Saturday, August 31, 2019

Benefit of Life Balance

Home-based Telecommuting This refers to employees working at home on a regular basis, though not necessarily every day. Some employees choose to work from home several days in a week. To support the work of the home-based worker, some employers would provide them with the necessary equipment. For an example, computers and fax machines. Satellite Offices Instead of the conventional office, employees work at a location convenient to themselves and their customers. A satellite office houses only employees from a single firm.In some sense, it is a branch office whose purpose is to alleviate employees' commute. The satellite office is equipped with office furniture and equipment provided by the firm. Neighborhood Work Centre This is essentially similar to the satellite office with one difference which a neighborhood work centre houses more than one company's employees. In other words, several companies may share the lease on an office building but maintain separate office areas within the building. Office suites may be furnished by the site owner or by the respective renting firm.Mobile Working In contrast to telecommuters who work from one designated location outside the office, mobile workers are frequently on the road, using telecommunications equipment to work from an assortment of locations such as home, car, plane or hotel business centre. This mode of arrangement is most suited to employees who need to be constantly on the move to get their Jobs done, like salesperson, investment bankers and investigative reporters. 2. 3 BENEFITS Savings from Absenteeism Teleporting allows workers to better combine their work and personal responsibilities.This results in a reduction in absenteeism as employees have less tendency to take personal leave, sick leave or leave work early to meet personal deeds. According to the 1999 Telethon America Research Survey by Joanne Pratt Associates, teleporting results in a 63% savings in the cost of absenteeism per teleporting employee per year. Higher Productivity Teleporting helps to increase productivity as workers are not susceptible to distractions such as office politics and gossips.Employees also have higher energy levels due to the reduction in traveling to and from work; Savings in Cost of Office Space Teleporting enables companies to save on office space and associated costs. According to the 1999 Telethon America Research Survey, IBM saved IIS$75 million in al estate expenses as a result of telecommuting while AT & T saved IIS$80 million in real estate and office overheads from having employees telecommute; Attraction 54% of the employees covered in the survey said that the ability to work at home was important or extremely important to them in considering a new Job.Companies with flexible work practices are cited as â€Å"best practice† employers, and this helps to attract and retain employees; Option for Disability Telethon is a suitable employment option for employees with disability. 2. 4 PRO BLEMS/CHALLENGES Inability to Constantly Monitor A major challenge for managers is their inability to physically observe their employees' performance. This may pose a concern especially for Jobs where the employees' performance is not easily measurable.Reduced Social Networking Teleporting may negatively affect social networking in the workplace by: – disrupting teamwork. – fragmenting the social network. – creating possible resentment among employees not chosen to telecommute. Lack of Resource and Technical Support Telemarketers face the challenge of gaining access to resources (documents, database) which they may need in performing their work but which may not be available on- nine. In addition, telemarketers need to be more technically savvy then their office peers as support services may not be readily available at remote offices. 2. KEY IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS Telecommuting Arrangement May be most suitable for employees whose nature of work does not r equire close supervision or interaction with other employees, and whose work performance or output can be easily measured and assessed. Communication Essential for the successful implementation of teleporting. Before the implementation of teleporting, both managers and employees should discuss and agree on the key issue. The key issues, including the terms and conditions of employment, should be documented in the form of policy guidelines which would serve as a basis for implementing teleporting.The key issue as follow: – performance goals and measurements – career paths – training and development opportunities – occupational safety and health considerations and work injury compensation – provision of work equipment and reimbursement of work-related expenses – need for reporting at the workplace at regular intervals – safeguarding the security and confidentiality of information Managers Would Need o be Trained on Remote Supervision an d Management Managers would also have to learn to address issues such as employee isolation and the concern about transmitting the organization's culture to employees who are working remotely. . JOB SHARING The term â€Å"Job sharing† was first coined in mid-asses. This option was devised as a way to create more part-time opportunities in positions which could not be reduced in hours or split into two part-time Jobs. The Job sharing arrangement enables employers to preserve Jobs in their full-time form while tapping on the expertise of two or more people.

Unethical

Unethical Research Arnuang Bullie RES/351 Jeff Duncan November 9, 2012 In this paper I will try and discuss the unethical business research conduct that has resulted in individuals or a firm being convicted, or at least tried for, this conduct. Some questions will be what were the inappropriate questions, what were the research results, and who was involved in the maintaining of the participants’ confidential information, and were there any acts involving the use of participant information for unintended purposes such as selling goods or services. What unethical research behavior was involved? The company I have researched is DynCorp. There was an article on this company earlier this year about DynCorp and Sex trafficking. DynCorp is a Private Military Company who gets paid by governments to protect areas, and is likely to take on the same roles as soldiers. Many times these companies are looked at lightly and not really researched. * Who were the injured parties? While workin g in Bosnia middle aged men were having sex with 12-15 year old children, and sold them to each other as slaves.According to the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) lawsuit filed in Texas on behalf of a former DynCorp aircraft mechanic, â€Å"in the latter part of 1999 Johnston learned that employees and supervisors from DynCorp were engaging in perverse, illegal and inhumane behavior [and] were purchasing illegal weapons, women, forged passports and [participating in other immoral acts. Johnston witnessed coworkers and supervisors literally buying and selling women for their own personal enjoyment, and employees would brag about the various ages and talents of the individual slaves they had purchased† (O'Meara, 2002). How has the unethical behavior affected the organization, the individual, and society? In the summer of 2005, the United States Defense department drafted a proposal to prohibit defense contractor involvement in human trafficking for forced pro stitution and labor. Several defense contractors, among others, DynCorp, stalled the establishment of a final proposal that would formally prohibit defense contractor involvement in these activities. On June 2, 2000, members of the 48th Military Police Detachment conducted a sting on the DynCorp hangar at Comanche Base Camp, one of two U.S. bases in Bosnia, and all DynCorp personnel were detained for questioning. (O'Meara, 2002). * How could the unethical behavior be avoided or resolved? Since these allegations were raised more than a decade ago, the Company has changed ownership and leadership; developed a strict Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, which includes a zero tolerance policy on human trafficking; created the position of Chief Compliance Officer; introduced global training programs; and has taken a number of steps to ensure a compliant, ethical, successful workplace.It is both good and commendable that DynCorp has taken steps since those days to ensure such things never happen again (Isenberg, 2012). These situations are hard to know if they are going to happen but, by putting the strict Code of Ethics and Business Conduct in place should help regulate what else goes on. References Isenberg, D. (2012, February 10). The DynCorp â€Å"See no Evil† Monkey. Huffington Post, p. . O'Meara, K. P. (2002, January). US: DynCorp Disgrace. Insight Magazine, ().

Friday, August 30, 2019

How to Plan a Party Process Essay Essay

Parties are to commemorate special events and memorable occasions. However, what makes a party worthwhile and a happy occasion for both the host and his guests is perfect planning for such an event. Planning a surprise birthday party can be fun and exciting. The anticipation that the planner feels waiting for the reaction of the birthday person brings as much, if not more joy, than the actual birthday person’s acknowledgement of the party. Organization is a major key for things to run smoothly so when planning a party, there are many important details to be remembered: setting, theme and decorations, menu, guest list, entertainment plan and r.s.v.p The First step is to decide on the date, place, and time of the party. Most parties take place on the weekends for the convenience of working class; however, if permitted you can have a party scheduled during the week. Be sure that the party does not conflict with the birthday person’s schedule, because they have priority. Once you have picked a date and time check to make sure your location will be available. Try choosing a place that you know your guest of honor will love, such as a favorite park or familiar hang out spot or even a place that has special sentimental value for the person. After you have confirmed that the date, place, and time are all available, it is time to choose a theme you would like to have. The theme is  where you get ideas for your decorations, invitations, and even games. The theme is especially crucial when sending out invitations. Depending on what the invitation says it can tell your guest what type of party to expect, for example water party, s kate, costume, etc. So you want to be sure that both your theme and invitation match up. When choosing a theme be sure it is age appropriate and that everyone will feel neutral about. Once chosen, buy decorations to match. After choosing a theme it will be time to decide on a menu, which should be the easiest part of all. Finger foods are always a great route to go, because they are simple and you have a wide range to pick from. However if budget is an issue you can prepare simple platters such as fruit plates, sandwich trays, cheese and cracker trays, and vegetable trays. If you’re throwing a party for a younger age group chips and hot dogs are always a winner. This is also the time to order the cake. The cake should match the theme or be a symbol of the birthday person’s favorite character or hobby; also you should provide a variety of drinks. The next step is choosing a guest list. When choosing this list, it is crucial to invite only those who you are sure the birthday fellow will enjoy. By inviting people whose company is unwanted drama is likely to follow. Also keep in mind that you can never invite too many people, because more than likely half will not show up and those who do just might bring a friend along. To ensure your guests will have a jolly time, have great entertainment plan. DJ’s are generally a great choice where they allow guests to enjoy their favorite songs, but they can be costly. However, if you need entertainment that fits your budget better try planning games such as, pin the tail on the donkey, hide and seek, dominoes, spades, and pià ±ata. So use your imagination and be creative, also improvise whenever needed. Finally, send out your invites be sure to include an r.s.v.p with a deadline. Make sure the deadline is at least a week before the party. This will allow you time to make changes if necessary. Include an end note informing your guest that food and drinks will be provided. Once your r.s.v.p. deadline has come, you can decide if you need to order more or less food and party favors. To sum up, planning a birthday party is simple; it just requires time and dedication. Not only are they simple, but they can be quite inexpensive so long as you budget properly. If you follow these steps, your planning will go stress and hassle free. And as you run over a few last minute details and await the arrival of guest, relax and breathe; your party will have a great turn out and be the talk of the town.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

White paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

White paper - Essay Example The worth and value of stakeholders was not too high, before 21st century. However, it should be noted that stakeholders was a known terminology in legal concept, since long. The origin of the concept of stakeholders, in business or management field, had initially come into existence in 1963. At that time, the terminology of stakeholders appeared in the international memorandum of Stanford Research Institute. Stakeholders, then, were defined as â€Å"those guys without whose support the organization would cease to exist† (Friedman & Miles, 2006). In the 19th century, the concept of stakeholders referred to the respective owners of business organizations, who had invested money in it as well as possessed full power to enjoy all upcoming benefits of the organization. The author named Freeman had first emphasized on the importance of the term, â€Å"stakeholders†, in 1984, in his book, Strategic Management Stakeholders Approach. Long before 21st century, the business corpo rations were assumed to be artificial legal entities and the value of the so-called stakeholders, like, customers, suppliers, shareholders, government and employees, were assumed to be neutral. Thus, in that particular period, stakeholders of an organization were referred to as only those individuals in the market who could provide economic support to the corporation’s activities. Prior to 21st century, it was found that business corporations used to give importance and value to only those individuals who could support the concerned firm with some financial support. At that point of time, the owners of organizations were considered to be extensively powerful. According to the views of Lord Edward Coke, â€Å"corporations cannot commit treason, nor be outlawed nor excommunicated, for they have no souls† (Friedman & Miles, 2006). The interactions of stakeholders with the soulless organizations were extensively poor in the period before 21st century. The firms almost did not react or

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Critical evaluation of two luxury brand stores Essay

Critical evaluation of two luxury brand stores - Essay Example Such kinds of people have high purchasing power and hence they go for such kinds of products. When one buys something of luxury brand one can genuinely feel the difference. Luxury brands grow and expand even when the economy goes down. People spend thousands of dollars to buy such kind of products. In this paper two luxury brands Hermes and Chanel will be considered. Hermes is a French manufacturer of luxury goods with its headquartered in Paris, France. Similarly Chanel is also a high fashion house headquartered in Paris, France. The each has their own touch points across the world where they reflect their individuality with the customers. Such brands need to take care of their marketing strategy in such a way that their brand value does not get affected. Discussion In this section of the essay, the detailed discussion about each of the two chosen brands will be conducted. The discussion of each brand includes overview and analysis of the brand; and brand message and communication a cross brand touch points. In overview and analysis of the brand the key focus will be on brand position and heritage, and brand DNA. In brand message and communication, the key focus will be on the concept stores and other communication tools. Analysis of the two brands in above mentioned perspectives has been conducted separately for each of the two brands below. Hermes International Figure 1: Logo of Hermes International It was founded by Thierry Hermes in 1837. ... Hermes International S.A. has around 304 exclusive stores including 180 branches, 21 retail outlets and 124 concessionaries (Tran, 2012, p. 3). It employees only 9081 persons, but their revenues keeps increasing rapidly in many years. Their revenue in 2011 was 2,841 million euros. The prices of their products are sky high but still their sales keeps on increasing every year. For example on an average Hermes handbag cost $ 3000 -$ 5000, but people still prefer to buy them (Hermes, 2013, p. 1). Hermes targets teenagers and young adults who love fashion. Their customer wants high quality merchandise with good features and wonderful after sale service. Their customers earn high incomes and do not bother about how expensive the prices are. They basically look for limited edition leather watches. Such customers want to own something which other common people can’t afford to buy. United States is an important market for Hermes. They target high income customers who are mostly males. Hence they focus more on male accessories than female counterparts (Ritson, 2010, p. 1). Likewise their target customers are different across different countries, depending on the demography of the economy. Like Hermes is now trying to target the Mainland China. According to a study in China, male consumer s purchase more luxury products online as compared to female counterparts. So there also they sell the male accessories. Figure 2: Hermes International Store in London Hermes basically gives two powerful messages thorough their stores. One is the craftsmanship displayed by their artisans in creating their products. Another message is the quality and commitment to service delivery which is displayed by the service received by the customers who visits

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Schooling the World Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Schooling the World - Term Paper Example InSchooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden, the main conflict as depicted in the film is that of traditional education versus contemporary education. Based on the film, it is evident that modern education has had a huge impact on most traditional societies such as Ladakh. To begin with, the fact that most schools offering contemporary education are located in major urban areas, has meant that families have to move near cities in order to secure their children admission to such schools. This has subsequently negatively impacted on their societies. Not only has led to separation of family members, but has also led to change of traditional roles. For instance, one woman in Ladakh village narrates how her children have moved to the nearest urban area in search for modern education for their children. This has in turn led to a change in the traditional duties (Black, 2010). Unlike before where it was males’ responsibility to take of their homes and feed the livestock , the widow is forced to do all these chores. On the same point, traditionalists and opponents of modern schooling also argue that in contrast to the past where education entailed teaching children moral education based on the religious principles of Buddhism, modern education is more focused on teaching children foreign culture and language (Black, 2010). This is regarded as a form of drainage of the traditions and heritage of most societies. As matter of fact, it is deemed as destruction of the viable seeds of tradition, thereby posing the danger of extinction of the traditional cultures. Additionally, the emphasis of modern education on the spirit of competition in school performance has also had a spill-over effect on the lives of most children attending such institutions. Most children are growing to live more self-centered lives, eroding the conventional rules and values of compassion and generosity within the

Monday, August 26, 2019

American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

American Government - Essay Example A democracy is flawed when government officials act in their self interest rather than the publics and when a portion of the populace is served more than others. We cannot be of the people if we are not by the people. Any reason for low voter turnout whether internally, from apathy or external sources such as intentional acts of voter suppression degrades and makes a mockery of a democracy, an ongoing experiment, a system that works only as well as people make it. By strengthening instead of weakening the Voting Rights Act of 1965, changing the voting day (Tuesday) and instituting mandatory voting among other techniques, voter turnout will be increased which is a victory in and of itself, a victory for the democratic process and we the people. Low voter turn out Pandering Political leaders usually show little interest in catering to segments of the population that historically vote in smaller numbers than the norm. They use their limited campaign resources, time and money, where it w ill do the most good. The 2012 presidential election is a good example. Republican candidate Mitt Romney courted the far-right of his party to win the primary because this was the most emotionally motivated group meaning they would vote in high numbers. Romney is credited for instituting the model for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as Governor of Massachusetts, a law that covers abortion and illegal immigrants. He did what all politicians do, pandered to the people going to the polls. The far-right Tea Party does not represent mainstream Republicans. Their voice is over-represented. Even after the presidential loss Republicans have not showed interest in attract minority voters. Voting blocks such as the Tea Party have a larger voice in government, a circumstance that does not accurately represent the population. Bad outcomes occur when a highly motivated minority carries a disproportionate voice such as when the House of Representatives shutdown the federal government, have vo ted to repeal Obamacare more than 40 times and is not allowing a vote on the immigration bill. Apathy A democratic government is designed to reflect the will of the majority and protect the civil liberties of all. Apathy, the lack of interest in the democratic process, acts to distort the ideal of democracy and not in a positive way. When half of those registered to vote choose not to exercise that right it results in a government that does not represent all people equally. People don’t vote for a variety of reasons including, ‘too busy,’ ‘don’t like either candidate,’ ‘have a disability’ and ‘just don’t care about politics.’ Voting apathy is getting worse. In 1960 nearly two-thirds of eligible voters made it to the polls, a number smaller than many other democracies but the largest turnout in the 50 years previous as well. In 2008 that relatively low number dropped to just over 50 percent. Those figures are fo r presidential elections. Off-year elections are much worse when voter apathy reaches two-thirds, a dismal number especially when compared to other democracies. Several countries consistently surpass more than 90 percent voter turnout including Australia, Belgium, Austria and Italy. (Ghosh, 2011). Voters who are more educated and of a higher socio-economic class vote in larger numbers than poor and less educated voters. In the 2008 election, according to the U.S Census Bureau, â€Å"76 percent of voters earning a median income of $50,000 or more voted, while only 59 percent of Americans

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Evaluate the recent performance of the uk economy Essay

Evaluate the recent performance of the uk economy - Essay Example Currently, the GDP of France is at $2,734.95 billion, a rise from 2,611.22 the previous year (Trading Economics 2015). The rate of inflation in the U.K. was at -0.10 percent during the first quarter of 2015. Between 1989 and 2015, it has averaged 2.72 percent, reaching highest at 8.5 percent in 1991 and lowest at –0.10 percent in 2015. In the United States, the inflation rate witnessed during the first quarter of 2015 was -0.2 percent. For France, the country witnessed at the inflation rate of 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2015 (Trading Economics 2015). During the first three months of 2015, the level of unemployment in the U.K. has gone down to 5.50 percent from 5.60 percent the previous year. The between 1971 and 2015, the level of unemployment averaged 7.24 percent, with highest at 12 percent in 1984 and lowest at 3.40 percent in 1973. In the United States, the rate of unemployment was at 5.50 percent during the first quarter of 2015. The average rate of unemployment in the U.S. has averaged 5.83 percent between 1982 and 2015, with highest levels at 10.8 percent in 1982 and lowest at 2.5 percent in 1953. In the case of France, the rate of unemployment went down to 10 percent during the first three months of 2015 from 10.40 percent in last quarter of 2014. The average rate of unemployment between 1996 and 2015 has averaged 9.20 percent, with highest levels at 10.80 percent in 1997 and lowest at 7.20 percent in 2008 (Trading Economics 2015). With regard to the government budget, United Kingdom has a government budget deficit, which is representative of 5.70 percent of the country’s GDP. In the United States, government budget deficit accounts for 2.80 percent of the country’s GDP. In the case of France, the budget deficit represents about 4 percent of the country’s GDP (Trading Economics 2015). To determine income distribution, the GNI index is appropriate as it reveals the extent

