Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Nursing Assignment Based on a Case Study

Question: Discuss the Nursing Assignment Based on a Case Study. Answer: Introduction The advancement of the medical science with simultaneous rise in the impacts of globalization in every sphere of life has hugely affected the healthcare service as well. The changes and modifications existing in the healthcare sectors are evident through references available from evidence based practices. The healthcare working community recognizes the importance of a co-operative and well equipped infrastructural setting to impart improved healthcare access to persons in need. Clinicians, medical practitioners, surgeons, specialized physicians, registered and enrolled nurses along with other medical support staff comprise the basic structural organization within a healthcare facility. The role of the nurses are vital in ensuring speedy recovery of the patients through provision of person centered care, suitable therapeutic intervention suited to specific case situations. The duties and responsibilities expected out of practicing nurses are guided by relevant code of ethics, policies and legislations as put forward by the competent authorities. Case study evaluation following definite analytical and reasoning skills might provide an overview into the actual scenario that resulted in repercussions. In view of this fact, a case study as reported in case of a 64 year old male patient named Jon Lee who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery in a hospital and the consecutive events and complications that followed post surgery will be discussed in order to assess and review the situational demands and loopholes in the healthcare service that prompted such consequences. The roles performed by the nurses in this specific case are also scrutinized to understand the limitations and fallacies that underpin the healthcare service. Guidelines for nurses employed in the gastroenterological wards may be considered for examining their practice modalities (Nuutinen and Rannos 2013). The discussion carried hereafter will be based upon the legal, ethical and professional practice issues. The vital issues as detected through insightful analysis revealed three key aspects that culminated in negative health outcome in the concerned patient. Negligence of care, faulty hospital operational policy and lack of culturally safe nursing practice were found to be the prime causative factors. Therefore, the assessment referring to the case study will discuss on the ethical, legal and practice methods for the nursing professional so as to get an overview of the working modalities in a healthcare setting. Negligence of care According to the case study observed for Mr. Lee, certain breach of practice was observed on the part of the registered nurse (RN), Ms. Colleen Price who was assigned to look after him in the night shift at the extended day unit (EDU) of the hospital. Mr. Lee was subjected to a laparoscopic cholecystectomy operation on the same day, when the RN took over his case and therefore demanded undivided attention from the nursing professionals ends to cater to his medical demands. Post operation, Mr. Lee reported of experiencing abdominal pain and distension. In response to the patients concern and routine examination by the attending medical officer (MO) at the hospital via consultation with the authoritarian surgeon prescribed analgesia (10 mg Morphine SC) to be administered on a pro re nata basis 6 hourly to ameliorate the reported symptoms. However, the RN having professional experience of five years was found to not document the administration of any such analgesia during her shift hour s. During her shift timing tenure, RN documented the vital signs of the post operative care patient, Mr. Lee comprising of the note of parameters such as body temperature, pulse count and blood pressure at only one instance. No other follow up of the vital sign variables were documented during the entire night by the RN. Moreover, the RN was found faulty of not seeking any sort of assistance from the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) when required, located adjacent to the EDU, although the hospital decorum and guidelines provided enough scope to do so. Unfortunately, these breach of conduct and failure to apply experienced nursing knowledge into proper practice as evident in case of Ms. Price to address the conditions of Mr. Lee harbored negative implications and the limitations of the nurse may be identified through the following discussions and analysis. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has developed Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia that provides uniform guidel ines for the nurses to uphold the fundamental human rights standards and ethical values in their professional practice by virtue of ethical decision making ability. The codes outlines the ethical virtues that are expected out of a nurse and primarily emphasis is laid on valuing quality nursing care for everyone alike, respect and kindness for self as well as others, diversity among people, accessibility to proper nursing and healthcare service, concept of informed decision making, culture of safety within healthcare and nursing facility, ethical maintenance of information ensuring privacy and confidentiality of the data procured and finally valuing a socio-economically and ecologically sustainable surrounding to foster well being and healthy life (NMBA 2007). A nurse attaining a level of expert clinical competency through proper training and acquired knowledge base supported by enough experience and critical decision making skills is bound to work in compliance with the context or t he country where she has been appointed (Grace 2013). The four pillars of bioethics consisting of the vital components of justice, autonomy, non-maleficence and beneficence also enlighten the nursing ethical practice (Butts and rich 2012). Another crucial part of the nursing job that is often overlooked or undermined during practice is that of integrated record keeping and documentation of the patient data conforming to confidentiality, authenticity, durability, accessibility, relevance, completeness and comprehensiveness (Staunton and Chiarella 2012). Need for highly sophisticated and round the clock monitoring specifically for post operative patients have been highlighted in studies to aid in risk assessment and plan future intervention accordingly (Rothrock 2014). Reports suggest following of three basic theories of descriptive, predictive and explanatory types in nursing practice to facilitate good understanding of the patients situations (Parahoo 2014). Breach of conduct in sta ndard practice in terms of not abiding by the Standards 1, 4, 6, 7 and 9 as put forward by the NMBA was observed in the particular case with respect to the RNs attitude towards the patient care (NMBA, 2016). Negligence is normally associated with civil law and criminal prosecution follows in cases where indifference, inattention or failure from the nurses ends towards an obvious risk to injury of the patient are established (Griffith and Tengnah, 2014). Further, knowledge in nursing practice has been interrelated to four key sects such as empirical, aesthetic, personal and ethical that paves the way for reflective service outcomes in clinical setting (Heaton 2014). However, in the referred case study all these ethical and legal issues pertinent to nursing was not