Supply and Demand and Cell Phones

Damita Nix 1/15/2012 CTU Online ECON202-1201B Phase 1 Individual Project1 Instructor Olanrewaju Abstract This paper will explore the world of two particular types of cell phones that are identical with minor features. I will be demonstrating skills in using the tools of economics for decision making for the firm operating in the market economy to include supply and demand, elasticity of demand, consumer behavior and utility maximization, and the costs of production both short-run and long-run. I will also be demonstrating the ability to clearly present views in written and/or oral expression. On the web, I will research additional information about the A-Phone and the Pomegranate. The task below also requires me to draw graphs of supply and demands increases and decreases. When the task is complete you will have learned about the demand curve of an A phone, a clear understanding on what happens to the price and quantity supplied, equilibrium, and effects on government interventions with cell phones. Title: Cell Phones Part I Draw the demand curve for the A-Phone. Explain how the graph, price, and quantity demanded  will change if the following occurs: * There is an overall increase in income. There is an overall increase in income and people believe that the Pomegranate is now better than the A-Phone. * The price of the A-Phone goes up  when a flaw is found in the Pomegranate. * A new type of walkie-talkie has an unlimited range and is basically free. * It is discovered that there are health concerns when using cell phones. * There is a baby boom. * The price of the A -Phone and the Pomegranate both go up. Price P1 P2 P3 Demand Q1 Q2 Q3 Quantity What happens to the supply of cell phones if the market price goes up? Part II Explain what happens to the price and quantity supplied and how it reflects on a graph if the following occurs: * It becomes more expensive to produce cell phones. * More cell phones are being produced with the same amount of inputs. * Walkie talkies are popular because of the new technological change mentioned above. * Another company starts producing cell phones, and now there are  3 producers in the market. * People think the price of cell phones will go up in the future. PriceSupply P1 Q1 Quantity Part III Draw a graph which shows the equilibrium price of cell phones. Explain what the graph is showing. When the new manufacturer introduces the Robo cell phone to the market, how does that effect the equilibrium price if the Robo is basically the same as the other cell phones? ————- Part IV As the public’s dependence on cell phones continues to grow, the cost of the phones may be decreasing, but the stronghold that  telecommunication companies have on the public in regards to contracts and climbing fees is alarming. Additionally, all cell phone companies charge about the same prices, and the consumers do not have much choice in substituting providers. Consumers appear to need some controls in this regard, and the government decides to step in. * What is the effect of government intervention in the cell phone market? Make sure that you use graphs to illustrate your point. * Is this a good thing for consumers? On the other hand, the government sees the increase in cell phone use as an opportunity to make some additional revenue, and it decides to tax  service  providers. * Who is really paying the tax? * Illustrate your conclusion on a graph. * Do you think that there is a free market for cell phone users? Why or why not? References

History of bootlegging Essay

1. Background on Bootlegging It has been said that â€Å"at its real level music belongs to everyone†. To claim ownership over music has been the subject of much analysis since music, after all, is available to each individual through our sense of hearing. Maintaining control or possession of â€Å"our† music is not as clear cut as meting out our rights to our land or property. To listen to a song someone else has written, for instance, does not necessarily constitute stealing or trespassing on someone else’s property. The best way to ensure our right and title over our musical creations is to get a copyright over the original piece. Yet it is not uncommon for a listener or a music lover or fan to record a favorite song or a particularly memorable concert attended. People record songs, concerts, and videos and keep such recordings for personal use, or make copies thereof to give to their friends. Songs and videos are also easily downloaded from the Internet. Fans also record different songs and performances, from different albums or concerts, into one CD or online play list to make their own personal collection. The problem is when such recordings are distributed and sold for profit without the artist and the record company’s consent. Generally, copyright violations involving musical creations may be distinguished into three different types : 1) professional counterfeit recordings (unauthorized duplication of sound and art work) 2) professional pirate recordings (unauthorized duplication of the sound, but with original art work, usually sold as â€Å"greatest hits† compilations 3) bootleg recordings (unauthorized recording of live performances) Bootlegging, as it was traditionally defined, involves â€Å"the illegal distribution or production of liquor and other highly taxed goods† In the 1920s, the United States had a Prohibition against alcohol, thus people resorted to bootlegging, or buying and selling an illegal product, from bootleggers. Organized crime consisting of gangs and mobsters in Chicago and New York, such as Al Capone, were deeply involved in bootlegging. In the music industry, music bootlegging involves the taking and trading of unauthorized live recordings of live musical performers — either from concert or studio outtakes. Bootleg music albums are recordings transferred from tape to vinyl or CD. They become a bootleg product when a bootlegger undertakes to create an artifact or when a non-commercial recording is transformed into a commercial product in the form of an LP or a CD. Bootleg recordings are usually done without the artist’s consent ; however, making a recording of a concert is not illegal per se. Although an individual cannot legally record an officially release CD or cassette tape on to a blank tape, he or she may make an unauthorized recording of a concert and keep it for personal use. However, the sale of such a recording is deemed illegal.  The problems with bootlegging is that it prevents the artist and the record company from maintaining quality control over their product , and it prevents them from collecting their royalties to their right to their music. 2. Changes in Copyright Laws Copyright is defined as â€Å"a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of ‘original works of authorship’† . The U. S. has passed significant copyright laws to protect an artist’s right to his or her original creations. These creations include not only musical works, but literary, dramatic, artistic and certain intellectual creations. The U. S. Constitution itself provides that â€Å"the Congress shall have power†¦ to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries. † The State thus allows Congress to pass copyright laws to protect an artist’s rights to his or her musical creations. The U. S. Copyright Act was amended in 1976 so that it now covers new technological advancements and extended the term of protection to cover the life of the author plus 70 more years. Copyright laws allow the author, artist, or whoever holds the copyright to a creation to sue those who infringe on their copyrights for damages. The complainant has to prove infringement of copyright by a) proving ownership of the copyright and b) copying by the infringer-defendant. In compliance with its Constitutional mandate of protecting original works of authorship, the Congress has passed several laws concerning music copyright infringement, piracy and bootlegging. Some of the relevant laws will be discussed in this section. The Audio Home Recording Act allows music retailers to sell all analog and digital recording formats. It also gives a consumer the right to use such recordings provided such use is for non-commercial purposes, and in such cases, no copyright infringement lawsuit may be brought against a consumer. The consumer and retailer is also exempt from making royalty payments on digital audio recording devices and media; the burden falls on U. S. manufacturers and importers only who must pay for digital audio devices designed or marketed primarily for making digital audio recordings for private use, whether or not these are incorporated in some other device. These royalty payments are administered and monitored by the U. S. Register of Copyrights and the Librarian of Congress, with the proceeds split between the featured artists and the record company, or between the songwriters and music publishers, depending on the circumstances. Musical artists or musicians thus receive royalties which are based on record sales and airplay during a prescribed period. The U. S. is also a signatory of both the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty and the Performances and Phonograms Treaty. In accordance with these international agreements, the U. S.  Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act which makes it a crime to a crime to circumvent anti-piracy measures built into many of today’s commercial software and even most music CDs. The Act also limits the copyright infringement liability of ISPs for transmitting information over the Internet, but requires that ISPs remove copyright infringement materials found in users’ web sites. Despite legislative acts and proposed bills by well meaning members of the U. S. Congress, and jurisprudence laid down by the U. S. Supreme Court, infringers still find a way of getting around copyright laws by invoking the â€Å"fair use† doctrine. The U.  S. Code provides that the public is entitled to the â€Å"fair use† of copyrighted material. â€Å"Fair use† is â€Å"a privilege to use copyrighted material in a reasonable manner without consent, notwithstanding the copyright monopoly granted to the owner. † A copyrighted original creation may be reproduced for purposes of criticism, news reporting, comment, teaching, scholarship and research. The Code further provides that there are four factors in determining whether there is â€Å"fair use† of a copyrighted material or not : 1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes ) the nature of the copyrighted work itself 3) the proportion and substantiality of the copyrighted work actually used without authority 4) the potential economic detriment on the value of the work caused by such unauthorized use thereof. What makes it especially difficult to enforce the copyright is that information is so readily available through the Internet. As music is downloaded courtesy of digital technology, consumers are turning to the Internet to get their music rather than going out to music stores to buy the CDs. Bootlegged albums are also easily transmitted and shared through the Internet. Digital technology allows consumer to reproduce identical copies of digital music files, most commonly in compression formats such as MP3s. Such digital advancements not only pave the way for more widespread bootlegging, but for music piracy as well. 3. Advancements in Piracy Technology: File Sharing Piracy, as earlier discussed, is differentiated from bootlegging in that the former involve the unauthorized duplication of the sound, but with original art work. Piracy involves the reproduction and distribution of copies of original recordings. Advancements in digital technology have allowed music piracy to develop at an alarming rate. MP3s enable consumers to compress digitized music into smaller files, while ripping software allows them to copy music from CDs, store these on their hard drives, and then convert these files into compressed formats. Digital file reproduction devices, like CD players, in turn allow consumers to write these files into a CD and in effect create their own albums and compilations of copyrighted creations. Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have also allowed increased music dissemination, as well as file sharing, as introduced by the infamous Napster software company. P2P networks basically offer users to access the hard drives of other users anywhere in the world by the installation of a piece of software. These networks allow users to search, copy and transfer music files typically through MP3 files. After Napster, subsequent P2P networks version, like KaZaA and Grokstar, which are collectively known as the FastTrack providers, allow users to access multiple individual computers instead of accessing just one single, centralized database of music files. The digital audio workstation (DAW) on the other hand, allows users to indulge in â€Å"sampling† – original music recordings, converted from analog to digital format, which users can import, cut, copy, layer and manipulate to create new musical work. Since samples may be in a band’s entire song, or merely passages from an instrument, in effect it allows not just users but even musicians and DJs to create, layer, expand and redefine music. Recording companies have resorted to copy-protection technology to protect themselves from piracy committed through file sharing and P2P networks. Copy-protected CDs is one answer, but public backlash and concerns about the technology’s effectiveness, have forced recording companies to limit use of such CDs in the U. S. and instead opted to release such CDs abroad in Europe and countries such as Japan. Five major recording companies in the U. S. use copy-protected CDs: BMG Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, EMI, and Sony. BMG in particular has made us of copy-protection advancements such the MediaMax CD-3 technology from SunnComm Technologies, Inc. located in Phoenix, Arizona. Through MediaMax CD-3, each song is written onto a CD twice. One format is readable by standard CD players while the other format is readable as a Windows media file playable on a computer. The technology allows consumers of BMG records to burn each track only three times per computer. The songs in BMG albums embedded with the MediaMax CD-3 technology may also be emailed to a limited number of people. However, each person in that limited list may only listen to ten times to each song in the album. In other words, songs in such CDs are locked and won’t be played even if they are downloaded from file-sharing networks if it exceeds the allowable number of times a person may listen to the track. Other developments are even more rigid. The CDS-300 developed by Macrovision, located in Santa Clara, California, allows CDs to be burnt and listened to online, but blocks other attempts to make copies or share music online. Recording companies thus are faced with a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, there is the need to respect a consumer’s desire to share, copy and hear songs in different ways. But on the other hand, there is the copyright to take note of and the bottom line – earning revenues through royalties by limiting the number of copies consumers make of copyrighted musical creations.

Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years

In thirteenth century, the word Hindustan, used by Mining-I Syria, meant the areas of Punjab, Harlan and lands between the Gang and Yamaha. In modern times, the same word denotes the modern nation-state of India in its entirety. CLC The context changed from geographical and cultural to political. D In modern context, foreigner means a person who is not Indian. During the medieval period, a foreigner was any stranger who appeared in a village or city. It referred to a person who was not a part of that society or culture.CLC Historians and their sources Different types of sources are used by historians to learn about the past, depending on the period being studied and the nature of the investigation. CLC The major sources of historical information are coins, architecture, inscriptions and textual records. C] The period from 700 AD to 1 750 AD saw an increase in the number of textual records. The reason was easy availability of paper and its low cost. It enabled people to write holy tex ts, chronicles, letters and teachings of saints, petitions, judicial records, and registers of accounts and taxes.These slowly replaced the older sources of information. L Wealthy people, rulers, monasteries and temples collected manuscripts which were placed in libraries and archives. 0 Manuscripts still had to be copied manually. Variations in handwritten copies of the same manuscript developed due to lack of adequate technologies like printing. This made it difficult for historians to interpret textual records. CLC Social and political groups The scale, variety of events and developments that occurred over the period from 700 AD and 1 750 AD is enormous, making it challenging for the historians.L] New technologies in irrigation, agriculture, crafts and warfare were ushered n the subcontinent during this period. New crops like potato and tea, which later became very important, were also introduced with the arrival of new people. As such, it was a period of economic, political, soc ial and cultural changes. C] Traveling for trade and exploration also increased during this period. C] Ragouts, a group of warriors who claimed Ashtray status, gained in importance during this period. The Martha, Sikhs, Jets, Moms and Ashtrays also became important. Clearing of forests in order to expand agriculture, forced many forest Weller to migrate or become peasants. C] Societies became complex and acquired hierarchies. Peasants were required to pay taxes and offer goods and services to local lords. C] Economic and social differences, based upon amount of land, cattle and craftsmanship, emerged amongst peasants. CLC Sub-castes or stats became the primary factor of social differentiation. They had their own rules and regulations, enforced by a sati penchant or an assembly of elders.Ranks varied according to power, influence and resources controlled by the members of the caste. C] Region and empire C] Various dynasties gained ascendancy over different regions, leading to the ris e of kingdoms and empires. CLC The notable dynasties of the period were the Scholars, Challis, Thoughts and Mussels. The Mussels were the most successful in building a vast empire. After their decline in the eighteenth century, regional states re-emerged, but McHugh influence on administration, governance, and economy was still visible.CLC The creation of large empires, encompassing various regions, led to a fusion of traits. At the same time, each region was successful in preserving its individual culture. C] Religions C] Religion was the main force behind social and economic organization of local communities. Religious beliefs were shaped by social conditions. Important changes occurred in Hinduism during this period. They included the worship of new deities, royal patronage of temples and growing importance of Brahmas, the priests, as dominant groups in the society. C Knowledge of Sanskrit texts earned the Brahmas a lot of respect in society.C] The idea of backbit – of a l oving, personal deity that devotees could reach without the support of priests or rituals, evolved during this time. D The teachings Of Islam were also introduced through migrants and merchants. They were widely interpreted by their followers, leading to the emergence of various sects and schools of law. C] Time and historical periods L] In the context of history, time reflects changes in ideas, beliefs and socioeconomic conditions of people. For making historical assessments convenient, time is divided into periods on the basis of similarities in characteristics of events or phenomena.British historians divided Indian's history into three periods: â€Å"Hindu†, Muslim† and â€Å"British†, giving precedence to the religion of rulers rather than changes in the economy, society and culture. Modern historians focus on economic and social factors, dividing history into ancient, medieval and modern periods. CLC The medieval period of Indian history saw the rise of reg ional states, formation of peasant societies and the influence of Hinduism and Islam. O The arrival of European trading companies, who were attracted by the economic prosperity of the region, was amongst the most important events of this period.

American History - 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American History - 8 - Essay Example ____ Bruce Baston ______ †¢ Development of a new national culture †¢ Advertisement needs increased †¢ Son of Protestant Clergyman worked voluntarily for the American army †¢ Love for Jesus – made Sunday a â€Å"Jesus day† †¢ First cargo started and completed its journey †¢ Religious activities increased †¢ Drinkers said to be bad people of the society †¢ ‘Do the right’ was a motive †¢ Would be the cause of future border disputes †¢ Twelve failed businessmen made best organizations and conquered the world of business 3. ____ The Long Plan ______ †¢ Senator, Huey P. Long presented Long Plan. †¢ A limited amount of wealth should be allocated to people. †¢ Excessive amount of wealth, which a person has in addition to the wealth limit, should go to government for public usage. †¢ Capital levy tax should be there and with increasing wealth, tax rate should be increased. †¢ Inheritance tax should be imposed so that people receiving inheritance wealth should be restricted to its usage and extra amount should go to government. †¢ Restrictive imcome tax for those earning more than 1,000,000 per year. †¢ All taxes should be paid by fortune holders and not common people. †¢ Limits for better survival of everyone. †¢ Wealth of the land belongs to people of the land. †¢ The powerful should work for the well being of all by bordering their fortune. 4. _____ Cultural conflicts between Black and White ________ †¢ US companies started trading with Negros in Africa, West Indies, South and Central America †¢ Universal Negro Improvement Association was established to discourage race †¢ Rubber and Tire companies established in Liberia by White †¢ Writers and great thinkers played a major role in the culture change of America †¢ A majority of Negros started migrating in New York cause a dominant cultural change in America †¢ Conf licts arise between white and black due to bias publications †¢ Idea of merging culture failed and white and black become enemy †¢ England and France were the only countries considered to keep Liberia †¢ Writers started preaching black separatism, rather than a continued quest for racial Integration. †¢ Negro’s Association becomes difficult to destroy 5. _ The Ku Klux Klan 1924__ †¢ Klan uses Print Media to deliver its message to white supremacy †¢ The Klan published The Good Citizen and The Klan’s fight for American †¢ A woman published America for Americans from Ku Klux Klan †¢ â€Å"Hail Mary, Mother of God,† was on everyone’s lips †¢ Privilege given to Ku Klux Klan under the Constitution of the United States of America †¢ Individualism cannot be maintained as the foundation of society †¢ Christians tried to grab the society †¢ Laissez Faire abandoned †¢ Inequality of tyrannies, dominatio ns and injustice spread in the country †¢ This lead American Individualism in the state. Part Two: Essays After reading the chapters, write three essays/discussion questions: 1. Explain the significance of American Individualism. 2. What effects did the Red Cross services have in the United States? 3. Explore the impact of the cabinet meeting. Was it a success or foolish act? Why? From the above list, respond to one of the above questions: 1. American call themselves the

