Code Of Ethics And Professional Conduct For The...

The following are guidelines from the AARC Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for the respiratory therapist Along with these guidelines, I will discuss my opinion and the importance of each one. Each one will be discussed based on the order they are written in the AARC Code of Ethics Guide. †¢ Demonstrate behavior that reflects integrity, supports objectivity, and fosters trust in the profession and its professionals. This means that the respiratory therapist should harbor the quality of being honest and have strong moral principles when it comes to the profession as well as other professionals. †¢ Seek educational opportunities to improve and maintain their professional competence and document their participation accurately. The NBRC has designed a Continuing Competency Program (CCP) that is designed to enhance and contribute to the continuing competence of credentialed respiratory therapist. Participation in the Continuing Competency Program (CCP) requires the respiratory therapist to provide evidence to support proof that they are continuing to meet current standards of practice and have successfully renewed their NBRC issued credentials. The NBRC provides three renewal options: Option one is to provide proof of completion of a minimum of thirty hours of category I continuing education (CE) acceptable to the NBRC. Category I is participation in an educational activity directly related to respiratory therapy. The following are acceptable: lecture, panel,Show MoreRelatedNursing Influences : Hope D. Weaver2233 Words   |  9 Pagesaddition to these organizations, each state has their own Board of Nursing who regulates state requirements of nursing education programs. A nurse’s character ca n be defined within the provisions of the Code of Ethics created by the ANA. Inside the provisions from the Code of Ethics are professional traits that are needed to work together in an interdisciplinary team. The four traits I use the most in nursing are accountability, respect, integrity, and collaboration. Core values are not the onlyRead MoreThe State Of Georgias Requirements For Obtaining Licensure1631 Words   |  7 PagesPhysical Therapy, 2015). Foreign educated and trained applicants for licensure have extra requirements. After successful completion of the exams, one must satisfactorily complete a three month traineeship program under the supervision of a physical therapist (Georgia Physical Therapy Act, 2015). A new one time requirement enacted in 2011 for initial licensure or renewal is to submit secure and verifiable documentation of US citizenship or qualified alien status (Georgia State Board of Physical TherapyRead More Ethical Dilemmas Faced by Nurses and Other H ealthcare Professionals2759 Words   |  12 PagesThe role of ethics in organizational behavior is the underlying factor to the success and longevity of any organization. A set of rules and guidelines focusing on promoting safety, trust, and responsible practice within the workplace must be established internally. Organizations develop code of ethics that center upon the promotion of good. Ethics are vital in developing trusting relationships between employees and administration within. A code of ethics highlights the responsibility and accountabilityRead MoreWhy Is Nurse Managers As A Leader?1516 Words   |  7 Pageschallenged every day by many dilemmas and issues and to resist that dilemmas, nurse managers must be able to make decisions that are based on ethics. The purpose of this paper is to provide general information about the unit I have my leadership clinical at; to assess leadership style of the unit manager and my preceptor; to prove that I provide professional care to my patients; to describe process of delegation I used in communication with other staff members; to describe my leadership style, decision-makingRead MoreComplementary Therapies2044 Words   |  9 Pagesinserted into various parts of the skin. Particular places of the body, referred to as energy lines are targeted in order to relieve pain. Acupuncture also claims to cure disease and help treat the symptoms of the following conditions: allergies, respiratory conditions, nervous condition s and disorders associated with the eyes, nose and throat. In addition to this it has also been used to treat alcoholism and manage drug abuse withdrawal. Some other uses are believed to be the relieving of chronic headRead MorePrinciples Of Health Social Care Practice3133 Words   |  13 Pagesworking. (AC1.2/3.3) Q5 – From this case study, explain your understanding of ethical dilemmas/conflict that has risen in providing care and supporting Mrs. Helen . (AC1.4) Q6 – Explain how you have implemented policies, legislation, regulations and codes of practice in significance to your own work in health and social care. (AC2.1) Q7 – Explain how local policies and procedures can be developed in accordance with national and policy requirements and evaluate the impact of these policies and proceduresRead MoreCare Plan on Stroke4717 Words   |  19 Pageswhat independence they have left. Finally the essay will also discuss the involvement of the multidisciplinary team and the roles they each play in the caring of a patient suffering from dysphagia for example the dietician and speech and language therapist (SALT). The first phase of the nursing process is the assessment of the current needs/problems presented upon Mr. Smith’s arrival to hospital. The initial assessment requires the nurse to gain consent in order to gather any information suchRead MoreHuman Resources Plan For Florida Hospital2118 Words   |  9 Pageskindness and empathy toward whoever that seek medical care at Florida Hospital. They will ensure the comfort of others by listening and responding to the needs of others. Employees should show balance in their work by creating harmony in their professional and personal life. They should participate in the hospital activities. Continuous learning, contribution to the morale of other employees are another way to show balance in their life. At Florida Hospital, every employee should be at their bestRead MoreHsm 542 Week 12 Discussion Essay45410 Words   |  182 Pagesthe following Terminal Course Objectives (TCOs): A | Given a situation related to reproductive genetics, genetic research, or the human genome project, develop a set of legal and ethical guidelines, which can be applied to genetic issues for the conduct of medical practice and/or research. | B | Given the contentious debate surrounding issues of procreation, develop an institutional policy, which can be applied to the range of treatment and research issues related to procreation. | C | GivenRead MoreCommunity Profile Essay5395 Words   |  22 Pagesto PHE (2011) epidemiology data relating to the mortality rates in Stockton-on-Tees, show that 30.8% of deaths were due to cancer, 28% were circulatory diseases and 12.3% were respiratory diseases. In England circulatory disease has the highest mortality rate at 32.4%, followed by 28.6% from cancers and 13.9% from respiratory disease [ONS, 2012]. PHE (2013) state that life expectancy is drastically lower for those living in the most deprived areas of Stockton-on-Tees compared to the England average

A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen - 1556 Words

Animal imagery is prevalent in a variety of literary selections. This paper will focus on animal imagery in Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House by using the reader response strategy. In the play A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, animal imagery is used in the development of the main character Nora. It is also later found that the animal imagery is a critical part in understanding who Nora is and how other characters perceive her. Ibsen uses creative animal imagery to develop Noras character throughout the play. The animal imagery is carried out through the conversation between Nora and her husband Torvald. Torvald uses a lot of bird imagery because he thinks of Nora as lark. It is also evident that the animal names he calls Nora, directly relate†¦show more content†¦In Act 2, Nora begs Torvald to let Krogstad keep his position at the bank. When Torvald says that it must not be done, Nora panics. When Torvald calms her down, he notices her frightened doves eyes (36). A dove is the symbol of peace, which is in essence what Nora is trying to do. If Torvald fires Krogstad then she will have to give him the money she borrowed, and it could destroy her life. Howev er, Torvald does realize that Nora is trying very hard to convince him to keep Krogstad at his bank, but he disregards it as her trying to keep things right and refers to her as a peaceful dove. Later in Act 2, Nora tries a different approach in keeping things peaceful by keeping Torvald from finding out about the money she borrowed. She even goes as far as calling herself all the names that Torvald calls her and says, I would play the fairy and dance for you in the moonlight, Torvald (34). She does this because she wants Torvald to be happy, and she knows that he is going to eventually find out about the money she owes. She is also stalling him so that he will not read the letter. This scene reminds me of when a child tries to cover up something that he/she has done wrong. For example, when I was three years old I used to climb on furniture to get what I needed instead of asking an adult for help. One day when I was at my grandmothers house, I pulled a chair out and set it in front of the kitchen cabinet. I climbed on the chair and tried to reach for a cup inShow MoreRelatedDoll’s House by Henrik Ibsen1126 Words   |  4 PagesHenrik Ibsen wrote the book, Dollâ€⠄¢s House, in the late 1870s about the life of the common woman in Norway during the 1870s. The book gave society an inside of look of the life women in general. Woman during this time were oppressed and men were contemptuous towards women. Women that opposed their husband were considered mentally insane and sent to a mental institution. The book is about a domesticated woman named Nora. Nora lives in a house with her husband and their three kids. Nora main job toRead MoreA Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen1725 Words   |  7 Pagessuffrage, took place from 1848-1920. In the drama A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, readers are presented with what seems to be the perfect little American dream home. Anti-feminist values are presented immediately in the first scenes of the play and carry out until the end. The play was written in 1879, a time when the feminist movement was just starting to take shape and become well known. The drama A Doll’s House has feminist themes that indica te Henrik Ibsen to be a supporter of the feminist movement throughRead MoreA Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen1492 Words   |  6 PagesA Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen was written in 1879 during the Victorian Era. The story is written as a play to be performed on stage. The two main characters Nora and Torvald Helmer are upper middle class husband and wife, but it boils down to social expectations. Conflicts arise when women are under their husbands rule for everything and society pressure to keep up appearances. Torvald Helmer is the antagonist to Nora, his wife, because he is mostly concerned about his reputation, he is the supremeRead MoreA Dolls House, by Henrik Ibsen1539 Words   |  7 PagesThe themes of â€Å"objecthood† and â€Å"feminine liberation† in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House as conveyed through the characterization of Torvald and Nora, diction, stage directions and structure in two integral scenes. Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House conveys the story of a wife’s struggle to break away from the social norms of late nineteenth century middle class Europe. Throughout the play, Ibsen focuses on Nora’s characterization and experiences and thus this leads the reader to perceive her as the protagonistRead MoreA Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen1829 Words   |  7 Pages Henrik Ibsen, writer of his most famed play A Doll’s House. Ibsen emphasizes on small-town life in this play. A Doll’s House takes place in the 1880s in Europe/Norway and based on a married couple, Torvald Nora, who are considered to be middle class. The main character Nora in Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, seems to give this false installment of her identity. She is both unpredictable and childlike. The entire first and second act she spends giving this hidden subtext that she is unreliableRead MoreA Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen868 Words   |  3 Pagesmoney is considered to hold the most power. In the case of the household, the person who holds the most power is the person who handles the money, and in our man-centric world, it is usually the man who holds both money and power. In Henrik Ibsens play A Doll’s House, the theme of money is used to establish power roles between the characters of the play, and how the theme contributes to typical gender roles in the 19th century. A womans duty in the 19th century was to exhibit â€Å"piety, purity, submissivenessRead MoreA Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesIn Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, pointedly captures the reality of the Victorian Era within the play. Nora Helmer, the protagonist of the story, represents the typical women in society during that era. The audience’s first impression of Nora is a money obsessed, childish, obedient house wife to her husband, Torvald Helmer. However, as the play progresses one can see that Nora is far from being that typical ideal trophy wife, she is an impulsive liar who goes against society’s norm to be whomRead More A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Essay842 Words   |  4 PagesA Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen â€Å"A dolls house† was written by Henrik Ibsen and produced by famous actors during the time of the 1800’s; in fact it was the year of 1879 to be precise. It was around this time that many different Social, cultural and historical moments were changing through time, leaving the end result to change not only one country but had an effect on most of the world. For this section of the work I will be carefully discussing with you the issues of; * Social events Read More A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Essay1111 Words   |  5 PagesA Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen The play â€Å"A Doll’s House† by Henrik Ibsen is about a wife that is hiding a big secret from her overprotective husband. The play takes place on Christmas Eve till the day after Christmas. Nora Helmer and Torvald Helmer have been married for 8 years, yet Nora is hiding something from Torvald that she thinks would ruin everything if he found out. It opens up with Nora coming home and decorating the house for Christmas and making preparations. They have 3 children:Read MoreA Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen834 Words   |  3 PagesMr. Krogstad, a former employee of Torvald is the leading antagonist in A Doll House. He clearly has an agenda and a lust for power. Krogstad’s lust for power gives the reader a sense of subtle rage because Krogstad only wants what’s best for him and his family but he exploits Nora for his own gain. Krogstad advances the plot by controlling Nora through a loan, while illuminating both main characters, and reinforcing the themes of confusion and lost love. Krogstad influences the plot in a very