stringently complied that might have lead to exacerbation of the patient condition. Faulty Hospital Policy Referring to the cases study of Mr. Lee, it was inferred that the EDU on the day of the happening was not sufficiently equipped in terms of engagements of the healthcare staff in the concerned ward of 12 bed capacity. One RN and another enrolled nurse (EN) only were in charge of the ill patients of variable distress levels and complexities. Thus the patient to healthcare provider ratio was insufficient to meet the workload. The condition of two of the patients out of the total number of 12 patients were found to be quite critical as well when one was continuously vomiting post appendectomy and the other was experiencing urinary retention following Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP). Moreover, a sole female patient admitted in the same ward, possessing certain religious notions and prejudices as well as inadequate English language proficiency added to the complexity of the situation in the EDU on that night when Ms. Price and the other EN was on duty. Yet another drawback in the functioning of the hospital policy was noticed as the PACU RN made futile attempt to check and make contact with the ED nurses for any assistance when the EDU nurses themselves were overburdened with severe work pressure thereby unable to communicate effectively with the PACU nurses over telephonic conversations. Thus telephonic mode of communication was found to be inappropriate in demanding situations. Additionally the patient handover technique during the change of shift for the nurses was detected to be erroneous and unsatisfactory as no evidence supported the smooth transfer of duty from Ms. Price to the morning hour nurse due to lack of awareness regarding the deteriorating health status of Mr. Lee during the immediate phase that preceded the later events. Hence these inherent flaws that affected the reputation of the relevant hospital due to defective operational strategy applicable to the hospital failed to fulfill the immediate requirements and assess the futuristic outcomes of patient named Mr. Lee in his post operative sessions. The limitations, thus identified may be re-examined under legal and organizational operational framework contexts. Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) program conducted in the Australian domicile aimed to provide insight into the various reliable and valid data collection procedures to cater the ever-changing needs of the diverse patients pertinent to their health states through general physician (GP) and patient interactive encounters, evaluate the patient risk factors and health conditions as well as propagate an ongoing database information for GP-patient encounter. An overall well coordinated and equipped infrastructure is imperative to serve quality service to the sick patients (Britt et al. 2013). Education, clinical experience and competence resulting in endorsement and straightforwardness determine the nurses scope of practice within the Australian region. However the situation of clinical prac tice constrained by jurisdictional and regulatory restrictions are found to hinder the scope of nursing practice to its full capacity (Scanlon et al. 2016). Lack of effective communication among the nursing and associated staff within a hospital facility have been found to impair the teamwork output thereby obstructing the holistic mode of care (Masters 2015). The standards of practice for the nurses in Australia have fore grounded the relationship between the ethical and nature of nursing and the importance of translating evidence into actual practice as per the situational necessity (Cashin et al. 2016). Share of duty and excessive workload are found to impact the patient outcomes declining the quality of service offered to them (Chang and Daly 2015). Extensive literature reviews defined the professional nursing accountability in a comprehensive and reliable manner where the nurses are entitled to perform their assigned jobs in a legally and ethically suitable manner (Krautscheid 2014). Inter-professional collaboration and clinical decision making has been found to potentially enhance through adequate teamwork and exchange of views among colleagues in a healthcare facility (Lapkin, Levett-Jones and Gilligan 2013). The national principles for development of decision making tools as put forwarded by NMBA may be helpful in this regard (NMBA 2010). Thus in view of the facts and information acquired through literatures, books and published articles and referring to the mentioned case study a congenial atmosphere with sufficient provision for all facilities are vital to improved healthcare service in a hospital setting. Lack of culturally safe mode of nursing practice In context to Mr. Lees case, the RN Ms. Price failed to consider the clinical consequences of the deteriorating health condition of the patient evident from the observations obtained via the vital signs that belonged to the yellow zone of clinical implications. Case appropriate decisions were not followed subsequently that lead to further decline in the health condition. Lack of analytical reasoning and inability to predict the futuristic mode of treatment to assess Mr. Lees condition harbored negative implications. Further the night on which the RN and EN were engaged in their respective duties in the EDU indicated acute and stressful situations. Ms. Price was reported to be exhausted to address Mr. Lees situation in addition to other patients demanding circumstances. Thus person centered care was compromised due to severe workload and inadequate supporting staff. Moreover, evidences from the following day after the transfer of duty from the night shift nurses to morning shift nursi ng professional revealed that after documentation of the vital parameters of Mr. Lee that belonged to the red zone, the morning shift nurse failed to immediately assess the gravity of the situation. Approximately after a lapse of 45 minutes a PACE phone call was made to report the debilitating health condition of the patient. Thus this delay in making contact with the appropriate authority to seek medical help and guidance breached the safety standard of professional nursing practice that lead to negative outcomes in the patient. Dearth of competency, lack of professionalism and unstable case related evaluation failed to assess the risk pertaining to ensuing bowel obstruction through increased pain levels. Therefore, paucity of culturally congruent safe practices was found to hinder the patients recovery process in the case of Mr. Lee and the effects may be discussed thoroughly with reference to the various codes of conduct and legal frameworks applicable to healthcare setting. Stud ies emphasize on the investment in evidence based and contemporary education by virtue of a competent, capable and resilient workforce deployment. The roles of coaches and educators are found to be pivotal in imparting knowledge to the nursing practitioners in course of their continuous development process in this regard. Absence of competency may lead to serious errors thwarting the patients health status (Duff 2013). Utilization of just culture principles through case based nursing peer review emphasized on medication reconciliation process, identification of deep tissue injury and bowel management regimes as the recognized educational necessities to address the patients health condition. Screening of surgical patients for opioid