Are Professional Athletes and Actors Overpaid Essay

In this essay I will explore a much debated topic in this country pertaining to the undeniable fact that professional actors and athletes overwhelmingly get paid much higher than the average American. As any highly debated topic, there are always arguments and viewpoints from both sides of the spectrum. Like many Americans, for entertainment I thoroughly enjoy watching both film and professional sporting events. Even though, I have always maintained a firm stance that many in these professions are simply overpaid. I believe once you have read my research and analysis on this topic, you as well will agree from a sociological, economical and even ethical perspective that they are grossly overpaid. Proponents of the film industry or â€Å"Hollywood† and the pro-sporting industry would contend that they are simply providing for a demand. These two industries do provide for Americans some of the most enjoyed and popular forms of entertainment in our society today. These industries not only provide earnings to the actors and athletes but also provide jobs to many other Americans as well. Like any successful industry, those who provide the primary service to that industry will in turn be rewarded appropriately for their contributions to its success. Both actors and pro-athletes would argue that attaining their current level of success was not easy as these jobs are very competitive. Also, there are many times huge expectations to perform and stress that come with the job and the celebrity status. Some pro-athletes such as football players, would also argue that after they retire, their physical condition has declined much earlier in life due to years of physical trauma and injury and performing in other jobs post-career is many times difficult.  As I wrote earlier, there are arguments from both sides of the spectrum. Let’s begin to analyze from the other viewpoint not ignoring the other side’s arguments and include some of the fundamental and sociological reasons of our need and demand for entertainment. Looking back to the era of the â€Å"Roaring 20’s† in which America was enjoying a period of sustained economic prosperity, the average American could at a higher level afford to enjoy  different forms of entertainment than previously. This ushered in a new era and cultural dynamic which emphasized organized sports, theatre, and f ilm. Since this era, America has seen economic depression, recession and crisis, but has still remained the wealthiest country in the world. Due to this, the entertainment culture that was created roughly 100 years ago still exists today, and the demand for it continues to grow. Each year more and new gaming devices, games, videos, movies, and television shows are released. Likewise the costs of these products and devices continues to go up. The unfortunate side to this is that it has created a more sedentary lifestyle and culture of everyday America, and in turn attributing to issues as obesity amongst both children and adults. Regardless, we have developed and created this culture with the associated increased demand for this form of entertainment, and the industry is nothing more than happy to oblige us in providing it. In a study conducted by USA TODAY and Statista of top paid Hollywood actors, it found that Robert Downey Jr. earned over $75 million in a one year timeframe from June 2012-June 2013. Much of his earnings were a result of his roles in both â€Å"The Avengers† and â€Å"Ironman 3,† with â₠¬Å"The Avengers† alone grossing $1.51 billion in box office sales making it the highest grossing movie of 2012 worldwide. Liam Neeson who was ranked as the 10th top earner, grossed over $32 million in the same timeframe. According to the Daily News, Samuel L. Jackson is titled with being the highest grossing actor of all time with earnings of $7.42 billion throughout his film career. Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is a pro-boxer has earned a total of $90 million in 2013 from winnings alone, making him the top pro-athlete earner according to Sports Illustrated. Mayweather has achieved such a high status that it is common for him to have a guaranteed win-or-lose purse of around 30 million per fight. Pro-basketball player Lebron James who is at number two in the rankings, earned over $17 million in salary and a staggering $39 million in endorsements alone for 2013. The list goes on and on with astronomical numbers that get higher and higher each year in passing. There is essentially a fundamental question that is raised in regards to all of this, â€Å"What individual is simply worth that much?† The services provided by these individuals is simply for entertainment alone. What is provided  does not contribute to the functionality or betterment of our society. There was a time when acting or professional sports were a second job in which an individual would perform due to their love for the sport or art. After all, a sport is something that is played for enjoyment by the rest of us because it is enjoyable. They get paid millions while the rest of us do it for fun. Being the die-hard Green Bay Packer fan that I am, I scream and yell and root for my team as hard as or harder than the other fans. When my team loses or Aaron Rodgers has a bad game I can find myself feeling down and upset. Some fans feel as if their whole day or week is ruined if their favorite team loses. I think it is they that always have the last laugh. At the end of the day he or she is disappointed but regardless they’re still making millions. When Mayweather has a bad fight, he still takes home his $30 million. In a way we are all pawns in their game, and we are always the losers. As we look at wealth distribution in the U.S., many of these actors and athletes fall into the wealthiest 10% of Americans. According to James M. Henslin in Essentials of Sociology, 70% of our nation’s wealth is owned by this top 10%. To break this down even more, the top one percent owns 1/3 of all U.S. assets. The average per capita income in the U.S. is only $42,000 per year (194). The other 90% who is the fan base that provides the majority of the income of these actors and athletes, are seeing this income gap continue to widen. Even with the recent recession in our economy, the rich as a whole statistically remain unaffected. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The strong middle class that once was the backbone of our economy is slowly diminishing and sliding to the left. This middle class are the firefighters, police officers, and service members who protect and serve our communities and country. They are the structure of society who provide strength and functio nality and who ultimately serve to the betterment of us all. There is much debate on how wealth should be distributed. A capitalist society has proven for the U.S. to be effective and be partially credited with building the foundation of all of the wealth and creating the richest country in the world. Completely socialist societies have proven in history to be a failure. Typically there is a Darwin Effect of â€Å"Survival of the Fittest† which dominates. There obviously  needs to be some middle ground here, but finding a solution is difficult. In this case of actors and athletes, I believe us as the consumer and their supporters have the power to control this huge inequality and disparity by saying, â€Å"Enough is enough!† and demand that some rationale come into play. Paying these individuals this much money is simply ridiculous in my opinion. Fundamentally we as a society should give value to those professions which serve us in a way that promotes a more sustainable society. Works Cited Fortunate 50: Sports Illustrated 13 Apr 2014. WEB Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University. Print. Seventh Edition. Maitland, Sashana, Samuel L. Jackson named highest-grossing actor, DAILY NEWS 25 Oct 2011, WEB, 13 Apr 14 Maria Puente, Robert Downey Jr. is highest-paid actor, USA TODAY 13 Apr 2014, WEB, Jul 2013 Best-paid Hollywood actors of 2012/2013, Statista 13 Apr 2014, WEB

Should Animals Be Kept in Zoo

houldTopic: You are a member of your school’s debating club. Write a debating speech on the topic â€Å"Animals should never be kept in zoos†. You can either choose for or against the motion. Honorable adjudicators, Ladies and gentlemen, Today’s motion is â€Å"Animals should never be kept in zoos†. Our team totally oppose to the motion. Mind the word ‘never’ is used, which gives a very extreme meaning. Our opponents may say that animals come from nature. They deserve and have to live in their own habitat to make sense. We, human beings, should never disturb them.There should be a clear boarder between them and us. However, is the really practical? The following arguments will explain. First of all, zoos keep animals for educating the public. Zoos are not amusement parks or circuses, animals are not required to be trained to perform. I hereby show sympathy for animals which are mistreated. Ladies and gentlemen, Animals in zoos are real, which attracts the public to visit. There is information about each species and visitors can know more about a variety of species if they read the descriptions.Even if not, at least they know they exist such kind of animal on earth and appreciate the biodiversity of nature. Zoos can also organize programmes and activities to enable participants to understand more about certain species in detail. Clearly, animals in zoos are valuable for educational purpose. Secondly, zoos can preserve animals. Apparently, animals can evade not only predators but also natural disasters like earthquake, hurricanes and so on so forth. This helps them to breed. Then, animals are not endangered or to face extinction.We can now protect what the nature gives us, as this is also our responsibility. In order to safeguard a diversity of species, it is of no alternatives but to keep some of them in zoos. Ladies and gentlemen, we have destroyed the nature enough since industrial revolution, it is time for us to repay and protect animals by simply keep Thirdly, animals in zoos obtain research values. Scientists are conducting researches on numerous animals. This facilitates us to understand deeply in animals.It would be difficult to randomly capture a suitable wild animal, in good condition, for experimental uses or observations. Employing animals in zoos alleviates time constraint and inadequate manpower. Ladies and gentlemen, the more we know about animals, the better we can treat them. Of course, we definitely try to preserve their habitats in nature. To achieve that, researching is the first step. My teammates Peter will further elaborate on the part of education and Mary will give more details of operating zoos.Most of us, if not all, disagree to confine all animals on earth in zoos, which is actually no possible. We just capture a few of each species for preservation, just like the seed bank for plants. Our opponent may the argue people treat them cruelly and we also cannot create the exac t same environment for animals to live in. it is undeniable that artificial environment is not the exact same copy of the nature, which is what animals craving for.However, with advanced technology and better knowledge, we believe it is possible to simulate the nature for animals to live. It is not practical to refuse any degree of confinement of animals. Ladies and gentlemen, we anticipate a balanced sustainable development, which is on both environmental and economic sides, and we ignored the latter in the past. Conserving the nature has become our obligation and zoos are one of the best ways to complete this eternal task. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, today’s motion must not stand. I rest my case. Thank you.

