Activity Based Costing (ABC) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Activity Based Costing (ABC) - Assignment Example Historically, ABC started to become popular as an alternative approach to traditional cost accounting about three decades ago, where the latter has become increasingly proving its irrelevance (Emblemsvag, 2010). The increasing automation of production as compared to being labor-intensive, the multiple product lines compared to small number of products being produced, and the increasing overhead cost of companies are factors which are said to have contributed to the popularity of ABC (Emblemsvag, 2010). ABC is said to have addressed some important issues which traditional cost accounting may have left hanging when it comes to question of reason or logic in cost allocation. Comparing the two methods of allocating cost, Emblemsvag (2010) highlighted three salient points of ABC: 1. ABC assumes cost objects consume activities whereas traditional cost accounting assumes cost objects consume resources, 2. ABC uses drivers at various levels (hence consumption, and therefore cost varies at all levels), while traditional cost accounting usually employs volume related allocation as bases for costs, and 3. ABC is process oriented, while traditional cost accounting is process oriented. Higher productivity as a desired goal or objective, therefore, is better achieved using activity based costing than traditional cost accounting. ... Such opportunities may not be readily available in a traditional cost accounting system, making ABC the wiser choice for productivity managers. Therefore, ABC is a tool that has proven to be a valuable tool for efficiency and productivity performance, and probably an indispensable method of cost allocation and cost accounting for modern organisations. Many more typical benefits of ABC have been cited (Value Based Management, 2011), and among them are: Ability to identify the most and least profitable customers, products, and channels, Ability to easily identify the root causes of poor financial performance, Ability to track costs of activities and work processes, Equip managers with cost intelligence to better drive improvements, Meet important marketing objectives, such as determination of a better marketing mix, enhancement of bargaining power with customers, and achieve better positioning of products in the market From the above premises it can be gleaned that ABC offers the bette r solution for any problem arising from overhead cost allocation. Definitely, ABC is an improvement of what traditional cost accounting aims to address, i.e., allocation of cost to where it matters most, keep costs down, and contribute to rising profit levels for the company through increased efficiency and productivity. But is ABC really perfect? Has it become the eureka of overhead allocation, where a lasting solution has been found to last a lifetime? Is there a downside, a lowlight, anything that ABC would not be able to achieve? Is it the perfect cure? There are some weaknesses when ABC is implemented by organisations. But such weaknesses or limitations are far

A. Making a Gene Product Essay Example for Free

A. Making a Gene Product Essay We have just seen that one way of identifying cells carrying a particular gene is by assaying for the gene product. Such products are themselves, of course, a frequent objective of genetic engineering. Most of the earliest work in genetic engineering made use of E. coli to synthesize the gene products. E. coli has the advantage that researchers are very familiar with this easily grown organism and with its genetics. It also has several disadvantages. Like other gram-negative bacteria, it produces endotoxins as part of its outer layer. Since endotoxins cause fever and shock in animals, their accidental presence in products intended for use in humans would be in a serious problem. Another disadvantage of E. coli is that it does not usually secrete protein products. To obtain a product, cells must usually be broken open and the product purified from the resulting â€Å"soup† of cell components (Barton, 2000). Recovering the product from such a mixture is expensive when done on an industrial scale. It is more economical to have an organism secrete the product so that it can be recovered continuously from the growth medium. One approach has been to link the product to a natural E. coli protein that the bacterium does secrete. This approach has been used to produce insulin. Certain gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, are more likely to secrete their products and are often preferred industrially for that reason. Another microbe that shows promise as a vehicle for the expression of genetically engineered genes is baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Its genome is only about four times larger than that of E. coli and is probably the best understood eukaryotic genome. Yeasts may carry plasmids; their cell walls can readily be removed to introduce plasmids carrying engineered genes. As eukaryotic cells, yeasts may be more successful in expressing foreign eukaryotic genes than bacteria. Furthermore, yeasts are likely to continuously secrete the product. Because of all these factors, yeasts have become the workhorse of eukaryotic cells. Yeasts also have a psychological advantage in the marketplace. Bacteria and viruses are, unfairly, associated in the public’s mind with diseases, whereas yeasts have a much more benign image, thanks to their association with baking, brewing, and wine-making (Barton, 2000). Animal viruses have also been used in making engineered gene products, primarily in the field of vaccine production. For example, scientists have been able to insert genes for the surface proteins of pathogenic microbes into the generally harmless vaccinia virus. The result is a sort of â€Å"sheep in wolf’s clothing,† a virus that has the external proteins of a pathogen but dies not cause disease. When an animal host is infected with the engineered virus, the host’s immune system recognizes these proteins as foreign and, in response, develops an immunity that can protect it against the actual pathogen. Because the vaccinia virus is unusually large and has room for several extra genes, a genetically engineered vaccinia virus might theoretically be used as a vaccine for several diseases simultaneously (Weaver, 2004). Mammalian cells in culture, even human cells, can be used much like bacteria to produce genetically engineered products. Scientists have developed effective methods for growing mammalian cells in culture as hosts for growing viruses. In genetic engineering, mammalian cells are often the best suited to make protein products for medical use; these products include hormones, lymphokines (which regulate cells of the immune system), and interferon (a natural antiviral substance that is also used to treat some cancers) (Anderson Diacumakos, 2001). While plant cells can also be grown in culture, altered by recombinant-DNA techniques, and then used to generate genetically engineered plants. Such plants may prove useful as sources of valuable plant products, such as alkaloids (the painkiller codeine, fro example) and the isoprenoids that are the basis of synthetic rubber.