tolerance that may be corroborated in the given case study has also been emphasized in relevant studies as well (Jochem, Scott and Stuckman 2015). Handoff functions following verbal as well as sophisticated experimental techniques have been recommended in relevant studies to foster quality healthcare service to patients suitable for medical and surgical settings (Staggers and Blaz 2013). NMBA has proposed national competency standards for registered nurses including certain specific domains to ensure safe and culturally congruent integrated nursing care practice. The domains mentioned considers professional practice, critical thinking and analysis, provision to coordination of care and collaborative, therapeutic practice as the key aspects to maintain professional competency and retain the accountability of the nursing professional in the job (NMBA 2015). Literature review regarding patient-centered care revealed three core themes ensuring patient safety which include patient participation and involvement, the association between patient and healthcare provider, and the situation in which the care is delivered (Kitson et al., 2013). Forecasting the patient outcomes beforehand and taking precautionary measures in accordance with the existing guidelines and policies relevant to the specific patient situation within an ethically and legally sound healthcare infrastructure was thus found to generate positive results in the patients and ensure quicker recovery. Conclusion Drawing evidences from the given case study it was revealed that Ms. Price, the RN on duty in charge of Mr. Lee undergoing post operative care in the hospital EDU was guilty of breaching her sense of responsibilities and professional competency standards due to inappropriate and inadequate code of conduct at various instances. Other issues pertinent to hospital operational policies were found to affect the patients declining health status. Hospital staffing ratio again interrupted the normal functioning of the hospital setting. Lack of culturally safe and acceptable working modality was another crucial factor harming the patient and causing severe distress. All these crucial aspects and nagging problems added to worsening of Mr. Lees condition in the given scenario. In the Australian context, specific codes and guidelines associated to legal and ethical grounds have been improvised and implemented by the NMBA to aid in the nursing practice and foster quality healthcare service to the persons in need. Summarizing the information procured from the published articles and books it is opined that the healthcare professionals particularly the nursing staff who remain in active contact with the patients during their care delivery process must maintain optimum level of competence conforming to the prevalent legislations and ethical codes through enough prudence and pragmatism. Awareness regarding the current and existing laws and practices relevant to nursing practice has also been assigned as pivotal prerequisites to continue professional practice. However, competent authorities should also make effort to arrange for programs and training sessions to impart substantiate knowledge and evidences regarding specific case situations for enhancing the nursing skills among the practicing nursing personnel. In fine, it is suggested that a holistic approach through effective collaboration from all ends of working healthcare personnel be upheld to facilitate quality healthcare service for patients in dire crisis and ensure improved state of living. References: Britt, H., Miller, G.C., Henderson, J., Bayram, C., Valenti, L., Harrison, C., Charles, J., Pan, Y., Zhang, C., Pollack, A.J. and O'Halloran, J., 2013.General Practice Activity in Australia 2012-13: BEACH: Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health(No. 33). Sydney University Press. Butts, J.B. and Rich, K.L., 2012.Nursing ethics. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Cashin, A., Heartfield, M., Bryce, J., Devey, L., Buckley, T., Cox, D., Kerdo, E., Kelly, J., Thoms, D. and Fisher, M., 2016. Standards for practice for registered nurses in Australia.Collegian. Chang, E. and Daly, J., 2015.Transitions in nursing: preparing for professional practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. Duff, B., 2013. Creating a culture of safety by coaching clinicians to competence.Nurse education today,33(10), pp.1108-1111. Grace, P.J., 2013.Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Griffith, R. and Tengnah, C., 2014.Law and professional issues in nursing. Learning Matters. Heaton, L., 2014. Legal aspects of nursing.Kozier Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing Australian Edition,3, p.57. Jochem, K., Scott, C.A. and Stuckman, C.L., 2015. Case-Based Nursing Peer Review Using Just Culture Principles. Kitson, A., Marshall, A., Bassett, K. and Zeitz, K., 2013. What are the core elements of patient?centred care? A narrative review and synthesis of the literature from health policy, medicine and nursing.Journal of advanced nursing,69(1), pp.4-15. Krautscheid, L.C., 2014. Defining professional nursing accountability: A literature review.Journal of Professional Nursing,30(1), pp.43-47. Lapkin, S., Levett-Jones, T. and Gilligan, C., 2013. A systematic review of the effectiveness of interprofessional education in health professional programs.Nurse education today,33(2), pp.90-102. LeMone, P., Burke, K., Dwyer, T., Levett-Jones, T., Moxham, L. and Reid-Searl, K., 2015.Medical-surgical nursing. Pearson Higher Education AU. Masters, K., 2015.Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2007. National framework for the development of decision-making tools for nursing and midwifery practice. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Frameworks.aspx Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2010. A nurses guide to professional boundaries. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards.aspx Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2015. Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/reentry-to-practice.aspx Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016. Standards for Practice: Enrolled Nurses. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Nursing-and-Midwifery-Board---Standards-for-Practice---Enrolled-Nurses.PDF Nuutinen, T. and Rannos, S., 2013. Welcome to practise in gastroenterogical wards: An Orientation Guide for Exchange Nursing Students. Parahoo, K., 2014.Nursing research: principles, process and issues. Palgrave Macmillan. Rothrock, J.C., 2014.Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery. Elsevier Health Sciences. Scanlon, A., Cashin, A., Bryce, J., Kelly, J.G. and Buckely, T., 2016. The complexities of defining nurse practitioner scope of practice in the Australian context.Collegian,23(1), pp.129-142. Staggers, N. and Blaz, J.W., 2013. Research on nursing handoffs for medical and surgical settings: an integrative review.Journal of Advanced Nursing,69(2), pp.247-262. Staunton, P.J. and Chiarella, M., 2012.Law for nurses and midwives. Elsevier Australia.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

How to Write a Guest Post Pitch (Based on Real Experience)

