Pico Paper

Are kidney patients who received a radical nephrectomy at a higher risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a partial nephrectomy? Kiara Wilson Nursing 3163 Dr. Linda Upchurch November 12, 2012 Background Are kidney patients who received a partial nephrectomy at a lower risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a radical nephrectomy? When a patient is diagnosed with kidney damage, a surgical nephrectomy is often performed. Kidney damage may be caused by blocked blood vessels, kidney stones, masses, infection, and/or kidney cancer.With this procedure the kidney damage may be treated and also prevent further damage. A partial nephrectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a portion of the kidney. Partial nephrectomies are normally done laparoscopically with hand assistance or with robot assistance. A radical nephrectomy involves removing the kidney and the adrenal glands. A radical nephrectomy may be done laparoscopically or by open abdominal surgery. My patient was diagnosed with damage of the left kidney. Blood tests were performed and the patient was found to have a toxic WBC granulation. This toxic granulation led infection, inflammation and sepsis.An abdominal and pelvic CT scan found a 7. 8 x 5. 6 x 6. 2 cm, solid, enhancing left lower pole renal mass and parasitic vessels in the infected area. A hand assisted partial laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed. They removed the lower portion of her left kidney. The kidney was to be tested for malignancy. The concern with my patient is that she has a past medical history of hypertension, anemia, and deep vein thrombosis. She is at an increased risk of further cardiac and renal complications. I believe these factors influenced the doctors’ decision to perform a partial nephrectomy instead of taking the radical approach.To find research on this kidney condition, I accessed the Galileo database. I searched for infor mation on ways to treat renal masses and kidney cancer. I found multiple articles about laparoscopic and radical (open) nephrectomies. I found many articles that discussed the differences between the two and the affects they have on patients who receive them. I found an interesting study called â€Å"Partial Nephrectomy Is Associated with Improved Overall Survival Compared to Radical Nephrectomy in Patients with Unanticipated Benign Renal Tumours. I found it interesting because it was relevant to the health issues that were being addressed with my patient. There millions kidney patients who undergo these procedures each year. I wanted to discover which procedure provided the best outcome for my patient and others with similar kidney problems. Purpose According to this study, â€Å"a partial nephrectomy has been associated with improved overall survival in patients with localized renal masses compared to those who received a radical nephrectomy† (Weight, 2010).The purpose of this study is to test the overall survival rate of patients who had unanticipated renal masses. Another objective of this study is to also study the effect of these procedures on cardiac specific survival rates and other causes of death related to decreased kidney function. Hypothesis The hypothesis for this study are that the use of partial nephrectomies would be first line of treatment compared to radical nephrectomies in that partial nephrectomies provide better protection of renal function. Decreased renal function will lead to a low survival rate.Patients who undergo radical nephrectomies will have higher rate of cardiac related deaths Design A seven year, nonrandomized study was conducted using 499 participants. Of these 499 particiapants, 111 patients had received a radical nephrectomy while 388 patients received a partial nephrectomy. The choice of which surgery to do was left of the surgeon and the patient’s preferences. They took into consideration the mass size, th e appearance, the patient’s current health, life expectancy and the comfort of the surgeon in making their decisions.The patient’s comorbidities were assessed using the Charlson-Romano Comorbidity Index. Each patient’s vital signs were acquired using the Social Security Death Index. Anyone without a Social Security Number was excluded. The cause of death information from the patients’ medical records was reviewed. From there the participants were further categorized by the condition that caused the death. Cardiac deaths ranged from death related to ischemic heart disease, CHF, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.Renal deaths were broken down into death related to renal failure, renal insufficiency, or nephritic syndrome. All other possible causes of death were group together. Perioperative, postoperative data and renal function tests were collected before and after the procedures. Preoperative data was used to create the propensity model that was utilized in a multivariate model of survival. They measured the overall survival rate of the participants and cardiac specific survival rates. Findings Radical nephrectomies are greatly associated with an increased risk of death from any cause.Patients with unanticipated benign tumors that were treated with RN were more likely to die from any related health problem than those treated with PN. Participants who received a radical nephrectomy were more likely to be older, with high comorbidity scores, and larger tumors. Those with smaller masses and tumors were more likely to have a partial nephrectomy. Radical nephrectomies are associated with an increased risk of death by 2 folds from any cause. The risk of cardiovascular death was substantially higher in those with decreasing post-operative renal function.Decreased kidney function was related to an increase in cardiovascular death and death from any other cause in overall majority patient s. Sixteen participants died of cardiac related deaths. Renal preservation was increased in the group that had the partial nephrectomy with majority of the patients having an eGFR above 60 %. Radical nephrectomy participants only had an eGFR of 30 % or lower. The higher eGFR is associated with an increase chance of survival in PN patients. Discussion Previous studies indicate that postoperative impaired renal function plays a role in the overall survival of patients with renal masses.The data concluded that no matter which surgery was performed there would be a decrease in kidney function. However, those patients who received a PN had a remarkable lower decrease in renal function. It can be stated that patients have decreased function are at an increased risk of cardiac related death and death by other causes. For many of those who don’t die from cardiac related death it can be concluded that other conditions that cause death are worsened by renal insufficiency. This study wa s relevant to the PICO question I asked.This study answered my question and provided the information necessary to make it a valid question. I believe the limitations to this study are that the researchers did not randomize their study. They picked which participants they thought would influence their study. The strengths of this article are that is discusses the importance of preserving renal function when performing a nephrectomy. It also provides evidence that patients should be educated on the risks of death and further complications associated with their procedures. It could allow for better planning and managing of the care for these patients.Implications As a nurse it would be my responsibility to knowledgeable about procedures such as these and how they will affect my patient. It would be my job to educate the patients on what to expect from this surgery and what it means for their health. I could also use this information to better assess patients before and after these proc edures. This research provides material that could be used to better treat and prevent life threatening conditions that could arise after surgery. References Landman, D. (2006). Open Partial Nephrectomy.Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Kidney Cancer Institute: www. kidneycancerinstitute. com/open-partial-nephrec. html Landman, D. (2006). Open Radical Nephrectomy. Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Kidney Cancer Institute: www. kidneycancerinstitute. com/open-radical-nephrec. html Weight, C. J. , & Leiser, G. (2010, April 29). Partial Nephrectomy Is Associated with Improved Overall Survival. EUROPEAN UROLOGY, 58, 293-298. Evaluation (to be completed by instructor)| Possible Points| Actual Points| Introduction of clinical problemComments:| 20| | Purpose/Aim of the study/articleComments:| 10| |Theoretical framework of the study/articleComments:| n/a| | Hypotheses/QuestionsComments:| 5| | DesignComments:| 5| | FindingsComments:| 10| | DiscussionComments:| 25| | ImplicationsComments:| 20| | ReferencesComments:| 5| | Grade| 100/100| /100| PICO Paper Grading Rubric (submit, along with PICO OAT form, with your paper) Student Name: _Kiara Wilson______________Date: November 12, 2012_____________ Are kidney patients who received a radical nephrectomy at a higher risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a partial nephrectomy?

Thomas Hardy Poem Interpretation

Poems for essay: Neutral Tones, A Broken Appointment, The Moth-Signal. Interpretation is said to be an explanation or conceptualization of a work of literature or other art form by a critic. Hardy is known for integrating personal events from his life, into his poems that allow the reader to develop a fully rounded view of what he was trying to convey in his work. Love and its effects are one of his most famous themes that are the basis of many of his poems. Hardy tends to use references to many of his loves in his life in his poems especially his first wife Emma.The context from which he writes helps immensely when deducing the meaning of his works. However, knowledge of the poet’s background is not a necessity when interpreting all poems nor does it always influence the interpretation given by the reader; this only true to a certain extent. In the poems: â€Å"Neutral Tones†, â€Å"A Broken Appointment† and â€Å"The Moth- Signal (Edgon Heath)† are all e xamples of poems by Thomas Hardy that does not require awareness of his background to be interpreted by the reader.The poem, â€Å"Neutral Tones† can be deciphered is about a man who loses his true love and thus skews his view of love forever. The first stanza may be interpreted as the setting of which this heartbreaking moment between these two lovers took place. The setting bares no identification needed towards the writer and can be easily interpreted by the reader. The proceeding stanzas basically describe the scenarios in the relationship that led to ultimately the couple going their separate ways and as a result changes the man’s perception of love as the event is relayed from his point of view.This poem is just based on a love gone wrong and does not need Hardy’s background information to be successfully understood by anyone who reads it. His personal detached tone from the poem allows this to be possible. Along with â€Å"Neutral Tones†, â€Å"A Broken Appointment† follows the same trend of love and freedom to be interpreted without having knowledge of his past loves. This poem is about a man who is now reflecting later about the time he was stood up by the woman he loved. This is an issue that happens regularly and does not need to be referenced to sometime in the author’s life to be analyzed thoroughly.This poem was also written generally so it also bore no semblance to the life of Hardy. This goes to show that the background of an author when interpreting a poem is not utter importance. In addition, â€Å"The Moth-Signal (Edgon Heath)†, is another one of Hardy’s poems that lack the need for the context from which the poet writes. In this poem, there is an affair by a woman that is summoned to her lover via a moth being burned in the flames of a candle to indicate her lover was present.Since infidelity is a common issue, the background of Hardy is not needed to influence the interpretation of th is poem. In all of the above mention poems, they all encompassed a plot that was easily identifiable by any reader. The thread of love and heartbreak ran through each and they are all poems that are relatable to all who reads these poems. This gives proof that a poet’s background does not need to be known in order to interpret a poem nor influence its interpretation.

