Minimum Wage in the United States Essay Example for Free

Minimum Wage in the United States Essay A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily, or monthly wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers. The debate over minimum wage in the United States has been ongoing for over 100 years. It is a hot topic in labor, human interest, and especially in economics. Is the minimum wage too low? Is it too high? Should we have one at all? Does having a minimum legal wage help those who it is intended to help, or does it actually make them worse off? Theses questions are asked on a daily basis by interested parties. While there may not be one definitive correct answer, there are compelling arguments on both sides of the issue, and those who represent their â€Å"side† are passionate about their opinions. This is one of a few social topics about which people are generally not indifferent. Much of the adult workforce in the United States has worked a minimum wage job at some point in their career, so we can easily relate to the challenges that face today’s minimum wage workers. This paper is not intended to solve the debate over minimum wage, nor will it attempt to persuade the reader in one direction or the other regarding what should be done concerning minimum wage. The pages that follow will present a brief history of the minimum wage debate in the United States, and then present some of the arguments offered by both sides of the debate. A Brief History of Minimum Wage Although New Zealand was the first country to formally enact minimum wage legislation in 1896,[i] the United States was one of the first major industrialized nations to set a national wage floor for their workers. For decades during the industrial revolution, workers in the United States endured work environments that consisted of long hours, dangerous working conditions, and low wages. Small movements to develop a national minimum wage by labor unions and activist groups were met with predictable resistance from business people, and ultimately struck down by the U. S. Supreme Court. [ii] Finally, in 1938 President Roosevelt and Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act. This act was intended to alleviate some of the poor working conditions that mostly women and young children were subject to. Additionally, this act imposed a federally mandated minimum wage of $0. 25 per hour, with some exceptions. [iii] There have been subsequent pieces of legislation that continue to address and improve workers’ rights since that time, focusing more on quality of life issues rather than eliminating abuses by employers. Additionally, individual states now have the right to enact their own minimum wage, so long as it is no lower than the federally mandated minimum wage. Since 1938, the national minimum wage has been raised 21 times, most recently in 2009, and is currently $7. 25 per hour. Today, more than 90% of countries in the world have some sort of wage floor for their work force. [iv] The Case for Minimum Wage Those in favor of a minimum wage argue that it increases the standard of living of workers and reduces poverty. [v] Those workers that are paid minimum wage are unskilled laborers, perhaps first entering the job market. Without any marketable skills, the worker needs some protection that they will be paid a fair rate that will enable them to be self-sufficient until such time that they have learned a skill or trade that will allow them to work their way up from the low wage jobs. Without a minimum wage, employers would have significantly more market power than the workers – a monopsony – and that could result in the intentional collusion between employers regarding the wage they will offer. [vi] Absent this protection, workers would be forced to accept the artificially low wages, resulting in a very low quality of life. Additionally, the argument can be made that paying a â€Å"livable† minimum wage incentivizes workers to not only get a job, but to work hard to keep that job. When minimum wages are significantly greater than payments received through a social welfare system, people are rewarded for their hard work. If a person could receive an amount close to what they would earn at minimum wage through the welfare system, what motivation would they have to work the minimum wage job? In contrast, if workers are paid an amount that is considerably more, they will find and keep work. This serves another purpose, to decrease the cost of government administered social welfare programs by getting people off of welfare and onto payrolls. Another common argument made by those in favor of the minimum wage is that it actually helps to stimulate spending, improving overall economic conditions. [vii] The theory behind this argument is that low wage earners typically spend everything they make. Whether on necessities or luxury items, minimum wage earners are likely to spend their entire paycheck. If there were an increase in the minimum wage, the people who would receive the pay increase would turn around and spend their new money. This would help to cover the costs of the increased wages as many businesses would see an almost immediate return through increased sales. While this argument seems to make sense, it must be clarified that no empirical evidence to support this claim could be found. Another argument made is that an increase in minimum wage helps to improve the work ethic of those who receive the increase. The implication is that if their employer is forced to give them a raise, they will be compelled to work harder to improve their efficiency and increase their productivity in return. Again, there is no evidence to either support or refute this claim, and opinions run strong regarding this argument. Perhaps the most basic and most often made argument in support of a national minimum wage law is that it is simply the correct thing to do, morally speaking. The idea that we should want to take care of each other and make sure that everyone made a comfortable wage is one of the most basic tenets of the philosophy of those who support it. Arguments against Minimum Wage Laws: On the other side of the argument are those who are opposed to increasing the minimum wage, as well as some who think it should be abolished altogether. Many businesspeople and economists are on this side of the debate, and they present some pretty compelling arguments. They argue that imposing an increase on the