Example Exam Paper

CONFIDENTIAL LG/OCT2008/BEL311 UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA FINAL EXAMINATION COURSE COURSE CODE EXAMINATION TIME ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES BEL311 OCTOBER 2008 3 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES 1. 2. This question paper consists of two (2) parts : PART A (13 Questions) PART B (1 Question) Answer ALL questions from all parts in the Question Paper. 3. Fill in the details below : UiTM STUDENT CARD NO. PROGRAMME/ CODE PART ENGLISH LANGUAGE GROUP NAME OF LECTURER 4. 5. You are allowed to bring in your English-English dictionary.Please check to make sure that this examination pack consists of: i) the Question Paper DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO This examination paper consists of 13 printed pages  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 2 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 PART A: READING COMPREHENSION (20 MARKS) Read the following articles and answer all the questions that follow. Article 1 – Spare the Rod? I Schools in Europe and the United Kingdom st opped using the cane to discipline delinquent youngsters following protests from parents and politicians more than 16 years ago.In Malaysia, however, the practice has never left the school grounds. Caning has always been legal in Malaysian schools. The Education Ordinance 1957 (Amended 1959) allows corporal punishments, such as caning, to be meted out by school authorities, but only to schoolboys. An Education Ministry directive issued in 1994 listed eight offences that could warrant caning: truancy, involvement in criminal activities, obscene and impolite behaviour, loitering, dishonesty, dirty appearance and vandalism. 5 IIA probe on human rights awareness among secondary school teachers, students and administrators conducted by researchers from local universities engaged by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (or SUHAKAM, its Malay acronym) revealed the regular use of the cane in schools. What the inquiry found was a gross breach of a child's rights committed by teachers and administrators alike. In their findings, out of the 5,754 students who participated in the survey, about 52 per cent of the students surveyed agreed that caning commonly happened in their schools.It took place more often in rural schools than urban ones and almost 80 per cent of the cases occurred at technical schools. 10 15 III Understandably, SUHAKAM is disheartened by the findings of its study. Commissioner and education working group chairman, Professor Chiam Heng Keng said that while SUHAKAM understands the need to discipline and punish wrongdoers, it maintains that caning is not the best corrective measure. She further added that caning only tells the child to stop whatever he has done. In other words, it does not address the underlying problem. She stressed that teachers must work with parents to get to the root of the problem.She added that harsh punishments tend to reinforce a child's negative attitudes. However, 20 25  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL C ONFIDENTIAL 3 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 she cautioned that we should not confuse upholding the rights of the child with indulging the child. IV Although many experts argue that caning is outdated, even primitive, many educators defended it as a way to stem rising violence in schools. Eighty per cent of teachers agreed that persistent troublemakers in school should be caned. The SUHAKAM probe found that 79. 5 per cent of teachers and 71. per cent of administrators agreed that persistent offenders should be caned though Malaysia had signed the Declaration of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1995. In addition, they also revealed that girls were not spared the rod. Almost seven per cent of female respondents from girl schools had reported this. Under the present Child Act 2001, only boys between the ages of 10 and 18 may be subjected to corporal punishment. 30 35 V Last October, the Ministry of Education allowed teachers other than 40 headmasters, principals and those involved in disciplining students to use the cane.The decision followed the rise in cases of assault on teachers and gangsterism in schools. It was recommended that only certain teachers be empowered to cane students. Ideally, they should have at least 10 years of teaching experience and be married with children. 45 VI The secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, Lok Yim Pheng, admitted that there are other ways of disciplining a student. These include imposing fines, sending students to detention class and making parents sign a pledge to ensure that their children do not misbehave.However, if push comes to shove, then principals and headmasters should use the rod professionally and with compassion. She reiterated that even so, caning should be the penalty of last resort, reserved for absolute hardcore cases and should never be done publicly. 50 The Star, July 15, 2007  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 4 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 QUESTION 1 State whether the following statements are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F). a) Caning troublemakers in school is considered a form of maltreatment by most teachers. In the survey carried out by SUHAKAM, both boys and girls were caned.When it comes to caning, the Education Ordinance 1957 clearly contradicts the Child Act 2001. More than half of the respondents in the survey had been caned by their teachers before. (2 marks) QUESTION 2 What do the following words mean as used in the passage? a) ‘breach' (line 14) b) ‘disheartened' (line 20) c) ‘underlying' (line 25) d) ‘stem'(line 31) ___ _ _ _ _ (2 marks) QUESTION 3 Circle your answer for the question below. According to teachers, the following are reasons they support caning in schools except a) Students who repeatedly cause trouble should be caned. b) Caning is one way to prevent violence in schools. ) Caning reduces assault cases and gangsterism in schools. d) Caning has the least negative effect on students. (1 ma rk) b) c) d)  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 5 LG/OCT 2008/BEL311 QUESTION 4 Why is caning not the best corrective measure according to SUHAKAM? Give two (2) reasons. (1 mark) QUESTION 5 According to Professor Chiam Heng Keng, what is the best way to overcome discipline problems in schools? (1 mark) QUESTION 6 What is the main idea of paragraph VI? (1 mark)  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi IMARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 6 LG/OCT2008/BEL311QUESTION 7 According to the secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, only â€Å"if push comes to shove, then teachers and headmasters should use the rod professionally and with compassion† (lines 49-51). Under what conditions did she recommend this? List two (2) conditions. (2 marks)  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 7 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 Article 2 – Caning Does More Harm Than Good I The Women's Centre for Change Penang (WCC) notes with gr eat concern the recent proposal to extend caning as a method to handle discipline problems involving schoolgirls.We caution against the use of the cane on children regardless of gender. II The caning of a child is in direct contravention of the Convention on the Rights of The Child (CRC), of which Malaysia is a signatory. Caning contravenes Article 19 of the CRC. Under the article, the governments must protect the child from all forms of maltreatment by parents or others responsible for his or her care. Furthermore, corporal punishment is a form of child abuse. There is no evidence to suggest that this method can improve a child's learning ability. 5 10 III Caning may not be the most effective way to deal with problems of indiscipline.While it may bring about the immediate compliance of the child, the issues of physical harm as well as emotional damage to the child need to be taken into consideration. Corporal punishment can lead to increased antisocial behaviour, aggression and chr onic defiance. Furthermore, inflicting severe punishment and using mental humiliation on children have adverse effects such as loss of selfesteem and personality changes with ramifications on adult life. The use of the cane can be abused, especially when frustrations are vented. However, teachers who are fed up with the rising cases of indiscipline in schools may say caning is justified. 0 15 IV The social consequence of caning is that it sends a clear message that violence is an acceptable form of behaviour in society, that is, it is all right to use violence and inflict pain to teach a child something. This goes against all efforts to reduce the level of violence in our society. V Caning may seem to be a quick fix solution to misbehaviour, but it fails to address the root causes of the problem. The causes involve an inability to fit into a rigid, examination-orientated education system, the negative effects of 25  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 8 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 overty, the need to challenge boundaries, insufficient guidance from the home, dysfunctional family situations, negative influences from the neighbourhood environment, among others. 30 VI WCC would therefore urge the Ministry of Education to: 1. Work with other agencies and community groups, for example those dealing with the health, welfare and rights of the child, so as to provide support where needed, to both students and school authorities; 2. Consult with experts in various fields to work out alternative forms of discipline which include behaviour modification programmes that help enhance positive behaviour of students; 5 3. Support school teachers by reducing the number of students per class, having teacher assistants, providing skills training in class control and handling difficult students, having access to highly trained counselors and child psychologists; 40 4. Have a more balanced education system which moves away from an over-emphasis on examinations towards a more holistic education which cultivates the child's other potentials. Prema E. Devaraj, Programme Director, Women's Centre for Change, Penang. The Star, December 3, 2007  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARACONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 9 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 QUESTION 8 What does Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of The Child state? (1 mark) QUESTION 9 Caning as a measure of instilling discipline among students can lead to emotional damage. List four (4) kinds of damage. (2 marks) QUESTION 10 â€Å"The social consequence of caning is that it sends a clear message that violence is an acceptable form of behaviour in society, that is, it is all right to use violence and inflict pain to teach a child something. † (lines 21-23) What does Prema Devaraj mean by the above sentence? 2 marks)  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 10 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 QUESTION 11 How can the â€Å"negative influences from the neighbourhood environment† (lines 29-30) cause students to misbehave in school? (2 marks) QUESTION 12 List two (2) recommendations made by the Women's Centre for Change to the Ministry of Education on how to help teachers in the classroom. (1 mark) QUESTION 13 The education system should move away from an over-emphasis on examinations and become more holistic in order to develop the students' other potentials or talents.State two (2) ways the education system can develop the students' other potentials or talents. (2 marks)  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 11 LG/OCT2008/BEL311 PART B : WRITING (20 MARKS) QUESTION 1 You are a school counselor and you are asked to give a talk to a group of teachers. Based on these two articles â€Å"Spare the Rod? † and â€Å"Caning Does More Harm Than Good†, you have developed the following opinion about the issue: â€Å"Caning should not be allowed in schools today† Using the information from the two articles, write a spe ech of about 300 words to support your opinion.Include three main ideas with supporting details for your talk. (You must use information that you have gathered from reading the two articles but marks will be deducted if you copy sentences from the articles). In-text citations and proper acknowledgement of references used must also be included.  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 12 LG/OCT 2008/BEL311  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL 13 LG/OCT 2008/BEL311 END OF QUESTION PAPER  © Hak Cipta Universiti Teknologi MARA CONFIDENTIAL