Guest posting is a common practice among bloggers and a smart move for driving traffic to your site and building your backlink profile. However, its tough to get started, especially if you dont know how to write a guest post pitch.Fortunately, once you get the hang of it, nailing your guest post pitches will feel like second nature. Its all about thinking strategically and knowing your audience. However, youll need to consider your audience as both the blog youre submitting to and the target reader.A quick note before we begin. We asked our friends at WordCandy to write this guide based on their in-depth experience with guest blogging. We figured that if were going to publish a detailed guide on pitching guest posts, we might as well get it done by someone whos expert on the topic. Enter John:At WordCandy, we spend a lot of time writing guest posts for other blogs. In our experience, when it comes to pitching ideas, appealing to everyone along the chain is vital for landing the gig.I n this article, well discuss five key steps we at WordCandy have found helpful in pitching guest posts to other blogs. Lets dive right in! individual bloggers as you can find. However, this strategy is not much different than throwing fistfuls of spaghetti against the wall and hoping it sticks.The first step to a successful guest post pitch is to choose your target blogs carefully. This can help you avoid wasting time on publications that arent a solid fit for your style, content, and ideal audience.A wise place to start is by looking atThe blogs you read.Businesses where you currently shop.Chances are, your target audience may be into the content these entities produce, too. Plus, because youll ideally like the publication youre writing for, youre more likely to feel motivated to give them your best work.Whats more, blogs and businesses whose audiences overlap with yours can be a source of long-term future relationships. This means your guest post pitch isnt necessarily a proposal for a one-time deal. It carries an implicit offer of further work and could lead to additional guest posts or brand deals.Apart from these types of publications, looking for other blogs that are similar to yours and also have a small following can be mutually beneficial. Chances are other new or small-time bloggers are also eager for a chance to guest post. Offering a post on your blog could help you land one on theirs, although its not something we do currently at WordCandy.2. Research your target blog (and reach out if necessary)Once youve crafted a shortlist of blogs where youd like to guest post, its time to do some research. Even if you think youre familiar with your target blog, this step is still key. You may know a blog as a reader, but thats different from knowing it as a writer.First, look around the site and see if theres any information about guest posting. The blog youre targeting may have guidelines youll want to follow if you want them to accept your pitch.The ThemeIs le guest post guidelinesNext, check out their archives and be on the lookout for any gaps in their content you could fill. The best pitches will offer something to the target blog which that blog currently cant offer – such as your expertise on a subject the blogs audience is interested in. This is where being an authority within your niche could land you work.Note information such as:Post lengthImage usageToneStyleAs a guest poster, youll probably be able to bring some of your own unique voice to your post. However, your target blog will still want your work to blend in well with their overall content strategy.If youre lucky, you may sometimes have sites reach out to you and offer you a chance to guest post. However, more often than not youll be the one who has to make contact. At this point, you should be ready to reach out and ask the target blog if theyre interested in working with you.3. Come up with one or more topic ideasWith any luck, your research will pay off and yo ur target blog will respond to say theyre willing to hear your pitch. This means its time for more research – as such, youll need to pitch some topic ideas.Some of the information youve gathered in the first two steps will be useful, such as gaps you found in the archives or other subjects related to your niche. However, there are additional features that make up a well-crafted topic idea, too.For starters, dont forget about search engine optimization (SEO). Choosing topics with high-volume keywords will show the target blog you know what youre doing and may incentivize them to accept your pitch, as a well-optimized post will drive traffic their way as well.Trending topics can also be solid material, provided you have a unique take on them. Stay away from repeating the same information readers can find anywhere on the web and instead put a fresh spin on it.Unless the target blog has specifically asked you not to, its wise to come up with more than one topic idea to pitch. Thi s way if they reject one, theres still a chance theyll take another. Three to five ideas is ideal, and any rejected ideas can form part of a pull-list for future guest post submissions.4. Write a concise summary of each ideaOnce youve chosen the topics you want to pitch, youll need to write up a short description for each of them. This should include:The posts headline or titleAn SEO keyword (optional, but potentially helpful)Suitable anchor text and URL. This is also optional, but will be the lead generator for the post itself, so it pays to heavily consider including it.A summary of what the post will includeFor the summary, youll want to keep things brief but also provide a comprehensive look at what your proposed post will include. Start with a brief explanation of what it will cover, such as A guide to writing guest post pitches for bloggers.Youll also want to mention any key brands, products, or services you intend to feature. This will ensure you dont blindside the target blo g with links they dont approve of. Doing so can seem suspicious or potentially spammy, which is the last thing you want.You might also consider including any key references you plan to cite. This is especially crucial for interview-style posts, for instance. While you dont need a whole bibliography by any means, a citation or two can make you appear knowledgeable and reputable, and hint at the depth youll provide.5. Submit your topic idea(s) to the target blogYoure now ready to send your pitches off to the target blog for approval. Make sure theyre formatted in a clear, readable way to avoid confusion. We typically use a format like the following:First Headline.  [Keyword]. [Anchor text]. A short description of the post, followed by any points of interest we plan to include.Second Headline. [Keyword]. [Anchor text]. The posts short description, then a summary of any important aspects we plan to include.Its also considerate to include a little personalized thank-you to the person w ho will be reading your pitch. Showing that youre agreeable and easy to work with can make you more desirable as a guest poster.Finally, keep in mind that – especially on large sites – it can take a while to hear back from your target blog. Online content is fast-paced, so hopefully, theyll respond to you quickly. However, they also likely have other responsibilities, which could delay their feedback. In short, dont expect a quick win unless youve made direct and personal contact with the person in charge of publishing.ConclusionGuest posting can help get your blogs name out into your niche and drive traffic to your site. Learning how to write a guest post pitch is an important skill for bloggers looking to expand their reach.In this post, weve discussed five steps we use at WordCandy to write top-notch guest post pitches:Choose your target blog.Research your target blog (and reach out if necessary).Come up with one or more topic ideas.Write a concise summary of each i dea.Submit your topic ideas to the target blog. Learn how to #write a guest post pitch that major #blogs will actually accept âÅ" Ã¯ ¸  #blogging Click To Tweet Do you have any questions about how to write a guest post pitch that gets accepted? Let us know in the comments section below!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Platos Socrates essays