federally mandated minimum wage actually will do more economic harm than good. [viii] The main argument deals with the elasticity of demand regarding employment. A minimum wage increase actually reduces the quantity demanded of workers, either through a reduction in the number of hours worked by individuals, or through a reduction in the number of jobs. ix] Simply put, employers are likely not going to increase their salary budget, so if the hourly wages increase, then they must reduce the number of hours of work that they are paying for. This could result in the exact opposite impact of that which is intended. Those earning the minimum wage and are facing reduced hours or even being let go will find themselves much worse off as a result of an increase than leaving it at its current rate. Additionally, often the way out of e arning minimum wage is through skills learned through those minimum wage jobs. If there are fewer of these jobs as a result of the wage being higher, fewer people will be able to learn the skills needed to move up on a career path and break the cycle of poverty. Secondly, if employers are unwilling or unable to reduce the number of hours they pay their employees, they will simply attempt to make up the increased salary expense through increased prices. On a small scale, this may not have a large impact on the overall economy. When this is done on a large scale because many employers need to cover their increased costs, this is likely to lead to inflation. x] Higher salaries necessitate higher prices which will erode most if not all of the benefits of the increase in pay. The minimum wage workers will have the same buying power as before, but because of unnecessary inflation, the lower middle class will actually face the biggest impact because their wages will not have increased but their purchasing power will also have eroded. Another area that may be impacted by a mandated wage increase is training. As most workers who earn the minimum wage typically have little education and training, their biggest chance to work their way into a higher paying job is through on the job training. One part of an employer’s budget that could face cuts would be for providing training to employees. Often employers provide training to their employees that would help them advance in their career, but may not be completely necessary in their current position. Unnecessary expenses such as this will most likely be trimmed, resulting in fewer opportunities for the working poor. [xi] Perhaps the simplest argument is if a minimum wage worker is producing $4. 00 per hour worth of product, and then the federal minimum wage is raised to $5. 0, the employer must find a way to increase the workers marginal productivity or face operating loses due to underproductive employees. One final thought from opponents is that once all of the aforementioned arguments are considered, there are more effective ways of helping address the issue of poverty. The Earned Income Tax Credit is pointed to as a strong example of one of the more effective ideas, rather than putting the burden of poverty on em ployers, it is shifted to the government. [xii] Empirical Data: When considering both sides of this debate, it is important to realize who are the workers earning minimum wage, and what role they have in providing for their families. Of the 1. 9 million workers in the United States who were paid the minimum wage in 2005 (most recent information available), more than one half (53%) are between the ages of 16-24. These workers are most likely high school and college students, and most of them do not work a full time schedule. Two thirds are members of families who have a combined income of at least 2 or more times the official poverty level based on their family size. Less than 17 percent are the only wage earners in their families, and less than 6 percent are poor single mothers. [xiii] What does this information tell us? The most important thing is that an increase in the minimum wage would target a majority of people who may not be living in poverty and are otherwise not in need of direct assistance. The far-reaching effects of raising minimum wages across the board in order to get help to the approximately 22 percent of earners who are truly living in poverty seems to be at the least ineffective, and at worst it could epresent a terrible misstep in economic policy. It is difficult if not impossible to identify the jobs lost because of minimum wage, but it is very easy to identify the additional income for a minimum wage worker. This is often the first retort from minimum wage advocates in response to arguments made by the other side. Alison Wellington’s research found that a 10% increase in the minimum wage resulted in a 0. 6% decrease in teenage employment, with no effect on unemployment rates. [xiv] A study along the same lines by David Neumark and William Washer in 2008 found contrasting results. They concluded that minimum wage resulted in a reduction in employment opportunities for low skilled workers, it was most harmful to poverty-stricken families, and that it lowers the adult wages of young workers by reducing their ultimate level of education. [xv] There are countless studies on both sides of the issue, and each one only solidifies each side in their existing opinion. No matter what position one takes regarding the minimum wage debate, there are a multitude of studies available to support it. The seemingly obvious fact is that these small increases that are enacted every few years are never enough to truly make a difference in bringing a person or a family out of poverty. A fifty cent increase in the minimum wage results in about $20 more per week for a full time worker. In my estimation, it is quite unlikely that small amount is making the difference in a person or a family living in poverty and living comfortably. A study of PhD members of the American Economic Association found that 46. % of respondents wanted minimum wage completely eliminated while 37. 7% want the minimum wage increased. [xvi] Such division among even the most expert economists shows exactly how contentious this issue is, and that there is no black and white, right or wrong answer to solve the debate. Perhaps as time goes on and there is more historical data to review, there may be a more definitive answer regarding this debate. Until such time, both sides will most likely remain entrenched in their current position.