Frostbite Chapter 7

Seven I ANGRILY PUSHED THROUGH THE double doors that led into the Moroi dorm. Snow swirled in behind me, and a few people lingering on the main floor glanced up upon my entrance. Not surprisingly, several of them did double takes. Swallowing, I forced myself not to react. It would be okay. No need to freak out. Novices got injured all the time. It was actually rarer not to get injured. Admittedly, this was a more noticeable injury than most, but I could live with it until it healed, right? And it wasn't like anyone would know how I'd received it. â€Å"Hey Rose, is it true your own mother punched you?† I froze. I'd know that taunting soprano voice anywhere. Turning slowly, I looked into the deep blue eyes of Mia Rinaldi. Curly blond hair framed a face that might have been cute if not for the malicious smirk on it. A year younger than us, Mia'd taken on Lissa (and me by default) in a war to see who could tear apart the other's life most quicklya war, I should add, that she started. It had involved her stealing Lissa's ex-boyfrienddespite the fact Lissa had decided in the end she didn't want himand the spreading of all sorts of rumors. Admittedly, Mia's hatred hadn't been entirely unjustified. Lissa's older brother, Andrewho had been killed in the same car accident that technically â€Å"killed† mehad used Mia pretty badly when she was a freshman. If she weren't such a bitch now, I would have felt sorry for her. It had been wrong of him, and while I could understand her anger, I don't know that it was fair of her to take that out on Lissa in the way she did. Lissa and I had technically won the war in the end, but Mia had inexplicably bounced back. She didn't run with the same elite that she once had, but she had rebuilt a small contingent of friends. Malicious or not, strong leaders always attract followers. I'd found that about 90 percent of the time, the most effective response was to ignore her. But we had just crossed over to the other 10 percent, because it's impossible to ignore someone announcing to the world that your mother just punched youeven if it was true. I stopped walking and turned around. Mia stood near a vending machine, knowing she'd drawn me out. I didn't bother asking how she'd found out about my mother giving me the black eye. Things rarely stayed secret around here. When she caught full sight of my face, her eyes widened in unabashed delight. â€Å"Wow. Talk about a face only a mother could love.† Ha. Cute. From anyone else, I would have applauded the joke. â€Å"Well, you're the expert on face injury,† I said. â€Å"How's your nose?† Mia's icy smile twitched a little, but she didn't back down. I'd broken her nose about a month agoat a school dance of all placesand while the nose had since healed, it now sat just the tiniest bit askew. Plastic surgery could probably fix it up, but from my understanding of her family's finances, that wasn't possible just now. â€Å"It's better,† she replied primly. â€Å"Fortunately, it was only broken by a psychopathic whore and not anyone actually related to me.† I gave her my best psychopathic smile. â€Å"Too bad. Family members hit you by accident. Psychopathic whores tend to come back for more.† Threatening physical violence against her was usually a pretty sound tactic, but we had too many people around right now for that to be a legitimate concern for her. And Mia knew it. Not that I was above attacking someone in this kind of settinghell, I'd done it lots of timesbut I was trying to work on my impulse control lately. â€Å"Doesn't look like much of an accident to me,† she said. â€Å"Don't you guys have rules about face punches? I mean, that looks really far out of bounds.† I opened my mouth to tell her off, but nothing came out. She had a point. My injury was far out of bounds; in that sort of combat, you aren't supposed to hit above the neck. This was way above that forbidden line. Mia saw my hesitation, and it was like Christmas morning had come a week early for her. Until that moment, I don't think there'd ever been a time in our antagonistic relationship in which she'd rendered me speechless. â€Å"Ladies,† came a stern, female voice. The Moroi attending the front desk leaned over it and fixed us with a sharp look. â€Å"This is a lobby, not a lounge. Either go upstairs or go outside.† For a moment, breaking Mia's nose again sounded like the best idea in the worldto hell with detention or suspension. After a deep breath, I decided retreat was my most dignified action now. I stalked off toward the stairs leading up to the girls' dorm. Over my shoulder, I heard Mia call, â€Å"Don't worry, Rose. It'll go away. Besides, it's not your face guys are interested in.† Thirty seconds later, I beat on Lissa's door so hard, it was a wonder my fist didn't go through the wood. She opened it slowly and peered around. â€Å"Is it just you out here? I thought there was an army at theoh my God.† Her eyebrows shot up when she noticed the left side of my face. â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"You haven't heard already? You're probably the only one in the school who hasn't,† I grumbled. â€Å"Just let me in.† Sprawling on her bed, I told her about the day's events. She was properly appalled. â€Å"I heard you'd been hurt, but I figured it was one of your normal things,† she said. I stared up at the spackled ceiling, feeling miserable. â€Å"The worst part is, Mia was right. It wasn't an accident.† â€Å"What, you're saying your mom did it on purpose?† When I didn't answer, Lissa's voice turned incredulous. â€Å"Come on, she wouldn't do that. No way.† â€Å"Why? Because she's perfect Janine Hathaway, master of controlling her temper? The thing is, she's also perfect Janine Hathaway, master of fighting and controlling her actions. One way or another, she slipped up.† â€Å"Yeah, well,† said Lissa, â€Å"I think her stumbling and missing her punch is more likely than her doing it on purpose. She'd have to really lose her temper.† â€Å"Well, she was talking to me. That's enough to make anyone lose their temper. And I accused her of sleeping with my dad because he was the soundest evolutionary choice.† â€Å"Rose,† groaned Lissa. â€Å"You kind of left out that part in your recap. Why'd you say that to her?† â€Å"Because it's probably true.† â€Å"But you had to know it'd upset her. Why do you keep provoking her? Why can't you just make peace with her?† I sat upright. â€Å"Make peace with her? She gave me a black eye. Probably on purpose! How do I make peace with someone like that?† Lissa just shook her head and walked over to the mirror to check her makeup. The feelings coming through our bond were ones of frustration and exasperation. Lingering in the back was a bit of anticipation, too. I had the patience to examine her carefully, now that I'd finished my venting. She had on a silky lavender shirt and a knee-length black skirt. Her long hair had the kind of smooth perfection only achieved by spending an hour of your life on it with a hair dryer and flat iron. â€Å"You look nice. What's up?† Her feelings shifted slightly, her irritation with me dimming a little. â€Å"I'm meeting Christian soon.† For a few minutes there, it had felt like the old days with Lissa and me. Just us, hanging out and talking. Her mention of Christian, as well as the realization that she'd have to leave me soon for him, stirred up dark feelings in my chest†¦feelings I had to reluctantly admit were jealousy. Naturally, I didn't let on to that. â€Å"Wow. What'd he do to deserve that? Rescue orphans from a burning building? If so, you might want to make sure he didn't set the building on fire in the first place.† Christian's element was fire. It was fitting since it was the most destructive one. Laughing, she turned from the mirror and noticed me gently touching my swollen face with my fingers. Her smile turned kind. â€Å"It doesn't look that bad.† â€Å"Whatever. I can tell when you're lying, you know. And Dr. Olendzki says it'll be even worse tomorrow.† I lay back down on the bed. â€Å"There probably isn't enough concealer in the world to cover this, is there? Tasha and I'll have to invest in some Phantom of the Opera-style masks.† She sighed and sat on the bed near me. â€Å"Too bad I can't just heal it.† I smiled. â€Å"That would be nice.† The compulsion and charisma brought on by spirit were great, but really, healing was her coolest ability. The range of things she could achieve was staggering. Lissa was also thinking about what spirit could do. â€Å"I wish there were some other way to control the spirit †¦ in a way that still let me use the magic†¦.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. I understood her burning desire to do great things and help people. It radiated off of her. Hell, I would also have liked to have this eye cleared up in an instant rather than days. â€Å"I wish there were too.† She sighed again. â€Å"And there's more to me than just wishing I could heal and do other stuff with spirit. I also, well, just miss the magic. It's still there; it's just blocked off by the pills. It's burning inside of me. It wants me, and I want it. But there's a wall between us. You just can't imagine it.† â€Å"I can, actually.† It was true. Along with having a general sense for her feelings, I could sometimes also â€Å"slip into her.† It was hard to explain and ever harder to endure. When that happened, I could literally see through her eyes and feel what she experienced. During those times, I was her. Many times, I'd been in her head while she longed for the magic, and I'd felt the burning need she spoke of. She often woke up at night, yearning for the power she could no longer reach. â€Å"Oh yeah,† she said ruefully. â€Å"I forget about that sometimes.† A sense of bitterness filled her. It wasn't directed at me so much as it was the no-win nature of her situation. Anger sparked inside of her. She didn't like feeling helpless any more than I did. The anger and frustration intensified into something darker and uglier, something I didn't like. â€Å"Hey,† I said, touching her arm. â€Å"You okay?† She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. â€Å"I just hate it.† The intensity of her feelings reminded me of our conversation, the one we'd had just before I went to the Badica house. â€Å"You still feel like the pills might be weakening?† â€Å"I don't know. A little.† â€Å"Is it getting worse?† She shook her head. â€Å"No. I still can't use the magic. I feel closer to it†¦ but it's still blocked off.† â€Å"But you still†¦ your moods †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah †¦ they're acting up. But don't worry,† she said, seeing my face. â€Å"I'm not seeing things or trying to hurt myself.† â€Å"Good.† I was glad to hear it but still worried. Even if she still couldn't touch the magic, I didn't like the idea of her mental state slipping again. Desperately, I hoped the situation would just stabilize on its own. â€Å"I'm here,† I told her softly, holding her gaze. â€Å"If anything happens that's weird†¦you tell me, okay?† Like that, the dark feelings disappeared within her. As they did, I felt a weird ripple in the bond. I can't explain what it was, but I shuddered from the force. Lissa didn't notice. Her mood perked up again, and she smiled at me. â€Å"Thanks,† she said. â€Å"I will.† I smiled, happy to see her back to normal. We lapsed into silence, and for the briefest of moments, I wanted to pour my heart out to her. I'd had so much on my mind lately: my mother, Dimitri, and the Badica house. I'd been keeping those feelings locked up, and they were tearing me apart. Now, feeling so comfortable with Lissa for the first time in a long time, I finally felt that I could let her into my feelings for a change. Before I could open my mouth, I felt her thoughts suddenly shift. They became eager and nervous. She had something she wanted to tell me, something she'd been thinking about intently. So much for pouring my heart out. If she wanted to talk, I wouldn't burden her with my problems, so I pushed them aside and waited for her to speak. â€Å"I found something in my research with Ms. Carmack. Something strange†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh?† I asked, instantly curious. Moroi usually developed their specialized element during adolescence. After that, they were put into magic classes specific to that element. But as the only spirit user on record at the moment, Lissa didn't really have a class she could join. Most people believed she just hadn't specialized, but she and Ms. Carmackthe magic teacher at St. Vladimir'shad been meeting independently to learn what they could about spirit. They researched both current and old records, checking for clues that might lead to other spirit users, now that they knew some of the telltale signs: an inability to specialize, mental instability, etc. â€Å"I didn't find any confirmed spirit users, but I did find†¦reports of, um, unexplained phenomena.† I blinked in surprise. â€Å"What kind of stuff?† I asked, pondering what would count as â€Å"unexplained phenomena† for vampires. When she and I had lived with humans, we would have been considered unexplained phenomena. â€Å"They're scattered reports†¦but, like, I read this one about a guy who could make others see things that weren't there. He could get them to believe they were seeing monsters or other people or whatever.† â€Å"That could be compulsion.† â€Å"Really powerful compulsion. I couldn't do that, and I'm strongeror used to bein it than anyone we know. And that power comes from using spirit†¦.† â€Å"So,† I finished, â€Å"you think this illusion guy must have been a spirit user too.† She nodded. â€Å"Why not contact him and find out?† â€Å"Because there's no information listed! It's secret. And there are others just as strange. Like someone who could physically drain others. People standing nearby would get weak and lose all their strength. They'd pass out. And there was someone else who could stop things in midair when they were thrown at him.† Excitement lit up her features. â€Å"He could have been an air user,† I pointed out. â€Å"Maybe,† she said. I could feel the curiosity and excitement swirling through her. She desperately wanted to believe there were others out there like her. I smiled. â€Å"Who knew? Moroi have Roswell- and Area 51-type stuff. It's a wonder I'm not being studied somewhere to see if they can figure out the bond.† Lissa's speculative mood turned teasing. â€Å"I wish I could see into your mind sometimes. I'd like to know how you feel about Mason.† â€Å"He's my friend,† I said stoutly, surprised at the abrupt change in subject. â€Å"That's it.† She tsked. â€Å"You used to flirtand do other stuffwith any guy you could get your hands on.† â€Å"Hey!† I said, offended. â€Å"I wasn't that bad.† â€Å"Okay†¦maybe not. But you don't seem interested in guys anymore.† I was interested in guyswell, one guy. â€Å"Mason's really nice,† she continued. â€Å"And crazy about you.† â€Å"He is,† I agreed. I thought about Mason, about that brief moment when I'd thought he was sexy outside Stan's class. Plus, Mason was really funny, and we got along beautifully. He wasn't a bad prospect as far as boyfriends went. â€Å"You guys are a lot alike. You're both doing things you shouldn't.† I laughed. That was also true. I recalled Mason's eagerness to take on every Strigoi in the world. I might not be ready for thatdespite my outburst in the carbut I shared some of his recklessness. It might be time to give him a shot, I thought. Bantering with him was fun, and it had been a long time since I'd kissed anyone. Dimitri made my heart ache †¦ but, well, it wasn't like anything else was going on there. Lissa watched me appraisingly, like she knew what I was thinkingwell, aside from the Dimitri stuff. â€Å"I heard Meredith say you were an idiot for not going out with him. She said it's because you think you're too good for him.† â€Å"What! That's not true.† â€Å"Hey, I didn't say it. Anyway, she said she's thinking of going after him.† â€Å"Mason and Meredith?† I scoffed. â€Å"That's a disaster in the making. They have nothing in common.† It was petty, but I'd gotten used to Mason always doting on me. Suddenly, the thought of someone else getting him irked me. â€Å"You're possessive,† Lissa said, again guessing my thoughts. No wonder she got so annoyed at me reading her mind. â€Å"Only a little.† She laughed. â€Å"Rose, even if it's not Mason, you really should start dating again. There are lots of guys who would kill to go out with youguys who are actually nice.† I hadn't always made the best choices when it came to men. Once again, the urge to spill all my worries to her seized me. I'd been hesitant to tell her about Dimitri for so long, even though the secret burned inside of me. Sitting with her here reminded me that she was my best friend. I could tell her anything, and she wouldn't judge me. But, just like earlier, I lost the chance to tell her what was on my mind. She glanced over at her alarm clock and suddenly sprang up from the bed. â€Å"I'm late! I've got to meet Christian!† Joy filled her, underscored with a bit of nervous anticipation. Love. What could you do? I swallowed back the jealousy that started to raise its ugly head. Once again, Christian had taken her away from me. I wasn't going to be able to unburden myself tonight. Lissa and I left the dorm, and she practically sprinted away, promising we'd talk tomorrow. I wandered back to my own dorm. When I got to my room, I passed by my mirror and groaned when I saw my face. Dark purple surrounded my eye. In talking to Lissa, I'd almost forgotten about the whole incident with my mother. Stopping to get a closer look, I stared at my face. Maybe it was egotistical, but I knew I looked good. I wore a C-cup and had a body much coveted in a school where most of the girls were supermodel slim. And as I'd noted earlier, my face was pretty too. On a typical day, I was a nine around hereten on a very good one. But today? Yeah. I was practically in negative numbers. I was going to look fabulous for the ski trip. â€Å"My mom beat me up,† I informed my reflection. It looked back sympathetically. With a sigh, I decided I might as well get ready for bed. There was nothing else I wanted to do tonight, and maybe extra sleep would speed the healing. I went down the hall to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my hair. When I got back to my room, I slipped on my favorite pajamas, and the feel of soft flannel cheered me up a little. I was packing my backpack for the next day when a burst of emotion abruptly shot through my bond with Lissa. It caught me unaware and gave me no chance to fight it. It was like being knocked over by a hurricane-force wind, and suddenly, I was no longer looking at my backpack. I was â€Å"inside† Lissa, experiencing her world firsthand. And that's when things got awkward. Because Lissa was with Christian. And things were getting †¦ hot.