Renaissance Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Renaissance Art - Essay Example nimity is neither dependent upon his genealogy nor upon his extraordinary achievements as a statesman or a brave warrior- unlike Agamemnon or Achilles. On the contrary, man’s intellectual achievements, as personified by Faustus, coupled with his ceaseless passion for rediscovery were for Marlowe, the sole criteria for ascertaining a man’s greatness. In addition to this, through his awe-inspiring tragedy, Marlowe also revolutionized the much popular debate between fate and free-will. According to the ancient Greeks, fate almost always superseded free-will. They believed that destiny was unalterable. Once his unintentional sin is disclosed to him, the Greek tragic hero, Oedipus considers himself as the victim of the malevolent forces of nature. However, instead of waging a battle against the Oracle; he realizes his limitations as a mortal, indulges in self-martyrdom by blinding himself and surrenders himself to the ominous fate that awaits him. Dr. Faustus, on the other h and, emerges out as an apostate by exclaiming that, â€Å"a sound magician is a demi-god† (I. i. 61). He undoubtedly epitomizes the Renaissance individual- one who unlike the classical Greek heroes, defies the dictates of Divinity. Moreover, Faustus also contests the notion that man’s abilities are limited. He is enticed by the secular-humanistic assertion made by Mephostophilis, â€Å"But think’st thou heaven is such a glorious thing?/I tell thee Faustus it is not half so fair/As thou or any man that breathes on earth† (II. ii. 5-7). Thus, Faustus adheres to the belief that Heaven is great, but man is greater still. Thus, by negating the supreme role played by fate and by placing much more emphasis on individual responsibility, Marlowe has iterated that the Renaissance individual’s suffering is... This paper work describes a period of ‘rebirth’, resulted in the flourishing of arts and literature. During the Reneissance skepticism, humanism, emphasis on rational thought and reformulation of traditional belief systems were the hallmarks. The practice of viewing everything with an eye of skepticism and daring to explore the unexplored led to the formulation of: the notion of Copernican motion, the acknowledgement of the unimaginable potential granted to man by Providence and most importantly the conviction that dogmatic religious ideology or a puritanical belief system is not the absolute. In the literary realm, Marlowe’s ‘Dr.Faustus’, can be categorized as a paradigmatic example of the Renaissance literature. With the emergence of Renaissance, art in general and painting in particular assumed an altogether different dimension. In the classical Greek and Roman eras, decorated vases and sculptors were in vogue. Likewise, the Golden era of Byzantine had also seen a flourishing of arts and culture. However, in these afore-mentioned eras, not much emphasis was placed on making art life-like. The endeavour of making paintings and portraits resemble real life and of depicting man as a sentient being, was taken up by the renowned artistic masters of the Renaissance period- Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Mossacio (also known as Tomasso Guidi) and Rembrandt. Rembrandt was undoubtedly one of the most accomplished Dutch artists of the late Renaissance period- the seventeenth century.

Critical Analysis of BMJ article on systemic review of the literature Essay

Critical Analysis of BMJ article on systemic review of the literature - Essay Example The investigator followed the logical sequence and could comment on the work already done in the area. He was able to discuss on the gaps in the literature. Though the investigator described the methodology used and completed the study following literature review but the methodology used was not as suggested for this purpose while presenting rationale for this research. The investigator critiqued that the previous reviews were either narrative or quasi-experimental design and could not assess the effectiveness of the isolation measures therefore, he proposed a better review for valid inferences. The best methodology for this purpose is meta-analysis which has been described by Glass as "Meta-analysis refers to the analysis of analyses...the statistical analysis of a large collection of analysis results from individual studies for the purpose of integrating the findings." Although this research was carried out through a literature review process but in individual studies the investigator focused on the experiences of the patients; their stay in the hospital, course of disease and any other accompanying feature. The methodology and processes used in the analysis of the data were very well narrated and elaborated by the investigator, which reflects the grasp of the investigator on the subject area. He remained unbiased in the analysis of the literature review as he gave full attention to the errors and the issue of bias involved in these studies at individual level. 8. Credibility: The evidence of the ownership of the participants in the research could not be explored and validated. An explicit expression regarding this finding was not found. 9. Audability: The investigator has been successful in keeping the reader with him. He has been able to keep the interest of the reader alive. Although the review is difficult than meta-analysis to follow because the latter has got more scientific components involved especially at the level of analysis which uses some statistically methodology and this way makes the process simpler one. 10. Fittingness: Yes, findings of the study are generalizable. Out of the final 46 studies, 32 were with the findings, which were similar to the measures taken for MRSA reduction anywhere. Eighteen of these were weak as far as methodology or interpretation of the results was concerned while six were the strongest which were longer time series studies. This way methodology was the central point that contributed much in the strength of any study to be ranked high for more reliable results and generalizability. 11. Confirmability: Yes, the findings of the study convey the whole message as far as the experience of different players involved, the ownership, the understanding of the reader and application of the research findings. Even though the methodology was not strong for the subject (literature review vs. meta-analysis) but the investigator

How YouTube Can Affect Media and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How YouTube Can Affect Media and Society - Essay Example For example, Comedy Central asked the video-sharing company to remove clips of their copyrighted clips such as South Park and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Noguchi and Goo). On the other hand, some companies like NBC see YouTube as a powerful promotion tool which can help generate buzz for their shows, at no cost! In the same article, the authors quoted NBC Executive Vice President Rick Cotton when he said, â€Å"This medium is at the cutting edge†¦I think our creative executives feel that ‘The Office’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ benefit from the significant attention we’ve gotten online† (as quoted in Noguchi and Goo). Yet, Cotton says that in order to use YouTube effectively, one has to know where to draw the line. In line with this statement, Cotton revealed that around 1,000 clips were removed from YouTube in 2006, particularly those which had entire show episodes. In its early years, YouTube’s mechanism for deleting copyrighte d shows allowed it legal immunity but searching the site for TV show episodes is a job allotted to the company owning the copyright. Needless to say, it was a tedious job, and many of the copyrighted video clips were left posted on the site. Today, however, YouTube has the Automated Content ID in place in order to prevent copyright infringements. With this new technology, major US network, movie studio and record label can earn extra income through YouTube’s monetized view feature. From its humble beginning, YouTube has singlehandedly changed the web from static pages to an interactive web eco-system. Thanks to the conscientious development of video sharing technology, YouTube is now an important aspect of advertising. Major corporations such as Nike and Chrysler use YouTube to promote their ad to more audiences. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that many companies are bypassing the TV networks and are broadcasting their advertisements directly to YouTube (Rosenblum). In the a rticle, the author says â€Å"increasingly, YouTube is the go-to place for video, and it seems some companies have decided to bypass the broadcast first rule entirely†¦It’s a sign that true video (as opposed to repurposed an afterthought) is beginning to enter mainstream thinking† (Rosenblum). As many companies start to produce videos for the web alone, YouTube is becoming a go-to source for almost any kind of information – from entertainment to politics, how-to videos, film animation and many others. The importance of YouTube is so widespread that Mashable expresses three important developments in the media industry: (1) the next TVs will have internet connectivity and it will be able to access YouTube XL, a version optimized for the big screen; (2) YouTube can be easily accessed through mobile phones; (3) the ability to create live video streaming (Ostrow). In his 2009 article, Adam Ostrow hails YouTube as the embodiment of social media since its inceptio n. In his words, â€Å"YouTube is the innovation that touched the most lives, became a driving force for change around the world, and ultimately ends the decade with an opportunity to be as disruptive in the next 10 years as it was in the past four† (Ostrow). Thanks to its embeddable content, videos posted on the site can be viewed on websites and other social networking sites.  

Strengths and weaknesses of quasi-experimental designs Assignment

Strengths and weaknesses of quasi-experimental designs - Assignment Example The design is also able to apply selective control on the investigated variables in circumstances where experimental design cannot. The design also has strength in its ability to counter the emerging trend of resistance to randomization. This is particularly applicable when people are involved as participants with consideration of the principle of free consent. While participants would resist randomization into a control group, quasi-experimental design does not involve randomization and is therefore easily acceptable to people. Consequently, sample generation and sampling is easier in a quasi-experimental design (Polit and beck, 2007). Further, the design allows some level of control in the research process that may be used to control expected threats. A researcher can for example control when to collect data to allow room for sufficient treatment effect (Evans and Keenan, 2009). The design, however, has a number of weaknesses. It for example considers many sets of hypotheses that must be investigated by the researcher. This therefore makes it more hectic and probably time consuming than other designs. This is because other possibilities must be explored to consider effects of lack of control. Another significant weakness of the quasi-experimental design, which originates from its lack of a control set up, is its susceptibility to confounds that a researcher cannot explain or account for. In the presence of a control set up, a researcher can identify variations in the control group to make appropriate adjustments to the treatment group and therefore account for the possible confounds. This therefore means that the observed results in the quasi-experimental designs are possibly influenced by confounds. As a result, there is loss of confidence over validity and reliability of results from quasi-experimental designs (Polit and beck,

Organizations relationsip in economics Research Paper

Organizations relationsip in economics - Research Paper Example The government achieves this by creating the conditions necessary for economic growth, which includes creating laws that encourage smooth business transactions and foster communication among various institutions, acting as a mediator between antagonistic parties, as the government does in labor disputes among other areas, and unifying various institutions for a common cause, which is the advancement of a particular group, i.e. "Australia" or "The United States." Organizations and the government's under which they are structured often have an adversarial relationship. According to Dowling and Schaefer, business and government are diametrically opposed, competing with each other for the same social capital. That is, they are the competing social structures upon which all modern societies are based.1 They write, The ideological essence of business is represented in the values of private property, societally diffuse decision making and market accountability; that of government, by contrast, is characterized by values of communal property, societally centralized decision making and political accountability. Societies structured on either of these ideologies reflect these values and characteristics. The conflict between business and government can be seen as a competitive institutional struggle as to the role each is to play within society. What domain each should have is a question that has dominated both theories of political economy and much pragmatic political activity. Socialism versus private or free enterprise, nationalization versus privatization, regulation versus deregulation and the relationship of public to private sectors are examples of the struggle.2 North writes in Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance that the success of the Western economy is dependent upon cooperation, indeed, that it was the cooperation among institutions in the Western world that allowed it to become so dominant in the world economy.3 According to North, this wealth-maximizing behavior came about because the conditions were perfect for it. However, as social conditions change, institutions become less likely to cooperate with each other. He writes; We usually observe cooperative behavior when individuals repeatedly interact, when they have a great deal of information about each other, and when small numbers characterize the group. But at the other extreme, realizing the economic potential of the gains from trade in a high technology world of enormous specialization and division of labor characterized by impersonal exchange is extremely rare, because one does not necessarily have repeated dealings, not know the other party, nor deal with a small number of other people. In fact, the essence of impersonal exchange is the antithesis of the condition for game theoretic cooperation.4 North writes that solving this apparent paradox is the key to understanding how the Western economy fulfilled all of its potential. Indeed, it is clear that despite an antagonistic relationship, business needs government to keep up institutional cooperation as much as government needs business to maintain a place at the forefront of world civilization and maintain power on the international political stage. Cooperative behavior among the various institutions is necessary for successful economic growth, and one of the ways in