Deformed persons are commonly even with nature Essay Example For Students

Deformed persons are commonly even with nature Essay Deformed persons are commonly even with nature; for as nature hath done ill by them, so do they by nature; being for the most part as the Scripture saith void of natural affection; and so they have their revenge of nature. Certainly there is a consent, between the body and the mind; and where nature erreth in the one, she ventureth in the other. Ubi peccat in uno, periclitatur in altero. But because there is, in man, an election touching the frame of his mind, and a necessity in the frame of his body, the stars of natural inclination are sometimes obscured, by the sun of discipline and virtue. Therefore it is good to consider of deformity, not as a sign, which is more deceivable; but as a cause, which seldom faileth of the effect. Whosoever hath anything fixed in his person, that doth induce contempt, hath also a perpetual spur in himself, to rescue and deliver himself from scorn. Therefore all deformed persons, are extreme bold. First, as in their own defence, as being exposed to scorn; but in process of time, by a general habit. Also it stirreth in them industry, and especially of this kind, to watch and observe the weakness of others, that they may have somewhat to repay. Again, in their superiors, it quencheth jealousy towards them, as persons that they think they may, at pleasure, despise: and it layeth their competitors and emulators asleep; as never believing they should be in possibility of advancement, till they see them in possession. So that upon the matter, in a great wit, deformity is an advantage to rising. Kings in ancient times and at this present in some countries were wont to put great trust in eunuchs; because they that are envious towards all are more obnoxious and officious, towards one. But yet their trust towards them, hath rather been as to good spials, and good whisperers, than good magistrates and officers. And much like is the reason of deformed persons. Still the ground is, they will, if they be of spirit, seek to free themselves from scorn; which must be either by virtue or malice; and therefore let it not be marvelled, if sometimes they prove excellent persons; as was Agesilaus, Zanger the son of Solyman, ÃÆ'Æ’Ã ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ sop, Gasca, President of Peru; and Socrates may go likewise amongst them; with others.

Scenario Critique Essay Example

Scenario Critique Essay Assignment 9.2 Scenario Critique Name: Institution: Assignment 9.2 Scenario Critique We will write a custom essay sample on Scenario Critique specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Scenario Critique specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Scenario Critique specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Question 1 This situation comprises an inmate receiving a death notification of his mother. This situation is rather emotional since it highlights the death of his mother regardless of the offender’s enthusiasm to see him that particular day. Thus, in order for the officers to deliver this notification, they use certain techniques within this situation. For instance, the officers used the LUV technique. In this scenario, the officers use this technique effectively in delivering the death notification. This technique enables the officer to be considerate to the victim in question. Additionally, employing the technique also meant that the officers pay special attention to the offender and make him feel that he was not alone in his predicament. This way, the offender would cease being emotionally unstable and act rationally by accepting the death of his mother. Another important technique that the officers use is empathy. Simply put, empathy involves visualizing oneself in another personâ⠂¬â„¢s situation. The officers use this technique in particular instances during the death notification. For instance, after the offender receives the news concerning his mother’s death, he asks questions that the officers cannot answer. As the scene proceeds, the officer sits nearer to the offender and places her hand on him, and tells him that he understands how he feels. This is an instance of empathy since the officer surmises that she is aware of what the offender is experiencing at that time. Question 2 Some of the behaviors and comments that the officers exhibited proved helpful for the offender, Hank. For instance, the officers do not shift their contact from the offender. They maintain direct contact with him. Maintaining direct contact illustrates to the offender that the news they are delivering is authentic. Additionally, maintaining a direct contact with Hank illustrates attention on the part of the officers in delivering the notification. By maintaining direct eye contact with the offender, the officers express their plight to the situation by asserting various comments in order to help the offender become emotionally stable. For instance, comments such as ‘I am so sorry and I know it hurts’ by the officer after delivering the notification assist in consoling the offender and attempting to understand how he feels. Another behavior that they exhibit bases on the LUV technique. Right after Hank reacts to the news and abruptly stands up; they ask him to seat and li sten to him intently. After listening, they attempt to understand what Hank is going through and even provide possible strategies to mitigate the effect of the notification. This situation involves the use of comments such as, ‘Is there anything that we can do for you?’ Furthermore, the first officer places her hand on the offender’s arm in an effort to console him. However, comments such as ‘these things happen’ in an attempt to explain his mother’s death by the first officer are unhelpful. At this point, the offender is trying to accept the fact of his mother’s death. Question 3 There were no missed opportunities within the death notification scenario. The officers performed their duties to the latter. Concerning communication, the officers exuded responsibility while engaging in interaction with the offender. The officers also exercised response during the volatile situation. Even the offender asked unanswerable questions, the offenders still maintained the composure and did not react to the prevailing situation. Additionally, the use of empathy was also evident during the situation. There was also efficient knowledge of the respective audience by the mediators. In this case, the officers used various techniques based on the preference of their audience, the emotionally unstable offender. Respect was also evident in the whole notification scenario. The officers exuded utmost respect for the offender as a person and even respected his emotions concerning the whole matter. Question 4 Certain safety issues arose during the death notification scenario. One of the main issues that arose comprised emotional instability. Indeed, in a situation such as that, emotional instability was an issue that the officers required to put into perspective. This is because such instability may lead the offender to commit dangerous acts against the officers delivering the news. Another safety issue that arose during the scenario involved a possible attack from the offender. This is a safety issue that was likely to be evident during the scenario. Thus, it was important to employ two officers who would mitigate the situation if it arises. One officer focused on questioning the offender while the other one observed the movements and actions of the offender. This way, the issue of a probable attack from the offender may undergo mitigation due to the presence of another police officer. Question 5 If I were the officer, I would employ several strategies in addressing the offender’s situation. Foremost, I would employ the technique of presumptive questioning during communication with the offender. Understanding the situation that the offender is experiencing will require the employment of empathy. Being empathetic to the offender will enable me to connect with him personally. Validating my understanding of the situation will be possible through presumptive questioning. Presumptive questioning will focus on achieving resilience within the offender. Thus, in validating the offender’s situation, I will ask questions such as ‘When you faced a difficult situation other than this, how did you resolve it?’ Such a question will allow the offender to discover strengths that he used to handle other difficult situation.

study on judges essays

study on judges essays 1. What are the major findings with regards to the impact of race in each area of study? Finding on this studies have been a major impact on Judges due to minority judges have been well looked at through the eyes of the world. Progress has been made in appointing minorities to the federal bench and nearly three out of four minorities are confirmed. 2. How has the policy of affirmative action helped in accomplishing the application of the goals of Justice and equality? Despite the progress that has been made in recent decades particularly with civil right laws and court decisions, most of the problems still persist. Supporters of initiative action who were opposed to an affirmative action wanted similar words to be used in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Words to be included were discrimination, and preferential treatment. In the affirmative action there is a need of overt racism. Such remedies are still required to provide equal access for all. 3. What are the recommendations given by the ABA study group? To understand one another is required that we go through a generation of education. Even though we have overcome some of the shortfalls of the past dealing with racial justice we need to work ourselves to insure mutual respect be carried out among all citizens. 4. What are the conclusions drawn from this study? Today we can bring all our thoughts together in order to unite and to promote righteous Judgment, equal justice, and fairness. Most of our associations represent a powerful force to transform injustice into justice for all. ...

Ethics and Values in Social Work Essay Sample

Ethics and Values in Social Work Essay Sample Social Work Values and Ethics Essay Ethics and values often go hand in hand. There is always some form of correlation between one’s actions and a doer of actions. It is a combination of the two that can play a crucial role in the determination of one’s values, standards, and subsequently, morality. Social work, to a great extent, entails the interaction between individuals. In social work as a field, the code of ethics always plays an important role. It forms the basis of everything that the field is all about. A value carries various meanings and definitions but generally, entail the combination of reasons and drive that are behind every action that an individual does, be it right or wrong. Values in social work can be exemplified by respect to everyone, as well as the aspect of self-determinism. Since social work traces much of its existence in the various interactions between people, it also recognizes the complex nature of such interactions, especially when it comes to doing with human beings and the surrounding. It has taken a great deal of its knowledge body from such complexities, in order to influence individual change in one way or another. Subsequently, such values play a key role in helping the social worker to be able to make wise decisions when it comes to sociocultural challenges and injustices. Social work professionals aim at empowering members in the society who are vulnerable, oppressed or impoverished. Ethics and values in social work outline that social work entails various core values for instance dignity, social justice, integrity, valuing human interrelationships and competence. The core of the social work profession is the social work code of ethics and values which helps the workers make sound judgments while handing clients if caring ethnicity, race or religion. Value and actions link directly, and thus we are judged according to the values we express through an action once we perform it. Ethics and values in social work dictate how we can interpret and resolve dilemmas between different values in a professional manner. The article grants guidelines on some ethical practices and their roles in the determination of actions basing on the social work significance. Ethics and values in social work illustrates how we can access the ethics concept and show how it is employed to examine daily operations in the social work practices. These two aspects of social work also allows us to analyze the major role of governance among the representative bodies within the social work activities. Ethics and value in social work describe values as set guidelines and rules in the wrong or right decisions individuals make. It’s evident that values facilitate the recognition of the actions as valuable or worthy and thus we can evaluate what is vital and what is less important in case a conflict of values erupts. Ethics and values in social work explain that the core values within a social work practice inform our understanding of diversity. The values and ethics in social work are not just part of the whole field, they actually constitute the entire field. They literally dictate how social workers interact with real life problems or challenges, by providing them with the set platform through which they can use to do it. From a sociocultural point of view, this helps in understanding the complexities of human interactions, while helping to make sense out of it.