To Build a Fire: Man’s Pride

To Build a Fire by Jack London is a story of man who believed that he is larger than nature itself, that he could conquer anything—even seventy-five degrees below zero. Throughout the story, London clearly depicted a very cold place, a place which obviously no human could survive. According to one critique, the story â€Å"pits one man alone against the overwhelming forces of nature† (Rhodes, 1994). Probably due to humans' achievements, the man has become engulfed with pride and has carelessly ignored the power of nature.The protagonist was described as a man who is keen to details and, through most of the story, exuded confidence that he could cross the place. In fact, he already had a targeted time when he could reach his other companions. He did not have apparent fear of danger and seemed to rationalize to himself so as not to face the real situation: â€Å"Maybe, if he ran on, his feet will thaw out; and anyway if he ran far enough, he would reach camp and the boys † (London, 2002). It was only near the end of the story did he realize the danger that he entered himself into, the death that he could have easily avoided.If he was not as arrogant enough to perceive the â€Å"old-timers† as â€Å"womanish† and heeded their advice, the man would never have died and would have enjoyed â€Å"camping out with the boys. † His arrogance took its toll—nature took his life. References Rhodes, K (1994). To build a fire: Overview. In N. Watson (Ed. ), Reference guide to short fiction (1st ed. ). Detroit, MI: St. James Press. London, J. (2002). To build a fire. In L. Jewell (Ed. ), Reading and writing about literature (1st ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Communication to mitigate disasters Research Paper

Communication to mitigate disasters - Research Paper Example gger than 1.5 x 2 kilometres because we are unable to adequately control the focus of the map from http://webmap.city.burnaby.bc.ca/publicmap/viewer.htm. On the other hand, the vertical distance from 4788 Brentwood Drive is smaller than 1.5 kilometres whether northward or southward. The relatively short vertical distance attempts to offset the relatively bigger horizontal coverage of the map. On checking, however, the area covered by Figure 1 is about 6.9 square kilometres versus the 7.07 square kilometres implied by a 1.5-kilometres radius from 4788 Brentwood Drive. Based on the formula pi x radius-squared for area, a 1.5 kilometres radius implies 7.07 square kilometres. The website http://webmap.city.burnaby.bc.ca/publicmap/viewer.htm, which is controlled and managed by the Burnaby City government, is developing a menu for estimating the population of a sector of Burnaby. However, the author conducted several hours and days of attempts to estimate the population of the area covered by Figure 1 using the menu and failed. Possibly, the website is not yet ready to execute the population estimation function at the time of author’s attempt to access the website although the website was updated last 17 September 2010. However, if we use the latest edition of the Burnaby Quick Facts that was produced in 2008, the material documented that one square kilometre of Burnaby has a population density of 2,275.6 individuals as of 2006. Thus, it appears reasonable to estimate that the area covered by Figure 1 has a population of roughly 15,702 persons as of 2006. Of course, we can project the population up to 2010 based on the population growth figures but there is no need for us to do that. In a 2004 report, the United Nations Development Programme defined risk as â€Å"the probability of harmful consequences or expected loss of lives, people injured, property, livelihoods, economic activity disrupted (or environment damaged) resulting from interactions between natural or

Climate change is man-made and governments should take measures to Essay

Climate change is man-made and governments should take measures to control it. To what extent do you agree with this claim - Essay Example Other interest groups, including environmentalists insist that climate change is purely attributed to the activities of man. This paper shall discuss the thesis that: climate change is man-made and governments should take measures to control it. The extent to which I agree with this claim will be assessed in this paper. Majority of the factors which contribute to climate change is man-made, and other factors are natural. Taken together, the impact of climate change is very much significant. Admittedly, the earth is warming, with most of the excess heat impacting our oceans. Our oceans serve as repository for our excess heat (Hansen, et.al., 2005). The oceans however generally have a significant capacity for absorbing heat and as such, the oceans are considered thermodynamically stable, not easily impacted by other elements. In order to effect change, any activity would have to include long-term and continuous phenomenon (Hansen, et.al., 2005). The warming of the earth is therefore being experienced over a prolonged and sustained period of time. Data supports the fact that the oceans are warming up and have gradually been warming up since the 1950s. Global warming is not caused by the increase in the internal geothermal natural heating or the heat from human activity (Willis, et.al., 2008). It is also not caused by external sources. The internal and external sources of heating have been discounted. A firm conclusion which can be drawn is that the increase in global temperature is caused by stored heat in the environment over a period of years. Any increase in the heat input would cause a rise in heat sent off into space. Such heat is not considered in measuring the increase in ocean temperature (Willis, et.al., 2008). In effect, the added source of heat needed to lead to global warming has to be higher that is considered and no source of additional

Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Contract Law - Essay Example The customer handling is a tactic that helps you in increasing the retention rates of the customers. The customer loyalty with your company can enhance your sales and helps in increasing your yearly turnover. These customer complaints when handle properly inform the organization what actually the customers wants in product, their needs and what changes they further want in your product or service. The importance of these complaints, requirements and ideas from the customers are very important due to the reason that the company actually serving these people. So these complaints are actually the customer voice that meant a lot for the organization. The after sale service of a company is important because customers may feel some problems while the usage of the product and dealing with problems may help in gaining their loyalty. These customers compliant handling is not only important to the sales and marketing department of the product launching compnay but also important for the servic e providing companies. The purpose of this article is to deals in importance of complaint handling within the retail FS UK market. We will consider that what problems actually the customer were facing and how the problem solving enhances their service market. In 2003 the life insurance company which was based in financial market of UK ... ancial market of UK paid the fine of 675,000 pounds due to their mortgage endowment complaints which were not handled properly by their service department. Similarly in 2004, the same Life Insurance Company paid the fine of 725,000 due to their bad handling of mortgage endowment complaints, which they were facing the last year. The only reason was that the company was unable to provide better services before and after the sale of their product and services. In 2005, High Street Bank paid the fine of 800,000 pounds due to their worst handling of customer complaints. In 2006, again the same Life Insurance Company paid the fine of 750,000. In 2007, IFA paid 330,000 of pounds as fine against worst compliant handling of their customers. These all fines which are paid by the companies mention above are the only reason of bad customer services they provide to the customers. These companies then need to take a deep look inside their customer relation services in order to know that what the r oot cause of the problem is. Where the main problem lies We try to search and find some issues which these companies lack and these were The financial service companies were fail to give efficient customer services as customer advisory department were failed to advise the customer the which service suit them most. The importance to the customer within the company wasn't matter when they first step in the company. The companies were unable to investigate deeply in order to know that where the company lacks or performing badly and the only reason was that they lack a sufficient communication level. The companies were unable to launch such systems and strategies that can improve the customer relations with their employee's and the reason was this that they actually don't know that where the

Weekly Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly Discussion - Essay Example In this regard, the reason why Klein and Zeljka have to respond to the counter-arguments posed to the original study was to further make the issue clear. Klein published the article I Was Wrong, and So Are You in The Atlantic, and objected to publishing in The Wall Street Journal. This can be considered as a deliberate attempt of ensuring that the information is tailored to the appropriate audience. In doing this, Klein must have been aware that The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal command different audience. It is widely argued that The Wall Street Journal is most read by policy makers, including the politicians. On the other hand, The Atlantic is read by the general public, which may not necessarily counter as policy makers, but inform the decision making process. These include parents, students and businessmen. In my view, the reason why information as well as the media should be changed is to assure information objectivity. This is in reference to the fact that people have different points of view and interest. This means that for the objectives of the information to be realized, adjustments for inclusivity should be