Promoting autonomy of oneself and others Essay Example for Free

Promoting autonomy of oneself and others Essay Introduction                     Autonomy is the ability to have the capacity for self-governance or have self- determination. This is a concept which comes out through various arenas. For example, the moral autonomy is usually governed by the moral laws ( Deci, 2010). Therefore, personal autonomy can be said to be the capacity of a person to pursue actions based on moral content. This paper will compare the philosophical work by Nietzsche and MacIntyre and determine who offers the best tool of promoting autonomy. Over the past centuries, the teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche have transformed and penetrated every realm of social culture in the Western world. In his essays, he examines the significance of people’s ability to make promises. He states that to hold to the promises made requires both confidence about the future and very powerful memory that will ensure that certain issues are not forgotten. According to Nietzsche confidence requires one to be predictable or calculable and, therefore, he or she must share common sets of customs and laws that govern his or her behaviour (Risse, 2001). The society and morality play an important part of making a person predictable, therefore, giving the person ability to make promises. This process according to Nietzsche is complicated as it ends up in the ‘sovereign person’ who can make decisions, not only because the person in question is bounded by social mores but because he or she is the master of his or her own free will. The sovereign of an individual is characterised by tremendous responsibilities of one being free to make claims in regard to his or her future. This sense of responsibility according to Nietzsche is called conscience (Risse, 2001). Nietzsche defines the concept of ‘bad conscience and guiltiness using German words for ‘debt’ and ‘guilt. He suggested that, originally, there were no relationship between guilt and accountability or immorality. Punishments were meted on the basis of reprisal and not on the basis of guilt. If a person failed to honour promises, then they were considered to be in debt the person they failed. The debt could then be balanced by punishing or torturing the person. This happened to a person say the creditor who had no interest of getting his money back from the debtor. Thus, the memory of making promises during this time was burdened and the punishments and cruelty ensured that the debtor does not forget his promises next time (Risse, 2001). Macintyre’s in his book, ‘After Virtue (1981)’ explains his long ethical project. The book diagnoses the rising issues in the society such as ‘culture of emotivism’ where the moral language pragmatically manipulates decisions, attitude and decision. According to the book, those moral cultures are said to be a theatre of illusion where the objectives of moral rhetoric masks the decisions. The books examine the part of the community in making the judgments about the truth or falsity. The work by MacIntyre also examines the reasons why human beings need virtues through investigating the social debts and needs of human agents and the part which they were playing in the formation of an independent practical person who can reason (Borden, 2007). The philosophy by Maclntyre’s is very important especially to the fields of communitarian politics and the virtues of ethics. He points out the insignificance of conventional business ethic as an application of the modern moral concepts in decision making. His work in philosophy has lead tremendous renewal of values over the last decades. For example, in his works his discusses the moral condemnation of Stalinism. His presentation of this concept draws two important conclusions related to morality, one is the fact of the people’s solidarity in discovering what people want in their moral life (Borden, 2007).. According to MacIntyre morality organises life of the community. As he concludes his book, he says that the concepts of morality are neither historical nor timeless and, therefore, the understanding the developments of historical, ethical concepts can liberate people from any falsity claims (Borden, 2007). MacIntyre’s Aristotelian offers the best tool of promoting autonomy of one self and others compared to Nietzsche because he examines the habits that humans should develop in order to make judgement and act efficiently in the pursuit of the true choices which have a worthy end. His examination has a very rich account on the deliberate activities by human that encompass moral formation and society life. He also accounts why humans have practical wisdom to do what is right based on the freedom of morality. References Borden, S. L. (2007). Journalism as practice: MacIntyre, virtue ethics and the press. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M. (2010). The support of autonomy and the control of behavior. Journal of personality and social psychology, 53(6), 1024.Risse, M. (2001). The Second Treatise in In the Genealogy of Morality: Nietzsche on the Origin of the Bad Conscience. European Journal of Philosophy, 9(1), 55-81. Source document

Alzheimers Case Study in Social Work

Alzheimers Case Study in Social Work According to Maurer Smith (2005), organizational policies and practices are influenced a lot by the national rules, legislation and service standards. There are many rules, legislations and services like care standard act, care quality commission, commission for social care inspection, race relation act, age relation act, gender discrimination act which aims to ensure the best quality care for the people with all age groups. From the scenario, we have seen that Mr. Frazer is suffering from Alzheimer disease and he needs both long term and short term care as he is passing his days with lots of difficulty. Hamm (2007) has stated that, people with Alzheimer disease need more likely long term cares. The UK legislations have set up lots of policies and standards so that organizations can give the best the possible care to their clients. Among them, the care standard act 2000 describes that, all the care homes or residential homes must fulfill some specific requirements which are necessary to take care of their patients or clients. For example, it describes a category of people who are not suitable to work with vulnerable adults. In addition, it reforms a regulatory system for the care service organizations such as care homes, childrens homes, nursing homes, domiciliary agencies, voluntary adoption agencies, fostering agencies. While providing service to a patient like Mr. Frazer, they have to maintain the legislations. So, a service provider will must check whether they have employees with sufficient knowledge on Alzheimer disease before involving him/her to give him care. For example, wh ether she/he has got knowledge for the reason of this disease, medication, clinical trials, first aids, communication method, special needs etc. Thus legislation and national service standards influence organizational policies and practices for achieving best possible outcomes for people like Mr. Frazer. Factors that may affect the achievement of best possible outcomes for Mr. Frazer According to Gauthier (2000), there are many factors that can affect the achievement of best outcome of people with Alzheimer disease as they usually need both long term and short term care. Some of the factors are given below: Problems in communication: Communication problem creates severe problems while providing care as sometimes they can not understand both written and spoken language because of the damage of corresponding nerve. In addition, patients may speak native language where care giver does not speak the same. In this case, misunderstanding may occur that leads to negative outcome for both groups. Sometimes they may not understand proper language, sign language, body language or meaning of normal picture. In these cases, doctors or care workers may fail to realize their needs and may not the best care. Aggression: Aggressiveness is common often among the Alzheimer patients. So, they may feel irritated if they are asked to describe about their present health condition. In the same time, care