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human resource management - Essay Example The Humphrey Group not only would not be irresponsible bringing an HR representative into their corporate responsibility and bonus scandal meeting, they would in fact be irresponsible not to. In fact, it seems to be absurd to say that the solution is anything but a human resources issue. Human resources determine how wages and bonuses are controlled, given and filed; they control the hiring, firing and promotion of employees. Bonus scandals and compensation ethics begin at human resources giving bad offers to bad people after not weeding out the dishonest and end with paying those bonuses to those bad people. When a corporation makes a bad decision, one always has to ask, â€Å"Why were there bad apples in that barrel?† Picking the apples and replacing the rotten ones is the job of HR. Further, given that most companies do not end up violating the law in such an egregious manner, it's clear that illegality is the province only of a few corporate cultures and therefore a few pe ople. How is this anything but an HR problem? Well, superficially, the paying of bonuses and the detection of fraud thereof do fall under the purview of accounts payable, auditing, accounting and payroll, which are relevant non-HR departments. More importantly, it is true, although misleadingly so and far less crucially so than many think, that a company is more than the sum of its parts. Ultimately, a corporation is just twenty or a hundred or a thousand people, but there are three factors that make it more than just an aggregation of those people in a random setting such as a park: 1. Past organisational culture, especially for long-lasting companies 2. Institutional roles changing people's behavior (Zimbardo, 2006) 3. Shared goals and objectives created by legal responsibilities; bureaucratic and institutional coordination A company like General Electric or even Microsoft has had far more people in it throughout its history than it does now. People are fired, replaced, quit, demo ted, hired, promoted, forced into resignation, and retire. Every person who works at a company makes a mark on its institutional culture, which means that looking at a corporation at any given moment is misleading because the institutional culture goes farther back in the past. But at the same time, it is people who choose to ignore, defy or abide by that institutional culture. Aside from that, it is clear that people in certain bad circumstances don't do those things out of them being sheer evil. The torturers at Abu Ghraib were not torturing people for fun back in the States; corporate leaders and hucksters like Ken Lay and Madoff do not mug old ladies. People in an institutional setting, as Zimbardo discovered in his famous Stanford prison experiment, begin to adopt the behavior of their roles (Zimbardo, 2006). Even if it is a pretend prison, the pretend prisoners, pretend guards and pretend warden (who are students and a psychology professor in their day-to-day lives) act like p risoners, guards and wardens for real. The Zimbardo experiment had normal, well-adjusted students of a variety of backgrounds, yet all of them began to fall into their roles startlingly quickly. Yet, again, human resources can

Intro To Business Management Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intro To Business Management Exam - Assignment Example Also, a lot of opportunities emerge in the recession or in the times of economic depression. The opportunities revolve around sale of existing businesses at considerably lower rates which makes them easy to be acquired. Also, various physical asset, which are considered highly important for a startup venture are available at relatively cheap prices and high rate of discounts (Gordon, p. xiii). Also, during various recessionary times as well as in the times of economic boom, government funding agencies, venture capitalists and private lenders share a bias to promote various entrepreneurship ventures which have the ability to promote radical or incremental innovation in its product or service offerings, thereby generating and adding value to the clients and customers. Hence while proposing an entrepreneurship venture for the purpose of funding; the focus will be on the innovativeness of the product offering as well as the amount of value that can be generated for the target audience. T he main focus of the presentation will be the unique selling proposition of the offering. The conversation will rotate around the factors of minimum initial investment, the demand forecasting, estimated sales forecast, the breakeven period, and the intended targeted market share. The cash flow cycle for the new venture will also be brought into highlight in this case. 2. Ethics in the workplace is a very important factor in the case of a new startup manufacturing firm. The following ethical practices should be practiced in the firm (Trevino & Nelson, p. 219): Worker Safety High priority will be given at all times to ensure safety of the consumers at the work place. Product Quality The employees of the company should comply and cooperate with the stringent processes and measures regarding quality check that have to be followed at all times in order to produce high quality products. Labor Relations The workers have to follow the various rules and regulations that are laid down by the company management in order to address the issues related to labor relations. The workers are to be informed that the management follows an open door policy for the purpose of addressing the problems of the employees. Intolerance to Harassment The company does not tolerate any harassment or discrimination on the basis of age, gender, beliefs, and religions. The company also has stringent policies to address issues related to harassment on the basis of racism. Corruption The company has strict policies including the ultimate termination of the service contract in order to deal with corrupt practices at the workplace, that are practiced by the employees on a individual or a collective manner either within or with people outside the physical boundaries of the organization. 3. The process of business planning is a very important factor in the part of designing a strategy as it helps in smooth running of the business operations in the long term. It ensures the fact that the company is mo ving ahead with proper goals while having proper synchronization of the business processes with regards to the current market conditions (Reading, p.7). The business planning helps in determining the future goals of the company. This helps in identifying the amount of resources that is required in the production processes in order to produce the desired amount of inventory that is necessary to meet the forecasted demanded.

In the explanation made by Aaker Essay Example for Free

In the explanation made by Aaker Essay Accordingly, there are various management approaches that the company may use to have a strong and effective brand image. In order to build a strong brand and effective image, the management who are tasked to build brand image should think of two things in planning a strategy. Such things are first is to sell the service of the company as a short-term goal and second is to build a strong brand image in the long run. In time of the process of promoting the brand name, the industry should apply integrated marketing communications to ensure the efficient introduction of the quality of service that the organization stands for (Clowe Baack, 2007). The strong and effective characteristic of the brand is also linked with the performance of the company. In this regard, to ensure the effectiveness of their brand image, the industry must be able to integrate all the available resources as well as recognize essential opportunities include combining a strong image with an external opportunity to establish competitive position and advantage of the brand. A comprehensive analysis of the characteristic of a strong brand image of the company should be integrated to solidify the connection of the brand with the target market. A strong and effective brand image has also the ability to consider various consumer behaviors to be able to introduce a consistent message with the target market (Engel, Blackwell Miniard, 1995). Another characteristic of the strong and effective brand image is its ability to effectively communicate with the target audience which starts on the organisation per se. The strength of the brand image can be determined through the values and principles of the industry as well as the extent that the company established its position. A strong and competitive brand image in the company has various components which can be considered as tangible and intangible aspects. The tangible characteristics of a strong brand include the quality of the products or services identified with the brands, the different subcategories of the brand names in terms of the needs and demands of the clients, the brand accessibility; the marketing communications approach used by the company, company name and logo which represents the image of the brand and the staffs of the company whore are considered as the forerunners of the strong brand image (Asher, 1997). On one hand, the intangible characteristics of the brand image includes the operational as well as the human resource policies of the company; the culture of the company which determines the beliefs as well as the practices of the industry personnel, the internal and external environment as well as the location of the organisation which include the accepted personal and business practices of the specific country where the brands are operated. A strong and effective brand image also plays a crucial role in the perspective of consumer. A strong and effective brand image provides an assurance to the target market that the decision to purchase the product or service of a specific company in unfamiliar settings is worth it. A strong and effective brand image also has the capability of assuring the clients of the quality of the products and service when the clients have no previous experience of the company. The brand image perceived of the company also lessens the time spent looking for other alternative and substitute brands that could meet and the needs and of customer. A strong and effective brand is also perceived to determine the nature and extent of connection that the clients develops with the company based on the perceived openness of such company. Furthermore, a strong and effective brand image can also be attributed with the point of view of the company. It has the ability to ushers the acceptability of change and developments within the industry including the introduction of new products and services as well as setting up of new brand categories under the initial brands. Moreover, a strong and effective brand has the ability to determine the appropriate price of the product or services offered. It can be said that a strong and effective brand is the one which consistently meets the needs of target market results to the return of target market and positive endorsements through word-of-mouth. A strong and effective brand not only attracts target market but also qualified staffs willing to work to maintain the strengths and effectiveness of the brand and lastly, strong and effective brand attracts favorable reviews from industry experts (Laforet Saunders, 1999).

International Reserve System: Is it Feasible? Essay -- Economics Econo

International Reserve System: Is it Feasible? During the last decade, the world saw some of the most severe economic shocks and crises since The Great Depression of the late 1920’s. The crises of Mexico in 1994, Russia in 1995, Asian countries in 1997 and even recently in Latin America in 2000 have shown us that the economic shocks have a very drastic and crippling effect on the stricken countries. Rapid capital outflow; firms and banks overwhelm by bad debts; inability to provide loans; bank closures due to sudden capital losses and devaluation of the home currency, all have struck the affected countries simultaneously that their central banks did not have enough sufficient reserves to protect themselves. The realization of the poor central bank’s regulation, also aided by the fact that markets throughout the world are now interlinked, quickly caused panic and similar shocks to spread to neighboring countries and even regions. An international organization, which controls a form of reserve system, could have b een the lender of last resort for these sickened countries in their time of need. A working example of a reserve structure for banks would be the Federal Reserve System currently being used by the United States. This consists of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks that is coordinated under one main Board of Governors. The main roles of the Fed is to issue new currency, administer discount loans to banks, examine the management of local banks and their financial status and provide a system of standardized banking regulations for banks to follow. Lastly, but most importantly, the Fed acts as a lender of last resort to banks facing financial collapse.[1] This not only provides stability for consumers but also prot... ...y (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994). 5) Federal Reserves Bank, Boston web site, http://www.bos.frb.org 6) Frederic S.Mishkin, The economics of Money, Banking and Financial Markets (New York : World Student Series, 2003) 7) Jorge A. Chan Lau / Zhaohui Chen, â€Å"Financial Crisis and Credit Crunch as a Result of Inefficient Financial Intermediation.†, IMF Working Paper, August 1998 http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/wp98127.pdf or http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/CAT/longres.cfm?sk=2738.0 8) IMF web site, http://www.imf.org 9) The Asian Crises, http://faculty.washington.edu/karyiu/Asia/papers/index.htm 10) Works in International Monetary Fund-Financial Medic to the World?, ed. Lawrence J. McQuillan and Peter C. Montgomery (Stanford: Hoover University Press, 1999) 11) World Bank web site, http://www.worldbank.org

