ways in which they are dissimilar. Therefore, I believe to a great extent that â€Å"the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Fact ory’ present their protagonist’s Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame to have very similar personalities†. The Wasp Factory And American Psycho Protagonist Comparison â€Å"The authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists Patrick Bateman and Frank Cauldhame to have very similar personalities. † How far do you agree? ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are two controversial dark novels in which the protagonist gets away with murder. They were published only seven years apart, ‘The Wasp Factory’ being the first. ‘The Wasp Factory’ was Iain Banks first published novel, and was released into the conservative United Kingdom in 1984, which would have coolly accepted it.This era of the United Kingdom did not approve of horror, especially when the protagonist remained uncaught. However, the book gained a great deal of attention and publicity via its controversy, and has maintained popularity throughout the years. ‘American Psycho’ by Bret Easton Ellis was originally published in 1991. At this time there was great controversy over its extent of gore and pornographic scenes, so much so that Ellis received numerous death threats and hate mail after its publication.Both protagonists narrate their author’s novel and each appears to mirror their author himself. However, the protagonists clash with each other when it comes to their settings, needs and reasons for behaviour. This demonstrates how the personalities of both Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame are presented differently by their authors. On the other hand, there are ways in which Bateman and Frank are presented to have similar personalities. For instance, they are both obsessive, misogynistic, have the desire to kill and have an abnormal mind set.These factors suggest a strong similarity between Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho' and Frank from ‘The Wasp Factory', even though their upbringing and personal characteristics more than often differ. Due to this, the true extent of similarity between their personalities is hard to distingui sh. Through Bateman's narration in ‘American Psycho’ the reader learns of his career on Wall Street and everyday life in great detail. For example, when describing to the reader his morning routine, the yuppie states how he uses â€Å"a deep pore cleanser lotion [†¦] a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub†.This shows the true extent of unnecessary detail that he will go into. As well as this, from the very start of the novel the reader is introduced to this rich and perfected lifestyle in New York of this â€Å"self-absorbed† character who thinks of himself to always â€Å"look great†, be superior to everyone else and constantly try to maintain his hierarchy within society. Ellis starts the novel with Bateman and his friends at a posh dinner party; this immediately demonstrates his wealthy lifestyle that Ellis is trying to portray.As well as this, Bateman showing off his â€Å"platinum American Express Card† demon strates his feeling of superiority. This provides the reader with a strong rather negative impression of Bateman as a rich, selfish, predatory man living in New York. This lifestyle can relate to that of Ellis himself, a man who isn’t affected by the recent recession, in his late twenties and living in the city that never sleeps. As well as this, like Ellis, Bateman’s parents are divorced. Validating this, Ellis has even admitted in an interview that â€Å"Patrick Bateman was about me†.In contrast to Bateman's lifestyle is Frank's. Frank is half-educated and lives in an isolated unnamed island off the Scottish coast. Frank is only sixteen, unemployed and greatly controlled by his father. This can be said to relate to the life of Iain Banks, who lived in a small village on the Scottish coast and moved around due to his father’s work. As well as this, Banks was sixteen when he completed his first book, indicating why he might have chosen this age for Frank. He also spends most of his time with the wildlife torturing, killing, collecting and â€Å"sacrificing† animals.In addition to this Frank entertains himself with his imagination and talks to his wasp factory. When Frank plays games such as building the dams and chooses which of the imaginary people live or die. Here the reader sees his childish and dark side as well as how there is little for him to actually do on the island. This also relates to Banks as he must have been very imaginative at Frank’s age as he was writing. In relation to this, making him seem incapable of his own choices, Angus has a huge amount of control over Frank.For example he home-schooled him, limiting his contact with society; he constantly tests him on the measurements of the furniture in their house; and uses the story of their dog, Old Saul, to cover up Frank's real identity. This shows the great contrast between Bateman's busy city life and of Frank's in the rural; as well as the contrast of their author’s lives. However, the protagonists Frank and Patrick do have things in common, such as obsessions and their love of control. Both Patrick and Frank have obsessions which are seen throughout through the novels. Ellis uses Patrick Bateman to demonstrate the obsessions which one might have.Most of Bateman's obsessions are very artificial, such as his obsessions over designer brands and technology. Patrick’s obsession to keep up to date with the latest technology, such as VCR, CD’s and Walkman’s, reflects the lifestyle of many American’s living 1980s-1990s. This demonstrates Ellis using Patrick’s obsessions to connect with the readers of his novel. Patrick also obsesses over â€Å"taking care of [himself]†; which can