Oceans and Atmosphere Worksheet Essay - 1298 Words

Associate Level Material Oceans and Atmosphere Worksheet Using the assigned readings for Week Six, prepare a 50- to 75-word response to each of the following questions. The Oceans 1. What is the composition of seawater? The salinity of seawater ranges from 3.3 to 3.7%. When seawater evaporates it leaves behind sodium chloride, better known as table salt. The other components of seawater are acquired through various methods. One of which is weathering. Chemical weathering of rock releases soluble such as salts of sodium, potassium, and sulfur. 2. What are the three major layers (zones) found in the ocean? Describe each layer briefly. The three layers of the ocean are the surface layer, the thermocline, and the deep zone. The†¦show more content†¦The additions come from the melting of stored water that come in the form of glaciers and ice caps during times of global warming. Subtraction comes from the removal of water to land based frozen forms during times of global cooling. 6. What causes ocean tides? Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun. The moon being closer has a greater effect on tides. Water on the side of Earth closest to the moon bulges toward the moon. There is also a bulge away from the moon on the opposite side of the Earth. 7. What is the relationship between plate tectonics and the ocean floor—seafloor spreading, for example? 8. What are different ways that earth materials are moved around in the oceans? Surf is a powerful force. It causes erosion and moves sediment from one location to another. Currents are another manner in which materials are transported through the ocean system. There is a longshore current and a beach drift responsible for disturbing and transporting materials. 9. What are the different types of shorelines? Describe each type briefly. There is a rocky coast, lowland beach and barrier island, as well as coral reef. A rocky coast describes the most common type of costal area. This is where there are vertical wave cut cliffs and horizontal bench cut cliffs. The erosion undermines the cliffs and sends the resulting debris into the ocean forming rough outcroppings. Beaches are not only the sandShow MoreRelatedEarths Dynammic Ocean and Atmosphere785 Words   |  4 PagesUniversity of Phoenix Material Earth’s Dynamic Ocean and Atmosphere I Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 Sections 12.1 and 12.2 of the text discuss the origin and composition of the world ocean’s seawater. What is the current theory on the evolution of the world ocean? Discuss the origin of the salinity of seawater and how the ocean maintains salinity. A: The current theoryRead More5-Day Lesson Plan1065 Words   |  5 Pages 2011 Grade 7 Room 5 Oceans What is the origin of the ocean? What is an ocean/sea? What are the characteristics of the ocean? MEAP BENCHMARKS: I.1.MS.5, II.1MS.1, II.1.MS.2, V.1.MS.1 DISTRICT OUTCOMES: DPS Pacing Chart LESSON OBJECTIVE: SWBAT – 1. Understand and critique the theories on the origin of the ocean. 2. Utilize world map to identify the seven continents and five oceans. 3. Label and match oceans to the connecting/corresponding continent. 4.Read MoreNotes On Blue Terms 1571 Words   |  7 Pagesradiation, whereas a low reflection then reflects less. Snow and ice, both have a high albedo as they both reflect high proportions other Sun’s radiation. A couple examples of a substance having a low albedo would be vegetation (grass or trees) and oceans. Though the albedo of soils and earth does vary as factor such as cloud cover, snow, ice, leaf cover, and land use affect how much radiation a surface can reflect from the Sun. Electromagnetic RadiationïÆ'   Electromagnetic energy that comes from a sourceRead MoreEffects on Motion and Plate Techtonics Essay examples776 Words   |  4 PagesUniversity of Phoenix Material Effects of the Motions of Tectonic Plates Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 This diagram was similar to one Alfred Wegener drew to show the distribution of continents 300 million years ago. His theory of continental drift was met with skepticism in the scientific community. 1. Describe three forms of evidence Wegener usedRead MoreEssay about Weather and the Changing of the Seasons1484 Words   |  6 Pagesto: Name and spell all four seasons Identify each of the four seasons and list their characteristics Illustrate how trees are affected by each of the seasons Discuss why and how weather changes everyday D) Materials Required: Four Seasons Worksheet (Found at www.education.com) Crayons, Markers, or Color Pencils E) Procedure: Facilitate a discussion in which students discuss what they already know about the seasons. Approximate time: 3 minutes Establish why weather changes. Approximate time:Read MoreThe Ocean Of The Sky1023 Words   |  5 Pagesfind. They see blue; the ocean reflecting with immense entirety onto the atmosphere. Most see much, much more than that, and I know this because for the larger half of my life I was a part of this creative, insightful majority. But then the tiny, insignificant half of my life suddenly began on one random day. On that day, when gazing into the day sky, I could see nothing. Nothing at all. Not the fantastically shaped clouds. Not the enormous light of the sun. Not the ocean in the sky. I saw in theRead MoreEl Nino Essay688 Words   |  3 PagesEl Nià ±o and La Nià ±a Worksheet After exploring the websites, you will have enough information to answer the following questions. There are 19 true/false questions and 1 short answer question that need to be answered. Submit your work to your instructor and then complete the El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a Quiz. The information below explains how to answer the questions. * If the statement is True, answer True for full credit. * If the statement is False, answer False for half credit andRead MoreSoil Essay728 Words   |  3 Pages University of Phoenix Material Soil and Glaciers Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 Size grades of soil are named sand, silt, and clay, which includes colloids. Size grades are defined using the metric system. Use Figure 4.8 from the textbook to fill in the following chart. Specify the type and size and description of the particle. In some cases, particle size will beRead MoreEarth Essay900 Words   |  4 Pages------------------------------------------------- University of Phoenix Material Earth and Earth Materials I Worksheet From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 Complete the WileyPLUS ® GeoDiscoveries Earth Drag and Drop from Chapter 1. Label and describe each letter in the space below. A B C D E F G H A. Ocean | B. Continental crust | C. Oceanic crust | D. Solid inner coreRead MoreBiosphere Worksheet Essay936 Words   |  4 PagesUniversity of Phoenix Material Biosphere Worksheet Section A: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 1. Define biosphere. Describe the part of the biosphere where humans can survive. Biosphere can be described as our whole earth and all living entities that dwell in it. 2. Based on this week’s required readings, what are the main causes of threats to the biosphere? The main causes of threats to the biosphere revolve around all the no sustainable practices that directly

Tips For A Online Casino - 1747 Words

Blog 10 – Quickspin helps improve JoyCasino player rewards setup Every online casino player should count their blessings, as there has never been a better time to be alive should you love to gamble. The reason why this is the case is clear to see, as never before in history has there been as much choice available. Throughout Europe there are now 100s of different online casino providers at hand, as the industry has boomed since the turn of the decade. While the degree of improvement within the industry is evident, one element seems to have sadly lagged behind. Player rewards at most online casinos just haven’t kept the pace, with this now becoming a key online casino portal issue. Thankfully, for players throughout Europe JoyCasino are†¦show more content†¦As critics brand the bonus concepts of today somewhat dated, JoyCasino has taken it upon themselves to introduce a selection of tailored bonus options. Through the aforementioned agreement with Quickspin, it is overhauling the approach taken to address online casino promotions an d rewards. Under the new initiative, JoyCasino is set to diversify the degree of betting options found with new titles. Six new options will be introduced, including increased wager size tweaks. From there, players can then see promotions and bonuses related to what they play, how they play, and when they play. Fresh Approach The fresh approach to bonus promotions is being introduced alongside a brand-new in-game bonus concept. This new idea will appear in Quickspin titles such as Second Strike, Crystal Queen, Hidden Valley, and Illuminous, which will see a brand new free spins bonus round format used. Soon to become a favourite of JoyCasino members for sure, what this new feature allows for us an increasingly free flowing game experience. Under the new approach, the number of free spins made available will become operator dependent, allowing for increased player rewards. Eyes on the Future These days’ any and all players want to be rewarded for their online casino efforts not just through cash, but through playing incentives as well.

Food can be significant in people’s lives Free Essays

Food can be significant in people’s lives’ for many different reasons – comparison of texts from food anthology. Titus Andronicus and Grandpa’s Soup By samiyarahman Both Titus Andronicus and Grandpa’s soup serve the purpose of entertaining the reader in Juxtaposing ways. Titus Andronicus is illustrative of the alarming horror that certain types of cooking and food reinforce, whereas Grandpa’s soup is representative of the warmth and affection that certain types of food and cooking can bring. We will write a custom essay sample on Food can be significant in people’s lives or any similar topic only for you Order Now Themes portrayed in these texts such as death, mortality, celebration, esperation, love and hate are looked at from completely different angles through the literary techniques displayed by both writers, which will be analyzed and discussed in this essay. First of all, the celebratory atmosphere created in both texts highlight the horror/ happiness. For example, in Titus Andronicus, ingredients of human flesh and bones are mixed to produce delightful dishes. Literally, this is gruesome and chaotic but for the characters cooking these dishes it connotes a sense of victory over defeating their enemies and ridiculing them, which they then celebrate. Similarly, in Grandpa’s Soup the ingredients are given a voice to, making them almost onomatopoeic for example, ‘hoch’, ‘loch’ and ‘och’. The rhythmic tone signifies togetherness and similarity between the words indicative of the togetherness and strong relationship the character has with her Grandpa. The repetition of these ingredients throughout the poem adds emphasis to this idea, it seems as if it was pouring out of her mind – this is also reflected through the character’s voice because it doesn’t seem to be limited to a form, the poem sprawls and is shaped by the speech, which reflects the Joy and elebration in the poem. Death and mortality are also common themes in these poems presented to us in two completely different ways. Ruthless cannibalism in Titus Andronicus versus natural death in Grandpa’s Soup: Titus very easily and by giving clear instructions orders on how to kill Chiron and Demetrius. This implies that if he so effortlessly does this he is not at all moved or disturbed by it and that it is completely normal to him. The silence and reaction of others around him show that they are also unaffected by it, which forces out an extremely shocking response from the reader. In contrast, Grandpa’s Soup signifies that Grandpa’s cooking provides her with genuine pleasure not Just contentment or satisfaction but something greater therefore she goes onto talk about her fear of losing him, which overcasts a melancholic shadow over the whole poem. The writer understands that death is a natural process that she cannot stop but she goes on to say how it will affect her living life as she will be emotionally torn apart and carry the burden of pain throughout with the absence of her Grandpa and his remedial soup. There is evidence of figurative language that is very effective in outlining and omprehending the character’s point of view in Grandpa’s Soup for example the simile ‘like a rich island in the middle of the soup sea’. The hyperbole assists in getting her ideas across. Describing the soup as a sea represents the depth of the character’s feelings associated with the soup, and her Grandpa. This is reinforced by the yearning that is evident through her language, for example ‘he knows I will grow and pine for it. I will fall ill and desperately need it’ this could be seen as deep emotive language that shows her desperation and strong will to hold onto her Grandpa forever and the fact that she draws from the semantic field of health shows that the soup is so important to her it’s like a cure or a medicine for all her illnesses. The desperate people that have no peace in Titus Andronicus are reflective of the fast pace of the poem and how quickly events unfold throughout the poem leaving the reader with no time to digest it. The Juxtaposition is evident in, Whereof their mother daintily hath fed, Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred’ shows that she has done such a catastrophic deed but in a way that is not imaginable and omething she herself was unaware about. The adverb ‘daintily screams out the disgust. This technique achieves maximum impact because soft words are used to convey a very powerful, strong meaning completely alarming the reader because it is such an unnatural, unusual situation. Also, the conversational and chatty lexis rather than it makes as if all the gruesomeness is very common and there is nothing to be shocked about. Both writers use iambic pentameter giving the texts life and a certain personality. For example in Titus Andronicus the iambic pentameter assists in building tension, uspense and the stress. Furthermore, in Grandpa’s Soup it would be appropriate to say it sounds like a heartbeat when read aloud illustrating the love and affection that resides in the poem. The role of women in Titus Andronicus seems very minor. Rape is the stigma attached to Lavinia therefore it is believed that her life is no longer valuable or even useful which is why she is subject to death after she gets Justice. Titus uses the killing of Chiron and Demetrius as a Justification for killing Lavinia. Additionally, Tamora Just follows instructions even though she is the empress but has no real oice. On the other hand, in Grandpa’s Soup, the whole poem is a female narrator expressing her feelings and having the most important place in the poem. In conclusion, it can be said that the themes of these texts are highly comparable because both texts possess the same themes, which are given a completely different light in each one. Titus Andronicus is accurately representative of its genre: a revenge tragedy and Grandpa’s Soup gets across the idea that food can form and trigger memories that last a lifetime and the nostalgia allows us to reconnect with omeone that may be gone but still alive in our thoughts. Titus Andronicus sticks closely to its fictional identity however Grandpa’s Soup allows the reader to bring to lite real teelings that are relatable to a wide audience. On the contrary, it can be argued that even though we can closely relate to Grandpa’s Soup rather than Titus Andronicus, the concentration of the themes in Titus Andronicus allows us to understand the real meanings of those more in it rather than in Grandpa’s Soup. When analyzing the texts it is important to consider the purposes of the texts and oth texts fulfill their purpose to entertain to a large extent. The various techniques such as fgurative language, word choices, form, structure and sound patterning are used by Shakespeare and Kay to get across certain attitudes and values have been extremely successful in doing so. Additionally, the backgrounds of the writers and the eras they were writing in seem to have largely influenced these poems. For example Kay may be giving a personal account of her experiences giving it a timeless quality whereas Shakespeare’s motivation may have been what sold or was popular at the time to spectators. How to cite Food can be significant in people’s lives, Essays