Coyote Blue Chapter 18~19

CHAPTER 18 Shadowphobia Saturday morning Josh Spagnola was sleeping in and dreaming of putting shampoo into bunnies' eyes when the Harley-Davidson crashed through his front door carrying a 270-pound, pissed-off, speed-crazed biker named Tinker. With the crash and thunder of the bike in his living room, Spagnola sat up in his nest of satin sheets thinking earthquake, listening for the sounds of his burglar alarms, which did not come. Spagnola's house was wired six ways to stop an elegant picklock or spry cutpurse from entering by stealth, sneak, or cat's-paw; he had, in fact, protected himself against someone exactly like himself. That anyone would break in on a battering ram of Milwaukee iron, in broad daylight, had never occurred to him. Tinker, on the other hand, took the words breaking and entering quite literally, and found entering a rather empty experience without substantial breaking. He carried on his belt a policeman's riot baton, a blackjack, two hunting knives, and a set of brass knuckles. In a rare moment of sanity he had left his guns at home. His lawyer had advised against guns while on probation. Tinker had received an early-morning call from Lonnie Ray, one of his brothers in the Guild. â€Å"You want him dead?† Tinker had asked Lonnie. â€Å"No, just fuck him up. And don't wear your colors. I don't want any connection to me.† â€Å"Is he big?† Tinker had a deep-seated fear of someday meeting someone as large and violent as himself. â€Å"I don't know. Just wait until I call. You'll see the black Mercedes.† â€Å"You got it, bro,† Tinker said, and hung up. Tinker tried to wait for Lonnie's call, but he'd been up all night cooking up a batch of methedrine in the Guild's lab, and had lost his patience after sampling the product in order to take the edge off the case of beer he'd drunk. At daybreak his bloodlust got the better of him and he left. In the bedroom, hearing a Harley do burnouts on his Berber carpet, Spagnola finally realized that something was seriously wrong. He leapt from bed and began searching through a trail of clothes he had left last night on the way to bed with the Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday masseuse from the Cliffs. He remembered kicking his gun belt away from the bedroom door when he sent her home at midnight and scrambled to the door. He was bending to unholster the gun when Tinker kicked the door open, catching Spagnola square in the forehead, knocking him cold. Tinker looked down at the naked, unconscious little man and let out a sigh. The absence of terror was wildly unsatisfying for him. As a gesture of brotherhood to Lonnie he pulled the baton from his belt and with two vicious blows broke both of Spagnola's legs, then he sulked out of the bedroom, mounted his bike, and rode to the Guild's clubhouse to watch Saturday-morning cartoons. -=*=- Sam awoke to Yiffer yelling, â€Å"Get down! Don't let them see you!† Sam looked around the room. Calliope and Grubb were gone. He got up and reached for his watch on the dresser while shouts and whispers continued from the living room. Six in the morning. It must have gone on all night: the shouting, the pounding, the babies crying. He was lucky to have slept at all. He dressed and walked into the living room. â€Å"Get down,† Yiffer said. â€Å"Don't let them see you.† Sam dropped to a crouch in the doorway. Nina and Calliope were huddled under the front windows holding the babies. Yiffer was crouched by the door that led to the balcony. He rose up to peek out the window, then instantly dropped to cover. â€Å"What is it?† Sam said. â€Å"Is someone shooting?† Nina said, â€Å"No, it's the garage sale people. Stay down.† â€Å"Good morning,† Calliope said. â€Å"Did you sleep well?† â€Å"Fine. Who are the garage sale people?† â€Å"They're fucking predators,† Yiffer said. â€Å"They keep circling like sharks. Look.† Yiffer gestured to the window. Sam duck-walked to the window and peeked over the edge. Dodge Darts and Ford Escorts were cruising slowly by, stopping in front of the house, then moving slowly on. Nina said, â€Å"Yiffer put the ad in the paper for our yard sale with the wrong date. They're all looking for us.† â€Å"Five of them have been to the door already,† Yiffer said. â€Å"Whatever you do, don't answer it. They'll tear us apart.† â€Å"Probably ten of them went to Lonnie's door and left when he didn't answer,† Calliope said. â€Å"What happened with Lonnie?† Sam said. Yiffer rose up and peeked out the window. â€Å"Christ! There's a whole van full of them outside.† He dropped to a sitting position, his back to the door. To Sam he said, â€Å"Lonnie didn't answer when I went down there last night. As soon as he heard me come back upstairs he got on his bike and left.† Nina said, â€Å"How long are they going to circle? I have to go to work today.† â€Å"They're never going to leave,† Yiffer wailed hopelessly. â€Å"They're going to just wait and pick us off one by one. We're doomed. We're doomed.† Nina slapped Yiffer across the face. â€Å"Get a grip.† Sam could think of only one thing, the cigarettes on the seat of his car. He had gone sixteen hours without a smoke and was feeling as if he would snap like Yiffer in a few minutes if he didn't get some nicotine into his system. â€Å"I'm going out there,† he said. He felt like John Wayne – before the lung cancer. â€Å"No, dude. Don't do it,† Yiffer pleaded. â€Å"I'm going.† Sam stood up and Yiffer covered his head as if expecting an explosion. Sam picked up Grubb's plastic donut on wheels. â€Å"Can I borrow this?† â€Å"Sure,† Calliope said. â€Å"Are you coming back?† Sam paused for a minute, then smiled and took her hand. â€Å"Definitely,† he said. â€Å"I just need to take a shower and handle a few things. I'll call you, okay?† Calliope nodded. â€Å"You'll never see him alive again,† Yiffer whined. Nina looked up apologetically. â€Å"He had a lot to drink last night. I'm sorry if our fighting disturbed you.† â€Å"No problem,† Sam said. â€Å"Nice meeting you both.† He turned and walked through the kitchen and out the door. As he went down the steps, the van that Yiffer had spotted screeched to a halt in front of the duplex and a dozen gray-haired ladies piled out and rushed him. They met at the bottom of the steps. â€Å"Where's the sale?† one said. â€Å"This is the right address. We checked it twice.† â€Å"Where's the bargains? The ad said bargains.† Sam held the plastic donut up before them. â€Å"This is it, ladies. I'm sorry, but everything was gone but this when I got here. We were all too late. The quick and the dead, you know.† A collective moan came from the mob, then one shouted, â€Å"I'll give you ten bucks for it!† â€Å"Twelve!† another shouted. â€Å"Twelve fifty.† Sam gestured for them to be quiet. â€Å"No, I need this,† he said solemnly. He hugged the donut to his chest. Their purpose gone, they milled around for a moment, then gradually wandered back to the van. Sam stood for a moment watching them. The other garage sale people who had been circling the block saw them leaving, and Sam could almost feel the disappointment settling into their collective consciousness as they broke pattern and drove off. â€Å"Great night,† Coyote said. Sam's nerves had been so worn from the night and morning that he didn't even jump at the voice by his ear. He looked over his shoulder to see Coyote in his black buckskins and a huge, white ten-gallon cowboy hat. â€Å"Nice hat,† Sam said. â€Å"I'm in disguise.† â€Å"Swell,† Sam said. â€Å"I can't get rid of you, can I?† â€Å"Can you wipe off your shadow?† â€Å"That's what I thought,†. Sam said. â€Å"Let's go.† -=*=- The shogun of the Big Sky Samurai Golf Course and Hot Springs was worried. His name was Kiro Yashamoto. He was driving his wife and two children in a rented Jeep station wagon up a winding mountain road to look at an ancient Indian medicine wheel. The day before, Kiro had purchased two thousand acres of land (with hot springs and trout stream) near Livingston, Montana, for roughly the price he would have paid for a studio apartment in Tokyo. The deal did not worry him; after the golf course and health club were built he would recoup his investment in a year from the droves of Japanese tourists who would come there. His children worried him. During this trip Kiro's son, Tommy, who was fourteen, and his daughter, Michiko, who was twelve, had both decided that they wanted to attend American universities and live in the United States. Tommy wanted to run General Motors and Michiko wanted to be a patent attorney. As he drove, Kiro listened to his children discussing their plans in English; they paused only when Kiro pointed out some natural wonder, at which time they would dutifully acknowledge the interruption before returning to their conversation. It had been the same at the Custer Battlefield, the Grand Canyon, and even Disneyland, where the children marveled at the machinations of commerce and missed those of magic. My children are monsters, Kiro thought. And I am responsible. Perhaps if I had read them the haikus of Basho when they were little instead of that American manifesto of high-pressure sales, Green Eggs and Ham†¦ Kiro steered the jeep around a long gradual curve that rounded the peak of the mountain and the medicine wheel came into view: huge stones formed spokes almost two hundred feet long. In the center of the wheel a tattered figure lay prostrate in the dirt. â€Å"Look, father,† Michiko said. â€Å"They have hired an Indian to take tickets and he has fallen asleep on the job.† Kiro got out of the Jeep and walked cautiously toward the center of the wheel. He'd learned a lesson in caution when Tommy had nearly been trampled in Yellowstone National Park while trying to videotape a herd of buffalo. Tommy and Michiko ran to their father's side while Mrs. Yashamoto stayed in the car and checked off the medicine wheel on the itinerary and maps. Tommy panned the camcorder as he walked. â€Å"It's just rocks, Father.† â€Å"So is the Zen garden at Kyoto just rocks.† â€Å"But you could make a wheel of rocks at your golf course and people wouldn't have to drive up here to see them. You could hire a Japanese to take tickets so you wouldn't lose revenue.† They reached the Indian and Tommy put the camcorder on the macro setting for a close-up. â€Å"Look, he has fallen asleep with his face on the ground.† Kiro bent and felt the Indian's neck for a pulse. â€Å"Michiko, bring water from the Jeep. Tommy, put down that camera and help me turn this man over. He is sick.† They turned the Indian over and cradled his head on Kiro's rolled-up jacket. He found a beaded wallet in the Indian's overalls and handed it to Tommy. â€Å"Look for medical information.† Michiko returned with a bottle of Evian water and handed it to her father. â€Å"Mother says that we should leave him here and go get help. She is worried about a lawsuit for improper care.† Kiro waved his daughter away and held the water to the Indian's lips. â€Å"This man will not live if we leave him now.† Tommy pulled a square of paper from the beaded wallet. He unfolded it and his face lit up. â€Å"Father, this Indian has a personal letter from Lee Iacocca, the president of Chrysler.† â€Å"Tommy, please look for medical information.† â€Å"His name is Pokey Medicine Wing. Listen: ‘Dear Mr. Medicine Wing: ‘Thank you for your recent suggestion for the naming of our new line of light trucks. It is true that we have had great success with our Dakota line of trucks, as well as the Cherokee, Comanche, and Apache lines of our Jeep/Eagle division, but after investigation by our marketing department we have found that the word Crow has a negative connotation with the car-buying public. We also found that the word Absarokee was too difficult to pronounce and Children of the Large-Beaked Bird was too long and somewhat inappropriate for the name of a truck. ‘In answer to your question, we are not aware of any royalties paid to the Navaho tribe by the Mazda Corporation for the use of their name, and we do not pay royalties to the Comanche, Cherokee, or Apache tribes, as these words are registered trademarks of the Jeep Corporation. ‘While your proposed boycott of Chrysler products by the Crow tribe and other Native Americans saddens us deeply, research has determined that they do not represent a large enough demographic to affect our profits. ‘Please accept the enclosed blanket in thanks for bringing this matter to our attention. ‘Sincerely, Lee Iacocca ‘CEO, Chrysler Corporation. â€Å" Kiro said, â€Å"Tommy, put down the letter and help me sit him up so he can drink.† Tommy said, â€Å"If he knows Lee Iacocca he will be good to have as a contact, Father.† â€Å"Not if he dies.† â€Å"Oh, right.† Tommy dropped to his knees and helped Kiro lift Pokey to a sitting position. Kiro held the bottle to Pokey's lips and the old man's eyes opened as he drank. After a few swallows he pushed the bottle away and looked up at Tommy. â€Å"I burned the blanket,† he said. â€Å"Smallpox.