Comparison and Analysis of Museum Architecture

Comparison and Analysis of Museum Architecture In the late 1790s, several influencial members of the Prussian government requested that a museum was to be built to house the royal collection that would constitute a valuable contribution to the states cultural mission. Due to struggle with Napoleon and Prussias defeat in 1806 with victory in 1813 at Leipzig, the project was delayed until 1822, when Architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel took on the project. The Altes Museum was built between 1823 and 1830. It is one of the most important works in the architecture of Classicism. It has a lucidly ordered exterior and an interior structure of great precision after the Ancient Greek style, Schinkel pursued Humboldts idea of the museum as an educational institution open to the public. The Altes museum was originally built to house all of Berlins art collections, it has accommodated the Collection of Classical Antiquities since 1904. Between 1943 and 1945 the building was severely damaged by fire. Reconstruction work continued up until 1966. Since 1998 the Collection of Classical Antiquities has displayed its Greek collection, including the treasury on the ground floor of the Altes Museum. The Egyptian Museum has, since August 2005, shown its collection on the upper floor where it will remain until it moves to the Neues Museum in 2009. Karl Friedrich Schinkel was associated with leading poets, philosophers, and statesmen of his day. Some of their discussions involved aesthetics and the purpose of art, which did more than influence him passively. He sought to apply such theories to his architectural work. The Altes Museum was intended to be simply an extension of the Royal Academy, but Schinkel insisted he wanted it to be an autonomous building sited at the northern end of the Lustgarten, opposite the palace. In order for this to occur, because of the buildings intended size, a canal had to be filled in and a number of smaller buildings were removed to make way for the museum.It has been sited to face the palace and inserting it between the River Spree and a number of smaller buildings allowed him to accommodate the projects not so generous budget. Since only the museums facade needed ornamentation worthy of such an eminent neighbor as the palace, the Konigliches Schloss. The museum was located on axis with the palace and was adjacent to the cathedral and arsenal, giving it a central place among these three pillars of the Prussian state. It was to become a magnificent icon of its time. The museums relations with the state only went so far, with the facade, significantly, bore an inscription acknowledging the kings leading cultural role, although the museum was in no sense an extension of the court or an expression of royal power. The facade may have bore the kings name, but the buildings interior was to belong to art and its public. The Alter Museum appears a monumental masterpiece on the exterior, but not much can be said for its interior. It is preserved by recognising the courts role in the cultural life of Prussian society, while simultaneously disallowing this acknowledgement of power from affecting the museums internal logic. The building presents us with one face to the outside, while presenting another on the inside, reminiscent to the Janus symbol of one head with two faces, a double-edged sword, or the opposite sides of a coin. Schinkels museum attempts to suggest how art is connected to the world socially, culturally, and morally,within the context of the three pillars of Prussian society, as symbolised by the palace, arsenal, and cathedral. In the Altes Museum, it is impossible to ignore the buildings use of architectural forms traditionally reserved for religious buildings.The ground floors center is called the rotunda, which is a direct reference to the Pantheon as well as the Museo Pio Clementino. Art history and Aesthetics developed simultaneously over the course of the 18th century. These formed the hierarchy for the Altes Museum. The ground floor housed art from the ancient world, and the second floor contained paintings by period and style.Classical art was not arranged in any particular order, but was presented as one entity, it was not considered as another period, although they were carefully arranged according to the contemporary precepts of art history. This distinction between classical and postclassical, assumes that classical art is timeless, ideal and foundational. The monumental order of the eighteen fluted ionic columns, the wide stretch of the atrium, and the rotunda is an explicit reference to the pantheon in Rome, and finally the grand staircase which are all architectural elements where up to this point, were reserved for stately buildings. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1956-59) Frank Lloyd Wright has described the design of this building in a number of letters to its founder, Solomon R. Guggenheim, and in several statements made during the time of its design and construction. Both Wright and Guggenheim died before they could see the museum completed. This particular museum is in a class of its own. Featured in a number of famous Hollywood films for its famous levels of circulation in a spiral form. This particular distinctive building was Frank Lloyd Wrights last major work. From the street, the building looks approximately like a white ribbon curled into a cylindrical stack, it is slightly wider at the top than the bottom. Its appearance is in sharp contrast to the more typically boxy Manhattan buildings that surround it. Internally, the viewing gallery forms a