Plato's Socrates essays Socrates is interesting not only for his teachings, but also for his life since it was a representation of his teachings. He made a huge influence on the world philosophy. Socrates did not aim for active public work. He led the life of the philosopher: he lived unpretentiously, but had leisure. All his time Socrates devoted to philosophical conversations and disputes. He had many students, but didnt take any money for his teachings. While testing others on wisdom, Socrates doesnt consider himself wise at all; in his opinion, wisdom applies only to the god. If the person believes that he has answers to all questions, such person is worthless for philosophy because there is no need for him to puzzle over searches of the truest concepts. All his truths are actually a collection of the most poor, flat representations of narrow-minded knowledge. After the overthrow of tyranny and restoration of democracy in Athens, Socrates was accused of not believing in gods, entering new deities, and of corrupting the youth of Athens. In reply to these accusations, Socrates has presented the defending speech in which he denied the accusations put forward against him. This great speech contains in Platos Apology. In this dialogue, Plato summarizes some of Socrates' most famous philosophical ideas: the necessity of doing what one thinks is right even in the face of common disagreement, and the need to pursue knowledge even when opposed. Socrates was supposed to be executed at once, but on the eve of the trial the ship with annual religious mission left Athens. Before the returning of the ship, all executions were forbidden by customs. Thus, Socrates had to spent thirty days in prison before execution. In the early morning of the execution day, Socrates old friend Crito came to Socrates and informed him that all guards are bribed and Socrates can run. In a dialogue with Crito, Socrates considers the proposal, try...

Friday, February 21, 2020

Two Psychometric Tests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Two Psychometric Tests - Essay Example CPP, the institute from where the test can be officially obtained, claims that it administers over 2 million assessments annually, which is the largest number for any psychometric assessment. The entire framework of MBTI rests on four major dichotomies (Berens, 2001, pp. 85-86). Attitude, the first dichotomy, divides people into Extroverts (E) or Introverts (I). The former prefer more interaction, action and spending time with people, whereas, the latter feel more comfortable while spending time alone, believe in being thought oriented, little but substantial interaction and depth in their limited social interactions (Bayne, 1997, pp. 89-90). The function of â€Å"perceiving† is the second dichotomy that divides into Sensing (S) or Intuition (N). Sensing refers to the approach where people look for concrete evidence, facts and empirical evidence. They prefer data coming from, or verifiable through, the five senses and favour measureable information. On the other hand, intuitive people make more effort to look for hidden meanings, patterns and contexts in the data presented to them. They would show more flexibility and trust of abstract and theoretical concepts, insights, subconscious feelings and others (Myers and Myers, 1980, pp. 55-56). The â€Å"judging† function is the third dichotomy, where a person would be classified as a Thinker (T) or Feeler (F). The judging function is concerned with how an individual is making decisions. Thinkers are more likely to make rational, logical and calculated decisions. They avoid developing an attachment with the variables and entities in order to achieve objectivity and make no comprise on the rules and regulations. Feelers, on the other hand, have the tendency to understand the situation from the inside, evaluate other perspectives, create relationships with the variables and then make a decision in order to create a harmony and balance (John, et al., 2008, p. 160). Lastly, the dichotomy of â€Å"lifestyle† classifies people into having a preference for Judging (J) function for Perceiving (P) function. The former people are more likely to live an organised and settled life. On the other hand, perceivers prefer keeping their decisions and options open (Myers and M yers, 1980, pp. 55-56). Development and Design The father of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, deserves the bulk of the credit for the creation of MBTI. Many of the concepts put forward by MBTI were a part of the Jung’s book Psychological Types published in the year 1921. However, the arrangement and approach was a bit different because Jung believed that everyone is either a â€Å"perceiver† or a â€Å"judger†. The rest of the other dimensions would flow from this division (John, et al., 2008, p. 160). MBTI, in its original form, was developed by a team of Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, the mother daughter team, divides people into sixteen different personality types. According to MBTI, there are four dichotomies, each one having two extremes and any people could be at or near any extreme thus allowing sixteen different personality types, based on different combinations (Bayne, 2004, pp. 99-100). MBTI first appeared in the year 1942 and since then it has been revised several times with different authors and most of these revisions have played an important

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Climate change and hydraulic impacts on water networks supply Literature review

Climate change and hydraulic impacts on water networks supply - Literature review Example 13 3. Conclusion 14 References 15 1. Introduction One of the most important characteristics of last decade is the increase of extreme climate phenomena worldwide. These phenomena have been related to significant climate change, compared to the past. The research that has been developed in this field has led to the assumption that climate change has been resulted mostly due to the following three reasons: ‘a) the changes in solar’s radiation, b) the changes in the structure of atmosphere and c) the changes in the earth’s surface’ (Ahrens 2007, p.438). Certain events, such as ‘the tectonic activity’ (Rafferty 2011, p.179) have been also related to the current expansion of climate change. In addition, it has been proved that the lack of control in regard to climate change can lead to non-reversible problems, such as global warming (Maslin 2007, p.17). One of the most important aspects of climate change seems to be its potential impact on water net works supply. The specific issue is explored below using appropriate literature. The findings of empirical research and data published by governmental and non-governmental organizations have been also employed for offering an in-depth analysis in regard to this study’s subject. 