Lower Body Injury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lower Body Injury - Essay Example In football and rugby, traumatic injuries are the major contributors while in basketball, lawn tennis, hockey and badminton sudden stopping and twisting tops the list. However, no sport is limited to a single cause. The major symptoms include mild to severe pain, swelling of the knee joint, audible click or pop in the knee, and at times knee lock occurs. The magnitude and the number of the symptoms observed in a casualty are not fixed (Engebretsen & Bahr 2011). In many case they vary depending on the severity of the injury. In case of a cartilage tear, the patient is first given a physiotherapy treatment to lessen the pain and inflammation or swelling of the joint. This involves application of ice parks at interval of 20 minutes hourly. For severe cases, the patient is hospitalized immediately (Engebretsen & Bahr 2011). Returning to the field to play once again may be immediate depending on how fast the knee settles down, swelling and pain disappearing. Although in complicated cases, this will be indefinite. This is because it is subject to type of treatment given and rehabilitation period based on the doctor’s opinion (Engebretsen & Bahr 2011). In sports, tearing of cartilage is not an injury that can be easily prevented. However, there are measures that can be employed to minimize the frequencies of such occurrences. In the field, players in any particular sport should avoid playing or training in uneven or grounds, do warm up activities before engaging in any intense physical sport and should have a knee strap to aid in restriction of joint rotation but permits knee movement. Also performing exercises that develops thee quadriceps and hamstring muscles can be handy in preventing cartilage tear (Sohn & Toth

Story of Cricket Essay Example for Free

Story of Cricket Essay At Old Trafford in 1956 Jim Laker produced one of the most famous individual performances ever in a Test Match, and one which will surely never be repeated. It was hardly surprising then, following that 19 for 90 in the Ashes deciding fourth Test, that publishers rushed to sign up the man who had enthralled the nation, and it was Frederick Muller Limited who secured the rights to publish Lakers autobiography. In the 1950s Mullers were one of the leading publishers in that field also, at various times, publishing books in the names of Colin Cowdrey, Trevor Bailey, Tom Graveney and Bill Edrich. Today there is no trace of the companys imprint, although its lineage can be traced through to current publishers Random House. In time Laker was to become a respected commentator and author in his own right but his three early books for Muller were ghost written. One, Over to me, that was published in 1960, was to cause a considerable furore, but the books were, generally, no more satisfying than similar books which appear today. The first book to appear bearing Lakers name appeared in early 1957 and was entitled Spinning Round the World. There is nothing remarkable about the content of the book and there are no compelling reasons for anyone to seek out a copy today, however there is one fascinating chapter, the final one, where Laker looks forward in order to speculate as to what cricket in the year 2000, forty three years on, might be like. The purpose of this article is to have a look at Lakers approach in order to see just how accurate or otherwise his predictions were and then for the writer to try and project the game forward again, this time, less ambitiously, to 21 years hence. To understand Lakers vision of the future it is necessary to know a little about the man himself and, more importantly, something of the state of the game when he made his predictions. Although Laker played his county cricket for Surrey, he was a gritty Yorkshireman. After leaving Surrey he also played briefly for Essex as an amateur but he was, throughout his Surrey career, a professional with all the typical attitudes and values of the northern professionals of that time. As far as the game itself was concerned England was very much the centre of the cricket world and the only country where there was a full time professional structure. Seventeen First Class counties would compete each year for the County Championship playing 28 three day games apiece. Only around half a dozen of them ever had any realistic aspirations to winning the title and there was no other domestic competition, so many games had little by way of a competitive edge. Overseas players had to acquire a residential qualification before they could play county cricket, and a decision to do so would end their international careers, so while there were overseas players in the English game they were not the top stars and English crowds only saw overseas Test players when they toured with their countries every few years. Test cricket was televised, but in grainy black and white, so in order to see the game properly supporters had to turn up at the grounds. In 1957 the English game was run by the MCC then, as now, a private club for gentlemen, and a similar organisation, the Imperial Cricket Conference, ran the world game. The abolition in the English game of the division between amateur and professional was, by 1957, inevitable but it was to be another six years before the distinction was finally consigned to sporting and social history. As far as the international game was concerned Test cricket had the great battles between England and Australia but for many years every other contest had been some way behind both in competitiveness and importance. South Africa had beaten England, in South Africa, on three occasions and once, in 1935, had defeated England in England but only once had they achieved even a draw in a series with Australia and, prior to 1952/53, had won but one Test against their Southern Hemisphere rivals. New Zealand in those days had never beaten England in a single Test and India had only ever won one match against England and that against what was effectively a second XI in 1951/52. Australia had only played New Zealand once, in a game so one sided they did not play them again for almost 30 years, and they had never been beaten by India. Only West Indies, who had comfortably beaten England in England in  1950, had changed the order of things and even they had failed to trouble Australia. In 1957 Pakistan had been the most recent addition to the family of Test playing nations and they had proved competitive, a great fast medium bowler, Fazal Mahmood, spearheading them to Test victories over England and Australia but the team as a whole was young and inexperienced and it was to be another 30 years before Pakistan would reach the top of the tree. It is also worth bearing in mind that in 1957 there was only one touring side to England each summer. Then, as now, Australia visited every four years as, since the war, had South Africa. There were therefore only two slots in the four year cycle for the other tourists and the 1950s saw nine years between New Zealand tours, eight years between Pakistani visits and seven years between those of India and the West Indies. A Test series then was four, or more usually, five matches. There were, of course, no one day internationals and the tourists would also play each of the 17 First Class counties once, and in the case of Yorkshire, Surrey and Lancashire usually twice, as well as a number of other First Class fixtures. Laker gave us two alternative visions of the future, one of which he was at pains to point out was not serious, but which is, when looked at overall, perhaps the most prescient. Laker saw the first Ashes Series of the 21st century as consisting of ten Test matches, his rationale being the extra funds generated by the ultimate form of the game. He saw the final Test still taking place at The Oval, and while the lifts to take ticket holders to their seats and the waitress service that Laker envisaged for spectators have not actually come about, the vast improvement in spectator comfort that he predicted has. As to the game itself Laker described players having numbered shirts and bowlers being allowed to make liberal use of substitutes to enable them to leave the field for a break after each spell. He also saw batsmen being allowed to take breaks within their innings, giving captains an American football style dilemma as to how best to arrange their batting order. It is certainly an interesting concept that a Paul Collingwood could be sent out to steady the ship after a couple of quick wickets fall only for him, having done so, to be able to take a rest while Andrew Fintoff comes out to blaze  away safe in the knowledge that if he falls early Collingwoods war of attrition can resume. Laker also predicted the increase in scoring rates in Test cricket which recent generations have delivered. We have not seen the ten ball overs that he foresaw, nor a rule that a batsman must score off at least three deliveries in each ten ball over or face a penalty, but we have seen the shortening of bou ndaries, albeit that has not gone as far as the complete standardisation at 60 yards that Laker felt the future would bring. Having set out that vision of the future Laker then took a step back, decided that the MCC and ICC were far too reactionary to countenance such changes and went on to outline a rather more conservative set of suggestions the majority of which have proved to be accurate. First and foremost Laker foresaw, although it was not difficult at the time, that the old order of the game, run as it was in large part by grandees and great industrialists, would have to change, and that former players and professional businessmen would have to have a hand in the running of the game. Irrespective of ones views on how those individuals who have found themselves in positions of power have performed there is no doubt that the game is much more professionally run than in the 1950s. As far as players are concerned, and Laker was only considering the English game here, he foresaw the dismantling of the archaic system of residential qualification for counties and predicted the dawn of the overseas player and a system of players transferring between counties and, which must have seemed farfetched at the time, the very recent concept of players going out on loan from one county to another. He also predicted, if not in so many words, the arrival of central contracts. As far as the laws of the game are concerned there has been little change since the 1950s and Laker did not anticipate anything revolutionary nor did he consider it necessary. This was a time when, despite its having been in the game for more than twenty years, the new LBW law that we have today was still controversial. Surprisingly, given that he was an off spinner, Laker was in favour of returning to the old rule whereby a batsman could not  be out LBW to a ball pitching outside the off stump, although it is clear it was not something that he expected to happen. One change that the following years did see, and which Laker considered essential, was the abolition of the old back foot no ball law which, at a stroke, eradicated the problem with fast bowlers dragging that was, by the time it changed, in 1969, a serious problem. Laker still believed, and this was the only feature he took from his unacceptable vision, that boundaries would become standardised. He deplored a state of affairs whereby a batsman could be caught in the deep on one ground and play an identical shot for six on another and keenly felt the inequity of this. Again this is perhaps surprising from a man who was a spin bowler and who spent many of his playing days on the wide open spaces of Kennington Oval with its long boundaries. Perhaps looking back to the controversies of the previous year Laker also foresaw a ground inspection panel to regularly inspect test and county grounds with a view to avoiding wickets being under prepared or otherwise unfit for the First Class game. Lakers final prediction was that the laws, or playing conditions, would contain provision for a fixed number of overs to be played in a day and that, after a number of gradual moves towards it, is now something we are used to. That it took so long to arrive is surprising and it took an infamous act of gamesmanship on the part of Brian Close, which cost him the England captaincy for the 1967/68 tour of West Indies, to secure the first move with the immediate introduction of a rule that 20 overs must be bowled in the final hour of a county championship match. The most significant development that Laker did not foresee, and indeed none of his generation did, was the introduction of single day matches with a limitation of overs to both sides, and to anyone looking back on the latter part of the 20th century that development must be viewed as the most significant step taken in the games evolution. Historically, a knockout cup between the First Class counties was mooted on a number of occasions,  initially as long ago as 1873, without any consensus ever being reached. What was usually discussed was a competition consisting of standard First Class matches, however no satisfactory mechanism for resolving the problems thrown up by drawn games was ever worked out. The possibility of one day cricket was considered, at some length, towards the end of the Second World War when the MCC was preparing for the resumption of the First Class game but was, effectively, dismissed out of hand. Two reasons were cited, firstly that a game of cricket limited by time or overs would be detrimental to the art and character of the game and, secondly, that captains would be encouraged to concentrate on preventing the batting side from scoring rather than from dismissing them. As the counties finances lurched from crisis to crisis in the 1950s discussions about a cup competition continued but it was not until 1961 that it was finally decided that a 65 overs per side cup competition was to be launched and as a result in 1963 the Gillette Cup was born and the rest, as they say, is history. So how will our great game look in 2030 as I approach my three score years and ten? I believe, like Jim Laker, that the game is fundamentally sound and little will change, at least insofar as the Test, First Class and List A versions of the game are concerned. There will, inevitably, be changes in the way that the game is umpired, and I have little doubt that in 2030 all potentially contentious umpiring decisions will be made instantly by technology and that the on-field umpires role will become a management function rather than a judicial one. I see little change to the laws of the game in prospect, although following the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan and the hard line stance the Australians have decided to take on the doosra, I can certainly see that particular delivery being outlawed and consigned to history. I also expect the heartfelt plea put forward recently by Swaranjeet to result in the remit of the match referee extending to pitch preparation to ensure that the sort of tedious cricket that we saw for a large part of Englands series in the Caribbean earlier this year is not repeated. As for the domestic game in England I cannot see the 18 county structure  being dismantled but, given the success that central contracts have had in raising standards, I do think the amount of cricket played will inevitably and properly reduce so that players, and young and inexperienced ones in particular, have the opportunity to finely hone their skills in the nets rather than in match conditions. The above being said my expectation of the 20/20 game is that that will change considerably in the next 21 years. 20/20 will still be cricket but I believe there will be law changes that will remove it even further from the First Class game and I do think it will develop along the lines of the future that Jim Laker did not like the look of. I believe that LBW will end as a mode of dismissal in 20/20. It is far too complicated a law for casual viewers of the game and with it will be abolished the leg bye thereby, the legislature will say, adequately punishing the batsman for failing to lay bat on ball. I can also see greater rewards for batsmen who hit the ball further into the crowd and that we will end up with boundary eights and, perhaps, tens, as well as the traditional fours and sixes. I also believe, given the investment that some teams will make in the biggest names, that there will be an opportunity for batsmen to stay at the crease notwithstanding that they are dismissed and that captains will have to decide whether they want their star batsman to leave the crease or whether, on pain of a forfeit in terms of runs, they wish to leave him out there in place of a lesser batsman. I do not expect to be overly enamoured of this game as it changes but it will still be easily recognisable as cricket and as well as attracting a new audience to the game it will, I believe, spread the game around the world. I foresee that 20/20 cricket will feature in the Olympics in the near future and that it will be embraced by other nations in a way that the First Class game never will. In the 2030 20/20 World Cup I see the USA and Canada in particular providing strong opposition to the traditional test playing nations.