givers or doctors will not know patients needs if he/she does not tell them. If they are requested to explain more than once, they become aggressive other than helping them by giving answer. Culture, attitude and beliefs: Health care providers may fail to realize the cultural needs of patients. People from different culture have different cultural norms, beliefs, attitude and expectation. So, lack of cultural knowledge and about their belief can obstacle in the way of achieving best compliance. (Treatment and lack of adherence to medication for TB among Hispanic immigrants is one example) Education and income: Sometimes, patient may think that, they are being asked for unnecessary information by taking the chance of their lower education and income. Also, they might need to pay them for any particular type of treatment though they are reluctant. This can create barrier to achieve the best outcome as well. National rules and legislations: According to McHale Gallagher (2003), a mature patient has the right to refuse treatment. Sometimes, they can say that the information which asked for will strike on their confidentiality or respect. So, information may not be available though that is essential for their safeguarding. In these cases, doctors or social workers may take decision against their wishes which will not let them to achieve best outcome. Communication between care workers and individuals contribute to the delivery of outcomes According to Rabins et al (2006), usually people with Alzheimer disease face difficulty while communicating with someone. They may not realize even the simple words. In some cases, their understanding can be fully reverse from the speakers and they may react violently. So, we must be very careful while presenting something to them. A few ways are given below for effective communication to achieve the best outcome. Awareness while speaking: Cayton et al (2008) have stated that, the care givers must be aware of their body language and voice of tone while talking with them. They must communicate very politely otherwise patients may feel threatened, undermined or confused which can rise the feeling of isolation, agitation and undermine the trust. Mentioning name: Cayton et al has noted that, care givers must introduce themselves clearly before starting conversation with a patient. If patients condition is critical then we may tell them our address as well to make the better feelings of the patients. Care giver or doctors should speak quickly, loudly or distinctly by no way. Questioning: Obviously care providers or doctors need to ask questions to know patients condition but they must not use long sentences to ask them any question as they need longer time than others to understand the meaning even sentence is not big enough. In addition, they should not be asked more than one question at a time. Also, they should be asked question that require answer only yes or no (Sadowski Wisniewsk, 2004). Thus any individual can ensure the best outcome for the patients like Mr. Frazer. Question 2 2.1 Factors that may have contributed to loss of independence, non-participation and social exclusion for Ellen According to Arber Evandrou (1993), there are many factors which can contribute to loss of independence, non-participation and social exclusion and these can be being dependent to someone including care workers, not given time to make choice for them, constraint, changing something related to them without taking their permission, not giving chance to participate in decision-making. Dependency: Most of the cases, vulnerable adults like Mrs. Ellen loss their independency and social exclusion because of being dependant to someone such as care workers. Sometimes the patients may not be permitted to carry their day to day activities because of lack of ability or risk. Service users physical and mental conditions may be considered strictly. They may not be given permission to choose how they will spend their times, how they spend their money, where will they spend their leisure time, what will be their regular diet etc. because of lack of skills. As a result, they will loss their minimum capacity to lead a life of their own. So, they may be reluctant to participate in social events as it may be insulting for them that they are dependant. Keeping away from decision making: From the scenario, we have seen that Mrs. Ellen was given chance to make her own decision. But, usually service users in the care homes or nursing homes may not be given this opportunity because they may cause a problem. This can cause frustration and they become more dependant. Constraint: this is one of the major ways for what service users become dependants. It can cause threat as they may be forced to think as other people think. Mrs. Ellen was not forced to do anything while staying in the care home. She was encouraged to perform her all day to day activity and as a result she become a role model in that care home. Basically, adults should be assisted to carry their day to day activity but not doing the total thing for themselves. They may think about their inability but they should be encouraged to work by themselves assessing the risks. Otherwise, they will be dependant, frustrated and will lose their taste of life. 2.2 Processes and support mechanisms to maximize independence and choice for individuals like Ellen Sussex Scourfield (2004) describe that empowerment of social, physical, emotional needs, intellectual factors, access to information, maintaining confidentiality, participation in decision-making and choice can maximize the independence and choice for individuals. These are given below: Promoting rights of them. For example, letting them to maintain their confidentiality, safety and security Allowing them to take risks. But risk must be assessed. If that can cause severe problem, they might be encouraged restrain from certain things. Allowing them to communicate and make relationships with anyone that they want. Allowing them to individualised care, involving responsibilities etc. Everyone has responsibility not to infringe on the rights of other people. Individuals must be given chance to take their own decision and make choices for them. Individuals will get full access to gather information. They must be given right to carry out their religion and cultural activities. Providing a range of options from which they can make choices Encouraging them to solve problems in the future on their own successfully. 2.3 Organisational systems to promote participation and independence for individuals According to Sussex Scourfield (2004), empowering individuals potentiality, ensuring performance of workers, proper guidelines and inspirations to work by own initiatives, staff training, getting feedback, inspection and opinion sources of information for each and every individuals can be a few examples to promote participation and independence for individuals by organizational systems. These are described below: Empowering individuals: Heumann et al (2001) state that, each and every employee of any organization may be promoted to participation and independence by empowering their sleeping potentiality. According to him, the development of service delivery and service quality may be increased significantly by the empowerment of employees. To implement this, proper guidelines to let them work by themselves will be necessary. Thereafter, they can be told the benefits so that they can realize the necessity of the empowerment. Ensuring performance of individuals: Huber (2006) has shown that, organizational participation can be developed by ensuring performance of individuals. The organizational management will make sure that all the employees are up-to-date with changes so that they can perform in a better way. When they will find out their good performance, they will intend to take part extra organizational activities and feel free to work independently. Sources of information: Employees from all the organizations should have free access to information so that they can solve their basic problems by themselves. In addition, they will know the pros and cons of the organization. As a result, they will think themselves as an individual and important part of the organization which results them to participate and