2. ... There are several factors that are related to climate change. In a study developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) it is made clear that the relationship between climate and specific events has not fully explored. For this reason, when trying to evaluate climate change it is necessary to refer to appropriate parameters (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007, p.718). In any case, evaluating climate changes can be a challenging task since climate conditions are not standardized (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change 2007, p.718). In terms of their context, the parameters of climate change can be highly differentiated. In fact, it seems that each time that climate changes need to be assessed the parameters used need to vary according to the characteristics of the region, as of its geography, and the information available (Van Dam 2003, p.111). Of course, there are certain parameters that are necessarily used when evaluating climate changes worldwide. The level of CO2 emissions or the annual average volume of waste can be considered as indicative parameters of such type (Van Dam 2003, p.111). It should be noted that climate change is usually evaluated using appropriate models. The parameters on which these models are based can be different according to the structure of each model as related to its aims. For example, there are models that require the use of ‘current climate conditions for predicting future climate conditions’ (Mirza and Ahmad 2005, p.32). Other models can employ different parameters, including the characteristics of a region’s soil, such as ‘soil structure or soil moisture’ (Mirza and Ahmad 2005, p.32). Solar radiation, in regard to a particular

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Politics Essays Media Political Protest

Politics Essays Media Political Protest Media Political Protest Politics And The Media Critically consider mainstream New’s treatment of political protest and new social movements. The late 1950’s and early 1960’s brought about political protests and social movements like no other, with martin Luther kings American civil rights movement being remembered as on of the most famous and successful social movements in history. The American civil rights movement gained a considerable amount of coverage from mainstream media resulting in people being largely familiar with the movement and its success. It was then clear that there had always been a dynamic relation between mainstream media, political protests, and new social movements. From the 1960’s onwards sociologists had began to study the theory around social movements and had developed many ideas and research on the relationship between mass media, protests, and movements. When faced with a question such as one discussing mainstream news media, protests and new social movements one would have to define those concepts in order to take into consideration their significance of each other. Mainstream media has always been designed to reach to an extremely large audience across a limitless geographic, it is popularly circulated information distributed by newspapers, television, radio, and magazines. Political protest or protests in general are a form of activism that involves individuals marching, demonstrating, for or against a political policy, action, or legislation. In protesting it is seen as a way of voicing opinion to further change a concept whether to influence public opinion or government policy. And finally new social movements are usually made up of groups of individuals or organisations that focus on certain social or political issues in order to influence social change, weather to cause, prevent or reform social change. The notion (new) social movement was given as they have only been largely recognised since the 1960’s. Diana,(1992) cited in ‘culture and politics in the information age’ byFrank Webster states that a way in which we could see social movements is: ‘A network of informal relationships between a multiplicity of individuals and organisations, who share a distinctive collective identity, mobilise resources on capital issues’. Most critics would agree that the relationship between mainstream media, social movements, and political protests is vital; however their relationship has never been easy and is still considered as difficult by many critics. Social movements need mainstream media for exposure in order to expand and become recognised on behalf of their cause. In some respects the media also needs social movements as a vital news source and it is not surprising that both would exceed to reach their goals as it is apart of their nature and they must exceed to survive. However despite the fact that social movements seem to be useful for the media and are considered to be vital or important to the political landscape, with their ability to intercede with political elites and citizens, it seems that they have a disadvantage compared to mainstream media. As mainstream media have an advantage and the upper hand over social movements. This is elaborated upon by Gamson Wolsfeild, (1993) cited in ‘Media society’’. They state that social movements need the mass media more than the mass media needs them, in publicizing their activities, mainstream media needs to cover social movements so that; they could gain support, validation as a major/important political players, and maximise the attention of spotlight of conflict to attract mediators or potential allies. On the contrary the media have alternatives to having social movements or protestors as a news source. This does not seem to be the only disadvantage movements have with the media. It is argued that political protests and new social movements are covered in a negative light the majority of time. Gamson’s The strategy of social protests cited in ‘socail movements’ states his study that found that groups were more likely to be successful if they were: ‘based on one issue, used violence, disruptive tactics, selective incentrees, and came from a centralized, in factionalized and bureaucratized organisation.’ However this would lead one to think that the coverage of a violent or disruptive protest would be extremely negative as even a non-violent protest gains a negative and violent label under mainstream Media’s coverage the majority of the time critics would argue. This is proven with actual studies such as Halloran’s study. Halloran et al, (1970) studied protestor’s portrayal in the media with focus on the protest against the Vietnam War, he discovered that although it was a predominantly peaceful protest media portrayal of the protest was not positive and conveyed it as violent. This was only one of many studies that revealed similar finding. Another study by Chan Lee, (1984) on the protests had found that the protestor’s weather being violent or non violent, un-peaceful, or peaceful were represented as being ‘the other’ or in a ‘them vs. us’ notion. However in some cases when protestors are not seen as extremely deviant and questioning of the ‘status quo’ they are sometimes covered in a fair light one example of this could be the stop the war coalition in 2003 against the Iraq war, The media can use this frame however more then often chooses not to. There are two main attributes that influence a social movement or a protest being covered. these are the extent to which the movement is ‘extreme’ i.e. challenging in terms of questioning the status quo and how ‘militant’ they are in their tactics McLeod Hertog, (1999) cited in ‘Manufacturing policies: the media’s role in the policy making process’ state that the more militant a social movement