gentle helical spiral from the main level up to the top of the building. Paintings are displayed along the walls of the spiral and also in exhibition space found at annex levels along the way.This museum can be described as clean beautiful surfaces throughout the building, all beautifully proportioned to human scale. These surfaces are all lighted from above with natural daylight beaming down into the main foyer. A feature that many historic museums lacked in previous times and failed to accomplish so well. This Museum seems to have an atmosphere of harmonious simplicity where human proportions are maintained in relation to the picture or painting on show. There is a fluid quiet created by the buildings interior where the new painting will be seen for itself under its favourable conditions, not conflicting with the buildings interior making it the centre piece of attention. The paintings are all situated in perfectly air conditioned chambers, essential to the preservation of these great pieces of art and sculptures. The walls of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum and spaces, inside and outside, are one in substance and effect. The walls slant gently outward forming a giant spiral for a well defined purpose. One can view this as a new unity between beholder, painting and architecture. The pictures are inclined, faced slightly upward to the viewer and to the light in accord with the upward sweep of the spiral, the paintings themselves are emphasised as features in themselves and are not hung square but gracefully yield to movement as set up by these slightly curving massive walls. In a great upward sweep of movement the picture is seen framed as a feature of architecture. The flat plane of the picture detached by the curve of the wall is presented to view much as a jewel set as a signet ring. Precious as itself, unique in its identity. Slightly tilted curving away of the walls against which the pictures are placed not only presents no difficulty but facilitates viewing, the wide curvature of the main walls is a positive asset to the painting. The gentle upward, or downward, sweep of the main spiral-ramp itself serves to make visitors more comfortable by their very descent along the spiral, viewing the various exhibits. The elevator is doing the lifting, the visitor the drifting from alcove to alcove. The diameter of the spiral increases as it ascends so that the depth of the chambers is as a result greater at the upper levels. The partitions between the chambers act as bearing walls. Criticism of the building has focused on the idea or presumption that it overshadows the artworks displayed within, and the apparent difficulty to properly hang paintings in the shallow windowless exhibition niches that surround the central spiral. Despite the rotunda generously being lit by the large skylight, the niches are heavily shadowed by the walkway itself, leaving the art to be lit largely by artificial lighting. The walls of these niches are neither vertical nor flat with most being gently concave, meaning that canvasses are being mounted proud of the walls surface. Limited space within the niches mean that sculptures are generally relegated to plinths amid the main spiral walkway itself. Prior to the Museums Grand Opening, twenty-one artists, including Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, signed a letter protesting the display of their work in such a space. Although there was criticism towards Frank Lloyd Wrights design of the Museum, it was deemed controversial. There were also fans of his design who admired and cherised the museum for what it was. Wrights great swansong, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of New York, is a gift of pure architecture or rather of sculpture. It is a continuous spatial helix, a circular ramp that expands as it coils vertiginously around an unobstructed well of space capped by a flat-ribbed glass dome. A seamless construct, the building evoked for Wright, the quiet unbroken wave. Spiro Kostof. A History of Architecture, Settings and Rituals. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. p740. Entering into the spirit of this interior, you will discover the best possible atmosphere in which to show fine paintings or listen to music. It is this atmosphere that seems to me most lacking in our art galleries, museums, music halls and theaters. Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright, The Architectural Forum, January, 1948, Vol 88 Number 1. p89. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has become a cultural icon and can be seen widely throughout popular culture. It is featured in Matthew Barneys The Cremaster Cycle, Bye Bye Birdie, Men in Black, When in Rome, Downtown 81, and prominently in The International, where a major shootout occurs in the museum. In fact a life size replica of the museum was built for this scene. The New Yorker magazine has included the museum multiple times on its cover and in various cartoons. Berlins Judisches Museum (Jewish Museum) September 2001 In one of the worlds biggest genocides ever before seen in history, WWII was a dark unstable era. From the German Nazi camps to the gas chambers of a very grim world, human beings were being cattled like animals from camp to camp, starved enough to die from hunger due to lack of food and water or forced into the chambers of death, only to be suffocated by the belief of a Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler. This was the Jewish Genocide. Berlins Judisches Museum (Jewish Museum is housed in a remarkable modern building designed by Daniel Libeskind. The museum was opened in September 2001. Some