Cloud Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example For this analysis, focus would be on the public cloud where software and hardware systems are hosted in the remote data center of the provider as opposed to private cloud where the software and hardware systems are hosted in the enterprise of the customer. Thus, instead of having local servers and computers in the consumer’s premises, the provider provides a remote data center from which end users access the cloud through web browsers or mobile applications (Rountree & Castrillo, 2013). These cloud application providers seek to provide similar or better service as if the software programs were locally installed in the end-users’ computers. The capital investment involved in setting up a cloud would be mainly on the data center. This cost would be borne by the cloud provider who acquires all physical computing resources including networks, storage, servers and hosting infrastructure. On the other hand, the operation costs would be passed on to the users. The equipment an d assets in the data center belong to the service provide while the user would enter into a contract with the provider on a monthly or annual basis. Additionally, this cloud provider manages the computing infrastructure meant to provide the cloud services and runs the cloud software which provides the required services. The provider takes up the responsibility of deploying, configuring, maintaining and updating the way software applications operate on cloud infrastructure so as to meet the expected service provision levels. Therefore, the cloud provider would be expected to design, develop, procure, install, test, deploy, provide and manage the IT resources in cloud computing. Raj (2013) observes that this shift of capital demanding model to an operating expense model transfers material risk from the service user to the provider. DEPLOYMENT MODELS Organizational requirements on the services to be accessed from the cloud and the control needed varies greatly. Therefore, different ser vice models have been used to implement the cloud environment. During the early stages in the development of cloud computing, there were only two categorizations, private and public cloud according to Hollwarth (2012). These two shared specific characteristics. However, these categories were extended to cover forms like the hybrid cloud and even a more specialized model known as community cloud. Private cloud Private cloud infrastructure is solely operated for an organization made up of multiple consumers. According to Mell and Grance (2011), the ownership, management and operation of this cloud could be vested in the organization, an appointed third party or a combination of these. It could be hosted on or off premises. Accessibility would be through local area network, LAN or wide area network, WAN (Raj, 2013). This implies that the organization substantially holds control of the data center thus improves on privacy and security issues. Nonetheless, Hollwarth (2012) observes that private clouds could fail to be fully utilized as compared to public clouds and as such could fail to operate efficiently. Additionally, undertaking the control of security of the cloud could come with higher cost implications as opposed to public clouds. Community cloud Shared by various organizations, community cloud is exclusively provisioned for use by a specific consumer community sharing similar concerns such as compliance considerations, policy,

Aztec Indians Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Aztec Indians Religion - Research Paper Example It is because of this mixed ethnicities and population that in the Aztec culture a lot of creativity is seen in the form of their art, poetry and music. It was through their art that they expressed religion and warfare which was portrayed in the form of paintings, sculptures and temples. In addition the Aztec Indians had a very structured society that was based on agriculture, and religion served as a guide that pervaded their every aspect of life. As religion served to be their guiding principles, the Aztecs took their religion very seriously. They worshiped different Gods that were meant to represent different natural forces that according to their belief were important for their agriculture-based economy. Some of the important deities of the Aztecs were the god of rain: Tlaloc, the patron god of Aztec tribe: Huitzilopochtli, the god of civilization and culture hero: Quetzalcoatl and the god of fortune and destiny Tezcatlipoca who was also responsible for the war and sorcery. In th e Aztec Capital – Tenochtitlan, each of these gods had their own temples where the Aztecs performed their religious practices and rituals (Wikipedia). These deities were mostly represented in human form however they were given different forms too where the face was given of an animal and the body of a human. At times the same deity was given different representations as well. Each of the Aztec cities had a giant stone pyramid on which the temples were made. The most important feature of the Aztec religion has been the Human Sacrifice (Schmal). This attempt of human sacrifice was practiced in order to please the Gods in situations where it was expected that they are angry, whereas it was also believed by the priests that it gave the Gods human sustenance and is requirement to fulfill the needs of their supernatural deities (Unknown, Aztec Indians). It was also a common belief that without sacrificing humans, the world would end and so will their lives. The common practice foll owed by the Aztecs on sacrificing an individual was to climb to the top of the pyramid wearing a mask, the person was then made to stretch out over a convex stone, and then in this position using a knife the priest would cut out the heart. According to the Aztec myths this practice was carried out because it was believed that the gods themselves sacrificed themselves in order to create the world, moon, sun and the people therefore by sacrificing themselves the people were repaying the god. Other than this offering food, other goods and incense were also very common (Smith). The Aztecs took this practice to an unprecedented level, however the number of sacrifices were dependent upon the crisis situation faced especially in the event of a drought. Because the Aztec economy was agriculture based, therefore in the season of good harvesting the number of sacrifices was low, however in a drought situation this number could increase to hundreds. This was also common among warriors for whom the two most honorable ways to die were to be slain in battle or by presenting themselves to be sacrificed at some important ceremony. Human sacrifice was also varied depending upon the social position of a person for example the sacrifice of a warrior was done on important ceremonies whereas in less important sacrifices, the prisoners were presented to the gods. There were also certain conditions applied to the individuals who were to be sacrificed, these included abstaining from any sexual activity, eating only one unseasoned meal a day for four days until the day of the event. This practice of

Why Radical Islam Fears Bollywood Pop Culture Essay

Why Radical Islam Fears Bollywood Pop Culture - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Islam serves as the third and final religion in the list of the three Abrahamic faiths with Judaism and Christianity as its predecessor beliefs. All these three religions cite their Scriptures not only to preach the teachings, but also exploit the same for their political, social and economic gains. It is therefore the famous maxim was invented that even the devil can cite Scriptures for his own purpose. The same could be applied on the purported extremist organizations including Al Qaeda and Taliban etc, and their satanic-minded leaders Osama bin Laden and his evil companions. By looking into the history of initial years of Islam, it becomes crystal clear that the faith has always been a religion of peace, kindness and compassion, which has treated even its worst enemies on the noblest principles of sympathy and humanity. However, like Judaism and Christianity, its reins and bridles came under the sway and control of the harsh and stone -hearted opportunists, who started exploiting the faith for their personal gains. The same is applied to Al Qaeda, which appears to be determined to create chaos, anarchy and disorder all over the world in the sacred name of Islam. Although the religious-minded people are justified in declaring semi-nude bodies, sexy poses and enticing gestures of women as strictly against the teachings of Islam, which are profoundly being exhibited through the platform of the Bollywood film industry. The Holy Scripture of Islam i.e. the Holy Qur’an asserts: â€Å"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their zeenah (adornment/make-up) except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their khimar (or piece of veil) over their bosoms and not display their zeenah except to their husbands, their fathers.† (24:31-32) Thus, the Muslim Scripture commands the women to observe chastity and veil in o rder to escape the evil and ignoble staring of the licentious people. Somehow, inclusion of the actors from the Muslim community in bulk serves as a certain impediment for declaring singing and dance as vehemently opposite to the true Islamic culture and civilization. For instance, the so-called Muslim actresses of Bollywood including Saira bano, Madho Bala, Nargis, Zeenath Aman, Parveen Boby, Shabana Aazmi, Tabbu, Soha Khan, Katrina Kaif and others have performed very bold and semi-nude roles in the Indian films; while the industry is also abundant in the Muslim heroes including Daleep Kumar, Shahrukh Khan, Naseer-ud-Din Shah, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, which also play(ed) the romantic and exotic roles that are against the Islamic teachings. Similarly, the Muslim lyricists, script-writers, directors and choreographers etc including Kaifi Aazmi, Javed Akhtar, Farah Khan and many others have also played their decisive part in the projection and promotion of Indian music, dance and ac ting sectors at large. The analyst Shikha Dalmia is of the opinion that the Indian films are very popular in all Muslim countries, and playing romantic and exotic roles through the Muslim actors and actresses particularly reveal different aspects of the contemporary Muslim showbiz personnel in modern life, participation of which is destroying the Al Qaeda efforts