Thinking Critically †Poverty and Happiness Essay Example for Free

Thinking Critically – Poverty and Happiness Essay This paper takes the position that poverty is not necessarily equated with lack of happiness. Arguments supportive of this thesis are presented in this paper while being balance by arguments of the opposite view but with counter arguments to strengthen the position taken. One of best arguments that could be forwarded in support of the proposition taken is that people from poor countries are happier than from wealthier countries. While almost countries want to have economic progress as a battle cry of globalization, it may not necessarily mean that countries are also seeking happiness after. It could be misleading to argue that wealth is synonymous with happiness or expressed the other way, that poverty is synonymous with lack of happiness. The first argument to show lack of relationship between wealth and happiness is the higher incidents of suicides among richer countries than those from poor countries. If one compares a poor country like Philippines compared with richer countries like Singapore, Japan, Australia and US, one could just see there are more people committing suicides in richer countries despite the higher standard of living from the latter countries (WHO, 2008). If economic well being is an assurance of happier well being then why is the big difference in the number of deaths by suicides? Suicide is a voluntary or self inflicted and said event is a manifestation of lack of happiness. Psychologists would agree that happiness is difficult to measure but they would not disagree that suicide is a proof of lack of happiness and willingness to continue in life. It can be argued that the pressure to acquire more material wealth in more developed countries has created its own consequences. To cite an example, Singapore’s rapid economic success appears to have its social cost as a price. Life in said country has become a rat race for people who cannot just easily acquire resources for living as others. Think Centre (2007) cited the fear of being retrenched in job as a result of restructuring that could push the person to commit suicide. Singapore is noted to have a suicide rate higher than country like Thailand when life is reported to be much more comfortable in Singapore (Think Centre, 2007) . What could explain these things are the facts that the Singaporeans tend be striving harder, less tolerant of failures and overly materialistic (Think Centre, 2007). Given this situation it would be easy to establish the lack of connection between wealth (or poverty) and happiness (or lack of it). As a result of high-pressure living, the economic growth has not spread happiness to all hard-pressed Singaporeans. Many citizens do not have retirement savings and have been advised to work beyond 765 years to survive in this expensive city (Think Centre, 2007). Blinkered Thinker,( n. d) cited the case of the southeast Asian country of Myanmar , which borders Bangladesh, India, China, and Thailand, and which is among the poorest countries on the globe. Poverty was indeed found in Yangon as well as Myanmar but people in said places are noted to be the most hospitable and helpful tourist on earth with their smiles beating those of Thailand. It was therefore admitted that wealth can â€Å"reduce privation and some of the unnecessary sources of unhappiness, but happiness is a mood and not an economic state. † (Blinkered Thinker, n. d. ) This again confirms earlier statement that wealth is economic while happiness is social. It was however observed that in Myanmar that about 85% of the Burmese (Myanmar) people practice a form of Buddhism, which teaches that people happiness is attainable only by forsaking worldly desires (Blinkered Thinker, n. d. ). In this sense, materialism has become a contradiction of happiness. Zhang (2005) has argued that economics has failed to address this one fundamental issue until this very day. The author argued that â€Å"happiness† depends not so much on absolute wealth as relative wealth. There appears to be trade off actually between happiness and wealth as people would do more work for increase in wages but they will receive less leisure in return (Zhang, 2005). This could be easy to understand as wealth is material while happiness is social (Zhang, 2005), thus, thus the two need not go together. What is said by one person that he or she is happy does not necessarily mean what is really meant. Asking a person on whether he or she is happy may not necessarily give the correct answer as one could lie to hide guilt or deny the miserable feeling inside. In response to a study which tries to show a correlation between happiness and wealth (Wolfers, 2008), Arthur Engel, a blogger, who is a psychoanalyst from Brazil pointed out the difference between being happy and saying that one is happy. In admitting about the difficulty of measuring whether someone is happy or not, he criticized the method of asking respondent as not a good method to find out happiness. The blogger was saying that the respondent could always lie to cover up something and that there are just many factors that could influence the answers. The claim that a wealthier person is a happier, cannot therefore easily be accepted (Wolfers, 2008). The same blogger however posited that one who watches a documentary about poverty in Africa, or about rape victims, cancer hospitals, etc. may indeed find himself happier than those persons in Africa. The difficulty of measuring happiness is still there so what one feels for the seeming unfortunate people may not actually be felt by these people. But in realizing that if the suicide indices are used as measures, he agreed that â€Å"suicide is something almost exclusively committed by rich people. † (Wolfers, 2008) Another argument that would show the lack of relationship between poverty (or wealth) happiness (or lack of it) is the fact that lack of happiness could be a lot for both the rich and the poor. Another blogger to that economics of happiness reacted by quoting Herodotus who said, â€Å"Call no man happy until he is dead. † Expressing his disbelief of the analysis, because of bad methodology, vague terminology, too-eager conclusions, and failure to mention contradictory studies, which is believer to be many, the blogger was confirming the absence of relationship between wealth and happiness. This latter blogger however realized that the misery of having money worries which can seep into and poison every aspect of one’s life. She therefore admitted having enough money so that one does not have to worry, can really help but beyond that, she does not see any reason to believe, based on personal experience, that people with lots of money are that much happier than people with adequate money (Wolfers, 2008). On other point of view, it may be argued that wealthier people are happier people. Wolfers (2008) presented a paper that shows a correlation between happiness and wealth which was claimed to be the result of studies across countries in a number of periods. It could however be argued statistically that correlation is not the same causality. If applied to this case, there is no proof that happiness is causing people to become wealthy or that wealthier people are happier as result of better wealth. Moreover the responses were direct answers which may not really be reflective of the truth as respondents could always lie to hide some guilt. Since it is very hard to measure happiness, the result of the study could just not he held valid. It may be further argued that since everybody as a rule wants to be wealthy, should it not mean that happiness is desired as an effect? Everybody may just want to satisfy a need which cannot be misinterpreted as wanting to become wealthy but the result need not be happiness always. A human being is borne to have needs and that he or she has all the right to prepare for the future. There however is limit to what money can buy. It cannot buy a good sleep although it may be able to buy a good bed. I can buy amusement but it cannot buy happiness. It can be concluded that poverty and happiness belong to different realms. Although a correlation may be established between the two concepts, the relationship need not be causative as there other factors that must be considered including the manner in which happiness is measured. In certain cases, poverty may bring simplicity of attaining one’s satisfaction of one’s need and hence the struggle to have more is reduced and this could mean greater acceptability for events that are happening in one’s life. To have wealth is however not bad even in the absence of its necessary relation to happiness. Man is both material and social whereby he needs both material things and but at the end of the day, happiness appears to be ultimate desire of all people. If becoming wealthy or avoiding poverty is believed to be the means to attain happiness, the same should be respected as happiness is also personal and therefore a choice to be made. References: Blinkered Thinker (n. d) Poverty Equals Happiness? , {www document} URL, http://blinkeredthinker. com/2006/12/20/169/, Accessed May 2, 2008 Think Centre (2007) Suicide rate climbs despite good times (Insight Down South), {www document} URL http://www. thinkcentre. org/article. cfm?ArticleID=2877 , Accessed May 2, 2008 WHO (2008) Suicide Rates per 100, 000, {www document} URL http://www. who. int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suiciderates/en/, Accessed May 2, 2008 Wolfers (2008) The Economics of Happiness, Part 4: Are Rich People Happier than Poor People? , New York Times {www document} URL,http://freakonomics. blogs. nytimes. com/2008/04/22/the-economics-of-happiness-part-4-are-rich-people-happier-than-poor-people/, Accessed May 2, 2008 Xianhang Zhang (2005) Poverty and Happiness, {www document} URL, http://www. mail-archive. com/[emailprotected] gmu. edu/msg00806. html, Accessed May 2, 2008