Market Strategy Of Pinatex In New Zealand †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Market Strategy Of Pinatex In New Zealand. Answer: Slide One It is the title slide. Slide 1 consists of the details of the student and it introduces the topic of the assignment. The topic of the assignment is Pinatex, a textile fabric that is extracted from the by-product of the pineapple fruit. The product is doing the business globally. Slide Two This slide consists of the topics that are to be discussed in the presentation. The topic includes the market strategy of the product. It includes the competitive strategy, the entry strategy, the pricing strategy, the development strategy, the distribution strategy and the promotional strategy (Ananas-anam.com/pinatex, 2017). Slide Three This slide consists of the reasons of choosing New Zealand as the proposed country for the analysis of the marketing strategies of the product. Pinatex is a unique fabric made out of the by-product of the pineapple fruit. It is as good as leather. New Zealand has been chosen for this because this product is not yet launched in the market of New Zealand. Therefore, there is huge scope for Pinatex no such competitor has come up with something like this (Gullingsrud, 2017). Slide Four This slide consists of the market selection and entry strategy. The import of the product is the first and foremost entry strategy. The products should be made available in almost all the commercial market of New Zealand. All types of garments should be made out of this fabric, which can attract all types of customers (Heredia, 2015). Slide Five Slide 5 contains the competitive strategy of the product. The biggest competition of pinatex is Quantum cat designs (Payne, Brough Musk, 2016). Leather is a costly product and now has become a luxury ((Hijosa, 2015). To increase the revenue pinatex needs to maintain the price and the quality of the products and the variety of the same compared to the leather. It should made the quality better than the Quantum cat designs to make a mark in the market of New Zealand. (Kinnunen, 2017). Slide Six This slide contains the details regarding the pricing strategy. The price of the product should be kept initially low and it can be increased once the maximum people like the product and after it becomes popular in the market. The range should be such that people from all background can afford the product (OCass, Ngo Heirati, 2012). The budget pricing strategy and the luxury pricing strategy should be maintained differently. Slide Seven This slide contains the distribution strategy. The product should be distributed evenly in the global market. There should not be shortage of product in the market as it can create a negative impact in the market. There should not be product shortage in the market. The distribution should be checked properly. Slide Eight This slide contains the promotional strategies. There should be effective promotional strategies. Proper advertisements of the product should be done which will include advertisements in the newspapers and hoardings. The arrangement of special campaign should be made aiming at the delivery of product knowledge to the customers (Scerbaka Ulme, 2016). Slide Nine Finally, it can be concluded by stating that the application of the mentioned strategies will increase the revenue of the Pinatex in the market of New Zealand. It gives a new angle to the global market. The above-mentioned strategies are essential for the profit of any company especially in some new place or new country. Pinatex has not yet made a place in New Zealand. The application of the strategies might make it a popular textile fabric in any country. Refernces Ananas-anam.com/pinatex/ (2017).Introducing Piatex - ananas anam. [online] ananas anam. Available at: https://www.ananas-anam.com/pinatex/ [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017]. Gullingsrud, A. (2017).Fashion Fibers: Designing for Sustainability. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. Heredia, G. H. (2015). Implementation of sustainable technology into footwear. Hijosa, C. (2015).Piatex, the design development of a new sustainable material(Doctoral dissertation, Royal College of Art). Kinnunen, S. (2017). All-Cellulose Shoe: Novel Wood-Based Materials in Footwear. OCass, A., Ngo, L. V., Heirati, N. (2012). Examining market entry mode strategies via resource-based and institutional influences: Empirical evidence from a region-within-country economy context.Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ),20(3), 224-233. Payne, A., Brough, D., Musk, P. (2016). Will we soon be growing our own vegan leather at home?.The Conversation. Scerbaka, A., Ulme, A. (2016). Natural and modern innovative materials in the clothing industry.Rigas Tehniskas Universitates Zinatniskie Raksti,11, 18.

Leo Essays (401 words) - , Term Papers, Research Papers

Leo Proud and intensely individual, I really want to stand out, to be the very best I can be, and to be recognized and appreciated for my unique contributions. Doing something well and being respected for it is extremeluy important to me and I cannot tolerate being in the background, taking orders from otheres, or being "jsut one of the team". I must put my personal stamp on whatever I do, and direct my own course in life. I need to have a place where I can shine, express myself creativelym, and be the one in charge. I have big drezms and determination, spirit, vitality, and enthusiam to bring them into being. I also have a noble romantic heart, and a love of the dramatic, colorful, and wxtravagant. For me it is true that "all the world's a stage" and I secretely ( or perhaps not so secretely) desire to be the Star or Hero in the play. I want to be great and to receive the lkove and applause of an adoring audience evein if the "audience" is just one other special person. I need someone to believe in me and my dreams. Though I appear radiantly self-confident and independent, I am actually very much depenbdent on the affirmation, love. and recognition of others. I cannot bear the thought of being unnoticed or unappreciated. I also love wholeheartedly and genrerously and really know how to make the person I love feel special. I love the magin of "being in love" and know how to keep the romance alive in the relationship. I am also immensely loyal and will defend my loved ones and stand by them to the end-as kibg as they never offent my pride or betray my trust. HowevermI like to be the strong one in a relationship and I really do not share the leading role very easily. Ideally, I need to find a person who is as strong-willed as myself, but who will not tryt to dominate or compete with me. My strengths are my zest and love for life, my creative power, and my warm and generous heart. My primary fault is my tendency to be very egocentric, so concerned with the impression I am making and with my own creative self-expression that I forget there is another, larger world that down not revolve around me. Bibliography: Fox, Kellie.

Free Essays on Discussion Essay

Discussion Essay In this essay, I will discuss Neil Postman’s essay â€Å"Future Shlock† and I will explore whether or not I believe the Internet is another technological advance with which we are trivializing culture or whether or not the Internet is reversing the tide of show business news with serious public discussion. I will start off by discussing Postman’s essay: â€Å"Future Shlock†. He begins by talking about the fragility of human intelligence and how easy it is to suppress. Postman goes on to discuss how Germany was considered the most intelligent country in the world in the 1920s. Germany then went on to â€Å"transform into a cesspool of barbaric irrationality† and many of its most intelligent inhabitants were forced to flee the country. Postman offers this example of the fragility of human intelligence only because it is very closely related to the United States today. Although he believes that American scholars will never be forced to flee, he goes on to say, â€Å"A culture does not have to force scholars to flee to render them impotent†. (Mercury Reader, 41) In this essay Postman offers two movies that he believes embody the main lines of his argument: The Gods Must be Crazy and The Producers. In The Gods Must be Crazy, an empty Coca-Cola bottle is tossed from the window of a small plane passing overhead. The bottle lands in a tribal village in Africa. The people begin to love the bottle more than they love themselves, and are saved only when the leader of the tribe, convinced that the gods must be crazy, returns the bottle to the gods by throwing it off the top of a mountain. The Producers is a movie that is about a producer that wants his play to be a huge disaster so he will make a huge profit off of the people that invested in the play. The plan backfires when the play is a huge success and the producer ends up in jail. â€Å"Although the film was made years before a movie actor became President of t... Free Essays on Discussion Essay Free Essays on Discussion Essay Discussion Essay In this essay, I will discuss Neil Postman’s essay â€Å"Future Shlock† and I will explore whether or not I believe the Internet is another technological advance with which we are trivializing culture or whether or not the Internet is reversing the tide of show business news with serious public discussion. I will start off by discussing Postman’s essay: â€Å"Future Shlock†. He begins by talking about the fragility of human intelligence and how easy it is to suppress. Postman goes on to discuss how Germany was considered the most intelligent country in the world in the 1920s. Germany then went on to â€Å"transform into a cesspool of barbaric irrationality† and many of its most intelligent inhabitants were forced to flee the country. Postman offers this example of the fragility of human intelligence only because it is very closely related to the United States today. Although he believes that American scholars will never be forced to flee, he goes on to say, â€Å"A culture does not have to force scholars to flee to render them impotent†. (Mercury Reader, 41) In this essay Postman offers two movies that he believes embody the main lines of his argument: The Gods Must be Crazy and The Producers. In The Gods Must be Crazy, an empty Coca-Cola bottle is tossed from the window of a small plane passing overhead. The bottle lands in a tribal village in Africa. The people begin to love the bottle more than they love themselves, and are saved only when the leader of the tribe, convinced that the gods must be crazy, returns the bottle to the gods by throwing it off the top of a mountain. The Producers is a movie that is about a producer that wants his play to be a huge disaster so he will make a huge profit off of the people that invested in the play. The plan backfires when the play is a huge success and the producer ends up in jail. â€Å"Although the film was made years before a movie actor became President of t...

Theimpactsofpopulationgrowthonfoodconsumption Essay

Theimpactsofpopulationgrowthonfoodconsumption - Essay Example Population and Consumption, n.d.). Fundamentally, fertile land and water are the basic essential resources required to produce food; evidently, both these resources are limited on the planet. Growing population bring along growing demands and requirements of people, thereby these resources are under constant pressure. Growing population is not only responsible for putting up a challenge to fulfil the requirements of people but is also challenging to the economic development and environment of the planet. As a result, farmers are expected to produce more food in their limited land and water resources. Thus, population growth as well as pattern of utilization of resources directly influences the environmental changes resulting in loss of biodiversity, pollution, global warming, depletion of ozone layer, deforestation and a serious impact on numerous forest, aquatic and land ecosystems. Thus, growth of human population is modifying nature which in turn brings catastrophic consequences (Web. Population Growth and Consump tion, n.d.). Further than meeting the challenging market demands, global food production is associated with numerous fundamental objectives encompassing societies together with reducing poverty and malnutrition, enhanced accessibility to a healthy diet as well as better allocation and management of fresh water resources, amplification in the use of renewable energy resources, climate protection along with biological diversity and protection of ecosystems. Evidently, an insight into the future perspectives of food and agriculture sector is a major concern of the society as well as the policy makers. To all intents and purposes, capturing the intricate connections between food production and cognitive development adequately, integrated scientific representation based appraisals and evaluations are needed. With the escalating growth of human population it is evident that over the next decade the food demand

Facebook and Privacy Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Facebook and Privacy Issues - Essay Example While social networking has its advantages, it is also important to note that, there are drawbacks related to the use of social media platforms. This is because, social networking involves sharing of information between two or more people, and in some occasions, the information shared can reach wrong hands. This in essence, creates problems concerning privacy issues since users may want some of the information they share through the social media to remain private. In this regard, a leading social media site like Facebook is embattling problems related to privacy issues for its users. This paper examines privacy issues as one of the drawbacks for Facebook considered the leading social media platform globally.Prior to the advent of digital communications, sharing of information between persons or institutions in the society was rather cumbersome. This is because in order to interact with other people, this had to be done physically and involved moving from one point to another point. I n addition, dissemination of information was slow and mails had to be delivered physically to their destinations. The only means of a quicker communication network in the 19th and early 20th century was through the telephone or telegram. But these communication tools were the preserve of those with higher social standing. The rest of the society was left to rely on one-on-one communication or postal mails. While it was slow to interact with other people or disseminate information in this era, issues related to privacy were not a concern for people.

The 4 functions of management within the Department of Defense Assignment

The 4 functions of management within the Department of Defense - Assignment Example The three steps of planning involves setting out the goals which the organization plans to achieve , creating a plan for achieving these goals .Once the plan has been made the last function of planning is to decide how the limited resources need to be allocated in order to achieve the plan. (Richard L. Daft, 2010) The DoD is very complex in the terms of organizational structure. The planning for DoD is done at the top level of the country. The President along with the secretary of defense and the national security council determines the security needs of the country or in other word we can say that they set the goals which are to be achieved by DoD. Once the goals have to be set the plan for the execution of these goals is made by the commander in chief in consultation with senior military and intelligence officials. The allocation of resources in DoD is done by the U.S congress which controls the budget for the various plans. Various committees of both the houses examine the goals w hich have to be achieved and allocate the resources accordingly. Organizing Organizing means creating working relationships between the members of the organization to facilitate better working conditions which leads to achievement of goals. An organization structure is the outcome of this organizing activity. (Flamholtz, 1996) The structures are made to breakdown the goals into different components and assign it to individuals who can complete them. The organizational structure of the DoD is shown in the figure below – Apart from this broad level organizational structure presented above there are various agencies and departments which function under the defense secretary. (Kinnard, 1980) Leading Leading is very vital part in management. The leader determines direction, in which the employees have to move, helps them understand the roles that have to be played by them and motivates them to achieve their goals. Leader uses his power, influence and vision in order to motivate hi s employees and make them dedicated in achieving the goals that have been set. The goals made in the planning stage will never be realized without proper leaders. In DoD the functions of leader are performed by various persons. Leading is done at the top by the president who tries to motivate the nation and the whole department of defense on the general level as to why a particular war is necessary. He along with the joint chief of staff’s can motivate the soldiers only on a very broad level; the various officers who are in charge of the field units have to perform the function of leading at the ground level. They have to motivate the soldiers in their command to achieve the goals. Leading is the most complex function in DoD as it is entirely different from corporate leadership. Leadership in DoD means motivating your employees to even lay down their lives for the nation. That is why officers are trained thoroughly in order to inculcate leadership values in them. These values are very essential to win wars and to achieve the overall goals of the DoD. Controlling Controlling means evaluation. This evaluation may be mid-term or after a particular time period has elapsed. Controlling defines how well the organization is doing, how far it is from achieving the goals which have been set; any changes in the goals or resources needed to achieve the goals. Sometimes even the goals might be changed midway if they are considered to be too easy to achieve or very