Use of financial ratios in evaluating companies Essay Example for Free

Use of financial ratios in evaluating companies Essay Use of financial ratios in evaluating companies Introduction                   Financial ratios are the indicators used by financial analyst to determine the general position of a certain organization. They are also known as economic ratios, are obtained in financial statements, and are relative to figures of two distinct periods. These ratios compare the direction organizations are taking within a specified period. They will therefore show the strengths and weaknesses in the firms in relation to others or a comparison between two timelines. These ratios are important to the shareholders as they are able to know the direction a company is going by the shift in its share. In addition, the managers depend on them to know where they are leading the organizations. Some of the main financial statements where these ratios are gotten fro include the balance sheet and the statement of cash flows. Easy Jet Company is one of the companies that maintains its financial ratios and has benefited a lot. Although these ratios have many useful benefits in evaluating the performance and management of companies, they also have many limitations.                   Aspects of financial ratios that can be used include the liquidity ratio, which is the ability of an organization to pay the expenditures that are for a short period. Profitability ratios show the amount of dollars earned per sale of one item. Others include activity ratio, which indicates whether the company is capable of managing its total assets. The financial leverage ratio on the other hand shows the ability of the company meeting long term goals while shareholder ratio relates to amount of shares as per the stock. Finally, the return on investment ratio relates the amount of profit as per the assets used. Easy Jet Company uses these ratios and has benefits and limitations as discussed below.                   Financial ratios have an advantage in comparing different companies in the market. They enable the companies to be kept together not keeping into consideration such factors as capital amount, amount of sales and the market control. This is because the ratios do not depend much on the amount of starting but the rate of change of that amount in relation to other companies or time (Troy, 2008). They will tell the ability of a certain business to be able to pay its expenditure and probability of making a profit. Companies may, for example, boast of a high level of capital compared with other small ones, but when analysis is done from a perspective of rate of stock turnover. This may prove the smaller company is efficiently run. They therefore help in the comparison and the managers will be able to collect any problem that may be there and compete favorably.                   They also help in analyzing a certain line of industries and upcoming young companies to gauge the industries they want to venture in. The ratios will help also to show fast growing industries and advise young entrepreneurs accordingly. Small companies will also be able to gauge themselves on their relevance in the market due to their contribution compared to the big ones. According to Weygandt (1996), financial ratios also enable the shareholders and analysts to analyze stock valuation. Investors in this area will be able to gauge on the company worth investing in and those to avoid completely. This knowledge helps investors in investing their money where there is a likelihood of making a profit. The ratios will help the companies in performance and planning. To attract lenders and investors, companies may prepare a detailed report and convince them with the capability of the company. Managers are also motivated to work hard since the ratios will be see n by many and would expose their weaknesses.                   On the other hand, the ratios have limitations. Many companies deal with different products in the market and comparing them directly may not be an effective way of showing the success or failure of a business. Some companies enjoy low number of days at the rate of stock turnover due to a certain season. Comparing its ratios with off-season will definitely show a negative trend, which should not show someone being responsible for it. Comparing it with others during the high season will convince shareholders that the company is making progress only to realize it was due to seasonal product. Using financial ratios to compare companies leads to misleading information to the managers and the investors. Due to the use of different environmental, cultural and structure of the market, financial ratios are not a good measure of success or failure of a company.                   The ratios are affected by the level of inflation. Comparing a company’s financial ratio of a year without inflation with another year with high levels of inflation will not give a good result. The sales will be high, but the level of profit decreases, showing a negative trend which otherwise is not the case. This may cause loss of jobs and investors. The company may at last collapse not because of poor management but the financial ratios. There may also be a situation where the ratios used are a mixture of bad and good ones making it difficult to know the position of the company. Some companies operate departments in different industries. It therefore becomes difficult to come up with average ratios to measure the performance of the company. If these ratios are used well the results are insightful, but dangerous where when used mechanically.                   According to Ablin, et al (2013), Easy Jets payments to the employees increased from 476 £m in 2012 to 517 £m in the year 2013. This indicates an increase of 8% an indication that the company’s return on investment ratio has improved. This is marked by an increase from 317 £m to 478 £m a 51% increase in the total profit before tax which indicates appropriate strategies have been used. This includes the increase in the rate of income per seat, offset by the use of forward bookings and the purchase of additional A320 aircraft. Earnings per share increased 2013 as compared to 2012 with earnings per share increasing from 62.5 to 101.3 for basic and 61.7 to 100.0 for diluted increasing the shareholder ratio. The executive directors are employed and paid directly by the Easy jet airline company’s revenue.                   Return on capital increased with the onset of 2013 from 2012. The rate changed from 11.3% to 17.4% indicating growth in the company. This is attributed to increase in the number of leased aircrafts from 26% in 2012 to 33% in 2013 (Easy Jet, 2013). On May 2013, Easy jet entered into an agreement with Flybe for the exchange of some flying right in the airport of Gatwick. The shareholders approved the deal and on August the same year, $7 million was paid. This made the operations of the company effective, resulting in the increase in the return on capital. This is further explained by the shareholders decision to enter into a contract with Airbus in July 2013. In Easy Jet Switzerland S.A, the company has 49% shares and plans to own the remaining 51% by 2022.                   Upgrading by the company’s management from a 156 seater A319 aircraft to A320 results to a saving in the cost of a seat by between 8% and 7%. There is also another cause of increased savings in the development and movement from 180 seat A320 to 180 new generation neo aircraft. This cause further 4% to 5% savings per seat. This has made the company to continue offering services to the ever-increasing number of customers as the company. There has also been the development where the company has changed in reducing its cash on deposit. This has increased the amount of cash that the company holds in liquid following the release of the  £130 million previously held. Conclusion                   Financial ratios play an important role in determining the direction a company is taking. Like a driver who drives a vehicle, managers depend mostly on these ratios to determine the direction as drivers are heading the company. The companies are able to compare their performance in the market with others courtesy of these ratios. The ratios also have a role in enabling the investors and shareholders determine on which company is fit for them to invest. Similarly, they have drawbacks in that they do not reflect the true picture of a company’s position when there is inflation in the country in addition to company that deals with many departments within different lines of production. Easy Jet Company has successfully used these ratios effectively and has developed to be an excellent company competing effectively with others. It is therefore a successful company. Reference Ablin et al (2013). Easy jet plc (1st ed.). Switzerland: Park Communications. Troy, L. (2008). Almanac of business and industrial financial ratios.Chicago, IL: CCH. Weygandt, J. J., Kieso, D. E., Kell, W. G. (1996). Accounting Principles (4th ed.). New York Easy Jet. (2013). easyJet plc Annual report and accounts. Easy Jet plc Source document

Current Situation Essay Example for Free

Current Situation Essay Tien Tzuo was the chief strategy officer at Salesforce.com and K.V. Rao was head of strategic marketing and business development at WebEx. Both Tien Tzuo and K.V. Rao worked on building their respective billing solutions that was a big barrier to many SaaS companies. Once realized that this is a huge unaddressed problem for SaaS companies, they saw this an opportunity to exploit this new e-commerce niche in the SaaS Industry, thus creating Zuora. Cheng Zhou, the head of Bliss joined them and they were able to obtain . 5 million start-up investment from Benchmark, a venture capital company, and Benioff, Tien Tzuo’s former boss, the founder of Salesforce.com Analysis of Zuora Inc as a business Tien Tzuo and K.V. Rao founded Zuora to address the need for billing efficiency. They are aware that there’s an increase in products being offered as a subscription service (i.e. Netflix offering a monthly subscription for a library of shows and movies, Zipcar offering a pay as-you-go utility that eliminates the need to buy cars etc). Their vision is to provide an e-commerce platform that provides a low-cost, state-of-the-art and highly efficient billing systems. Before the launch of their billing module, they tested their program to 5 alpha customers. Their feedback caused Zuora to create a payment module that handles payments, and signed a partnership contract with PayPal. With their launch in October 2008, their Z-billing product sold to over 70 customers. In January 2010, Zuora released another product, Z-commerce, a billing platform aimed towards cloud developers What is wrong? Zuora currently faces the following threats: †¢The rise of Cloud Computing †¢Offline Subscription of Zuora’s current services offered by their competitors such as ATT or Zipcar †¢Given the constant change in the market dynamics of the technology industry, Zuora must be able to ‘quick think’ of opportunities in order to strengthen its current position as a major player in the SaaS Industry What is the impact? †¢The rise of Cloud Computing oZuora shouldn’t be thinking of Cloud Computing as a threat just because the IT industry had not yet clearly defined what role cloud computing will play. oCloud Computing is very advantageous to Zuora because all cloud services needed a billing and payment solutions and Zuora, with its state-of-the-art, highly efficient and low-cost billing platform, can differentiate itself with the rest in the Saas Industry by combining its platform with cloud computing †¢Offline Subscription offered by ATT or Zipcar oWith the offline subscription offered by ATT or Zipcar, they still present a disadvantage because pricing for services was more complicated than pricing for products especially when time dimension was introduced. Thus, with offline subscription of billing and payment, introducing a new pricing for subscription systems could take as long as 6 to 12 months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars †¢The constant change in the market dynamics of technology industry

