Cardiovascular Case Study: Atrial Septal Defect

Atrial Septal Defect(ASD) is a very large problem concerning the heart in its overall function. When the heart, being the core of the cardiovascular system, has issues; it effects the rest of the body as a result. The core of the problem resides in the atrial septum. Normally the heart is divided into four separate chambers. But a person with atrial septal defect has an atrial septum that allows the blood from the left side of the heart back into the right side. This results in increased pulmonary blood flow and diastolic overload of the right ventricle.By having this constant left-to-right shunt, it can alter the pulmonary vascular resistance leading to hypertension or even the reversal of the shunt itself. There are three types of Atrial Septal Defects: ostium secundum, ostium primum, and sinus venosus. The opening of the atrial septum may be small, on the count of the foramen ovale failing to close; or large, when the septum is completely absent from the heart itself. There is a v ery logical explanation between Ryans inability to gain weight, as well as not taking an interest in food during meals.His body isn't able to grow normally because the exchange of nutrients and waste products in his body is completely deficient. He isn't absorbing the adequate amount of nutrients that his body needs. Him being 11-months old, this causes a huge problem because nutrition is extremely important. His heart is working less efficiently, which makes the blood traveling throughout his body subsequently deficient as well. All of the systems in Ryans body are going to be affected by his diagnosis of Atrial Septal Defect. Ryans growth and development is not appropriate for his age.Ryan was born weighing 7lbs, and now, 11 months later he is 15. 4 lbs. He is close to being a 1 year old, and his birth weight should be a little less that triple the amount that he was at birth. Ryan should be approximately 21 lbs at his current age, leaving about a 5-6 lb deficit. Ryans parents sta ted that he doesn't crawl or attempt to stand because of the fact that he gets out of breath easily. This is being caused by the Atrial Septal Defect. All he can do is sit unsupported, which he should have been able to do at 8 months.At 11 months old, Ryan should be able to stand upright holding onto an adults hand, as well as feed himself finger foods and drink from a sippy cup. He should be able to pull himself up to a standing position as well. Also, sleeping after eating is just an indication of how much energy it is for him to complete a meal, which is making him uninterested in food overall. Again, all of these factors seem to be affected by his current diagnosis. Ryan is currently on Digoxin 200 micrograms and Furosemide 10 mg q day.He is prescribed Digoxin because this medication increases overall cardiac output as well as slowing the heart rate. This is good for Ryan, because at this point he is not receiving the appropriate amount of output needed for his growth and develo pment. Furosemide is a diuretic that treats fluid retention as well as hypertension. This is important because when there is a defect with the heart, pulmonary issues may occur when fluid retention begins. Also, Ryan is currently predisposed to hypertension because of his condition. Ryans current Potassium level was at a 2. 9 mml/L.Adequate levels of Potassium compared to his age should be at 3. 3-4. 7 mmol/L. Too little Potassium affects the hearts frequency as well as contractions. His Digoxin levels were tested to see if the medication was becoming toxic. He was at a 2. 6 ng/ml which is in the upper limits, but not enough to be considered toxic. Here are some examples of nursing diagnosis' that patients like Ryan would have: Risk for deficient fluid volume related to preoperative diarrhea. Impaired nutrition; less than body requirements. Decreased cardiac output related to pre-existing compromise in cardiac function.Fatigue related to decreased cardiac output. Nursing Diagnosis' for Ryan Post Operative would be: Risk for infection related to surgical incision. Acute pain related to post operative surgery. Impaired verbal communication related to age. Risk for aspiration related to immobility. Teaching is such a vital component in ensuring that all patients are fully aware of their medical condition. Ryan, being an 11 month old, the teaching must go to his parents. They will need to be supplied information about Atrial Septal Defect, surgeries involved, and the prognosis when completed.They will need specific information about the medications that Ryan is going to be on. They will need to be aware of the medications actions, side effects, and possible signs of toxicity/allergies. If Ryan were to have surgery, they would need to be taught how to care for the incision properly to avoid infection. They will need to know the signs and symptoms of infection. Last, they will need to ensure that they are constantly promoting proper growth and development with Ryan, so a daily plan must be made. That includes activities, diet, etc.

Subculture

Cortland Bolling Branham SOCI 1301 In the article â€Å"Authenticity in the Skateboarding World†, subculture is described as a completely separate culture with its own set of values and norms outside those of the world’s society. Skaters can be described as one of these subcultures because of their unique values, norms, and sanctions that differ from most sports. Unlike sports such as basketball the norm for skaters is their lack of interest in competition and trying to out due each other.According to Beal and Weidman the skateboarding community follows two central values, participant control and the devaluing of competition; many skaters explain that they chose to skate, and that they choose individually what’s acceptable. After interviewing more skaters the authors discover that like other cultures they also have their own sanctions. One example is that many of the skaters that are in it to look cool, or to be better than everyone else are looked down upon as n ot being â€Å"real skaters†, but instead conformist.While sports are a common spot for subcultures, they are not the only place they can be found and in fact most people belong to one. For example I am a member of a Baptist church. While it is true that Baptist are Christians just like Methodist and Catholics, we have our own sub subculture or set of values, norms, and sanctions that somewhat differ from the other Christian churches. In a Baptist church praise and worship is often very loud and up beat while at a Lutheran church they remain quiet unless spoken too and sing old hymns, so being loud would be considered rude and vulgar.

Management evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management evaluation - Essay Example In fact working with this organization would leave the employee fully satisfied with their job because job descriptions are clearly defined and only those that are interested will apply for them. More so, the organization clearly stipulates its goals and each and every employee working with it knows what is expected of him. This indicates why the turnover rate is low compared to other organizations. Still the organization tries as much as possible to ensure that its employees are well taken care of in the field of recreation which involves outdoors activities which are related to the nature of work and services offered by the organization. Patagonia’s situation about employee motivation is clear and it is based on many theories. To start with, motivation has been known to have a basic impulse to optimize well being of an individual by minimizing physical pain and maximizing pleasure it can also involve satisfaction of basic needs such as provision of food, shelter, sex and resting. According to (Hoffmann, 2007) these factors must be provided as the most basic. Patagonia has truly made these needs available to its employees. For instance it ensures that there is a child care room and enough clothing for employees and all other recreation facilities. This shows that the hierarchy of needs as hypothesized by Maslow’s theory of needs is achieved where employees start with the very basics like food and shelter. Also employee’s job security is assured given that the organization registers a low turnover rate with the highest experienced back in the early 1990s. More so, social wellbeing of employees is promoted through cerebrations. Additionally, there is increased self esteem and self confidence following the freedom that the employees have by working to achieve goals with minimum supervision. The biggest challenge that Patagonia is likely to face

Managing Finance & Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Finance & Decision Making - Essay Example The retail sector is expected to show growth in all the categories and sub-divisions: electrical, groceries, clothing and footwear, cosmetics, home-ware, floor coverings and furniture, gardening as well as e-retail, in the coming years. (Tesco, 2010) The grocery and the e-retail will be the most important divisions in the coming years. According to British Retail Consortium, the sector sales in the country amounted to GBP 293 billion in 2010. The retail companies based in the United Kingdom provides services to millions of people around the globe leading in grocery, clothing, and home-ware. This sector supplies employment to 11 percent of the total workforce in the country: employing around 3 million people. It contributes 8 percent to the country’s GDP and accounts to be a major part of the country’s exchequer. (Invest in UK, 2010) The retail sector in the United Kingdom is oversaturated with the a small number of big players controlling the market. According to Britis h Retail Consortium, there were 286,680 retail outlets in the country as of 2010. According to a research performed by the TNS Kantar Worldpanel, the three major players of the retail industry in the United Kingdom, with respect to market share, are: Tesco with 30.5 percent Sainsbury with 16.6 percent ASDA with 16.5 percent 1 Despite the setbacks in the economy: rising prices, fuel costs, spending cuts, the investors look forward to strong growth and positive sales growth in the retailing. They expect the economy to heal itself in the coming months and realize its true potential. Tesco A global merchandising and grocery store based in the United Kingdom leads the ‘Big Four’ supermarkets group. The brand is the largest within the boundaries of the country with a market share of 31 percent and the third largest in the global market with respect to sales revenue. The company operates in 14 different countries through 4,811 different types of stores. It provides everything under one roof: from grocery to appliances, clothing to shoes, tires to gardening tools as well as home wares. (Tesco, 2010) Tesco plans to invest GBP 27 million to reduce its carbon footprint by 2020. â€Å"At Tesco, we care about the environment and want to lead the way in preparing for a low carbon future. We are now ready to unveil the scale of our plans to use Combined Heat and Power to cut our carbon footprint2.† The brand is ranked as the second largest in the world with respect to profits. The brand in the fiscal year 2010 showed strong growth: sales showed an increase by 6.8 percent whereas it’s pre-tax profit increased by 10 percent. Therefore, the financial gurus believe that the company has now transformed itself into a fully globally diversified business and is en route to strong future growth. (Tesco, 2010) Sainsbury J Sainsbury, with a market share of 16.6 percent, is ranked as the second largest retailer in the United Kingdom. The company provides an en ormous assortment of goods and services under one roof to its 19 million customers through the 872 stores spread across the country. The products range from grocery to appliances, tires to gardening, clothing to cosmetics as well as furniture. (Sainsbury, 2010) Sainsbury has become one of the pioneers of dedication. It has planned to invest GBP 40 million into the sustainable farming over the period of next three years that will allow the farmers to augment their productivity and