The Importance Of Internet And Communication Media Essay

The Importance Of Internet And Communication Media Essay The essay states the importance of internet, communication, virtual way of life and peculiarities of the modern world. The Internet opens large opportunities for work, leisure, communication, and sharing diverse information. Internet has changed the world and society consistently because the creation of internet and its growing popularity contributed to the consistent change in the life of people. They have opened the new, virtual world and a new effective means of communication- internet which have started to replace the traditional means of communication, to the extent that online communication has started to replace the live, real, physical communication between people. As well, essay shows to the audience the advantages and disadvantages of such way of life, the opportunities and interest in everything new. Today, staying online for the majority of people, who have computers at home, means more than staying offline. In actuality, people are relying too much on internet and on th e virtual way of life. Such a change has occurred under the impact of internet and innovation it brought into the life of people and their social relationships. The essay also states, that Internet era has changed the perception of having rest or relaxation for many people, as the unknown world of virtual reality seems to have something special. People tend to use internet as the means to escape from reality, from problems they have in the real life. Running from reality has become one of the most simplest ways to avoid problems, to postpone them, to try to forget and to involve in something that brings joy and happiness. The essay context is aimed to show the trends of the society, of the business and of the future. The essay also described that people prefer share their problems with strangers in their blog, as this way they are unknown in the internet and this fact helps people to communicate, inventing new ways of solving problems, communication and also fun. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦blo gs help people to talk to someone, without revelation of their personality. In such a way, people can make a sort of confession and receive feedback from users that relieves them and encourages people to carry on writing about issues which important for them in their blogs. The essay shows the counter arguments of people who have different opinion from the majority. People can live without technology, having other interests, probably more interesting than the online world. For instance, many people have little ideas of advanced information technologies and they are quite happy in their non-technological world. Some people do not admit the existence of the virtual world, considering it as a game, or something not serious and that will pass soon. They do not take it seriously and do not take into consideration all the advantages it brings, that is why there are claims that staying in the virtual world means just killing of time. For instance, Guillermo Gomez-Pena in The Virtual Barrio @ the Other Frontier refers to the example of Mexicans, who live next to the US, with its advanced information technologies, and local people are still simple and maintain traditional social relationships instead of virtual ones [Mexicans] are simple people. They are happy w ith the little they gotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They are not ambitious and complex like us. They dont need all this technology to communicate. Sometimes I just feel like going down there and living among them. (p. 555). Counter argument can exist, but they should not hide the reality and the important technologies along with the technological progress that has its advantages. Nevertheless, technologies keep progressing and affect more and more people. Technology has definitely changed humanity, as nowadays people devote a lot of time to the online way of life, exploring it, reading, watching, listening and communicating. Some people can balance and live in harmony with the technologies, but some people become addicted to the technologies, to the computer especially. Some people do not have the limit, as described in the essay. Some people create their own virtual world of online friends, of the websites to visit, of the places to spend time, of the games to play, of the videos to download. People no more want to share their thoughts, their dreams or ideas with their friends offline; instead they choose the options to write about all that in their blogs and micro blogs and social networking sites. There is the reasoning of a counter argument and there should be found a balance to be able to depict everything useful from the online world and to live happily in the offline world. The essay ethically responds to the reasoning of a counter argument and shows the both sides of the issue. Communication offline has become something challenging especially for youngsters these day, as it is much easier to respond or to give ideas when a person is at home and he does not fear to see the reaction of another person who will read his message. The more people get involved in the virtual world, the more challenging it is to get out of there. The essay about violence addresses counter argument and arguments reasoning. It includes the description of the problem, the different views on it, the possible solutions and different opinions of the experts. When analyzing the problem of violence and its impact on individuals, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that violence is a fundamental part of the life of people. In regard, it is possible to refer to history, when cruel and violent acts were considered to be a norm. The essay also includes the major claim considering the fact how violence is widely- spread and how many people suffer from it. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦cases of domestic violence were a norm in the past, because the violence in relation to children, for example, was considered to be essential to raise them up as good people. Others would argue that this kind of violence is still practiced. I would totally agree, but what is beginning shown by me side is that it used to be a norm that people did not see it anything more than a tool used to bring up good disciplined kids. Whereas, nowadays, it is considered a crime, at least in our society, and so, people have distanced from it to an extent. Reflective essay claims concentrate on the facts that some believe that by using violence they can solve all their problems and gain the respect of their social environment. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they are unconscious of the negative effect of the violence on their own personality because the violence has a destructive impact on the behavior and psychology of individuals. Some would argue this, Many people like to use Mohandes Ghandi as an example of non-violent protest winning the day. But the only reason Ghandis tactics worked is because he was using them against a civilized adversary, the British Empire. Had he tried to use them against someone else, like Nazi Germany, he would have ended up with a bullet to the back of the head or in one of the cremation ovens after being worked to death in a concentration camp. There are also counter arguments present in the essay to highlight the opinions from different people with different points of views.Violence does solve things. It has ended brutal dictatorships, saved citizens from the predation of criminals, prevented injustices on a small and large scale, and prevented wars. Perhaps the old saying needs to be modified. Instead, it should be Violence never solves anything if it is used at the wrong time in the wrong place. Violence in and of itself solves nothing. It is the proper use of violence under the right circumstances that solves problems (Farm). Essay context is aimed to show the importance of the issue, the key problems and claims. There are a lot of factors that provoke the violence and that increase the risk of the violent and aggressive behavior from the peoples side. At the same time, people are vulnerable to a consistent impact of their environment and different situations in their life which make them choosing the violent model of behavior as the only effective way of behavior. The essay also described the solutions to the problem for the audience. People often have an alternative to the violent model of behavior but they do not always use them because they need much more efforts and they are not as widely-spread as violent methods, which have always accompanied the mankind in the course of its development and evolution.

The Racial Bias of Capital Punishment in America Essay -- Argumentativ

The Racial Bias of Capital Punishment in America   Ã‚   Throughout history, minorities have been ill-represented in the criminal justice system, particularly in cases where the possible outcome is death.   In early America, blacks were lynched for the slightest violation of informal laws and many of these killings occured without any type of due process.   As the judicial system has matured, minorities have found better representation but it is not completely unbiased.   In the past twenty years strict controls have been implemented but the system still has symptoms of racial bias.   This racial bias was first recognized by the Supreme Court in   Fruman v. Georgia, 408 U.S.   238 (1972).   The Supreme Court Justices decide that the death penalty was being handed out unfairly and according to Gest (1996) the Supreme Court felt the death penalty was being imposed â€Å"freakishly' and ‘wantonly† and â€Å"most often on blacks.†Ã‚   Several years later in Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976), the Supreme Court decided, with efficient controls, the death penalty could be used constitutionally.   Yet, even with these various controls, the system does not effectively eliminate racial bias.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since Gregg v. Georgia the total   population of all 36 death rows has grown as has the number of judicial controls used by each state.   Of the 3,122 people on death row   41% are black while 48% are white (Gest, 1996, 41).   This figure may be acceptable at first glance but one must take into account the fact that only 12% of the U.S. population is black (Smolowe, 1991, 68).   Carolyn Snurkowski of the Florida attorney generals office believes that the disproportionate number of blacks on death row... ...nfined† (As cited in Lacayo, 1987, 80).   With great effort, the judicial controls can begin to battle the racial bias of Americas Judicial system but to completely eliminate such a bias, the people involved in the judicial process must learn to look past the race of the offender or the value of the victim, and instead focus on circumstances of the crime.    References    Gest, T.   (1986 Oct. 20).   Black-and-White Issue?   US News & World Report,   101 (16), 24-25.    Gest, T.   (1996 July 8).   A house without a blueprint.   US News & World Report, 121 (2), 41-42.    Lacayo, R.   (1987, May 4).   Clearing a Path to the Chair.   Time, 129 (18), 80.    Seligman, D.   (1994, September 5).   Uh oh! More Stats.   Fortune, 130 (5), 113-114.    Smolowe, J. (1991, April 29).   Race and the Death Penalty.   Time, 137 (17), 68-69.

Genre Analysis

Genre Analysis The musical film has always held a special place for me. From my time as a drama student in high school, my eyes have been opened to the amazing world of the musical and especially the musical film. The musical film is a film genre in which the characters sing songs that are integrated into the overall story. Since musicals first began in theaters, musical films usually contain similar elements. These elements often simulate that there is a live audience watching. In a sense, the film viewers become the audience members, at a theater production, as the actor performs directly to them.Due to the popularity of musicals in the theater, the style was quickly brought over into film. In 1927, the musical film genre began with the accompaniment of the first film talkie, The Jazz Singer. While popularity for this genre has fluctuated over the years, it nevertheless has succeeded in becoming a staple in films. Throughout this paper, I will explore what is a film in the musical genre and why it has such a lasting effect through the examination of three considered, classic musical films of their eras. The three films that will be examined are Singin’ in the Rain, Grease, and Rent.These three movies are considered some of the top musicals of their time. Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 musical comedy film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. This film is a comic portrayal of Hollywood’s transition from silent films to talkies in the late 1920s. It is now frequently described by critics as one of the best musicals ever, and it continually tops on the AFI's 100 Years of Musicals list. Next, Grease is a 1978 musical film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as two students in a 1950s high school.This is a story of the trials and tribulations of the teenagers are that era. Grease was considered as one of the best films of 1978. Lastly, Rent is a 2005 musical drama film about the depictions of the lives of several Bohemian s squatting in the East Village of New York City from 1989 to 1990 and their struggles with sexual preference, drugs, and AIDS. The film was nominated for a number of awards, including a GLAAD Media Award for Best Picture Musical/Comedy. They may seem quite different on the surface; however, the similarities they do have in common are mainly due to the genre they share.This is shown by the use of music, production design, and film techniques. The use of music is a key to determining if a film is in the musical genre. Not only are songs used to further the story along in a musical, but they also have the ability to put the audience in the emotional state of the character singing. Song has always been used as a good conductor for emotional understanding. For example, during the song â€Å"You Were Meant for Me† in Singin’ in the Rain, Don Lockwood is able to confess his love to Kathy Selden in a way that feels magical and shows a connection between the two would be lover s.Also, the song â€Å"There Are Worse Things I Could Do† in Grease is able to betray the emotional depth of the character Rizzo’s fear, shame, and anger. At the time this film came out, topics such as teen pregnancy were not generally presented in films. By having this character sing her issue, the audiences, who may have dismissed her outright for her actions, are able to sympathize with her plight. Moreover, in Rent, the song â€Å"I'll Cover You† by Angel and Collins allow the viewer to get caught up in this young couple's relationship without having to worry or even consider that this is a gay couple.Therefore, it is obvious that the power of song is one of greatest attributes that the musical genre has to offer. Music has a tendency to touch a person more than mere words, which might be the reason why musicals do, too. Another item that films in the musical genre share in common is production design. Production design is the creation and organization of th e physical world surrounding a film by the use of lighting, staging, and set design. Musicals share many similarities in their production design. For instance, many musicals from the past and present use elaborate production numbers.A production number is a specialty routine, usually performed by the entire cast consisting of musicians, singers, and dancers of a musical with the use of grand set pieces. All the films being discussed here have, at least, one production number in them. Singin’ in the Rain has Gene Kelly's legendary performance in the rain. The ending of Grease features a carnival with several song and dance numbers. The beginning of Rent showcases a beautiful New York block back lot, surrounded with flaming debris. Also, since musicals had their start in the theaters, many lighting choices have theater-like qualities, such as the spotlight.All three films use a spotlight to highlight their actors. Rent and Singin’ in the Rain, use it to emphasize the the ater and movie qualities of their film; while Grease uses the spotlight to portray a beginning of a dream sequence. Many musicals, even the grittier ones, have a sense of grandeur to them that can be seen in the production design. One can say grandeur has always been a calling card for musicals. Once musicals made the transition to film, a number of film techniques have been used repeatedly. First of all, many musicals use the technique of creating lines of movement from background to foreground to foster an illusion of depth.Singin’ in the Rain presents a line of beautiful women in tremendous outfits, in the background, during the â€Å"Beautiful Girl† song. The balcony scene in Rent and the carnival scene in Grease provide the same sense of an illusion of depth. In addition, the use of ellipsis, an omission of time to that separates one shot from another, allows films, such as these, to show a long progression of time quickly. The stories of these films take place ov er a matter of months like Singin’ in the Rain, a school term like Grease, or a full year like Rent. Since all that time cannot be shot, ellipses are used.Another technique, which is commonly used, is the fadeout. Since several of the song and dance scenes are basically vignettes, a fadeout is typically a good transition or ending. Grease uses it at the end of Beauty School Dropout, and the other films use it at the end of their films. Furthermore, the long shot, also known as the full-body shot, is used frequently in musicals to allow the audience to see the dexterity of the actors. The scenes like the ballet in Singin’ in the Rain, the hand jive in Grease, and the tango in Rent, must be shown with such shots to enhance their performances.Hence, while the feel of a musical can differ from one to another, the general format tends to follow a set path that one allows the viewer a measure of comfort. In conclusion, the genre of the musical has had a long standing in film for many years. From mere comedy to critiques on our society, the musical has taken many forms. For some reason, our society allows one to express their point of view through a musical to a mass audience. Such musicals as Hair, Tommy, and even Rent would not have been shown if not in musical form.The use of song and dance has always been a factor in any civilization from the rituals to entertainment. It is said that music soothes the savage beast, but music also allows the viewers of musicals to almost experience movie firsthand. One can easily get caught up in the songs of the musical. Have you ever caught yourself singing the songs after the show? That is a sign of an excellent musical. Whether it is live or on a screen, I receive so much enjoyment out of watching a musical. I hope the same can be said about you.