be shown via his â€Å"balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine† and his detailed daily movements which link to his obsession of detail and routine.His comment stating how he only uses â€Å"an afte r shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older†, further validates his obsession over appearance and health. Ellis places the information of Patrick's obsessions from the very start of the novel to increase their impact upon the reader and to truly reveal their importance to Patrick. Throughout the novel, Ellis also portrays Bateman's true love and need for control. The reader sees this many times, for instance the control he can have over people's lives. He is always control of a life.Even when he â€Å"can't control [himself]†, (which often occurs when committing murder), he is still controlling the life of his victim. This idea of control is used by Ellis to demonstrate the power Bateman feels, and needs to feel, he has. Similarly to Patrick, Frank's obsessions are frequently mentioned throughout ‘The Wasp Factory’; however some of Frank's obsessions are different to Patrick's. Frank appears to have an obsession with animals and torture. Throughout the book we see how Frank is fascinated by animals and collects their remains suggesting that Frank is obsessed with animals.In addition to this, Frank is shown to be obsessed with killing and torturing. For instance, within the novel he states how he once tied wasps to the â€Å"striking-surface of each of the copper-coloured bells† on his alarm clock â€Å"where the little hammer would hit them† when the alarm went off, and that he always woke up before his alarm went off, â€Å"so [he] got to watch. † This shows Frank's dark mind consisting of thoughts about death, torture and the need for control over others, like Bateman.This shows the reader how even young minds can think this sadistically. Similarly to this, the reader learns of Frank's need for control when he is placing signs around their â€Å"private property† to warn off â€Å"intruders†. This demonstrates a way in which Frank feels ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s essential to control people and his father's property. Frank’s overly meticulous attention to detail also connects with Patrick’s obsessions. Like Bateman this can be seen in the description of his grooming routine which, like Patrick, is the same every time.These obsessions show a similarity between Patrick and Frank's personalities, demonstrating how Ellis and Banks present their protagonists in a similar manner even though they have different lifestyles. In conjunction to this, both Ellis and Banks show their protagonist’s to have misogynistic attitudes; further presenting them to have similar personalities with one another. Frank states how his â€Å"greatest enemies are Women and the sea† and that Women â€Å"are weak and stupid and live in the shadow of men and are nothing compared to them†, expressing Frank's misogynist view towards women.Showing Bateman's views on women are his comments such as â€Å"you're a fucking ugly bitchâ⠂¬  and â€Å"you piece of bitch trash†. These comments are used by Ellis to portray Bateman to have an aggressive misogynistic view. This shows a way in which the authors of ‘American Psycho' and ‘The Wasp Factory' present their protagonists to have similar personality traits as they are both sexist and have anger towards women. However, saying this both Bateman and Frank show misogynistic behaviour for different reasons. Frank's hatred towards women has stemmed from his father who independently brought Frank and his brothers up.Angus dislikes women so much so that he changes Frank's gender from female to male and leads him to state how he hates his mother â€Å"her name, the idea of her†. In contrast to this, Bateman's misogynistic behaviour is based more on the idea of dominance, lust and control. This shows a way in which Ellis and Banks portray their protagonist's to have contrasting personalities with each other, disagreeing with the statement. Altho ugh Bateman and Frank have contrasting lifestyles; a ten year age gap; different obsessions and versions of hate towards women; they both have one pastime in common: killing.Their murderous ways and attitudes towards it present Frank and Patrick to have mental disabilities like that of a sociopath and psychopath. For instance, Bateman and Frank both display symptoms of antisocial personality disorder, (which is a factor of both psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour). As well as this, they both display a high predisposition to violence, maybe Patrick more erratically, and a tendency to act impulsively when it comes to crime, which a psychopath can display. In addition to this, both protagonists find it hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy.This, and his psychopathic ways, can be shown when Frank states how he â€Å"must be lots of different people inside [his] brain†. Banks uses Frank's psychopathic and sociopathic behaviour to show the importance of parenting, stab ility and connections within society that a child needs to be able to function adequately. Patrick’s confusion with reality is also shown to the reader. For instance, as said by Andrew Jacobsen, (a literacy critic), â€Å"the supposed ‘real’ world around him becomes as one with his insane imagination world.