Economic Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economic Theory - Essay Example The Keynesian economic theory involves stimulation of the economy to encourage people to spend. This is achievable either through government investment in infrastructure or a decrease in interest rates. An increase in income results in more spending, which results in more production and spending. The cycle continues, as there is more income and the ability to spend more money. In consequence, the original government investment results in a ripple reaction that involves economic activity. Obama is largely a Keynesian economist because of his strategies in economy stimulation. The move by the government to increase money supply, or purchase products in the market by itself is beneficial because it increase spending. The concept of equilibrium in unregulated markets creates a capitalist economy that has several flaws. There is a need to leverage assets by real creation of wealth, which increases economic productivity, instead of through debt. It is evident, following the recent bubble, that reliance on equilibrium is detrimental to economic growth and productivity. The Keynesian economic theory is the best because the government is the only economic actor than can favorably supply credit and demand for economic

Ecology paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ecology paper - Essay Example The focus of study in the article was to understand how invasive species, pathogens and disease vector affect human health and determine appropriate measures to reduce disease emergence. The study depicts that invasive species and infectious diseases have become prevalent and widespread because of the increased connectivity in human population. The connectivity in the current world has attributed to the disease outbreak. The new developed trade routes in the previously disconnected countries increase human interactions. Crowl et al., (2008) demonstrated that the enhanced transport systems such as airplanes have increased spread of pathogens. The invasive species has become the second contributing aspect to extinction and endangerment of species in the United States after the increased human population and related activities. The United States government spends almost 120 billion dollars to cater for the non-native species in the country (Crowl et al., 2008). The evidence used to support contrasting point of view was the explanation of the spread of the avian-dispersed H5N1 avian influenza disease worldwide. In-depth and integrated network of research platform was es sential in full understanding of the spread and impacts of the invasion species. The point of view that I most agreed with was the fact that modern technology such as airplanes contributes to the increasing spread of pathogens and invasive species. Most disease in the world emerges from a single area and spread to the entire world. The point became convincing because of the evidence given involving the spread of avian-dispersed H5N1 avian influenza disease. Other points of view in the article such as cause of non-native species extinction became less convincing because of lack of material evidence. Crowl, T. A., Crist T.O, Parmenter, R. R., Belovsky, G., & Lugo, A. E. (2008). The spread of invasive species and infectious disease as drivers of ecosystem change.

Financial Analysis Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Analysis Report - Essay Example The auto industry is one of the largest and most profitable industries in the world. There are over one billion vehicles worldwide and in the United States there are approximately 240 million cars (Tencer, 2011). These vehicles often breakdown and require maintenance. Due to the massive amount of vehicles in the United States there is a huge demand for auto parts. One of the biggest players in the auto parts industry is AutoZone. AutoZone has been in business for over 30 years. The organization was founded in 1979. The company is committed to providing the best parts, prices and customer service in the automotive aftermarket industry (Autozoneinc, 2012). The company believes in the value of providing great service in order to increase its customer retention rate. Based on Pareto’s 80/20 rule firms obtain 80% of their business from 20% of their customers (Hafner, 2001). AutoZone is a publicly traded company sold in the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AZO. The stock as of August 3, 2012 was selling at a price of $360.33 (Yahoo). The firm began to sell its stocks in the open market in 1991. The market capitalization of the company is $13.71 billion. Market capitalization is calculated by dividing total stocks outstanding by market price. The company is a member of the Fortune 500. The fact that AutoZone is a publicly traded company gives this firm an advantage in this industry due to the fact that the company always has the option of releasing a secondary stock offering to raise capital. The auto parts industry is extremely fragmented with thousands of independent auto parts stores across the nation. AutoZone has grown a lot since its inception 33 years ago. The company today is the market leader in the auto parts industry in the United States of America. The corporate headquarters of AutoZone are located at 123 S. Front St. Memphis, TN 38103 (Ecorporateoffices, 2012). The auto parts chain

Reflective Autobiography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective Autobiography - Assignment Example At a very young, when I had just started school, I was taught about the family and here the subject of diversity first emerged. My teachers and my parents taught me on how diversity played a significant role in the family make-up. Not only were roles played by each individual in my family were diverse, but I also came to learn having different families leaving in the same community and in harmony despite their many differences represented a significant role of diversity to the community. Just like a family, the community is linked to a more complex state of diversity as there are so many factors involved in distinguishing not only families but individuals as well. It is at this stage that I was able to learn factors such as ‘nuclear,’ ‘single’, ‘extended’ and many other terms that were used to describe families (Harris). Then while interacting with my peers and the community as a whole I was able to notice how we all looked different. Growing up reflected many incidences of diversity, and I grew to understand its meaning in-depth. Later into life as my education advanced is when I started understanding the meaning of diversity under more complex subjects and contexts such as its role in communication, business, sociological, political, and technological. I came to realize that diversity is the uniqueness in every aspect of our life, the differences that define each of us as a person. These aspects include race, age, religion, political ideology, ethnicity, sexuality, physical appearance and abilities, preferences, as well as cultural practices (Unzueta, Knowles, and Ho). As I grow older, I realized that diversity is what determines every step in my life including the diversity in the choices I made for my lifestyle. Having been born and raised in China and later moving to the US where I have been studying the English language for the last ten years has been a great step for me as far as diversity is concerned. Not only have I

Process vs. Non-Process Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process vs. Non-Process - Research Paper Example Taking a hint from this real life example, the concept of process innovation needs to be analyzed in a broader context. There is no need to say much about the fact that HTML5 is the latest technology that offers much new in the area of extending mobile platform choices to the companies and consumers (Lee, 2012). Yet, the biggest problem in adapting to this new technology is the need to customize and adapt their operations and research initiatives to benefit from the competitive advantage that a shift to HTML5 mobile platforms offers. In that context the HTML5 debate has exposed a hitherto much ignored fact. When it comes to process versus non-process industries, it is a fact that ideally speaking there exists nothing like a non-process industry (Skinner, 1992). The only difference between a process and non-process industry is that in a non-process industry, the operations consist of multiple unwieldy and least synchronized processes, which are least capable of extending a strategic a dvantage to a company against its competitors (Skinner, 1992). However, the other thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that new advances in technology may push a company from being process driven to being a non-process company, in a relative if not an absolute sense. The biggest revolution that the web based products and services have come across is the concept of computing going mobile. This created a dire need for the research in technologies that are compatible with and support mobile computing. In the last 10 years the world of mobile platforms has moved from a domination of the few like Windows Mobile and RIM Blackberry, to an invasion of many new platforms. In that context, there is no doubt that HTML5 stands to be the lowest common denominator, when it comes to developing mobile browsers. Still, many companies are raising a noise about shifting to HTML5 based mobile platforms, because it necessitates the requisite innovations in the processes underlying their pr oducts and services. There are varied reasons why the companies pushed from the status of being process companies to non-process companies owing to a failure to incorporate and adapt to HTML5 in the processes underlying their businesses tend to be hesitant. One important factor is that there exists a schism between the managers and technology personnel governing these companies (Skinner, 1992). While the management driven executives are still sticking to the old paradigms justifying augmentation of sales by resorting to marketing and financial gimmicks, considering the high risk involved in opting for HTML5 oriented process innovations, the technology experts tend to be averse to suggest such changes, fearing possible fallout on their careers. Besides, the requisite process innovations necessitate a long term financial and planning related commitment on the part of the companies, which is difficult to contrive, as evinced by the Facebook experience (Skinner, 1992). Then there are co mpanies which are waiting for their competitors to innovate, while mulling over immense financial savings by adapting to these innovations at a later stage