Character Sketch of George Essay

George would not be himself if he didn’t have Lennie. George can be describe as a responsible and caring person as well as a dreamer. George is responsible not only for himself, but also for Lennie â€Å"I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she is dead.† (Steinbeck, 13); Lennie said excitedly â€Å"But not us! An’ why? Because†¦ because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.† (Steinbeck, 14) George promised Lennie’s Aunt Clara that he would take care of Lennie no matter what happened, even if he was responsible for all of Lennie’s trouble and also for Lennie’s death. He would never abandon him despite of his mental impairment even though he had the chance to. As well as George cares a lot about Lennie and even for the other guys of the ranch. George calmly admits, â€Å"I been mean ain’t I?† (Steinbeck, 12); George trying to pick up his words â€Å" Ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ‘em.†(what to put) Steinbeck writes â€Å"And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head.† (Steinbeck, 106) George knows when he had hurt(s) Lennie’s feelings. He killed Lennie because he doesn’t want Lennie to suffer in this world anymore, because he cares. It wasn’t the best thing that he could do but he thought that it would be easier for Lennie and himself. Furthermore, George and Lennie have a plan, to buy a house, a dream that that they can call their own. It’s still the American dream today. George said convincingly to Lennie â€Å"With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in bar room blowin’ our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us†¦(another line) We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with going’ to work and we’ll build up around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof – Nuts!† (Steinbeck, 14) George and Lennie planned what they wanted to have a long time ago, but Lennie wanted to hear it all over again. They dreamt of owning â€Å"an acre of land and a shack† to call their own. It seemed possible when they started working in the Ranch with Candy also participating, but after Lennie died, George would not have Lennie to make him all excited about their dream. And there’s no point of achieving it without Lennie because this dream made their friendship tight, made them become closer to each other, and made them think that they have a future. If Lennie wasn’t part of George’s life then George wouldn’t have a future, he’d just go to town and blow his jack each month like all the other bindle stiffs around. Often men’s plan goes awry, we should expect the unexpected.

How the Existence of Firms Shows That There Are Imperfections in the Market Essay

Introduction In 1776 moral philosopher and father of modern economy published his book â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† which singlehandedly changed the way we looked at political economy. The book, which was Adam Smith’s essay originally explaining why some nations are wealthier and more flourished than others, featured a few key insights. One of the most important ideas of the book was what he mentioned as the â€Å"invisible hand† of the economy, stating that market mechanism is perfect and there is no need for an outside intervention for it to function effectively. In his 1982 article â€Å"No need for morality: The Case of Competitive Market†, David Gauthier states that in a â€Å"perfect† market outside intervention will in turn adversely affect the market. However, to contradict this idea, Ronald Coase, in his influential essay â€Å"The Nature of the Firm†, suggested the idea that the existence of firm itself proves that the market mechanism is not perfect. In this paper, I am going to describe what Gauthier meant by a â€Å"perfect† market, how the existence of firm proves that there are imperfections in the market and an evaluation of both the theories. What is Gauthier’s idea of a â€Å"perfect† market? In his paper article â€Å"No need for morality: The Case of Competitive Market†, Gauthier describes the perfect market as having the following criteria: 1. Individual Endowment and Private Goods In the perfect market, the market is comprised of individual buyers and sellers, and they are all seeking to maximize their own utility. Goods are privately owned, hence ownership is fairly simple and direct. 2. Free market activity, mutual unconcern and the absence of externalities Individual buyers and sellers are free to make their own decisions and they will try to maximize their utility, regardless of the other party or parties’ concern. There are no external factors that can affect the market mechanism 3. Market is perfectly competitive and operating at an equilibrium This means that in the market after a transaction individual gain is assured, in that each can do as well as he/she can, given the other parties actions. Also, in an equilibrium, no one can be better off without someone else being worse off. (Gauthier 1982) Gauthier states that the buyers and sellers in a perfectly competitive market are rational and utility maximizing. Individuals are fully capable of maximizing gain and welfare through the market mechanism without the existence of firms or regulatory bodies. Imagine a rice market where individual sellers set up stalls for individual buyers to buy without the requirement of an outside intervention, that would be a perfectly competitive market. How does the existence of firms prove that the market is not perfect? In his paper Nature of the Firm, Ronald Coase addresses questions such as â€Å"Why do firms exist?† and â€Å"Why isn’t everything done by the market?† In his article he states how imperfections in the market lead individuals to form companies rather than trading bilaterally through short term contracts in the market. The central premise of his theory was that firms exist simply because transactions are cheaper when carried out internally (i.e. within a firm) rather than externally (Coase, 1937). He states that trading bilaterally in the market can impose a great deal of transaction costs, such as hiring workers, negotiating prices and forming short term contracts. Therefore a firm is a device or a nexus of long term contracts under a manager/entrepreneur who brings all the resources together under one roof. The main contrast between Gauthier’s market mechanism and Coase’s firms is that, individuals find is cheaper and more effective work in a hierarchical structure by forming a firm, rather than trading directly in the market. Ronald Coase quotes D.H. Robertson to provide an analogy for the existence of firms: â€Å"Islands of conscious power in this ocean of unconscious co-operation like lumps of butter coagulating in a pail of buttermilk.† Here, firms are the islands of conscious power, and the market is the ocean of unconscious co-operation, provides a good comparison for the two different mechanism. According to Gauthier’s, the utility maximizing buyers and sellers can individually profit more through operating directly through the market without the need for a hierarchical firm. In reality, the market is imperfect (i.e. utility cannot be maximized individually) and firms are the answer to these imperfections. Evaluation Gauthier’s view was not to prove that the market is perfect, but that if there was such a perfect market there would be no need for regulatory bodies or moral constraints. â€Å"Our concern is to show that morality has no place in an ideal context of interaction, not to claim that this ideal has direct practical application†, writes Gauthier. So his paper states the needlessness of morality in a perfectly competitive market, which does not exist in reality. Modern market is comprised of large corporations, which in turn disproves the idea that the market is not as perfect as Smith thought it to be. Adam Smith’s approach was to provide a simplistic answer to inefficient government intervention and bureaucracies, and to this day globalization, free market and specialization have been key to the success of our economy. Both Adam Smith’s and Ronald Coase’s literature have been put to question throughout, and their theories have been refined to meet the expectations of modern economics. However, their theories lay the fundamental groundwork for modern economic theory. The 2008 financial market crash is a great example of a situation where Smith’s â€Å"invisible hand† failed to protect the society’s welfare, where a handful of Wall Street investment firms fraudulently sold billions of dollars of worth securities to its clients, that lost its value overnight. The need for morality and external regulatory bodies, the existence of firms and modern corporate culture disproves the idea that the market is perfect. Bibliography Coase, Ronald. 1937. â€Å"The Nature of the Firm,† Economica, 4: 386-405 Gauthier, David. 1982. â€Å"No Need for Morality: The Case of the Competitive Market†. Philosophic Exchange, 3: 41-54

Contemporary management issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary management issues - Essay Example Taylor’s Scientific Management theory became popular not only in USA but also all over the world. But historians have shown the reaction of British engineers to the Scientific Management Theory in a wrong light (i.e. British engineers resented Taylor’s theory). In reality, British engineers did not completely disregard the theory and Taylor’s theory received praise and attention in Britain just like it had in America. This theory provided learning to British engineers and they greatly benefitted from it (Whitston, 1997). The crux of Taylor’s theory of Scientific Management is efficiency, which serves to be beneficial for the entrepreneur and the workers both. The logic behind this is quite simple as increased efficiency brings in more profits and the entrepreneur can give more wages to workers and will be left with a handsome amount after that. He also clarifies that the solution to inefficiency lies in systematic management, and searching for an extraordi nary man will not solve this problem. It was also claimed by him that management is a science confined within rules, laws and fundamentals (Jordan, 1994). But considering only the profits and wages dimensions of the benefits of efficiency is quite a narrow approach. Efficiency is far beyond both and it is achieved when each business unit is performing in the most efficient way possible and the workers are performing at the highest level of efficiency. Since efficiency has advantages to owners and workers both, it is also necessary that the goals of the two are in the same direction. There should be cooperation from the businessman’s end as well as the worker’s end. Taylor was ahead of his time and encouraged owners of businesses to have a democratic style, as opposed to an autocratic style. When owners let their employees voice their workplace problems, conflicts and opinions, a sense of belonging is instilled in employees and they work hard and own the organization. F rom the workers end, they should show diligence and honesty in work and negate the exaggerated notions of exploitation. Sometimes workers get the feeling that they are working hard so that the owner can make huge profits. What they fail to see is that their wages are linked to owner’s high profits. Efficiency in the production industry is not limited to the efficiency of workers only. In economics, productive efficiency is defined as producing a given output at the lowest cost possible or producing more output with the limited amount of resources. Taylor’s efficiency also incorporates minimum cost of machines, overheads, raw materials etc. When there is room for efficiency and an organization is not making use of it then it is only missing a profitable opportunity because higher efficiency leads to higher profits. Workers need to grow in order to attain efficiency. Workers grow and develop when owners invest in human capital through training, workshops and mentoring. T his empowers the workers and they are in a better position to be efficient. If Taylor’s Scientific Management is applied at macro level, then investment in human capital can increase the productive capacity of a nation because of higher overall efficiency. Sometimes efficiency does not increase even though a firm is investing in training. This is because workers deliberately loiter and there are hold-ups in the production process due to this. This term is known as ‘