involve throughout the organizations. (Anderson Aydin, eds., 2005) 2.4 Tensions that arise when balancing the rights of the individual to independence and choice against the care providers duty to protect According to Thompson et al (2006), there are many factors which cause dilemma while providing care to the vulnerable adults e.g. Safety vs. independence, safety vs. rights and responsibilities of individuals etc. For example, if patients with dementia or frail people want to go somewhere by themselves, then care providers are in trouble. People with dementia may loss their way and find it difficult to retrieve it. In addition, they can cause harm to others and themselves by their aggressive behavior. Frail people may fall down easily and cause serious harm to them. So, the relatives or even the person himself/herself may complain against the care providers when they are in trouble. Considering these factors, care providers are reluctant to let them do anything which can harm their clients. In the same time, each and every individual has right to live independently but it can cause conflict between relative vs. client, client vs. employee, employee vs. relative, children vs. parent, parent of children vs. service providers and staff vs. staff. Thus, tensions can arise while balancing the rights and choice against the care providers duty. Overall, care providers will first consider and ensure their clients safety and then independence. Question 3 3.1 Identifying and explaining risk of abuse or harm from the case study through the case study. From the given scenario, we have seen that Mr. Simon was abusing eight elderly clients in his care which affected his clients very badly. His clients might have to face (opuronio) loss for that abuse. Now the risk of abuse and the way they could be harmed are given below: It has been said in the scenario that one of the lady who is aged 78 years old was poured cold water and stocking over her head. Researchers have shown that cold water during shower helps to get good health for the normal aged people where it harms elderly people. According to Thygerson (2007), it can increase the risk of heart attack. Putting stocking over the head can choke the lady and lead to death. It can cause paralysis as well. Mr. Simon also harassed sexually one of the elderly ladies who are 92. It is really matter of shame and strong sexual abuse against that lady. That lady must feel very ashamed that can lead her to suicide. Also, she can be injured seriously physically as body structure becomes very sensitive at those ages. Obviously it is illegal and humanistic to force anyone to do anything though sometimes that can be good for the person. Anyone can be requested to do anything but is up to the person to accept any help or service or whatever. A 96 year elderly client was forced to eat her food though she was reluctant. Also, Mr. Simon poured sherry into one of his clients throat who was 81. that could cause her choke. As a result, she might die. It could also cause her vomit which can lead to loss of appetite. She was being physically abused during her care. Without this, as many of his clients were suffering from senile dementia and psychological problem, they might not remember what happened to them during their care and might think whatever has been done as a part of their treatment! This is a clear indication of physical and mental abuse. Physical abuse was acute for the clients who were wheelchair bound because they could not either protect him or take themselves in safe position quickly. In addition, their privacy, self esteem, dignity, choice, respect, safety have been neglected instead of giving them appropriate care. 3.2 Options to protect individual from abuse whilst balancing legislation requirements and guidance with the tensions involved According to Pritchard ed. (2008), there are some legislations and guidance to protect and safeguard of the vulnerable adults in the UK. Among them human rights act 1998, Disability discrimination act 2003, Protection of Vulnerable Adult (POVA), Care standard act 2008 are the most effective acts to ensure the safety of vulnerable adults and protect them from any kinds of harm. The scenario has shown that some of the clients were being abused mentally and physically during their care though they were staying in a nursing home. Basically, abuse can happen because of lack of proper implementation of national legislations. According to the legislations, vulnerable adults may be suggested to stay in their own home or care homes or nursing homes or hospitals in accordance with their health condition. But risks must be assessed before taking any decision. In addition, clients have the right to choose any types of service they need for. They can also refuse all the services as well if they w ant unless they are mentally handicapped. Thus individuals can be protected from abuse at the same time as balancing legislation requirements and guidance. 3.3 The effectiveness of policies, procedures and managerial approach for promoting management of risks for a known setting According to Torrisi Hansen-Turton (2005) and Kemshall Pritchard (1997), every organization should have some organizational policies, procedures and managerial approach of their own to run their business effectively and to gain their goals easily along with national policy, procedures and laws. For example, a nursing home should have some legislations regarding acceptable and unacceptable risk, protection from unacceptable risk, assessing and recording risk, participation in creating abuse-free environment, complaints procedures, leadership style, whistle blowing policy along with national service standards. Among them assessing risk, leadership style and complain procedures are significant to promote management risks. A nursing home must have adequate equipment to deal with patients. In addition, early identification of possible abuse, screening of people who are going to start work, reporting to people with proper procedure, getting feedback and opinion from clients, keeping as e ye and proper monitoring system of the clients finance, psychological and physical issues can also promote management of risk. 3.4 Justify recommendations for improving management approaches to managing risks of abuse in the setting of the case study Parsloe (1999) and Messer Jones (1999) have shown that, the management can play an important role to manage the risks of abuse. Some important recommendations are given below to manage risk: A care worker may be monitored or supervised by an authorized person while providing care. Screening of people will help to obtain an employees mentality about his/her job role. Getting regular feedback from client will disclose the quality of service that they are getting. So, staff will try to give their best to achieve reputation which will minimize risk. Having necessary equipments cut the danger of life respectively. For example, a service user may need to be transferred for emergency. In this case, having ambulance facility is a plus point to cut risk and abuse of treatment. Stealing, creating psychological or physiological harms are the cases that happen in care homes, nursing homes or in hospitals. So, monitoring of employees will help to manage risk of abuse as well. Question 4 4.1 The legislation, guidance, codes of practice and policy that apply to the handling of medication According to Association for Real ChangeÂÂ  (ARC) et al (2006), there are some particular laws, legislations, guidance and policies to handle medication as well as its ordering and maintaining, administration, storage, recording, and disposal. These are Drug act 2005, PoisonsÂÂ  and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966 No 31, PoisonsÂÂ  and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008, Public Health (General) Regulation 2002, Medicines act 1968, Drug misuse act 1986 etc. These laws and legislations have described the management and supervision systems for the administration, storage, disposal and recording of medication. According to a new law, a registered nurse (grade 1, minimum) must handle the administration of medication to ensure the standard of care in the care homes. In addition, it provides safeguards for the administration of medication along with personal care attendants and in the hostels. Medicines act 1968 has provided a legal framework within which doctors, surgeons, pharmacists, suppliers and nurses are able to administer medications. According to this act, there are some medicines which are restricted to sale, supply and administration. A drug handler must have to have license to prescribe or dispose any medicine. They also have to renew every licence granted under this Act, unless previously renewed or revoked or will expire at the end of the period of five years from the date on which it was granted or the date as from which it was last renewed. Drug act 2005 and misuse of drug act 1986 have provided very strong law to handle and protect the misuse of drugs. According to this act, a supplier of drug has to prove that, it has a valid intention to provide drugs. Court can assume against a supplier for abusing drug if they can find out less amount of drug than prescribed. In addition, an issue can be raised if the accused may not have had the drug in possession with the intent. Thus these legislations, guidance and policies help to safe handling of medicine. 