Tragedies of Postpartum Psychosis Essay Example for Free

Tragedies of Postpartum Psychosis Essay Tragedies of Postpartum Psychosis: Ethical Decisions and Sentencing Postpartum depression affects approximately ten to twenty-two percent of women and as many as about eighty percent of women suffer from some sort of â€Å"baby blues†. Even so, the much more serious problem of postpartum psychosis only occurs in as few as one in every five hundred births (Williams, 2002). Postpartum psychosis can have catastrophic outcomes, like in the case of Andrea Yates. What should happen to women like Andrea? Prison, the death penalty or a mental institution? Ethical issues, such as postpartum psychosis crimes, are debated using various theories of ethics. Postpartum psychosis tends to have a rapid onset within the first four weeks after giving birth, whereas postpartum depression has a slower onset occurring around weeks six through twelve after childbirth (Williams, 2002). In postpartum psychosis, the symptoms include mood changes, delusional thoughts, paranoia and hallucinations. Symptoms can intensify or lessen. Women suffering are often afraid to ask for help due to the paranoia and guilt felt surround the disorder. Left to manage symptoms themselves, tragedies often occur as affected women committing suicide or infanticide. When such crimes occur, people debate how to deal with the women accused. Being committed to a mental institution is one course of action for such women. The argument for this is that these women are in need of psychiatric treatment, that they are unable to distinguish between right or wrong at the time of act due to their altered view on reality. Andrea Yates, for example, believed that she had Satan inside her and that she was unable to raise the children properly because of it; that they couldn’t be saved and were going to burn in hell (Roche, 2002). Andrea believed that her being evil was causing her children to not be righteous and that she needed to be executed. The only way for that to happen was for Andrea to kill her children. Women accused of such crimes can get the help they need in an institution, where they are unable to harm themselves or their children. These women always carry with them the horror and guilt for what they have done, once they are no longer sick. Postpartum psychosis is a mental disability and should be treated as such. It would be a huge injustice to the affected women to be placed in prison, or worse yet sentenced to death. The crimes that they commit, infanticide and the like, are unspeakable; however it would not serve them or society well to have them locked up in prison and continue to suffer from this illness. If placed in a mental institution they may be rehabilitated into productive members of society once again. However there are opposing views on this subject. One of the opposing thoughts is that the crimes are so heinous that these women must pay retribution for what they have done (Anonymous, 2008). Many believe that convicted women should be paying their debt to society from behind prison bars, that these women are a risk to society like any other murderer and should serve time accordingly. Complicating the situation are the callous women who commit such crimes and then use postpartum psychosis as a defense when they are not suffering from this illness. One example of uch would be Susan Smith, who lied about the disappearance of her two young sons and then later claimed that she suffered from postpartum depression causing her to kill her children. Investigators on her case found that she was dating a man who â€Å"wasn’t ready for a ready-made family (Gibbs, Booth, Gregory, Monroe, Towle, 1994). † Therefore, doubt is cast in the minds of society and they see all infanticides as horrific crimes where justice must be sought for the innocent victims. Committing capital offices such as the murder of children and infants are offenses that are eligible for the death penalty. Due to the appalling nature of the crimes committed many want to see the offender to be put to death instead of wasting tax-payer dollars to keep them in prison for life. This is just another way society seeks retribution for these horrid crimes. People believing that the women accused of these crimes are not really mentally ill may have a couple of different viewpoints for deciding their fates through sentencing. Viewpoints on sentencing convicted women to prison or the death penalty may depend on Kantian and cultural relativism theories of ethics. Kantian views on ethics rely on reason to apply categorical ethical principles (Waller,2008, pg. 21). In applying reason to the murdering of innocent children, ethically the convicted women belongs either in prison or sentenced to death. Kantian views believe in the â€Å"golden rule† – do to others what you would have them do to you. Keeping that in mind then the killing of another person would bring upon punishment to the accused. Kantian also believes that we are responsible for our actions, good or bad, and is a product of free will (Caswell, 2006). In keeping with this view then, these women are morally responsible and choose, due to free will, to end their children’s life; therefore they should be held accountable. Another theory that would support imprisonment or death penalty sentence, for non-believers of the women being truly mentally ill, would be cultural relativism. Cultural relativism is defined as ethical judgments made relative to a given culture. Cultural relativism is basically the relativity of its society’s values, and murder is wrong no matter who is the victim. specially when it involves innocent victims such as infants and children. Therefore, if the murdering of children is wrong then there should be someone held accountable for the crime. It is hard for society to imagine that a child could die at the hands of their own mother. Unfortunately, with the blood on the mother’s hands she is placed in front of the firing squad, so to speak, so that justice can be served for the children. Under cultural relativism then, anyone convicted of such a crime should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. But is this the right solution to the problem? Possibly taking on a more sympathetic view, such as care ethics and intuitionists, can help us in choosing the right sentencing for these women. People who believe in care ethics are more about caring for the person than for justice for the crime (Tong and Williams, 2009). Women committing these crimes need medical help more than they need to be placed behind bars and people looking at this from the care ethics viewpoint can see it this way. They are not blinded by the need for justice and have sympathy for not only the innocent victims, but also the accused. The accused are victims in many ways also. These women have been let done by the medical community and some by their families who have seen the signs and have not gotten them help before it had escalated into tragedy. Care ethicists can see that there truly is a problem and by placing the woman behind bars or worse yet, sentencing them to death, there is a bigger tragedy occurring: the continued victimization of a mentally ill woman. Intuitionist feel they know what is the right thing to do, as in the Waller (2008) he told of Huck Finn debating over whether or not to turn in his friend Jim, a slave owned by someone who had always been kind to him. Huck decided not to turn Jim in and let him go, knowing that ultimately slavery is wrong. This won over the fact that he was â€Å"stealing† Miz Watson’s property by helping Jim escape. The same can be applied to the women that have committed crimes while suffering from postpartum psychosis. Intuitionists know that the act was wrong and should require retribution for their crimes. However, the bigger issue is identifying postpartum psychosis as a medical condition and treating the accused accordingly. In conclusion, I believe that people choosing not to recognize postpartum psychosis as a medical condition seek out more severe punishments for the crimes. In doing so, Kantian views and cultural relativism are two ways that they justify their beliefs on severe sentencing. Kantian views are very strict and absolute – breaks a rule, you need to be punished accordingly. Cultural relativism is based on the societal ethics, break a societal rule punishment ensues. I believe this side of the debate just wants to see justice done for the innocent victims. Whereas care ethicists and intuitionists want justice, but they also want what is intrinsically right done. Sending the accused to prison or to death row, does not provide justice for the innocent victims, it would only add to the family’s suffering and create more victims. Care ethicists look at taking care of the accused as opposed to being out for revenge or justice. Intuitionists look at what they feel is the right decision, and sending someone away for a crime that they committed when they were not in control of themselves does not feel morally correct to them. References http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,218445,00.html http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/feminism-ethics/