Analysis of Mobile Enterprise Model Frame (SB Model)

Analysis of Mobile Enterprise Model Frame (SB Model) The first objective of this paper discusses the writers understanding of Scornavacca and Barnes (2008) mobile enterprise model frame (SB Model) and an illustration of its current usage and future implementation in the field of existing Patient management system. The second objective is to discuss the existing implementation of mobile usage in Learning of Life University (LLU) with respect mobile enterprise model of SB Model with regard to its virtual learning environment in the categories of General student administration, Teaching, learning and assessment and Assessment management and tracking. In this part the dimension and stages of mobile enterprise model will be discussed and also it relevance to the existing healthcare enterprise. Below is the figure suggested by SB model. Picture 1: Dimensions Stages of Mobile enterprise model (Scornavacca, Barnes 2008) First let use discuss what the terms Market, Process and Mobility mean in the above figure. Market: this describes how a particular feature makes customers of a company or product more attracted towards it which is also known as the value proposition. It may also consist of the experiences of business partners with respect to the product and services. Mobile Channel access it is at the lowest level which represents that mobility is largely being used in the enterprise for information. Mobile Service value it is at the middle level which represents that wireless network is being used at an intermediate level in specific areas to enhance mobility. Mobile Service creation it is at the highest level which represents that an organization is completely using wireless medium to create new service/products and improve it continuously. Process: it is the results after the processes and change adopted in the work configuration after moving to mobile application. Automation it refers to the improvement of efficiency in the current existing process after moving to mobile. Decision Support it is the knowledge gained from mobile solution which brings the effectiveness in any work process. Transformation it is the transformation of a process when moved to mobile. As the name suggests it is the organizational processes fundamental change when in mobile medium. Mobility: it describes the place independence for a job when moved to mobile which is enabled by wireless internet or a wireless solution which gives mobility to a job. Transient it is the first level where the employees move from one location to another and the basic support they get at the location they move to. Mobile it is the second level where the employees become more location independent for long period of time but still have to return back to a conventional fixed location to carry out certain functions. Remote it is the third and the highest level where an employee need not come to the conventional fixed location at all which provides complete mobility i.e., location independence. Let us discuss the dimensions and stages in the field of Health care related to Patient Appointment booking system (PABS). As far as now there is very less to nil usage of mobile technology in PABS. According to the writer of this report mobility in PABS can be represented in the mobile enterprise model as shown in Picture 2. Mobility: How independent are people/ patients to book an appointment with a doctor/GP through a mobile app using a wireless internet connection. Transient A system where patients can book a doctors appointment by visiting the hospital. Mobile A online system where patients can book a doctors appointment via conventional computer using an internet connection by sitting in a particular place. Remote A mobile system where a patient can book appointments irrespective of their current location and also pick a time as per their convenience based on the slot availability. Picture 2: PABS w.r.t SB model Process: How has the patient appointment booking system improved or how is the current situation. Automation If PABS is moved to mobile then patients save ample lot of time which they can invest on some other productive work. It also helps hospitals to hire staff particular for appointments or they can use the existing staff in other administration work. It saves time of both patient and hospital. Information A online PABS can be used by people to book appointments where in hospital can get information about the patient even before they arrive at the hospital. Transformation A mobile PABS is present where in people can book appointments whenever they want by being location independent and having an internet connection. The mobile system can also be transformed when the patient is able to postpone or cancel the booked appointment if needed and that gives out notification for the urgent patients who can mark themselves as urgent if they need such notifications and those newly created slots can be used on the basis of first come first serve or the notification might also be sent based on the criticality or the urgency level. Market: How patient appointment booking system increases the value of a hospital, by making it easy for patients to use a mobile system. This stage also shows how new features added to the mobile system would make patients more attracted towards using the application and getting themselves involved with their doctor/GP/hospital. Mobile channel access A mobile system which largely provides only information about the doctor/GP/Hospital without any other services. As it gives only information it is placed at the lowest level. Mobile Service value A mobile system which is present where in patients can book appointments through a mobile application. Mobile Service Creation A mobile system which can be used to book appointments and also many more operations as mentioned in the transformation stage of process dimensions. Below picture shows the transformation which can be made by the suggestions given in the illustration in PABS. Picture 3: SB Model when improved with given suggestions for PABS REFLECT ON CURRENT SITUATION Currently Learning of Life University (LLU) uses an electronic student record to keep track of all the new and continuing students and their details including their degree and modules, attendance record and academic performance i.e. results of the modules they study; which seems to be an old method when compared with the current technologies in the market. Coming to the teaching, learning and assessment part LLU provides notes and assessment online but it will still need the tutors and students to use a traditional computer which will acquire space and also people will need a particular device to use the resources. Now towards the asset management and tracking of university resources; LLU uses field staff to keep track of the device usage by seeing the usage logs of devices which is a very old method of doing when we have new softwares and sensor devices to do that such as logging software RFID sensors and many more whose data can be accessed by using a mobile device. Almost all the tasks done by university administration staff is very manual related to keeping track of student records, university assets such as computers, library books etc. So, as a consultant we can represent the current situation of LLU in SB Model as shown below for the above discussed 3 areas. Picture 4: LLUs Current situation with all three areas Why the company thinks that LLU lies in the above-mentioned area with considering all three areas of study is because all three areas do not have a mobile system where in the students, tutors, administrators or the field staff could do their work without being location independent. WHY MOVE TO MOBILE AND ITS IMPACTS As a consultant company, we would like to suggest LLU to use Cloud Computing (CC) which provides educators and learners to access resources form anywhere and at any time. The main advantage of this is that it is low cost for implementation and its infrastructure for LLU. The rapid changes in e-learning technologies are not being adopted by education institutions due to the infrastructure limitations which are being avoided due to the high cost to use multimedia content which also includes the institutions resources and a tutors skills in using a e-learning platform. So, as a consultant company we would like to tell you the advantages and future potential of moving to mobile e-learning platform which includes CC as well which is of low cost. Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets etc. can make great benefit of the resources available on cloud. And mobile devices enable the users to access resources such as notes, presentations, assessment guidelines, lectures, tutorials, information about seminars, lab sessions etc. anytime and anyplace. A mobile application will enable the users to access the resources, download it to their mobile device, which will access the cloud when required later, and it makes it easy for students and other staff of LLU as they can use technologies like WiFi or LTE or 3G. It is also to be noted that it would be a big transformation to LLU as well; as CC is a disruptive technology and it will impact education in a very positive manner when utilized. The most important positive impacts when moved to a mobile system with cloud are as follows (Veerabhadram Conradie, 2013). An application on cloud can be used by any number of mobile devices irrespective of the mobile service provider or phone. University can avoid the hassle of maintaining the servers and it will be easy for the LLU to scale the application as well and it could concentrate only on the development of a mobile system to access the cloud resources. Mobile devices may not have the space required on the device to keep all the resources required so CC can provide good functionality and also determine what data a device can access. Mobile devices can be lost or damaged or stolen, but having a cloud infrastructure data can be preserved, as the data is stored on cloud rather than a device or server. Some of the characteristics of cloud learning are as follows (Wang W.P. Ng, 2012). Universal accessibility As long as one has internet access via a mobile, tablet, PC, or even TV, Students can study. As all the data, applications, softwares run on servers in cloud it opens to new possibilities to provide low-cost terminal access to everyone. Collaborative interactions From continuous interactions with tutors and fellow students, students can build their knowledge as they can co-operate in cloud anywhere, anytime. Sharing and Storing Documents on cloud can be edited commonly via services like Google Docs, Dropbox, office Live, sky drive and share the same on a cloud server. And cloud also allows to store unlimited data in its storage. Learner Centred -ÂÂ   Students can select the resources they need from cloud and keep track of their progress as well as cloud is learner centric and individual learner needs are met. As a consultant company, we would like to give a 4 stage Cloud based learning model for LLU based on analysing the three areas of importance (Wang W.P. Ng, 2012). Learning stage How students learn has evolved from traditional class room to e-Learning to mobile Learning. With this evolution, intelligent learning systems have been developed to support many ways of learning such as e-Books, Audio Books, Video lessons etc. So, at the end of the day it is the choice of the student to pick the mode they want. And to store all these types of resources a smart cloud would be helpful. Communication or Interaction stage for a student to learn something, interaction is very important and it also is very important in mobile learning. It would require instructor and peer collaboration and guidance to stay on track. Cloud based system will also provide a forum where students can interact with their tutors and fellow students where they can share their learning, asking some FAQs and these questions and answers will be stored in a cloud database which can be easily searchable. Assessment Stage This is one of the important stage in a learning process. It ensures that a student has learnt the module and also its outcomes. In the old traditional class room learning; assessment can be done only via a test where as a mobile environment enables various means to assess the learning objectives and outcomes of a student with methods like report-writing, producing an artefact etc., through which a student can be assessed and be helped with their learning outcomes. Analysis Stage With the usual class room it will be impossible to analyse a students performance for tutors and recommend them with an appropriate learning materials or methods. A cloud based mobile class room can be used to get statistical analysis of learning outcomes and suggest appropriate learning materials and methods. An analysis of learning methods, styles, activities and behaviours can be done by the tutor to recommend an individual student a proper learning method. The next problem to solve would be for the administrators to do their jobs, by them being connected to the cloud database of students being enrolled to LLU the administrators need not stick to one place they can move around the entire campus with their mobile device to solve the queries of every student related to their university admissions and many more. The final problem is of asset management and tracking, as said already that the cloud can store unlimited data, so it will be easy to link LLUs assets to the cloud database and keep track of all the logs and usage statistics and also keep track which use uses which device the more or moreover which asset is more in demand. Now, lets discus how the recommended idea from the consultant company underpins the SB Model with respect to its dimensions and stages of mobility. Mobility As the recommended system is cloud and can be used in any device at any point of time and from any place without location dependence the recommended system would be in Remote stage. Process With the change to cloud tutors, students and administrators can use any device, from any place and at any time to carry out their daily task and it is a big transformation for all. Market With all the changes being made by moving to mobile by creating a new service with a great value a wireless device can be used by students to study, tutors to answer questions and administrators to do their job form anywhere, anytime, anyplace. RISKS AND ISSUES Many of the big business companies such as Google and Microsoft are offering free cloud services for educational institutions which gets rid of commercial risk. So, there wouldnt be any commercial risk but LLU has to maintain the cloud which comes with a price. Legal, social and ethical issue would be related to securing personal data of the users as it is cloud and security of data is one of the big concern. Strong user authentication system would be a solution for securing user data. Picture 5: Basic Structure of the recommended Cloud based structure(Erel, 2014) Picture 4 shows the Mobile computing architecture with variety of devices which can be used by anyone related to the university to access the university resources via any device of their choice. Providing a proxy for all the mobile devices one can use as shown in Picture 4 such as a laptop, smartphone, tablet is the main goal of the architecture proposed for mobile CC for LLU. Picture 6: Mobile CC Architecture(filipdevelter, 2015) (Cloud services, cloud computing, cloud solutions Mumbai, India, 2016) Picture 5 gives an overview of the architecture of the mobile CC platform and also clouds main features. We can say that the mobile CC consists of three main parts, mobile client i.e. the device we use to access the cloud data, middleware which is responsible to provide access to cloud based on device used and it is also responsible to give instant updates of services to mobile devices and the cloud services. Minimizing the limitations of present e-Learning in LLU by utilizing the proposed mobile CC system is the main focus, which utilizes all the advantages CC can offer. LLU can use the CC for education which provides all requirements to process and store data, all data needed by students is provided by the cloud, and mobile CC allows the user to use device of their own choice as shown in the picture below. Picture 7: Mobile Cloud Computing architecture for Education(Veerabhadram Conradie, 2013) LAYERS IN CLOUD LEARNING SYSTEM Information Infrastructure and teaching resources forms the infrastructure layer and it contains internet, software, hardware as shown in Picture 6. It is the lowest layer in the cloud system, CPU is present in this layer i.e. the server. New hosts can be added to enhance the system as the system is scalable and dynamic. Picture 7 depicts it clearly (Masud Huang, 2012). Picture 8: Proposed Infrastructure layer Software(s/w) layer consists of the operating system of the cloud system and the middleware. Numerous software resources can be integrated into the middleware to provide an interface for s/w developers to develop applications and embed them in cloud for users to use. Resource layer achieves the coupling of software and hardware. On-demand and s/w for various devices can be integrated by virtualization and CC. Service layer consists of 3 layers, SaaS (Software as a service), PaaS (Platform as a service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a service). SaaS is the best as it need not be maintained or upgraded, its just pay monthly. Application layer is where the teaching resources are integrated in cloud which also includes interactive courses. BENEFITS OF CLOUD ARCHITECTURE High Storage capacity Computing power High availability security Virtualisation Managing and delivering resources from Cloud is one of the most compelling paradigm over the internet. Utility computing has been turned into reality by the rise in CC. Current economic situation and increase in Educational resources have made universities to adopt CC and also there are proofs that the expenses are decreasing due to cloud solutions. References (2016) Cloud services, cloud computing, cloud solutions Mumbai, India [online] Available from: http://www.comprompt.co.in/services/cloud-services/. [Accessed: 4 December 2016]. EREL, O. (2014) Important concepts of cloud computing Middleware architecture [online] Available from: http://saasaddict.walkme.com/important-concepts-cloud-computing-middleware-architecture/. [Accessed: 4 December 2016]. FILIPDEVELTER (2015) Back-up maken [online] Available from: http://www.neonomen.be/2015/10/26/een-back-up-is-niet-genoeg/. [Accessed: 4 December 2016]. HAOLIANG, W. et al. (2010) The Application of ID Authentication Safety System in Campus Mobile Education. International Conference on Computer Application and System Modeling. 13. pp. 519-522. MASUD, A. HOSSAIN HUANG, X. (2012) An E-learning System Architecture based on Cloud Computing. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology. 6. ÃÆ'-STLUND, S., PANCHENKO, A. ENGEL, T. (2015) A study on ethical aspects and legal issues in e-learning. International Conference on e-Learning. pp. 280-286. SCORNAVACCA, E. BARNES, S. J. (2008) The strategic value of enterprise mobility: Case study insights. Information Knowledge Systems Management. 7. pp. 227-241. VEERABHADRAM, P. CONRADIE, P. (2013) Mobile Cloud Framework Architecture for Education Institutions. Science and Information Conference. pp. 924-927. WANG, M. W.P. NG, J. (2012) Intelligent Mobile Cloud Education. IEEE Eighth International Conference on Intelligent Environments. pp. 149-156.