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Final Exam - Essay Example The world had just experienced an economic depression and majority of the Germans had lost hope in recovering their lost funds that they had invested in stocks. The Nazism provided the much needed hope to help the citizens something which the Weimar government had failed to do. This attracted majority of the populations to the support of the Nazis hence they had a great following. Hitler then became even stronger by unification with the national conservatisms party in Germany which became a major power. The World War II was majorly caused by the aggression of countries such as Japan, Italy and Germany. This was majorly influenced by the economic depressions that had hit the country’s leading to high inflations in the economy. Majority of the citizens from this countries opted for military use to gain what they wanted. Japan military attacked China and even set up Manchukuo in China so that they could get access to the minerals to help their countries. This led to bombings in cities such Guangzhou that resulted into war crimes fuelling the world tensions. Invasions of Nazi attacks and the Soviet Union’s, for instance Germany attacked Poland and acquired Sudetenland of the Czech Republic without their consent. Italy on the other hand carried attacked on Austria and expanded into East Africa regions such Ethiopia to acquire wealth that made the League of Nations to announce them assailant. As a result, the Britain and France came in to help the vulnerable nations from ag gressions of the dictatorship regimes. This led to the rise of the Second World War II. However, this war could have been avoided if Britain and France had no soft spot for the hard-line positions held by Germany as they acquired other territories or if the European countries had addressed the economic depression that had affected the various nations. They had resources and always allowed

Market segmentation (finance) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market segmentation (finance) - Essay Example Given the analogy of a layer cake, product differentiation seeks to secure a layer of the cake, whereas segmentation seeks a wedge. Successful product development requires the utilization of both product differentiation and market segmentation. The former strategy adjusts or bends demand conditions to meet the sellers conditions. The latter represents a more precise adjustment of products and production to market conditions (Weinstein 32). Market segmentation often results from substantial growth. After markets are developed on some general basis, they reach the point where additional effort tends to yield diminishing returns, and attention is given to specific market segments that become large enough to be attractive. By cultivating specific market segments, companies seek to make use of a greater opportunity to maximize customer satisfactions. This maximization, in turn, results in the development of a more secure market position and posture. As products are designed to serve the needs of individual customers, they assume a special character and increase their distinctiveness. The closer the product is to the point of customer purchase, the more differentiated it becomes, and less flexibility is available to the manufacturer. For some products, the demand of an individual customer may be unique, and the product takes on rigidity (Weinstein 76). For instance, Adidas segments its market for sport professionals and non-professionals, women, men and children. Where possible, manufacturers would like to reduce risks by postponing differentiation as long as possible, and only incurring changes in form and product identity at the latest possible point in the flow of marketing. Because of this, particular attention is given to a discussion of new products, their adoption and diffusion processes, the product life cycle, and new-product failures. There are other significant demographic factors that affect consumption patterns. For example, if

Hans Morgenthau and Kenneth Waltz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hans Morgenthau and Kenneth Waltz - Essay Example According to the conventional view, realism is apprehensive with how the humankind is in contrast with the ideal situation, this is to mean that it is an empirical rather than normative paradigm. Realism views things from a pessimistic perspective since it emphasizes on the patterns of power politics that are dominant in the global political arena manifested through wars, recurring conflicts and rivalry among nations. Issues such as balance of power and security threats and measures are the main tools that the realism uses in the study of world politics; in addition, realists consider a state as the main player in international politics. Realism pays special attention to the most powerful states as they have a greater say in international politics compared to the less powerful states, the behaviour of these states usually dictates the patterns of international relations since they are considered rational egoists whose self interests come first. In the orthodox view, four differences are evident between classical realism and structural realism; the first difference is that while classical realism tries to locate the source of international conflict and wars to the imperfect nature of human beings, structural realism attributes these conflicts and wars to the anarchic nature of the international political system. The second difference is that while classical realism recognises the state as the most superior player in international relations, structural realism recognizes the role played by agents.... Realism pays special attention to the most powerful states as they have a greater say in international politics compared to the less powerful states, the behaviour of these states usually dictates the patterns of international relations since they are considered rational egoists whose self interests come first. In the orthodox view, four differences are evident between classical realism and structural realism; the first difference is that while classical realism tries to locate the source of international conflict and wars to the imperfect nature of human beings, structural realism attributes these conflicts and wars to the anarchic nature of the international political system. The second difference is that while classical realism recognises the state as the most superior player in international relations, structural realism recognizes the role played by agents. The third difference is that classical realism recognises the original super powers and the new powers in international rel ations while structural realism recognizes states as independent and unitary actors. The fourth difference is that while structural realism uses scientific methodology to study international relations which is influenced by the behaviourist revolution of the 1960’s, classical realism studies international relations based on based on an individual’s subjective valuations. Defining power Realism believes that the actions of a country are to a large extent determined by events that happen in the international arena. Hans Morgenthau defines power as the anything that gives a man control over another person; this includes both physical aggression and psychological manipulation of the subjects. According to Hans, the most important material

Surveys and The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Assignment

Surveys and The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) - Assignment Example For example, in a survey carried out to understand the social forces that lead to crime, a criminologist may sample 3,000 inmates from a population of 2 million inmates in a region. The responses of the 3000 inmates represent the whole population allowing generalization (Vito et al., 2006). Question 2 There are several types of surveys. For example, there are self-report surveys, cross-sectional surveys and counting crime surveys. A self-report survey is designed to describe, in detail, participants’ recent and lifetime participation in criminal activity. These are given anonymously in groups; so that people being surveyed are assured that their responses are confidential. Secrecy and anonymity are essential to maintain the honesty and validity of responses (Siegel 2011). Counting crime is a type of survey where victim surveys are carried out. People are asked about victimization to provide a measure of crime that adjusts for some of the limitations of data collected by the po lice. Its purpose is to provide important data about the volume of crime ia a region. A cross-sectional survey is representative of all members of the community. For instance, a survey on all students attending university is cross-sectional as all community members are represented. This type of survey is useful as it a cost effective way of measuring the characteristics of a large population of people (Vito et al., 2006). Question 3 Respondents of a survey need assurance that the information they give will be kept private and confidential, and that it will not be used against them. To ensure privacy, the researcher should keep confidential information about the respondent apart from the survey results both electronically and physically. The information should only be accessed by authorized persons and protected by codes and passwords. Using ranges rather than exact figures for potentially identifying details in a research prevents recognition. Permanent destruction of information th at is no longer needed in the study also ensures privacy (Siegel, 2011). Question 4 Bias refers to any property of a question that encourages the respondent to answer in a particular way and not the other. To avoid bias, researchers should imagine how they would feel giving each of the answers they give to the respondents. If they would feel embarrassed, perverted, inhumane or stupid, then they should reconsider whether the respondents will answer those questions. They should also be wary of social desirability that makes people give answers that will make them look good in the face of others. In a survey, the questions and methods are standardized for all subjects and thus uniformity is unaffected by the perceptions or bias of the surveyor. Carefully drawn samples from a survey enable researchers to generalize their findings from small groups to large populations. Although most surveys measure subjects at a single point in their lifespan, questions can elicit information on subject s’ past behavior as well as their expectations of future behaviors. Avoiding negation in a questionnaire item prevents misinterpretation which may lead to biasness in a survey (Siegel, 2011). Question 5 The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is a comprehensive, nationwide survey of victimization in the United States. This was established in 1973 to address the issue

The Legal Drinking Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Legal Drinking Age - Essay Example The country does allow its citizen to do everything else like voting or marrying but they are forbidden to take alcohol until they turn 21. The legal age has always been a subject of discussion but it seems right to believe that if a person is old enough to take part in a war then is definitely old enough to drink as well. In the US, a person is considered adult when he turns 18 years of age. However, it is not legal to drink until a person turns 21. This does not make much sense. When a person can own a car, marry at will and make up his or her mind to adopt or abort children at the age of 18 then he or she should be given the right to drink at the same age where he or she can perform all these different activities as mentioned above (Hanson, 2013). Adults can make the right and wise choices for themselves. It is not right and fair that the government has placed a restriction on drinking up to the age of 21 when people are considered mentally and physically matures at 18 years of age. At 18 years of age young adults can vote and go to war in the United States of America. This means that the government believes that they have the ability to think in order to choose the right candidate or politician to run the country (Thio, 2011). If people have the ability to understand the vision of the politician and they are in the position to understand their body and to consume alcohol to their needs. Placing restrictions on young adults who can vote for the better future of the United States of America by voting but cannot consume alcohol only contradicts the judgment of the law-enforcing agencies in the country. If they are big enough to vote then they are big enough to drink alcohol (Thio, 2011). More confusing is the fact that in the United States of America an 18-year-old young adult could go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan but cannot drink a mug of beer.  