Aspergers syndrome: definition, assessment, therapeutic intervention

Aspergers syndrome: definition, assessment, therapeutic intervention Introduction This essay focuses on Aspergers syndrome. This special educational need was chosen because I have a personal interest in this condition. The essay looks in detail at how Aspergers syndrome is defined and how Aspergers syndrome is assessed and diagnosed. The essay then moves on to discuss the various therapeutic interventions for Aspergers syndrome and what teaching approaches are appropriate for children presenting with this condition. The different theoretical perspectives from which Aspergers syndrome can be understood are then discussed, namely the medical model, the social model and Bronfenbrenners ecological model. What is Aspergers syndrome? According to Klin et al. (1995), Asergers syndrome is a severe developmental disorder characterized by major difficulties in social interaction and restricted and unusual patterns of interest and behaviour. There are many similarities with autism and there is still discussion as to whether Aspergers syndrome and autism are actually different conditions (Klin et al., 1995). As Klin et al. (1995) highlight, however, the APA made Aspergers syndrome officially a separate diagnosis following the results of a field trial, which revealed that Aspergers syndrome does have different diagnostic criteria to autism. Other definitions of Aspergers syndrome differ from these definitions, with the American Psychiatric Association, via their Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, defining a diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome as, requiring four of five listed criteria be present, including at least two indicatros of a qualitative disability in social interaction (e.g., serious impairments in peer relationships, social reciprocity, nonverbal behaviours, empathy) and at least one in the category of restricted behaviours or rituals (e.g., rigid adherence to rules or routines, preoccupation with a narrow interest, parts or objects, repetitive motor movements) (Safran, 2002). Medicine.Net defines Aspergers syndrome as an autistic disorder most notable for the often great discrepancy between the intellectual and social abilities of those who have it (Medicine.Net, 2010). The Autism Society of America defines Aspergers syndrome as, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦high functioning autism with no speech delay (Aut ism Society of America, 2010). It is clear, therefore, that there are a variety of definitions of Aspergers syndrome, with this confusion arising as a result of the difficulty in diagnosing Aspergers syndrome, as will be discussed later in the essay. In terms of the clinical features of Aspergers syndrome, a paucity of empathy is usually noted, as is naÃÆ' ¯ve, inappropriate and one-sided social interactions with pedantic and monotonic speech (Klin et al., 1995). In addition, poor non-verbal communication and intense absorption in specific topics and clumsy and/or ill-coordinated movements all help to identify children with Aspergers syndrome (Klin et al., 1995). It is noted that the onset of the condition occurs later than the onset of autism with children living with Aspergers syndrome having a normal range of intelligence (Klin et al., 1995). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV) provides the following, more detailed, diagnostic criteria, qualitative impairment in social interactionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(and)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities manifested by either encompassing preoccupation, apparently inflexible adherence, stereotyped and repetitive mannerisms or persistent preoccupation with parts of objects with these guidelines recommending that Aspergers syndrome be diagnosed where all other conditions have been excluded (Klin et al., 1995). It is noted that children living with Aspergers syndrome have no delay in their acquisition or use of language and that the disturbances the syndrome cause can cause major clinical impairments, such as socially, occupationally or in other areas of functioning (Klin et al., 1995). Assessment of Aspergers syndrome Assessment of Aspergers syndrome, particularly in children, is difficult as there is a paucity of diagnostic instruments and no standardization amongst the diagnostic tools that do exist (Howlin, 2000a). The problems of differentiating Aspergers syndrome from autism, particularly in the ICD-10 and DSM-IV systems, is also a complicating factor in the assessment of Aspergers syndrome: as Howlin (2000a) argues, attempting to develop diagnostic tools in the absence of any clear definition of Aspergers syndrome is attempting to put the horse before the cart (Howlin, 2000a). As Klin et al. (1995) argue, the lack of awareness of professionals of the condition can also make diagnosis difficult, with a comprehensive assessment of children suspected of having Aspergers syndrome needing to include the patients medical history, a psychological assessment, communication and psychiatric assessments, parental conferences and further consultation, if necessary. The initial stage of any assessment is to take a careful medical history, including all information relating to the childs development, from pregnancy to the present; next, a psychological assessment would be undertaken which would aim at establishing the childs level of emotional functioning, their strengths and weaknesses and their preferred style of learning (Klin et al., 1995). Next, communication and psychiatric examinations would be taken, which would collect both quantitative and qualitative information about the childs willingness and ability to communicate and their psychiatric status. One complication with diagnosing Aspergers syndrome is that many of the clinical manifestations of this condition are similar to those manifested by autistic children (Bishop, 1989). As argued by Wing (1988), because the diagnosis of autism is so difficult, as autism appears to present as a continuum of symptoms, with no clear boundaries, this has further complicated the diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome. As Wing (1988) discusses, the only clear diagnostic tool for diagnosing some form of autistic disorder is the presence of social impairment; the degree of social impairment, coupled with other symptoms, can then lead to the diagnosis of other forms of developmental disorder, such as Aspergers syndrome or semantic-pragmatic disorder (Bishop, 1989). Placing children along the autistic continuum, with autism being divided along two main axes of interests and social relationships and meaningful verbal communication, can thus help to diagnose the three different conditions (Semantic-pragma tic disorder, Aspergers syndrome or autism), with children diagnosed with autism being classed as more abnormal along these axes and children diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome being classed as abnormal along the interests and social relationships axis and normal along the meaningful verbal communication axis (Bishop, 1989). Yet, this does not stop researchers attempting to produce an assessment tool for the clinical diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome. Scott et al. (2002), for example, report the development of the CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test), which they designed to be able to screen children for Aspergers syndrome. The test is suitable for 4-11 year old children and was tested on 37 children with typical development and similar numbers of children with suspected Aspergers syndrome, with the finding that the tool detected significant differences between the sample means of normal children and those children living with Aspergers syndrome (Scott et al., 2002). It was concluded, therefore, that the CAST is a useful tool for the clinical diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome or to identify those children at risk of Aspergers syndrome and related conditions. As has been argued, however, the validity of this test is questionable, given the lack of a clear definition for Aspergers syndrome. Therapeutic interventions As highlighted in Klin et al. (1995), the treatment of Aspergers syndrome is, essentially, to provide support to the child in the event of any distress. There have been suggestions that behavioural coaching and supportive psychotherapy, can have some degree of positive effect on children with this condition although this has yet to be tested rigorously (Klin et al., 1995). As Weiss (2005) argues, however, no therapeutic interventions have been shown to be completely successful in treating the negative manifestations of Aspergers syndrome. Jacobsen (2004), however, makes a case for the use of individual psychotherapy and case management for children with Aspergers syndrome, as the therapeutic relationship can become an important source of support and routine for these children. As the mind of an individual with Aspergers syndrome is different to the mind of someone who does not live with this condition, it is important to consider theories of mind in the evaluation of the therapeutic needs of children living with this condition. Various tests, such as false belief tests, for example, have suggested that children with autism have an impaired theory of mind, with Baron-Cohen (2001) relating how theory of mind refers to the ability to reflect on ones own and others minds with children living with conditions along the autism spectrum having difficulty in understanding other peoples minds. As Baron-Cohen (2001) argues, much of the basic research in this field, on functional brain neuroimaging, for example, may have clinical applications in the areas ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦early intervention or early diagnosis. As Gevers et al. (2006) report, a social cognition programme based around this lack of a theory of mind had some success in dealing with children with pervasive development disorders including Aspergers syndrome, with this treatment intervention significantly raising consciousness of the feelings of others in those children who were assigned to this arm of the trial. This article gives hope to those parents of children with Aspergers syndrome, and to those adults living with Aspergers syndrome, that some therapeutic intervention may result from Baron-Cohens work and allow them to live a full life, free of the problems that Aspergers syndrome brings to them. Theoretical perspectives on Aspergers syndrome This section will discuss three main theoretical perspectives that are used/can be used to define Aspergers syndrome, namely the social model, the medical model and Bronfenbrenners ecological model. As Bricout et al. (2004) argues, children who live with disabilities, and also their families and social workers, face complex social and institutional environments in their quest for developmental, educational and daily living supports. Models of disabilities can provide conceptual frameworks with which to understand their disability and can inform the decision-making processes of parents and social workers (Bricout et al., 2004). The medical model, for example, focuses on individual deficits whereas the social model focuses on disabling social environments (Bricout et al., 2004). These models will all affect how the disabled child is understood and treated, as such models dictate how society views people with disabilities. The social model of disability, for example, views the disabled individual in terms of their differences, with disability meaning that the individual is restricted somehow with the term disability being a social construct that exists as a result of peoples reactions to the disabled and the shared meanings that surround this category of individuals within society (British Council of Disabled People, 1981). Society as a whole decides whether the impairments held by an individual leads them to be labeled disabled, with a label of disabled meaning certain discrimination via the imposition of barriers which will limit the abilities of these individuals to participate in society. For individuals with Aspergers syndrome, which challenges their ability to concentrate and to interact normally with other children, the social model of disability labels them as disabled in terms of their ability to be educated, meaning that they will usually be placed in a special educational needs situation. Th is is intended to ensure that their special needs can be catered for, yet placing children in special educational needs contexts can often doom children to a life of poor educational achievement, as it is known that disabled children placed in special educational needs contexts do less well academically than disabled children placed within the setting of a normal school (Reiser and Mason, 1990; Howlin, 2000b). Molloy and Vasil (2002) discuss whether Aspergers syndrome is a disorder or a neurological difference that has been socially constructed as a disorder, discussing how Aspergers syndrome is currently defined, in medical terms, as a developmental disorder. Yet, as Molloy and Vasil (2002) argue, the diagnostic criteria for Aspergers syndrome have been socially constructed, with Aspergers syndrome being readily accepted as a diagnosis for the problems that the children diagnosed with this condition face, as a way of being able to deal with these children under the umbrella of special educational needs. As such, it is educators, argue Molloy and Vasil (2002) that are mainly responsible for this social construction of Aspergers syndrome, with schools viewing this condition as a social disability and, this, being able to categorize the children with the condition and to give credence to their treatment of these children as needing to rehabilitated or normalized, something that is not, neces sarily, in the childs best interests. As such, Molloy and Vasil (2002) argue, a shift really needs to be made towards an examination of the social implications of a diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome. Viewing children under the medical model, which labels children living with Aspergers syndrome as deficient in something is also unhelpful, Molloy and Vasil (2002) argue, as the child comes to be viewed only with that label and therefore suffers a loss of individuality and consequent lowered expectations. The medical model of disability does not, like the social model, implicate society in the understanding of a persons disability, but rather views the disability as a function of the medical deficits that individual has, meaning that, under this viewpoint, the individual, and their deficit, is the problem, and not society. Under the medical model, society only comes to view individuals as disabled as a result of the impairment/deficit that they have, with individuals with Aspergers syndrome being viewed as unable to communicate emotionally and/or socially and, as a function of this, being labeled as disabled. As society, and policies aimed at mainstreaming disabled people and providing them the opportunity to enter normally into society, has moved more towards a social model of disability, the opportunity has arisen for children with Aspergers syndrome to be mainstreamed and dealt with, in mainstream schools, as children with special educational needs. As Howlin (2000b) argues, in con tra to Molloy and Vasil (2002), this is the correct approach for the more able children with Aspergers syndrome as high-functioning individuals with Aspergers syndrome can, if supported, achieve excellent outcomes in education and in their lives. Bronfenbrenners ecological model can also be used to understand Aspergers syndrome, as this model approaches child development from a joint sociological and development psychology perspective, with the thesis that individuals and their environments are mutually shaping, that is that they both have an effect on each other and, through this, change each other (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). As Bronfenbrenner (1979) states, child development takes place through processesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the complex interaction between an active child and the persons, objects and symbol in its immediate environment, such that this model implies that a disability such as Aspergers syndrome is a result of a lack of environmental support, and that, as such, the negative manifestations of the disability can be smoothed by placing the child in a more appropriate environment. It is clear, then, that Aspergers sydrome can be understood, and represented, from a variety of theoretical perspectives, all of which affect the expectations placed on individuals living with Aspergers sydrome. As Howlin (2000b) argues, however, with the correct support, high-functioning individuals with Aspergers sydrome can go on to achieve great things in their lives. This finding by Howlin (2000b) ties in with the ecological model of Bronfenbrenner (1979), which suggests that the disabilities caused by living with Aspergers syndrome are superable, if only the child is placed in the correct environment. This point will be returned to in the discussion of teaching approaches. As Molloy and Vasil (2002) argue, defining Aspergers syndrome in terms of any one model is extremely problematic. It is clear that children living with Aspergers syndrome require more attention than normal children because they crave more attention and have difficulties respecting social norms, meaning that, in a school setting, their behaviour would be picked up upon and corrected, attracting more attention from teachers. Yet, whether this is a disability as understood by the medical model (i.e., an impairment or deficit) is a moot point, especially as children with Aspergers syndrome usually excel in other areas meaning that they do have the capacity to fit in to mainstream schooling and society, despite the fact, as Molloy and Vasil (2002) argue, labeling children as living with Aspergers syndrome automatically means that they will be labeled, also, as special needs children. As Molloy and Vasil (2002) argue, with adequate support, children living with Aspergers syndrome can excel in the areas that interest them and so, instead of these children being the failures for not fitting in to educational expectations, it is the education system that is failing these children. This becomes especially clear when it is recognized that some cases of Aspergers syndrome are only diagnosed when children enter the school system and are labeled problematic with referrals to psychologists then offering a diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome. As Molloy and Vail (2002) argue, the situational nature of disability is important in understanding the practical implications of a child living with symptoms that can be labeled as Aspergers syndrome. If, for example, a child living with Aspergers syndrome is obsessed with mechanics and finds a specialized tutor to teach them mechanic, this child would excel in this field, above and beyond any child in a mainstream school. There are, thus, arguments on both sides regarding how and where children with Aspergers syndrome should be educated. Children with Aspergers syndrome are individuals, with different individual needs and it is not helpful or ethical for these children to be grouped in to one terminology special educational needs as this does not provide enough individual support to these individuals in order to allow these individuals to excel (Howlin, 2000b). That these children have problems understanding, and mastering, social interactions should not, argue Molloy and Vasil ( 2002), be a reason for these children to be marginalized and for this marginalization to be justified on the grounds of either the medical or social models of disability. This is especially problematic given the fact that children living with Aspergers syndrome can have their social interactions facilitated by certain interventions. Teaching approaches There are, therefore, many practical implications for these differing theoretical perspectives on Aspergers sydrome, in terms of diagnosis, assessment and intervention. How and when children living with Aspergers syndrome are assessed to have this condition affects their education: as has been discussed, the situational nature of the diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome can affect, for example, how and where they are schooled. This, as shown by Howlin (2000b) can affect their life chances and outcomes, given that, in the right circumstances, with the right levels of support, individuals with Aspergers syndrome can achieve great things in their lives, often above and beyond normal individuals. The Who what how where when of diagnosis and schooling, beyond this diagnosis, thus has a major impact on the life chances, and outcomes, of children living with Aspergers syndrome. Each of these different theoretical perspectives provides different insights in to the most appropriate teaching approaches and teaching strategies for individuals with Aspergers syndrome. A whole range of options are available for education for children living with Aspergers syndrome, from whole class to differentiated teaching. A Safran (2002) argues, it is feasible that children living with Aspergers syndrome can be taught in mainstream schools, and indeed many are, as these children usually have an extremely high IQ, with this gift needing only to be directed, and chanelled, adequately whilst controlling for the other more negative aspects of the manifestations of their condition. Yet, under the different theoretical perspectives, different educational models would be recommended for children living with Aspergers syndrome. The medical model would, for example, seem to suggest that these children are somehow deficient, and would see their weaknesses and not their holistic perspec tive, failing to recognize their giftedness in other areas. The social model would, as has been seen, in the discussion of the work of Molloy and Vasil (2002), suggest that the diagnostic criteria for Aspergers syndrome have been socially constructed, with Aspergers syndrome being readily accepted as a diagnosis, as a way of being able to deal with these children under the umbrella of special educational needs. This, whilst not having the disadvantages that the perspective of the medical model presents, is itself problematic because, as has been seen, children living with Aspergers syndrome can often, aside from their behavioural problems, be extremely gifted academically. Gallagher and Gallagher (2002) argue that there is a case to be made that children living with Aspergers syndrome should be treated as gifted children, in terms of their education, given that many children living with Aspergers syndrome have extraordinary capacities in certain areas. As Bronfenbrenners (1979) ecological model suggests, if a child with Aspergers syndrome is placed in the right environment, they will flourish. It is clear, therefore, that this model differs in its applicability to, and approach towards, Aspergers syndrome, as something that can overcome, not as something that causes a permanent, insuperable, deficit in the child. As Jindal-Snape et al. (2005) argue, children with autistic spectrum conditions can be taught effectively, especially if Bronfenbrenners (1979) ecological model is implemented, with functional links being found between all parts of the childs ecosystem, i.e., the childs home environment, their school and the other agencies that help them deal with their condition. It has to be noted, however, that their inability to interact socially and their low tolerance for routine, however, makes it difficult, in practical terms, to see how children living with Aspergers syndrome could be educated alongside gifted children. Although, as Safran (2002) argues, if all school personnel are made aware of the childs condition and its manifestations, then it would be possible for certain children living with Aspergers syndrome to enter mainstream school with one-to-one help, from a classroom assistant, for example, who would be there to help them with their behavioural difficulties. Interventions as simple as arranging the seating in the classroom to ensure that the child with Aspergers syndrome is not sitting next to children who will aggravate them has been shown to be effective in managing the manifestations of the condition, allowing these children to be schooled in a mainstream setting (Safran, 2002). It is my personal opinion, from my personal perspective, that certain children living with Aspergers syndrome are well suited to a mainstream classroom setting, although this is said with caution, as these children can take a lot of the teachers time, if they are not assisted, leaving little time for the other members of the class. As to whether mainstreaming special educational needs children is fair to the mainstream children is the topic of a whole other essay, but it is my experience that, indeed, as Safran (2002), Howlin (2000b) and Gallagher and Gallagher (2002) argue, certain children with Aspergers syndrome are academically excellent and, as such, should be given a chance at achieving great outcomes in their lives. As Safran (2002) states, people with Aspergers syndrome are often creative, highly intelligent, mathematically or scientifically astuteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(and)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦have the potential for momentous contributions to out society. As such, it should be the place of mainstream education to find a place for these children; indeed, as Safran (2002) reports, children with Aspergers syndrome can often see great improvements in their condition as a result of interacting with other children in mainstream school. This is certainly my experience, as I have had students with Aspergers syndrome in my classroom whose confidence has soared as a result of making friendships and being involved in events and activities that captured their interest. Many of their parents expressed their thanks that their children had been engaged in such a manner whilst at school. I have also known many parents of children with Aspergers syndrome who have not had such positive experiences of sending their children to mainstream and/or schools catering for children with special educational needs, and who decided not to send their children through the traditional school system and who decided to home school their children. There are many hundreds of cases like this in the UK, supported by the Asperger Home Education organization, and other local organizations, which act as a source of support for parents who are home-schooling children with Aspergers syndrome (Asperger Home Education, 2010). The vast majority of experiences of people I know who have home schooled their children with this condition have had hugely positive experiences, with their children growing up to lead full lives, most usually specializing in the area that captured their interest as a child. One friend, in particular, has gone on from being obsessed with LEGO as a small child to become a str uctural engineer, employed in one of the UKs largest construction companies, something that was made possible by the dedication of his mother who didnt give up on him, believed in him and gave him the tools and skills he needed to be able to make a success of his adult life. However a child with Aspergers syndrome is taught, it should be borne in mind, as recommended by The National Autistic Society (2010) that children with this condition are likely to have problems with group work, with a lack of comprehension, with a lack of empathy and with their motivation levels. It is also likely that, at some point, children living with this condition might suffer from distress as a result of a perceived lack of information. The good teacher should, thus, be aware that these problems may arise and should attempt to handle the classroom situation, and the student within that situation, so that the opportunities for these problems to arise are limited. If they arise, the teacher should also have strategies in place for dealing with the behavioural manifestations of these problems in the child. There are, therefore, various teaching approaches that can be adopted in order to minimize the distress caused to the child with Aspergers syndrome and minimize, as a result, the disruption to the classroom that is caused when a child with this condition becomes confused and distressed. The social model would suggest that if this condition is accommodated by an appropriate teaching approach, then the child should be able to be schooled normally, accommodating, as far as possible, their disability. Conclusion This essay has looked in detail at Aspergers syndrome, from its definition to its differences in comparison to autism. Several models have been discussed, with which to understand the disability caused by Aspergers syndrome, with these models being applied to teaching approaches and a discussion presented of possible teaching approaches for children living with Aspergers syndrome in light of these different models. My personal experiences of teaching and/or knowing some children with this condition were also related, showing, on the whole, that children with this condition are usually academically gifted and that the problems their disability presents can be overcome by, as Bronfenbrenners (1979) ecological model suggests, fitting the childs environment to their condition. Home schooling is an ideal way of ensuring this and giving the Aspergers child the best chance of making a success of their lives. It should be noted, however, that not all parents can afford, or have the ability t o, home school and, as such, other teaching approaches were discussed, including mainstreaming and institutes providing special needs education. In conclusion, Aspergers syndrome is a complex condition, dealt with in many ways, depending on the perspective from which the condition is viewed.