Compensation and Benefits in PAC Resources Inc Research Paper

Compensation and Benefits in PAC Resources Inc - Research Paper Example The merit bonus system was implemented in the organization so as to enhance overall creativity and innovation. It can be stated that this system was a key driver in context of organizational productivity. Bonuses in PAC was considered equivalent to compensation given to employees (Gusdorf, 2011). Though it was a method to achieve better results but there is no such return observed on the investment made by the firm towards such bonus system. This system can be improved by reducing the bonus amount and making the entire system centered towards high level of performance. A reward system in any organization needs to be motivating as it is the only factor which can increase the level of performance of employees. There are various ways to make a reward system motivating such as designing a system which will not discriminate amongst employees and benefits will be provided to those who have set desired level of performance. The entire system can be divided into multiple components where not only top level performers will be rewarded but even those will be given rewards who have tried to achieve desired performance level. Along with this the entire approach should be focused towards giving appraisals as well as monetary rewards since both of them are highly motivating factors. In an organization where bonus system is a common factor and is implemented from many years, in such a scenario lot of conflict arises when such a system is discontinued. The first consequence is that employees start to lose their motivational level. This lack of enthusiasm has a great impact on overall productivity of the organization. Secondly, it even initiates negativity in the workplace as employees begin to feel that their pay is being cut by the management. This reduces the percentage of extra effort which was previously given by employees. Â  

Impact of Effective Leadership upon Store Performance Coursework

Impact of Effective Leadership upon Store Performance - Coursework Example The case study findings were then related to the existing theories and models of leadership process described in scholarly literature in an attempt to determine the most appropriate model which would help elucidate the key principles of effective leadership. The attempt largely failed: neither of model or theory fully fitted the set of effective leadership qualities retrieved from the case study. Consequently, neither of them could be used to effectively predict or reason behaviour of an effective leader. One implication is that the traditional management and leadership dimensions are supplemented rather than different as many leadership studies claim. This conclusion was found to be consistent with contemporary scholarly tendencies in leadership and management research. Demographic changes, developments in technology and market strategies that occurred throughout the 1990s - early 2000s resulted in vast change in the food retail industry both globally and domestically (RNCOS, 2006). Businesses turned increasingly globalised and, as a result of acquisitions and, the main players in the food retail market became larger, their number decreased and they became more dominant then ever before. Unprecedented continuing competitive pressure ... References Appendix 1. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Demographic changes, developments in technology and market strategies that occurred throughout the 1990s - early 2000s resulted in vast change in the food retail industry both globally and domestically (RNCOS, 2006). Businesses turned increasingly globalised and, as a result of acquisitions and, the main players in the food retail market became larger, their number decreased and they became more dominant then ever before. Unprecedented continuing competitive pressure is one of the most vital challenges facing retailers in the UK. As a result of severe price competition, prices tend to squeeze while food inflation has consistently been running below the general rate of inflation (TNS, 2006). The food inflation causes the so-called 'Wal-Mart effect' i.e. downward pressure on prices from Asda/Wal-Mart's aggressive 'Every Day Low Price (EDLP)' strategy (Arnold & Fernie, 2000). The recent demographic trends such aging population and increase in working women, coupled with declining meal preparation force the UK retailers to increasingly focus on added-value products such as the 'food-to-go' sector, and premium products. Increasing own-label's share of the their business mix and other improvements (such as supply chain consolidation) meant to drive costs out of the business has become another distinct trend in the UK food retail industry (Huxley, 2006). Overcapacity in the food retail industry, which adds to the difficulties associated with intense cost/price competition, represents another vital challenge to be dealt with. Therefore, value growth is expected to remain slow for the major UK retailers (RNCOS, 2006). Such developments in the food retail industry highlight

Business Plan for a Coffee House Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business Plan for a Coffee House - Assignment Example The main purpose of my business plan is to start a coffee house venture as I feel that this is a very viable option. In California today, there are a large number of coffee houses that run because of a demand created by people to have a place where they can sit, relax and enjoy beverages and eatables. Most people are willing to pay a certain amount of money as they would rather meet their friends and family at such locations and enjoy a nice morning, afternoon or evening with them. The sales for coffee have kept on increasing over the last decade despite a time of financial downturn. This is because this is a beverage that has a lasting demand among the community. Therefore, the main purpose of my business plan is to provide people with a place to enjoy their beverages in, coupled with European style food so that they are attracted by the quality and creativity that I have attempted to bring about with the help of my plan. (Weitzman, H. 2006) Other than this, the purpose is also to provide employment, generate profits as well as bring about a fair trade where the farmers who I import my coffee from will be guaranteed at least $1.26 per pound which is twice the going rate for coffee. (Weber, Jeremey 2007) (Weitzman, H. 2006) My products will include a number of meals and beverages as well as desserts, mostly European ones so that people find some amount of differentiation and this is what helps to set my venture apart from the already established coffee houses in the country. I wish to provide the age bracket of 14-28 years a place, with free wireless internet so that they are able to come, relax and enjoy good food and coffee, and at the same time, get their work done, meet their friends and just have a bit of change away from home. I feel I will be able to carry out this project very well since I have excellent interpersonal skills and also a very dynamic personality. I am aware that there are many competitors in this  industry such as Starbucks.