say it was shaped a bit like the Star of David and containing bizarre angles to symbolise the Holocaust, the Judisches Museum is the largest and most unique Jewish museum in Europe. It takes you back in time sending a chill down your spine giving you a sense of what really happened back then in the holocaust. The circumstances of the museums foundation and the collections it is based on, the people who have directed its development can be found here as well as personalities of public life who are dedicated to the intercultural understanding of the Jewish Museums and pHYPERLINK http://www.jmberlin.de/main/EN/04-About-The-Museum/05-Prize-UT/00-award_ceremony.phprize for understanding and tolerance. Like in any other new structure built whether it being a church, museum, hospital or home, numerous views and opinions where expressed in relation to the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Visitors had seen Libeskinds new building as either a spectacularornormal museum. It was recognised as a deconstructivist masterpiece, a groundbreaking creation, with its intellectuality in the form of a house, or even an exhibit in its own right. Daniel Libeskind placed great emphasis on peoples perceptions of the building and these are formed day after day. The museums modern architectural elements of the Libeskind building comprise of the zincfacade, the Garden of Exile, the three Axes of the German-Jewish experience, and the Voids. Together these pieces form a visual and spatial language rich with history and symbolism. Not only do they house the museum with its exhibits, but they also provide visitors with their own unique experience as they walk through the spaces, taking them back in time almost like a time capsule, being able to understand what the museum is trying to portray and what story it is trying to tell. The new building of the museum is best described as Zig-zag. The design is based on two linear structures which when combined, form the body of the building. The first line is a winding one with several kinks while the second line cuts through the whole building. At the intersections of these lines, there are empty spaces otherwise known as Voids. These voids rise vertically from the ground floor of the building up to the roof. Daniel Libeskind imagines the continuation of both lines throughout the city of Berlin and beyond. Almost like a destructive train line travelling through europe not knowing where its going to end up. An irrational and invisible matrix (Daniel Libeskind, 1995) The facade of the Jewish museum barely enables a conclusion to be drawn in regards to the buildings interior. Neither levels nor rooms become apparent to the observer. The positioning of the windows are primarily narrow slits that follow a precise matrix. They are also based on a network of connections. During the design process, architect, Daniel Libeskind plotted the addresses of prominent Jewish and German citizens on a map of pre-war Berlin and joined the points to form an irrational and invisible matrix in which he based the language of form, geometry and the shape of the building. The New Building is coated in zinc, a material that has a long tradition in Berlins architectural history. It consists of untreated alloy and titanium with zinc that will oxidize and change color through exposure to light and weather over the years. A Void is not really a museum space. (Daniel Libeskind, 1999) Voids represent a central structural element in the New Building and form the connection to the Old Building. In the Old Building, there is a staircase that leads down to the basement through a Void of bare concrete which joins the two buildings together. Five voids run vertically through the New Building. They have walls of bare concrete, they are not heated or air-conditioned and also hardly any artificial light, they are quite separate from the rest of the building. The upper levels of the exhibition, the Voids are clearly visible with black exterior walls. The Museums Voids refer to that which can never be exhibited when it comes to Jewish Berlin history: Humanity reduced to ashes. (Daniel Libeskind, 2000) In the museum there are also underground passageways that link the Old Building with the Libeskind Building. These passageways have no official entrance. There is a path system as you pass by the great void made of three axes symbolising three realities in the history of German Jews. The first and longest of these axes is the Axis of Continuity. This axes connects the Old Building with the main staircase otherwise known as the Sackler Staircase which leads up to the exhibition levels. Daniel Libeskind describes the Axis of Continuity as a continuation of Berlins history, it is the connecting path from which the other two axes branch off. The Garden of Exile attempts to completely disorient the visitor. It represents a shipwreck of history. (Daniel Libeskind, 1999) The second of the axis is the Axis of Emigration which leads outside to daylight and to the Garden of Exile. On the journey to this great garden, the museum walls are slightly slanted and close into eachother, almost symbolising a path of destruction that plagued the past of german history. The floor is uneven and ascends gradually. A heavy door must be opened before the crucial step into the garden can be taken. Almost a portrayal in fighting your way through hell to get to heaven, making the jouney that worth while. Or is it ? The Garden of Exile is reached after leaving the axes. The whole garden is on a 12ÂÂ ° gradient and disorients visitors, giving them a sense of the total instability and lack of orientation which was experienced