† Then he passed out. CHAPTER 19 Five Faces of Coyote Blue Ever since the morning Adeline Eats had found the frost-covered liar in the grass behind Wiley's Food and Gas there had been a screech owl sitting atop the power pole in front of her house, sitting there like feathered trouble. In addition, Black Cloud Follows had blown a water pump, all of her kids were coming down with the flu, her husband, Milo, had gone off to a peyote ceremony, and she was trying desperately to stay out of Hell. It was unfair, she thought, that her new faith was being tested before the paint was even dry. She wanted the owl to go away and take her bad luck with it. But to a good Christian, an owl was just an owl. Only a traditional Crow believed in the bad luck of owls. A good Christian would just go out there and shoo that old owl away. Of course, it wouldn't bother a good Christian. Adeline had come to Christianity the same way she had come to sex and smoking: through peer pressure. Thinking about her six kids and her smoker's hack, she wondered if perhaps peer pressure didn't always lead to the best habits. Her sisters had all converted and they had referred to her as the heathen of the family until she caved in and accepted Christ. Now, only three weeks after being washed in the blood of the Lamb, she was already backsliding like a dog surprised down a skunk hole. The owl. Adeline looked out the front window to check on the owl; he was still there. Had he winked at her? She had pinned up her hair and was wearing sunglasses and a pair of Milo's overalls, hoping the owl wouldn't recognize her until she figured out what to do. She was tempted to pray to Jesus to make the owl go away, but if she did that, she would be admitting that she believed in the old ways and she'd go to Hell. There was no Hell in the old ways. Then again, she could load up Milo's shotgun, walk out in the yard, and turn that old owl into pink mist. She couldn't see herself doing that either – no telling what kind of trouble that would unleash. And she couldn't wait for Milo and ask him for help: not after weeks of working on him to leave the Native American church and trade in his peyote buttons for wafers and wine. She ducked away from the window. One of the kids coughed in the other room. Eventually she was going to have to take them down to the clinic for treatment. But she was afraid to pass by the owl. According to the priest, God knew everything. The sunglasses and hairdo wouldn't fool God. God knew she was afraid, so He knew she still had faith in the old ways, so she was going to Hell as sure as if she'd been out all morning worshiping golden calves and graven images. â€Å"I got bad medicine from being Crow,† she thought. â€Å"And I'm going to Hell for being Christian. I should have let that old liar Pokey freeze to death.† She slapped herself on the forehead. â€Å"Damn! Another Hell thought.† -=*=- A nun with an Uzi popped up on the parapet of Notre Dame like a ninja penguin. Coyote shot from the hip, winging her before she could fire. She tumbled over the side, bounced off a gargoyle, and splattered on the sidewalk below. A synthesized Gregorian chant began to play as her spirit rose to heaven, a steel ruler in hand. Coyote strafed a stained-glass window and took out a bazooka-wielding bishop for two thousand penance points. Sam walked into the bedroom, hair wet, a towel wrapped around his hips. â€Å"Nice shot,† Sam said. Coyote glanced up from the video game. â€Å"The red ones have killed me three times.† â€Å"Those are cardinals. You have to hit them twice to kill them. Wait until you get to the Vatican level. The pope has guilt-beam vision.† Before Coyote could look back to the screen the cathedral doors flew open and St. Patrick fired a wiggling salvo of heat-seeking vipers. â€Å"Hit your smart bomb,† Sam said. Coyote fumbled with the control, but was too late. A snake latched onto his leg and exploded. The screen flashed GAME OVER, and a synthesized voice instructed Coyote to â€Å"go to confession.† Coyote dropped the control onto the bed with a sigh. Sam said, â€Å"You did good. Gunning for Nuns is a hard game for beginners.† â€Å"I should have brought some cheating medicine. My cheating medicine never fails.† â€Å"This isn't like the hand game. This is a game of skill.† â€Å"Who needs skill when you can have luck?† Sam shook his head and turned to go back to the bathroom. During the night something inside him had changed. Each time he thought things had reached a plateau of weirdness, something even weirder had happened. The result, he realized, was that he was now accepting anything that happened, no matter how weird, without resistance. Chaos was the new order in his life. The phone rang and Sam, hoping it was Calliope, grabbed the receiver off the vanity. â€Å"Samuel Hunter,† he said. â€Å"You low-life, scum-sucking shithead!† â€Å"Good morning to you too, Josh.† â€Å"You win, dickhead. There'll be a meeting of the co-op association tonight. They'll vote you back in. You can keep your apartment, but I want your guarantee that this is over.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"I hope you know I've lost all respect for you as a professional, Sam. The doctor says I'm going to walk with a limp for the rest of my life.† â€Å"There was a crooked man who had a crooked-â€Å" â€Å"You broke my legs! My house is destroyed.† Sam peeked into the bedroom where Coyote was attacking the Sistine Chapel with a helicopter gunship. â€Å"Josh, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm glad you came to your senses.† â€Å"Fuck you. I'm using up years of collected dirt to get your apartment back.† â€Å"Townhouse,† Sam corrected. â€Å"Not apartment.† â€Å"Don't fuck with me, Sam. I'm in a cast up to my nipples and a sadistic nurse has been force-feeding me green Jell-O for an hour. Just tell me it's over.† â€Å"It's over,† Sam said. The phone clicked. Sam walked back into the bedroom. â€Å"What did you do to Spagnola?† Coyote was rolling on the bed in exaggerated body English to tilt the gunship. â€Å"These birds are eating my tail rotor. I can't control it.† â€Å"Uh-oh, St. Francis released the doves of death. You're dead meat.† Sam took a cigarette from the pack on the dresser and offered one to Coyote. â€Å"What did you do to Spagnola?† â€Å"You said you wanted your old life back.† â€Å"So you broke Spagnola's legs?† â€Å"It was a trick.† â€Å"You can't just go around breaking people's legs like some Mafioso fairy godmother.† The gunship spun out of control and crashed on the mezzanine. Coyote threw the joystick at the screen and turned to Sam. â€Å"How can I win if you keep talking to me? You whine like an old woman. I got you your house back!† â€Å"I wouldn't have lost it if you had left me alone. Be logical.† â€Å"What gods do you know that are logical? Name two.† â€Å"Never mind,† Sam said. He went to the closet and pulled his clothing out for the day. Coyote said, â€Å"Do you have a light?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"No? After I stole fire from the sun and gave it to your people?† â€Å"Why, Coyote? Why did you do that?† Sam turned to point out the lighter on the dresser, but the trickster was gone. -=*=- Calliope's upbringing in the Eastern religions, with their emphasis on living in the now – of acting, not thinking – had left her totally unprepared to do battle with the future. She'd tried to ignore it, even after Grubb was born, but it had become more and more difficult to function on karmic autopilot. Now, Sam had entered her life and she felt like she had something to lose. The future had a name. She wondered what she had done to manifest the curse of a nice guy. â€Å"It feels wonderful, but I want more,† Calliope said. â€Å"I don't get it,† Nina said. They were cleaning up the kitchen. Grubb was scooting around on the linoleum at their feet, tasting the baseboards, a table leg, a slow-moving bug. â€Å"I've always felt separate from men, even during sex. It's like there's this part of me that watches them and I'm not really involved. But it wasn't that way with Sam. It was like we were really together, no barriers. I wasn't watching him, I was with him. When we were finished I lay there watching the pulse on his neck, and it was like we had gone to some other world together. I wanted more.† â€Å"So you're saying you're a hosebeast.† â€Å"Not like that. It was just that I want to feel that way all the time. I want my whole life to feel – complete.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Calliope, I don't get it. I'm happy if Yiffer doesn't pass out before we finish.† â€Å"I guess it's not a sexual thing. It's a spiritual thing. Like there's a part of life that I can touch but I can't live in.† â€Å"Maybe we just need to find a house where your ex doesn't live downstairs.† â€Å"That was pretty awful. I couldn't believe Sam didn't just leave.† Nina threw a dish towel at Calliope and missed. â€Å"You had a little good luck for a change, accept it. Not every guy has to be a creep like Lonnie.† â€Å"I'm a little afraid to leave Grubb with him when I go to work today.† â€Å"Lonnie won't hurt Grubb. He was just pissed that you were with someone else. Men are like that. Even when they don't want you, they don't want anyone else to have you.† â€Å"Nina, do you think there's something wrong with me?† â€Å"No, you're just not very good at worrying. You'll get the hang of it.† -=*=- â€Å"I've got to get back to the house,† Lonnie said to Cheryl, who was pouring peroxide on his damaged chest. She wiped away the foam with a tissue, then poked the wound with a broken black fingernail. â€Å"Ouch! What are you doing, bitch?† Cheryl got up from the bed and pulled on a pair of leather pants. Lonnie could see her hipbones and shoulder blades pushing against her pale skin as if they would poke through any second. â€Å"You're always thinking of her. Never me. What the hell is wrong with me?† She turned to face him and he stared at her breasts lying like flaps against her ribs. She pulled back her lips in a snarl and Lonnie knew his face had betrayed him. â€Å"Fucking asshole,† she said, pulling on a black Harley-Davidson T-shirt. â€Å"It's not her, it's the kid. He's my kid. I have to watch him when she goes to work.† â€Å"Bullshit. Then why won't you fuck me?† She tossed her head and her long black hair fell into her face like seaweed on the drowned. Because you look like you just escaped from fucking Auschwitz, Lonnie thought. He'd been with Cheryl for three months and had never seen her eat. As far as he could figure she lived on speed, come, and Pepsi. He said, â€Å"I worry about the kid.† â€Å"Then get custody. I can take care of him. I'd make a good mother.† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"You don't think so? You think that vegetarian bitch is a better mother than me?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You start treating me right or I'm gone.† Cheryl took a purse from the floor and began digging in it. â€Å"Where the fuck is my stash?† She threw the purse aside and stormed out of the room. Lonnie followed her, carrying the denim vest sporting the Guild's colors. â€Å"I've got to go,† he said. Cheryl was dumping a bindle of white powder into a can of Pepsi. â€Å"Bring back some crank,† she said. As Lonnie walked out she added, â€Å"Tink called while you were sleeping. He said to tell you he took care of things.† Outside Lonnie fired up his Harley and pulled out into the street. Tinker's news should have cheered him up, but it didn't. He felt empty, like he needed to get fucked up. He always felt that way lately. At one time being a brother in the Guild, being accepted for who he was, had been enough. Having all the women and drugs and money and power he needed had been enough. But since Grubb was born he felt like he was supposed to be doing something, and he didn't know what it was. Maybe the bitch is right, he thought. As long as the kid tied him to Calliope he was going to feel shitty. It was time to feel good again. -=*=- Frank Cochran, the cofounder of Motion Marine, Inc., had spent most of the morning in his office milling over the bane of his existence: the human factor. Frank loved organization, routine, and predictability. He liked his life to be linear, moving forward from event to event without the nasty backtracking caused by surprises. The human factor was his name for the variable of unpredictability that was added to the equation of life by human beings. Today, the human factor was represented by his partner, Jim Cable, who was in the hospital after being attacked by an Indian. Frank's thinking went thus: If Jim dies there'll be insurance hassles, legal battles with the family, and someone will have to comfort Jim's mistress. But if Jim lives – maybe Jim's mistress should be comforted anyway†¦. His train of thought was broken by the buzz of the intercom on his desk. â€Å"Mr. Cochran,† his secretary said, â€Å"there's a man from NARC here to see you.† â€Å"I don't have any appointments until after lunch, do I?† The office door burst open and Cochran looked up to see an Indian in black buckskins striding toward him. His secretary was shouting protests from her desk. Cochran spoke into the intercom, â€Å"Stella, do I have an appointment with this man?† â€Å"Native American Reform Coalition,† Coyote said. â€Å"I understand that some insurance agent is taking credit for what happened to your partner.† Cochran had a very bad feeling about this. â€Å"Look, I don't know who you are, but I don't like surprises.† â€Å"Then this is going to be a very bad day for you.† Coyote slammed the door behind him. â€Å"A very bad day.† The trickster extended his right hand. â€Å"Nice to meet you.† Cochran watched in horror as the Indian's hand began to sprout fur and claws.