Division of Labor within the family Research Paper

Division of Labor within the family - Research Paper Example These three elements, as spelled by White, highlight how three needs – the social, natural and biological – have forced the family into the division of roles. This is demonstrated in the way family, in its history, has taken many forms and how each member has been given tasks to ensure it the best chance for survival. This paper will outline the significant forms that the family and community have taken through the years and how the sociological, biological and natural needs are being met. Specifically, this paper will identify its bearing on the division of labor and responsibilities within the family. In order to be able to establish the foundation of this paper, it is necessary to explain the fundamental concepts of the family, the division of labor and their relationship. In the process, the social, biological and natural factors that cause the division of labor within the family will also be identified. Scholars began to take interest in the development of the human institution called the family in 1860s and this resulted to the investigation of its history. According to Patricia Rosof, these scholars sought the origins and examined the development of the family because by doing so, they would be able to understand patterns of kinship structures, marriage, and inheritance, as well as explanations to familial traditions, among other matrimonial values. (1) With this scholarly interest, the definition of family became a necessity. Because of development and cultural differences, there is no standard definition or clear legally outlined meaning for the family but for the purposes of this study, the definition offered by the US Bureau of Census will be used. It states that, â€Å"a family consists of two or more persons who are living together and who are bound to each other by kinship, marriage or adoption.† (Skirbekk 118) The structure of family and the relationships therein at a particular time and place can yield invaluable

International marketing 4200 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International marketing 4200 - Research Paper Example The nature of the new product ready for introduction to the market conforms to the taste and preference of this age group (CIA). The population in the target group is the power consumers of the new product as it suits their lifestyle. According to a recent survey in UAE, both residents and expatriates use about 19.59% in communication and transport, while food, drinks, and beverages constitutes about 14,91% of the household income. These figures correspond to the target age group, between 20 and 49. The survey further shows that the average household per month is 11,241.20 Arab Emirate Dollars. The purpose of the survey was to study the spending patterns and distribution on major services and commodities to help define social and economic policies. The results of the survey show that the average national household expenditure and income has increased to exceed double that of non-national households. The report indicates that the average monthly expenditure for national is AED 22,989, while the average income if AED 36,438.10. On the other hand, non-nationals have an average expenditure of AED 9,645.40 and an income of AED 15,074.30. Majority of the working population falls under the target age group between 20 an d 49 years, accounting for 43.40% of the workforce (CIA). According to the CIA records, the labor force of eth country falls under three major occupations, which include agriculture, industry, and services. Agriculture employs 7% of the workforce, the industry takes 15% of the labor market, and services takes the remaining 78%. The new product targets the industry occupation, which accounts for 15% of the entire workforce. The CIA records further indicate that the total UAE labor force is about 4.111 million, with 85% of the force being expatriates. This then implies that the total target population in the industry occupation is 616,650, (4.11m by 15%). This is a large enough population

Personal Worldview Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Worldview Paper - Essay Example Worldview is so much so important since it affects the preconceived notions of a person. It affects how the public think, act and move towards the society they are dwelling in. As a whole, worldview affects the culture and the way of life of the people who believed in it. Generally, worldview has a function of taking its effect towards the common mindset of the public and that it usually impose a culture and parameters for living. My nature of reality towards God is that I have been seeing him towards others. He exists in the people around me and touches their lives on a daily basis. God as whole is not a concept but a way of life, the concepts connected to the intricacies of the divine affect my view of the world. The nature of the world is good, its natural state is evil free and unstained. For me, the world has innate qualities of goodness; mainly because, it is governed by reasoning and thinking of the people living in it. That I firmly believe since reasoning is, I guess, the only one thing which separates man from savage animals and species. For me, being reasonable and having been able to think is the innate nature of humanity as compared to the other species living in the globe. Having said that, I would like to believe that the good qualities of men reside from their way of thinking and their way of using reason to do what is right and eventually separate evil from the good. Well, honestly speaking I have known about God through others, seeing God in their midst. As I was saying before, I am seeing God through the eyes of the people revolving around me, through what they do and project towards me. I experience him in my midst, which is why I can tell I have known him. Knowing God to exist in my surroundings, I discover my world. I have discovered that among people who trust God, there is goodness and truthful reality. As compared to when I have close encounters with people

Group marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Group marketing plan - Essay Example The college students with the state of Oregon will be the ultimate customers as the company seeks and evaluates new ventures. Campaigns that suit the students would be given the highest priority compared to the programs that cater for the general population. The specific actions that the management would take include sponsoring activities at Taylor’s Bar & Grill and Rennie’s Landing and encourage students purchase their products. The activities would include sponsoring a Mr and Miss College in the region, a campaign that would cost an estimate of $3,000 including the planning and awards to the winners. Students and those who would like to follow the event, will be required to purchase Hop Valley Brewing company products as their tickets to the event. This will be a one day event, starting in the morning and ending at night the same day. This event will play a significant role in promoting the company’s products. Organising for a games day will be another viable program to implement the marketing strategy of the company. It is all clear that college students and other young people either working or yet to join colleges have a unique like for games. Sponsoring a one day games events, that would be seasonal, is a great program for implementing the strategy and get the needed results. To participate in the games, students will be required to purchase Hop Valley Brewing company products as their tickets. The winners of the games will be given free products and encourage them to buy more of the products for future chances of participating in the games. There will be different beer stands run by the company’s agents throughout the games. Hop Valley Brewing Company management team will finally participate in a brewing festival, an event that brings thousands of customers together. The event that will be hosted at Portland, Oregon’s

Dora the Explorer Essay Example for Free

Dora the Explorer Essay The series centers around a Latina girl named Dora Marquez with a love of embarking on quests related to an activity in which she would like to partake or some place that she wants to go, accompanied by her talking purple backpack and anthropomorphic monkey companion named Boots (named for his beloved pair of red boots). Each episode is based around a series of ritualistic events that occur along the way during Doras travels, along with obstacles that she and Boots are forced to overcome or puzzles that they have to solve (with assistance from the viewing audience) relating to riddles, the Spanish language, or counting. Common rituals may involve Doras encounters with Swiper, a bipedal, anthropomorphic masked thieving fox whose attempts at stealing the possessions of others must be prevented through fourth wall-breaking interaction with the viewer. However, on occasions where Swiper succeeds in snatching the belongings of other people, the viewer is presented with the challenge of helping Boots and Dora locate the lost items. Another obstacle involves encounters with another one of the programs antagonists; the Grumpy Old Troll dwelling beneath a bridge that Dora and Boots must cross, who challenges them with a riddle before permitting them the past that needs to be solved with the viewers help. Known for the constant breaking of the fourth-wall depicted in every episode, the audience is usually presented to two primary landmarks that must be passed before Dora can reach her destination, normally being challenged with games or puzzles along the way. The episode always ends with Dora successfully reaching the locale, singing the We Did It! song with Boots in triumph. On numerous occasions, television specials have been aired for the series in which the usual events of regular episodes are altered, threatened, or replaced. Usually said specials will present Dora with a bigger, more whimsical adventure than usual or with a magical task that must be fulfilled, or perhaps even offer a series of different adventures for Boots and Dora to travel through. They might be presented with an unusual, difficult task (such as assisting Swiper in his attempts to be erased from Santa Clauss Naughty List) that normally is not featured in average episodes, or challenge Dora with a goal that must be achieved (such as the emancipation of a trapped mermaid). Sometimes, the specials have involved  the debut of new characters, such as the birth of Doras superpowered twin baby siblings and the introduction of the enchanted anthropomorphic stars that accompany Dora on many of her quests.

Mongols Conquest Essay Example for Free

Mongols Conquest Essay The Mongols conquest in the regions of China and the Middle East had significant similarities and differences in their political and economic aspects. In china the Mongols rule was called Yuan Dynasty and in the Middle East it was called the Ilkhanate of Persia. There are many similarities and differences between China and the Middle East under the ruling of the Mongols, Politically and economically. Politically some differences are how the Mongols inhabited each of the areas as well as how they went about with religious rights. Economically some similarities are that they encouraged long distance trade, they improved roads, as well as they spread the disease throughout all these regions. Politically the differences are how they inhabited each area. One of the main differences is that the Mongols would normally invade those in areas in which were left under native rule except for China. In the 13th century around 1211-1214 the Mongols invaded China. They put restrictions on their rules but tried to keep the culture as traditional going as much as possible. But they did make a clear path from Europe to China known as the Silk Road. In The Middle east there ruler of the realm of Persia went to war with the Caliphs 1255, by 1258 the capture Baghdad and Iraq and killed everyone there instead of building up there empire among the people like in china the totally took out a most of the population. Along with the regulations they put on china came the difference of religion in China they convert to Islam, Oman Catholicism, but many other religions were tolerated in china and also Buddhism was one religion that survived all through the Mongol rule. But in the Middle East unlike China they were ruled under Ilkhanate of Persia and ran under the religion of Hulegu. Economically, there were many similarities between the Middle East and China. Both area encouraged long distance trade. This boosted the economy, since the Mongols were Nomadic they cannot increase money very well so they imperialized to increase their wealth. In China raw goods, technology, ideas, and of course gun powder were all key trade items for the Mongols. Gunpowder is what put the Mongols more on top. Another Similarity is that they fixing irrigation and plumbing as well as improving roads the irrigation and plumbing were for cleanliness but improving roads as well as for major communications throughout the world. Another Major thing is that the Mongols spread the plague and other diseases throughout both regions because the trade routes were filthy the disease spread through rat bites they came in with the flees as well but wiping out the Mongols was the lead poising which wiped them all out. There are many similarities and differences between China and the Middle East under Mongol rulings, politically and economically. Politically some differences are how the Mongols inhabited these areas as well as how they dealt with religious rights. Economically, some similarities are that they encouraged, long distance trade, they improved roads, as well as spreading disease throughout both these areas. This shows that different people living under the same ruler are always ruled a little differently but disease wiped everyone out in the end.