Using a Code of Ethics to Inform Decision Making

Using a Code of Ethics to Inform Decision Making Considering a Social Dilemma in Practice: Using a Code of Ethics to Inform Decision Making Contents (Jump to) 1. Introduction 2. Analysis 3. Reducing Defection 4. Conclusion 5. References Abstract Social dilemmas have the potential to define an entire population, leading to the need to assess and understand the implications associated with trends. In general, there are several different types of social dilemma, which has different impacts on the society. In other words, each of them involves different kinds of cooperation for instance drugs, crime, one-time investment, prolonged investment, natural disasters etc.) This study or essay uses the social trap of carbon fuel pollution to illustrate the manner and means of defection and cooperation that are possible in order to create progress. At the end of this research study, it will be of a great significant to any person researching social science and the need to build on a fundamental level. 1. Introduction Found in every society, culture and region, the common definition for a social dilemmais held to be an instance where there is the potential for individual gain at the cost of the larger group (Baqlliet et al., 2013). In another definition according to Komorita and Parks 1995 is that social dilemma refers to a situation whereby there is a conflicts between individuals and collective interest. In a very real sense, this environment is created in order for an individual to profit from selfishness; however, if everyone chooses this alternative, the entire group stands to lose, indicating a win or nothing social condition. According to McCarter et al. (2011) who argue that issues begin to arise as too many of the target population choose the negative option preferring the sense of immediate satisfaction over the group’s long-term interests. This outlines a sense of non-committal on the part of the population, speaking to the tendency to put off social experiences and dilemmas that often take various forms across a wide variety for fields and disciplines. With illustrations of social issues including climate change, environmental hazards, high crime rate, drugs, hate crimes and air pollution as well as human overpopulation, there is a fundamental platform that must be achieved in order to effectively identify and correct errant or negative trends. This research study addresses the question of the social dilemma of fossil fuel consumption. By definition, a fossil fuel is simply a hydro carbon deposit that is obtained from remains of accumulated plants. For example natural gas, petrol and coal. Argued to be a commonly experienced social trap found in the use of carbon fuels in the environment day-to-day social operations (Chen et al., 2012). A social trap is created when there is a drive to experience and create immediate rewards as opposed to waiting to offset the potential negative, leaving much of the defining nature of the experience to the individual. Carbon pollution and the burning of fossil fuels creates the social dilemma by creating and fundamentally building a infrastructure around behavior patterns that have produced significant rewards around the societies in the short term, or current and past generations, but clearly hold a diminishing return when considered in context with the future and larger environmental picture (Khachatryan et al, 2013). The elements of a condition that create social traps are identified as reinforces that tend to build a stronger pattern of behavior in small cases yet, serves to punish larger instances. In this case defection is defined as the unbridled consumption of fossil fuels, with the cooperative social position being defined as an ongoing effort to reduce that very same use of carbon fuel. In a short term capacity, carbon fuels and combustion engines have transformed technology and the way of life for an entire civilization, yet, the use of the technology without restraint has enabled negativeconsequences to arise. However, the society are more concerned in the short time benefit and profit of carbon fuels which serves to encourage the use of the carbon fuels, yet the long term price in terms of negative environment impact, global warming, air quality deterioration, acid rain and loss of wildlife and natural resources becomes consequential. Research studies prove that social dilemma utilizes experimental designs (Sonderskov 2011). These researches, also suggests a positive and direct inter relationship between trust and cooperation. In other words, protecting the environments is a good measure of reducing social dilemma. There are important considerations that should not be ignored in dealing with environmental issues. Such as strength of ties that are found in cultural groups. Similarly, researchers from across the globe have devoted considerable effort to understanding how to generate cooperative behaviour amongst individuals of different cultures. 2. Analysis Social issues cross boundaries to impact every science and branch of study (Sagiv et al., 2011). With this recognition, there are wide ranges of theories that have the potential to apply to this social trap/dilemma of employing carbon fuels in day to day activities. Leading among many researchers is the economic game theory, or expected utility theory (McCarter et al., 2011). This approach argues that any person is a rational actor that is solely motivated to make the most of their personal positions, or utility in terms of a person’s economic self-interest. In this instance, the short term gains of employing polluting technology are seemingly insignificant in the face of day to day travel needs (Balleiet et al., 2013). With a willful form of defection, there is the sense of putting off the payment for future generations, leaving many of the population that seeks a cooperative solution with little recourse. According to the Game theory (structural solutions), there is much more likely for socially non-cooperative outcome, simply due to the ease of use and social acceptance, despite the documented negative instances related to the collection and consumption of these resources. Furthermore, many social dilemmas evoke and triggers conflict amongst moral values, making the correct choice less clear to decipher (Banks, 2006).Banks has implied how decision making about another’s welfare can frequently involve issues which are both personal and painful, thus judgements will need to be made which are ethical and promote human welfare (Banks, 2012). In knowledge of this, it is crucialto have proper justification for actions and in-actions.A second relevant theory of Utilitarianism has been developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832): ‘Utilitarianism incorporates how actions have consequences, which should balance advantages and disadvantages, relatively within a certain course of action,’ (Parrott 2010, p. 54). When putting this principal into action it is acceptable for one person to suffer, if this translates to a greater number of people being happy. Two existing principles pertain to the theory of utilitarianism, and these arejustice and utility. Understanding the principle of justice can be captured in respect for equality and fairness, everyone’s happiness should be considered with the same weight. Utility as a principal infers the greatest good for everyone. However, both of these principlescan clash if the minority of people are unhappy. Beauchamp and Childress (2001) have outlined the principal ofjustice: which accounts for distribution of fair benefits, risks and costs; this encapsulates the notion that similar cases should be treated similarly.In a clinical role it is regarded as being within the job role to effectively ‘assess the whole situation, while workingfor outcomes while considering everyone’s best interests’ (Banks2012). Yet, each individual in the society has the option to disagree, and therefore defect from the effort, weakening the end results. An alternative complimentary approach is Virtue ethics and the theory of this principal investigates individual character. A persons ‘virtue ethics’ are thought to be guided and developed through their personal beliefs, and this process is said to determine overall character. As an approach Virtue ethics are carried out ‘according to which the basic judgments in ethics are judgments about character’ (Statman, 1997, p. 7).This argument indicates that a person could be co-operative by appealing to their better nature, rather than depending on the satisfaction of their immediate desires. It is recognised that issues of an ethical nature will often be embedded in personal responsibility or relationships. Linking the fight for a long term, environmentally balanced and healthy society with the need to provide a better future for the next generations, there is evidence that substantial progress can be made for the co-operative efforts (McCarter et al., 2011). The c ooperative effort will go a long way to create development and employment for the future generation. However, people will begin to see the advantage of being cooperative within the society. People with selfish interest will have a rethink of there actions. A further area of social science that applies to this case is referred to as Radical often recognized as ‘critical’ or ‘activist’ work (McCarter et al., 2011). Within this radical position the viewpoint taken is of a transformational approach, where concerns are placed on the transformation of society as this will benefit those who are most oppressed, or those suffering in adverse environmental conditions, in comparison to focusing on the individual profit, or day to day consumers (Hill, 2010). In addition, McIntyre (1982) as cited in Payne (2004) determined radical approaches and criticisms being that; traditionally, social work can lower complex social problems and turn them into individual psychological ones, while potentially cutting off service users from contact toothers who have similar problems.Yet, in in the case of pollution and using offered technology seems to translate to creating isolation between workers and those who need the service. Recent studies concerning environmental protection, results to timely and positive outcomes. They however ignore various factors or elements that influence the trust cooperation relationship that was ealier mentioned such as the strength of cultural ties that defines various cultural groups. 3. Reducing Defection Among the many possible solutions to decreasing defections and increasing possible cooperation is the option of motivational solutions (Khachatryan et al., 2013). Providing opportunities for mutual gain, both in the short and long term, creates an incentive for long term, effective cooperation and progress. There components of a must be assessed in order to create a reduced or improved environment (McCarter et al., 2011): Individualism or the presence of the tendency for a person to act selfishly Competition or the capacity to measure outcomes relative to others The opportunity for cooperation In this case is seems possible to incorporate all three elements into an effective anti-defection strategy. Emphasizing the positive aspects of using alternative fuels has the potential to inspire the individual to work outside the acceptable social net by not using fossil fuels. Furthermore, the creation of a competitive form of reporting would serve to build a measureable means for people to assess or examine their own efforts, as well as that of others. The first two are pro-self-approaches while the third is considered a prosocial orientation (Chen et al., 2012). Prosocial and pro-self-persons react differently when faced with a similar situation, making the need to find a solution that can bridge the gap between them critical. Prosocial views often concern themselves with the moral implications, thereby seek out cooperation. This can be seen in this context as the drive to harvest less from a common resource, thereby reducing overall dependency and negative consequences. Strategic solutions also have the potential to increase cooperation and reduce defections in the social dilemma of carbon fuel pollution (Ballet et al., 2013). This is an approach that uses interactions to create an environment of cooperation as the society uses a Tit for tat strategy. This approach seems to be present in the current discourse about carbon pollution with many consumers making a cooperative move, while at the same moment mirroring decisions of the partner. TFT applies to this dilemma in that it is a real-world strategy that has a proven record of success, thereby inciting many consumers to take part in the effort. These forms of structural changes alter the game by modifying the social dilemma or removing the issue completely. In this case a reduction in consumption has the potential to move on completely from the carbon fuel based system. Furthermore, research on conservation repeatedly illustrates that incentives are effective in decreasing consumption of resources as well as the adoption of renewable resources (Chen et al., 2012). Many case studies illustrate that cooperation is based on various factors, including the ability to monitor the situation in order to punish defectors leading to an external structure that opts to cooperate and self-organise with the inherent ability to communicate and share in order to effectively resolve social dilemmas. Cooperation and trust. According to Yamagishi and Cook 1993, trust can enhance or promote cooperation among individuals based on these, high trusters reciprocate others anticipated cooperation. (Granovetter 1992, De Cremer and Stouten 2003). These theories help to pass the message of cooperation among individuals thereby causing them to understand the dangers of social dilemma and how to avoid or reduce its effects in the society. Further research work has proved that trust levels are to be lower in a collective environment compared with that of individual cultures. According to Yamagishi theories, interregional trust difference applies in the US. Scholars suggest that comparing with the non-south, southern states are mostly characterized by a collectivist social relations (Reed 1974, 1983: Cohen et al. 1999). Various family ties are mostly paramount and a high lebel of poverty, strong regional identification and fundamentalist ethnic believes further unites ties to families. 4. Conclusion In conclusion, when evaluating the strengths the social dilemma of using carbon fuels, the need of the day to day consumer must be considered in the light of long term cost. Using a cooperative approach that serves to provide incentives and alternatives to possible defectors serves to enhance the underlying effort and add impact to the arguments that desire cooperation. Overall, it is certain that the core of the burden translates to effective planning while accounting for the present situation. With many possible solutions, this study has illustrated that following a radical approach could lead to empowerment of the service user, enable individuals to overcome social stigma attached to the pollution issue as educate them with skills needed to be independent in future. Creating a platform to educate and enlighten them will enhance their knowledge, skills and give them the idea of how to avoid or manage the effects of social dilemma in their society. In the end, in order to encourage cooperation there needs to be a viable alternative to be put in place that makes sense to individuals or the society at large on a day to day basis as well as being affordable to the common person. An inadequate well comprehensive strategy will only encourage those that resist change to depend on the technology of the past in order to face the challenges of the future. In addition, other solutions to this social dilemma require a full cooperation of the individuals to forgo their individual gain which will also be good for the benefit of the group. Other ways to deal with a social dilemma includes: environmental protection, media publicity such as TV and audio broadcasting, surveys and voting. Finally, there are several different methods of social dilemma, each involving different kinds of cooperation and approach e.g. one-time investment, prolonged investment and payoffs one-time benefit or loss, sustaining of a common resource pool. 5. References Balliet, D., Ferris, D. (2013). Ostracism and Prosocial behavior: A social dilemma perspective. Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes,120(2), 298-308. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2012.04.004 Banks, S. Gallagher, A. (2009). Ethics in professional life: virtues for health and social care. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Banks, S. (2012). Ethics and Values in Social Work. (fourth edition). Basingstoke New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Beauchamp, T. L., Childress, J. F. (2001).Principles of biomedical ethics. Oxford university press. Beckett, C. (2007). The reality principle: Realism as an ethical obligation. Ethics and Social Welfare, 1(3), 269-281. Beckett, C. (2012). Values and ethics in social work. Sage. Chen, X., Szolnoki, A., Perc, M. (2012). Risk-driven migration and the collective-risk social dilemma. Physical Review E,86(3). doi:10.1103/physreve.86.036101 Clifford, D., Burke, B. (2008).Anti-oppressive ethics and values in social work. Palgrave Macmillan. Darwall, S. (1995). The British Moralists and the InternalOught: 1640-1740. Cambridge University Press. Dolgoff, R., Loewenberg, F. M., Harrington, D. (2009). Ethical issues for social work practice. Derlega, V., Grzelak, J. (1982).Cooperation and helping behavior. New York: Academic Press. Hill, L. (2010). Radical indecision: Barthes, Blanchot, Derrida, and the future of criticism. Johnson, R. (2008). Kants moral philosophy. Khachatryan, H., Joireman, J., Casavant, K. (2013). Relating values and consideration of future and immediate consequences to consumer preference for biofuels: A three-dimensional social dilemma analysis.Journal Of Environmental Psychology,34, 97-108. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.01.001 McCarter, M., Mahoney, J., Northcraft, G. (2011). TESTING THE WATERS: USING COLLECTIVE REAL OPTIONS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL DILEMMA OF STRATEGIC ALLIANCES.Academy Of Management Review,36(4), 621-640. doi:10.5465/amr.2011.65554629 Parrott, L. (2010). Values and ethics in social work practice. SAGE. Payne, G., Payne, J. (2004).Key concepts in social research. Sage. Saleebey, D. (1996). The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social work, 41(3), 296-305. Statman, D. (1997). Virtue ethics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Sagiv, L., Sverdlik, N., Schwarz, N. (2011). To compete or to cooperate? Values impact on perception and action in social dilemma games.Eur. J. Soc. Psychol.,41(1), 64-77. doi:10.1002/ejsp.729 Thompson, N. (2007). Power and empowerment.Russell House Pub. Wilson, K. (2008). Social work: An introduction to contemporary practice. Pearson Education. Wilson, K., Ruch, G., Lymbery, M., Cooper, A. (2008).Social work. Essex: Pearson. 1