Business Research proposal and Questionnaire Essay

Business Research proposal and Questionnaire - Essay Example Companies usually use talent – movie actors, models, athletes or famous people for endorsement (Bergestrà ¶m & Skà ¤rfstad, 2004). Not just the large firms, even smaller companies with limited budget use sports and athletes to promote their products. I will look into the benefits that companies derive from such endorsement. A celebrity is defined as "an individual who is known to the public (i.e., actor, sports figure, entertainer, etc.) for his or her achievements in areas other than that of the product class endorsed" (cf., Friedman and Friedman 1979 cited by Kamins, Brand, Hoeke & Moe, 1989). Celebrities exert their influence on the consumers through perceived attributes such as expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness, familiarity, and likeability and hence celebrity endorsement becomes more attractive when images or the characteristics of the celebrity match the endorsed product (Choi, Lee & Kim 2005). The use of celebrities for product endorsement was on the rise in the late 1970s. While it was estimated that 15 percent of prime time television commercials featured celebrities in 1975, by 1978 it was reported to be over 20 percent (Kamins, Brand, Hoeke & Moe, 1989). On the other hand, according to a report published in Campaign (2007) a survey revealed that only 16 percent of the people would buy products that had celebrity endorsement. Since 2001 the number of television ads featuring celebrities has been steadily increasing as the budgets have tightened and researchers not sure to what extent celebrities make a difference to the sales. Marketing Week (2006) suggests that when celebrities are used to endorse a product, people quickly forget the product that has been endorsed and the celebrity becomes the focus of attention while ECM (2007) suggests celebrity trend is already weakening in the US. Cross-cultural studies also suggest that celebrities with worldwide recognition in advertising is an effective means of

Pharmaceutical microbiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pharmaceutical microbiology - Essay Example Development and maintenance of a sterile compounding are complete with sterilized equipment and supplies. Aseptic technique is a means of manipulating sterile products without contaminating them. Proper use of a LAH and strict aseptic technique are the most important factors in preventing the contamination of sterile products Contamination is a basic in introduction of antibiotic resulting into need for aseptic techniques .the techniques is designed to prevent access of the drug by the unnecessary substances and this is a risk associated with contamination which may include; The air, air that is not sterilize may contain bacteria e.g. micrococci, bacillus and clostridium. And these are pathogenic and may access the drug during production; the staff involved may also risk the drug by introducing bacteria especially which may eject droplets into the air compromising the properties of the drug. The skin may be contaminated especially most of the hand s by handling non sterilize product which are not sterilize and machines and these may then transfer the pathogen to the drug during preparation risking its purity. The clothing used during aseptic preparation should be sterilized less they risk the status of the products they produce, before starting the production, the laundry should be done to eliminate the dust that may be carried into the preparation room and the sleeve should be rolled above the elbow so that they do not pick any foreign bodies from surfaces which are not clean. Before taking any procedure in preparation in the production room through aseptic, the surfaces of the working benches should be sterilized using a bactericidal solution to minimize the risk that the drug may be exposed to. Sealing reduces the risk of the drug to contamination, used of fused ampules is much preferred which are the sterilized after sealing ,the product is then expected to remain

Bacterial Morphology Essay Example for Free

Bacterial Morphology Essay Question A and C answers. A wet mount stain is when a drop of water is placed onto the microscope slide. The water on the slide helps to support the organism and sample. The water fills the space between the cover slip and the slide. This action allows the light from the microscope to pass through the slide and the sample for better visualization of the organisms. A direct stain occurs when a charged color portion of a basic dye like methylene blue combines with the negatively charged portion of and organism allowing the bacterium to become directly stained. In direct staining, the organisms must be fixed by a process such as heat. Fixing the slide prevents the organism form washing off the slide before visualization. This is accomplished by passing a smear of the bacteria through flame. The heat sets the proteins of the organism thus causing the bacteria to attach to the slide. The organism can become damaged from the setting process and the use of heat prior to staining. In indirect staining, the negatively charged colored portion of an acidic dye is repelled by the negatively charged bacterial cell wall. This causes the background to be stained while leaving the organism’s cell wall to remain colorless and unstained. Question B answers Specific bacterial morphologies noted in exercise one come from the spiral bacteria sample. The shape appears to be corkscrew in nature and vary in length throughout the sample slide. The length varies but the width seems to be uniform. The color most likely arises from the stain used to allow for better visualization of the organism. The Bacillus sample has no discernable morphology and appears as round ended, and cylindrical shaped in nature. The organisms have a black tint which is probably related to the type of statin used for visualization of the organism. Question C Bullet 1 The direct smear sample and the indirect smears shown were different in appearance based on the staining method. The Direct Smear stained slides showed that the cells picked up the dye and were stained for better visualization as well as for differentiation of organisms viewed. The Indirect smears showed visualization of organisms and cells unstained and were visually different from the direct smear. Question D The plaque smears are somewhat circular in areas and irregular in other areas. The appearance is unlike the yeast slide. The plaque smear cells appear to contain a discernable nucleus which is absent in the yeast slide. The yeast smear shows uniformity in the shapes and sizes of the sample provided. The plaque smear shows irregularity in shape but a significant difference in the size of the sample cells provided. Question E I was unable to obtain an oral swab from my cheek but was able to visualize the slide provided and base my response on it. The cheek smear sample shows cells that are irregular in shape and in size. The cells appear to have a darker center which is located in differing regions from cell to cell. The samples appear to be clustered in together and tightly packed. The plaque smears are circular in areas and are in differing patterns and shape compared to the cheek cells. The plaque smears are round and differ in size. The cheek cells are differing in shapes and packed close together. Reference Hands-on-Labs. (2012). A Laboratory Manual of Small-Scale Experiments for the Independent Study of Microbiology. Englewood, CO. Available from www.labpaq.com