The Heat Death of the Universe

The hypothesis about heat death of the universe Our knowledge of the universe is still negligible, and we can not confidently assert that the universe is not under the influence of external forces, or may be considered as a thermodynamic system. However, it is the concept of heat death was the first step to realize the possible finiteness of the Universe, although we do not know when and on what scenario will happen of its destruction. At the present stage of existence (13. 72 billion years), the universe radiates as a black body with a temperature of 2,725 K. Its maximum to the frequency 160. GHz (microwave radiation), which corresponds to a wavelength of 1. 9 mm. It is isotropic up to 0,001% – the standard deviation of temperature is approximately 18 IWC. The heat death is a possible final thermodynamic state of the universe, in which it has â€Å"run down† to a state of no thermodynamic free energy to sustain motion or life. In physical terms, it has reached maximum entropy. The hypothesis of a universal heat death stems from the 1850s ideas of William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin who extrapolated the theory of heat views of mechanical energy loss in nature, as embodied in the first two laws of thermodynamics, to universal operation.The idea of heat death of the universe derives from discussion of the application of the first two laws of thermodynamics to universal processes. Specifically, in 1851 William Thomson outlined the view, as based on recent experiments on the dynamical theory of heat, that â€Å"heat is not a substance, but a dynamical form of mechanical effect, we perceive that there must be an equivalence between mechanical work and heat, as between cause and effect. [1] In 1852, Thomson published his â€Å"On a Universal Tendency in Nature to the Dissipation of Mechanical Energy† in which he outlined the rudiments of the second law of thermodynamics summarized by the view that mechanical motion and the energy used to create th at motion will tend to dissipate or run down, naturally. [2] The ideas in this paper, in relation to their application to the age of the sun and the dynamics of the universal operation, attracted the likes of William Rankine and Hermann von Helmholtz.The three of them were said to have exchanged ideas on this subject. [3] In 1862, Thomson published â€Å"On the age of the sun’s heat†, an article in which he reiterated his fundamental beliefs in the indestructibility of energy (the first law) and the universal dissipation of energy (the second law), leading to diffusion of heat, cessation of motion, and exhaustion of potential energy through the material universe while clarifying his view of the consequences for the universe as a whole.In a key paragraph, Thomson wrote: The result would inevitably be a state of universal rest and death, if the universe were finite and left to obey existing laws. But it is impossible to conceive a limit to the extent of matter in the uni verse; and therefore science points rather to an endless progress, through an endless space, of action involving the transformation of potential energy into palpable motion and hence into heat, than to a single finite mechanism, running down like a clock, and stopping forever. 4] Boltzmann, open the connection of entropy S and the statistical weight of P, considered that the current state of the universe is homogeneous grand fluctuation *, although its appearance has a negligible probability. [5] In a â€Å"heat death†, the temperature of the entire universe would be very close to absolute zero. Heat death is, however, not quite the same as â€Å"cold death†, or the â€Å"Big Freeze†, in which the universe simply becomes too cold to sustain life due to continued expansion; though, from the point of view of anything that might be alive, the result is quite similar. 6]. Inflationary cosmology suggests that in the early universe, before cosmic expansion, energy was uniformly distributed,[7] and thus the universe was in a state superficially similar to heat death. However, the two states are in fact very different: in the early universe, gravity was a very important force, and in a gravitational system, if energy is uniformly distributed, entropy is quite low, compared to a state in which most matter has collapsed into black holes.Thus, such a state is not in thermal equilibrium, and in fact there is no thermal equilibrium for such a system, as it is thermodynamically unstable. [8][9] However, in the heat death scenario, the energy density is so low that the system can be thought of as non-gravitational, such that a state in which energy is uniformly distributed is a thermal equilibrium state, i. e. , the state of maximal entropy. The final state of the universe depends on the assumptions made about its ultimate fate, and these assumptions have varied considerably over the late 20th century and early 21st century.In a â€Å"closed† univ erse that undergoes recollapse, a heat death is expected to occur, with the universe approaching arbitrarily high temperature and maximal entropy as the end of the collapse approaches. [citation needed] In an â€Å"open† or â€Å"flat† universe that continues expanding indefinitely, a heat death is also expected to occur[citation needed], with the universe cooling to approach absolute zero temperature and approaching a state of maximal entropy over a very long time period.There is dispute over whether or not an expanding universe can approach maximal entropy; it has been proposed that in an expanding universe, the value of maximum entropy increases faster than the universe gains entropy, causing the universe to move progressively further away from heat death. However, current analysis of entropy suggests that the visible universe has more entropy than previously thought. This is because the research concludes that supermassive black holes are the largest contributor. 1 0] From the Big Bang through the present day and well into the future, matter and dark matter in the universe is concentrated in stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters. Therefore, the universe is not in thermodynamic equilibrium and objects can do physical work. [11]. The decay time of a roughly galaxy-mass (1011 solar masses) supermassive black hole due to Hawking radiation is on the order of 10100 years,[12], so entropy can be produced until at least that time. After that time, the universe enters the so-called dark era, and is expected to consist chiefly of a dilute gas of photons and leptons. [11].With only very diffuse matter remaining, activity in the universe will have tailed off dramatically, with very low energy levels and very large time scales. Speculatively, it is possible that the Universe may enter a second inflationary epoch, or, assuming that the current vacuum state is a false vacuum, the vacuum may decay into a lower-energy state. [11]. It is also possible that entro py production will cease and the universe will achieve heat death. [11].