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Adam Smith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adam Smith - Essay Example While many elements of Adam Smith’s theory of capitalism persist today, his view of pure capitalism has proved impossible in modern markets. There are a variety of reasons why Smith’s theory of the invisible hand does not go far enough. One of the major reasons Smith’s theory fails is because of the possibility of monopoly structures. In these situations, organizations are able to gain significant power that allows them to shape market elements in their favor, effectively eliminating the process of supply and demand, and making the emergence of competitors an impossibility. In these situations, it became the responsibility of the government to institute regulatory mechanisms, as not doing so would result in potential recessions or economic complications. Other elements are the nature of ethical considerations. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution organizations increasingly presented longer workweeks and poor working conditions. While it’s possible the invisible hand would ultimately regulate these situations, there remain significant human rights concerns in permitting such a pure capitalistic structure. In conclusion, this essay has examined Adam Smith’s theory of capitalism and demonstrated why it is impossible in the modern world. In this context of understanding, the essay demonstrates that Smith proposed an invisible hand that regulates the market. Still, it’s clear this is impossible in the modern world because of the potential of corporate monopolies and widespread human rights concerns.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Dunkin Donuts in England Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dunkin Donuts in England - Research Paper Example Finally, this proposal includes a thoroughly researched site selection process and final implementation strategy. The hallmark of Dunkin’s business model is customer loyalty. John Costello, Dunkin’ Donuts’ Chief Global Marketing and Innovation Officer, identified the opportunities for our team; guests of Dunkin Donuts have developed a connection with the brand that is truly unique. (Restaurant Magazine, 2012) The customer relationships we foster help sustain our profitability and success within the domestic and international markets. An increase in customer loyalty of only 5% can lift lifetime profits per customer by as much as 95%. For the sixth year in a row, Dunkin’ Donuts has been ranked #1 for coffee brand loyalty by Key Brands Consulting, (Brand Keys, 2012). This recognition is a testament to the quality of the products and services offered in each establishment across the nation. While Dunkin’ enjoys domestic brand loyalty from Americanâ€⠄¢s within the U.S., the competition is gaining strong competitive advantage in England. For example, Starbucks has opened over 700 stores in the U.K., (Barnett, 2011) which has allowed them to capture brand recognition and customer loyalty in this seemingly untapped market. Dunkin’ Donuts understands how to build, execute, and maintain a better and stronger customer loyalty from offering superior products and value. For this reason, the strategic team believes that expanding Dunkin’ Donuts to the U.K. will prove to be a tremendous success. England is ready to â€Å"Run on Dunkin’.† Strategic Analysis / Operational Plan Before considering global expansion, several factors should be considered including any currency and economic concerns, the current political environment, cultural complexities and potential trade barriers. The strategic analysis will review each of these with respect to expansion into England. The included SWOT analysis (appendix A) will summarize the issues and highlight Dunkin’ Donut’s strengths and weaknesses with respect to the global situation in England. Currency Concerns The United Kingdom is unlikely to give up monetary policy independence and adopt the Euro (Anonymous, 2012). While this decision has not influenced the high level of foreign investment continued in the U.K., it may be a factor when looking at interest rate risk. However, for the type of direct store structure Dunkin’ Donuts maintains, it should not be considered a barrier to global expansion. Inflation continues to be a concern as it has exceeded the 2% target throughout the past three years. Current inflation is reflective of the increases in commodity prices, higher import prices caused by the depreciation of the sterling, and the increase in the standard rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) (Monetary Policy Roundtable, 2011). The valuation of the sterling also influences England’s trade by lowering the price of exports relative to the price of imports. This results in a decline of real purchasing power, which could influence whether residents would have discretionary funds available to support new Dunkin’ Donut’s locations. However, the increase in available jobs that the new locations would bring should have positive

Theory of Knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Theory of Knowledge - Essay Example Some areas of knowledge do require reason in order to functions, like mathematics and the natural sciences, while some others, like art and history, do not, because they are based on humans, which are, by nature, partly irrational. This inability to apply reason to all aspects of knowledge means that in order to get a better understanding of these areas, we must use different ways of knowing. (Wok). There are four Ways of Knowing (WoK) perception, emotion, reason, and language. One is supposed to use the Ways of Knowing and the Areas of Knowledge to acquire, perceive, and apply knowledge. To understand the world and to achieve knowledge, people have developed a number of ways of knowing. These are well known as perception, emotion, language as well as reason. The question "each and every other way of knowing are controlled by means of language" is a statement that needs more investigation as well as reflection. Knowledge can be said to be information that the brain has received that meets a certain set of criteria. When someone states that they know something they must also believe that, that something is so. A word is a unit of language that carries meaning and consists of one or more morphemes which are linked more or less tightly together, and has a phonetical value. In general a word will have a root or stem and zero or extra affixes. Words can be joint to make phrases, clauses, and well structured sentences. A word that consists of two or more stems combined together is known as a compound.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

What Is Knowledge from the Meno Essay Example for Free

What Is Knowledge from the Meno Essay The opinions which we believe and are right, are called â€Å"true opinions†. According to Plato’s dialogue from The Meno, when true opinions remain stable they can serve equally as well as knowledge until people forget their opinion or change their mind some time later. Knowledge is â€Å"tied down† by giving the reasons why it is so. Opinions, even if beautiful, can â€Å"escape from a man’s mind† without justification. Moreover, opinions lead less reliability compare with knowledge (Gendler, Siegel Cahn, 2008, P344). Therefore, people should prefer knowledge to opinion since the former is more correct and lasts longer. Opinion functions as well as knowledge when the opinion is right or true. For instance, a person who does not know how to turn on the computer eventually turns it on by pressing buttons randomly. Thus, true opinion and knowledge work the same at this point. However, this true opinion may not be replicable or reliable over time. For this, the person would need the knowledge that computer start buttons contain a certain logo. Plato argues that knowledge is superior to true opinion. He says that true opinions are not willing to remain long, and they are not worth much, until one ties them down by giving an account of the reason why they are correct (Gendler, Siegel Cahn, 2008, P344). We can see that mere true opinion is not stable, and it can be fleeting. For example, we see the moon, and may first think that the moon shines by itself if we do not have any knowledge about this. The next day, if we do not see any moonlight, we may think that the moon does not shine by itself. Although the latter idea is correct, and could serve as well as knowledge for a time, our opinion can change unpredictably. On the other hand, if we have knowledge that the moon reflects sunlight, we understand that the moon does not shine by itself. Knowledge gives more consistency and predictablily than true opinion. Furthermore, opinions are weak because they can be influenced by feelings, and emotions can occur at any time, anywhere. For example, if I am in a good mood on a sunny day, I think my cat is cute when it is running around. If it rains the next day, the weather makes me annoyed, and I think my cat is naughty when it is running around. In this example, the opinion that my cat is naughty has no justification because the cat did not change its behavior to make it naughty. With justification and knowledge, people can develop civilization and improve their quality of life in areas such as space exploration, transportation, education and medicine. For example, without a foundation of reliable knowledge, we could not develop safe medicine or safe airplanes; the risk and expense of basing our lives on true opinion is too great, because it has not been justified. Plato has defined knowledge as having three components: truth, belief and justification. First, it must be accurate and we must believe it. For example, when we say this coffee is hot, it must be hot, and we must believe it is hot. Second, by justification, Plato means that we must have reasons explaining why it is correct and prove our idea. If not, it is an opinion rather than knowledge. However, if we can prove our opinion, it becomes knowledge. For instance, recent news said that an Italian experiment had unveiled proof that fundamental particles known as neutrinos can travel faster than light. As we know, in the past people thought the speed of light was the fastest. After the experiment had been conducted and evidenced the result, this new information led people to correct their old opinion because they had better justification. When we find out that our old idea is wrong and have a new idea with justification, the old idea no longer has justification. This is the reason why truth, belief and justification have to be involved in knowledge. In Plato’s view, true opinions function as knowledge only when people understand the reason behind the truth or have evidence of it. For example, if my sister holds a cup of coffee and walks into classroom, her classmates will probably think that the coffee belongs to her. This would be a true opinion if I had bought the coffee for her. On the other hand, people who had seen me buying the coffee for my sister would regard this information as knowledge. In sum, true opinion contains truth and belief, but it does not have justification. Plato illustrates this idea with the image of Daedalus’s statue. Daedalus is a skillful craftsman and artisan. His statues were so realistic that people thought it could run away. Therefore, Plato mentions the statue as a metaphor for true opinion which will be forgotten by people over time. â€Å"To acquire an untied work of Daedalus is not worth much, like acquiring a runaway slave, for it does not remain, but it is worth much if tied down, for his works are very beautiful (Gendler, Siegel Cahn, 2008). † The tied-down statue symbolizes knowledge, and the ropes are the reasons why, the justification. This metaphor perfectly shows the relationship between opinion and knowledge. Through reading Plato and his teacher Socrates’ dialogue, I understand the differences between opinion, true opinion and knowledge. I also found out why knowledge is more important than true opinion. Opinion will not be valid all the time. In contrast, knowledge is more stable because it contains justification, and therefore, is superior to true opinion. Plato’s basic definition of knowledge and its three parts provides a clear basis for further philosophical discussion, such as what is accepted as logical and solid justification.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Complex process of human development