Social Problems: Causes and Solutions

Social Problems: Causes and Solutions Introduction Sociology seeks to discover, describe and explain the order which characterises the social life of man (Inkeles, 1964 cited in McNeil and Townley, p.21).Various attempts have been made to define social problems; however there is no adequate definition of social problems. Birenbaum and Sagarin defined social problems as, ‘’ A social problems exists when the collective society is rent by, at the very least a public recognition that there is a sector of society, represented by its practices, which threatens or prevents others or themselves from establishing or maintaining their claims to membership’’ (Birenbaum and Sagarin, p.16). Rubington and Weinberg, offers their own definition of social problem as, ‘’an alleged situation that is incompatible with the values of a significant number of people who agree that action is needed to alter the situation’’ (Rubington and Weinberg, 1989 p.4). The definition of any problem as a social probl em, means that it is a problem that requires that affects society as a whole and needs society to come together to deal with the problem (May, et al eds 2001 p.17) Social problems are approached from a constructive perspective and a realist perspective. Saragu develops a social constructive approach to the intersection of social divisions and policy, Bucchi on the other hand develops an introduction to the post structuralist critique of problem and policy centred approach (May, et al eds (2001 p.13). Constructive perspective of social problems looks at social problems three main aspects; namely the society constructs as a problem, the contested character of social construction and the changing character of social construction (May, et al eds 2001 p.8) A realist perspective looks at social problems as real problems that exist and which everyone agrees to their existence and requires explanation. The constructive perspective on the other hand, looks at social problems as a constructio n of society. The question they ask is who says there is a social problem what sort of social problem, do they say it is (May, et al eds (2001). The main issue between the different perspectives of social problem is whether social problems are factual and objective for sociologists to investigate and explain. This essay will look at social problems and the difficulty of solving them. I will start by looking at common factors relating to social problems. Common factors relating to social problems All social problems are prone to a number of different definitions and interpretations. The journalist looks at a social problem from a perspective different from that of a sociologist or a philosopher. The journalist may report a problem in a certain manner, there by actually exaggerating the real problem and causing further alarm in the society. Sociologist will interpret a social problem from a different perspective. Different explanations of social problems are another common factor relating to all social problems. People usually do have different explanation why social problems occur. Society is always looking for whom to blame for a social problem. They always attribute the cause of a problem to the individual, family or the government. How a problem is presented, is another common factor relating to social problems. The press do play a role in this regard. Journalists are interested in sensational news which they feel will interest the public. Issues are termed social problems, when they are brought to the knowledge of the public and they become part of the public discourse Professional intervention is another fact common to social policies. Professionals in our society are quick to label people, that they believe do not conform to ‘standard normal behaviour’, they more often than not marginalise such people and segregate them, (e.g.) special schools, special needs. The victims view point is another factor that is common in all social problems. There is a world of difference between the way a victim sees himself and the way society views him. Society stereotypes certain people. We all have our prejudices, knowingly or unknowingly. The way the society views homeless people is different from the way homeless people view themselves. Finally, how to find the solution to social problems is an element that is common to all social problems. There is no generally accepted way, social problems can be solved. Some solutions can be very complex, while others appear straight forward. Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) was introduced as a straight forward solution to deal with anti social behaviour. However, many young people now regard ASBO as a badge of honour (The Guardian, Monday November 6 2006). To tackle the issue of juvenile crimes and ethnic groups will require complex situations. Causes of Social Problems Generally speaking a perspective means a way of looking at things. I will now briefly look at the causes of social problems from different perspectives. I will first look at the individual perspective. Some commentators argue that criminals were abnormally conditioned by biological and environmental factors (Rubington and Weinberg, 1989 p.33). Others however argue that causes of social problems are due mainly to the society/ environment and not due to the physiological make up of individuals. However, certain actions of individuals or groups are so glaring that they causes of social problems are directly attributed to them. Another reason why social problems occur is due to peer group or family pressure. Disagreement between individuals or groups in a society can also lead to social problems. This is called the interaction perspective. Fall out between different cultures and religion in a society is a reason why social problems occur. People are usually influenced by their culture and religion. Some people are very fanatic in their views and believe and see some one of a different faith or race as different from them. This can to a lot of social problems. Social structures are the very basic foundation of any society, and it is a major reason why social problems occur. Some individuals or group might feel excluded from the social, economic or political structures of society. The social structures of society might be designed in such a way that they shut off or marginalise certain segments of their society, usually minority groups. Added to this is that government interferences and policies, might cause social problems, as they may favour certain segments of the society while excluding others. Examples of Social Problems Poverty Poverty has so many definitions. Poverty is powerlessness. It has so many faces and it is changing from place to place and across time (World health Organization, 2001). Absolute poverty is disenabling. It means that one can not afford the basic human requirement. By this, I mean that it robs one of many things in life, including his dignity and pride. Relative deprivation means that one is not keeping up with the standards in a given city. Poverty is one of the major reasons why people are excluded from the political, social and economic structures of society (Maxwell and Kenway, 2001). Poverty is usually constructed by a distinction between normal people, and those that are poor. The constructive perspective of poverty does not deny the existence of poverty, but that only some people at some time and in some place will be labelled as being in poverty May, et al eds 2001 p.7) A realist perspective will look at poverty as objectively describable and will attempt to offer an explanati on. Juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency is a complex, serious problem. The cause of this problem includes peer pressure and the failure of our social structures, among others. However it is not a new phenomenon. In 1880, the penologist Enoch Wines, wrote, ‘’ Delinquent children, the criminals of the next generation, must be prevented from pursuing their criminal carers; they are born to it, brought up to it. They must be saved’’ (Wines, 1880, p.132 cited in McNeil and Townley, p.21-27). We can not overstate, the fact that Juvenile delinquency is a huge social problem today. The government have tried to deal with it, with legislation, cumulating in the crime and disorder Act 1998, Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO) and parenting orders. However, the media seem to be giving a lot of attention to delinquent youths and portraying them as monsters and race and gender issues have not adequately been looked in to. There is also a difference of opinions on how the problem can be sol ved. The realist perspective will acknowledge the existence of the problem, while a constructive perspective, will view it as a construction of society. Ethnicity and Social problems Ethnicity generally refers to a group’s attachment to a particular area and sharing a peculiar way of life. Racism is when a group of people are treated differently because of their colour. There have been ethnic and racial problems in our society. The media have played a part in upping ethnic tension in the UK. Race riots have flared in some parts of the UK. There have also been reported increases in race attacks. Our institutions, particularly the police and the media have been branded institutionally racist. People from ethnic minority are more likely to be stopped and searched by the police and they are more likely to be socially, economically and politically excluded, more than white people. They are also more likely to be projected as social problems. The cause of ethnic tension is usually an unfounded fear that diversity is a threat to the dominant group in society. The realist perspective will acknowledge the existence of this problem and will seek an explanation for i t. The constructive perspective will view the issue as a construction by society. Single parents Single parents are a social phenomenon now regarded as a social problem because they are believed to have an impact on our values. They tend to impact directly on society, socially, economically, and ideologically. Single parents become a problem, when they cost the state a lot. A good number of single parents depend on state benefits. Fathers are usually absent, and do not contribute towards the upkeep of the children. The social cost of absent fathers can not be overlooked (Dennis and Erdos, 1993). The government have put in place legislation namely the 1989 Children’s Act and the 1991 Child Support Act to deal with the problem. Conclusion Social problems are hard to solve. They seem to be ingrained in the complex web of unwanted state intervention, reckless forms of individual behaviour and economic factors. Social problems have no commonly accepted forms of definition, but they all have common factors that relate to them. In the problems that I listed above, they are all seen from different perspectives and given different explanations. It depends on who is viewing the problem. The media and the government also contribute to making social problems hard to solve. Some social problems might be downplayed and others blown out of proportion. Some times the intervention of the government and experts may worsen a problem as they tend to look at the problem form their own point of view, without taking the point of view of individual or groups suffering the problems directly in to consideration. Individuals can also make social problems difficult to solve. They may mislead the government by providing incorrect data. Economic factors do play a part. The government might not see some social problems as a top priority for them to solve and thus will not earmark enough funds to tackle the problem. Sometimes, the government may not have the political will to solve certain social problems. Some social problems are interwoven in to our social, political and economic structure, that to solve them, we will need to dismantle our entire structure. Finally, there is no generally accepted way to solve social problems. Some solutions appear easy, while others appear complex, but you can not be certain, that the proffered solution will solve the problem. Bibliography Bilton et al eds (2002) Introduction to Sociology, Fourth Edition, Macmillan, London Dennis, N and Erdos, N (1993) Families without fatherhood, Institute for the study of civil society, London Downes, D Rock, P (1995) Understanding Deviance, Oxford University Press, New-York Fulcher, J Scot, J (2006) Sociology, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford Levin, J, Innis, K, Carroll, W Bourne, R (2000) Social Problems, causes, consequences, Interventions, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, new-York Maxwell, S and Kenway, P (2001) The Challenge of Ending rural poverty, Oxford University Press, Oxford May, et al eds (2001) Understanding Social problems, Blackwell Publishers, McNeill, P Townley, C (1986) Fundamentals of Sociology, Second Edition, Hutchinson, London Raab, E Selznick (1964), Major Social Problems, Paterson and Company, Evanston, Illinois Rubington, E Weinberg, (1989) The Study of Social Problems, Fourth Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford Rubington, E and Weinberg, M (1989) The Study of Social Problems, Oxford University Press, New-York Spector, M Kitsuse, J (2000) Constructing Social Problems, Transaction, New-Jersey Pop Art Movement: A Summary Pop Art Movement: A Summary Pop Art: A Reactionary Realism by American art critic Donald Kuspit underscores his view that to the extent that Pop-art was was a realistic movement, it ridiculed expressionism and was politically reactionary due to the fact that it approved? Of art on the status quo? By embracing? And celebrating Images of American mass media and popular culture. (Walker 2009) In attempt to bring art back into American daily life, the Pop-art movement depicted elements of popular culture by using common everyday objects, chiefly advertising and product packaging, television and comic strips. The images are portrayed with a blend of humour, criticism and irony. Through this, the movement ascertained the position of art into everyday and contemporary life. It assisted in decreasing the gap between high art and low art and abolished the distinction between fine art and commercial art methods. The Pop-art movement rebuffed the abstract style because of its cultured? And aristocratic nature. (World Wide Art Resources 2009) It was during the 1980s that there was a renewal of interest in the Pop-art of the well known Andy Warhol and contemporaries, this resurgence of interest was known as neo-Pop. Adapted from its forefathers, contemporary Pop-art consists of a reworked form; a revival of identifiable celebrities and objects from popular culture with icons and symbols of the current times. (Art History Archive n.d.) Contemporary Pop-art lends from the past, maintaining the critical evaluation of Western culture, relationships, values and interactions. It frequently satirises celebrities and candidly embraces ideas that are challenging and controversial. Although the bombardment upon society of Popular culture and advertising has become significantly greater since the Pop-art movement began, I believe that the critiques of Pop-art are not appropriate to the original nor the contemporary Pop-art scene. Pop-artists artists have continually been engaged in a crucial dialogue with mass culture. They are noted for exploiting these increasingly despised images of mass culture in order to facilitate the critical examination of the effects of consumerism on human thought, emotion and creativity and challenging our assumptions about the purpose and identity of art in a world inundated with media images and messages (University of Virginia 2006), as the following examples by contemporary artists will demonstrate. (expand on this?) Jeff Koons is perhaps the most renowned Pop-artist of the current day. He addresses societys fixation with Pop culture and counteracts the division between appearance and reality, surface and depth, and art and commodity (reword more?)Koons forms his art pieces on consumer products and manipulates everyday objects in order to overemphasise mass-produced cultural objects while uncovering the nuances of marketing. In difference to his 1960s forbearers, Koons desire is to remark on societies psychological investment in consumerism and how these consumer products are fabricated to allure. (Art Knowledge News n.d.) Jeff Koons first exhibition was titled Equilibrium, which was displayed in 1985. One of the defining features of this decade was the forceful growth of consumerism. For this exhibition he produced a series of works displaying consumer items in glass cases. In Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Fig 1), three basketballs were suspended in a glass case, surrounded by authentic Nike posters displaying basketball players in positions of power. The posters in the work represent sport as a means to achieve fame and fortune for young working-class Americans. The posters almost exclusive use of black athletes not just as stars, but in roles associated with elevated power and respect is a comment on the traditional social system that in reality refutes this power or respect to a large majority of African-Americans. According to Koons, the suspended basketballs also suggest death and fame, the ultimate states of existence. (Tate Collection n.d.) Koons Made in Heaven (Fig 2) series is a collection of overtly sexually explicit photographs and sculptures featuring the artist in moments of sexual passion and intimacy with his then pornstar wife Cicciolina. The exuberant images were first displayed during the 1990 Venice Biennale, among more conventional forms of expression. The series produced both shock and excitement among audiences, and stirred much controversy in the art world with a scandalous subject matter that pushed the limits of twentieth century censorship. Although pornography has been a widely acknowledged aspect of society, it deemed controversial because it is a form of Popular culture that was and still remains taboo in polite company. Koons is notorious for testing the boundaries of acceptable taste; his intention in Made in Heaven was to critically examine love, romance and sexual desire, involving the viewer by making them a contributor to the artwork, as most pornography necessitates an outside viewer to be c lassified as such. (Christies 2009)The Made in Heaven series was also in part a response to The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, by the fifteenth century painter Massacio. Koons remarks, In The Expulsion, theres all this guilt and shame that were on Adam and Eves faces, and I wanted to make a body of work that was about guilt and shame and the importance of removing that, so that people could have transcendence over guilt and shame in their own history. (Nance 2010) Made for part of his Banality series, is Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) (Fig 3), a six feet long ceramic gilded white and gold statue depicting mega Pop-star Michael Jackson with his pet monkey Bubbles, immortalised as cultic and sacred personalities in an idealised state. Its initially blatantly kitsch appearance gives way to reveal its hyper-realistic approach to evoke the fragility of modern days most eminent star. The situation illustrated in the piece deals with societys idolisation and the ever more bizarre media narrative of Michael Jacksons life. Koons states, It really wasnt so much about Michael Jackson. It was about celebrity status, and about hopes, ideals, hierarchies that are placed on structures which take human form. (Nance 2010) Michael Jackson is the archetype of the glamorous, eccentric tragic and ambivalent and Koons encourages numerous interpretive possibilities. (Astrup Fearnly Museum n.d.) An additional example of a contemporary Pop-artist is American sculptor, Daniel Edwards. His sculptures deal with celebrity and Pop culture in a manner that frequently rouses controversy. The release of his works are usually paired with a press release. (Capla Kesting Fine Art n.d.) While frequently denigrated for his use of celebrity, Edwards artwork are also acknowledged as prophetic and consistent in their capacity for humanising social issues that the media and public have difficulty addressing. Autopsy of Paris Hilton (2007) (Fig 4) was produced as a confrontational and graphic interactive display to communicate to the young the dangers of drink driving. The sculpture is life-sized and depicts Paris Hilton sprawled on a bench with her legs splayed. In one hand she clutches her mobile phone whilst in the other is a glass of wine, in this sculpture she has supposedly died as a result of her drink driving, in which in reality she has been convicted of on numerous occasions. The public are encouraged to remove her innards through a cavity in her abdomen, giving a coroners perspective. Contained within this cavity is also her uterus containing twin dead foetuses, which Edwards says is to bring attention to the teen pregnancy crisis. The sculpture is an attempt to de-glamorise the life of a diva and partier which Hilton is renowned for.(Rayme 2007) The sculpture perhaps also alludes to the cult which is celebrities and their every occurrence and the media and publics unquenchable hunger to get as close as possibly to their idols. Daniel Edwards Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston (2006) (Fig 5), portrays celebrity Britney Spears in a position of natural birth, whereas in fact she gave birth to her son via c-section and was heavily drugged. The piece created much political debate. According to Edwards it promotes pro-life. At its reveal he called his piece an image of birth and mentioned that it was a new take on the pro-life perspective. He states that pro-lifers generally endorse bloody images of abortion and his aim is to generate debate about a topic that is as he states greater than either pro-life and pro-choice advocates. (Rayme 2007) Japanese artist Masumasa Morimura is a well-known example of appropriating worldwide recognised images taken from mass media and popular culture In my view, there can be no generalisation about the quality, meaning and social significance of works of art, given the discrepancies of aesthetic responses and interpretations. Furthermore, Donald Kuspits view expressed in his article suffers owing to the fact that he assumes that artists should be critics of society rather than witnesses or simply narrators of it. Kuspit is an example of a critic who universalises his personal opinion of Pop-art and delivers his judgement whilst ignoring other responses to Pop. (Walker 2009) Pop art was and still remains one of the most popular styles of art, it was successful in communicating to the general public in a mode in which few art movements did or have since done. (Encyclopedia of World Art n.d.) The reality that Pop-art is effective in generating such a broad range of responses is a tribute to its at first seemingly ambiguous character, a testament that it is more complex and diverse than some critics have accepted, and an indication that it is not as trivial and straightforward as some commentators believe. (Walker 2009)