Ethics Reflection Essay -- essays research papers

There is a firefighter who is obligated to make a crucial decision. Upon arrival to a five-alarm blaze, the firefighter must make a life or death decision. There are two individuals unconscious in the burning building, and only one can be saved. One person is Dr. Rutland, a world-renowned pioneer in treating suicidal-depressives. The medication he has developed has helped thousands of patients already, and when perfected, will save many more. The other individual is Dr. Rutland’s secretary. Being that only one person is to survive, who should be saved?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to decide what the moral or ethical decision would be in this situation, one may look the utilitarian philosophy of Mill. According to Mill, The theory of morality- that pleasure, and the freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends; and that all desirable things are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. (Mill 1) Because Mill believes that in order to achieve morality, whatever will result in the greatest amount of pleasure and the least amount of pain will be the correct choice, he is a consequentialist. With all of this in mind, Mill derives a theory known as the Greatest Happiness Principle. The GHP requires that in order for a decision to be morally right, it has to promote the greatest good for the greatest number. Mill states, â€Å"The ultimate end [of the GHP], is an existence exempt as far possible from pain, and as rich as possible in enjoyments, both in point of quantity and quality (Mill 2),† the quantity being the greatest number, quality being the greatest good. Mill also says that â€Å"The utilitarian standard †¦ is not the agent’s own greatest happiness, but the greatest amount of happiness altogether. (Mill 2)† According to Mill’s theory of utilitarianism, Dr. Rutland should be the one who is saved. Mill’s theory of the greatest good for the greatest number states that in any situation when one is trying to make a decision, the right choice will always be the one that benefits most people as a result of that decision. Dr. Rutland is a famous physician who treats suicidal persons. With his development of this medication, many lives have already been saved. With the continuation of research, the medication could be perfected, and many more lives could be saved in... ...he option of saving either one person’s life who may save lives if he survives, or saving the two lives, a mother and an unborn child, Kant believes that saving two lives is going to be morally correct because it is saving more than one life now, not the possibility of saving someone else’s life later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If the secretary was the firefighter’s mother, there are two possibilities of whether or not the firefighter should save her, based on Kant’s philosophy. Using Kant’s second test to determine whether or not saving the mother would be morally right, the firefighter would have to determine if the reasons behind saving his or her mother were because of a means to an end. For example, if the reason the firefighter wanted to say his or her mother is for his own sake, or for some other â€Å"need,† such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. If the firefighter were to determine that the reasons his or her mother should be saved were, indeed, for some means to an end, saving the secretary would have no moral worth. If, however, the firefighter determines that the secretary/mother is treated with the dignity and respect she deserves, then it is morally right to save her.