is the more negative and ‘critical’ the media coverage. In talking of the word militant one means how much a socail movement is how radical and milantly tactical a movement is. In general the idea is that protestors are more likely to be portrayed as deviant members of society rather than individuals who have a right to voice their opinions The treatment of social movements has not been all that better either some have been covered in a positive light i.e. the civil rights movement, however most would argue that for that past few decades social movements have not been particularly prioritised or covered in a totally positive light either some sociologists such as Marxists would argue that social movements are not covered as it is another way for the ruling elites to keep in control of their social and economical status above the masses and that social movements should be able to vocalise their causes and be recognised. ‘The modern media have become central to the life and death of social movements’.There have been many sociological theories upon the treatment of new social movements by the media. Many critics reemphasise the fact that the media is important for social movements, in particular Kelbowiz and Scherer (1988:72) cited in ‘Frames of protest: social movements and framing perpective’ state that: In some instances, social movements have to compete to legitimize their status and be recognised in the media. Givevitch Lay, (1985) cited in ‘frames of protest’ states that in contemporary societies societal groups such as social movements and ideologies compete for the definition and construction of social reality within the media. It is evident that it is more of a struggle for social movements to gain coverage let alone positive coverage; it is also evident that governmental organisations are far more likely to gain coverage easier and faster. One reason for this is that they are seen as a vital and official news source and that they are very much legislatively based. This is something that the media look to cover as the general population are concerned with and have interest in this aspect this is summarised by the following quote from sociologists who studied movement struggles compared to political organisations ‘In terms of access struggle, institutional sources and political authorities have an ‘increased upper hand or advantage as they are considered as strong news sources’ (White 1950; Galtung and Ruge 1965: Shoemaker 1991). Social movements are coming against a hard opposition which includes collective actors such as counter movements, the state, and the media placing them in a ‘struggle for cultural supremacy’ Tarrow, (1998). social movements struggle includes not one but two battles, the first one being determining mainstream media coverage and the second being the way in which the social movement and the story is formed. This is called framing, Framing is the way in which a story is covered or the way in which it is portrayed in the media. It also means the extent the frame and the interpretation of the movement has been taken over by the media and how favourable the journalistic description bias is. (McCarthy et al 1998, smith et al (2001) cited in ‘frames of protest’ sate that it is regarded as difficult for movements to both gain coverage and do so under an ideal. One concept that is seen as important for mainstream media is news value, social movements and political protest must offer high news value to be covered or framed righteously. They must be able to attain public interest and attention in order for the story to sell. This is because some aspects of journalism mainstream media in particular has become increasingly commercialised today and is more dependant on sales. Herman Chomsky, (1988) carried out research and came up with the propaganda model which consists of five filters that social movements or protest must survive in order to be covered. These include 1) the size, ownership, and profit the media could make from the story 2) advertising 3) sourcing 4) criticism and 5) anti-communist ideology, i.e. keeping the power in the hands of elites and serving their interests. This is seen as a way of emphasising news value and reinforcing authority by some marxist critics. Consecutive to the propaganda model, a lot of research was done into news selection, and it is evident that there is a lot of research indicating that the main priority for media institutions is profit and audience interest. Meyer, (2002) states that there is another filter which is called the rules of stage-managing which (as mentioned before) he says is based on how much the news can attract audience attention. The fact that it is difficult for social movements or protests to obtain coverage means that they have to think of other ways of obtaining coverage one example is through emotion management which includes using concepts that would encourage sympathetic feelings for example sadness. An example of this would be using pictures of victims of hurricane Katrina in 2006 or pictures of children affected by the Iraq war. This is just one of the concepts social movements have to use to gain media interest. Movements and political protestors have to develop all kinds of media strategies such as adopt public relations techniques and strategies to bypass the medias selection bias (Olivier Maney 2000: McCarthy et al. 1998; smith et al.2001; Miphial Schiveingraber 1998) ‘An effective media strategy requires – at least to some extent –a willingness to cater to the often warped priorities and short attention span of the news media’Despite what critics say about social movements having to change their techniques and this being bad, Salzman, (1998:3) in the media handbook for activists cited in ‘Media Society’ says: It is not only Salzman who comments on this, others feel that if social movements adopt proactive planning despite the fact it may alter movement messages, it could lead to favourable media coverage. Therefore sacrifices to social movement messages suggest that all in all the media wins and gains more based on what it needs. It also suggests that general consensus is important when trying to obtain coverage. However one concept that has helped social movement organisations or political protestor activists is of course (the World Wide Web). With independent media sites such as ‘Indymedia’ and ‘Schnews’, it has given social movements and activists the chance to function through the web enabling them to write their own journalistic stories and publicize their movements, beliefs, and causes with the possibility of more visitors every day. These internet sites also most productively enable social movements to be Trans global news sites, as people around the world can have access to their information mediums at the click of a button. Earl Schussman, (2003) cited in ‘Social movements and internetdiscourse’ state that the internet is incredibly useful to movements or activists organisations who want to log on to the web and publicize things such as protest information, they say that in general the internet can be seen as an ‘organisational tool’ for individuals optimistic for social change. Some critics feel that the internet has the ability to excel past mainstream media outlets and centered hierarchical forms of organisations Castello, (2000) says: ‘the net gives networks the capacity to decentralise and adapt the execution of tasks while coordinating purpose and decision.’ The more movements and political protestors go online the more sociologists studying them follow them up and theorise their activities. Almeida and Lichbach, (2003) cited in ‘social movements and internet discourse’ did a study comparing four mainstream media sources with activist based internet data in both their coverage of the anti WTO protests in late 1999. They found that activist based websites had reported a higher number of international protests then mainstream media; they also found that they were less influenced by intense concepts such as large numbers of participants or violence etc then the main media outlets. However they also found some limitations into the activist based websites which includes the variability of content and the necessity to confirm and legitimize occurrences. Therefore there are issues that suggest that while the internet is extremely useful for new social movements and political protests it also has its negatives. Another issue would be that people tend to get enough information from mainstream media outlets and tend not to look to other places for more information. Conclusion In general despite some social and political protest success stories with the media it is evident that mainstream news of political protests and social movements have not been completely positive within the few decades. Parati, (1986) cited in ‘media society’ once said in summary: ‘ discrediting techniques used by the media include down playing content in favour of emphasising the spectacle of an event, painting demonstrators as deviant and portraying under representative balance to a tiny number of counter parts, and undercounting the attendance at demonstrations’ have all determined negative coverage. Because of this it would be impracticable to say that all new social movements and protests could be covered more, or that they could be portrayed in a positive light from today onwards, it is evident the more movements and activists in general questions the status quo the less likely it will gain coverage or positive portrayal (framing). Mainstream media and political protests/social movements have always had a less then easy relationship despite the notion of freedom of speech being denoted in the western world. Marxists socialists critics would argue that one way that movements and activists would be able to voice their opinion more within mainstream media would be that they could fight against it and insist on a media reform i.e. a reconsideration of the way the media is conducted and the stories it publishes resulting in it being mandatory that new social movements and protestors capitalist or communists, right wing or left wing (aimed at positive social change) be recognised. Although un-likely this would enable movements to avoid adopting other messages or techniques to fit media needs. Hackett Carroll, (2004) state that it is about: ‘time for social movements to take collective action. To start with democratic media reform needs to be recast as an end in itself a public good not simply a means by which each movement can get its message out. This suggests that while it seems that mainstream media treatment of social movements and protest is not very positive or accepting, many critics feel that social movements and protests should be made known in the interest of ‘public good’ in order for people to be able to voice more opinions freely and create better chance of realizing Habermas’ concept of the public sphere. In terms of the internet, for activists websites to be more successful as a major information source and to be looked upon as much as mainstream media outlets, more money would have to be invested in them to ensure information is official and promotion ca be maximised. Perhaps the result would be a more balances media of information or people could be aware of hidden causes such as discrimination like unfair trade that some social movements try to publicise as much as possible as these issues are still on going. Bibliography 1, Croteau, D Hoynes, W (2000) ‘Media society  : industries, images, and audiences’.  Second ed, London, sage publication 2, Webster, F (2001). ‘culture and politics in the information age a new politics  ?’. 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Media democracy: how the media colonize politics. Cambridge, England: Polity Press. 11, Barker, M (2005) ‘Manufacturing policies: the media’s role in the policy making process’ Australian School of Environmental Studies. Griffith University http://live-wirez.gu.edu.au/jea.papers/Barker.doc accessed: 26/03/08 12, ‘socail movements’ www.wikipedia.com accessed 25/03/08 13, Chan, J. M., and Lee, C. C. (1984) The journalistic paradigm on civil protests: a case study of Hong Kong in A. Arno and W. Dissanayake (eds) The news media in national and international conflict, Boulder: Westview Press. 14, ‘mass media’ www.wikipedia.com accessed:25/03/08 15, (Kleahn. J), ‘A Critical Review and Assessment of Herman andChomsky’s ‘Propaganda Model’ Sage publications, London. 16, Halloran, J. D., Elliott, P. and Murdock, G. (1970) Demonstrations and communication: a case study, Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Biography John F. Kennedy :: essays research papers

May, 29, 1917, in the wooden three-story house in Brookline, Massachusetts, John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the second child in the Kennedy family. Joe Jr. is his two-year older brother. In all, Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph Patrick Kennedy would have nine children, four boys and five girls. Before long, family and friends called the blue-eyed baby, Jack. When Jack was three, the family moved to a twelve-room house just outside of Boston. Joseph Kennedy was running his own stock trading business and was working hard to ensure his family a wealthy life. The Kennedys had everything they needed and more; Jack could enjoy a very comfortable life. He was sent to Choate, boarding school in Connecticut, where he was very popular and had many friends. He played tennis basketball, football and golf. Jack graduated from Choate, and in 1936 he started his first year at Harvard, where Joe was already a student. In 1937, Mr. Kennedy was appointed U.S. Ambassador to England. The family, with exception Joe and Jack, who were still in Harvard, moved to England. Jack became even more interested in politics, world affairs and also visited Europe a couple times. World War 2 began and John Kennedy wrote a thesis why England was not ready for the war against Germany, which was so good that it was later published as a book. After graduating Joe and Jack joined the Navy. Jack became the Lieutenant of a torpedo boat in the South Pacific. On a dark night in 1943 the boat collided with a Japanese destroyer and sank. In the cold water Lt. Kennedy managed to gather his men around a piece of boat. At sunrise he led them toward a small island several miles away. He was awarded with the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage. His brother though, was not that lucky; he died a year later when his plane blew up on a mission in Europe. After the war Jack was uncertain what kind of work he wanted to do. He had considered becoming a teacher or a writer, but the death of his brother changed everything. His father finally convinced him that he should run for a seat in the House of Representatives, which he won in 1946. This was the beginning of his political career. After serving three years, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1952.