Rational Choice and Deterrence Theory

Rational Choice and Deterrence Theory Since Marchese Beccaria who, as one of the first mentioned that the real purpose of punishment is is no other than to prevent the criminal from doing further injury to society, and prevent others from committing the like offense (Baccaria 1764), many researchers as well as general community have begun to concentrate on the notion of personal choice when explaining what pushes offenders to commit crimes. Rational Choice Theory became one of the most popular concepts which support the deterrence philosophy. Although, the association between those two theories was welcomed by many, it also had its critiques and opponents. In this paper, I will explain how and to what degree, Rational Choice Theory supports the concept of deterrence. I will also discuss some of the contradictory theories and criminal behaviors that do not support Rational Choice Theory and state my opinion on consequences that this study may embrace on guilty mind concept which is, according to the criminal law, one of t he necessary elements of the crime. The concept of Rational Choice Theory is rooted in the analysis of human behavior that was established by Italian scholar named Marchese Beccaria. The main point of his examination describes the human being as a rational actor who calculates rationality using ends and means formula. According to Beccaria People (freely) choose all behavior, both conforming and deviant, based on their rational calculations, the central element of calculation involves a cost benefit analysis: Pleasure versus Pain, (Beccaria 1764). In his line of reasoning, Beccaria determined that in order to prevent the criminal or wrongdoing behavior, the form of punishment equivalent to the severity of crime committed should be implemented. The concept of punishing criminals in accordance to the crime they have committed in order not only to prevent the criminal from committing the similar act in the future(special deterrence), but also to warn the general public of the possible consequences of such behavior(general deterrence), became known as Deterrence Theory. In todays world of criminal justice, it is still seen as one of the most important aspect in the whole idea of punishment. Due to the failure of rehabilitative theories and major increase in crime rates in 1970s and 1980s, the concept of free, rational choice, based on the calculation of cost and benefits began to interest criminologist and researchers across the country. Examination of illegal decision making process began to be perceived as the key to understanding the real purpose of crime and what motivates it. During those years, Modern Rational Choice Theory emerged. Contemporary criminologist began to rely on the idea which claimed that threat of punishment tends to deter the individual from wrongdoing just as rewards tend to encourage pleasing behavior. Because of this new trend of thinking, many laws that increased mandatory sentences for numerous crimes, mainly those drug-related have been passed and executed. Did wide use of deterrence as the tool of discouraging people from committing crimes accomplished its initial goal? The answer is double sided. Violent crime rates began to indeed, drop i n mid-1990s as well as did drug offences. It was however, also due to changes in many other aspects like increase police recruitment across the country, good economic prosperity that discourages criminal behavior as well as change in mentality of people that had been subjects to violent behaviors. On the negative side, because of the fact that mandatory sentences for non-violent, drug related offences were increased significantly, the prison population also augmented significantly burdening the pockets of taxpayers. As this happened, more and more researchers began to criticize the method of punishment supported by Rational Choice Theory. Does fear of severe punishment really discourage criminals from committing crimes? Wasnt it only the philosophy of Rational Choice Theory of punishment that put the concept of deterrence in such an advantaged position in our criminal justice system and which still has such a massive impact on current crime control policy? Without any doubt, the strong connections between these two makes both theories stand out and seem very balanced and reasonable. However, as the frustration caused by some of the negative effects of their usage increased, contradictory theories began to emerge. Moreover, some criminal behaviors such as rapes and even in some cases, murders seem not to be positively affected by increased punishment as the form of deterrence for these crimes. Rational Choice Theory differs from many other criminal theories mainly because of its main principal that defines crime as a solely individual choice. The concept does not focus on other, crucial factors like individual traits, criminal associations and inner strains that may also play a huge role in pushing an individual to committing certain crimes. One of the most known models that oppose the Rational Choice Theory is Classical Theory introduced by Clarke and Cornish. Both authors agree that, while committing the crime, people are not perfectly rational and in some cases they are completely unreasonable. Moreover, they touch upon the costs and benefits of crime very broadly including only official and unperturbed permissions. According to their views, A range of factors influence and individuals estimates of costs and benefits of crime: self-control, moral beliefs, strains, emotional state, association with delinquent peers.(Clarke and Cornish, 1986). In addition, many researcher s have also found that the severity of punishment is far less important for potential criminal as oppose to certainty of that punishment. Some extreme opponents of Rational Choice Theory even believe that, People are not usually aware of certainty and severity of punishment for the area in which they live, therefore increasing certainty of punishment may reduce crime, but the effect will be short-lived and localized.(Class PPT). This opinion creates another argument which indeed questions and doubts the entire purpose of severe punishment as a successful method of deterrence and it is valid to a large extent. Besides the theoretical aspects that oppose the Rational Choice Theory, there are many practical ones that are against it as well. According to numerous scholars, individuals are much less likely to be affected by initial benefits of certain crime when they are intoxicated or mentally disturbed. Many people that commit crime are very low in self-control and often perceive the crime as simply not wrong. These individual however, are more likely to be discouraged from doing something illegal by the threat of punishment. Another study suggest that, the more severe the punishment is for a certain crime, the less likely it is for jury to execute a specific sentence; therefore it seems that as severity of the crime increases, certainty of harsh sentence decreases. If one would want to push the rational choice model to its extent, he or she may even argue that more severe and direct the punishment for the crime is in combination with negative experiences with law enforcement may actually increase the likelihood of subsequent crime. In todays world, where the access to illegal substances and alcohol is still fairly easy and domestic violent rates are still high, one could assume, without a big doubt, that offenders often commit crimes on an impulse, while intoxicated or under some emotional or mental pressure caused by, for example bad financial situation or difficult, inner family condition. What many call crime overload is certainly another problem. As crime rates increase, police forces are strained and the certainty of possible arrest decreases. As crime rates decline, police activity usually strengthens and certainty of arrest increases. The fundamental apparatus is what should be examined here. Does certainty of possible arrest daunts individual from committing a crime or does the small level of crime increase certainty? According to researchers like Marcus Felson, Stephan Pfohl and Alan Liska, some crimes and deviant behaviors, especially those considered capital offences like murder or rape with additional bodily harm are not affected by more severe punishment. The above mentioned scholars argue that capital punishment shows that anticipated, overall deterrent effect may not be present. As Pfohl claims, There appears to be little, if any, difference in rates of capital offenses between states which impose the death penalty and those that do not. In fact, an inverse correlation has been documented; when states abolish the death penalty a corresponding drop in capital crimes is reported (Pfohl, , 1994). Finally, issue regarding the effectiveness of deterrent policies and particularly the suitability of incapacitation and revenge bring up moral and official worries. How far do we really want to go in punishing criminals? Is incapacitation the most concrete use of common capitals? Looking at the widesp read understanding among criminologists that considers aging out as one of the most important elements of crime process, increasing mandatory sentences for all crimes that are believed to have been committed by perfectly rational individuals who have accurately weighted out all the costs and benefits of the crime they wished to commit, the incapacitation alone seems merely impractical. Without proper rehabilitation these individuals are very likely to commit these crimes again in the future. Great example of the modern use of punishment in accordance with Rational Choice Theory is present in the files from Atkins vs. Virginia Court Case that took place in the year 2000. Despite the fact that Atkins was diagnosed as mildly-retarded with a full IQ of 59, he was sentenced to death for committing crimes of armed robbery and murder. The case was particularly controversial because many believed that under 8th amendment which prohibits Cruel Punishment, Atkins shouldnt be sentenced to death but rather to long imprisonment. After the verdict was released, many scholars, lawyers and policy makers began to ask themselves what is the real role of 8th amendment after all? It seemed as in our country, pressure of public opinion and swiftness of prosecutors may push some cases above the supreme law of our land. I believe that the criminal research that evaluates the deterrence with the connection to the Rational Choice Theory may hold many consequences for one of the most important and valued standards in criminal law-mens rea, or in other words guilty mind. The main concept of guilty mind standard requires that a person cannot be convicted of a crime unless that person intended to commit that crime. Unfortunately, when looking at the case described above, I am wretched to admit that mens rea isnt always executed and respected. The study assessed in this paper, proves that a big portion of all crimes is committed by individuals that arent fully aware of their actions, as in the case when they are intoxicated or under tremendous mental strain. Moreover, many mentally disturbed and/or retarded criminals, even though conscious about the fact that they are taking part in criminal act, are often influenced by others who are often brains of entire process of wrongdoing. Atkins involvement in the murder for which he was sentenced to death is a great example of such situation. The measure of someones guilt is perhaps the most important factor in determining the appropriate sentence for crime that has been committed. How do we measure someones guilt? It is the moment that the principal of mens rea comes into play. Mens rea represents the amount of intend that an individual had while committing his offence. If we took Rational Choice Theory and traditional Mens rea concept and combine them together, we would get one of the most sophisticated and perfectly formulated theories that deal with understanding of criminal behavior. It could be written as follows, Since the criminal is a perfectly rational human being who, while committing the crime is fully aware of what he/she is doing and decides that benefits that will come from the crime outweigh the costs associated with punishment for this crime, than this person is guilty without the smallest doubt, intend is 100% in all the cases. As much as I would wish this theory was correct, it only reflects a utopian d ream in which all crimes and consequential punishments for them are perfectly clear and comprehensible. Reality however, is totally different and much more complex. To understand the importance of theories such as Rational Choice Theory one must often think outside the box. While the theory itself is quiet practical and compelling, without taking into consideration other aspects of crime and criminal behavior mentioned earlier in this paper, it becomes completely useless and invalid. It is because of the principal of mens rea that we need so many people in our courtrooms today, beginning with prosecutors, judges and jury, ending with psychologist, forensic scientists and psychiatrists in order to solve cases, especially those that involve murder. It is often very difficult to measure someones guilt and intend to commit such offence as murder looking solely on the crime itself and basing the explanation for it on Rational Choice Theory. Concurring with other critiques of the Rational Choice Theory I believe that the theory alone is quite misleading and all those who support it fully should consider studying it with comparison to mens rea or compare it to other counter theories like Classical Theory. If we want to respect principals of our criminal law which mens rea is a great example of, we should definitely stop the ongoing process of generalization and simplification of our legal norms and standards and apply and more ethical and just standards of practicing la w in our courtrooms.