Capital Punishment Essay: Death Penalty Not Consistent with Democracy

Death Penalty Not Consistent with Democracy    Many laws consider a premeditated crime more serious than a crime of pure violence. But what then is capital punishment but the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated it may be, can be compared? For there to be equivalence, the death penalty would have to punish a criminal who had warned his victim of the date at which he would inflict a horrible death on him and who, from that moment onward, had confined him at his mercy for years.    The Council of Europe declares, "The death penalty can no longer be regarded as an acceptable form of punishment from a human rights perspective. It is an arbitrary, discriminatory and irreversible sanction when judicial errors, which can never be entirely ruled out, cannot be reversed."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact, the Council went so far as to create a Protocol No. 6 in 1983, which abolished capital punishment in peacetime. All new member states must ratify this legislation and, so far, 39 of the 41 member states of the council have done so.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nonetheless, 17 years after the Council of Europe adopted Protocol No. 6, the United States remains one of the few staunch Western defenders of capital punishment. Both mainstream Presidential candidates in the United States firmly supported the death penalty, and one candidate, George W. Bush, personally signed off on 35 executions in 1999 while governor of Texas. Why has capital punishment, which has been condemned by most Western democracies, continued to have such strong support in the United States?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obviously, Europe and the United States are very different places, but it is ... ...ms cited by the Council as justification for the abolition of capital punishment remain unaddressed in the United States today. Capital punishment is still arbitrary, discriminatory, and irreversible in America. Yet, despite these, and other, compelling reasons to abolish capital punishment, our nation still defends this barbaric, uncivilized and cruel practice.    To many Americans, capital punishment is a quick fix to a national crime problem. We have been willing to overlook the gross injustices of the practice because we have convinced ourselves that it is making America a safer community. Acceptance of this myth must stop. The United States should follow Europe's lead and acknowledge that the administration of capital punishment in this country is an inherently unfair judicial practice. We must demand a moratorium on the death penalty in America now.   

Jurassic Park :: Essays Papers

Jurassoc Park A billionaire has created a technique to clone dinosaurs. From the left behind DNA that his crack team of scientists and experts extract he is able to grow the dinosaurs in labs and lock them up on an island behind electrified fences. He has created a sort of theme park on the island which is located off the west coast of Costa Rica. The island is called Isla Nublar. He plans to have the entire planet come and visit his wondrous marvels. He asks a group of scientists from several different fields to come and view the park, but something terribly goes wrong when a worker on the island turns against him and shuts down the power. The main characters in the book are: John Hammond who is a billionaire developer who has used his resources to create the dinosaur filled island known as Jurassic Park. He is an old grandfather, and he dies in the book by a dinosaur known as a Procompsognathus. Dr. Alan Grant who is a renowned paleontologist, agrees to visit Jurassic Park only to find out it is the home of several Dinosaurs. Unlike the movie Dr. Grant loves kids in the book. Dr. Ellie Sattler is a Paleobotinist and Alan Grant who is among the first people to tour Jurassic Park. Tim who is the 11 year old grandson of John Hammond is very into computers and loves Dinosaurs. His 7 year older sister is Alexis. She has a kind of tomboy attitude and loves baseball. Ian Malcom is the Mathematician that uses "Chaos Theory" to predict disastrous results. Finally there is Dennis Nedry. He was the computer genius who's greed and ambition bring chaos to Jurassic Park. The characters show the greatest difference in the movie and the book. There were many opposites in the characters. One of the obvious differences is that the roles of Tim and Lex were reversed. The book starts off when some of the dinosaurs have escaped form the island.

Mobile ESPN response questions

(1)  Ã‚   Mobile ESPN’s launch into the wireless market was definitely the innovative, out-of-the-box idea that the marketing executives at ESPN are known for, and the principle behind it—one more way in which to deliver up-to-the-minute sports information to sports fans anywhere, anytime—was very much on the right track.   I think what Mobile ESPN suffered from the most was the fact that it was basically nothing more than a shadow service provider. Without having a wireless infrastructure of its own, Mobile ESPN found itself dependent on Sprint for all of the technological and logistical implementation of the product.   Whatever may or may not have been going on within Sprint internally, for Mobile ESPN to launch without any real autonomy of its own, completely dependent on its host carrier, and with no real knowledge or experience in the wireless world, Mobile ESPN was a good idea at a good time that was perhaps not thought through entirely.   Also, there is a lot to be said of consumers’ reluctance to switch wireless carriers due to high penalties, and many phones have Internet access which allow people to have access to ESPN’s website for that same up-to-the-minute information, making it unnecessary for them to have the special phone. (2)  Ã‚   When Mobile ESPN was launched, in order to attract a greater number of users it would have been helpful if they had offered a great deal of incentives for switching over to the Sprint service, host of Mobile ESPN. Perhaps they could have partnered up with Sprint and offered some sort of contract buy-out option, where they would pay for the pre-existing contract termination of new subscribers (at the cost of a 2-year agreement with Sprint and an astronomical cancellation penalty, to ensure that there would not be a great deal of money lost).   This is probably one of the biggest reasons why there wasn’t an initial mass attraction to the product because of the stringent rules of wireless carriers, and so to offer some incentive to attract these people and make it worth their time and money to make that switch would be beneficial. ESPN right now just needs to focus on its various television, print, and Internet presence for people to access its branded content, and really spend a great deal of time formulating a well-thought-out strategy to re-launch Mobile ESPN, something that not only appeals to the customers who want all sports all the time but who also want a great deal with wireless service. (3)  Ã‚   I don’t believe Mobile ESPN affected the image or brand of ESPN in either direction.   Presumably the 50,000 subscribers to Mobile ESPN were upset at the decision to cancel the program, but out of the millions of ESPN viewers that number is largely insignificant.   Mobile ESPN was simply an example of a company breeching into territory it wasn’t yet quite ready to break into—something which happens all the time, not all creative ideas are successful.   Because the presence of Mobile ESPN was so small, the repercussions of its failure simply could not be on a large scale. (4)  Ã‚   Honestly, I still believe Mobile ESPN was a great idea, just perhaps at the wrong time or poorly planned and executed.   If I worked with one of ESPN’s competitors, I would have viewed Mobile ESPN as a highly unique, creative, out-of-the-box idea that would be a threat to my own company, and demand from my Marketing team that they provide me with ideas as cutting-edge as that.   Despite its failure, Mobile ESPN is still a great example of how ESPN constantly strives to be on top, the best of the best, offering the most content with the most accessibility.   Mobile ESPN further demonstrated that, and as a competitor I would want to do something that would allow me to reach the same audience base.