4.2 National service standards to promote safe practice in the handling of medication According to Crouch et al (2008), todays medicines are powerful compounds to control disease, ease discomfort and prolong life for millions of people and are generally beneficial. But nothing in the world gives us only blessings. Almost all the medicines have got side effect to human body. This is why, national standards, legislation, national enquiries e.g. the Shipman Enquiry, ethical issues, service user choice, acceptable risk etc. have been introduced to minimize the risks and promote safe practice of medication. Another author named Railton (2007) has stated that, all the clinicians, doctors, nurses, care workers, pharmacists have to meet national minimum standard while handling the medicine. For example, a practitioner must have to have a valid license for practicing or prescribing medicine. According to McGee ed. (2009), some of the key principles to promote safe practice are given below: Clients of social care services have freedom to choose concerning their provider of pharmaceutical care and services including dispensed medicines. Care staffs have to be aware of medicines that each client has and a complete account of medicines will be recorded by the social care service. Care staffs help people with their medicines have to be well-trained and competent. Medicines must be given correctly and safely, and care staffs have to preserve the privacy and dignity of the individual while giving them medicine. Medicines should be available when the patient/client needs them and the service provider will make sure safe disposal of unwanted drugs. Medication orders must be timed; dated, signed and handwritten orders must be readable. Only approved hospital abbreviations will be used. Medicines must be stored safely. The social care service will have an access to advice from the pharmacists. Medicines have to be used to cure, prevent disease and to relieve symptoms. Medicines can not be used to punish or control behavior. 4.3 Evaluating the effectiveness of policies and procedures for administering medication to achieve best possible outcomes for service users Thomas et al (2003) has shown that the policies and procedures help to achieve the best possible outcome for administrative medication and care homes are one of the examples of it. He shows that, care homes reduce the risks of medication by following the policies and procedures. As a part of medication administration policy, now they keep all the records of medication to avoid future risk. Sometimes they check or review the side effects of any drugs in the internet and discuss with any third party if necessary. According to Thomas et al (2003) and Boon et al (2006), effectiveness of policies and procedures are given below: Each and every written order for medication must state the names of medication clearly which have been ordered. They also mention the dose, the time of any medication is to be administered, route for administration, the reason of the prescribed medication. In addition, any specific time of medication or the first dose is to be considered for administration. So, there will be a rare chance to cause any mistake will lead a good outcome for the patients. Because of the changes in policy nurses are no longer allowed to gather information or obtain the medication from the night locker unless a pharmacy is available to dispense the medication. So, misuse of drugs will fall down. In addition, only hospital approved abbreviations are being used in prescriptions so that clinicians and medical professionals can understand those without any difficulty. It saves time and care service is becoming fast. Violence and silent punishment by the medication in the care homes have been stopped as medicin es are not allowed to punish or control behavior. Harrison (2006) has shown that about 7000 deaths are occurred every year. But now the number has been decreased significantly after the full implementation of medication administrating throughout the care homes, children homes, nursing homes and hospitals. It also ensures the safe practice of care by providing a guideline to the responsible persons by giving idea about right dosage, right medication, right time, right patient, and right route. Thus medical administration helps to achieve the best outcome for the service users.

The Structural Differences of Atkins and South Beach Diets Essay

The Structural Differences of Atkins and South Beach Diets The Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet are both regimens that promote weight loss by increasing the intake of proteins while reducing the consumption of carbohydrates. While often grouped together under the â€Å"low-carb fad diet† label, these two diets are comparable in design, but contrasting in detail, in particular during phase one. At first glance, these diets appear to be structured alike. Both diets begin with an induction phase that lasts for at least two weeks in which every meal consists of protein rich foods (such as eggs for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch, and steak for dinner), a lot of vegetables and salads, and very few carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are one source of energy for the body typically found in starchy foods like bread, pasta, and potatoes or sweet foods like fruit. Neither diet allows fruit or the starchy carbohydrates in the first phase, but carbohydrates are consumed in small quantities mainly from the vegetables. Both diets also agree that caffeinated and alcoholic beverages are not permitted. Sugars are also excluded in this phase of the diets. Sugars and carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels by breaking down very quickly. By promoting low consumption of carbohydrates and sugars, these diets assert they will correct one’s metabolism (which has been damaged by unhealt hy processed foods) so that the body will once again burn fat and activate weight loss. There is a key difference in phase one despite the fact that the overall plan is laid out the same. Each book (Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution written by Robert C. Atkins, M.D. and The South Beach Diet written by Arthur Agatston, M.D.) includes a list of acceptable f... ...se one of the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet requires a reduction of carbohydrate intake and an increase in protein consumption. Fruits are not allowed at all, and neither are caffeinated or alcoholic beverages. Protein rich foods such as eggs and meat are present in virtually every meal. Salads and vegetables also make up a large portion of the approved list of foods. The diets differ in the amount of saturated fats they recommend, and whether or not they allow nuts, a good source of unsaturated fats. Although distinct, both diets claim they can lower cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and best of all help people to lose weight. References Agatston, Arthur. The South Beach Diet. New York: Random House 2003. Atkins, Robert. Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. New York: Avon Books, 2002.