An Analysis of the Los Angeles County Hospital Emergency Room Essay

An Analysis of the Los Angeles County Hospital Emergency Room Learning Team Operations Management Plan The problem of emergency department overcrowding has become an important issue for many emergency departments throughout the city and county of Los Angeles. Patients frequently have to wait hours just to get into the emergency department to be seen by a physician or other healthcare professionals. The problem does not seem to be getting better as times goes on, but indeed studies seem to indicate that the condition is growing worse. At a local Los Angeles County Hospital (King Drew Medical Center) emergency department, we found that the problem is especially severe. Patients are forced to wait as long as 8-12 hours to be seen and treated by physicians. This paper will propose a plan that will help to alleviate this critical problem of emergency department overcrowding and long patients waits for services. Problem Statement There is a nationwide shortage of emergency room space and an increased demand for emergency services. Public health officials, hospital executives, and doctors are increasingly concerned about emergency department ''boarding," because of the potential impact on both patient safety and staff burnout (Kowalczyk, 2005). Our paper will attempt to solve the problem of emergency department overcrowding and long waiting times. We propose to first create a flow chart of present operations from the beginning of the emergency department visit to the discharge or admission of the patient. We believe that the process can be analyzed and changed in a way that improvement can be accomplished by improving efficiency and flow of traffic through the emergency department processes. Null Hypothesis Our study attempts to identify a serious problem at a local Los Angeles County Hospital that appears to have plausible solutions. Looking at other similar hospitals throughout the nation and abroad, it appears that restructuring and appropriate panning may help to alleviate long patients’ waits for services. The null hypothesis states that changes in the processes of triage, registration, evaluation, treatment and disposition will shorten waiting times and improve efficiency (mu= changes in process). The alternative hypothesis states that changing in the process of triage, registration, evaluation, treatment and disposition will not change or improve waiti... ...y will be made and expenses reduced by a more efficient process. References Campbell, A.B. (2003). Strategic planning in health care: Methods and application. Quality Management in Health Care, 1(4), 12-23. Kowalczyk, L.(2005). Hospitals strive to reduce waiting lines for beds. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: http:// www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/hospitals ================================================================= Kelton, W. D., R. P. Sadowski, D. A. Sadowski, 2002. Simulation with Arena, Second Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Quality in Healthcare. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: http://www.jcaho.org/qualitycheck/ Los Angeles County Hospital (King Drew Medical Center Emergency Room, 2005). Measures to reduce length of stay in the emergency room. LA: Author. Affinity Data Collection Systems. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: www.affinitydata.com. Wilson, A. (2004). Reduction of ED Queues and Elopement Through the Straight Back Approach. .Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: http://tgi@thomasgroup.com/

Shall we Dance Essay -- essays research papers

Reflection paper regarding â€Å"Shall We Dance?† Dancing is regarded with suspicion in Japan because public display of affection and intimacy is considered indecent and outright scandalous. Even married couples had to restrain from temperate public display of affections, such as holding of hands, saying â€Å"I love you†, or even dancing, because it was thought to be â€Å"beyond embarrassing†. Thus it would be safe to say that dancing with someone else other than one’s wife is even more disreputable and appalling. To American audiences, dancing may seem like no big deal, but apparently in Japan, ballroom dancing is frowned upon as another vulgar, low-culture import from the West.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This mentality of the Japanese towards dancing and open display of affection was constantly reflected in this movie. The scenes of where Sugiyama had to hesitate before enrolling into dancing class, had to look around before going upstairs to make sure that no one sees him, had to keep this a total secret from family and co-workers all convey Sugiyama’s attitude, which here represents the Japanese culture’s attitude as a whole, on dancing. Apparently, he felt that his association with the art of dancing was deemed shameful, and he had a good reason to believe that. Not only did he hear from Donny, a close friend and co-worker of Sugiyama who had practiced the art of dancing for 5 years, that dancing is a â€Å"Dirty lecher†, he also saw the banter reactions of his co-workers when they f...