Quality Healthcare Includes Empathy Essay examples -- Healthcare

Quality Healthcare Includes Empathy A man walks into an emergency room with an intense pain in his abdomen. He is hoping to find a doctor who knows how to treat him. The doctor enters his room and begins robotically palpating his abdomen, showing no hint of recognition for the pain he is in. The man begins to ask himself, â€Å"Does this doctor care that I am in extreme pain?† He then wonders, â€Å"If he doesn’t care that I am in pain, how motivated can he be to ease my pain?† This might seem like a silly question. If the physician didn’t care about healing people, why would he become a doctor? Modern technology has caused doctors to become complacent and emotionally detached from their patients. Doctors must be empathetic towards their patients in order to deliver quality healthcare despite the lack of time they have for their patients. The patient’s perception of the doctor in this situation is that he lacks empathy. Empathy can be described as the ability for one person to understand another’s feelings and thoughts. The role of empathy in healthcare is very important; more specifically, it is crucial for doctors to be able to effectively express empathy without compromising their primary objective, which is to diagnose and treat patients. While the science of medicine is primarily based on the function of the human body, it cannot be ignored that emotional health plays a vital role in a patient’s quality of life. Improving physical health will inevitably improve emotional health. The appropriate way to approach healing is with an understanding of this concept. In the article â€Å"Empathy in Medicine—A Neurobiological Perspective,† Dr. Helen Rice states: Empathetic physicians can obtain critical information and ins... ...tag=contentMain;contentBody Rice, H. (2010). Empathy in medicine--a neurobiological perspective. JAMA, 304(14), 1605. Retrieved from http://drscottwright.wikispaces.com/file/view/Empathy and Medicine - A Neurobiological Perspective.pdf Switankowsky, I. (2005). From detached concern to empathy: Humanizing medical practice. Humane Medicine Health Care, 5(2), Retrieved from http://www.humanehealthcare.com/Article.asp?art_id=834 Hardee, J. (2010, February 16). The role of empathy in healthcare. Retrieved from http://realbalance.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=143&Itemid=999 Torrey, T. (2011, September 13). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://patients.about.com/od/therightdoctorforyou/a/docpatientcomm.htm Wolfe, S., Carome, M., Barbehenn, E., & Sasich, L. [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.worstpills.org/public/page.cfm?op_id=3

Theme of Inequality in The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill Essa

In the essay, The Subjection on Women, the author John Stuart Mill describes his views on the inequality between men and women. He gives his opinion on why men have so much power over women and why this occurs. John Stuart Mill describes a principle and system that regulates the social relations between women and men. The principle Mill proposes is the legal subordination of one sex to the other. He is referring to the dominance that men have over women. In 1869, the Parliament in Europe gave little rights to women that created a tremendous gap between men and women. Men would be given the final say on what women could and could not do. The system that regulates the social relations between men and women was the system of inequality. Mill wrote that inequality was not forced on women, but was the way of life since the start of society. Mill argued that even though women voluntarily accepted male domination the majority of women were against it. The only way Mill said that women living in the mid-nineteenth century in Europe could get their opinions known was through written works. The main argument women were trying to make was to be as educated and given the same opportunities that me n received. Women wanted to obtain jobs in high positions; jobs that required men to listen to women and follow the orders that women gave to men. According to Mill, men wanted women to tend to their needs without forcing them. A wife who seemed to be forced to serve their husband ...