Why Should People Choose a Healthy Lifestyle Essay -- Healthy Lifestyl

You are driving in your car when suddenly your stomach rumbles. You are hungry. Do you decide to pick up some fast food or go home and spend the time to make yourself a meal? Let us assume we do not have the time to create our own meal. When you get to the restaurant of your choice, do you park in the closest parking spot to the door or do you simply use the drive-through? What do you choose to eat? Is it something processed and frozen or do you choose something made fresh? After eating your food you decide to go to the mall. You pass advertisements of smiling thin happy models. You need to get to the second floor. Do you take the elevator, the escalator, or the stairs? These are choices we face every day that can impact our lives today, tomorrow, and even further into our future. Children follow our examples. If we are faced with these choices daily so are they. How can we make our lifestyle more healthy not only for ourselves, but also future generations? A more healthy lifestyle i s established through balanced priorities, strong mental health, and good role models. Priorities throughout life whether financial, educational, or physical help to create a longer and more balanced lifestyle. With so many false pictures portrayed around the world through the Internet and social media of how a body should look, it is not surprising that many individuals pay more attention to the weight on the scale, than they do to muscle mass and other factors that may more significantly impact their overall health. Photoshopped billboards and fashion models lead to an impossible expectations unrealistic of how a â€Å"normal† human body should appear. As Natasha Turner said, â€Å"It’s not your actual weight on the scale that matters most for overall healt... ... Student Research Center. Web. 9 Nov. 2015. Kane, Anthony. â€Å"A Parent’s Job As A Role Model.† Healthy Place 2011: n.pag. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. â€Å"Nutrition & Weight Control for Longevity.† (2012): 1-46. Student Research Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. â€Å"Poverty Kills: Health Depends on Wealth.† Huntsville Forester 26 Sept. 2013: n.pag. Student Research Center. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. Richardson, Vanessa. â€Å"A Fit Body Means A Fit Mind.† Edutopi. The George Lucas Educational Foundation. n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. Small, Gary. â€Å"Can Exercise Cure Depression.† Brain Bootcamp Sept. 2010: n.pag. Psychology Today, 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2015. Tecco, Armand. â€Å"Why is Exercise Important.† Health Discovery, HealthDiscovery.net, 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2015. Turner, Natasha. â€Å"Are You Skinny Fat?† Chatelaine 86.10 (Oct. 2013): n. pag. Student Research Center. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

emperors club Essay -- essays research papers

Success is the motivation that inspires all human beings to reach great achievements and leave an indelible mark on society. Success is not merely a destination but a journey that one must travel in order to obtain it. Since success in one’s own life is not explicitly defined, we must find objective ways of measuring it, and ultimately come to a conclusion on who has been more ‘successful,’ Sedgewick Bell, or Mr. William Hundert. As is often the case, the answer lies in the past, as Deepak Mehta is quick to point out, â€Å"To know not what happened before you were born is to be forever a child.† As was the case with Shutruk Nahunte, undoubtedly a great emperor and sovereign over an entire region of Ilam, not one history book has documented his life or significance to the world. Mr. Hundert subsequently provides his scholars with this gem, â€Å"Ambition and conquest without contribution is insignificant. What will your contribution be? How will history r emember you?† Ultimately, success is not merely wealth, fame, or political status rather it is living virtuously, conducting one’s self honorably, and making significant contributions to the future generations, who will determine the future prosperity of our nation. In every way, Mr. Hundert, through a consistent display of morality, consciousness, honor, and respect, as with the revered Roman Emperors before him, has achieved success that far surpasses the boorish Sedgewick Bell, and his posh, immature, arrogant lifestyle, which, besides short-term financial comfort and reward, does nothing to foster morality and ideals that will benefit the world once he has departed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The teaching profession is one of the most under-appreciated yet spiritually rewarding jobs that exist. Every great scholar and tremendous achiever in the world gets his or her start from the great, inspiring teachers before them. Teachers inspire their subjects to learn about the specified material, but also about themselves and the world around them. From the ages of five to twenty-two and sometimes beyond, young adults spend 7 hours daily, 180 days a year expanding their minds, and ultimately using their education to be productive members of the work force. Never in someone’s accomplishments is there a footnote giving proper credit to the teachers that preceded him or her. Therefore, Mr. Hundert’s success cannot only b... ...ct of his younger son, and if Hericlites was correct is stating a man’s character is his fate, Bell’s future career will inevitably perish. While Hundert doesn’t seek material reward for his contributions, he is satisfied with the fact that he has led an honorable life, given others an opportunity to thrive in the world, and fully embodied the spirit of the Roman greats who he teaches about and brings to life, in terms of conviction, civic virtue, and respect in the eyes of others. Wealth is not eternal. If Bell and his family continues to do nothing productive to protect their wealth, many generations into the future the wealth will be recycled back into society and into the hands of those who truly deserve it. A man’s epitaph often represents a man’s impact on the world, and is more indicative of one’s character than his status in society. History books will cast the final judgment, and most definitely, Hundert will be revered for his s elflessness, academic enlightenment and contributions to others, while Bell will be condemned for his egotism, selfishness, arrogance, and failure to make meaningful contributions to others, when he was in more of a position financially to do so.