Love in Their Eyes Were Watching God :: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays

Love in Their Eyes Were Watching God Love plays a very important role in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes were watching God. Janie spent her days looking for love. She thought of love just as she thought of the elements of springtime: Sunny days, bright skies, a bee pollinating pear tree blossoms. She searched far and wide for this kind of perfect love. Logan Killicks couldn't give this kind of love to Janie. He may not have loved her at all. To him, Janie was just another working set of hands. He treated her almost like another man. He was inconsiderate of her feelings, her hopes, her aspirations. He probably didn't know the color of her eyes. Janie was worked hard by Logan. He made her do all sorts of things that only men should have to have done. He was even going to make her plow the fields-a job that requires a considerable amount of strength: strength that Janie didn't have. Janie complained that nothing beautiful was ever said. She had no love with Logan Killicks. That is why she left him for a man that showed much potential to give the kind of love she was looking for. The whistling man that Janie ran away with was Jody Starks. With Jody, Janie thought that she would forever have "flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything." She thought she'd have "a bee for her bloom." She didn't exactly find this in Jody though. In him she definitely found change and chance, but still not the love she was looking for. What Jody had for Janie was more of a lust than a love. He was very protective of her and didn't want anyone else to see in her what he saw. He gave Janie many things including lots of money, but he couldn't give her love. The little love that was there eventually died. So did Jody. Finally, Janie met up with Tea Cake. The moved together to the Muck in the Florida Everglades and lived in Tea Cake's Shanty. They spent each new day together. They laughed together, fished and hunted together, talked together, and spent time with friends together. These were all things that were missing from her previous relationships. They had made her to be somebody that she wasn't. Tea Cake let her be herself. He loved her just the way she was. He encouraged her to be what she wanted to be, to follow her dreams, her thoughts, her aspirations. Janie had finally found her bee. Tea Cake was the perfect bee for her bloom.