Complex process of human development Introduction Human Development varies from a person to person and is a highly complex process'[1]. It develops as a result of the effect of various factors influencing the growth at different stages in a lifetime of an individual. The following essay is divided into two parts. In part one, we will be analysing the work of a professional practitioner and for this I have interviewed the Youth Worker of St Andrews church in Charminster. In part two, we will be examining a real life case study which centres on the problem of rebellion and we shall analyse it in detail looking at the various issues surrounding it and the possible solutions. Youth Worker Charminster is one of the places in Bournemouth which is constantly monitored by the police due to the presence of drug dealers and high crime rates within teenagers. Therefore, especially here the youth worker is an important role in the development of the community. Youth workers promote the personal, educational and social development of young people. Roger Baker, who is the current youth worker of St Andrews, says that working in Charminster is a challenging and an interesting place to work. Roger has 10 years of rich Christian youth work experience and prior to that he worked with the council as a youth worker and also as a probationer officer. Job Description His overall objective is to increase the churchs community involvement with the young people, to strengthen the relationships with the local schools, to work in partnership with other organisations to engage with the young people for their welfare and development. Mainly his role on a yearly basis includes: Assessing the needs of young people, running various youth clubs on Friday nights for the youth of the community. Multi agency working in line with the informal youth project. Agencies like Bournemouth Youth Services, Youth Offending Team, Connexions and Bournemouth Council. Alsoacting as an advocate for young peoples interests and presenting them to the required agency. Taking the Bible studies during the week for different age groups and discipling the young people into a Christ like character. Managing developing the youth and community projects and resources Serving the needs of the young people in the community including the delivery of sports programmes, supporting recreational activities, providing advice and counselling. Drawing up business plans, writing reports and making formal presentations to funding bodies. Over and beyond the job description the youth worker does many more informal activities for the church and the community. Advantages of the role Since previously Roger worked with the council as a secular youth worker, now he compares his former role to his present role as a Christian youth worker and says that the latter has more advantages and more opportunities. As a secular youth worker in case of emergency he couldnt drive in a car alone with a young person. Besides, he said that they worked only during their working hours in a day after which they didnt think about youth work at all and they worked just because its their job and spent less time with the youth. Now, he says that Christian youth work role is more relaxed and comfortable with no set timings to work and therefore he can focus on a particular issue or work giving it the time required in order to resolve or to work on it. According to Bruce Britton, what young people want from their youth workers is not their organisational ability, but willingness to focus and to listen to their views and spend time with them as per their availability.[2] Though this is Rogers perspective, however I think this is how youth workers actually need be irrespective of whether they are secular or religious feeling comfortable with time and spending meaningful time with the youth. He said that he had less opportunities for detached youth work whilst working with the council. If a young person had a problem they had to come to the centre, only then they could help them. But now they can operate without the use of a centre and can go to the place where young people are, both geographically and developmentally. He gave an example where one young guy (19 yrs) called him and said that he had an interview and was little nervous and asked him to accompany him to the interview. So Roger did accompany that young person which made the young person feel confident. He said that this wouldnt have been possible if he had been with the council. According to Erik Eriksons 8 stages of development youth who are 19-25 yrs wrestle with the Isolation versus Intimacy.[3] This is the stage where they need someone to guide, comfort and build a relationship with them. Stresses and Strains In his work there are few stresses and strains which they are trying to work out. He says the main issue is the ever changing staff team with in the youth team. People who come to help as volunteers or those who come on placement stick with the youth club for 6-12 months and then they move to a different place. He says that this is where the whole problem lies with maintaining continued relationships with the youth. Suddenly that person moves out and a new staff member who works with a different approach or method takes more time to build that same relationship with the youth and because of that there is no consistency. They currently get close to 40-60 kids during a Friday youth club and low staff resourcing is a problem in supervising these kids. Another issue he raised was that of finances. They have enough projects and plans for the local youth, but they lack funds to run these projects. Also he says that since its a church setting, for effective discipleship of youngsters the church needs to come and help the youth groups on a random basis supporting the youth worker. Skills for Practice Roger is a trained professional in the area of youth work. He did few former roles like youth worker and probationer office with the local council. His role as a youth worker with the church is twofold. The first task according to his priority is working with the unchurched youth of the community contributing to their growth and development and the second aspect being discipling and nurturing the youth of the church. He often keeps himself updated with some of the books written by youth and community workers. He said that the book Joined Up: An Introduction to Youth Work and Ministry'[4] with itsfour core values of youth work: voluntary participation, empowerment, equality of opportunity and informal education were very helpful and gave a great insight in understanding the youth work within the church and outside the church. He used to draw his skill for his youth work from the national occupational standards of the National Youth Agency when he started working with the youth. However now he draws his expertise from various available sources. He subscribes to the major youth work magazines and draws the latest news and developments from them. Sometimes he does take the Sunday Bible studies for the youth from the Youth Work magazine and basically he goes by the current trend of the youth compared to the prescribed theory within the youth work. Theory to Practice The challenging part of the youth work is executing the theory into practice. When I asked him for a live example he shared with me the story of a young person whose name is Allan and he was aged 13.[5] Allan was attending behavioural school and was in trouble with the police for couple of times. His mother is in recovery from drugs and his father lives somewhere else. There were complaints from his neighbours and went through isolation in the school. The whole idea in working with this young person was to gain his trust and to give him responsibility and contact with other young people to develop social skills with his peers. Josh McDowell, says that teens that are vulnerable to rejection and peer persecution come from homes of broken families and its is not important to minimize their pain but to give them a chance to express themselves without reproach in a loving relationship.[6] Since they need a chance to express themselves in a loving relationship, Allan was asked to help in t uck shop and rewarded him with a voucher to spend. He also helped as a leader during juniors youth club. Roger did school visits with Allan and his mum to look around the school and to meet the staff and pupils. With a bit of regular counselling there is a change in Allan today.[7] In his practice he says that reflection plays a vital role and he often reflects on this practise and develops his youth work as the situation demands. He also made an important comment saying that theory doesnt work always. We need to go out of the box especially when working with the teenagers. In his words Theory is nothing but suggested practice, but suggested practice is not always the right one. So always go according to the situation and create the theory. Case Study Rebellion In my youth group I have this guy whose name Ill keep it anonymous and for the purpose of this essay we shall call him Joe. Joe comes to the youth Bible study that I lead every Thursday. He comes to that group not because he likes it, but only because his best mate comes to this group and partly also because he gets a tuck of crisps and a drink. The main issue as I categorize it with Joe was Rebellion. Especially with teenagers the word rebellion sounds synonymous with them. We will be looking at this in more depth with the PARC steps of Theory-Practice model. Practice Joe, who is 14 years old lives with his both parents and has an elder sister who is four years older than him. Both his parents are Christian and are actively involved in the church activities. His sister sometimes comes to the various youth groups and often helps the staff team in supervising the groups. Joe is an average student at school and is brilliant at sports, especially football and cricket. He plays for his school and also in some different leagues. If I organise any cricket match within the church, he is my key player of my team. Joes mum loves him very much and wants him to be a good Christian but Joe thinks that his mom is asking something impossible from him. I have heard Joe couple of times saying, Im not a Christian, just because of my mum I come to church, I dont believe in God, He doesnt talk anyways, My dad never keeps his promises, last night he said that he would watch a football match with me and he didnt turn up, My sister is in her own world. There is a lot of confusion and agitation going inside of Joe, which is ultimately resulting in his rebellion against his family. Key point to be noted here is that his rebellion is mainly seen on his spiritual side though it has its effects on his physical and social aspects. Analysis From his background we can clearly see that his problem is mainly coming through his own family. Joe is in his key transitioning period of moving from dependency to independence. He is going through a lot of changes like biological, cognitive, psychological and spiritual and all of these changes in one way or the other are contributing to his discomfort and rebellion. Childhood experiences, environmental stresses and hazards can also influence his problem during this stage, but in my view these dont explicitly affect him.