The Meansure of a Man (A Closer Look at Five Great Men) :: essays research papers

How does one determine the measure of a man? His accomplishments? His ancestry? His financial worth? Or do we look deep into the heart and soul of that man and determine the weight of his values, his dreams and what he has stood for in the grand scheme of things?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We will appraise the lives of six important figures in the shaping of our country. With this evaluation, we risk becoming critic and judge, but in an attempt to go beyond those things both tangible and measurable, perhaps we will be forgiven.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas Jefferson called him, â€Å"†¦a wise, a good and a great man.† Patrick Henry, when asked who he thought was the greatest man in Congress, replied, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ if you speak of solid information and sound judgment, Colonel Washington is the greatest man on that floor.† Despite his height and noble bearing, Washington was a quiet man who pondered long before decisions. Even with little schooling, he was an avid student of math and science. At a very early age, he was aware and respectful of decorum and manners. At 13, he copied the one hundred and ten â€Å"Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversations,† and lived by them. His mathematical and science skills coupled with attributes of respect, responsibility and strength secured him a position as a surveyor in Virginia at only sixteen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These same qualities, planted as deeply into his soul as the trees on his father’s farm, are what gave him the courage and perseverance to plunge headlong into a life filled with some of the greatest achievements in American history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At 20 years old, Washington was plodding through one thousand miles of snow, swimming ice-clogged rivers and dodging the bullets of angry Native Americans only to carry a warning message to an unwelcoming French commander in the Ohio River Valley. He was shot once, and walked one hundred miles when his horse got too weak to go on. But he finished the task laid before him. In this first mission, courage and perseverance were metals he earned to wear on his heart.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Two years later he commanded the British army in the French and Indian War. As Lieutenant Colonel of the Virginia forces, he captured twenty-one French and killed ten, loosing only one man in the process. In this, he added two metals, strength and wisdom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Military battles dominated Washington’s years, and the battles both won and lost created the warp and weft of the fabric of his life.

A Study in Sociology Essay

Suicide always fascinated academic researches for a long time however it is has been an area of study limited to the field of psychology. Sociology is a relatively new field of social sciences. It started looking into suicide, not just as a personal act, but as a social action which is not entirely divorced from social forces. This paper discusses pertinent studies on the phenomenon of suicide and seeks to present literatures concerning this act. Moreover, differing ideas and interpretations on suicide are presented to carefully elaborate different perspectives on the subject matter. A Study in Sociology Arguably the first person to connect suicide to the study of sociology is sociologist Emile Durkheim. He presented that although suicide is a personal choice of the individual, the act is not separated from the context of a society. He looked into pre-existing records and analyzed suicide trends in different societies. Based on these suicide trends, there are four classifications of suicide: 1) Egoistic; 2) Altruistic; 3) Anomic and; 4) Fatalistic. Social cohesion plays a vital role in Durkheim’s theories on suicide. Egoistic suicide occurs when a person has a relatively low degree of integration into a society. On the other hand, a high degree of integration into a society can also result in suicides that are meant for a higher cause within a society. He also argued that changes in social order and the individual’s perception towards social change would explain anomic suicides. The phenomenon of fatalism takes place in extreme social contexts, where a person would decide on killing himself rather than suffering dire social conditions (Durkheim, 1951). Self and Society From an object of study limited to psychology, suicide became a subject of sociology. Durkheim’s research proved that the traditional perspective that view the subject matter as a psychological behavior and entirely individualistic in nature is a constricted framework when looking into suicide. This implies that social structures, social forces as well as social conflicts and changes are intervening factors in a suicide phenomenon. C. Wright Mills (2000) supported that one cannot separate behaviors and actions of an individual from the larger social context. He wrote that â€Å"the personal troubles of the milieu are connected to the public issues of social structure. † The individual committing suicide must therefore be located in his social as well as historical contexts. Current Trends on Suicide Studies After Mills and Durkheim laid the foundations of suicide as a sociological subject, numerous studies concerning suicide have been conducted in both psychology and sociology. Currently, suicide studies are interconnected with other factors such as gender, poverty, small arms, mental disorders and even medicine. It is now linked to modernity (Baudelot and Establet, 2008), attitudes and experiences of oncology patients (Emanuel, Fairclough, Daniels & Clarridge, 1996), a demographic-specific trend such as adolescents (Brent, et. al. , 1988), cultural forces (West, 2005), economic conditions (Ruhm, 2000), as well as access to weapons (Brent, et. al. 1991). Suicide and Modernity Baudelot and Establet (2008) worked with Durkheim’s premises in their study of suicide. They stated that â€Å"The link between suicide, affluence and individualism is more complex—suicide rates do reflect broad social trends but they are also influenced by the structural position and lived experience of small social groups. The notion of social well-being is demonstrated to be a key factor in changes in suicide rates. † While sociology itself cannot accurately predict a suicide case, the collective gathering of these cases provides a fertile ground for sociological interpretations. Modernity is a historical as well as social era where social changes occur and these cases of suicide are descriptive of their milieu. Suicide, seen as such in the context of modernity, is a social fact. It describes the changes that occurred during the time of modernity. Societies that are rigid in its goals during the time of modernity are those that adamantly pursued modernization. It is in this context that suicide rates are known to be higher in the Communist Bloc, China and India (Baudelot and Establet, 2008). Economics and Suicide While both affluent and starving groups of individuals commit suicide, the role of economics cannot be downplayed in the study of suicide. On the macro-economic level, the period of modernity prominently features suicide trends in a time where economies were vibrant and booming. On the other hand, a stagnating economy, such as in a recession, also has an effect on suicide. Ruhm (2000) argues that â€Å"unemployment is negatively correlated to mortality and that unemployment is positively correlated to suicide. † In Japan, suicide is seen in a cultural context. Since individuals in the Japanese society are strongly connected to their social, political and cultural spheres, there is tendency for the push and pull of altruistic-egoistic suicide to occur. This is seen when the rule of law in Japanese society permeates the personal sphere such that debts and divorces are major factors affecting suicide (West, 2005). Suicide and Norms Sociology also attempted to explain suicide in a broader sense—by zooming out of the individual and focusing on social factors that affect the phenomenon. Psychology argues that those committing suicide are psychologically ill or that the individuals committing them are inept in their coping mechanisms. While suicide might seem irrational, there are rational premises that are least likely explored. Societies that are relatively more tolerant of suicide, as well as the individual’s cognitive ability to rationalize the act are also extraordinary factors contributing to suicide trends. Rendering rational suicide normative in a society creates the positive feedback mechanism necessary for a rational suicide to occur. This type of suicide is also surprisingly limited to a specific demographic, namely the educated and successful. Rationality of Suicide One of the fundamental question relating suicide and society lies in the rationality of the act. Is the act ‘rational’ based only on the perceptions and actions of the individual, thereby rendering the act an exclusive study within psychology? Or is this rationality of the act itself being defined not only in terms of the individual’s values but a rationality that is predetermined by the values and norms of a society? Although there are many reasons for suicide, there are factors that least likely determine suicidal trends, but are potent social forces (i. e. education, family, religion) that must be considered. Suicide occurs for a number of reasons such as depression, substance abuse, shame, avoiding pain, financial difficulties or other undesirable fates. † Defying the commonplace definition is the concept of rational suicide. Rational suicide is â€Å"ending one’s life out of a conviction that one has lived long enough, that the likely future holds more pain than joy† (Lerner, 2004). Surprisingly, rationality of a suicide act Keown (1995) showed that there is prime value placed on the moral intention behind the act of death itself. This applies not just in euthanasia but also in rational suicide. What are the intentions behind the suicide? Is the decision independent of life’s problems that can be solved? Is it free from outside pressure from a belief system, mores or culture itself? This is the litmus test of the rationality or irrationality of suicides. Sociological and psychological studies attempted to look into the duality of forces working on suicides—individual and social. It is arguably psycho-social factors that are deterministic of the suicide trends across societies. Social institutions, many sociological studies posit, are playing a huge role in the nature and type of suicides in a given society. Stack and Kposowa (2008) concludes that: â€Å"National suicide rates are predictive of individual-level suicide acceptability. However, the main predictors of suicide acceptability included a measure from social learning theory, religiosity, and a neglected measure of control theory, life satisfaction. † While the act of committing suicide is a very individualistic act, there are factors to be considered that are social forces with repercussions and influences on individual action. The act of suicide presents how the personal milieu is linked to the larger issues within the social institutions. References: Baudelot C. and Establet R. (2008) Suicide: The Hidden Side of Modernity. John Wiley Publications. Brent, D. A. , Perper, J. A. , Goldstein, C. E. , Kolko, D. J. , Allan, M. J. , Allman, C. J. , and Zelenak, J. P. (1988) Risk factors for adolescent suicide. A comparison of adolescent suicide victims with suicidal inpatients. Archives of General Psychiatry. Vol. 45, No. 6, June 1988.