Hume, David Essays - David Hume, Philosophy Of Science, Epistemology

Hume, David Essays - David Hume, Philosophy Of Science, Epistemology Hume, David In An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, David Hume demonstrates how there is no way to rationally make any claims about future occurrences. According to Hume knowledge of matters of fact come from previous experience. From building on this rationale, Hume goes on to prove how, as humans we can only make inferences on what will happen in the future, based on our experiences of the past. But he points out that we are incorrect to believe that we are justified in using our experience of the past as a means of evidence of what will happen in the future. Since we have only experience of the past, we can only offer propositions of the future. Hume classifies human into two categories; Relations of Ideas, and Matters of Fact. (240) Relations of ideas are either intuitively or demonstratively certain, such as in Mathematics (240). It can be affirmed that 2 + 2 equals 4, according to Humes relations of ideas. Matters of fact on the other hand are not ascertained in the same manner as Relations of Ideas. The ideas that are directly caused by impressions are called matters of fact. With matters of fact, there is no certainty in establishing evidence of truth since every contradiction is possible. Hume uses the example of the sun rising in the future to demonstrate how as humans, we are unjustified in making predictions of the future based on past occurrences. As humans, we tend to use the principle of induction to predict what will occur in the future. Out of habit, we assume that sun will rise every day, like it has done in the past, but we have no basis of actual truth to make this justification. By claiming that the sun will rise tomorrow according to Hume is not false, nor is it true. Hume illustrates that the contrary of every matter of fact is still possible, because it can never imply a contradiction and is conceived by the mind with the same facility and distinctness as if ever so conformable to reality (240). Just because the sun has risen in the past does not serve as evidence for the future. Thus, according to Hume, we are only accurate in saying that there is a fifty- percent chance that the sun will rise tomorrow. Hume felt that all reasoning concerning matter of fact seemed to be founded on the relation between cause and effect. (241) Hume said that even though the cause preceded the effect, there is no proof that the cause is responsible for the effect's occurrence , it could be purely coincidental. He claims that the human notion of cause and effect is ungrounded in empirical evidence, but rather given only reasonable probability through continuous reinforcement. Hume's rejection of causation implies a rejection of scientific laws, which are based on the general premise that one event necessarily causes another and predictably always will. According to Hume's philosophy, therefore, knowledge of matters of fact is impossible, although as a practical matter he freely acknowledged that people had to think in terms of cause and effect, and had to assume the validity of their perceptions, For example, if I touch the hot stove, I will get burnt. This statement does not necessitate that when I tou ch the hot stove, (cause) I will always get burnt (effect). Instead, according to Hume, I have no good reason to think that it will not happen again. Hume, however, went further, endeavoring to prove that reason and rational judgments are merely habitual associations of distinct impressions or experiences. Hume claims that all our ideas, which form the basis of our knowledge, are derived from impressions that we take in from the outside world and into the inside world of our mind. Hume grouped perceptions and experiences into one of two categories: impressions and ideas. (238) According to Hume, ideas are memories of sensations but impressions are the cause of the sensation. An impression is part of a temporary feeling, but an idea is the permanent impact of this feeling. Hume believed that ideas were just dull imitations of impressions. Hume did not believe that a priori, knowledge based on reasoning can deduce true knowledge. Knowledge based on reasoning alone, according

How Sociologists Define Social Control

How Sociologists Define Social Control Social control, within sociology, refers to the many ways in which our behavior, thoughts, and appearance are regulated by the norms, rules, laws, and social structures of society. Social control is a necessary component of social order, for society could not exist without it. Overview of the Concept Social control is achieved through a variety of means, including through social norms, rules, laws, and social, economic, and institutional structures. In fact, there would be no  society without social control, because society cannot function without an agreed upon and enforced social order that makes daily life and a complex division of labor possible. Without it, chaos and confusion would reign. The primary way through which social order is produced is through the ongoing, lifelong process of socialization that each person experiences. Through this process, we are taught from birth the norms, rules, and behavioral and interactional expectations that are common to our family, peer groups, community, and greater society. Socialization teaches us how to think and behave in accepted ways, and in doing so, effectively controls us our participation in society. The physical organization of society is also a part of social control. For example, paved streets and traffic signals control, at least in theory, the behavior of people when they drive vehicles. Sidewalks and crosswalks control foot traffic, for the most part, and aisles in grocery stores control how we move through the space. When we fail to conform to norms, rules, and social expectations, we suffer sanctions that remind us of their social importance, and that serve to control our behavior. These sanctions take many forms, from confused and disapproving looks to conversations with family, peers, and authority figures, to social ostracization, among others. The Two Types of Social Control Social control tends to take one of two different forms: informal or formal. Informal social control refers to our  conformity to the norms and values of the society, and adoption of a particular belief system, which we learn through the process of socialization. This form of social control is enforced by family, primary caregivers, peers, other authority figures like coaches and teachers, and by colleagues. EyesWideOpen/Getty Images Informal social control is enforced by rewards and sanctions. Reward often takes the form of praise or compliments, but also takes other common forms, like high marks on school work, promotions at work, and social popularity. Sanctions used to enforce informal social control, like those discussed above, tend to be social in form and consist mainly in communication or lack thereof, but can also take the form of the ending of a relationship, teasing or ridicule, poor marks in school, or being fired from work, among others. Formal social control is that which is produced and enforced by the state (government) and representatives of the state that enforce its laws like police, military, and other city, state, and federal agencies. In many cases, a simple police presence is enough to create formal social control. In others, police might intervene in a situation that involves unlawful or dangerous behavior in order to stop itto arrest literally means to stopin order to ensure that social control is maintained.   Alex Livesey/Getty Images Other government agencies enforce formal social control as well, like those that regulate which substances or foods can be legally sold, and those that enforce building codes, among others. It is up to formal bodies like the judiciary and the penal system to dole out sanctions when someone fails to comply with the laws that define formal social control. Updated  by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Own question about the book Attitudes toward Sex in Antebellum America Essay

Own question about the book Attitudes toward Sex in Antebellum America - Essay Example Intimate issues are approached diligently and therefore many people had experienced sexuality based on racial, gender difference and cultural perspectives. All these contribute to the views that sex as an activity was rejected but ironically taking place.2 The main deterrent for premarital sex in Antebellum US was the fear of women and girls getting pregnant. However, sexual desire always existed between the men and the women. This occurs regardless of social class, position, slave or not slave. At some point, control of casual sex was basically done by the families and the superiors in the society. In away, even these facilities were also under control by the superiors. However, premarital sex was totally not allowed for anybody. This is very concerning because it is the same people who are not allowing to have sex but they are in need of the same. However, the sexual taboo majorly applied to women in practice.3 This reflects gender bias in this issue of discussion. Men had many opt ions as far as sex was concerned. They were enforcing the rules effectively. Unfair treatment and discrimination made Margaret Sanger who was born in 1883 fumed in search of reasonable means of birth control. Women were pressed and needed ways of having freedom by looking for birth control measures. The fear of getting pregnant was very high. The Comstock laws had put her under several arrest warrant. The pioneer woman nurse had to fly to Europe having built a strong backing from several friends and other associates to spearhead the need for birth control measures.4 Through persistence of this particular nurse, the court offered opportunity through other activists and birth control measures were ensured in Antebellum. Sexuality as away of exploitation was the only way that the women could fight for liberty. The men on the other hand were enjoying freedom on sexual matters. Birth control mechanisms for women were also ironically geared towards freedom in having sex just as men were d oing. The limitation on right for women movement could be ended through this birth control move. This reflects much study on gender equality from endurance on sexual exploitation and deterring movement of women. In addition, it is claimed that the purpose of sexual intercourse and general meaning of marriage shapes most of the families in Antebellum. 5 It would be the right explanation why women were on the argumentative end when their rights were ignored. They had to champion it by themselves to achieve the hard found freedom. The question is that why were they championing on this freedom? More explanations from the book show that there was commercialization of sex. Women wanted to be like men and move around once they succeeded in birth control option they were geared towards. The author states, â€Å"Women could now enjoy sex outside the marriage† It is very ironical because through sex, they were exploited. Sexual repression stereotype in 1800’s impacted diverse pu blic argument. All the professionals, including the doctors and religious leaders all had to contribute in the debate about sexual exploitation and experience in Antebellum. Sexual exploitation however called for reforms and internalization of values of middle class. These reforms included chastity, hard work and thrift. Many honest citizens were able to indulge in crimes, sinful activities and implicit sexual behaviors.

Doing yoga at a local recreation center can cause harm to Hinduism Essay

Doing yoga at a local recreation center can cause harm to Hinduism - Essay Example Currently, yoga has been influenced by modern world. In most cases, modern day yoga has been misrepresented; it has less spiritual essence, and has more emphasis on financial gain. This is because modern day yoga has been reduced to physical exercise program, with yoga specialists releasing yoga videos, as well as magazines for sale. This situation has been worsened by the fact that more yoga specialist especially those in the secular field have no background on Hinduism and they do not appreciate Hinduism and Buddhism religions. In the United States, it is estimated that approximately, 20 million people practice yoga. It is estimated that the practiced has been there since 1970 with majority of the US citizen pursuing yoga for medical reasons with few individuals pursuing it for purposes of acquiring body energy and stamina, spirituality and to magnify self esteem and creativity (Syman, 2010). In this regard, due to beneficial aspects of modern day yoga, the practice has been integrated in recreation facilities in developed nation. In Ohio, the integration of yoga at Snowpea City Recreation Center has been critiqued by majority of the residents due to the fact that the center which was funded by resident taxes should , therefore, not promote Hindi practices like yoga, since most of the residents are non-Hindi believers (Syman, 2010). In this regard majority of the residents have criticized the yoga practices due to the fact that it downplays the Monism principle of Christianity (the philosophy of existence of one God, the distinction between one God and the universe). The practice of yoga where an individual is recommended to repeat the phrase â€Å"So-ham† during deep breaths is violation of Christian faith since the quote translates to identification of oneself to the divine and the merging of oneself with the divine. In addition, yoga advocates for an individual’s spiritual detachment and freedom from body and material constraint, while

Corporate Logos and Their Change in Design over the Years Research Paper

Corporate Logos and Their Change in Design over the Years - Research Paper Example The researcher states that Jim Nash made a black and white headshot of Quaker Man in 1946. This eliminated the other constituents of Quaker Man’s body which symbolized a more focus in providing the higher quality of products, matched with a smiling facial expression that conveyed a more positive outlook towards the consumers. In 1957, Haddon Sundblom painted a colored version of Quaker Man’s headshot which was used up until the recent times. In 1972, the company logo produced a radically redesigned monochromatic logo by Saul Bass. This signified a unified company, which embodies one single goal patterned after the honest and true values of the owners. However, as the company approached the contemporary era, the logo was shifted back to Sundblom’s original version, with a bigger Quaker word and an embossed gold border surrounding the headshot of Quaker Man. Recently, Quaker introduced a new logo set in Archer typeface, which is popularized by Hoefler and Frere-Jon es. The typical all-caps company name was replaced by a new font style that shows a simple and friendly ambiance. The Quaker Man was moved from the center portion of the logo to the inner portion of the letter Q. This was made after Quaker introduced a new line of tasty delights as they continue to venture into the global market. The logo produced a rather interesting message that is both eye-catching and message instilling. The Visa logo was typically shown in a flag design with the colors blue, white and gold. The blue and gold colors were associated with the blue skies and the golden hills of California, where the BankAmericard originated. At the company’s early times, Visa was originally a lending instrument that provided aid for people who are in need of financial assistance.