[8] In his situation we can the main causes of rebellion are due to: Poor relationship with his family: I agree with Josh McDowell where he says when parents try to lay down rules without first establishing a real relationship with their kids, they sow seeds of rebellion.[9] In Joes situation that was the exact problem. Though he doesnt show an outward rebellion directly he is growing an inward rebellion which is very unhealthy for his personal development. His poor relationship with his sister adds to his predicament. Discipline method: On the Sunday morning Joes mum asks him if he is coming to the Church and his usual reply is NO and then carries on sleeping. I think Joes parents are too lenient on their methods of discipline with Joe. Proverbs 22:6 says that parents should train a child in the way he should go. I am not saying that they have to be threatening or smacking him and make him come to church but the lack of strict discipline from his childhood and being lenient on him is one of the causes. Anger and Frustration: Olson tells that rebellious behaviour is caused by aggressive impulses that are turned inward.[10] In Joe we see that he is frustrated with God and at times is angry with his mum and dad. This Anger is being suppressed and hence leading to a rebellious nature in Joe. When we look at this rebellious nature in Joe, the main person who is being affected is his mother. Every time I ask her about Joe, she looks very concerned and worried. Whenever she talks about him, her eyes are filled with tears and sometimes have sleepless nights. I dont know about Joe, but his mother looks like she is going through depression and there is this anxiety and fear in her about her child. Comparatively his mother is getting affected by his rebellion than himself. Relating Theory Olson cautions that counselling rebellious and delinquent youth is a very difficult, slow and often frustrating task and success might be marginal at best.[11] From a biblical perspective Bible is very straight forward to kids who are rebellious. Deuteronomy 27:16 says that cursed is the man who dishonours his father or mother. God gives a lot of importance in honouring ones parents. The fifth commandment is to honour ones parents. Proverbs 10:1 says a wise son brings joy to his father,but a foolish son grief to his mother. There is a very harsh Old Testament law which talks about a rebellious son. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 says, If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him,then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. Joes situation is not as bad as the above passage therefore a clear biblical and psychological counselling is sufficient to solve his problem. I am currently working on Joes case. I lead the Junior Pathfinders group on Thursday evenings. I asked the group to come up with all kinds of questions that they face regularly at school or in the community so that I can prepare Bible studies exclusively addressing those questions. Joe came up with few questions like, Why should I be a Christian in the first place?, Can I really feel God?, These are tough and genuine questions for a young person and I thought it was right to address these first and we looked at one question each week, looking at its consequences and how to deal with them both biblically and in practice. On a psychological level, Josh McDowell gives a good pattern to deal with this problem and that is in the form of an acrostic LEADER.[12] It goes in this order: Listen: Rebellious teenagers often expect criticisms or Bible verses. Listen with the eyes as well as with the ears and understand where they are coming from. Empathize: Reflecting and trying to see the things through the eyes of the young person. Affirm: Affirming the honesty to come and talk with you and the goodness within that teen. Direct: Here we outline a structure of direction working towards a negotiated agreement and long term plans in dealing with their rebellious nature. Enlist: The teenager must be convinced that rebellion is not the best way to respond by which he slowly eliminates that character. This is cognitive strategy. Refer: In extreme cases where it cannot be handled, then he has to be referred to the respective more qualified counsellor with their parents consent. Overall his parents also need counselling. The two essential dimensions of parenting are relationship (support) and empowerment (guidance).[13] Their relationship with Joe needs to be first set right before going on to the empowerment. They need to start fulfilling their promises and need to make a full effort not to disappoint him in the future with their promises. Change There are many things that could have been done. In this case Joes sister can come into picture and can be a lot of emotional help and someone with whom he can identify with in his family. Since his mates at the youth group are his main interest in coming to the group, his friends can help him to overcome this rebellion with encouragement and support. Once happened can always potentially take place again, so in case of a future similar rebellious behaviour we need to quickly assess the root of the rebellion and start working from there till the problem is resolved. Conclusion Developmental psychology is an endless fascinating topic especially because teens of similar ages develop at different rates according to their cognitive capabilities and social status. Anyone who decides to work on any developmental issues one has to clearly understand the underlying cause and effects according to the age of the person. Methodology and techniques are consonant with the work of the Spirit and therefore its very imperative that as Christians we need to depend on the Spirit as much as we depend on our methods in counselling. Appendix 1 Robbie-20 Years Background: Low attendance at school. Biological father with drink problems. Step dad smoking cannabis. Mum holding down three part time jobs. Robbie in bottom sets in all of his classes. Bullied by others living on the same housing estate. Once having to go to A and E because of injuries sustained. Grandparents supportive and positive influence. Spending long periods of time at home in fear of going out alone. Priorities: To build up Robbies confidence and self esteem. No exams being taken in year 11. Need to find alternative qualifications. Get him involved in a hobby or sport. Support mum with time management with multiple jobs and siblings. Obtain and pass information to step dad with regards to the effects of smoking cannabis and the legal implications. Action: Get Robbie involved in setting up and helping at youth club. Sign him for local football team and to attend training one night a week. Offer to the school an extended work experience placement. Complete an Asdan award scheme. Attend a youth world cup competition in Sweden, 1500 teams from all over the world. Raise money for trip by sponsored walk and car washing. Secure some private coaching from ex professional goal keeper to increase Robbies ability and confidence. Support application for training courses later to support application to join the Army. Currently after sustaining an injury waiting to re- apply in June 2010. Elliot-19 Years Background: Mum and dad living together but for previous 15 years lots of arguments and living apart for periods of time. Police involved and accusations made by mum towards Elliot and dad but never proven. Mum using two names at different times with different people. At least twice Elliot coming home from school and finding her after she had taken overdoses of tablets and being submitted to hospital. Moved home several times sometimes with dad and sometimes with mum. Elliot was kicked out of home several times whilst living with mum. Attending school outside of the area travelling daily to attend a distance of about thirty miles. Priorities: To stabilize some of Elliots circumstances giving some consistency. Speak with mum and dad to rationalize long term issues. Get him involved with youth club. Help with anger management. Find group to support mums behavior. Build father son relationship. Action: Encourage mum to attend overcomers outreach a twelve step recovery group meeting. Get father and son to attend and help at youth club. Work alongside Elliot to discuss how he feels in certain situations that then turns to anger and methods to deal with that anger. Support Elliot during the times when mum and dad are not together more recently to support an application for Elliot to obtain a place in the YMCA having been kicked out of home December 2009 after an argument with dad and his new girlfriend. Currently no contact with mum. April 2010 help Elliot to move from the YMCA to Fortuna house supported lodgings for around twelve young residents. Support Elliot to secure a place on a full time training course prior to finding a job. Bibliography: Balswick, Judy., and Balswick, Jack., Piper, Boni., Piper, Don, Relationship-Empowerment Parenting, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003. Boyd, Denise., Bee, Helen, Lifespan Development, 5th (ed.), Pearson, 2009. Britton, Bruce., Youth Workers as Social Workers, in Jeffs, Tony and Smith, Mark, (ed.), Youth Work, London: Macmillan Press, 1987. Brierley, Danny, Joined Up: Introduction to Youth work and ministry, Authentic Media, 2003. Brierley, Peter, Reaching and Keeping Tweenagers, London: Christian Research, 2002. Flannagan, Andy, Distinctive Worship: How a new generation connects with God, Authentic Media, 2004. Geldard, Kathryn., and Geldard, David, Counselling Adolescents, 2nd (ed.), London: SAGE Publications, 2004. Greene, Roberta., and Kropf, Nancy, Human Behavior Theory: A Diversity Framework, 2nd (ed.), AldineTransaction, 2009. McDowell, Josh., and Hostetler, Bob, Josh McDowells Handbook on Counselling Youth, Word Publishing, 1996. Olson, Keith, Counselling Teenagers, Loveland: Group Books, 1984. Denise Boyd Helen Bee, Lifespan Development, 5th (ed.), Pearson, 2009, 3. Bruce Britton, Youth Workers as Social Workers, in Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith, (ed.), Youth Work, London: Macmillan Press, 1987, 25. Roberta Greene, Nancy Kropf, Human Behavior Theory: A Diversity Framework, 2nd (ed.), AldineTransaction, 2009, 84. Danny Brierley, Joined Up: An Introduction to Youth Work and Ministry, Authentic Media, 2002. The name of the young person is changed due to disclosure and privacy reasons. Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, Josh McDowells Handbook on Counselling Youth, Word Publishing, 1996, 162-163. During my interview Roger shared couple of more examples. Listing those examples are not under the scope of this essay. Please see appendix 1 for a detailed description. Kathryn and David Geldard, Counselling Adolescents, 2nd (ed.), London: SAGE Publications, 2004, 16. McDowell and Hostetler, Youth, 235. Keith Olson, Counselling Teenagers, Loveland: Group Books, 1984, 476. Keith Olson, Counselling Teenagers, Loveland: Group Books, 1984, 480. McDowell and Hostetler, Youth, 239-241. Judy Jack Balswick and Boni Don Piper, Relationship-Empowerment Parenting, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003, 18.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Purification of Immunoglobulin G by Ion-Exchange