by those who were driven out of Germany. Russian willow oak that grew on top of pillars in the garden symbolised hope. The third of axiss is the Axis of the Holocaust which is basically a dead end. This axis becomes narrower and darker and ends at the Holocaust Tower. Glass cases on the way display documents and personal possessions devulging to the private and public life of their owners who were killed. These three underground axes symbolise the connection between the three realities of Jewish life in Germany. The new Glass Courtyard at the Jewish Museum in Berlin was built from a design titled Sukkah which is Hebrew for thatched booth, by Daniel Libeskind. This glass courtyard is the second extension to the museum. The structure itself consists features of the New Building with its shiny silver facade and the Old Building, it is a successful synthesis of old and new. This combination is strengthened by the further addition of the Glass Courtyard to the ensemble. The light flooded Glass Courtyard has its own distinctive feel. While the Libeskind Buildings zig-zag form is a metaphorical reference to destruction of German-Jewish history, theSukkah theme is one of social gathering appropriate for a courtyard. There is also the new glass roof that covers the U-shaped courtyard at about 670mÂÂ ² in size. It is supported by four freestanding bundles of steel pillars. It portrayed the structure of a tree which was the main inspiration for creating the supporting pillars, which extend into the roof forming a steel network. The integration of the Glass Courtyard with the existing Old Building posed an architectonic challenge. This glass construction does not outplay the Old Building, the landmarked Collegienhaus which was erected in 1735, in scale and appearance stands proud an independent to the new building. The Glass Hall was a complex building project, interelating the old museum with the new Jewish museum. It was deemed unconventional for both construction and materials used. Due to the expressive and asymmetrical geometry in Libeskinds design, it presented enornmous challenges to those involved in the construction process, such as the structural engineers and facade planners involved. Steel being used for such a project was also very unusual to them as well. They were used to steel that normally supported construction with right-angled or curved geometry. In the Glass Courtyard it formed branches and treetops. Almost like painting picture out of steel. Metal alloy steel, out of all materials used, demonstrated one of the most unconventional uses of steel in contemporary architecture. Four branching steel bundles each consisted of three steel pillars with the rough estimated diameter of a tree. Their function is primarily static, also in the case of fire, they contain media cables within, offering some protection to the cables. The roof girders were assembled and bolted together onsite at the building site at roof height. The weight of the pillars weighed up to six tons each and the roof girder sections weighed up to eight tons each, a crane had to be formed that withstood a bearing capacity of 200 tons necessary. The Glass Courtyard now provides the museum with space for a variety of events, such as educational workshops, concerts, theatrical performances, and receptions for up to five hundred people. It also serves to extend the museums entrance area and thereby improves the regulation of visitor flow and circulation.The new room is located a few steps way from the main entrance and its existing infrastructure. It includes cloakrooms, ticket counters, and the museum restaurant. To date over four million people have visited the Jewish Museum. It is well know for its diverse cultural and educational programs. The Glass Courtyard provides a suitable and architecturally appealing solution, which will enable this vibrant development of the museum to continue in the future. In conclusion the Altes Museum is a typical example of classical architecture which date back from Ancient Greece and the Rome Empire. It signifies a sense of formality and power amongst the people of its time. Royalty and size of structures were more common in those times rather then smartly designed structures that could achieve the same purpose. Such structures such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York, although very large in scale, it was a building designed after the turn of the century, that sparked controversy and disbelief that something of that scale and facade could be built in a congested city environment. It was considered fantasy rather then a reality. It was built and it achieved the same purpose as the Altes Museum in Berlin, but it was designed better and more cleverly incorporating the use of natural light throughout the whole structure and the use of continuity in circulation, which made the design one of the worlds most prominent buildings. Following on from such a magnificent structure in New York, we come back to Berlin, where Berlin followed a similar approach in redesigning and extending New Jewish Museum. No one ever thought that something of so significant in history could be reinvented in a way where it takes people back in time to the hurt and pain of Nazi Germany. This museum was created in such a way that it completely blew away the traditional approach of a museum. The buildings special features that include spiraling walls, sloping floors, a windowless Holocaust Tower, and symbolic lines of windows that resemble wounds. When it comes to the Holocaust, a design approach such as this one, executed perfectly, cannot come up, close and personal as this remarkable museum.