†As well as this the mystery of the bodies at the end of the novel can be said to demonstrate Bateman’s misperception of reality. Due to this, Ellis and Banks can be seen to portray their protagonist’s to have similar personalities. This is because they are presented to be mentally ill and confused with reality. In connection to this, both protagonists show a lack of empathy towards their victims, and are able to commit a crime and act as though it's the norm and not really a crime at all. For example in ‘The Wasp Factory' Frank states how he killed Esmerelda because she was â€Å"simply the easiest and most obvious target†.Thi s simple view and minimal motive for murder displays Frank’s lack of empathy, and expresses his absence of perception that murder is abnormal or morally wrong. Iain Banks presents Frank in this way to illustrate how cold, cruel and absent-minded humans can be, even the young. In relation to this, Bateman sleeping with and killing girls whilst in a relationship with Evelyn as well as the homeless and young shows his lack of moral rights and care towards others. Furthermore, Patrick crimes are opportunistic with little or no motive, normally due to urges, lust or as a means of superiority.Bateman commits these crimes without hesitation, suggesting that to him it is just the norm. Also demonstrating Patrick’s dark personality, lack of empathy and morals he jokingly says how he is â€Å"into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly†. This comment and others similar to it demonstrate to the reader Patrick’s sinister view on his murders; thus, they are used by Ellis to cause the reader to despise Patrick yet be slightly amused by his satirical sense of humour. These similarities suggest that the personalities of the protagonist’s from ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ are presented in the same way.To conclude, I believe that the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ present their protagonists to have personalities which are similar with each other as well as dissimilar. Aspects such as their lifestyles; having different obsessions; and reasons for being misogynistic present a complete contrast between Patrick’s and Frank’s life, and their personalities. This is because their lifestyles can lead them to desiring different effects. This links to obsessions, as for example, Frank obsesses over animals but Patrick doesn’t, as there are a lot less in the city.Also, Bateman, who unlike Frank has frequent contact with people, obsesses more over appearance and health. As well as this, there reasons for being misogynistic are due to their upbringing and the environment surrounding them. This shows how lifestyle and upbringing can affect ones personality traits such as their obsessions. Therefore, this demonstrates how lifestyle is a key subject which has been used by Ellis and Banks to present their protagonist’s personalities in different ways, which also results in other personality traits being different too.However, both the protagonists have similar obsessions with one another; have a desire to kill; personality traits suggesting they have mental issues; and misogynistic views resulting in them having similar personalities with each other. These are very strong personality traits which all connect Frank and Patrick closely together, even though there are some ways in which they are dissimilar. Therefore, I believe to a great extent that â€Å"the authors of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘The Wasp Fact ory’ present their protagonist’s Patrick Bateman and Frank Claudhame to have very similar personalities†.

Louis Pojman Short Summary Essay

Louis Pojman argues for objectivism instead of relativism in morality even though we are attracted to the idea of relativism. Ethical relativism is made up of a diversity thesis and a dependency thesis. The diversity thesis is also known as cultural relativism and basically states that morality is different between different societies. The dependency thesis is similar to the diversity thesis, but states that morality depends on the context of the society. There are two views on the dependency thesis. In one view it is the application of the moral principles that depends on the situation, but in the other the principles (not how they are applied) actually depend on the situation. And even with the application of moral principles it is important to remember that they can change. Ethical relativism has two categories: subjectivism and conventionalism. Subjectivism is all about the individual, like it is everyone for themselves. This idea makes people like Hitler, Bundy, and members of t he KKK (just to name a few) justified in their actions. With conventionalism it is all about the society or culture, but then it becomes a question of how many individuals it takes to make a society. If there are enough Hitler-like people then they can form their own culture with its own morals and anything goes again. Both of these views of ethical relativism seem to be going in circles allowing all behavior as acceptable. Another issue with ethical relativism – whether it is subjective or conventional – is that a person has to determine what is their primary culture. Culture is made up of so many aspects like location, race, gender, religion, sexual status, etc. that a person could be making a moral decision that goes against one part of their culture but is acceptable with another part. Pojman outlines ethical relativism and then discusses moral objectivism as the correct idea. He argues that it only takes one moral principle for all people to show that relativism is false and objectivism is true. He states a variety of general ethical principles (ten, specifically, which may have a connection to the Ten Commandments or may just be a coincidence) that seem to be necessary to rid suffering, resolve conflict, and promote human flourishing. While reading Pojman’s statements on ethical relativism I asked myself where do we draw the line on deciding what is right and wrong. As a Christian it was difficult to read that some people believe in relativism and think that whatever they personally decide to be acceptable IS acceptable – or even that entire societies can do something  that goes against human nature. It was a relief to get to the end of the article where Pojman argues against relativism and makes a case for objectivism based on the fact that we do have a core morality.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Written Performance Concept