Purification of Immunoglobulin G by Ion-Exchange Purification of Immunoglobulin G by Ion-Exchange Chromatography and Immunoelectropheresis William McTavish Joseph Zappa Introduction Immunoglobins or, Antibodies, are soluble proteins secreted from host differentiated plasma cells that target and eliminate specific antigens to protect the host from disease (Jakoby, 1971). There are five isotypes of immunoglobulin: IgM, IgD, IgA , IgE and IgG, with IgG being the most prominent antibody found in blood circulation of the host. The purification of specific antibodies has led to the development of techniques such as western blotting; where desired proteins can be targeted by monoclonal antibodies engineered for a specific affinity for that protein( Burnette, 1981). The basis of immunoglobulin purification can begin with a technique of â€Å"salting out†, used vastly for precipitating organic molecules and is the first step in protein purification (Tsutomu and Timasheff, 1984). Immunoglobins are small soluble proteins that can be found within serum that is removed from a blood sample taken from the host. Hydrophillic immunoglobins contain amino acids that are polar or possess an ionic charge. Counter ions in the serum of the host are attracted to these polar and ionic charges making the proteins soluble in the solvent. By destabilizing the intermolecular forces between the immunoglobins and the serum solvent there can be an induced precipitation of these proteins. Ammonium sulfate is a highly used compound in salting out procedures, for when ammonium sulfate dissociates, the large sulfate ions form hydrogen bonds between the polar molecules found in the serum (Tsutomu and Timasheff, 1984). The quenching effect of sulfate removes hydrogen bonds and intermolecular forces away from the protein molecules, forcing them to form bonds between one another. This forced intermolecular bonding between proteins causes an accumulation of aggregated proteins and eventually, at the right concentration of salt, precipitation out of solution (Tsutomu and Timasheff, 1984). Although the precipitation of immunoglobulin from host serum with Ammonium sulfate is an efficient procedure for isolating globin, it does not allow for the accurate determination of a specific isotype of immunoglobulin. Ion exchange chromatography is a prominent technique used to acquire a single desired protein, including a specific isotype of immunoglobins. All molecules, including immunoglobulin that have ionizable groups have a net surface charge that is highly dependent on the environmental pH in which that molecule is in. The pH of an environment can dictate the amount of charge present on a molecule, whether it is more positive or more negative, as well as neutral (Grodzki, and Berenstein, 2010). The neutral point, where all positive charges cancel out the negatives is expressed as the pI of the molecule (Grodzki, and Berenstein, 2010). Since all proteins vary in their pI they will express specific charges at any specific pH. This characteristic of immunoglobulin is utilized in Ion exchange chromatography to isolate specific isotypes even if they vary only slightly in charge. IgG, as well as other isotypes of Ig, have a pI occurring near neutral pH so Anion exchange resins are often used for this type of chromatography. Anion Exchangers utilize resin that contains positively charged functional groups that act as counter ions towards protein being eluted through the column (Determann et al. 1969). With the resin set at a specific pH, the proteins that are most positive will exit the column first due to the repulsion of charges between the positive protein and positive resin. The next proteins to elute will be the neutral ones followed by the negatively charged proteins. Proteins are removed in this manner by constantly adding more of the buffer the column is immersed in. By adding more buffer there is an increased competition for associating with the resins charges, which in turn dissociates protein from the resin and further elutes them through the column (Determann et al. 1969). Not only does the charge of the beads matter but also the flow and porosity of the resin, alternations of these can allow for either a more broaden column exchange or a far more refined one. Diethyl aminoethyl (DEAE)-cellul ose is a commonly used resin for anion exchanging due to its higher porosity and positive functional groups that allows for better flow properties of the column. Increased flow rate allows for separation of more bulky and crude proteins, such as crude immunoglobulin, and aids in a higher resolution of separated proteins (Determann et al. 1969). Once several fractions of the column elution is collected there is many ways to identify which fraction is most likely containing the desired protein of isolation including determining the optical density of the fractions with a spectrophotometer. The OD of Immunoglobulin and other proteins can be determined by selecting a specific wavelength of light and beaming it through the elution fraction and recording the amount of transmitted light via photoreceptors (Edelhoch, 1967). A common wavelength used for identifying immunoglobulin is 280nm, this wavelength is absorbed by the amino acid tryptophan in proteins. Absorption of this wavelength in protiens makes it a proportional reduction of transmitted light based on the concentration of protein present in the column fraction (Edelhoch, 1967). The higher the reduction in transmitted light, the higher the OD reading for a fraction. A fraction of elute from Ion exchange chromatography may contain the desired Immunoglobulin G, but to further prove this, a technique called Immunoelectrophoresis (IEP) can be used to confirm the purity of Immunoglobulin fraction. Immunoelectrophoresis is a two-part technique that combines the use of electrophoresis and zone of equivalence of immune complexes to determine a positive result. Electrophoresis is another basic technique used in separating proteins based on size and charge to obtain separate sections of protein in agar gel or other resins such as polyacrylamide in SDS-PAGE techniques.(1) Proteins separate into a gradient of smallest more positive charged towards the cathode to smallest most negative charged towards the anode, with the larger, less charged proteins in the middle gradient. (Serwer and Wright, 2012). After protein separation has occurred in the welled samples, there is addition of antibody specific for certain protein that may be isolated out of the samples used in the experiment. If proteins are present that are the target of affinity for the added antibodies there will be association of antibody:antigen complexes. These complexes will form in the agar gel and at the proper gradient of both antibody and antigen concentrations there will be precipitation of these complexes out of the solution (Slater, 1975). This correct gradient is called the zone of equivalence and is frequently used in determining the presence of desired protein molecules, including immunoglobulin (Slater, 1975). Several other techniques are used in isolating proteins, an extremely prominent technique is the use of Antibodies themselves in Immunofluorescence (IF). Antibodies are engineered to contain a specific affinity towards a desired molecule, protein or even a whole cell. IF can work in either two ways: the first involves a single antibody engineered towards a desired antigen containing a flurochrome itself and emits fluorescent light to be detected. The second contains a secondary antibody that has affinity for the primary antibody binding to an antigen, this secondary antibody is the one that contains the fluochrome for detection (Johnson, 2006). In either of these techniques there is the advantage of staining samples of proteins or cells and identifying not just a single antigen but several with several different antibodies. This technique is extremely useful for identifying proteins in cell structures as well as identifying the presence of proteins in biological systems. Methods and Materials All methods used in this experiment can be located in the Immunology Laboratory Manual cited in references. There were two major alternations to the Immunoelectrophoresis experiment; There was a time of 1.5 to 2 hours allowed for electrophoresis of the agar slides instead of 1 to 1.5 hours. There was also an expansion of time from 24 hours to 48 hours allowed for the IEP slide to rest in a cold room before soaking in 1% NaCl solution. Results A high concentration of IgG was isolated in the third elution fraction from DEAE-cellulose Ion exchange chromatography. Optical density of six Ion exchange chromatography elution fractions were taken with a spectrophotometer to determine protein concentration at a wavelength of 280nm (Fig 1). The highest optical density was observed in the third elution fraction (Fig 1). This illustrates that the largest concentration of protein at a similar charge was eluted at the third fraction of the Ion exchange experiment. Figure 1. Third fraction of DEAE-celluose elution scored the highest optical density. All fractions were tested with spectrophotometry and optical density measurements were taken at a wavelength of 280nm (Fig 1). Results are shown as single values of optical density (OD) and relate to the amount of protein concentration in each fraction. (Fig 1) Immunoelectrophoresis of isolated protein reveals presence of purified IgG in response to Goat anti-rabbit serum Presence of Rabbit Immunoglobin was tested for using Immunoelectrophoresis with Goat anti-rabbit serum. Normal rabbit serum and purified fraction of protein were welled on a 1% agar slide and proteins were separated based on charge via electrophoresis. Anti-rabbit serum was added and results were taken for precipitation of immune complexes 48 hours later (Fig 2). Thin white lines between the wells and trough are precipitated immune complexes and thus show a positive test for rabbit immunglobins (Fig 2). Figure 2. Precipitated immune complexes reveal immunoglobin presence in normal rabbit serum and purified fraction. Proteins were isolated based on charge via electrophoresis to isolate specific proteins. Goat Anti-rabbit serum was added as antibody for rabbit immunoglobin and incubated for 48 hours. Distinction of grey and white bands are positive results regardless Discussion Purified Rabbit Immunoglobin G was isolated from Normal rabbit serum using DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography and Immunelectropheresis with Goat anti-rabbit serum. Once the majority of proteins were salted out of the normal rabbit serum, Ion exchange chromatography was used to separate all proteins from the sample of crude globin. Since immunoglobin proteins are soluble in the blood and are near neutrally charged at philological pH, a large amount of protein was expected to elute roughly half way through the Ion exchange chromatography regardless of using anion or cation exchange columns (Grodzki and Berenstein, 2010). These results occurred for the DEAE-cellulose Ion exchange column used to separate crude rabbit globulin in our experiment. The third elution fraction, of six, contained the highest optical density when evaluated with the spectrophotometer at 280nm. Optical density is related to the concentration of protein in a sample, thus the fraction containing the highest amount of protein was the third fraction which was collected half way through the elution process. Although the method of determining sample concentrations for proteins can vary, these results can be seen in similar protein isolation studies such as Ye et al. article Isolation of lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, ÃŽ ±-lactalbumin, ÃŽ ²-lactoglobulin B and ÃŽ ²-lactoglobulin A from bovine rennet whey using ion exchange chromatography. The protein isolated is presumed to be the globulin isotype Iummogloublin G, this is due to the nature of circulating antibodies found in the serum of the rabbit. The most prominent antibody isotype circulating in the blood is IgG, which binds to antigens, forming immune complexes as well as aiding in many other immune system mechanisms such as compliment activation, opsonization and etc (Collins and Jackson, 2013). Immunoelectrophoersis with Goat anti-rabbit serum was used next to determine whether or not the isolated protein in the third elution fraction is Immunoglobulin G. The nature of this experiment depends on two key process gel electrophoresis and precipitation of Immune complexes. If electrophoresis is preformed properly there should be a separation of proteins based on charge/size from the samples that were welled on the agar covered slide used in the experiment; creating small zones of protein purity along the slide (Slater, 1975). Since the eluted fraction sample should only contain one kind of protein and is roughly pure, there should only be one zone of protein sample, where the normal rabbit serum, containing an array of different proteins, will electrophoresis out into several different zones of protein. Determining these zones of protein was done by adding Goat anti-rabbit serum and allowing diffusion into the gel to create zones of equivalence between antibody and antigen, thu s precipitating the complex to be seen visibly (Serwer and Wright, 2012). For a positive result on the purity of the fraction sample only a single precipitation line formed at the zone of equivalence would be seen. The results for the purity of the fraction sample was conclusive with the above expectations, only a single faint precipitated line was seen on the gel; therefore re-enforcing that there is only a single protein isolated from the Ion exchange elution phase. The single protein isolated is promptly IgG due to it’s response to the anti-Rabbit serum containing anti-rabbit globulin. Immunelectrophoresis was used in this experiment to confirm the presence of IgG in the eluted fraction sample taken from DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. The reason this method was used was due it’s simplicity in determining specific immune complexes and thus re-ensuring purity. It is relatively quick in determining the presence of antigen, in this case the immunoglobin G of rabbit, and gives results ready to be read visually, lacking the need for software or other means of identification. The draw back of this technique is that it takes some practical skill in preparation and is only useful in identifying the purity of one sample at a time. Techniques such as western blotting would be more efficient for studies that desire more than a single purity such as Yang et al’s article Correlation between the overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor and mesenchymal markers in endometrial carcinoma. An alternation to this experiment could be made in the chroma Purification of Immunoglobins is an extremely useful procedure. Being able to isolate specific classes of Immunoglobulin aids in research of host immune deficiencies such as the research done by Tamura et al in their article Tumor-Produced Secreted Form of Binding of Immunoglobulin Protein Elicits Antigen-Specific Tumor Immunity as well as many other fields of host immunity and clinical research. Successful purification and crystallization of Immunoglobulin has also allowed for insight on how host immune systems respond to infection and the biological processes that take place in these responses. References Jakoby, W.B. 1971. Cystallization as a purification technique, Enzyme Purification and Related Techniques, Methods in Enzymology. 22: 246-252 Determann, H. Meyer, N. Wieland, T. 1969. Ion exchanger from pearl-shaped cellulose gel. Nature 223: 499-500 Edelhoch, H. 1967. Spectrospoic determination of tryptophan and tyrosine in proteins Burnette, N.W. 1981. â€Å"Western Blotting†: Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels to unmodified nitrocellulose and radiographic detection with antibody and radioiodinated protein A. Analytical Biochem 112: 1935-203 Tsutomu A. and Timasheff, S.N. 1984. Mechanism of protein salting in and salting out by divalent cation salts: balance between hydration and salt binding Biochemistry(23)25:5912-5926 321 -Grodzki, A.C. Berenstein, E. (2010) Antibody Purification: Ion-Exchange Chromatography Methods in Molecular Biology 588: 27-32 Slater, L. 1975. IgG, IgA and IgM by formylated rocket immunoelectrophoresis. Ann Clin Biochem 12 (1) : 19-22, 24 Yang, W.N.Ai, Z.H. Wang, Xu, J.Y.L. Teng, Y.C. 2014.Correlation between the overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor and mesenchymal makers in endometrial carcinoma. J Gynecol Oncol. 25:36-42. 47 Collins, A.M. Jackson, K.J.L. 2013. A temporal model of human IgE and IgG antibody function. Front Immunol 4: 225 Ye, X. Yoshida, S. Ng, T.B. 2000. Isolation of lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, ÃŽ ±-lactalbumin, ÃŽ ²-lactoglobulin B and ÃŽ ²-lactoglobulin A from bovine rennet whey using ion exchange chromatography The international journal of Biochemistry Cell biology 32 (11-12): 1143-1150 22 Nydegger, U.E. Lambert, P.H. Gerber, H. Miescher, P.A. 1974. Circulating Immune Complexes in the Serum in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and in Carriers of Hepatitis B Antigen QUANTITATION BY BINDING TO RADIOLABELED Clq Circulating immune complexes in the serum in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and in carriers of Hepatitis Antigen B Quantitation by binding to Radiolabelled Clq. J Clin Invest.  54(2): 297–309. Serwer, P. Wright, E.T. 2012. Agarose Gel Electrophoresis Reveals Structural Fluidity of Phage T3 DNA Packaging Intermediate. Electrophoresis 33 (2): 352-365 101-Johnson, I.D. 2006. Practical considerations in the selection and application of fluorescent probes. In: Handbook of biological confocal microscopy, 3rd ed. (J.B. Pawley.ed), Plenum Press. new York. p.362-3. Circulating Immune Complexes in the Serum in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and in Carriers of Hepatitis B Antigen QUANTITATION BY BINDING TO RADIOLABELED Clq