Rebuilt Marketing Machine Essay

Per the article The Rebuilt Marketing Machine by Victoria L. Crittenden, the additional 4C’s of strategic marketing are customer centrality, competitive capabilities, company collaborations and cynical connections. Starting with customer centrality, studying what the customer needs and wants are. Creating solutions for all of the different customers wants instead of forcing the customer into a product. Consumers are all about the customer and the customer experience, ensuring the best service. Competitive capabilities open the door with worldwide web allowing most business to have an opportunity to portray themselves as worldwide leaders. Competition leads many businesses to strive for success and beyond. Therefore competitive capabilities allow business to think of ways to improve their businesses. The third C, company collaboration, is an advantage to companies where you can take superior business and combine business to provide customers the best of both worlds. Company collaboration allows marketing to interfere with other departments to ensure high quality of services. The last C in strategic marketing, cyclical connections are vital to the business world through its strategic planning, great marketing skills will be proved through the outcome of business. In order for a company to succeed, a strong formula must be implemented. Although the 4Ps still remain popular in marketing, the matrix needs to be rebuilt due to it no longer being successful for businesses. Business men all know the 4Ps marketing mix framework, due to its common sense there are no longer any advantages. In today’s world, marketing is the key to success and finding ways to better concepts for business success all around the world since marketing is always changing. The gist to marketing is impleme nting new ideas for business success, using the aged idea of the 4Ps is no longer comparative to the advancement of the business world today. Comparing the 4Cs to 3Cs, Porter’s 5 Forces, SWOT analysis, BCG Matrix is important since they all support different ideas. Starting with SWOT analysis, finding out what the strength and weaknesses for business allows better strategy for business growth. SWOT analysis defines the pros and cons of the business where as the 4Cs finds ways to improve the weaknesses. SWOT analysis bring consistency to a business, however if combined with 4Cs it would allow great marketing strategy. Porters 5 forces focus on competition and striving for the top name in leading business. This strategic plan uses the strength and weaknesses of other companies through their own annual reports, financial statements, and mysterious shoppers, etc, to find ways to better business. Whereas company collaboration in the 4Cs, focuses on marketing function in conjunction with other areas in the organization. This allows companies to make decisions on ideas as a whole and not just one team making a decision. The BCG Matrix only focuses on two items the SBU market growth rate and the SBU relative market share, this matrix is based on assumptions and is biased. Due to this the 4Cs implements greater ideas since the BCG focuses on profitability and market share and does not support other marketing ideas. The 3Cs is somewhat similar to the 4Cs however the 4Cs are more thorough in the idea of marketing. The 3Cs provides types of questions to ask yourself when opening a business which are common sense. However, the 4Cs are in depth details of important marketing strategies for building a successful business. In my opinion the marketing mix framework is consumers oriented and fits better in the movement for mass marketing to niche marketing. However, it is out dated and needs to be revised with careful consideration of what the customer wants and needs are. Adding new elements to the framework to ensure better marketing techniques, such as adding another â€Å"P† for customers (people) because without business from the customers, companies will not grow. Also, finding ways to better the customer experience so that customer will be a returning customer and not only focus on making money. The customer will be using social media to rate businesses, speak to family and friends about that customer service experience and are the key for business success.

Atlantis

Atlantis is the subject of a legend about an advanced island civilization that was destroyed or lost. I believe Atantis is located in Bolivia based on historical evidence, advanaced architecture, advanced adimttance to road systems, and clues found in the text Critias written by the ancient Greek philospher Plato. The historical evidence in Bolivia and Atalantis match up because both civilizations were wealth, and had advanced architectual buildings. â€Å"There is historical evidence they usesd advances architectural and agricultural techniques†¦ (http://boliviabella. com/history. html). In Critias:†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ they had such an amount of wealth†¦ and they were furnished with everything which they needed,both in the city and country†(paragraph 14). Having a great amount of wealth means the city was ran under a ruler that controlled the city, which had advanced more then other civilizations due to the amount of control the ruler had. The wealth of Atantis and Bolivia are a factor to its architecture. Both civilizations had similar advanced architecture from the materials the building were built from. In Critias:†All the outside of the temple, with the exception of the pinnacles, they covered with silver, and the pinnacles with gold†(paragraph 16). â€Å"Modern satellite mapping shows the plain, now called the Altiplano to be of rectangular configuration, perfectly level, enclosed on all sides by mountains and these mountains contained the metals which Plato told us about, namely gold, silver, copper, tin and the mysterious Orichalcum† (an alloy of gold and copper which occurs only in the Andes) and which Plato said were used to plate the walls of the circular city. The words â€Å"Atl† and â€Å"Antis† are themselves of native America origins meaning â€Å"water† and â€Å"copper† respectively and the plain is subject to earthquakes and floods such as Plato said sank the city in a single day and night of rainfall†(http://www. atlantisbolivia. org/atlantisboliviapart1. htm). The two qoutes show that both had acces to the same materials that were used for various reasons like architecture. The civilaztion was so advanced that they had a road stystem and other things we use today like bridges. â€Å"They created a system of roads,aqueducts and hanging bridges, some of which still exist today†(http://www. oliviabella. com/history. html). In Critias:†First of all they bridged over the zones of sea which surrounded the ancient metropolis, making a road to and from the royal palace†(paragraph 15). This qoute proves that Atlantis had bridges and roads which Bolivia also had early on in their civilazation. In conclusion, I believe that Atlantis is located in Bolivia based on historical evidence, advanced architecture, and advanced admittance to road systems. Clues provided by Plato in Critias his historical account of Atlantis were also found in Bolivia, that helped me lead to the conclusion that Bolivia is where Atlantis existed.