Divergence approach to IHRM

Divergence approach to IHRM Introduction Since the globalization emerged in the 1950s, it has exerted profound effects on the development of businesses around the world. The rapid growth of internationalization and the introduction of advanced technologies have facilitated the expansion of industrialized organizations, resulting in an increase in the number and significance of multinational companies (MNCs). Research on MNCs, especially on how they have managed their people in different countries to improve economic performance and the implications of this on managerial behaviour, as a consequence, have been of interest to many academics and practitioners. This has led to the emergence of international human resource management (IHRM) as a branch of management studies that investigates the design and effects of organisational human resource practices in cross-cultural context (Peltonen, 2006 cited in De Cieri et al., 2007, p. 283). Although the recognition of the importance of human resource management (HRM) to the success or failure in international business has been growing quickly overtime, there is still a lack of consensus about whether there is one best way to manage human resources in international context or not. Several researchers advocating convergence approach claimed that HRM would be converged and universalized under the impacts of environmental changes such as globalisation and technological improvement while others following the divergence approach stated that there were many variables acting as constraints on implementing best practice. This paper firstly will critically discuss these two perspectives. Then, it will analyse a case study of the transfer of HRM practices from a UK retail firm StoreCo to its Chinese subsidiaries to answer this question. Convergence approach to IHRM Convergence theory, so-called universalist paradigm (Girgin, 2005), has its roots in the standpoints of management practices in the middle of the twentieth century, and has gained widespread acceptance in the United States (US). One of the earliest contributions to the thesis of convergence was the theory of bureaucracy and rationalization of Max Weber. However, the convergence perspective was actually propagated until the book entitled Industrialism and the Industrial Men: The problems of labour and management in economic growth written by Kerr et al. was published. According to Kerr et al., the technological and economic forces, as a logic of industrialism, would result in greater similarities in structures and work organization, therefore, produce progressive convergence towards the most efficient pattern of management practice, namely the US model (Girgin, 2005; Gooderham et al., 2004). It was because the widespread adoption of advanced technologies into operations required firms to seek a more effective way of management and labour organization. Meanwhile, the US was the industrial and technological leader, currently being considered the best in management practices. Consequently, it could be inferred that other nations would attempt to imitate the US and thus patterns in other countries were viewed as derivative of, or derivations from the US model (Locke et al., 1995 cited in Gooderham et al., 2004, p.19). Since the convergence point of view was introduced, it has gained much support from both globalization and transaction economic theories. Based on convergence thesis, the proponents of the globalization perspective also claimed that under the forces of globalization, a borderless world was created, which in turn made international firms become transnationals and separated from their original nationalities (Girgin, 2005). When nationality elements are overshadowed, MNCs would then tend to apply a new best model and as stated even stronger by transaction economic theorists, there would be one best way to manage people at any period of time (Williamson, 1975, 1985 cited in Gooderham et al., 2004). Although convergence thesis appeared to be reasonable especially in the international economic integration process, the fact that it laid too much stress on the impact of technology and market, and only sought similarities in business in general and IHRM in particular made it strongly criticized. As Rowley and Benson (2000) asserted, such views were too simplistic to assume that all organizations can produce competitive advantage to compete with each other by operating in the same way. Furthermore, the fact that Japanese MNCs with different organisational structure and management method have operated successfully in the world market and challenged the industrial leader position of those in the US, have led to the development of another viewpoint divergence approach. Divergence approach to IHRM Contrary to convergence point of view which assumed that the differences of local practices in HRM were only the reflection of different stages of development and will be ultimately replaced by one best way, advocates of divergence outlook agreed that there were significant gaps in the context acting as constraints on convergence trend. They were mainly argued and examined by two strands of divergence approach culturalist and institutional perspectives. The culturalist perspective The culturalist approach is mostly based on Hofstedes concepts of national culture and its dimensions, and focuses on the influences of culture when explaining the distinction of MNCs managerial behaviors. In the book Cultures consequence: International differences in work-related values, Hofstede (1984, p.21) defined culture as the interactive aggregate of common characteristics that influence a human groups response to its environment. Therefore, in order to manage personnel effectively in international scale, MNCs must be aware of the effects of various cultural-based norms and social values, existing learning styles and response styles and attempt to adapt management practices from one culture to another (Ferris et al., 1999). This has been substantially supported by a variety of comparative studies conducted by several experts such as Tayeb (1994, 1998), Nam (1995), Gill and Wong (1998). For instance, in a case study research of Japanese multinational subsidiary in Britain, Taye b (1994) found that the differences in perception of leadership style of British and Japanese employees were consistent with their cultural backgrounds. Consequently, in order to successfully transfer Japanese practices in the United Kingdom (UK) subsidiaries, Japanese managers had to be very selective in the adoption of the original management systems and had to modify some of them to adapt to local conditions. As Kamoche (1996) insisted, it was the cultural differences between countries that produce a degree of differentiation in the management of human resources in international context. Although there is no doubt that the variations in national cultures are currently more or less influencing the variations in managerial behaviours, there are several convincing reasons why this theory needs to be assessed. Firstly, the literature of Hofstede, the cornerstone of the culturalist approach, was criticized to have methodological flaws and weak conceptualization of culture, which simply attributed national level actions/ institutions to national culture without any theoretical grounding (McSweeny, 2002). Secondly, this approach, because of concentrating too much on history and individual perceptions, merely viewed national values and norms as deep-seated factors and overlooked any changes in values that may arise over time (Girgin, 2005). Accordingly, it might be difficult to explain a trend towards individualism among younger generation in some Asian countries such as Japan and Korea, which usually emphasise on collectivism, and its effects on HRM of MNCs (Sano, 1998 cite d in Rowley and Benson, 2000). Last but not least, the theory of Hofstede was unable to provide complete explanation for the implications of its behavioural indices, including power distance index, masculinity and long-term orientation, for the change of work organisation and managerial behaviour in various countries (Girgin, 2005). The institutionalist perspective Compared to culturalist strand, the institutionalist point of view is considered to be a more comprehensive approach as it gives a clearer definition of social institutional environment and system as a basis to expound the organisational behaviour. The national (or regional) business system or social systems of production, called by Hollingsworth and Boyer, was defined as a set of interlocking structures and institutions that fundamentally shape the nature of markets, competition and business activity in general (Ferner, 2000). Besides that, this perspective also represents itself as the strongest challenge to convergence theory when it contended that personnel management systems were embedded in their own national institutional environments, including the state, regulatory structures, interest groups, public opinion and norms, rather than driven by the economic and technological forces (Gooderham, 2004). According to Ferner (2000), despite the fact that there has been an increasing trend in borrowing and disseminating practices in MNCs due to the intensified competition in the world market, it would not necessarily lead to convergence. It was because borrowings would be more or less modified to adapt to the existing complex national business systems (Ferner, 2000). Since there are different national development paths, there will be different forms of business organisation and HRM practices respectively. Some opponents might criticise that institutional approach focused too much on the socially constructed organisational forms while downplaying the significance of organisational agency, especially, in the early work ,merely considered institutional contexts as stable elements without taking into account institutional changes (Bjorkman, 2006; Edwards and Kuruvilla, 2005). Nonetheless, articles on this theory published in several famous journals recently have shown that academics and practitioners have begun to lay more stress on the processes of deinstitutionalisation as well as pay more attention to the influences of interest, agency, organisational phenomena, social fields, industries both at the national and international levels (Bjorkman, 2006). Moreover, institutional theorists also stated that they did not regard the evolution of national business system as the determinant of future organisational choices rigidly. Their principle objective, as stated by Ferner (2000), is to prov ide a conceptual framework to the comparative study of distinct social systems of production. Then, understanding of how the behaviours of MNCs in host countries are different from those in their countries of origin will be revealed and analysed. There is no one best way but Based on what stated above, it could be confirmed that there is no one best way in managing human resource in international context. Although no one could deny the increasing convergence trend among national economies because of the pressures of globalization and the widespread adoption of advanced technologies, national business system and culture remain highly significant factors which could greatly hinder the implementation of convergence. In order to clarify this issue, a case study of the transfer of HRM practices from a UK MNC named StoreCo to its subsidiary DecoStore in China will be carefully analysed. StoreCo was a British-owned retailer established in the late 1960s. In June 1999 it built the first purpose-built decorative materials warehouse store in Shanghai named DecoStore. Then, it expanded its operation by opening the second store also in Shanghai in May 2000 (Gamble, 2003). During the process of building up its subsidiaries in China, a basic approach this corporation used was imitating its UK practices in all aspects from supply chain management to marketing, store layout and HRM. The overall business strategy of DecoStore was decided by the parent company in the UK and expatriate managers were sent to DecoStore to facilitate the diffusion of standardized MNC practices. Expatriates were not only in charge of spreading out standard operating processes but also of initiating HR procedures such as selection, recruitment, training and promotion. Additionally, StoreCo organized training courses to improve and standardize training for both shopfloor and managerial staff of its su bsidiaries. Table 1 below starkly illustrates how HRM practices were transferred to DecoStore. Based on the above table, DecoStores HRM practices appeared to be rather similar to the model of its UK parent corporate. Namely, both of them had the same non-hierachy organisational structure and an in-house employee representative consultation system called Grass Roots. However, there remained some remarked differences between StoreCo and its subsidiaries. Firstly, in terms of communication with workforce, while StoreCo tended to be open about supplying employees with detailed information from corporate strategy to daily sales figures, DecoStore seemed to be less communicative to its staff which was fairly similar to Chinese state-owned enterprises. This, according to Gamble (2003), could be caused by the influence of host country nationals, especially DecoStore senior Chinese director who required keeping company secret for security in an intensely competitive marketplace. Secondly, in terms of work pattern, due to the impact of local business system, namely the low-cost labour m arket, DecoStore were able to employ all full-time employees and that were completely contrasted with its UK parent firm where a large proportion of labour force worked part-time. In addition, since there were no tradition of do it yourself (DIY) service in Shanghai and great concern of expartriate managers about poor working habits among older workers, DecoStore preferred to hire younger generation and provided more extensive and systematic training-courses than those of its UK parent-country enterprise. The impacts of national business system were also clearly reflected by the existence of trade union and reimbursement policy of medical care costs and meal subsidy in the reward system of Chinese subsidiary which were not offered in StoreCo payment levels. Consequently, it could be concluded that even though StoreCo tried to apply consistent people management methods it considered the best to its subsidiaries, there remained a divergence in HRM practices between StoreCo and DecoSto re due to the effects of host country nationals, national institutional contexts and cultural factors. This means that although national economies are indeed become increasingly converged under the implications of advanced technologies and globalisation, national differences continue to be major intervening and moderating elements affecting how organizations operate, and therefore, there would be no one best way in managing human resources in international context. Conclusion In conclusion, since IHRM was emerged, there has been a wide debate between convergence and divergence perspectives about whether there is one best way in managing people in international context. Convergence theorists believed that under the technological and economic forces, structures and work organization would become similar and converge towards the most efficient pattern of management practice, namely the US model. In contrast, divergence approach offered several empirical studies to prove that cultural or national institutional business system would act as constraints on the implementation of one best practice across various countries. It might be true that national economies are indeed becoming increasingly converged in the international economic integration process. Nonetheless, based on the analysed case study, this paper has suggested that even though MNCs will seek to apply a controlling method they considered the best to their subsidiaries in order to secure benefits fro m the consistency in human resource (HR) practices in individual MNCs across countries as well as contribute to the implementation of a global business strategy, there would be no one best way in personnel management. IHRM, instead, might be the combination of both model of parent company and particular features influenced by local institutional environment and cultural elements. References Bjorkman, I., International human resource management research and institutional theory. In: G. K. Stahl I. Bjorkman, ed. 2006. Handbook of Research in International Human Resource Management. Northampton: Edward Elgar, pp. 463-474. Edwards, T. Kuruvilla, S., 2005. International HRM: national business systems, organisational politics and the international division of labour in MNCs. International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]. 16 (1), pp. 1-21. Available at: http://org8220renner.alliant.wikispaces.net/file/view/Edwards.pdf [Accessed 14 February 2010]. Ferner, A., 2000. The embeddedness of US multinational companies in the US business system: implications for HR/IR. [Occasional Papers Series] November 2000., Leicester: De Montfort University. Gamble, J., 2003. Transferring human resource practices from the United Kingdom to China: the limits and potential for convergence. International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]. 14 (3), pp. 369-387. Available at: http://docserver.ingentaconnect.com/deliver/connect/routledg/09585192/v14n3/s2.pdf?expires=1266460744id=55082112titleid=457accname=University+of+East+Angliachecksum=08C5D8BC5D6EEE9F5CC78EFA6D35EF01 [Accessed 11 February 2010]. Gill, R. Wong, A., 1998. The Cross-Cultural Transfer of Management Practices: The Case of Japanese HRM Practices in Singapore. International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]. 9 (1), pp. 116-135. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=2hid=13sid=e28e4034-2ff2-42c0-aba4-b93445c0ebda%40sessionmgr10 [Accessed 9 February 2010]. Girgin, Z., Human Resource Management in an International Context. In: M. Ozbilgin, ed. 2005. International Human Resource Management Theory and Practice. Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 46-62. Gooderham, P. Morley, M. Brewster, C. Mayrhofer, W., Human Resource Management: A Universal Concept. In: C. Brewster, W. Mayrhofer M. Morley, ed. 2004. Human Resource Management in Europe: Evidence of Convergence?. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, pp. 1-26. Hofstede, G., 1984. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. California: SAGE Punlications. Kamoche, K., 1996. The Integration Differentiation Puzzle: A Resource Capability Perspective in International Human Resource Management. International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]. 7 (1), pp. 230-244. Available at: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/ftinterface~content=a739429533~fulltext=713240930 [Accessed 9 February 2010]. McSweeny, B., 2002. Hofstedes Model of National Cultural Differences and their Consequences: A Triumph of Faith a Failure of Analysis. Human Relations. [Online]. 55 (1), pp. 89-118. Available at: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/managingandorganizations/downloads/Online%20articles/ch05/4%20-%20McSweeney.pdf [Accessed 11 February 2010]. Nam, S., 1995. Culture, Control and Commitment in international joint ventures. International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]. 6 (3), pp. 553-567. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=2hid=13sid=a66410a0-5d44-49ed-ac2b-31828678f4f7%40sessionmgr14 [Accessed 9 February 2010]. Rowley, C. Benson, J., 2000. Convergence and Divergence in Asian Human Resource Management. In: Association Francophone de Gestaion des Ressources Humaines. Paris, France, 16-17 November 2000. Tayeb, M., (1994). Japanese Managers and British Culture: A Comparative Case Study. International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]. 5 (1), pp. 145-166. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=2hid=13sid=5e7d209f-ddc5-4e41-a95c-639152c3b146%40sessionmgr11 [Accessed 9 February 2010]. Tayeb, M., 1998. Transfer of HRM Practices across Cultures: An American Company in Scotland. International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]. 12 (4), pp. 332-358. Available at: http://docserver.ingentaconnect.com/deliver/connect/routledg/09585192/v9n2/s6.pdf?expires=1266464175id=55082703titleid=457accname=University+of+East+Angliachecksum=405B3A88F4DCC6A6A7A66B92155A506D [Accessed 8 February 2010].