Monday, August 19, 2019

Analysis of Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

Analysis of Jane Eyre In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte portrays one woman's desperate struggle to attain her identity in the mist of temptation, isolation, and impossible odds. Although she processes a strong soul she must fight not only the forces of passion and reason within herself ,but other's wills constantly imposed on her. In its first publication, it outraged many for its realistic portrayal of life during that time. Ultimately, the controversy of Bronte's novel lied in its realism, challenging the role of women, religion, and mortality in the Victorian society. In essence, Bronte's novel became a direct assault on Victorian morality. Controversy based in its realistic exposure of thoughts once considered improper for a lady of the 19th century. Emotions any respectable girl would repress. Women at this time were not to feel passion, nor were they considered sexual beings. To conceive the thought of women expressing rage and blatantly retaliating against authority was a defiance against the traditional role of women. Jane Eyre sent controversy through the literary community. For not only was it written by a woman but marked the first use of realistic characters. Jane's complexity lied in her being neither holy good nor evil. She was poor and plain in a time when society considered "an ugly woman a blot on the face of creation." It challenged Victorian class structure in a strictly hierachal society. A relationship between a lowly governess and a wealthy nobleman was simply unheard of. Bronte drew criticism for her attack on the aristocracy who she deemed as hypocritical "showy but ... not genuine." She assaulted individual's already established morals by presenting a plausible case for bigamy. Notions which should have evoked disgust and outrage from its reader. Yet its most scandaless aspect was its open treatment of love. Passionate love scenes which were for their day extremely explicit but by today's standards are less than tame. Bronte's choice of a strong independent heroine depicted feminist ideals that would later lead to the overhaul of Victorian culture. By making Jane an educated woman, Bronte gave her impowerment in a patriarchal society that denied women education. However, Jane became a woman who demanded a say in her own destiny. During her courtship, she refutes

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Microsoft: Trust or Antitrust? :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument

Microsoft: Trust or Antitrust? "Oh, come on, just trust me." Those six simple words have been the pleadings of many when, for whatever reason, they find themselves in a situation, where others don't give their actions or claims any credibility. They have nothing left to fall upon, except the hope that they can be thought of as trustworthy, and that others are willing to give them an opportunity. This is the situation Microsoft has found itself in, and in response, they have launched "Trustworthy Computing," a campaign to help gain credibility and respect in the marketplace. Why, you might ask, is a company that controls 90 percent of its market worried about public perception? Why would such a major influence in the computer industry shut down production of new software, in an attempt to correct countless errors? Why did Bill Gates hire Wieden and Kennedy, the advertising agency that gave us such things as the Nike Swoosh, to change Microsoft's public image? It is because the people at Microsoft have realized that consumers use their software not because they want to, but because they have no other choice. As I sit here writing my paper in Microsoft Word, listening to a CD play in Windows Media Player, surfing the internet for sources in Microsoft Internet Explorer, all parts of my Windows XP setup, it might seem that Microsoft has itself entrenched in my life and that of the computer industry. Yet, the powers that be at Microsoft aren't just sitting around watching their MS Office licensing fees come in, they've sounded the alarm. "There must have been a moment of crisis, either they were feeling insecure, or Microsoft was putting pressure on them," Erik Adigard, a former consultant for Microsoft, suggests. The root of the problem may be, as Sara Basse observed, "Programmers and system designers are often overconfident too, and do not give enough thought to the potential consequences of errors or poor design." Those oversights are the reason that Microsoft shut down most of its production of programs, and instead shifted resources to correct bugs and errors in pre-existing programs. One might then, wonder why Microsoft has sold programs with errors, and instead of taking the time to correct the mistakes of past versions, they have moved on to completely new concepts. It appears that Microsoft has gotten the message from its consumers. They have begun unprecedented disclosures of their codes to their competitors, so that they are better able to integrate their programs into Windows.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Corporate Taxation Essay

1. The definition of property as it relates to a section 351 transaction includes money. (TRUE) 2. A taxpayer always will have a tax basis in boot received in a section 351 transaction equal to its fair market value. (TRUE) 3. Mandel transferred property to his new corporation in a section 351 transaction. One of the properties transferred was land with a fair market value of $200,000 and a tax basis of $250,000. The corporation will always take a tax basis in the land of $200,000 to prevent the â€Å"built-in loss† from being transferred from Mandel to the corporation. (FALSE) 4. Han transferred land to his corporation in a section 351 transaction. Han had held the land for two years prior to the transfer. The corporation will tack Han’s holding period for the land. (TRUE) 5. Roberta transfers property with a tax basis of $400 and a fair market value of $500 to a corporation in exchange for stock with a fair market value of $350 in a transaction that qualifies for defe rral under section 351. The corporation assumed a liability of $150 on the property transferred. What is the amount realized by Roberta in the exchange? ($500) 6. Antoine transfers property with a tax basis of $500 and a fair market value of $600 to a corporation in exchange for stock with a fair market value of $550 in a transaction that qualifies for deferral under section 351. The corporation assumed a liability of $50 on the property transferred. What is Antoine’s tax basis in the stock received in the exchange? ($450) 7. Carlos transfers property with a tax basis of $500 and a fair market value of $800 to a corporation in exchange for stock with a fair market value of $650 and $50 in a transaction that qualifies for deferral under section 351. The corporation assumed a liability of $100 on the property transferred. What is the corporation’s tax basis in the property received in the exchange? ($550) 8. Tristan transfers property with a tax basis of $900 and a fair market value of $1,200 to a corporation in exchange for stock with a fair market value of $900 and $200 in a transaction that qualifies for deferral under section 351. The corporation assumed a liability of $100 of the property transferred. What is the corporation’s tax basis in the property received in the exchange? ($1,100) 9. Ashley transfers property with a tax basis of $5,000 and a fair market value $3,000 to a corporation in exchange for stock with a fair market value of $2,000 and $500 in a transaction that qualifies for deferral under section 351. The corporation assumed a liability of $500 on the property transferred. What is Ashley’s tax basis in the stock received in the exchange? ($4,000) 10. Which of the following statements best describes the concept of control as it applies to a section 351 transaction? Control is defined as the ownership of 80 percent of more of a corporations voting stock and 80 percent or more of the total number of shares of each class of nonvoting stock.