The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture Essay Example

The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture Essay Example The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture Essay The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture Essay The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organization’s Culture Describing and identifying the importance of abstract terms is a difficult task because their meaning rely more on substance than form. For this and other reasons, individuals as well as organizations tend to overlook or underestimate their importance for a successful career and for the effective functioning of an organization. Organizational Culture† is one of those terms, we can’t see it, but we can feel and experience it, and it has a profound impact in the way people behave in an organization. It denotes the attitudes, experiences, beliefs, and values of the work group or team within the organization, which to an extent affect the organization as a whole. All employees whatever their grade is, and whether they are professionals or not, contribute to the culture of an organization by bringing their diverse talents, knowledge, skills, values, and beliefs to the entity. Employees may possess abilities and talents that might enable them to fit into the organization and empower it, partly as a result of socialization, but they might need assistance from others, such as Human Resource Development specialists and Union cooperative efforts, in order to learn the skills that will enable them to play their part in the team, group, or department. The culture of an organization is important not only to individuals but to the organization itself. This makes culture an important part of every organization and union leaders and management need to understand the central role it plays in forming an effective organization. Union understanding of the important role culture play for an organization is essential since the recognition of unions and the labor agreement usually means structural changes to an organization’s policies, practices, strategies, and the environment. According to Neal M. Ashkanasy, author of the book Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate, more and more practitioners are coming to realize that, despite the best-laid plans, organizational change must include not only changing structures and processes, but also changing the corporate culture as well. Unions can play a role in creating and changing an organization’s culture, since they are in a position to provide the workforce with information designed to influence decisions about work practices, rules, preferred behaviors and attitudes, etc. Management as well as staff developers need, therefore, to communicate frequently with trade union officers. Improving organizational culture has become a necessity in todays ever- changing business environment. However, it can be a big challenge for the organization and its members. Managing in a union environment can be frustrating and confusing. Managers in a unionized workplace are challenged to manage effectively within legal and contractual parameters. This make the decision-making process more difficult for managers who must count with the union approval for many decisions and changes that might conflict with the labor agreement. If managers are not flexible in outcome, or are too specialized, then the organization may become too narrowly focused and the motivation and creative thought, a necessary precursor for innovation may be stiffed. Also, although individual ideas are important, strategies for team-working are essential. One of the primary responsibilities of strategic leaders is to create and maintain the organizational characteristics that reward and encourage collective effort (Neal M. Ashkanasy, 10). Individuals should be motivated to work as part of a team sharing a common vision of the direction in which they would like the organization to develop. To this end, unions are one of the most effective institutions that can be used to bring people that share common interests, goals, and principles together and motivate them to work as a team, since the mechanism of the union itself encourages team participation. Today, organizational leaders are confronted with many complex issues during their attempts to generate organizational achievement. A leaders success will depend, to a great extent, upon understanding organizational culture. Paul Clark, author of the book Building More Effective Unions contends that â€Å"Many of the problems confronting leaders can be traced to their inability to analyze and evaluate organizational cultures. † Many leaders, when trying to implement new strategies or a strategic plan leading to a new vision, will discover that their strategies will fail if they are inconsistent with the organizations culture. For example, a CEO, SES, political appointee, or flag officer who comes into an organization prepared to shake the place up and institute sweeping changes, often experiences resistance to changes and failure. These difficulties with organizational transformations arise from failures to analyze an organizations existing culture. According to Franklin Ashby, author of the book Revitalize your Corporate Culture, â€Å"When an organization has a union, most of the culture of the organization is dictated by the union contract, and the on-going relationship with the union. Unless Union cooperation is obtained, little can be done to change the culture of an organization. However, Unions often resist change to protect the interests of their members. One of the strongest cultures in the United States is the United Automobile Workers. Over the years and through many negotiations, they have established work rules that workers and companies must follow. These are now an integral part of the organizational culture of the Big Three Automobile Makers. For example, when competition from Japanese car makers cause the Big Three U. S. utomobile firms a significant loss of market share, the organizational culture of American Auto manufacturers had to be changed. This could be accomplished only through negotiation with the union. Although some labor leaders oppose any change they feel may weaken the union’s position, more and more enlightened labor union leaders are moving from an adversarial to a more cooperative philosophy (Franklin Ashby, 3). According to Paul F. Clark, author of the book Building More Effective Unions, â€Å"Most efforts to change an organization’s culture will meet with some resistance. A systematic approach to change is most effective in meeting such resistance. Many of us are familiar with the slogans, songs, jackets, parades, banquets, and picnics of unions because they are all part of the labor movement. To some they are simply windows dressing, unconnected to the important things that build an effective union. But, in fact, these things are part of a potentially and powerful phenomenon called â€Å"organizational culture† (Paul F. Clark, 10). It is important that unions understand the central role that culture plays in an effective organization and work to build a strong culture consistent with the union as well as the organization’s values, beliefs, and objectives. This is essential to avoid conflict by having two different cultures with different organizational objectives in the same company. Although one general culture might be ideal and best for an organization, subcultures exist and they do not necessarily exist to hurt the overall culture of the organization as long as the culture that involves the common interest of most members is accepted and recognized. The existence of subcultures is normal. In an organization with a strong culture, subcultures created by union members do not cause problems because the overall values and beliefs of the group are well recognized and accepted. If the culture of an organization is week, however, subcultures can override and compete with the overall culture, which can be disruptive to the organization’s culture. In his analysis, Paul Clark mentions that the effectiveness of a culture can be measured by the degree to which that culture and its various elements and subcultures clearly communicate the values of the organization. One of the core values emphasized by unions is the welfare of the collective group. Towards this end unions emphasize the principles of solidarity, unity, and togetherness. One common aspect of union culture that helps to communicate these values is the use of the terms â€Å"brother† and â€Å"sister† to refer to union members (Paul F. Clark, 6). Other values held in great regard by unions are fairness, equity, and justice. Unions help improve an organization’s culture by enforcing these values whenever they are violated or necessary for the welfare of employees. For example, managers often complaint about the tendency of unions to challenge through the grievance procedure many of the disciplinary actions taken by management. However, such challenge simply reflects the value that unions and union members place on due process and the fairness it brings to the workplace. By challenging any questionable management decision, unions are forcing management to evaluate the fairness of every action they take, before they take it. The member-union contract has an impact not only on union attachment, attitudes, and behaviors, but also on how it affects organizational culture. In summarizing the findings of their widely cited book, What Do Unions Do? Freeman and Medoff conclude that â€Å"Unions alter nearly every aspect of an organization’s culture. † The authors suggest that unions exert effects on organizational culture through collective bargaining. The primary effects of collective bargaining are the gains that the union is able to realize at the bargaining table for the employees. For example, extrinsic benefits like wages, job security, and working conditions, are all concerns that have dominated the collective bargaining agenda of North American Unions. Gains in these areas are determined primarily by the union’s ability to acquire and use power in the bargaining relationship. For example, the union wage effect is largely dependent on the ability of the union to achieve monopoly power within an industry. It is important to note that the union effects on organizational culture are also outcomes that emerge though management’s reaction to collective bargaining provisions. Management’s adjustment to the conditions imposed by collective bargaining and the union’s counteraction to managerial action will determine the nature and extent of union effects on organizational culture. The ability of unions to achieve their goals in areas such as wages, job security, and working conditions have important ramifications for organization culture both within the union and within the organization. For example, unions have a direct effect on the level, form, structure, and system of compensation plans. Through effective bargaining unions can improve an organization’s culture by emphasizing and enforcing the values, principles, and beliefs the members of the organization consider important. For example, the union can achieve fairness and equity with wage increases and justice and dignity with provisions for job security and better working conditions. Although these effects wary across industry and individuals, some general conclusion may be drawn. First, and most important, unions raise wages. Estimates of union wage effect wary but in general wage levels in unionized industries are 10 to 20% higher than wages for comparable non-unionized industries (William Holley, 324). Similarly, unions have a positive impact on employee benefits with unionized industries spending more on fringe benefits than comparable non-unionized firms. Job security is another factor through which unions help improves an organization’s culture concern for layoffs. For example, collective agreements often contain clauses that directly influence individual’s job security such as provisions for layoffs, job transfers, and contracting out. The prevalence of such provisions indicates the high priority placed on job security by union members. Based on the Quality of Employment Survey data, union membership was the best predictor of whether individuals would trade a 10% increase in real wages in exchange for increased job security. Unions also increase the security of their members from arbitrary decision making though the provision of grievance systems. Through the implementation of grievance systems with provisions for third-party dispute resolution, unions substantially increase the costs of arbitrary management decisions. As mentioned by Julian Barling, Author of the book The Union its Members, One would expect, and empirical evidence confirms that â€Å"Management decision making in a unionized environment would be more regulated by formal procedures and based on more objective criteria. Other areas in which Union have helped to improve an organization’s culture is through their intensive efforts to improve occupational health and safety in the workplace by advocating for government regulations, negotiating health and safety provisions, and encouraging the formation of labor-management committees to deal with health and safety issues. In additional to the negotiation of clauses dealing with health and safety, unions may also negotiate compensating wage differentials for workers exposed to higher risks. By doing so, they increase the incentive for management to improve working conditions by increasing the cost of dangerous work. Overall, unions substantially increase awareness of health and safety issues in the workplace. In addition to safety and health issues, unions also negotiate contact provisions dealing with a variety of working condition (William Holley, 435). For instance, hours of work, scheduling of rest breaks, and, in some cases, and rate of production. To the extent that unions are successful in negotiating these gains, unionization may have an indirect effect on occupational health and safety. Provisions such as rest breaks, minimization of overtime, and shift scheduling may all affect the risk of on-the-job injury. According to Clive Fullagar, the Neo-Classical Economic Theory suggests that â€Å"Management may react to the increased costs associated with unionization by replacing labor with capital. However, an alternate theory suggests that unionization has â€Å"shock effect† on management, whereby management reacts to unionization by becoming more efficient. † Such increased efficiency may be evidenced by the introduction of centralized, professional human resources functions and increased reliance on formalized decision making. Union involvement in the formulation of management decisions may be seen as usurping the rights of management to run the workplace. On the other hand, collective bargaining maybe e viewed as a way of managing the workplace rather than an abandonment of traditional management prerogatives. In this regard, it should be noted that through their involvement in establishing work rules and organizational policies, unions may have both positive and negative effects on organizational culture. The impact of unions in managerial decision making is seen clearly in the development of personal policies. It is commonly recognized that unions influence the use of seniority as a criteria for promotions and job transfers. Unions also have an effect on hiring decisions. For example, one managerial response to wage premiums maybe to raise the hiring standards of the firm and in particular to place more emphasis on education as a hiring criteria. The presence of a union may result in the implementation of policies that are in the organization’s best interest. Thus, the presence of a union is associated with more efficient managerial decision making. In particular, this increased efficiency is attributable to the formalization of decision making and the substitution of policy for individual judgment as a basis for decision making. As the preceding discussion indicates, unions have substantial effects on organizational culture through the negotiation of specific provisions in the collective agreement. Additional union effects on organizational culture also accrue during the administration of the collective agreement as management and the union adjusts to the new environmental conditions mandated by the collective agreement. Unions improve organizational culture by supporting, developing, and enforcing values, beliefs, attitudes that are of importance to the members of the organization. As a result, this has a direct effect at increasing productivity and performance. Freeman and Medoff have concluded that unions substantially increase the productivity of organizations. That is, after controlling for various organizational characterizes, unionized firms are more productive than their non-unionized counterparts. However, nionized firms are found to be less profitable than non-unionized firms because the increase in productive do not seem to offset the increased costs of unionization. Freeman and Medoff point out that â€Å"The union impact on the firm’s productivity can be explained by two factors. † First, unionization leads to a more stable workforce by reducing voluntary turnover. A direct consequence of this increase stability is the firm’s investment in human resources management. Second, the union effect on productivity provides a conceptual basis for the hypothesis that unionization may have an effect on individual job performance. For example, through more rigorous selection, investment in employee training, and the institution of more professional management practices, an organization attempts to adjust to the cost of unionism by increasing individual job performance. While the end result of such strategies is an increase in firm productivity, the initial effect is plausibly an increase in individual job performance. It is imperative to note that the union’s effect on firm productivity is moderated by the quality of union-management relations. When the industrial relation climate is favorable, unionization is associated with higher firm productivity. Conversely, a poor quality of union-management relations is associated with decreased productivity in unionized firms. The quality of union-management relationships influences the motivation of employees. When the quality of union management relations is poor, the potential for increments in job performance maybe be offset by decreased individual motivation, work stoppages, and work-to-rule campaigns. Perhaps one of the most well documented effects of unions in organizational culture is the reduction in voluntary employee turnover in unionized industries. According to Clive Fullagar, unions help to reduce turnover in two different ways. First, unions increase wages and improve working conditions. These primary union effects make unionized jobs more attractive and conversely reduce the likelihood of finding an equivalent job. The union affects on benefits and particularly the increase in deferred compensation schemes that favor senior workers, contribute to the union effect on turnover. Similarly, benefits based on seniority also help to decrease the voluntary turnover rate. Second, unions reduce turnover by providing individuals with a voice. Through the provision of employee grievance systems, unions provide the individual an alternative to quitting, the opportunity to redress specific dissatisfactions through the grievance system. Unions provide mechanism for individual to express their dissatisfactions and influence their working conditions. The provision of such mechanism reduces the probability that an individual will voluntarily resign his or her position. If unions reduce voluntary turnover by providing voice mechanisms to individuals then these effects may be logically extended to other forms of individual withdrawal from work such as absenteeism. However, unionized firms experience higher absenteeism rates. Therefore, in this sense unions hurt organizational culture. For example, increased sick-leave benefits negotiated during collective bargaining are associated with higher rates of absenteeism. Another ways in which a union can hurt an organizational culture is by causing strain and stress. While not widely researched, there are conceptual reasons to suggest that unions and the practice of industrial relations have consequences in terms of individual stress and strain. First unions negotiate contract provisions that directly affect working conditions. Management may react by implementing more formal policies and standardized job descriptions. The result of such increased formalization may be experienced as a reduction in role ambiguity and increase in role conflict, which are two components of roles stress. The consequences of worker participation in union activities also have an impact on organization performance and various behavioral outputs. Unions provide discontented workers with a participatory forum and a collective voice at the workplace by means of which they may articulate their feelings rather than exiting temporarily through absenteeism or permanently through turnover. Unions encourage member participation making employees feel valuable to the organization. Union organizations have mechanisms such as a written constitution and bylaws that ensure an opportunity for members to participate in the governance of the organization, hold office, attend meetings, vote in elections, or express dissatisfaction with the leadership. Unions help improve an organization’s culture by maintaining some balance between employer and employee’s rights and responsibilities. Although employers and employees share some common interest, each group is motivated by self-interest. The inherent conflict of interest between employers and employees inevitably creates conflict within any employment relationship, which must be managed effectively. Unions rather than an individual are more effective in managing this conflict of interest and creating an enjoyable working environment. The presence of the union formalizes the employee representation activities because employees may file a grievance if they believe the company has violated the terms of the negotiated agreement. If the company employs an accommodation and labor management cooperation strategy, unions can help by cooperating with management rather than the parties having an adversarial relationship. Management and the unions can actively work together to create an organizational climate and a way of operating that will allow employees to participate directly in decisions in their work areas as members of task teams and as members of problem-solving groups. Unions can contribute to companies’ strategic planning and implementation activities which directly affect the organization’s culture. For example, a union can provide input from a clearly defined group of employees, as well as transfer information about corporate plans and direction to those represented employees. The union leaders can help the rank-and-file employees better understand the business plan and lend credibility to the plan. According to our textbook, The Labor Relations Process, â€Å"Unions can help improve an organization’s culture by reducing the employees feeling of alienation which have resulted from the extensive use of machinery in manufacturing operations. Employees might feel alienated because they have lost contact with their own labor when the product they created were taken away from them, thereby reducing their spirit and status or when they became estranged from fellow employees when their work made them too tired and competitive that they were incapable of having authentic relationships. Unions can and do address a possible aspect of employee alienation, namely the employees’ desire to speak their minds without fear of management reprisal. For example, a union typically indicates to its potential members that the employee’s rights to voice their opinions regarding a managerial action are protected by negotiated grievance procedures and disciplinary polices. In conclusion, Unions play a crucial role in improving an organization’s culture. Therefore the union’s members understanding of organizational culture as well as management recognition of the union as a key player in improving organizational culture is imperative. The above examples indicate that failure to achieve organizational change when necessary can be accredited to the lack of management’s understanding about the important role culture plays for an organization. The most important point of this is that such as an organizational culture is made of members that might be union’s members in a unionized firm, and their approval, understanding, and acceptance of any change in their inherent or traditional culture is essential for an organization to operate effectively. Although, the majority of examples and research suggests that unions have more positive impacts in improving an organization’s culture, they can also hurt it if they don’t develop the skills needed for mutual union-management cooperation such as understanding the business and the problem-solving process. They can hurt the organization’s culture if they don’t maintain contact with the membership to better represent members’ interests. Also, if management doesn’t take steps to reorient its view from seeing unions and labor agreements as constrains to recognizing a more cooperative union-management relationship and provides the union with a secure position as the legitimate, permanent representative of the bargaining unit employees. Bibliography Ashby Franklin C. Revitalize Your Corporate Culture: Powerful Ways to Transform your Company. Golf Professional Publishing. Burlington: MA, 1999. Ashkanasy M. Neal, Wilderon Celeste, and Peterson Mark. Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate. London: New Delhi, 2004. Clark F. Paul. Building More Effective Unions. Cornell University Press. New York: Ithaca, 2000. Julian Barling, Fullagar Clive, and Kelloway Kevin. The Union Its Members: A Psychological Approach. Oxford University Press. New York: Oxford, 1992. Holley William, Jennings Kenneth, and Wolters Rogers. The Labor Relations Process. South-Western. Ohio: Mason, 2005.