Drug Legalization Essay -- Drugs Legal Legalization Essays

Drug Legalization Drug legalization has become a great issue among Americans for many years, and there have also been those that try to stop that legalization. The article, â€Å"Legalizing Drugs is Not the Solution† by Gerald W. Lynch, has a good argument based on facts and incidents that have occurred from drug use. In this article a person thinks twice about what they are really doing when they use drugs, and it is clear as to why legalizing drugs would not be a logical solution As spoken in this essay about the legalization of drugs and its bad effects, Lynch uses a lot of relevance and sufficiency throughout his piece. Relevance is the appropriateness of his evidence to the case at hand (Faigley and Selzer 45). Sufficiency is the amount of evidence cited (Faigley and Selzer 46). Lynch bases his essay on these key factors throughout his whole piece on the legalization of drugs and how it is not the solution. He bases his argument in paragraph 7 on all the bad things that have occurred to various people who have used drugs illegally. He states this through mentioning accidents, deaths, child abuse, sexual abuse, and various other crimes including destruction of property. His evidence proves to be true in proving his point of going through treatment and therapy for drug use instead of legalizing them. This essay is a successful argument because it convinces a person through all that is detailed why legalization of drugs will not work in this society. He describes through his values on the issue of drug legalization and the effects they have on many people. Lynch makes a few value statements through a claim of values, which states an argument for the paper through his personal reasoning (Faigley and Selzer 32)... ...e because if we feel that if we can treat those that are addicted to drug use and dealing, than we can overcome the thoughts about making drugs legal. Lynch uses people’s values and strong facts that prove his many points of interest in this piece. He has a majority of evidence that helps one be able to believe his point of why drug legalization is not the answer. Drug legalization has turned out to not be the answer and it has been proven through much evidence in Lynch’s essay. References: Faigley, Lester and Jack Selzer. Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: A Pearson Education Company, 2001. Lynch, Gerald W. â€Å"Legalizing Drugs Is Not the Solution† Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. Eds. Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: A Pearson Education Company, 2001. 490-493. Drug Legalization Essay -- Drugs Legal Legalization Essays Drug Legalization Drug legalization has become a great issue among Americans for many years, and there have also been those that try to stop that legalization. The article, â€Å"Legalizing Drugs is Not the Solution† by Gerald W. Lynch, has a good argument based on facts and incidents that have occurred from drug use. In this article a person thinks twice about what they are really doing when they use drugs, and it is clear as to why legalizing drugs would not be a logical solution As spoken in this essay about the legalization of drugs and its bad effects, Lynch uses a lot of relevance and sufficiency throughout his piece. Relevance is the appropriateness of his evidence to the case at hand (Faigley and Selzer 45). Sufficiency is the amount of evidence cited (Faigley and Selzer 46). Lynch bases his essay on these key factors throughout his whole piece on the legalization of drugs and how it is not the solution. He bases his argument in paragraph 7 on all the bad things that have occurred to various people who have used drugs illegally. He states this through mentioning accidents, deaths, child abuse, sexual abuse, and various other crimes including destruction of property. His evidence proves to be true in proving his point of going through treatment and therapy for drug use instead of legalizing them. This essay is a successful argument because it convinces a person through all that is detailed why legalization of drugs will not work in this society. He describes through his values on the issue of drug legalization and the effects they have on many people. Lynch makes a few value statements through a claim of values, which states an argument for the paper through his personal reasoning (Faigley and Selzer 32)... ...e because if we feel that if we can treat those that are addicted to drug use and dealing, than we can overcome the thoughts about making drugs legal. Lynch uses people’s values and strong facts that prove his many points of interest in this piece. He has a majority of evidence that helps one be able to believe his point of why drug legalization is not the answer. Drug legalization has turned out to not be the answer and it has been proven through much evidence in Lynch’s essay. References: Faigley, Lester and Jack Selzer. Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: A Pearson Education Company, 2001. Lynch, Gerald W. â€Å"Legalizing Drugs Is Not the Solution† Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. Eds. Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: A Pearson Education Company, 2001. 490-493.

Graduation Speech: Go Create New Memories :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I was puzzled and wasn't sure what to talk about tonight. I had to prepare this speech ahead of time and turn it in for approval. I much prefer doing things spontaneously, using all the skills I have developed over the years, you know, sorta letting people (being the teachers and parents) know that we really were listening! It's much more fun interacting with other people, watching their reactions, and playing along with them. But, I had to do the right thing, So while I was contemplating my topic, it came to me - this is what I want you to take with you as we depart the Bryan Station School District and move on into life. I want you to remember the small, seemingly insignificant things that happened to you while you were growing up. You know, like the simple smile that your best friend gave you when you were really down and needed a boost. Like the many times you walked down the hall, high-fiving your buds, showing you cared without getting all goofy about it. You didn't even realize that they were down and just knowing they had a friend in you boosted them to face the next school challenge. Remember the time you were really thirsty in third grade, and went into the room after recess, only to remember that there was a party today, and there would be cupcakes and Kool-aid served in a matter of minutes? Remember saving a seat for your friend to sit on the bus, knowing that you were gonna share all the cool stuff you did yesterday? And how glad you were to be able to share this? Everyday, everything we do affects someone, somehow. My wish is for all of us to recall a kind gesture, a happy moment that happened unplanned, that really sticks in our minds, that made a big impact on us, and relive those moments in our future. Pass on that joy/hope/support, whatever you got out of it. Remember that you will be making new friends, that those people you have shared every day with for four or maybe 12 years will be going their separate ways. You will have many moments where you won't have anyone around to boost you up, where you won't be told if it is the right thing or the good thing to do.