Healthcare Finance Essay

Like with any household, businesses have some expenses that are the same each month, and others that fluctuate based on utilization. The mortgage, car note, and insurance premiums for the most part are the same throughout the year, but the utility bills, credit card bills, and cell phone bills may increase or decrease monthly based on usage. In health care organizations, several types of cost can be classified according to the amount of services provided. This can be referred to as activity, utilization, or volume (Gapenski, 2012). Reference for Business (2012) says, â€Å"Fixed and variable expenses are the two main components of a company’s total overhead expense† (p.1). This paper will address how costs in healthcare organizations are classified according to their volume, and the importance of cost allocation. â€Å"†¦for healthcare providers, a cost involves a resource use associated with providing or supporting a specific service† (Gapenski, 2012, p. 14 8). With fixed and variable cost classification the range of volume should be specified (Gapenski, 2012). In health care organizations, the actual future volume is uncertain for the number of patient days, number of visits, number of enrollees, or the number of diagnostic tests (Gapenski, 2012). However, a general idea of the volume range over a particular period of time is usually known (Gapenski, 2012). Fixed costs are known and are not related to volume within a relevant range (Gapenski, 2012). Unless the volume deviates excessively in a positive or negative direction, fixed cost is not affected. Basu (2012) says, â€Å"Fixed costs remain constant within a specific range of activity. However, if volume increase or decrease past certain levels, fixed cost may change† (p.1). For example, if a physician’s office staff can handle up to 10,000 patient visits, as long volume stays within the relevant  range of 8,000 to 10,000 defined by the office, the fixed costs remains un changed (Gapenski, 2012). Although most fixed costs such as equipment, weekly payroll, and rent are fixed for a period of time, an increase or decrease in volume in the future could mandate changes/adjustments to the fixed costs (Gapenski, 2012). Fixed costs dose not fluctuate with volume changes within a relevant range, but variable costs does. â€Å"Costs that are directly related to volume are called variable costs† (Gapenski, 2012, p. 150). Reference For Business (20120 says, â€Å"Variable costs are those that respond directly and proportionately to changes in activity level or volume†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 1). Using the physician’s office above as an example, some of their variable cost could be gloves, tongue depressors, disposable exam gowns, and needles. As patient volume fluctuates, the cost associated with these supplies will also fluctuate in relation to the volume changes. Because some costs are organizational and some are specific to a subunit, it is necessary to create a system that a llocates costs (Gapenski, 2012). â€Å"A critical part of cost management at the subunit level is the assignment, or allocation, of direct costs. Costs allocation is essentially a pricing process within the organization whereby managers allocate the costs of one department to other departments† (Gapenski, 2012, p. 188). Overhead cost such as, facilities management personnel, financial staffs, and housekeeping and maintenance personnel, must be allocated to the money generating departments of an organization (Gapenski, 2012). Cost allocation assigns the costs of an organization to the entities that incurred the costs. Cost allocation data allows the organization to make better decisions in, tracking, assigning, and controlling costs, as well as the offering and pricing of services. (Gapenski, 2012). Cost allocations can also assist with reducing cost, because departments are held accountable for the full cost associated with running their department. As a result, mangers will use costs saving methods to keep c osts down, since evaluations, compensation, and promotions are sometimes dependent on economic results (Gapenski, 2012). Costs can be fixed or it can be variable. â€Å"Peavler (2012) say, â€Å"Fixed costs are the costs associated with the product that have to be paid, regardless of the volume of the product you sell. Variable costs are directly related to sales† (p.1.). â€Å"†¦some cost are more or less predictable because they are independent of volume, while other costs are much less  predictable because they are related to volume† (Gapenski, 2012, p. 150). Whether fixed or variable, costs are usually allocated within an organization. Averkamp (2012) says, â€Å"The goal is to assign the costs based on the root cause of the common cost instead of merely spreading the costs† (p. 1). Knowledge and utilization of these concepts, helps with current and future planning for an organizations financial success. References Averkamp, H. (2012). What is cost allocation?. P. 1. Retrieved from http://blog.accountingcoach.com/what-is-cost-allocation/ Basu, C. (2012). Effects a Sales Volume Increase or Decrease Will Have on Unit Fixed Cost. P. 1. Retrieved form http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-sales-volume-increase-decrease-uni†¦ Gapenski, L. C. (2012). Healthcare Finance: An Introduction to Accounting and Financial Management (5th ed.). Chicago, Illinois : AUPHA Press / Health Administration Press. Peavler, R. (2012). Fixed and Variable Cost. P. 1. Retrieved from http://bizfinance.about.com/od/pricingyour product/qt/Fixed_Variable_Cost†¦Ã‚ ­ Reference for Business. (2012). Fixed and Variable Expenses. P. 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Eq-Inc/Fixed-and-Variable-Ex†¦

AIDS and Society: The Growing Concern

everyplace the past centuries, the field of sociology has primarily centre on looking into assorted paradoxs confront by varied societies not fitting to understand more near this. more(prenominal) importantly, the study of sociology is to be adapted to leave alvirtuoso the needed k immediatelyledge in party to find a solution for what has been considered as a cordial problem.While there argon some brotherly problems that are isolated and merely sleep withd by certain(p) societies, there are some issues and concerns that perplex greatly affected societies found tot exclusivelyy over the world. The acquired tolerant deficiency syndrome epidemic is one such problem.The situation that, to this day, there has further to be an effective treatment that would successfully treat this illness has not precisely safarid the emergence of persons being septic to increase. It has similarly greatly affected how another(prenominal) members indoors a lift officular societ y consort and associate with individuals infected with assist.This paper will discuss the different factors that restrain adapted the aid epidemic to become a fond problem. The paper would also extend relevant information regarding the background of aid as a disease and the various ways on how the support epidemic has influenced society in frequent.The help EpidemicIn grade to fully understand why the back up epidemic is considered as a sociable problem, information regarding the disease must premier be established.The assist epidemic was the primal area of discussion in the unite Nations Security Council in January 2000. The huge antecedency with regards to the AIDS epidemic was in part to the alarming statistics the council received the year before.By 1999 alone, and about 34 gazillion individuals living every last(predicate) over the world surrender undertake the AIDS computer computer virus with another 18.8 million of these individuals dying from the disease in the analogous year.The statistics piddle also shown that while the AIDS epidemic is most prevalent in Africa, the unite States has been ranked as the number one country in the Hesperian world with the highest number of individuals infected and succumbing to the AIDS virus (Young, Schvaneveldt, Lindauer & Schvaneveldt 2001).AIDS, which stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is a virus which, as the name suggests, attacks the immune system of the valet de chambre body. While the virus itself is not fatal to human beings, it is the fact that the immune system of an individual who has assure AIDS is no longer able to ward off infections and other diseases brought about by bacteria and other kinds of virus that causes the death of an individual afflicted with the AIDS virus.The virus has been traced to originate from Africa. It is believed that the virus, which thrives in the bodies of monkeys pose been able to mutate and once entered into the human body, begin s to dam while the immune system (Langone 1991).AIDS and Its meeting to SocietyFor an issue to be considered as a social problem, the problem must be seen as one that poses a intense and grave threat towards the members of a cross society (Drass, Gregware & Musheno 1997). There is no incertitude that the AIDS epidemic has now been recognise as a social problem that continues to grow to this day.Once believed to be a disease that only infected homo elicituals engaging in knowledgeable intercourse with members of the same sex (Langone 1991), recent studies countenance made societies all(prenominal)(prenominal) over the world view the AIDS epidemic in a different light.Apart from the fact that there are now individuals being levyed with the AIDS virus as a result of unprotected sexual intercourse involving partners from the opposite sex, the AIDS virus has also been known to also inflict children.In the report provided to the United Nations Security Council in the year 2000, out of the 34.3 million individuals all over the world who endure been infected with the AIDS virus, 1.3 million of these were children below the age of 15 years (Altman 1995 Young, Schvaneveldt, Lindauer & Schvaneveldt 2001).The general cognizance that the AIDS virus is a major social problem has greatly influenced other parts of society, primarily when it comes to equality and advocacy. How the general public perceives a ill-tempered social problem would greatly affect the intimacy and relations that they would eventually withstand to those that they perceive to be the instigators of the problem.In the case with the AIDS epidemic, individuals who have been discovered to carry the disease experience a number of various incidences for racism and prejudice to arise.The most profound instance of this can be seen during case proceedings in litigation hearings conducted in the approach houses of the United States.Studies with regards to the manner as to how licit ending mak ing in the United State motor lodge houses are carried have determined that social influences, crossly those involving heathenish dynamics and social dynamics have greatly influenced the outcomes of various court cases which involves at least one individual who has been diagnosed to be infected with the AIDS virus (Drass, Gregware & Musheno 1997).One particular social dynamics that play a crucial role in decision making process done in court houses in the United States is social status. Studies have shown that individuals that have a high social status be would be likely to experience the ruling of a court proceeding to be in their favor as opposed to those who have been considered to have a low social status.Individuals who have been infected with the AIDS virus have long been regarded as individuals with a low social status ranking primarily due to the fact that those who palisade them view them as carriers of something that would definitely cause adverse harm to the individ uals living with them.In effect, individuals who have been infected with the AIDS virus have been viewed inside the same ranking just as how members of a particular society would view and individual indicted for committing a flagitious crime (Drass, Gregware & Musheno 1997).The ideologies and beliefs upheld by a particular society is another dynamics that greatly influence legal proceedings involving an individual who has been inflicted by the AIDS virus. The culture upheld by a particular society is found on the sharing of common beliefs, traditions and ideologies among each other.Discrimination based on the culture indoors a particular society commonly occurs based on the gender, sexuality and pagan background of an individual. Recently, the status of an individual as to whether or not he or she is inflicted with the AIDS virus has also been include in the list.In fact, the culture within a society in the manner as to how they perceive individuals infected with the AIDS virus not only causes decisions made during court proceedings to rule against the individual who has been inflicted with the AIDS virus.An individual who has been diagnosed to be infected with the AIDS virus are often subjected to alienation, stigmatisation and other forms of oppression from other members within a particular society (Altman 1995 Drass, Gregware & Musheno 1997).