How to Write a Perfect Research Paper

How to Write a Perfect Research Paper How to Write a Perfect Essay What is a research paper What to consider before writing a research paper How to start a perfect research paper: Tips on how to start How to write a perfect outline How to write a perfect thesis How to write an introduction How to write a body: Tips on body writing How to finish a research paper: Tips on conclusion writing Tips on revision Perfect essay example: National Honor Society What is a research paper Research papers are academic essays that have a theoretical basis and informed data that has in-depth research. Such documents might take an angle of argumentative thesis or discussions. Therefore, students should be keen to understand the kind of research papers that they need to focus their energy. A time comes in a students academic life when to deliver a perfect research paper. Students find it difficult to comply with the requirements to produce such documents. Therefore, students have unnecessary anxiety hence they continuously procrastinate research work that ultimately leads to delivery of imperfect research papers. Delivery of a perfect research paper requires experience and continuous practice. Therefore, only writers who diligently dedicate, practice and have the willingness to learn as well as become patient achieve greater experience hence deliver perfect research papers. What to consider before writing a research paper Writing a research paper requires preparation to get a solid footing. Therefore, students should practice planning their time properly. Students should allocate time for brainstorming as well as a time frame for an actual research, time for writing a paper as well as day gaps for the first and the second drafts. Secondly, writers should read and understand the research questions to grasp every detail that the instructor requires in the essay. Students should explore all the meanings of the question as well as breaking the problem down into key words such as ‘illustrate, ‘analyse, ‘discuss and ‘contrast. Separately, students should plan and execute the research process in a systematic manner and target information that is relevant to the research question. Also, a student should sort out the relevant sources of information especially books, articles, and magazines among others as well as the best online resources. Lastly, authors should organize all the materials that the research paper requires before evaluating the essay topic. Besides, students should be in a position to select the best approach for the research question, the main theme, and ideas that are emerging, the arguments that the writer is pursuing as well as the best evidence for the research paper. How to start a research paper: Tips on how to start Choose an interesting topic: students should choose topics with adequate information hence it is necessary to conduct a preliminary research to ascertain the idea. Consequently, a student should scan the feedback and evaluate the bulk and content of the information that has been published and narrow down the topic to be specific. Conduct preliminary reading and keep the records: authors of perfect research papers collect all the index cards and take notes on the information they gather. The information in their collections should include titles of the sources, information on the publisher as well as quotes and the page numbers among others. Mapping up the mind: writers usually do a mind map and outline that entail relevant information and points as well as personal ideas, questions that need answers. Outlining the ideas ensures proper grouping of the points logically. Developing a thesis: students should write focused arguments that are well defined by three to five points. The thesis should contain at most two sentences to give the direction of the research paper. Drafting an outline: a student should prepare an outline of the paper noting important points to include in the body and the entire article. How to write a perfect outline After completing all the pre-writing activities, students should make a research paper outline. The outline provides the baseline of the research paper where the student builds the whole paper. The outline should contain a detailed introduction, the body, and conclusion as indicated below. Introduction: should have a hook, an elaboration of the audience and thesis statement. Body: The body should have at least three arguments in individual paragraphs. The points should support the thesis statement with clear evidence that supports the points. Conclusion: students should include a summary of the argument. Besides, they should reiterate the thesis statement and a call for action. How to write a perfect thesis A perfect research paper has a specific and arguable thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph. Therefore, students should be clear and straightforward as well as refrain from general statements. Thus, the students should ensure that the thesis statements answer the So what? questions and able to explain the point to the reader giving the audience a reason to read the paper. Also, a thesis statement should reveal the position of the writer regarding the issue at hand. How to write an introduction Students should write an intriguing introduction which is well informative hence they should include hooks, elaborate the target audience and a thesis statement. Students who conduct detailed research should have introductions. Besides, the introduction should detail indicate the statement of the problem, the definition of terms, a theoretical frame work, methodology, and hypothesis. Also, it should include the significance of the research and scope among others. How to write a body: Tips on body writing When writing the body of the research paper, students should use the outline and note cards. Write the first paragraph on the subtopic as indicated in the outline and introduce the subtopic in the first sentence. After that, use different pieces of evidence to elaborate on the subtopic supporting the thesis statement. Students should use the note cards to get the different materials such as statics, quotes, and pictures. Consequently, the student should cite all the information from the research. The same procedures follow for the remaining paragraphs as well as subtopics until the writer captures all the information about the thesis statement. Authors who engage in detailed research give background information about the research as the first subtopic of the body. Subsequently, the student provides presentation and analysis of data regarding the topic. How to finish a research paper: Tips on conclusion writing When concluding research papers, students should consider the perspectives of the readers as well as how such papers will be of benefit. Therefore, it is necessary for students to connect the research paper to the great context regarding the issue as presented in other publications. Students should provide implications of the findings as well as the relevance of the topic. Students should give suggestions or ask questions or ideas for future research. Students should revisit the main point and research question with unseen insight. Students should give a summary of a research paper as well as giving the consequences of the idea from the research paper. Tips on revision When revising the research paper, students should set the draft for a day before review to objectively view the paper and notice all the problems. Secondly, the writer should refine all the arguments. Writers need to organize paragraphs as well as a rewording of the sentences as well as elaborating evidence clearly about the subtopics. Read the research paper aloud to identify the simple mistakes especially writing errors and unclear statements and spellings. Sometimes it is relevant to give someone else the research paper to read to notice grammar, spelling and ambiguous sentences among other problems. Research paper sample: Teaching Strategies Education requires a comprehensive and developmental approach to ensure that children acquire the necessary skills in schools to face numerous challenges in their daily endeavors in life. Combining all the developmental approaches in teaching enable children to grasp the ideas as well as accommodate all the unique styles that children use in their learning processes. Some tutors appreciate dictation as a strategy in teaching students. Therefore, the teachers make the students develop the passive audience and feed them with information hoping that all of them will grasp the entire concept to the later. The technique requires that the student take the responsibility to comprehend all the skills and techniques on their own. Thus, it is referred to as the deposition method where the students become the depositories of information and teachers are the depositors. The concept allows one-way communication process from a teacher to the students hence students partially grasp the concept mainly through memorization and repeat. In the long run, the students do not develop critical thinking concepts and do not debate upon the information. On a separate, not tutors who encourage participative concepts to appreciate interactive learning among the students. Under this method, students grasp a lot of information from the course material since they focus, engage their minds as well as the debate over different ideas. Besides, the method helps students to ask questions and form group discussions hence they can absorb ideas creatively and understand the value of the subjects. Consequently, they will be able to devote much of their time and energy learning new concepts and ideas. On a separate note, interactive learning encourages collaboration where student formulates new ideas and opinions as well as creating their environments to work with their peers interactively. Thirdly, some teachers appreciate the use of props, visual aids, and movies in teaching. The methods make the student stay alert and engage. The main advantage of the method is that it brings great captivation of attention and make the students develop more interest in the material. Therefore, the method stimulates the mental functionality which is sufficient for active learning. Also, the technique makes student grasp concepts separately as they have different methods of learning such as listening and watching. In conclusion, various teaching strategies bring different ways on how students hear and comprehend information that is useful in their daily lives. Some of the best methods include the use of videos, active learning as well as lecturing. However, a combination of all the methods is effective since it allows accommodation of different styles that students use for learning.

Earth Science Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Earth Science Class - Essay Example In other words, they are low-lying clouds (Allred, 2009). Formation of a fog depends on the variation between temperature and dew point which should be less than 2.5 Â °C or 4 F (Ahrens, 1991). The formation of fog is very similar to those with a cloud. The evaporated water fuses in the atmosphere in the form of water vapors which are obtained from the local ground water sources like lakes, oceans, water streams or marshy areas. This transformation of water into water vapors from the sources results in the mixing and rise of these vapors in the air or atmosphere. Gradually and slowly, these vapors start bonding up with the small dust particles present already in the air forming the dew droplets. Further, this condensation of dew droplets causes the fog to form slightly above the ground (Miles, 2007). TYPES OF FOG: There are basically two main types of fog out of various other types that are categorized on the basis of the process of their formation. Radiation fog and Advection fog a re the main types to emphasize on. 1- Radiation Fog: Clear weather and calm winds at night are the main sources behind the formation of this type of fog. Radiation fog is formed at night when heat is discharged from the Earth’s surface with a unique swiftness. This heat has been entrapped during the day by the surface.

CHA performance monitoring critical ssessment Essay

CHA performance monitoring critical ssessment - Essay Example Estate Management of CHA aims to provide the tenants with high quality services and facilities subject to consultations with the stakeholders, and in compliance with the Decent Homes Standards, the neighbourhood, and local authorities. It aims to satisfy different parties involved in the maintenance, development, and improvement of housing requirements. To be able to achieve satisfaction, a Market Analysis was done and CHA has been working in partnership with tenants, providers, and local authorities so that the desirable results can be realized to the satisfaction of all the parties involved. In the Market Analysis, high quality design has to be blended with costs, given the situation wherein only 12 % of residents are employed while 18 % lost their employment; 73 % of households receive housing benefits; 43 % receive income support. And the economy might not have affordable mortgage lending available for many. CHA therefore applies for, receives, and utilizes grants from the NHAP ( National Housing Affordable Programme). To the Self-Assessment Questionnaire provided for Estate Management by SHR, the answers to all the questions (appended) will be yes. However, Equality for a diverse set of tenants is one of the standards for Estate Management. In relation to the Equality and Diversity elements of Objective # 4 which states that CHA should â€Å" enhance the (CHA) association through a commitment to equality and diversity and value for money† ... Even on the overall, tenant satisfaction fell below the desired KPI in two consecutive quarters. KPI of 73 % was attained while the desired KPI was 86 %. Even after considering the views of the landlords, performance was only 60 % which was below the desired 79 %. One of the Self-Assessment Questions by the SHR was, â€Å"Have we published documents that clearly and specifically set out our commitment and approach to equalities issues?† The answer is not yet. CHA still has to inform residents about the way the association allocates and prioritizes expenditures for the services intended to meet national standards. CHA still has to communicate how the organization has added value for money and what benefits the residents can expect. The CHA Corporate Plan and Business Strategy disclosed that the organization has yet to â€Å"complete and maintain a 100 % tenant profile of the diversity needs of all residents†. In short, even the profiling should conform with the prescribe d performance standards by having some information about tenants. According to the KPI, CHA had already reached 80% to over 81% of the project to complete tenant profiling. Perhaps the survey to determine the extent of compliance with the SHR should tap the 81 % available tenant profiling so that there can be some identification of weaknesses and strengths in the matter of satisfying different tenants with diverse situations. This will allow CHA to arrange questionnaires by classification of respondents so that they can be tabulated accordingly. As it is, there was no such tabulation for the diverse groups. Shared owners were surveyed as a whole without categories as to employment, race, religious belief,

Mellor, Augustus and the Creation of the Empire Essay

Mellor, Augustus and the Creation of the Empire - Essay Example He emphasized on being given the right of military command ensuring the state suffered no harm, driving the murderers of his father into exile and defeating them twice in war, undertaking civil and foreign wars by land and sea throughout the whole world but spared lives of citizens who sought pardon, he was honored twice with ovations and saluted twenty one times as an imperator. Augustus took charge of grain supply at his own financial expense during the great famine, all citizens offered sacrifices for his health at all the seats of the gods with the Roman people calling him the father of the country, his continued preaching about friendly relationships, his presentation of three gladiatorial games in his own and five in the name of his sons. Augustus also established colonies of soldiers in Africa, Sicily, Asia, Syria and Macedonia etc, which had been seized in slave war and by defeating his enemies in Spain, Gaul and from