Characters Effect on a Reader Essay

Characters dealing with a situation affect each reader differently. The characters reaction to a situation may have a reader feel exactly as the character does, or in some instances, the reader may look more at how differently they would feel in the same situation. In an attempt to answer Henry James on how characters are only as interesting as their response to the particular situation we will look at â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† by John Steinbeck and â€Å"To Build a Fire† by Jack London. In â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† we are introduced to Elisa Allen at her ranch working in her garden. She is described in the story as: â€Å"She was thirty five. Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were clear as water. Her figure was blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man’s black hat pulled down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with. She wore heavy leather gloves to protect her hand while she worked. †(Steinbeck 242) This detail gives the reader the mental picture of Elisa. The description makes it easy for the reader to know exactly what she looks like. Being around the outdoors and growing up on a farm helps me in picturing how a busy female rancher would look. This sets up the reader for when the wagon pulls up. As the gentlemen from the wagon talks with Elisa in attempt to get her to purchase work from him, I felt there was sexual tension between the two. Elisa attempts to hold her ground in the hopes he would just go away, but he finally breaks through to her by showing interest in her Chrysanthemums. By showing that they had something in common, the gentlemen is able to break the guard Elisa had put up, and she in turn, gives him work to do by fixing old saucepans. Once the gentlemen leaves, she runs into the house and begins to bathe almost in a way to remove the dirty thoughts. Once out of the bath, she takes her time looking at herself in the mirror and getting dressed; almost as if the thoughts were coming back, all to go away when she heard her husband returning. That is the way I felt towards Elisa Allen’s character. I am not sure if that is the intended way the author meant. Trying to look at the story from the author’s point of view, I almost see Elisa looking at the wagon as a way of freedom from where she has perfected her Chrysanthemums and looking for something new in her life. Early in the story, her husband jokingly asked about going to the fights and she quickly declined, but towards the end, after her encounter with the traveler, she started questioning how the fights were. It is almost as if she was looking for something different, something that would give her a sense of adventure to take her away from the monotony of her boring life. In the end she declines the opportunity and the author shows us she has accepted the reality of her life being boring with this excerpt: â€Å"She relaxed limply in the seat. â€Å"Oh, no. No. I don’t want to go. I’m sure I don’t. † Her face was turned away from him. â€Å"It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty. † She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly – like an old woman. †(Steinbeck 249) Either way it was perceived, the character shows that there is something in her life she is missing and she attempts to fulfill it with the Chrysanthemums. Other readers may find different ways of seeing how Elisa Allen may feel in this story. Without the description of how she was, and the way she reacted to the fights, this may have been a boring story because it would have lacked the information about the character to make her interesting enough for the reader to wonder about her. Next, we will look at â€Å"To Build a Fire†. Right from the beginning the character has no name, only referred to as â€Å"the Man†. This gives the reader the chance to put themselves in the story. By not giving the character a name, it allows the reader to fall into the pages, especially with how descriptive the setting is. Each detail brings more and more bitterness on how cold it is. With this cold comes the overconfidence of the man: â€Å"Fifty degrees below zero was to him just a precisely fifty degrees below zero. That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head. †(London 128) This overconfidence leads the man down a path to death. My experiences in scouting and life have taught me to respect Mother Nature and never take her for granted. This also allowed me to put myself in the same situation in the story and imagine all the things I would have done differently. The man’s attitude was that cold is cold, no matter the temperature, and his knowledge will get him through his lack of experience. I became more frustrated with his actions, as I knew he was dealing with each situation incorrectly. As the story progressed, there was continued hope that his luck wouldn’t run out, but in the end, his handicap of ignorance led to his demise. A reader that has never been in this type of situation may not have understood the severity of the situation and would only be able to see from the eyes of the man. It is also possible for a reader to feel the frustration of him dealing with each of the problems he came across. If the man’s confidence was not as great, there would have been more thought to the situation, and he may have listened to what advice had been given. It may have also led to the man making different choices, or allowing himself some humility and turned around. This confidence allows the story to be thought of from a point of view that anyone could be put in a similar situation and that any daily life situation can cause our confidence to sometimes gets the best of us. We always think we know more that we do. â€Å"All a man had to do was keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone. †(London 132) This excerpt is a perfect example as shortly after this, the snow falls on the fire and the man admits his mistake. This would have not happened if the man’s confidence had not got the best of him. Additionally, the entire story would have changed, and the character would have had better chance if he would have thought things through or if he would have had someone else traveling with him. Both of these stories can be interesting to the readers from their own personal experiences, or quite simply by the details the authors publish. If the characters would have dealt with the situations differently, or the details of the characters, then they would have been boring. I believe that this easily answers Henry James because the details allowed my thoughts to wander and kept me interested on what would happen next. Works Cited Steinbeck, John. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums. † Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. 12th ed. Kennedy, X. J. , and Gioia, D. New York, New York 2013. Pearson. pp 242-249 London, Jack. â€Å"To Build a Fire. † Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. 12th ed. Kennedy, X. J. , and Gioia, D. New York, New York 2013. Pearson. pp 127-146.