The Protestant Reformation Essay examples -- Martin Luther, venality,

During the Late Middle Ages, Christian followers and clergy were becoming increasingly concerned about the corruption of the church. Some had even declared that the dogma was false, however, the church had dealt with similar challenges before. In the 1500’s a new series of attacks on the church’s authority had started to destroy Christianity creating both political and cultural consequences. At the center of the changes happening in Germany was Martin Luther who lived between 1483 and 1546. His life began simply enough. His father was a merchant and his grandfather was a peasant. Luther originally went to university to become a lawyer, when he had, â€Å"the calling† to become a not-so-humble Augustinian monk in 1505. He spent his life studying theology, becoming a cherished professor at the University of Wà ¼rttemberg in Germany. He was concerned to the point of obsession about sin and his search for salvation, and with help from his studies and desire for the truth; he became one of the biggest critics of the Catholic Church. Luther had many issues with the church, but his loathing for venality, the selling of things the church deems as taboo or illegal, and especially that of indulgences was what broke the camel’s back. These indulgences, which the church issued so, someone might be forgiven of their sins, was a considerable source of profits by as early as the 1400’s. Luther was vehemently against the trading of relics associated with Saint. He felt it encouraged superstition and pagan thoughts of magic, bringing them further from the true faith of the Christian beliefs. Luther’s most important criticisms had to do with the Catholic Theology. His argument was this: The Church had gotten away from the fundamentals of the... ...lvinists, which was the catalyst to the Hundred Years War. The Catholic church was losing ground physically and in the hearts of the people. While there were still a great many who remained loyal to Catholicism, there were still people like Calvin, King Henry VIII and Luther who felt the need to call the Catholics out on the problems within their faith, and how it was affecting everyone else. The reforms that had begun through the Lutheran folks, pushed its way through Europe which caused the Catholic church to become nervous. The Catholics fought back vigerously, but to no avail. The Lutherans, Calvins, Puratins and the countless other denominations formed from this big mess that has helped shape the modern world. Works Cited Hickey, M. "The Protestant Reformation." Western Civilization to 1650. Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg. 4 Dec. 2013. Lecture.

Essay --

　　We are living in an imperfect world where evil exists. Everyday when we turn on the radio or start reading the newspaper, we will definitely come across news where someone’s life was taken away or something evil has happened which has caused people to suffer. For example, a natural disaster, a car accident, wars between two countries or someone being robbed. If evil does not exists in this world, tragedies will not happen and people will not need to suffer. 　　In â€Å"God and the Problem of Evil,† B.C. Johnson argues that evil rules out the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good God because there are many evil things that are happening in this world. In this paper, I am going to argue that God is only all-good but not all-powerful and all-knowing. 　　God is all-knowing, God is all-powerful, God is all-good, suffering and evil will not exists in this world. When we read or hear of disasters, deaths and sufferings, we always question why God would allow all these to happen. We always question God why God did not prevent them from happening. We always question why He would allow innocent people to suffer in different ways? Why does evil exists? 　　If God is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good, then evil should not exists in this world. In this case, the problem is if God is all-knowing, he should be wise enough to not let people suffer and if God is all-powerful, he should be able to stop evil. Also, if God is all-good, he should let the world be perfect and let everyone live a peaceful life with harmony. Since evil exists in this world, thus, God is not all-knowing, all-powerful or all-good. 　　The conclusion of the argument is that God may not be all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good because the existence of evil rule... ...any jobs to be lost and as a result an increase in unemployment rate. 　　Thus, God is all-good because he cannot allow the unemployment rate to increase and he does not want to see people jobless. In other words, he is not powerful enough to control the whole situation and make the world perfect. Therefore, evil still rules the world. The arguments stated above prove that God is not all-powerful, all-knowing and all-good. If he is, then the world will be a perfect place without the existence of evil. But we all know accidents, disasters, murders, sufferings and many other evil things do happen, we can conclude that there is no perfect world and God is not all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good. From all of the examples that I mentioned above, it is evident that evil do exists side-by-side God, this means that God is not able to rule evil. Thus, God is only all-good. Essay -- 　　We are living in an imperfect world where evil exists. Everyday when we turn on the radio or start reading the newspaper, we will definitely come across news where someone’s life was taken away or something evil has happened which has caused people to suffer. For example, a natural disaster, a car accident, wars between two countries or someone being robbed. If evil does not exists in this world, tragedies will not happen and people will not need to suffer. 　　In â€Å"God and the Problem of Evil,† B.C. Johnson argues that evil rules out the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good God because there are many evil things that are happening in this world. In this paper, I am going to argue that God is only all-good but not all-powerful and all-knowing. 　　God is all-knowing, God is all-powerful, God is all-good, suffering and evil will not exists in this world. When we read or hear of disasters, deaths and sufferings, we always question why God would allow all these to happen. We always question God why God did not prevent them from happening. We always question why He would allow innocent people to suffer in different ways? Why does evil exists? 　　If God is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good, then evil should not exists in this world. In this case, the problem is if God is all-knowing, he should be wise enough to not let people suffer and if God is all-powerful, he should be able to stop evil. Also, if God is all-good, he should let the world be perfect and let everyone live a peaceful life with harmony. Since evil exists in this world, thus, God is not all-knowing, all-powerful or all-good. 　　The conclusion of the argument is that God may not be all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good because the existence of evil rule... ...any jobs to be lost and as a result an increase in unemployment rate. 　　Thus, God is all-good because he cannot allow the unemployment rate to increase and he does not want to see people jobless. In other words, he is not powerful enough to control the whole situation and make the world perfect. Therefore, evil still rules the world. The arguments stated above prove that God is not all-powerful, all-knowing and all-good. If he is, then the world will be a perfect place without the existence of evil. But we all know accidents, disasters, murders, sufferings and many other evil things do happen, we can conclude that there is no perfect world and God is not all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good. From all of the examples that I mentioned above, it is evident that evil do exists side-by-side God, this means that God is not able to rule evil. Thus, God is only all-good.