Enjo Kosai Girls: Identity Confusion

Enjo Kosai Girls: Identity Confusion INTRODUCTION The term enjo kosai has appeared prevalently at Hong Kong in around October 2007, after a local newspaper reported that girls dating for compensation and branded product. However, the seriousness of the problem was not addressed until a 16-year-old enjo kosai girl was killed and dismembered by a 24-year-old man who was a drug abuser in July 2009. This incident aroused huge social concern towards this emerging trend which is originated from Japan. What is the situation in Hong Kong? This paper aims to review this problem by pointing out that negative family factors is an antecedents of enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong, as well as analyzing that these girls tend to be in the identity diffusion status. Roles of social workers, dilemma they face and future invention strategies are also discussed. LITERATURE REVIEW Background of Enjo Kosai Enjo Kosai, abbreviated as enko, which is translated in English as Compensated Dating or Subsidized Dating, is a term originated in Japan. Enjo means to assist and Kosai means dating. The term was first report in a Japan Newspaper in September, 1994. With the spread of internet and cultural interflow, it was soon being prevalent in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. At first, the definition meant teenage girls dating an older man for money or gifts, so as to assist them from loneliness. Teenage girls regarded it as a part-time job, and for some of the participants, sex became part of the process. With the addition of sex for pay, the meaning of this activity became unclear. Nowadays, enjo kosai has generally turned into teenage sex work. The major difference between with prostitution is that, prostitution is generally performed in a brothel or by arrangement of a third party, while in enjo kosai, the fact is girls can choose men. If a girl does not like a man when she first sees him, she can leave him. As they are not bounded by any contract, they can conduct enjo kosai only when they need extra money. Causes of Enjo Kosai As suggested by Matsumoto (2002), in a survey by Asahi Shimbun in 1998, people where asked what they perceived to be the main contributing factors to this obvious social problem. The most common response was that parents cannot discipline their children and society overemphasizes the desire of goods. Typically girls commit in enjo kosai spend the money on expensive brand-named goods or on activities with friends. Although monetary reward underlies each of enjo kosai girls, apparently there are several explanations for the reasons behind. According to a Japanese study as suggested by Wakabayashi (2003), Maruta (2001) analyzed that there are three reasons why girls engage in enjo kosai: 1) efficiency of making money, 2) sexual desire, and 3) psychological compensation. The ratio among these three categories was 3:1:6. For the reason of psychological compensation, Maruta analyzed that there are two subcategories: 1) Girls are grown up in defective families and struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder or PSTD, which is a multidimensional construct of stress response syndromes. These girls have experienced some sort of trauma in their lives. This trauma might be physical, e.g., being raped or being physically abused by their parents; or it might be emotional, e.g., experiencing their parents divorce. 2) Girls seek to gain sexual experience, affirm their own sexual attractiveness and are possible to set a price for their bodies. Marutas analysis found there might be certain psychological connections between enjo kosai and the compensation for the lack of love, loneliness and past trauma experiences. Not surprisingly, other recent research found the same result. McCoy (2004) suggested that many teenage girls who engage in enjo kosai experience family dysfunction and a lack of communication with their parents, or they feel overprotected or stifled. They tend to be unable to exercise self-restraint, act impulsively and feel lonely. Research on Enjo Kosai in Hong Kong As enjo kosai is an emerging issue in Hong Kong, little formal research is done as it is a new research topic. A few local social service agencies conducted exploratory research. Some significant research include 1) An Exploratory Study of Enjo Kosai Girls in Hong Kong by Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008): This is one of the earliest comprehensive exploratory studies on the emergence of enjo kosai in Hong Kong. Information of enjo kosai websites and other internet sources were extensively analyzed and six enjo kosai girls were being interviewed. Causes, prevalence and impact of enjo kosai were discussed. 2) Adolescents Views on Enjo Kosai by Hong Kong Christian Service (2009) 3) Secondary Students Knowledge and Values of Enjo Kosai by Hong Kong Association of Sexuality Educators, Researchers Therapists (2009): They have done similar research on the causes of enjo kosai in Hong Kong, the value system of adolescents and their perception on this issue. Both studies suggested adolescents perceptions of the main reason that girls engage in enjo kosai is the efficiency of making money to buy branded products. These support the analysis of Kuruta (2001). 4) Uncontrollable Desire of Consumerism? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Rethinking the Problem of Enjo Kosai in Hong Kong by Office of Hon Cheung Kwok Che, Member of Legislative Council (Social Welfare Functional Constituency) Shiu, K. C. (2009): This study interviewed several enjo kosai girls and summarized different perspectives of viewing this problem in Hong Kong, including how society, police and the law treat enjo kosai. Social workers roles, positioning and intervention method were discussed. Negative Family Factors Researchers have found parental and family relationship relates to teenage girls sexual behavior, which applies to enjo kosai in this paper. Parental characteristics, family relationships, and attitudes, values and norms of family members also have been associated with adolescent sexual behaviors (Dorius et al., 1993). Adolescents from single-parent families have been shown to begin sexual intercourse at younger ages than those from two-parent families (Miller Bingham, 1989). Thornton and Camburn (1987) found that both parents and adolescents who have experienced divorce have more permissive attitudes about non-marital sexual intercourse. In addition, other than family factors that affect sexual behaviors, adolescents disclosure on their activities, i.e., communication with family also plays an important role in escalating and fostering enjo kosai activities. Dishion et al. (2004) suggested that monitoring is embedded within the parentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"child relationship. Stoolmiller (1994) made a similar point that some teenagers actively avoid parental supervision, especially are disinclined to share information about their comings and goings and with whom they spend time. Both parents attempt and childrens willingness to disclose affect parents involvement in and influence on children (Dishion et al., 2004). Marcias Identity Statuses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Identity Diffusion Erikson (1950, 1968) suggested the descriptions of identity formation as a particularly adolescent activity. He grounded that adolescents need to confront the crisis of identity versus role confusion. Marcia (1966) extended Eriksons theory into a structured Identity Statuses by accessing individuals crisis and commitment. This includes 1) Identity achievement crisis leading to commitment; 2) Foreclosure commitment without crisis; 3) Moratorium crisis with no commitment yet; 4) Identity Diffusion no commitment, no crisis. Marcia (1976) revealed that the Identity Diffusion individuals had in common a lack of direction and purpose in their lives and a pervasive air of unconcern about the matter. Some individuals were drifting and some were distressed. They seemed to have jobs rather than occupations. They tended to be controlled largely by immediate environmental influences. Kroger (1993) suggested that parents of identity defused adolescents are more likely laissez-faire in child-rearing attitudes. They are rejecting or not available to children. The adolescents personalities tended to be with low levels of ego development, moral reasoning, cognitive complexity and self-certainly. They tended to have poor cooperative abilities. ANALYSIS DISCUSSION Negative Family Factor as Antecedents of Enjo Kosai Activities in Hong Kong Following Dishion et al (2004) s interaction effect between adolescents developing deviant friendships and parents disengaging from family management, this paper applies the argument to enjo kosai: If a girl is involved in enjo kosai, her behavior will escalate under conditions of low parent monitoring, negative parent communication, and poor relationship quality. This interaction of family management degradation and enjo kosai involvement is also in line with Dishion et al.s premature autonomy hypothesis. Though having a small sample size in Hong Kong, Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008) found that all girls who engaged in enjo kosai they interviewed have a poor relationship with their families. They lacked communication with their parents and siblings, some were being abused and some parents were divorced. It is obvious that parental and family relationship strongly relates to enjo kosai activities in Hong Kong. Some interviewees agreed that their divorced family background might also foster them to involve in enjo kosai for psychological compensation of love and care. Identity Diffusion of Enjo Kosai Girls in Hong Kong From the above literature, it is reviewed that girls who engaged in enjo kosai activities could be applied as in the Identity Diffusion status. Despite McCoy (2004) found that in Southeast Asia, some girls who engage in compensated dating were frequently from middle or upper-middle-class families and were commonly good students and school leaders, while in Hong Kong, the situation is not the same. The few local studies suggested that enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong tend to have no commitment to schooling, education and have no seriously considered options of future career. Some of them treated enjo kosai as a part-time job. Their parents do not tend to discuss the future with these girls. The characteristics of Identity Diffusion adolescents also include high degree of anxiety and fluctuation in feelings about self and their dominant characteristics. Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008)s findings supported these. The girls they interviewed are distressed, anxious, uncertain about themselves when they were alone and psychologically empty. Abortion was also reported from some girls. Roles of Social Workers in Hong Kong The roles of social workers are controversial. Office of Hon. Cheung Shiu (2009) discussed extensively about the roles and ethical dilemma of social workers face when handling with enjo kosai cases. For example, 1) the dilemma between being responsible to the case owner (enjo kosai girl) versus being accountable to the school: whether social workers should confidentially help the enjo kosai girls or they should report to the school principal once they receive a case; and 2) the intervention of institutionalized life is good for all girls: whether putting enjo kosai girls into girls home is advantageous regardless of their long-term identity and personality development as well as social network. Office of Hon. Cheung Shiu (2009) also argued that the role of social worker is more like police. They claimed that nowadays more social workers tend to report and publicize the case rather than focus on confidentially due to social pressure. However, the intervention phase will be affected and might not be aiming at the biggest interest of the case owner. It is suggested a balance should be kept when facing the dilemma of confidentiality versus accountability. More agencies could conduct research on this topic so that social workers will understand more on the reasons behind enjo kosai and to help these girls. More training to social workers could be provided on this topic and outreaching teams that focus on this target group could be formed. CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONS This paper concluded that negative family factors are antecedents of enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong. It also discussed that these girls tend to be in the identity diffusion status. This would be useful for social workers, social service agencies, sociologists and the government to understand more about enjo kosai, the role of family factors as well as the girls psychological development. It is recommended that more comprehensive sex education shall be given in early and middle adolescence stage so as to build up and achieve youths positive identity. On the other hand, more aid shall be given to existing enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong by social workers with focused outreaching teams.