Macbeth Essay :: essays research papers

Macbeth A Comparison of the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The play Macbeth, written by the playwright William Shakespeare, has two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is a general of Duncan’s army, and Lady Macbeth is his wife. Each of these two characters have different personalities and traits, however they are married to each other and appear to be in love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth first appeared in the play in (i.ii). He is a Scottish general fighting under Duncan’s rule. He is portrayed as a valiant soldier and a powerful man with honor and allegiance to his country. Duncan, the king of Scotland, also gave him the title of the Thane of Cawdor, which is a high honor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, as the play proceeds, the reader becomes aware that Macbeth has some other personality traits as well. When Macbeth first meets with the three witches, and they tell him their prediction of him becoming a future king, the first characteristics that the reader learns now coincide with some new ones, self-doubt, and the realization that others can easily influence Macbeth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lady Macbeth first comes across to us as an evil person. When the reader first comes into contact with Lady Macbeth (i.v), she receives a letter telling her about the witches’ prophecy of Macbeth becoming king; she immediately begins to plan Duncan’s murder. She believes that by making Macbeth kill Duncan, she would be able to get closer to the throne of Scotland, which then would give her an immense power. Lady Macbeth appears to be driven by the longing for power throughout the first two scenes of the play, and also comes across with tons of power over her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Macbeth first speaks to Lady Macbeth about the prediction that the three witches had of him becoming king, she encourages him to kill Duncan. Macbeth, on the other hand, is nervous about the consequences and the repercussions of committing murder, and almost decides not to do it. Lady Macbeth then proceeds to almost make fun of Macbeth by questioning his purpose as a man.

Subjectivity in Edith Whartons The House of Mirth Essay -- House Mirt

Subjectivity in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth      Ã‚   Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth presents an interesting study of the social construction of subjectivity. The Victorian society which Wharton's characters inhabit is defined by a rigid structure of morals and manners in which one's identity is determined by apparent conformity with or transgression of social norms. What is conspicuous about this brand of social identification is its decidedly linguistic nature. In this context, behaviors themselves are rendered as text, and the incessant social appraisal in which the characters of the novel participate is a process of deciphering this script of behavior. People's actions here are read, as it were, according to the unique social grammar of this society. The novel's treatment of this conception of social reading is brought to the fore through its devaluing of written texts in favor of legible behaviors.    The novel signals this pattern from its opening. In the first scene we are introduced to Selden, engaged in what we discover is a typical activity for the novel's personae, the silent, personal, interrogation of another person. "If she had appeared to be catching a train," we are told, "he might have inferred that he had come on her in an act of transition between one and another of the country houses which disputed her presenceÃ…  "(5†¹emphases mine). Here, Selden, at his first glimpse of Lily, has taken to conjecturing all manner of explanations for her simple presence in the train station. He, like all members of his social niche, does not shy away from judgement until he is more fully appraised of her situation. Even, the slightest "air of irresolution" gives him license to divert his at... ...bling Structure of 'Appearances': Representation and Authenticity in The House of Mirth and The Custom of the Country."   Modern Fiction Studies 43.2 (1997): 349-73. Gerard, Bonnie Lynn.   "From Tea to Chloral: Raising the Dead Lily Bart."   Twentieth Century Literature 44.4 (1998): 409-27. Howard, Maureen.   "On The House of Mirth."   Raritan 15 (1996): 23 pp.   28 Oct. 2002   <http://proxy.govst.edu:2069/WebZ/FTFETCH>. Howe, Irving.   Edith Wharton, a Collection of Critical Essays.   Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962. Miller, Mandy.   Edith Wharton Page.   19 Nov. 2002  Ã‚  Ã‚   <http://www.Kutztown.edu/faculty/Reagan.Wharton.html>. Pizer, Donald.   "The Naturalism of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth."   Twentieth Century Literature 41.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (1995): 241-8. Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. (1905) New York: Signet,. 1998.