Ethical Standards Within the Healthcare Industry Essay Example for Free

Ethical Standards Within the Healthcare Industry Essay ABSTRACT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This research functions as an analysis of the essential similarities and differences between the ethical standards upheld by the health care sector and the non health care sector. The health care sector includes hospitals, clinics, and private practices while the non-health care sector includes commercial, technological, industrial and other sectors. The paper discusses regulations and legislation of ethical practices and finds that the extent to which ethics and law overlap is dependent on such factors as the type of harm that can be done to citizens as a result of an action. The paper also discusses the extent to which the administration of ethical rules takes place within the sectors in question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It posits that the health care sector maintains a high standard in ethical practice, especially in the medical, pharmaceutical and a few paramedical fields. It distinguishes as well as defines clearly the concept of ethics and law and how they are legislated in a few selected establishments. Meticulous care has also been taken to probe and illuminate the nuances of the controversial disclosure law and to give insight into the strong ethical question that it addresses in the health care industry. Equally, the issues concerning the consent and privacy rules were also dealt with in an in-depth and comprehensive manner. In addition to this, the paper explains the several ways in which information can be protected from physical and electronic abuse. It also delves into the areas of weakness and threat faced in technological security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethics of the health care and the non health care sectors were also examined through these lens of technological security, and analysis was done of the methods used by each sector to secure information. Finally, the implications of this research outlined at the end of this report and recommendations are then given for improving ethical practice. The researcher suggests ways of improving the quality of ethical standard in the major health sector as well as other branches like the paramedical. Furthermore, the recent developments in electronic assessment and the dissemination of business information are shown to create a need for both regulation and legislation. There is a demonstrated need for simplification of all ethical legislating and regulating information so that such might be made available to everybody who desires to learn and abide by ethical standards. Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ethics is a philosophy of life and became a part of the business world. The complexity and critical needs of the health care industry are more prone to medical errors which could cost human lives. The quality of care is measured by ethical factors related with the medical industry. However, ethics go beyond quality of care and include many other areas in the health care industry. The role of health care administration in the organization is to ensure that customers are protected completely and that their privacy are not violated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The practice of ethics is also one of the duties and responsibilities of the Health Care Administrator and as such, the present paper aims to identify the position and practice of ethics in the health care industry with other non health care industries. In doing so, the paper intends to gain insights of ethical practices of non-health care industries and tries to recommend the best practices for the health care industry if gaps are found. In order to evaluate the key issues of ethical practices in both sectors, the paper considers the Information Security aspect of business Information.   Ã‚  Ã‚     Thus, the paper aims to compare the ethical practices mainly concentrating in the primary areas of information Privacy and Security from health care and the E-commerce sectors. Every responsible activity in any organized sector of human endeavor requires some form of regulation. Whether it is written or unwritten, legally documented or morally documented, the study also tries to observe the ethical practices against the industry specific ethical standards and legal policies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethics can be defined as learning of what is right or wrong and then doing the right thing. Generally, ethics are aimed at the employees of organizations whose management experienced problems. LAW AND ETHICS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Legal Information Institute (1999) defines â€Å"law† as a set of rules that are considered universal and that show both internal and external consistency. They are publicized and are usually accepted by the society in which they are published. They should also be enforced. Such laws are regulations that govern how persons in a given society are expected to behave toward others, who make up the society, and standards the persons who live within that environment are required (and not just expected) to adhere to. The government is responsible for enacting such laws, and is empowered to use security forces to ensure these laws are enforced. Sue Anstead (1999) has identified five following criteria that must exist for laws to be considered as such: consistency, universality, publication, acceptance, and enforcement. First, Consistency refers to the idea that contradictory requirements cannot be considered law, as it would be impossible for people to obey both. Second, universality demonstrates that the requirements should apply to all who share similar situations within a given society. Third, publication promotes the idea that the requirements should be available to all via some method of written publication. Fourth, acceptance means that the requirements must be generally considered appropriate. When acceptance of the law occurs, it will be nearly universally obeyed. Finally, the enforcement criterion reflects the idea that the members of the given group must be forced to comply with the regulation and punished should they choose to disobey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Anstead (1999) has also noted that the Greek word ethos is that from which the English word â€Å"ethics† is derived. The Greek word is one that means character, and the Latin equivalent of same words adds the idea of custom to the meaning of the term. The combination of these ideas reflects the choice that people within a society make regarding their mode of interaction. The philosophical rendering of the word â€Å"ethics† gives the definition as that which is good or wholesome for the person as well as his social environment and it also describes the duties that should be performed from one person to another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethics has many philosophical traits that one might describe as â€Å"common† to all forms of the term. It is concerned with the apprehension of things considered acceptable—or the distinguishing of right from wrong. Furthermore, ethics are designed compel the individuals to choose the right over the wrong. Decisions that are considered ethical are generally attended by consequences that extend over a discernible period. There are also generally several options regarding behavior, so that a person must make a choice to be ethical in his/her behavior.      Ã‚  Ã‚  However, ethics are not considered to be the same as morality. The difference that lies between them is delicate but important to learn   and understand. Judgment is at the heart of morality, as it has to do with certain â€Å"standards of behavior by which individuals are judged, and [†¦] which people in general are judged in their relationships with others (Anstead, 1999).† Ethics, however, differs from this as it encircles the entire belief system upon which a certain version of morality rests. The values connected with ethics and those principles one finds in conjunction with the law are generally related to each other. However, ethical responsibilities are often greater than legal ones. However, the opposite is also true at times. As a matter of fact, it might be said that â€Å"although law most times embodies ethical principles, law and ethics are far from co-extensive (Ibid).†   One finds that no laws exist against certain actions that may be considered even by many as unethical. On the other hand, the law does prohibit some acts that are not considered unethical but may just be dangerous. Examples of these abound, but just to name a couple: making false claims about a certain situation or betraying the trust of a friend is, in most cases, not considered illegal. However, such an act is almost universally considered unethical. Similarly, speeding is against the law, though many would agree that most people do not find such an action unethical (AMA, 1994; Anste ad, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McNamara (1999) has described a scenario in which the relationship between law and ethics is depicted. When setting up a set of criteria or guidelines that help in the detection, resolution, and the warding off or discouragement of breaches to ethical codes, an organization is often secured against involvement in further legal problems. According to Anstead (1999), â€Å"Federal sentencing guidelines passed in 1991, for example, permit judges to reduce fines and jail time for executives proportionate to the ethical measures a company has taken (Ibid).† This makes it a wise decision for any company to take time to develop a code of ethics. If an organization develops positive methods for dealing with situations concerning ethics, this will give them the opportunity to extend mitigated punishments, in the event that legal violations do occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Guidelines or codes that govern the conduct of individuals, and which are of the sort that is universally agreed upon as good actions, should be provided to the public in written form within a document. Such a document must be observed and upheld as one containing principles that are designed to guide the public (Anstead, 1999). At this point, the document should then be transformed into law. In several contexts, and especially in non-healthcare situations, one finds that the law contains no real documented types of ethical legislation. A person is generally viewed as being capable of and willing to exercise ethical conduct within a given scenario as the need arises. However, no general effort is usually placed into predicting the types of scenarios in which ethics might play a part, as well as the types of ethical behaviors that might be required. As a result, no systematic code of ethics has been captured and written down for several industries outside of the healthcare industry (Anstead, 1999). Many laws have been drafted and put into place, guarding against harm to employees and other modes of unethical conduct in the working environment. The Department of Labor is responsible for the administration of such laws within the United States. However, they are generally reflective of ethical benchmarks adhered to by most persons and organizations within society. Laws that perform such duties include the Americans with the Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The ADA (1990) has stipulated the following: No covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual with regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment (ADA, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It would not be against the ethical standards of most to admit that the denial of employment, promotions, or other benefits to a person with a disability would be wrong once that denial is based only on the fact that the person carries that handicap. This is especially true when the disability in question poses no impediment to the proper completion of the task required by the job. Ethics in the workplace also extends to the business person who finds himself under no legal obligation to refrain from divulging information given to him in private by a colleague. This is in direct opposition to the kind of confidentiality required in the healthcare system. Medical professionals must adhere to strict guidelines concerning the sharing of information about patients’ medical conditions (Agelus, 2004; AMA, 1994). In doing this, these professionals adhere both to ethical as well as legally binding guidelines. ETHICAL RULES FOR EMPLOYEES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employees that work within corporations and at executive levels are held to guidelines that are usually termed â€Å"ethics standards† (Anstead, 1999). The sources from which these guidelines are obtained as statutes concerning â€Å"criminal conflict of interests† and those concerning â€Å"administrative standards of ethical conduct† (Ibid). It is by way of such statutes that the government itself has become involved in the enforcement of ethical behavior within the corporate world (Budd, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The United States has a Criminal Conflict of Interest Statute, and the ethical nature of this law can be reflected within the United States Code. This statute bans such behavior as employees performing such actions that show their own interests to be given priority over that of the Federal government itself. It is known that obtaining information within a business setting is for the purpose of protecting the interested parties equally. In the healthcare industry, this refers to the doctor and the patient. In these scenarios, it becomes in the interest of all persons involved that information divulged in private remains confidential (AMA, 1994). Part 2635 of the Code of Federal Regulations exemplifies standards of administration as stipulated by the Ethical Conduct Regulation. According to Anstead (1999), â€Å"The standards of conduct regulation establish principles of ethical conduct for employees within the executive branch and the regulation not only identifies the principles but also provides easy to understand examples of how the principles apply (Ibid).† These guidelines that govern conduct refer to such actions as how to handle the receipt of gifts obtained from sources outside the organization; how to regulate the exchange of gifts between one employee and another; how to mediate conflicts of interests in financial situations; the removal of biases when conducting official business; how to go about finding alternate employment; the proper handling of a position of authority; how properly to balance activities outside and inside the organization. CODE OF ETHICS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Companies and organizations within the private, non-health sector often set up their own ethical guidelines in addition to the already established guidelines provided by the government. These guidelines may be written in a formal manner, or just informally understood among those persons involved. It is usually up to these private bodies to enforce such codes, as the government is generally not capable. When these codes are violated, employees or members within the organization or group may have their employment terminated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within the healthcare industry, as well as in any related sector in which humans are heavily involved in research, strict rules generally govern the actions of the professionals involved. One example of the strictness of such rules is found in the ethics that govern the carrying out of experiments that involve human subjects. Such research is carried out in hospitals, clinics, and even in universities around the world. In such cases, ethics and law work hand-in-hand, and the idea of consent (which shall later be discussed in further detail) form a large part of that research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The principle concern of all ethical research done on humans is the offer of informed consent to the subjects who participate in that research. This is defined by the researchers’ granting respect and justice to those being studied (Schrag, 1979). Such research methods that include deception, covert observation, or any other type of concealment regarding the use of information or purpose of the research is considered to be unethical. In some cases, however, it might be necessary that participants be recruited, who are unaware of certain aspects of the processes involved in the study. In such cases, an institutional review board or ethics committee must be approached, and accommodations made, to satisfy the committee’s stipulations of certain aspects of the project that may require deception (NHMRC, 2001). STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the main, this paper seeks to examine from a manager’s point of view, the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry and in comparison with the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-healthcare industries. As such, this paper intends to answer the following specific questions: What are the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry? What are the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-healthcare industries? and What is the comparison between the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry and the non-health care industries? HYPOTHESIS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry are more rigid and standardized compared with the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-health care industries. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper is written in order to achieve the following objectives from a manager’s point of view: To determine the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry; To determine the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-healthcare industries; To compare and analyze the similarities and differences between the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare and non-health care industries; and To recommend for policies or managerial improvements based upon the analysis and implications of the comparison of ethical standards in the healthcare industry, and non-health care industries.   METHODOLOGY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this study, the literature search is considered to eliminate the possibility of needless duplication of the outcome of the study. The study found that there is no evidence that a comparative analysis of ethical practices was conducted in the health care and e-commerce industries. Hence the study started analyzing the ethical practices in both the industries to make a recommendation to the health care professionals.   The study found that literature review saves considerable time by building on what is already known as well as using tested methodology, including instruments. The study progresses by assessing the merit of previous studies: their soundness, relevance, design quality, findings and conclusions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The literature research, especially in the findings and recommendations of others, often provides more and more persuasive justification for research on the problem. Previous researchers often identify gaps or areas where more research is needed. Besides enlarging the knowledge about the topic, the method allows to gain and demonstrate skills in areas such as: Information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books, and Critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Literature is collected from Journal articles, books, Government reports, Theses, Internet articles and online magazines. Each of the sources has its own contribution to the paper. Journal articles were used for their up-to-date and concise information. Books were reviewed to have a basic ground theory and to collect facts on ethical practices. Government and corporate reports were studied to understand the relevant policies and legal frameworks for the ethical practices of the industries considered for the study. Theses and research papers were reviewed to understand and compare the knowledge gained in similar fields by authors and scholars.   Internet articles and online magazines were studied to review the application areas of the study in recent times to gather different opinions and illustrations. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper is organized and structured in accordance with the American Pyschological Association (APA) format. Chapter one discusses the introduction and background of the study including the statement of the problem, hypothesis, and its objectives, and methodology. Chapter two reviews the literature which is also the main research method in data gathering as well as in the preparation for analysis and discussion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chapter three analyzes and discussed the ethical standards of gathering information in the healthcare and non-health care industries. Finally, Chapter four concludes and make recommendations. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE DISCLOSURE LAW AND SECURING INFORMATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It must be agreed that the health sector is one of the most delicate and even complicated sectors of the national economy, and that it requires handling with utmost care. It is intimately concerned with handling the most delicate areas of personal information, as it is involved in the documentation of health records, and the treatment and handling of all ailments suffered by persons within society. So, the management of healthcare data requires competence and very high standard of ethics (Agelus, 2004). So here what must also inevitably be considered is the question of drafting laws and regulations to govern how this information can be secured in the best interest of the stakeholders (Morejon, 2006). Of importance is the question of what the ethical rules are which govern security of these data and information. Also of importance is the protection of the rights of all concerned, and this is what shall be explored here. Sage (2000) has identified the fact of the extreme popularity of laws that require physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations to give extensive disclosure privileges to patients and customers.   He continues: The reason for this lies in politics, not policy: disclosure laws suggest a less intrusive role for government and greater reliance on individual choice and free markets than do other oversight mechanisms. This strikes   responsive chord in todays anti-regulatory political climate. At a policy level, however, few healthcare disclosure laws have been carefully designed to achieve specific objectives (Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An interesting and important way in which this process in which regulations are diversified is able to manifest itself is though the popularity of these disclosure laws. (Morejon, 2006). Researchers have expounded on this matter by showing how patients have been requesting extensive information about their health records in direct response to the widening scope of managed healthcare (Marshall et al., 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has also been applied to regulation ensuring the quality and safety of hospitals and physicians as well as to the laws that are responsible for the decisions made by patients concerning their treatment. The main issue that is currently being faced in the healthcare sector with the laws concerning disclosure is that they are not focused. In the words of Sage (2000), they are â€Å"scattershot, reflecting short-term political compromises or the equities of individual lawsuits rather than a coherent understanding of the purposes served by mandatory disclosure and the conditions necessary to achieve desired effects.† So it is obvious that managing and securing business information is a whole lot of serious issues. In spite of this fact, persons who advocate disclosure are usually quick to point toward such laws issued concerning federal securities as models for healthcare disclosure laws. Their argument is that Congress should carve out for the healthcare industry ethical regulations that are similar to those drafted and enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or by other financial agencies, such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Sage (2000) agrees that these boards do have the ability to illuminate some of the issues regarding ethics that face the healthcare sector. However, Sage goes on to point out that â€Å"well-designed information requirements can serve therapeutic goals regarding openness, trust, and participation and can remind physicians and other health professionals of the tensions between their daily practice environment and their overarching ethical obligations (Sage, 1999).† Therefore, in order to design fitting ethical standards and reg ulations, the particular idiosyncrasies of the healthcare industry must be taken into consideration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is the job of the government to collaborate with the healthcare personnel to establish a hierarchy of actions through which ethical standards might be met. This will necessitate the prioritizing of such issues as education of the public and overall improvement of performance in as far as social issues may have a bearing on decisions made in healthcare. Furthermore, financial considerations should not have too great a bearing on the privacy and self-determination rights of citizens (Hsinchun et al., 2005). These are some of the basic issues that must be kept in mind in understanding the important role the healthcare sector is playing in securing and managing information. Another dimension of ethics exists in the form of economic theory, and in this dimension, no rule exists which stipulates that all consumers must necessarily be completely informed in order that efficiency exist in the sector (Baird et al., 1994). In fact, according to Sage: The SEC has had to accept the fact that the meaning of intricate corporate disclosure may elude unsophisticated recipients, especially as larger segments of the population purchase securities. It has become obvious that, the absence of a secondary market pricing mechanism in healthcare reduces the ability of a few sophisticated parties—such as large employers or government purchasers—to discipline the entire market and those few have smaller incentives to achieve informational superiority (Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the opinion of Baird et. al. (1994), â€Å"overcoming the current degree of public ignorance is [still] a weighty challenge for a disclosure regime. This is particularly true because the least educated users of healthcare often have the greatest health needs and are vulnerable both to risk-selection in insurance and to substandard provision of care (Baird et. al., 1994).† The federal security laws establishing disclosure law, as pointed out by Sage (1999), has suggested three core reasons for its necessity, which are to (1) Facilitate market competition; (2) Monitor agents and intermediaries; and (3) Improve corporate governance. The researcher has seen fit to take the time to explain what these disclosure law is as it is considered the basis upon which rests a healthcare officer’s ability to comply with his ethical demands. Again, â€Å"it can serve varied and sophisticated purposes, but only if objectives are clearly articulated and laws carefully designed to achieve them (Sage, 2000).† Dealing with the science of human even veterinary medicine without properly enabling regulatory laws will only lead to frustrations and conflicts (Agelus, 2004; AMA, 1994). This is the foundation and   understanding upon which this research is based. ETHICS IN BOTH INDUSTRIES Every sector in the health delivery field has governing ethical standards that regulate its operations, be it theoretical, clinical, paramedic or even veterinary sectors. Regardless of the different departments, the governing ethical rules are basically very similar. Therefore, bodies exist for the purpose of overseeing and managing, as well as securing the interest, survival and maintenance of these ethical standards. In the same way, the non healthcare sector (covering such fields as technology, law, business, commerce and sports) have their own ethical standards by which all companies are expected to act (Agelus, 2004; Budd, 2005). The stringency of laws that back these ethics, however, tends to differ between the two sectors. Every one who operates in the field of life has a moral or compulsive obligation to play by the rules, and every organized body is governed by sets of rules. These might be rules concerning financial management, training, membership, and qualification for certification in certain fields. These rules all involve the regulation of standards of practice and may be as diverse as the scope of the organization itself. The fact and reality to be noted here is that every member, and all those who desire to be responsibly associated with such a body, must abide by the ethics of such profession in good conscience, and may even be willing to be reprimanded and disciplined when the need calls for it (Baird et al., 1994). For example, lawyers believe that advertising their profession will have dire consequences (David, 2005). So it is expected that no lawyer will be so hungry for patronage as to put up an advertisement to improve his number of cases handled. Professionally that would be unacceptable. In instances such as this, a violation of an ethical standard does not constitute a punishable offence, but would be regarded as a moral burden on such an individual. If it is agreed that lawyers must appear noble, if a â€Å"deviant† lawyer decides to publicly put up an advertisement in the papers or electronic media, there is no law that recommends prosecution. Colleagues, however, may look down on him, or at least see his actions as contemptuous. On the other hand, a civil engineer who opts to carry out an inferior job for a client may go unnoticed for a while. But if, by chance, such a building collapses over time, he may be sought out and may face possible prosecution. However, the reality is that certain ethical standards hardly have strong backing from the law enforcement agencies. The reason for this is that many are merely regulations and unwritten codes of understanding (Anstead, 1999). On the other hand, most health sector fields are very strict in adherence and implementation of their ethics of practice (AMA, 1994). The reason is quite obvious. The health sector has very strong relationship with maintaining human life, human health, hygiene, animal life, environmental concern, etc. So laxity, negligence, deliberate omission and commission may lead to casualties and unintended sad consequences. It could be conceded, therefore, that the ethics in the healthcare sector has a much stronger backing than its counterpart in the non-healthcare sector. For instance, a doctor who violates his code of practice, or carries out action that is not in conformity with the rules of practice will stand the risk of having his license withdrawn In his preface to his book, The Ethics of Human Resources and Industrial Relations, J.W. Budd, had this to say: In the business and economic spheres, many of the most pressing ethical issues involve the employment relationship, such as the rights of employees versus ER shareholders, employee privacy and monitoring, whistle blowing, pay equity, discrimination, employee safety, anti-union campaigns, and minimum labor standards. Since the field of human resources and industrial relations is ultimately about people and quality of life, there is a pressing need to develop applications of business ethics for the employment relationship in the context of research, practice, and teaching (2005, p. 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In following the media coverage of the many scandals which have plagued countries throughout the world, the public has gained a greater understanding of what can happen when businesses do not adhere to ethical practices. Many scholars of business ethics consider that it is now time for the human resources and industrial relations communities to explore the application of ethics to the employment relationship and to discover the importance of treating employees, not just numbers, properly. This goes to show that the issue of observing ethics in profession is gradually taking a more serious dimension (Marshall et. al., 2000; Sage,   2000). POSSIBLE CONFLICTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     It has already been emphasized that certain beliefs and actions may be perfectly legal, but might yet be considered unethical. One organization, the Marriot Corporation, holds itself and its employees to some very high ethical standards (Anstead, 1999). In fact, certain aspects of the company’s standards might be said to be overdone. However, in the pursuit of comprehensive ethical standards, the dress code, for example, had once included certain stipulations that might today even be considered unethical. This had to do with the appearance of its employees while on the job, and on some level extends itself into areas that differentiate the sexes in what might be considered inappropriate ways today.   Some stipulations were (1) Prohibition of women from wearing skirts that go higher than about four inches above knee level; (2) Prohibition of women from showing bare legs and the requirement that they wear panty hose or long pants always; (3) Prohibition of women from wearing clothing that exposed their shoulders; (4) Prohibition of men from wearing their hair at a length that touches or goes beyond the collar without having express religious reasons for doing so; and (5) Prohibition of men from wearing certain types of jewelry, such as earrings. Despite the fact that such rules were considered binding within the confines of the company itself, nothing regarding them had anything to do with legal status at a judicial level. Still, within the culture of the Marriot Corporation, behaviors that went against the established codes were considered unethical (Anstead, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also no law exists that prohibits companies from outsourcing their manufacturing jobs for the sake of profit. Furthermore, though minimum wages might differ greatly between the host country and the United States, corporations are not bound to meet anything more than the minimum wage requirement of the host country in order to remain unsusceptible to legal action.    Succinct with to the two aforementioned examples, other practices (though lesser in degree by comparison) demonstrating illegal actions might be considered ethical by the majority of the public. The removal of office supplies at ones place of employment for personal use is one such example. Another is the installation of a copyrighted program on multiple computers within a company. Technically, such an action is in violation of intellectual property and other copyright laws (Budd, 2005; Software Use, 1999). Despite this, â€Å"the piracy of software is widespread, even in corporations that con sider themselves ethical† (Anstead, 1999). Like the healthcare industry, the software community has plenty of legal backing when it comes to the proper use of its products. Unlike the healthcare community, however, many breaches to the legal guidelines take place and little is (or can be) done to prevent this. One reason for this is that such illegal conduct is difficult to detect and control, and such widespread software knowledge exists that hackers may be able to get around security measures, further complicating the matter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Copyright law enacted by the Federal government seeks to protect software creators as soon as the product has been developed. Title 17 of the United States Code concerns the Copyright Act, see 17 U.S.C.A.  § 102, and accords exclusively to the developers and owners of software the right to reproduce and disseminate the work in question. Anyone found to encroach upon the rights of the owner of the copyright is subject to penalties, and those who purchase a copy the software has license only to put the software on one computer and create a back-up copy for the purposes of archiving it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The discrepancy one finds between the sentiments of different persons concerning software piracy is akin to the delicate difference between what is legal and what is ethical. Many people are adamant in their belief that certain illegal uses of software are indeed ethical. Yet, the financial impact that such piracy has globally is significant. One study has shown that in 1998, approximately 38% of all software installed in businesses worldwide was pirated, and this amounted to a reduction in profits of approximately $11 billion (SILA, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When one considers the management of a non-healthcare businesses, it becomes clear that rules governing ethical practices are less stringent than those within the healthcare industry. Ethics are not compulsory, though it usually benefits the company to demonstrate ethical practices. The relationship between law and ethics becomes evident here again, and such a relationship is of immense importance in the area of management. It is one of the duties of managers to assess both what is considered legal and what is considered ethical in the running of their businesses. It is the job of managers, therefore, to ascertain whether employees and the company as a whole abide by the legal statutes and societal standards concerning ethics. Also important here is the evaluation of what is considered acceptable and ethical behaviors by customers—as they also must be satisfied as much as managers and employees are with the ethics of the company (Budd, 2005). It is of course true that no policy developed to secure ethical standards will be satisfactory to all concerned. However, managers have the responsibility of establishing the most comprehensive code of ethics possible given the information currently available to him or her. The code will have the advantage of demonstrating to employees, customers, and society alike that the company is at least concerned with the ethical practices of those who do business in and with it. In this way, businesses outside the health industry do themselves a favor by demonstrating ethical practices above and beyond their legal obligations. However, within most non-healthcare sectors, such attention to ethics is not mandatory (Budd, 2005).   Pains have been taken to go through the above details for the purpose of making it possible for readers to appreciate what and how ethics apply in other aspects of life. However, this study will be limited to the healthcare and non healthcare industries, focusing on their ethical standards in securing information. ETHICS AND PRIVACY   Sometimes, people may act deliberately to defy the written and unwritten codes of ethics within their line of work in the organizations. This may be done through deviant means, such as sophisticated electronic devices that facilitate the bugging or taping conversations that were never meant to be recorded. It appears that such actions occur more in the business world than in the health world. It is not, for example, common to hear of health workers engaging in such extreme activities in order to gain access to information of a delicate and private nature. However, one does hear of other forms of ethical breaches in the health sector and the pharmaceutical industry. Some scientists may also attempt to misrepresent the results of clinical trials for similar reasons. Such actions are unethical as they may eventually prove harmful to the public at large (Bassett, et al., 1992; Girotra, Terwiesch Ulrich, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue of consent according to the Privacy Rule, states that workers and establishments in the healthcare sector, such as physicians, hospitals and clinics must receive consent from patients or other clients before compromising or turning over to a third party information concerning that person’s state of health. Such permission must be given in written form prior to the disclosure and before any form of treatment or other operation can be performed (Sage, 2000). Currently, it is the practice of healthcare providers to â€Å"obtain a patients consent for disclosure of information to insurance companies or for other purposes (DHHS, 2001, p. 4).