Affordable Care Act Essay

Health care reform has been a budding issue within the United States this past year, and problems continue to surface. At the beginning of this process, Americans wanted the government to ensure that all citizens would be able to have affordable and good health care, no matter what their financial situation. The price for health care was increasing at a rate that people could no longer afford it and a lot of people desperately wanted a universal health care systems like some of their neighboring countries. In a sense, change was needed, but how this change came about is the real issue now. Americans may not get what they bargained for, and it could end up costing more than some individual initially thought. Importance of Research I want to research this economic policy because I hear so much scrutiny from every individual I talk to, while I also see some friends and family benefiting from the Affordable Care Act. I want to learn more about what we truly signed up for and the repercussions for â€Å"pimping out† the health care industry, along with any hidden agendas that might be embedded within this new policy. According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, â€Å"The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress and then signed into law by the President on March 23, 2010. On June 28, 2012 the Supreme Court rendered a final decision to uphold the health care law† (2014). It is not until 2014 that is really coming into effect, to the point where it is mandated to have insurance by April 2014. This policy was implemented to make sure every American has health insurance but little are properly educated on how this new policy will affect us in the years to come. Time to learn the truth fro m both sides of the debate Policy Overview The Affordable Health Care Act, was a policy that has recently been put in place to help citizens receive the health care they need at an affordable price. As wages remain the same, prices continue to climb to the point where minimum wages isn’t enough, health care is last on the list of needs. Many Americans do not have health insurance or receive it from the state because it is not an affordable aspect of our economy and it was not mandated. Now the government as took it upon themselves to make laws and regulations in order to ensure every American citizen has affordable health insurance. For those who can pay more, pay more, and those who can’t, will ultimately pay less. Although that is a great concept for the American people to believe in, but with all of the rules, regulations and underlining laws, it is important to understand what Americans are actually getting from this deal. For this paper, we will focus on individuals, employers and tax credits available to h elp with the cost of insurance. Provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed a comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, into law. The laws and changes mad, focuses on provisions to expand coverage, control care costs, and improve health care delivery system. The first provisions is that all Americans are required to have health insurance by April 2014, or individuals will face penalty charges that can affect them for up to three years. So it is very important for citizens to go to the government market place and apply for insurance that they can afford. According to the Kaiser Foundation; â€Å"Those without coverage pay a tax penalty of the greater of $695 per year up to a maximum of three times that amount ($2,085) per family or 2.5% of household income. The penalty will be phased-in according to the following schedule: $95 in 2014, $325 in 2015, and $695 in 2016 for the flat fee or 1.0% of taxable income in 2014, 2.0% of taxable income in 2015, and 2.5% of taxable income in 2016 † (Kaiser Foundation, 2014). This reason alone is why Americans should not avoid getting insurance. Other provisions that have been taken into effect deal with employers. Now employers are required to offer insurance based on the amount of employees. For smaller businesses this means having to offer health care insurance to their full  time employers and â€Å"Require employers with more than 200 employees to automatically enroll employees into health insurance plans offered by the employer. Employees may opt out of coverage† (Kaiser Foundation, 2014). With employers having to offer health care coverage at an affordable rate to full-time employees, it does cause some to opt for part-time employment to avoid having to give out benefits. A lot of Americans fear they will lose hour’s simple because their employers do not want to pay for them, which is something that could easily happen. Other than individuals and employers being affected, Medicaid is also going under an expansion. More money is being put to those who are in need of insurance and cannot pay for it such as pregnant women, children and parents. With the expansion Medicaid to all non-Medicare eligible individuals under age 65 such as those stated above â€Å"All newly eligible adults will be guaranteed a benchmark benefit package that meets the essential health benefits available through the Exchanges† (Kaiser Foundation, 2014). Another important aspect pertains to those who are predisposed to certain medical conditions. For instance, citizens can no longer be denied health care coverage based on health risks they already possess. Among other things, the government also give tax credit in order to lower the cost of insurance, which is based on income and family size. Analysis of Policy With any policy or new law there will be objections and an unwillingness to accept these changes. Not every new piece of legislation fixes the problems at hand. Some of the issues only get worse, and then the law must be reformed. With the Affordable Health Care Act, there are a number of pros and cons with this policy and below, it will explain how these changes have greatly affected the general public for the better and worse. Pros With the Affordable Health Care Act being implemented, there are a number of great aspects that have now been put into effect. The first and easiest of the changes now allows children under the age of 26 to remain on their parents insurance plans, this means longer coverage for young adults in America, this also means no lifetime limits on health coverage; and new  insurance policies that must provide preventive care without any form of cost-sharing (UPMC, 2013). Among other changes, these are the following benefits of having the Affordable Health Care Act in place; Health care coverage for uninsured Americans. Through a combination of creating the health insurance marketplace and encouraging the states to expand Medicaid, millions of Americans without health insurance now have access to affordable coverage. No matter the situation, people will be covered. Reducing uninsured health events: Americans have always had issues regarding medical bills and costly procedures that many could not afford. Now, because the Affordable Health Care Act requires citizens to have health care coverage, we will dramatically reduce the instances of uninsured health events. No more coverage discrimination due to health issues or gender. The main problem with health insurance companies was the fact that they could, â€Å"charge outrageous prices or even deny coverage to Americans based on particular medical conditions, age, or gender. Just because you are ill, born with a disability, or female and may need pregnancy care, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have access to affordable coverage† (UPMC, 2013). Changing the laws that govern coverage now helps to end coverage discrimination. Expansion of employer sponsored health coverage. â€Å"Many employers don’t offer any health insurance to employees, even those working full-time. ObamaCare requires all companies with over 50 full-time equivalent employees to offer health insurance to full-time staff by 2016 or they may be subject to a penalty† (UPMC, 2013). This now makes employers responsible for the health care of their employees, which in turn offsets the amount of people on Medicaid, or reduces the amount of people uninsured. These benefits greatly affect the everyday life of an American, no more discrimination due to preexisting conditions, or higher rates to these individuals. Employers now have to offer insurance to their full-time employees, and everyone has the right to affordable health care which will stop them from being forced into debt. Cons With every policy, there are going to issues that come to surface, sometimes a policy fixes nothing at all, while other times it is just what the doctor ordered. The following are some of the negative effects that could cause the  Affordable Health Care Act to backfire or deter Americans from believing in the system. Working Americans will pay more. Most middle-class Americans hold full-time jobs and receive health insurance through their employers. Health care costs were rising before the Affordable Care Act became law, and combined with the effects of the law, employers will likely re-evaluate the insurance they offer. Employers will start to reevaluate their coverage to their employees which could end up increasing their work-based insurance. Some of the required coverage’s are against the moral values of employers. The mandate to offer contraception with no charge to the patient has caused a lot of issues, especially for employers whose moral code dictates that they do n ot support contraception of any type. But this is a manner of personal choice, employers cannot dictate what their employees needs are. Adding additional health care expenses will impact workers. The law will cause some employers to offer lower coverage or perhaps no coverage to their workers, or perhaps increase the amount employees pay for health insurance to offset higher premiums from the insurance company, or reduce hours to avoid having to offer coverage to so many full-time employee. The American Debt. As many are concerned about our debt, as the government subsidizes health care, may only make that debt worse. If the law runs over budget, it will be the taxpayers who wind up at a greater disadvantage than ever before. Below is also a graph that shows how government spending will be effected with the new ACA Many of the oppositions to this new law, all comes down to money. Americans do not want to sign on to anything that may cost or lose them money. (Foster, 2011). Some employers may also try to turn full-time employees into part-time just to avoid having to offer health care coverage. We as a nation end up in debt every year due to unnecessary spending, rather the spending be put in place to help the American people rather than ignore the issue. Unintended Consequences & Alternative Solution When the Affordable Health Care Act was put in place, a lot of Americans did not understand what they were actually getting for their money, while some hated the thought of government controlling yet another aspect of their lives others rejoiced. The health care act had some adverse consequences  when being put into place, the largest problem being the fact that Americans would now be fined if they did not pay for health insurance by the deadline, which is April 1st, 2014. The rate of the fine would increase with each year and end of causing a lot of Americans an unnecessary headache. This also forces people to purchase something they do not necessarily agree with, but unfortunately we cannot pick and choose which laws we decide to follow. Another issue that may affect Americans is the status of being a full-time employee versus being used as a part-time employee. With the new laws, businesses are also affected, some employees may cut employees hours in order to avoid having to off er insurance. Which is another way the Affordable Health Care Act is not benefitting the American citizens. Alternative Method & Recommendation Although the bill is already in place and functioning, I think the United States would have been better off following in the footsteps of other countries that already have nationalized health care. Instead of imposing all of these rules and regulations, the government should impose taxes on our citizens to help with the cost of health insurance. This will take away the need and frustration of having everyone being forced to find new insurance company based off their income, and have to be fined if they do not participate. With people standing strongly against being forced to buy insurance, taxes would take that fuss out. Americans need to realize, although other countries have national health care, it is nowhere as good as our health care, because when other countries were becoming nationalized, their star doctors were seeking citizenship in America because they could make more money. Now, we have all of these great doctors upset they can no longer reap the benefits of charging what they feel is appropriate, and now insurance companies can no longer deny benefits to those who are a risky investment. There are a large number of countries that simply take care of the health care cost through taxes, which is beneficial because less people feel the effect of paying premiums every month, and if it is based off of wages, so are our taxes, so why not take it out all at once? Conclusion With every policy, there will always be good and bad aspects that surround the change. In most cases, as long as the good outweighs the bad, then at the end of the day that is all that really matters. In the large picture, Americans now have the chance at having affordable health care, and cannot be denied over prior history. People can now avoid being put in massive amounts of debt by avoiding the high cost of procedures that they need. No one should ever deny the care they need when it comes to their health. In the long run it may cost companies more money, but if they make money off of their employees, they should be willing to pay for them to remain healthy. Within the next ten years we will truly see if the good outweighs the bad. In my opinion, Obamacare is headed in the right direction, but I do not feel the bill was ready to be passed. With all the opposition to incorporating socialized health care it is understandable why Obama was pushing it through while he is in office, because it may have not went through if it waited much longer. There are also a large number of benefits with the Affordable Health Care Act, people n ow can purchase affordable health care and not be denied due to pre-existing conditions. I also feel the government should have raised taxes to cover the cost, instead of Americans paying monthly for their insurance. We tend to not miss what is already gone, and this is what other countries have done. People have to pay taxes, so no one would ever need to be fined for not paying for health care every month. References Foster, R. (2011). Estimated effect of the Affordable Care Act on total national health spending. Retrieved on March 1st, 2014 from http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/library/chart-graph/estimated-effect-affordable-care-act-total-national-health-spending Kaiser Foundation. (2014). Summary of the affordable care act. Retrieved on February 24, 2014 from http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/8061-021.pdf UPMC. (2013). The Pros and Cons of ObamaCare. Retrieved on March 1s, 2014 from http://www.yourhealthcaresimplified.org/news/the-pros-and-cons-of-obamacare/ U.S Department of Health & Human Services. (2014). Read the law. Retrieved on February 12th, 2014 from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/law/index.html