The patriot act Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Patriot Act   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Patriot Act is a bill that was passed in the wake of 9/11/01. Not even two months after the horrific event which we all know as 911, the bill was passed with great haste and secrecy. The bill was passed on October 26, 2001. The bill was passed to raise the security of the country. Sadly many speculate that most of the members in congress did not even read the 342 page bill. Within a matter of days the executive branch with its new powers began to initiate many new executive orders, policies, regulations and practices that many feel threaten our rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The bill has expanded terrorism laws to include domestic terrorism which subjects political organizations to be surveillance, wiretapping, harassment, and criminal charges for political advocacy. Many feel that this is an attack on the first amendment, which is freedom of religion, speech, assembly and freedom of the press. The bill has also expanded the powers of law enforcement agencies(police, FBI, CIA, NSA). Law enforcement agents now have the ability to conduct secret searches, place telephone and internet surveillance, and can access personal medical, financial, and student records with minimal judicial oversight. Many feel that this is an attack on the fourth am...

Is Vincent the Hero in Gattaca Essay

The film Gattaca fails to provide us with a character that can be clearly defined as a hero. By definition a hero is a person of distinguished courage or ability and is admired for their noble qualities and exhibits certain traits that are deemed to be heroic. In Andrew Niccol’s film the character Vincent freeman at times display heroic qualities but they do not consistently show them to prove to us that he is a heroes. Vincent takes on a whole new identity changing from an in-valid to a valid which makes it difficult to distinguish his true identity from the borrowed one he has become. Throughout the film it is hard to see Vincent’s true personality through the facade he displays to the outside world. And there are many cases where Vincent shows quite admirable qualities like when he is with Irene and he lets go of the strand of hair saying â€Å"the wind caught it†. At first this may seem a very heart felt gesture but for Vincent this could be a form of insurance gaining Irene’s trust and if she was ever in a position to protect Vincent’s identity she might do so. Up until the point where Vincent decides to infiltrate Gattaca, he is just an average person, an outcast of society, a lonely person with no life who’s survived on nothing but a dream. Up until this point there are no characteristics being shown by Vincent which show that he deserves to be classified as a hero. The character Vincent Freeman from the moment he was born was seen as weak and genetically imperfect but he is able to overcome these constraints. Vincent was labelled as an in-valid, a label which determined how long he would live to what he could be able to do. Vincent’s strong character, determination and desire to achieve his dreams displays his true heroic qualities. He refuses to abide by the rules of Gattaca and with little hesitation finds a way to make his dreams come true no matter what the cost. â€Å"They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness. They don’t say that anymore. This leads us to believe that Vincent is someone who can defy the odds and have enough determination to achieve his dreams in a world where individuality is eradicated and unwanted and all you need is good DNA to succeed. Although Vincent is showing lots of courage and determination, in reality in order to achieve his dreams Vincent has had to become a criminal and resort to illegal measures and deceive many people to achieve his goals. This then challenges Vincent to whether he is worthy of a hero status. Vincent has gone through many hardships to get to the position he is in. By becoming a borrowed Ladder he gained entry to Gattaca to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. He is so determined that he has gone to such extreme measures that he has totally abandoned his own identity and in part is own personality and abandoned his family leaving them to believe that he was dead. Anton telling Vincent that â€Å"our parents both died thinking they’d outlived you†. This is not the behaviour or characteristics that are looked respectably upon as heroic. As Anton begins to put the pieces of the murder at Gattaca together, he gets closer to revealing Vincent as the fraud he really is. â€Å"You committed fraud. You’re in a lot of trouble. † Anton tries to help out his brother and follows the rules but even though Vincent has accomplished so much he is not content and still has to beat down his brother. Is this envious quality something we look for in a hero? No heroes are modest and humble unlike Vincent. Like many of the people in Gattaca Vincent has something to hide. When Anton and Hugo perform the raid at the Cavendish club everyone flees and no one even knows what they want yet meaning that everyone is hiding something and there are many people just like Vincent hiding in the society of Gattaca. When Vincent hides his identity he becomes a criminal, buying an identity illegally on the black market and becoming like all the other borrowed Ladders. Vincent is no different from anyone else. He has committed a crime and is far from being called a hero. He is daring but not courageous and seems superior knowing that he has outsmarted Gattaca. Qualities which are not heroic. â€Å"Just remember, Lamar, I could have gone up and back and nobody would have been the wiser† Vincent says this to Lamar just after Lamar reveals that he has known Vincent’s secret all along. All Vincent has achieved is getting away with a crime. â€Å"We shed 500 million cells a day† says Vincent it only takes one to show Vincent’s true identity.

Best/Worst Teacher

Dear Mrs. Jane: My name is Jessica Smith, I was a 5th grade student of yours in during the 1996/1997 school year. At that time you may have known me as Jessica Cuevas. I am now in college pursuing a career in teaching. Recently I have been asked to write a letter to my favorite teacher and you were the first to pop in mind. Till this day I can think back and remember sitting in your class the first day of school, your desk and chalkboard outlined   with your collection of trolls! I knew right then that you were going to be a fun teacher.I remember being confused because there was no wall separating us from the the other classroom (Mrs. Sue’s 5th grade class), yet excited to hear what it was all about. Before attending your class I wasn't very engaged in learning or going to school, I didn't have many friends, I had just moved to town the year before. As soon as that day ended I went home eager to return to school the next day, and this feeling never changed for the whole yea r. You were always smiling, and very energetic when you interacted with our class.When you would explain our assignments you would get us excited and make it into a competition with our neighboring class. The marbles in the Jar, oh.. how i loved this on going game. The winning class had an option to pick from many random prizes. My favorite was the half day reading parties. We would bring our pillows and blankets from home and for the first half of the day we would read, and the second half we could play board games, listen to music, or watch movies. I was always motivated to do my best and to try my hardest,   in order to win the marbles.You had many ways of keeping me excited,motivated and interested in going to school. You opened my eyes to a fun,creative learning environment. You made feel like a friend and not just some student. I hope to someday be able to inspire students as you have inspired me. Thank you for making a wonderful impact so early in my life. I will carry thos e values throughout my teaching career. Sincerely, Jessica Smith Worst Teacher Letter Dear Mr. John: Teaching is not for everyone.I can understand how teaching high school students can be annoying and frustrating at times. We have multiple mood swings, and are trying to figure out how to fit in, however i don't feel that we should be ignored or treated like robots with no feeling. School should be a place we feel comfortable to go to on a daily bases, teachers should always be someone we can talk to and ask questions . From the very first day of class you came across as very strict and rude. You gave us one direction that we were to follow each and every day for the rest of the school year.That was to always bring our book to class, outline the chapter, answer the questions to the chapter, and do the written essay at the end of the chapter, everything should be completed and placed on your desk as we walked out. We were not to talk, get out of our seats or ask questions. No exceptio ns! Zero tolerance you made sure to get that point across. One day I forgot my book at home, I felt intimidated to go to class not knowing how you would react, other teachers would have just let me share with another classmate but not you.You made me stand in front of the classroom the whole period holding the eraser against the chalkboard. It was pretty humiliating, on the bright side of things I never forgot my book again. Every day was the same thing, just a different chapter. You wouldn't even greet us when we walked thru the door, we would just sit and get started. You sat at your desk reading books,newspaper, and magazines while never acknowledging us. How could you call yourself a teacher I always wondered? I strongly wish you have changed your ways, and rediscover the passion for teaching I hope you once had.Sincerely, Jessica Smith Why the Profession? At age eleven my family began to do foster care. We always had two or four kids ranging from newborns to teenagers. All the children came from broken house holds, many exposed to drugs, abuse and neglect. They all seemed to share the same qualities low self esteem, trouble trusting, adjusting ,adapting, and staying focused in school. They needed someone to love and care for them. All these frustrations and unhappiness caused many of them to have behavioral problems.My mother opened her heart to help them with all these issues, having the patience to teach them values and principles,bonding and investing genuine love and care for these children. As I grew older I began to notice the impact we as a family where making in these kids lives. I contributed in every way I could to try to help. At this point in life I knew I wanted to work with children. I have always been the creative type, I love all forms of art. I attended the Fashion institute of Design and Merchandise, and while I was there I realized that all my best projects and assignments were aimed   towards children.Any time I could pick my target audience it would be children. Children is what I know, they influence and inspire me. I   realized   that children are my passion. This is why I chose this profession. I see myself teaching kindergarten or first grade. I want to be the first to plant the seed. I want kids to enjoy learning by allowing them to explore in creative ways. Teaching them to share, and the basic fundamentals they will need for the future. Children this age group are the funnest to me, they have so many questions, they are craving to learn,seeking a new adventure every day.I want   to create an environment where they feel comfortable and inspired to learn. I also like the feeling of being needed, it gives me great satisfaction to be able to make a difference by simply being someone they can talk to, share their feelings and stories with, someone they can trust. You never know what kind of issues children have at home,for some kids school is a way to escape. I love to see children smile, laugh,clap an d get excited when they accomplish a new task. That alone brings me so much joy and keeps me motivated to be the best teacher I can be.

Why does Prager say that “suddenly a lot of things made sense” when she discovered that Barbie was designed by a man? Is she referring here only to Barbie’s looks?