Personal and Professional Ethic

1. List 2 examples of legal issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be legal issues. 2. Give 2 examples of ethical issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be ethical issues. 3. Give 2 examples of moral issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be moral issues. 4. Describe the impact your own personal ethics may have on your practice as a healthcare professional. 5. List 3 ideas that you have for keeping your personal and professional ethics separate: . How does diversity (ethnic, social and cultural) play a role in providing patient care for your chosen profession? Unit 9 Project Questions: Part II (NOTE: you may need to refer to chapter 3 and/or Unit 2 for this section) 7. What is the name of the professional organization related to your chosen career? (NOTE: a list of professional organizations can be found in the Code of Ethics and Professional Organizations module in the Read ing section of Unit 2) 8. How will your professional Code of Ethics help to guide you in making decisions on-the job? NOTE: a link to your Code of Ethics can be found in the Code of Ethics and Professional Organizations module in the Reading section of Unit 2) 9. How does your professional Code of Ethics differ from the American Medical Association Code of Ethics? 10. Does your professional organization offer a credentialing exam for your career? If so, what is the name of the credential you can receive after passing the exam? 11. For most allied health professionals, a certification can be preferred but is optional. Why is this? 12. Name two healthcare professionals in which a license would be required to practice.

Police Corruption Problems

Corruption has been in the dark closets of American policing since it was first established in the country. When policing was first instituted conditions were not the best, pay was low, and respect was hard to find. These problems coupled with the problem of a lack of laws in which bound the police to accomplish a specific task a specific way, meant they had enough discretion to hang themselves by. There shouldn†t be any surprise that corruption hasn†t vanished and will most likely never totally go away. It is just like the saying â€Å"Absolute power, corrupts absolutely†. It is just human nature to want a better life and get the things you always wanted. Some people, and police are just people, just can†t resist the temptation for â€Å"easy money†. People have a way of rationalizing situations in their heads, by thinking they are just taking care of their families and paying there bills. This is similar to the job I presently have, working in the Asset protection department for Sears. I see things I would like to have all day long, I know I could take them and no one would ever know, but I don†t. I don†t do it because there is a fear of getting caught or any kind of punishment like that, I don†t do it because of ethics and morals. I, like the majority of people see the opportunity, while a very small percentage of people take advantage of it. It is the same with policing most police are honest and hard working but, there are always some â€Å"bad apples† in the bunch. If you knew a way to tell if someone was going to be honest in everything they do, 100% of the time, I think you would at the very least be a billionaire. Corruption has to be defined in order to look at it closer. The dictionary definition of corruption is: 1. Marked by immorality and perversion; depraved. 2. Venal; dishonest: a corrupt mayor. 3 Containing errors or alterations, as a text: a corrupt translation. 4. Archaic. Tainted; putrid. Would consider a police officer who accepted a free cup of coffee corrupt?. What about an officer accepting money in exchange for not patrolling his/her sector. What would you think of a business person taking that same cup of coffee, would you believe him/her to be corrupt? I think you have to draw a line on what is corrupt and what you believe isn†t. I think you have to add into your decision making steps the â€Å"offenders† jobs, position, and role in the community. The conclusion I came to is that it definitely does make a difference on the job, position, and role in the community. I believe if the business person had nothing to do with the place in which he/she received the coffee, he/she is not corrupt. He/she just had an act of kindness betrothed on them. Regarding the police officer, he/she should not of accepted the coffee because he/she has a duty to stay impartial to the community. If he/she had to go to a fight later that same day between the person that gave him the coffee and another person, and the person who gave him the coffee was found to be in the right and the other person was in the wrong, what would happen? Most likely the person who was arrested (assuming this person had knowledge that he accepted the coffee) would most likely bring that fact up at the trial. If this situation happened the officer†s integrity would be in question, and the jury/judge would have to wonder about it. Of course accepting coffee is not the main focus of police corruption, its not against the law, nor will it have a overwhelming impact on policing. I do believe the illustration puts into simplistic terms the larger problems which are occurring with policing in large. It all comes down to â€Å"Do I take it or don†t I take it? † and it is enough? Corruption is like a drug in a way, you start small and just work your way up the ladder, until you fall off. I said before that accepting a cup of coffee isn†t against the law and doesn†t make up the corruption which we face today. I am going to describe some recent corruption cases which have been fought. As identified in a report by the Knapp Commission published over two decades ago it was found there are two different violators. The first are called â€Å"Meat eaters† who abundantly misuse their power for personal gain. These individuals go out and seek ways to get money and have the advantage. The second type is called the â€Å"Grass eaters† these people are the ones who just accept payoffs and such when the happenstance come their way. For the most part, when you hear of a corruption case you most likely hear about the â€Å"Meat eaters†, because they are the ones which