Written Performance Concept Play: Translations As a director, I want to emphasise the concept of a forbidden romance which is the essential theme of the play. So in my duologue, it was important to remember my directorial intentions throughout in order for the audience to understand the complexity of the situation. ‘Translations’ was written by the Irish playwright Brian Friel in 1980, however, it is set in the 19th century in it fictional town on Baile Beag.Brian Friel stated that ‘Translations’ is â€Å"a play about language and only about language† but it deals with a wide range of issues, stretching from language and communication to cultural imperialism. He based it in Ireland due to the fluidity of the Irish language and to make it harder for literal translation, as David Grant explains â€Å"The very nature of translation is so delicate, so unpredictable, that the only practical solution was to explore ideas in practice on the rehearsal room f loor. Historical elements relevant to inform my embodiment of role would be the English’s role in taking over Ireland in the 1930’s, as most Irish were reduced to near poverty whereas the English had masses of wealth. Also, they planned to take everything of Irish importance away, such as lessons in school only being taught in English when over half of the population spoke Gaelic. To demonstrate the fact we are in a field, not many props are used except a bale of hay we use for me to sit on and state â€Å"the grass must be wet, my feet are soaking. We decided to set it in a field as it has to be somewhere away from civilisation where no one will catch them. We are also using and Irish folk music track at the start to set the scene for the audience and give them a sense that they are in agricultural Ireland. In order to further shape and influence my character, I undertook some drama exercises to develop a deeper understanding of my character. An example would be non- verbal communication exercises where we would run through the scene once; they go through it only with the use of facial expression, proxemics and gestures.This helped me develop a joyful, but at times confused and frustrated facial expressions, for example on the line â€Å"What-What? † after Yolland states â€Å"Yes, I know your Marie, of course I know your Marie, I mean I have been watching you night and day for the past†¦Ã¢â‚¬  even though I don’t understand what he is saying, I should be able to recognize he is complimenting or saying something beautiful though facial expressions and gestures.Also to be more aware of my proxemics and levels so I don’t look superior or upright in any way and my gestures to be soft and calming, not rigid and stiff. Hot seating also helped me as we got an in depth analysis of my character and a deeper understanding of what their objectives may be is several different parts of the play. An example of this would be to ask Marie the question â€Å"How did you feel when you met George for the first time? † This helped me with my tone and voice to my subtle, sweet and lyrical.We also have to portray the hesitance between Yolland and Marie as there love isn’t only frowned upon in society because there statuses in society are at two totally different ends of the spectrum, but the love triangle between Manus, Yolland and Marie is a very problematic one. This further adds pressure to the situation and I need to be able to portray this awkwardness and lack of understanding for the audience to be able to fully connect with us as people. I also want the audience to feel empathy for our circumstances.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Stakeholder exercise for socially responsible companies Research Paper

Stakeholder exercise for socially responsible companies - Research Paper Example It is socially responsible to its stockholders because these are the group of people who trusted Starbucks to report to them the true financial standing of the company and to provide decent return on their investments. Finally, Starbucks is socially responsible to the future generation by ensuring that their farming practices of coffee is environmentally sound that will not deprive the future generation of coffee. 2. Then, look for information that is not so favorable about this company from a reputable news source. What does the information say about the company? What do you think about the information you found? This is about a Reuters news in Britain that Starbucks has been telling its investors that they are profitable even as it consistently reported losses. This contradiction stems from the Starbucks avoidance of tax as it tells government one thing and its investors another (Reuters, 2012). The news is basically telling that Starbucks is lying both to its investors and to the government tax agency. It says that it profitable to its investors so as not to scare them away and then reporting losses to avoid tax. This is a very disappointing news considering that Starbucks is considered as one of the most ethical and profitable companies in the world. It is hard to believe that Starbucks is doing this but since the news is carried out by a reputable business news agency Reuters, there must be some credibility to it. Starbucks may not be used to losses because it has been profitable around the world. Thus it follows that it is used to telling its investors that the company is profitable in most franchise except in Britain. I would suggest that Starbucks to be honest in its financial reporting in Britain even if it does not look good. This is necessary because the continuous giving of false financial information could hurt the good reputation of