Emily had doubts whether the Barbie Doll could have been designed by a woman. Barbie’s body – by proportion, a 23-inch waistline and 39-inch bust line – is unrealistic, and no woman could have this body. She notes millions of women facing eating disorders after trying to achieve bodies sexy as Barbie’s.Hence, she found sense that a man could have designed Barbie. Men are often blamed by feminists for their double standards against women. As part of the gender inequality in society, women are defined by their sexuality and beauty, while men are not.Thus, Barbie was designed as someone epitomized to have the perfect, sexual body. 2. Are we supposed to believe the claims that Prager makes in paragraph 4? What is the point she is trying to make? Paragraph four states: I don't mean to step on anyone's toes here. I loved my Barbie. Secretly, I still believe that neon pink and turquoise blue are the only colors in which to decorate a duplex condo. And like many o thers of my generation, I've never married, simply because I cannot find a man who looks as good in clam diggers as Ken.Ms. Prager emphasizes that, just like most of girls, she loved her Barbie dolls. The miniature houses coming with those dolls were in pink and turquoise. She remembered her fantasies as a child playing with Barbies, and meeting the man of her dreams, someone as perfect as Ken. The point Ms. Prager is trying make is that just like all other women she was enamored with Barbie dolls as a kid. She clarifies she’s not trying to confront with Barbie fans as she was a fan herself. 3. What is Prager’s DEFINITION of a feminist in this essay?Where do you find this definition? According to Ms. Prager, Barbie came about simultaneously with her consciousness of the feminist movement. She defines feminist in her essays as women seeking equality with men. Women, many feminists have complained, are treated by men as sexual objects, or objects themselves. They are jus t the object of men’s desires. With the Barbie doll, who has the perfect figure, women end up wasting a lifetime trying to achieve a perfect figure, to no avail. 4. What is Prager’s Thesis. Ms.Prager’s thesis is to eliminate our double standards in gender. She asserts that women should not be devalued, oppressed, and or treated as mere objects. She cites, among other things, Ken’s genitals being concealed while Barbie’s exposed to the fullest. She adds women are required to achieve a perfect figure, while men are not. She insists women should be treated like men in the real world, i. e. defined by their education, their work, or how they help society. The same standards for men and women should be set.

Columbian Exchange: Europe and the Americas

Sagar Shah Columbian Exchange: Europe and the Americas The Columbian Exchange was an impactful spread of culture, food and even frightening diseases between the Old World and the New World. This great exchange started after the accidental discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Originally, Columbus and his crew set on a journey to find a western sea route to China, India and the spice islands of Asia. Instead, he found a whole new world in the western hemisphere that was eventually named â€Å"The New World†. The Columbian Exchange had lasting effects on both the Old World as well as the New World.The Columbian Exchange had several positive impacts, one of which was the introduction of new staple crops such as maize and potatoes to Europe. These staple crops and even some additional new foods such as capsicum pepper, plain vanilla and coca provided nutrients that the indigenous crops didn’t have. Europe also received quinine which was a medicine that helped d eal with malaria. The Columbian Exchange also had a few negative impacts; the most devastating was the spread of diseases in the Americas that were brought from Europe. Diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and bubonic plague quickly transfused across the New World.Overall the Columbian Exchange had a more negative impact on the New World and a more positive influence on the Old World. One lasting impression the New World had on the Old World was the introduction of new crops and foods. One staple food that the Europeans brought back was maize. Maize was a success in Europe because it produces well in a variety of climates. Maize prospers in areas too dry for rice and too wet for wheat making it ideal to grow in many different climates (Crosby W. Alfred 2003). For this reason maize was very popular and adopted quickly. The potato also had a huge effect on the Old World.The potato contains large amounts of calories and nutrients due to the starch in it. The potato is able to sustain life better than any other food that is consumed (Davidson and Passmore, 1965, p. 285). Like maize, the potato can also be cultivated in a variety of climates making it ideal for Europeans to use (Crosby W. Alfred 2003). The first place the potato reached was Ireland. In fact the potato spurred a population growth in Ireland (Nunn and Qian 2009). The reason the potato became popular in Europe was because of the abundance of nutrients that it contains and because it can sustain lives all by itself which other crops cannot do.Even though potatoes and maize had a big impact on Europe, many other foods like capsicum peppers also had a positive impact on the Old World. Capsicum Peppers originated in Bolivia and southern Brazil. When the Europeans came to the Americas, the pepper migrated to Mesoamerica and the Caribbean (Andrews, 1992, 82-83). The capsicum peppers had reached Spain and Africa by 1453. It had also reached the East Indies by 1540 and India by 1542 (Andrews, 1992, 82-83). T he capsicum pepper has also impacted many other countries. In Southeast Asia the capsicum pepper has been used in cuisines.Capsicum peppers are also very nutritious. They contain a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. They also contain large amounts of iron and magnesium. Magnesium is essential because it spurs energy production and iron is important because it speeds up metabolism (Greger 1994). This shows how capsicum peppers that originated in the Americas came to big use in Europe making a positive impact on their society. Another food that had a positive impact on Europe was plain vanilla. Plain vanilla originated in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Plain vanilla comes from the plant Vanilla planifolia.The vanilla pods need to be fermented and it creates the chemical vanillin. The vanillin is the chemical that gives plain vanilla its scent and its distinct flavor (Rain, 1992, p. 37). Plain vanilla was first brought back to Spain when Cortez came to the Americas. It became very popular in a very short amount of time in Europe because factories were using the vanilla to flavor the chocolate. Like chocolate, vanilla too became a luxury that only the aristocrats could afford (Rain, 1992, p. 40). Vanilla was not only used for flavoring, it was also used for scents in perfumes and tobacco (Bruman, 1948, pp. 71-372). This is why plain vanilla grew so popular in the Old World. It’s great taste and smell made it appealing to many countries. Coca was another crop that benefited Europe. People of the Inca Empire first used coca leaves, where they chewed them during religious activities. The first Spanish settlers adopted this idea and brought back to Europe where it became popular. A well-known psychologist by the name of Sigmund Freud started chewing coca after he found out that coca increases stamina, creativity, and it decreases hunger (Hobhouse, 2005, pp. 10-313). After this was discovered, coca became extremely popular in Europe and it began to spread throughout the world. Foods were not the only positive things that helped the Europeans. A gift that the New World gave to the Old World was quinine. Quinine contains anti-malarial alkaloids, which come from the barks of cinchona trees. These trees grow in Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru (Brockway, 1979, p. 108). This medicine was helpful to the Europeans because it let them travel across the world and conquer lands without worrying about the threat of malaria.Even though the Columbian Exchange had an overall positive effect on Europe, it had a negative influence on the Americas. One disease that was brought to the New World was Smallpox. The smallpox virus is caused by Variola, which is closely related to cowpox and monkeypox (Patterson 2002). The infection causes skin rashes and causes mucus membranes to emerge. These rashes stay for about 12 days then the person infected then experiences 104 degree Fahrenheit fever, back pain, and vomiting. Three days later th e rash will spread to the nose, mouth, forearms, throat, hands, and face (Ngan, 2011).Smallpox easily spreads through close contact. â€Å"Estimates of death rates resulting from smallpox epidemics range between 39% for the Aztecs, 50% for the Piegan, Huron, Catawba, Cherokee, and Iroquois, 66% for the Omaha and Blackfeet, 90% for the Mandan, and 100% for the Taino†¦ † (Halverson, 2007). Smallpox epidemics affected the life of many Native American tribes for hundreds of years. This is only one disease that had an awful effect on the Native Americans. Tuberculosis is also another disease that spread from the Old World to the New World. Tuberculosis, is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Paulsen 1987).The bacteria can attack any part of the body, but most frequently attacks the lungs. Tuberculosis of the lungs and throat is infectious. When a person with Tuberculosis coughs or sneezes, the bacteria spread into the air. People nearby may breathe in the se bacteria and become infected. When a person breathes in the bacteria, the bacteria settle in the lungs and begin to grow. The first major outbreaks of Tuberculosis among the native people of North America began in the 1880’s after they were settled on reservations. When Native Americans were required to live in small fixed huts, an epidemic began.As Native Americans were living to reservations their death rates from Tuberculosis increased rapidly. Bates and Stead give the death rates of Native Americans. â€Å"By 1886 the Tuberculosis death rate reached 9000 per 100,000 people. These rates are much higher than ever observed in Europe because the Native Americans lacked immunity to Tuberculosis and were weak in fighting off the bacteria† (Bates & Stead, 1993). The Native Americans were being hit by disease after disease with the Europeans coming over and settling. Another disease that devastated them was the Bubonic Plague. The Bubonic Plague is also known as the Bla ck Death.Bubonic plague painfully causes swollen lymph nodes that appear around the groin, armpit, or neck (Halverson, 2007). The Bubonic plague had already devastated Europe by killing millions and after Europeans came to the Americas, the Black Death killed millions of Native Americans. The Columbian Exchange was a time when European nations sent explorers to the Americas after Christopher Columbus discovered the â€Å"New World†. The Americas were filled with new crops and foods that turned out to be very beneficial to the Europeans. The Europeans brought back staple crops like maize and potato that contain a large amount of nutrients.Other crops include capsicum pepper, plain vanilla, and coca. Each had their own way of helping the Europeans. A medicine that the Europeans took from the Americas was quinine. Quinine fought off malaria, which enormously benefited the Europeans because they were able to conquer lands that have malaria but not die from the disease. The Columb ian Exchange benefited the Europeans, but it did not benefit the Americas. The Columbian Exchange brought many Europeans to the Americas. With many Europeans traveling to the New World, many diseases also came along.Diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and the bubonic plague resulted in the death of millions of Native Americans. These diseases even killed off many tribes completely. The Columbian Exchange proved to be beneficial to the Old World while devastating a lot of the New World. Andrews, Jean. 1992. The peripatetic chili pepper: Diffusion of the domesticated capsicums since Columbus. In Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell (eds. ) Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas Gave the World. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 81-93. Bates, Joesph H. , and William W. Stead. â€Å"Oregon Experience: White Plague. † TB Among Native Americans. N. p. 1993. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. Brockway, Lucile H. 1979. Science and Colonial Expansion: The Role of the British Royal Botanical Garden s. New York: Academic Press . Brooks, Jerome Edmund. 1952. The Mighty Leaf: Tobacco through the Centuries. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. Bruman, Henry. 1948. The culture history of Mexican vanilla. Hispanic American Historical Review 28(3): 360-376. Christian, JL, Greger, JL. Nutrition for Living (4th Ed. ) Reading, MA: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. Crosby W. 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