get bolder faster with every successful gain. So what do we do about it? I said before if punishment isn†t going to stop police from becoming corrupt, what will? The first step to solving this â€Å"disease†, which is slowly eating away at public trust, is to acknowledge the problem. Managers on a whole use three different approaches when failing to deal with corruption. First, it is simply ignore the problem like it was never there. This approach is bad for many reasons. If the police can†t police themselves, someone will have to come in and do it for them. Public trust will never be gained. The second approach is a â€Å"pollyanna† mentality. This is where the manager discovers and finds the corruption, but downplays its total impact. This approach as with the first approach, will cause someone outside the agency to solve the problem. The third is the most lethal approach for the manager to take, one of a â€Å"cover-up†. Like the second, the manager discovers the corruption, but takes overt action to cover it up. Not only did the manager â€Å"condone† this behavior, but this will only lead to more corruption and abuse. This now enlarged corruption, will eventually lead to great public mistrust. A manager can overcome the problems with these approaches by assuming a realistic posture to this issue. This will allow the effects of the corruption to be less damaging to the agency. The next step to prevent corruption is to develop a plan of action. While no one plan will be foolproof it should include these three elements, recruitment, training, and investigation. As I previously stated, you have to come up with a definition of corruption to be used for your plans. I suggest everything from accepting a cup of coffee to the further most end of the spectrum be included. Using this definition stops people and managers from trying to decide what is across the line and what isn†t. If you try to â€Å"draw a line† this can create confusion and many people could rationalize situations as being OK. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) defines corruption as acts involving the misuse of authority by a police officer in a manner designed to produce either personal gain or gain for others. With a definition like this everyone from the patrol officer to the Chief knows where they stand. The IACP created the Model for Management Corruption Prevention, in reaction to the corruption running rapid in the departments. This model covers the three basic elements which I mentioned previously recruitment, training, and investigation. Recruitment is the first step in this process. It goes without saying that no agency hires people who they know are corrupt. There are a multitude of reasons why agencies should â€Å"Weed out† bad recruits. Money is at the top of the list. All the training in which the recruit has to go through cost the taxpayers a lot of money. Many agencies have policies in which they hire only trained personnel so this cost can be eliminated. Selecting candidates which have already been on the job, shows supervisors a track record and therefor gives them more information. The use of the polygraph is a useful tool when â€Å"weeding out† candidates.. Training provides outstanding opportunity to make a anti-corruption plan work. It does this for a couple reasons. First training gets the message out with concern to standards. Second, this training allows the recruit to ask questions and to clarify his doubts about what is appropriate and what isn†t. Training is divided into two parts, recruit and in-service. The in-service training is a valuable tools because the recruit interacts with a seasoned officer and allows that recruit to ask questions about everyday events. The department must also watch the candidate for a probationary period of about six months. This programs is called the Field Training Officer (FTO) period. During this period of FTO the new recruit rides with a seasoned officer. Most agencies can release the recruit during this period for little or no cause. The department may also elect to send their recruits to a formal academic setting for training. This in turn will hopefully help the recruit in making the right decision when the question arises â€Å"Will I take it or won†t I? â€Å". The last stage of this three point training is investigation. This is the crucial elements to this whole program, without it everything else loses its ability to function. If the public knows the department will thoroughly investigate all reports of corruption, it will instill a confidence with the department. The investigation phase will most likely be conducted by the departments internal affairs unit. The IACP developed a model for departments to utilize. The first issue to be addressed is staffing. In small departments this could consist of only one person on a part time basis. In larger departments this unit could consist on many officers on a full time basis. If you are really concerned with the corruption within your department, you should consider having an outside agency investigate alleged corruption. This will ensure favoritism will not occur. Once you have decided with type of staffing is appropriate for your department, you should decide where in the department to place them. The best location for the unit to be is directly under the Chief. This will provide for a direct line of communication of the problems at hand. The Chief should provide a clear and definitive procedure for investigating alleged allegations of corruption. Theses procedures may include: 1. Handling all complaints quickly and impartially. 2. Explanation that the unit only handles facts, and doesn†t determine guilt of innocents. 3. Meticulous and accurate documentation is a must. 4. Responding to a crime scene immediately where an officer had to shoot a subject. In summary, police are human and have the same compulsions which others posses. This of course doesn†t excuse the corruption in the departments. When you think of corruption in the police field, remember that acts which are corrupt for one may not be corrupt for all. Every instance needs to be looked in to with great concern and objectiveness. If we don†t investigate every allegation we will loose the public trust and this will make it impossible to do the job effectively.