Android: International Conference on Computer Essay

Porting mobile web application engine to the Android platform Yonghong Wu, Jianchao Luo, Lei Luo School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054 benbshmily@126.com, andyluomail@163.com, lluo@uestc.edu.cn Abstract Android which Google released as an open-source mobile phone operating system is a Linux-based platform; it consists of the operating system, middleware, and user interface and application software. xFace is a cross-platform web application engine for mobile Internet. As a global leader in mobile web application engine, xFace [1] has the advantages of versatility, easy to master, universal. It significantly reduces the effort of development; while the services of testing which porting layer provides, will greatly reduce the developer’s development costs. A perfect transplant will greatly reduce the Android platform migration workload, but also to make widget’s operating efficiency to be improv ed. This paper describes xFace of native code (c + +) runs on the Android (java) platform through JNI called, xFace porting layer(c++) also calls the Android platform APIs(JAVA) by JNI, such as Graphics, HTTP and other related system modules. Keywords—Android, JNI, Mobile web Application Engine, Porting are the hot spot type of value-added services, 3G mobile terminals under a variety of value-added services would be the integration of up to provide users with chain services, it will be a technical major breakthrough. In addition, along with the WEB2.0 maturity, improving, it makes mobile Internet to become an inevitable trend in the future, while the development of next-generation mobile communication terminal is the power of mobile Internet development. xFace is a kind of engine of the web application. It uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and other Web technologies to develop lightweight mobile applications. Mobile applications, which are developed by using the technology of xFace, can run on different operating systems without any modification, such as windows Mobile, BREW, Symbian and other mobile phone platforms. It greatly reduces development efforts and costs of the mobile web application software. Android as an open-source mobile phone platform, is favored by the major mobile phone Manufacturers, its large rate of market share is also increasing. In this context, for mobile Internet and mobile terminals, this paper puts forward the way to solve the xFace transplanted to the Android platform that is very valuable and practical significance. 1. Introduction Along with the continuous development of communication industry, today’s mobile terminals have extended from single service with telephone to multiple services with voice, data, images, video and games [2]. Communications, computing and Internet convergence will be trend of the information and communication technology development in the future. Nowadays, operators’ services have erected one by one in the open data services, a unified service — the platform for mobile Internet. The step into data transfer is an important stage in the development of the 3G. It provides rich data services also contributed to the development of smart mobile devices. Under the impact of the 3G, mobile terminals gradually turn to be intelligent. Under a variety of 3G services such as mobile instant messaging, mobile email, mobile search, online browsing, mobile TV and mobile games 978-0-7695-4108-2/10 $26.00  © 2010 IEEE DOI 10.1109/CIT.2010.369 2157 2. xFace transplant programs in the Android platform 2.1. Android platform features The architecture of Android system [3], similar to other operating systems, use a hierarchical structure. From the chart to see, Android is divided into four layers; from the top to the lower level are the application layer, application framework layer, system layer and the Linux runtime core layer. In figure 1, Applications with some of the essential applications, such as email, address book, SMS and browser, etc. All applications are done by the Java language. Application Framework provides java class library for Android applications, Android application developers developed applications, like developing those core applications, with full permission to access to the APIs provided by framework. Libraries layer was developed by C/C++ language, those libraries are packaged by Application Framework section. The bottom section is the Linux Kernel which is developed by c language, it provide the core system services, such as security, memory management, file system management, process ma nagement, network group, Driver Model and so on. It is also an abstract layer between the hardware and system software. Figure 1 Architecture of Android Each of Android applications runs in its own process, to enjoy the Dalvik virtual machine for its exclusive distribution of instances. Dalvik virtual machine runs a Dalvik-format-Executable file (. Dex), the file of this format is optimized so as to make the Android applications occupy less memory when it’s running. Java compiler compiles Java source files into class files, class files has been built into the dex format file by a kind of DEX tool, only this file can run in Dalvik virtual machine after registered in the Dalvik. Thus, all of the Android applications must use java language to develop. This situation gets C/C++ developers into trouble. xFace engine and porting layer are developed by C/C++, and therefore it’s a big trouble to port the xFace to Android platform. Feasibility Analysis: xFace is developed by C/C++, but the Android application is developed by java language, which allows us to have to use JNI [4]. JNI’s called the Java Native Interface, which is provided by JAVA to allow JAVA and the C/C++ interface to call each other. In view of this, JNI provides feasibility for porting xFace to the Android platform. Native code (interface) of xFace can be generated the dynamic library called by JNI in JAVA. Also, because of the Android system functions are supported by JAVA packages (such as SMS, e-mail module, address book, phone calls, local capacity, etc.). Because of all of the Android APIs are based on java package. To finish the operating system-related functions of xFace porting layer, we have to use JNI to call the JAVA classes and methods in C/C++. Transplant Program: According to the feasibility analysis, we know that xFace is ported to Android platform is entirely feasible, so it requires an effective plan to implement. An efficient migration plan can reduce a lot of workload of transplant. Simultaneously, the operating efficiency of widget is also improved. According to the specificity of Android applications, application framework and start-up code must be written in JAVA language, and then called C/C++ program entry of xFace by JNI in that start-up code. However, in the xFace platform porting layer, some of the features also need to adopt a similar approach to call the Android APIs which are provided as JAVA packages by Android. Event-dispatching can also be the way through the JNI passing from JAVA to C/C++ layer. And then we formed a transplant plan which is mixed-programming language. As shown in Figure 2. 2.2. xFace mobile web application engine xFace is composed of xFace engine and platform adaptation layer (also known as Porting layer), xFace engine is mainly responsible for page layout, script analysis, logic and other functions, the porting layer is mainly responsible for abstracting the operating system-related functions into the system-independent in order to make xFace run on different platform. Figure 2 xFace Porting Layer 2158 3. Porting the xFace native Code to Android 3.1 Bulit the environment Transplanting xFace to the Android platform, because of mixture of programming language, we use Eclipse and the Android environment NDK as the environment of compilation. NDK is primarily used to compile xFace core and porting layer, and it compiles the starting-entry(C/C++) of xFace into dynamic library. Eclipse is mainly used to build Android application development environment, needed ADT plug-in. At last, we use Eclipse to package the program and the dynamic library, which is generated by NDK, into Android executable files – DEX files. Android NDK: Android NDK is the acronym for Native Development Kit. Android application developers can use NDK to develop C/C + + native code. In this plan, we also need to use it to develop C/C + + native code and call the java classes and methods by JNI. Android NDK has developed to provide a way of developing dynamic library for application developer. Developers need to make their project folder into the folder of â€Å"NDK_ROOT / apps /† and write the Makefile in accordance with the specification of NDK. For example, first, we should create a new folder as the name of â€Å"xFace† under the directory of â€Å"NDK_ROOT / apps /†. Next, we create a new file named â€Å"application.mk† and a new directory named â€Å"project† under the directory which is created just now. Create a new folder named â€Å"jni† in the â€Å"project† folder, our xFace Native Code and Makefiles are placed inside this folde. Due to space reasons, we can not do introduce the specifications of the Makefile for the NDK. NDK compiler works under the Linux environment, so if you use Windows, you have to install the software such as Cygwin. Installing eclipse: After install eclipse software, you should install the ADT plug-in into the eclipse, select the ADT plug-in options and create a new Android emulator. After that you can develop the Android application with it. divided into two parts. One, it is completed entirely by the C/C++ code, such as threads, semaphores, memory [5] and file operations modules. And local capacity of the other part is related to points in two ways, first by the C/C++ to prepare the framework, and it called Android APIs which are provided by JAVA packages (such as access and set the system time, MMI implementation, call the local function such as phone calls, send text messages and other system calls); the second is a direct implementation by the java function, and then C/C++ side call them which have been achieved by the java (such as HTTP module, etc). As shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 Implementation plan of porting layer 3.3 Integration of the porting layer and core After porting layer of each module completed, we can integrate it with xFace engine. Each module of xFace engine also needs to NDK environment to be compiled into static libraries. All of those static libraries are supplied for xFace program entry module calling. xFace program entry module which is called by JAVA is responsible for the performance of xFace capacity module. This module depends on the xFace engine and platform adaptation layer, and must follow the norms of java call native code compiled into dynamic link libraries and by the Eclipse environment, written in java program packaged with the framework to Android emulator to run. 4. Details of the design According to the above design, we can divide xFace program into three layers: application framework entrance layer, xFace Native entrance, xFace Native layer (shown as below in figure 4). Following segments elaborate the completion of xFace. 3.2 Implementation of the porting layer Porting layer is an abstraction of operating system functions-related; the implementation of porting layer is the main work of transplantation. It provides interfaces for xFace engines, due to different operating systems platform layer functions do correspond to abstraction, which makes xFace can be run on different platform. Platform adaptation layer implementation can be 2159 5. Testing According to the solution of this paper proposing, the function of porting layer has been implemented. After integrating the porting layer and core, it can run web applications. In order to test the validity and effectiveness of this solution, the following are some simple web application to run screenshot (as shown in figure 5). There are no exceptions and very steady when the program is running. At this point, it demonstrates the feasibility and correctness of the solution of this paper. Figure 4 Startup process 4.1 Application framework entrance Application framework entrance is primarily responsible for starting the xFace; Developed by JAVA language. And its main function is that prepare for running xFace in the Android platform, to provide a running environment, and the creation of the window and dispatch the event information to xFace native layer. As the Android applications are running on Dalvik virtual machine, so the program must start by the way of JAVA. It is a bridge of communication between xFace Native framework and Android, so it is essential. Figure 5 demo application 4.2 xFace Native entrance xFace Native entrance is mainly responsible for achieving xFace local businesses, such as loading the page, parsing the page, initialization xFace widget runtime environment, as well as the release of related resources and so on. Associated with xFace businesslogic is organized in this layer, which is the work of xFace entrance. Only for Application framework entrance called. In the plan, the drawing graphics is the maximum cost. It is not direct to draw shape to screen because this plan is using JNI to call JAVA methods to draw graphics. So the program of xFace may be slower than Android Native Application, especially when you running a kind of widget which need a mount of drawing in xFace , such as games. 6. Summary Currently almost all of the transplants, the source build-environment of transplant and the target platform build-environment are basically the same. This migration plan of mixed programming language provides a general method for the situation that the source and the target platform of build-environment of transplant are different; furthermore, this solution also makes code-reuse to maximize and reduces development costs and cycle. This article based on the Android platform, while providing a set of transplantation program, but the program is also a place to shortcomings in the drawing mechanism, because it is provided through the JNI calling java class library Android than any other platform, the efficiency of direct system call mapping is slightly low. Therefore, it is also a need for further study and improvement to improve efficiency. 4.3 xFace Native Code This layer is mainly to achieve graft-layer specific functions, xFace all of the features are in this layer, which coordinates xFace engine and porting layer; and to make porting layer and the underlying of operating system, porting layer and the Android application programming interface layer in the layer of packaging. It exposes the interfaces to xFace application developers and xFace engines. This layer of xFace is the kernel, all of the performance capabilities of xFace application are implemented in this layer. 7. References [1] Introduce of xFace[M/OL]. http://189works.com/articleDetail.action?u=yangzihao04&id =10124. 2010 [2] 3G Mobile Terminal Development Trend of the operating system [M/OL]. http://pda.c114.net/32/c4948.html, 2007 [3] Android Architecture 2010[R/OL]. http://www.cnmsdn.com/html/201003/1268713218ID2058_2 .html [4] ChuanBin Tu, Dissecting JDK1.6, Electronic Industry Press, 2008-01 [5] Neil Matthew . Professional Linux Programming . Wrox . 2002-01 [6] W3C. SVG Tiny 1.2-2008. Scalable vector graphics (SVG) tiny 1.2 specification[S]. W3C 2008 [7] Niu Xin-Zheng, She Kun, Qin Ke, Zhou Ming-Tian. Cooperative caching optimization strategy on Mobile P2P network[J]. Journal of Computer Research and Development. 2008, 42(4): 1-2 [8]Lei Huang. Development of embedded system based on platform. Foreign Electronic Measurement Technology, 2006 [9] Wangchao Network. Web Application Development of Mobile devices[DB/OL].http://www.wangchao.net.cn/bbsdetail_314 11.html. 2006-01-08 [10] Times Connection. I ntroduction to Web Application[EB/OL].http://cs.now.cn/html/FAQ/VHost/2008 10/10-3088.html. 2008-10-10

Financial Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial Reporting - Essay Example Also, there is the problem that no one individual or corporation has full ownership of the earth, so it would be very difficult to account for. Even if some accountants did factor use of the earth into the accounts, there would likely be many more that would not do this. Accountants do have the expertise required because they understand how assets depreciate and also how to balance the economic equation of assets equals liabilities plus equity. If such a system was put in place to allow accountants to value the earth, then it may be possible to do. The major problem is trying to get everyone to agree on what should be accounted for. The accounting profession is suited perfectly to control such measurement functions but the problem is deciding on what those functions are. Because they are many things that cannot be measured, it is very difficult for accountants to include such functions on the balance sheet. The difference between accounting for financial and physical objects is that one type can be measured on a scale while the other is more ambiguous. Financial objects have value because we give values that can be assigned to specific objects. For example, for an investment that loses money, it is easy to track that flow because we can compare the end result with the start value. The difficulty with accounting for physical objects is that often there is no ways to place value on them and also it may be hard to find a starting value in some instances. Activity 2 In this cartoon, the difference between the two companies could not be more remarkable. While Company A has three legs on its chair (social, financial, and environmental), Company B only has only leg (financial). This illustration shows perfectly why companies must be well-balanced when it comes to business operations. Company A understands that in order to be successful in the business world, there is more goals than just simply making a profit. I think that it is important to note that in this picture the financial leg of the chair is the middle one. In other words, it is the cornerstone of the company or the part that is the basis for everything else. The other two legs, social and environmental, provide solid support to the company, which is obviously very successful from a financial point of view. While success may be put down only to the financials, it cannot be understated the value of having good social and environmental responsibility for a firm. These measures often can't be valued, so it is difficult to try and judge success. I feel that it is also important to mention that the chair would not likely stand without the financial leg. All three legs are needed to support the chair, and this shows that companies must concentrate on many different facets of business in order to be successful over the long run. Company B only has one led, financial, and as a result the company is having difficulty maintaining balance. Although this leg is important for making the chair stand , there are no other supports. Company B has placed all of its eggs in the financial basket and has paid the price for doing so. By neglecting other aspects of business, such as social and environmental, the company is taking a huge risk. While it may be able to stay balanced initially, it is inevitable that the chair will take a fall because the company has focused all of its efforts on simple money making.