† This is done for reasons having to do with ethics and professionalism. The Rule itself has as its foundation these said practices, and these rules are eventually expanded for the purpose of having a uniform system by which workers in the healthcare sector can systematically gain consent for the procedures nece ssary to ensure the proper treatment of patients (DHHS, 2001; Hsinchun et al., 2005). GENERAL PROVISIONS   Ã‚  Ã‚   According to McNamarra (1999), the general provisions for ethical standards in the healthcare industry are as follows:  Ã‚   It is necessary for patients to give consent prior to being treated by health care provider that offers direct treatment to that patient. Such a health care provider may utilize or share protected health information (PHI) only for purposes of TPO. Exceptions to this standard are given subsequently; When an emergency arises (such as in the event of life-threatening accidents or communication barriers), it is possible for health care workers to use and disclose information concerning a patient without first having obtained his/her consent. This is especially true in the health care sector, where laws require that workers treat patients that come into their care; Certain members of the healthcare community whose employees have very minimal contact with patients, such as persons who work in laboratories, may use or disclose information concerning those patients without first obtaining their consent. Other organizations within the health care sector, such as health insurance agencies and clearinghouses also have the privilege of using or divulging patients’ information without gaining consent. These agencies do have the option of getting this consent if they wish to do so—but it is left to their discretion; Health care providers have the right to refuse treatment to any patient who fails to grant permission for disclosing their protected health information. It is not necessary for such consent to be obtained by more than one provider at any given time; and There is no real need for the document that gives consent to be an in-depth one. Such permissions may be given in very general language. The language must, however, be plain enough to be easily understood. It must also contain all that is necessary to make it clear to the patient that any information that is provided might be shared and that he/she does have the right to refuse, impose restrictions, and to peruse the privacy statement of the organization. The consent may be a brief document in written from with general terms. Any such statement must then be signed and dated by either the patient himself or the patient’s proxy (McNamara, 1999). INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Individuals have the right to revoke statement of consent except when the health care provider has already acted in response to the consent. Restrictions may be imposed upon the permissions for disclosures and uses of protected information. The provider is not obligated to agree to these restrictions, but must abide by those to which it does agree (McNamara, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚     Patients must be privy to the privacy codes of the entity to which he/she gives permission to use or disclose information—and such access to the privacy code must occur before signing consent forms (Ibid). ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), any consent form that is signed by a patient must be kept by the health care provider (or other entity) for a period of six years following its last effective date. The forms may be retained in paper form, electronically, or otherwise—this is left to the discretion of the provider.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Further provisions for privacy and consent have been issued, which stipulate that if a covered entity obtains consent and also receives an authorization to disclose PHI for TPO, the covered entity may disclose information only in accordance with the more restrictive document, unless the covered entity resolves the conflict with the individual. CONSENT VERSUS AUTHORIZATION â€Å"Consent† is the name given to any document that accords to health care personnel the permission regarding the usage and disclosure of delicate information regarding a patient. This permission is granted solely to the particular health personnel (Sage, 2000). It is not necessary that the consent form be specific about the type of information that will be used included in the disclosure (Sage, 2000). It is generally only the â€Å"direct treatment provider that has the legal right to obtain consent from the patient, and such a person should be â€Å"one that treats a patient directly, rather than based on the orders of another provider, and/or provides health care services or test results directly to patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An authorization differs in that it offers requests for permissions to patients in a fashion more tailored to suit them and their health needs. This offers permissions to use specific portions of a patient’s PHI for detailed and specific purposes. Such purposes are usually for things that are unrelated to the TPO or for disclosure to be done with a specified third party. Authorizations expire, while consent forms are more open concerning the time-frame in which information might be used or disclosed. Further stipulations include the fact that â€Å"covered entities may not condition treatment or coverage on the individual providing an authorization† and that it â€Å"states the purpose for which the information may be used or disclosed† (DHHS, 2001, p. 6). PRIVACY RULES IN THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is highly necessary to have a deeper understanding of what privacy rule entails as a basis for sustaining quality ethical standard especially for someone working in the healthcare sector. In the healthcare industry, privacy is a more delicate issue than other sectors and its workings are very intricate. The background information released from the Office for Civil Rights, (DHHS, 2001; OCR, n.d.) indicates the intricacy of the Privacy Rule, which became effective on April 14, 2001. The Privacy Rule, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, â€Å"provides the first comprehensive federal protection for the privacy of health information† (DHHS, 2001, p. 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The different departments within the health care sector have all joined in support of the aims advocated by this rule to protect the privacy of the patient. However, these departments also understand how necessary it is that privacy not interferes with the treatment of patients (DHHS, 2001; OCR, n.d.). The delicacy of the privacy problem becomes even more apparent for other reasons. Though privacy consents and authorizations are generally granted to primary care providers, health care clearing houses and health insurers, it is usually the case that such entities require the aid of yet other entities (such as contractors) in order to provide the best care possible to the patient. To make allowance for the possibility of divulging PHI to such associates, conditions and stipulations are included in the privacy rule for ensuring that the provider obtain satisfactory assurances that the business associate will use the information only for the purposes for which they were engaged by the covered entity, will safeguard the information from misuse, and will help the covered entity comply with the covered entitys duties to provide individuals with access to health information about them and a history of certain disclosures. Therefore, personal health information can only be shared with contractors and associates when such information is necessary for the providers to do their jobs accurately and thoroughly. To facilitate the usefulness of this regulation to the health care officer as well as the individual in securing information in compliance to the ethical requirements, most health care providers must know that they are covered by the new rule and therefore must comply with the new requirements. Analysts have wondered whether these requirements for consent have not presented barriers to the proper treatment of patients, as this often necessitates open consultation with other specialists and health care providers. However, the stipulations of the consent requirements should not hinder such comprehensive treatment, as those providers who had at one time treated the patient would have also been required to obtain such consent. Furthermore, since necessary consultations with other health personnel are considered part of the â€Å"treatment of an individual, it is considered within consensual boundaries to engage in such consultation. Such actions are therefore considered ethical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethical practices in the commercial, technological and other industrial sectors are governed by corporate regulations and social responsibilities. The issues of these sectors differ from those of the health care sector, which deals with the more serious issues of providing medication for human and veterinary sciences, and as such, requires more serious and stringent ethical standard compliance (Hsinchun et al., 2005). PRIVACY IN THE CONTEXT OF E-COMMERCE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethical difficulties associated with e-commerce revolve around privacy and identity, both with reference to the human subject involved in the transaction and transaction non refutability (Baum 1998, p.65; Suprina 1997, pp.8–12; Joyanes, 1997, pp.277–281).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The online e-store Amazon (Linden, G., Smith, B. York, J. as cited in Teemu Mutanen) uses consumer data on cross-selling growth and the   information about buying patterns is transformed into recommendations. Chris Anderson as cited in Teemu Mutanen argues that this combination of good-quality recommendations with huge inventory of items is a real business advantage. The advantage is gained only if the customer can be targeted with relevant recommendations, the variety of items is not sufficient. Hence E-commerce organizations tend to use the consumer data they have collected from their visitors through online transactions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the online consumers expect ethics from the e-commerce traders in protecting the privacy of their details.   They want the e-commerce sites to have and to display a highly visible privacy policy, which can be easily understood. They want a prominent page where corrections of past mistakes are available. Berman Mulligan highlights that an internet-user possesses three expectations when online: (1) an expectation of anonymity, (2) an expectation of fairness and control over personal information, and (3) an expectation confidentiality (Berman Mulligan 1999).All three expectations are eliminated through three critical cyberspace practices that are (Gindin, 1997): 1) personal information provided on the Internet, (2) online transactions, and (3) government record keeping. Although each practice provides only a minute description of an individual’s personal life, the slow accumulation of such descriptive material may eventually expose a detailed profile (Mason 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The consumers experiences on the Net concerning their privacy lists several themes. Beth Givens in his presentation, ‘Privacy Expectations in a High Tech World’ outlined the following themes on consumer experiences regarding privacy concerns: The first theme is the invisibility of data capture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A second theme is the potential ubiquitousness of data gathering, and the ability of data from several sources to be merged to create massive electronic dossiers on individuals. A third theme is invasion. Web sites can capture and track visitors clickstream data by placing small text files called cookies onto their hard drives. Unless users are savvy enough to set their browsers to notify them about the pending placement of a cookie, it is done without the users consent, and its an invisible process. A fourth theme is the fear of harm befalling Internet users – fear, and a fifth theme is confusion over their privacy rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The problem of privacy in e-commerce is concerned with the difficulty of securely conveying the information required for online transactions (Suprina, 1997 as cited in A.J.G. Sison).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Information technology and computer professionals began seriously considering the long-term effects of computer ethics in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recognized the need to organize professionally through such bodies as the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to devise professional codes of conduct. However, the increasing proliferation of powerful computers in the hands of nonprofessionals widens the scope of potential problems. PRIVACY AND ETHICAL INFORMATION AMBIGUITY Ethical ideologists have confusing opinions most of the time, and such problems can actually undermine ethical practices (Budd, 2005). In one profession, an action which is not ethically sound may not even be considered an offense in law. In many cases, there is no clear demarcation as to what is ethically wrong and what is legally offensive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These are some problems encountered by those who practice in the healthcare field, and there exists by no means a consensus on what should be done in such cases (AMA, 1994). For example, economic ethical theorists believe it is the right of every citizen of a country to access health and medical opportunities, irrespective of his financial status (Budd, 2005).   DISCLOSURE LAW IN HEALTH CARE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It must be agreed that the health sector is one of the most delicate and even complicated sectors of the national economy, and that it requires handling with utmost care. It is intimately concerned with handling the most delicate areas of personal information, as it is involved in the documentation of health records, and the treatment and handling of all ailments suffered by persons within society. So, the management of healthcare data requires competence and very high standard of ethics (Agelus, 2004). So here what must also inevitably be considered is the question of drafting laws and regulations to govern how this information can be secured in the best interest of the stakeholders (Morejon, 2006). Of importance is the question of what the ethical rules are, that govern security of these data and information. Also of importance is the protection of the rights of all concerned, and this is what shall be explored here. Sage (2000) has identified the fact of the extreme popularity of laws that require physicians, hospitals, and other health care organizations to give extensive disclosure privileges to patients and customers.   He continues: â€Å"The main issue that is currently being faced in the health care sector with the laws concerning disclosure is that they are unfocussed†. In the words of Sage (2000), they are â€Å"scattershot, reflecting short-term political compromises or the equities of individual lawsuits rather than a coherent understanding of the purposes served by mandatory disclosure and the conditions necessary to achieve desired effects.† So it is obvious that managing and securing business information is becoming a serious issue from the standpoint of ethics and law. In spite of this fact, persons who advocate disclosure are usually quick to point toward such laws issued concerning federal securities as models for healthcare disclosure laws. However, Sage goes on to point out that â€Å"well-designed information requirements can serve therapeutic goals regarding openness, trust, and participation and can remind physicians and other health professionals of the tensions between their daily practice environment and their overarching ethical obligations† (Sage, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Therefore, in order to design fitting ethical standards and regulations, the particular idiosyncrasies of the health care industry must be taken into consideration. This will necessitate the prioritizing of such issues as education of the public and overall improvement of performance in as far as social issues may have a bearing on decisions made in health care. Furthermore, financial considerations should not have too great a bearing on the privacy and self-d etermination rights of citizens (Hsinchun et al., 2005). These are some of the basic issues that must be kept in mind in understanding the important role the health care sector is playing in securing and managing information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Certain practices that may be acceptable in a health care setting are included below under the condition that measures are taken to keep   minimum disclosures and other ways of exposing delicate information (Sage, 2000):   Health care personnel are at liberty to coordinate actions orally for the service of patients when located at nursing stations within a hospital;   Doctors, nurses, and others responsible for patients are allowed to converse about the condition of a patient currently under their care, whether on the phone, in the presence of the patient, with a provider, or with another (authorized) family member;   Doctors and nurses are allowed to converse concerning test results from a   laboratory. They may do so with the patient or just amongst themselves in an area for joint treatment; and   Health care personnel are also allowed to discuss the condition of a patient when involved in rounds dedicated to training when in an institution that facilitates the training of health care workers (Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also necessary are ethical measures that govern the language that might be used during the care of a patient. When talking in elevated tones becomes necessary in a less-than-private location, the language used should be carefully tailored and then reinforced as the proper method of oral communication among colleagues.   In the same way, businessmen who may be discussing classified information may not be aware of the ability of a person in another room to hear the details of their private conversation. Nothing forces this hearer to block his ears or otherwise ignore the delicate information being transmitted to him, and as a result he becomes privy to privileged information (Budd, 2005; Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-protection mechanism can be described with the online users when they decide on the choices provided for them without any assistance.   When individuals chooses not reply to â€Å"Spam† e-mail even to request removal from a mailing list since replies indicate to a company that individual’s e-mail account is active and marketable (Navrette, 1998). Such measures protect privacy information by providing steps that may prevent the transmission of personal information to business and criminals. In this protective mechanism, individuals remain in control of their own personal information without the assistance of other groups. ROLE OF HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATOR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Health care industry is also a business industry including management and administrative responsibilities. The managers of the health care industry are called as health care administrators who take responsibilities for planning, direction, coordination, and supervision and the delivery of health care. Unlike the administrators in other industries, health care managers include specialists and generalists. Generalists manage or help manage an entire facility or system, while specialists are in charge of specific clinical departments or services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the rapid changing in the structure, technology adaptations, evolving integrated health care delivery systems, an increasingly complex regulatory environment, restructuring of work, and an increased focus on preventive care, the role of the health care administrator is also changing and modifying according to the situation. They are responsible to improve efficiency in health care facilities and the quality of the health care provided.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The health care administrators are responsible for the maintenance of patient records, health plans etc., along with the regular Information System managers. In order to maintain authentication and privacy of such key records, the Healthcare administrators should be flexible with the technology, requirements and the developments in and around the industry. The accurate and continuous maintenance of patient record database lies in the hands of the health care administrator and he should maintain the patient record database accurately and completely.   In addition,   as the health care data is also being shared with others for the purpose of research and compliance practices, the expertise and skill levels of health care administrators have become more crucial in maintaining privacy and ethical practices of the industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this context the health care administrators are often called on to maintain and develop professional standards, procedures, and policies for their institutional activities. The expanding role of the health care administrator includes management of preventive medicine and health care programs, medical and vocational rehabilitation, community health and welfare etc. which needs good leadership and managerial skills along with sound knowledge of policy and protection regulations. CONCLUSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The review of the literature is also the main research method in this study. As such, it was found in the review that ethical standards in acquiring business information in the healthcare industries are much more rigid and organized compared to the ethical standards in the non-health care industries. Thus, the review   affirms the temporarily the hypothesis of this study. Thus, the next chapter would further discuss and analyze the ethical standards of both industries so as to make a conclusive finding regarding the hypothesis of this study.