Police Work and Stress Essay

Stress is part of every people’s life. No matter what profession one is practicing and whatever lifestyle an individual is accustomed to, stress is always involved. In particular, police officers embrace stress as part of their profession. The moment they decided to become a police officer, bearing with stress has become inevitable. For one, their main goal, to save people who are in danger and to protect them from harm, is stressful. In effect, they become exposed to danger themselves and face this reality as part of a police officer’s job. They are also not allowed to any kind of violation because they are the ones who impose it. When it comes to police work, stress is expected more than the regular or average jobs. It is given than this profession always put police officer’s life at risk. Stress comes from different sources and comes in various forms. There are direct and indirect factors that imply the involvement of stress in the police profession. It affects not only the life of the police officer but also the life of the people inside and outside the organization—their family, the organization, and their own life and personal identity. Occupational stress is derived from what rank a police officer holds in the organization. Police officers deal with every kind of violence and alarming assignments each day of their lives. However, since they pledged an oath to fulfill their duty to the best of their abilities, they are not thinking much about stress and focus on their service instead. There are times when police officers encounter personal troubles which have a negative implication on them. This time, it cannot be accepted as a normal part of their duty because it is already outside the profession. Dealing with family matter makes police officers lose their focus and fails to do their job properly. On the other hand, their family also experience stress because of the kind of job. Being in the said profession also requires police officers to be available at all times. The working schedule also causes them stress because of rotating shifts and unexpected call of duty. Aside from the aforementioned causes, this paper aims to delve into police-related stress, what causes it, what are the effects, and how it affects their obligations in the field of law enforcement. Defining Stress and Stressors Stress is a disorder that affects an individual’s motivation (Crane, 1996). It bring about pressure not only physically but also mentally. There are two types of stress according to Crane (1996) in his book entitled Psychology of Stress. The first stress type is known as distress. This type of stress is relentless which makes one not capable of adaptation (Crane, 1996). Distress can cause mental disorders, depression, and anxiety if not given proper resolution (Crane, 1996). Another type of stress is the eustress. This stress is accumulated through experiences that cause positive reaction. Unlike distress, this type of stress can improve the function of physical and psychological aspects of an individual through training and work (Crane, 1996). Stress occurs when one experiences pressure and demands which are not compatible to his/her ability to either physically or mentally deal with the situation (Leiter & Masslach, 1988). Conflicts, painful events, limitations, struggles, and lack of control are the common causes of stress (Leiter & Masslach, 1988). It affects the overall functioning of the individual, rendering him or her incapable of thinking and acting normally. It can also cause certain disorders including hypertension, ulcer, insomnia, anxiety attack, and many more. Stress deteriorates the individuals’ over-all health depending on how the person copes with it (Violanti, 1996). Hence, stress generally affects lives as it modifies the ability, mental functioning and behavior of individuals in fulfilling their roles, regardless of the kind of profession that they have (Violanti, 1996). Stressors pertain to the primary causes of stress. They could be an immediate superior, a family member, an event, or a profession (Shirom, 1989). Coping up with stress comes in two ways: reduction or avoidance. A person may either face the situation to put an end to the stress (reduction) or make some sort of escape to experience immediate relief (avoidance) (Shirom, 1989). Everyday, many stressors are faced by individuals that make or break them as a person. Absence of stress is impossible because everyday, new challenges and changes are experienced by everyone. The best way to deal with stress is by coping with it. Thus, it is always better to confront the situation rather than avoiding it (Shirom, 1989). Work Stress As individuals become adults and start working, they have to deal with professional accountability. Work is necessary to support every need and want in life. Most of the time spent by professionals is in their workplaces where they encounter work stress in different forms each day. Usually, stressful situations spring from pressures and demands in their job which are beyond their knowledge and capacity, or from fears and anxieties in accomplishing their tasks. Some of the professions which greatly involve stress due to the nature of job include a fireman, a doctor, and a police officer, among others (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). Stress can be positive and negative for the worker depending on the response of the individual him- or herself and the circumstances. A positive kind of stress usually makes the worker more motivated and focused in accomplishing their duties and responsibilities. On the other hand, negative stress may occur when there are unexpected events that can make them lose composure which, in effect, become detrimental to their performance (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). Police Stress Basically, police stress is the kind of stress experienced in the law enforcement community. This is brought about by direct and indirect factors that are incorporated the nature of the job and the organizational structure of the law enforcement community. As police officers are mainly responsible for protecting and serving the society and its people, they are required to be physically, emotionally, and psychologically prepared at all times because they are expected to be always available. In addition, they are expected to keep an active presence of mind and make sensible decisions especially during crucial situations such as criminal encounters and hostage takings. Because of these expectations, police officers experience stress twice of the stress endured by other professionals. The work environment of the law enforcement officers has a great impact on the employees and the employee’s level of work, including their work productivity and their general physical and emotional health (Kurke, 1995). There is a notion that a cyclic relationship persists between work and home life of police officers from which police stress develops (Kurke, 1995). Stressors in the police work not only affect the police officer but their family as well. It is likely that police stress negatively affects their relationship with others and their personal lives. For instance, most police officers experience marital problems because of the effects of the stressful events of their day which they unintentionally bring home with them. This gives rise to their involvement in various problematic domestic issues such as violence, alcoholism, substance abuse, and child neglect (Brief et. al, 1981). When police stress is rampant in the law enforcement community, it affects the performance of the police officers and at the same time, it puts everyone in the society at risk. Police stress is a social issue that should not be taken for granted because it affects these individuals who chose to pursue this highly important profession that constitutes the maintenance of peace of order of the society. Causes of Police Stress Many sources of police stress can be found inside the police organization. The job itself and the people within the law enforcement community cause police stress. The characteristic of the profession is considerably difficult to look at. Being a police officer requires dedication and commitment to put their lives at risk while they are on duty. They are also expected to comply with the given work schedule and special assignments. There are encounters which will cause trauma to police officers. Yet, they only receive poor compensation (Leiter & Maslach, 1988). There are also times when lack communication among administrators, poor supervision and inadequate training cause police officers to feel stressed. Another source of police stress comes from the officers themselves because they often doubt their capacity to perform a given task. There are also issues regarding favoritism and politics within the law enforcement community that discourages a police officer to carry out a given assignment (Leiter & Maslach, 1988). The following sections present the most common organizational stressors in the work of a police officer, along with other direct and indirect factors that cause police stress. Direct Factors Job Characteristics The profession itself causes stress to police officers. Fear and danger make police officers suffer from stress. They always need to set aside their doubts, gather their courage in every dangerous situation that they get into. Physical danger is always at hand because they should be ready to battle against unexpected criminals (Kurke, 1995). Adequacy and Control Perception of adequacy and control also causes police stress. The ability of a police officer to work on a job is based on his/her perception the skills that he/she possesses, and whether his/her skills are adequate to complete all the assigned task given to him/her, and. Hence, to meet the demands of the job, law enforcement officers should be well-driven. They should also have the necessary composure and confidence. When police officers doubt their capacity to serve, it definitely instigates stress (Axelbend & Vaile, 1979) Control is defined as the ability of police officers to govern on special assignments. This is because as police officers, they are expected to control every situation that they get into. When a police officer lacks the necessary control to carry out an assigned task because he/she is hindered or manipulated by others, it brings out stress and at the same time leaves the case unsolved (Tenerowicz, 1993) Role Ambiguity Role ambiguity also results in stress among police officers. This usually happens when they lack the necessary knowledge in fulfilling their roles and at the same time control the conditions of the work outcomes (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). When this occurs, police officers feel stressed as they are not yet prepared for the job. Role ambiguity is caused by a weak organizational structure and it hinders the police officer from performing his/her task. Most cases of role ambiguity is experienced by those who are in the administrative position because their functions are not clear to them. At the same time, they are not aware of up to what extent is their jurisdiction on their job (Shore, & Shore, 1995). This becomes a source of stress because it makes police officers doubtful of their capacity to serve. They tend to question themselves if they are able to perform well because they themselves are not aware of the position given to them. They are afraid of not being respected by their subordinates which gives them a feeling of insecurity. Work Schedule Police officers are expected to work based on a shifting schedule, rotating shifts, irregular days off, holiday work, unexpected overtime and involuntary overtime (Kurke, 1995). This kind of schedule apparently affects their work performance because they are not getting enough sleep and energy. It also causes their moods to change and develop negative feelings. In the end, police officers experience stress and end up with poor performance (Kurke, 1995). Special Assignments There are special tasks given to police officers which in turn are greatly prized (Kurke, 1995). However, certain assignments require more focus and demand greater pressure from the police officer. There are special assignments which are needed to be completed at a given time frame. As a result, police officers become stressed because they are expected to finish the said task as soon as possible. It also involves longer hours of training and longer working hours that separate them from their families. Because of depression and frustration when an assigned task is not completed accordingly, stress is developed (Kurke, 1995, p. 191). Role Conflict According to Kurk (1995), â€Å"many officers report difficulties related to the many demands inherent in law enforcement† (p. 191). Role conflict usually happens when police officers need to execute two roles with different conflicting demands or values. One example of this is when a police officer catches delinquent teens in the community only to discover that one of those caught is his/her son. This puts the police officer in a conflicting situation because he/she is faced with the demand of arresting the suspect but at the same time he/she needs to protect his/her son (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). Family of Police Officers Another cause of stress for police officers comes from their families. They always harbor feelings of fear and danger when they are out of their homes for duty. It develops stress to police officers because they are thinking of their families while they are on duty. This will make them lose focus and may end up not completing the assigned task. There are also instances when family occasions are set aside because of special assignments. This makes police officers more stressed because they develop sadness of not being able to participate in an important family occasion. When a family member gets sick, it is also hard for the police officers to concentrate on their jobs because they are preoccupied with family problems.

Ethical Challenges in the Era If Health Care Reform

Ethics, Law, and Policy Vicki D. Lachman Ethical Challenges in the Era Of Health Care Reform n truth, the United States is at the beginning of a long overdue and a much needed health care reform. We have seen the dismal statistics about our high cost health care system and some of the less than stellar outcomes (e. g. , infant mortality) (Callahan, 2011; World Health Organization [WHO], 2011)). The purpose of this article is not to complain about the current health care system, but instead to focus on existing reform efforts — The Patient Protection and he Affordable Care Act (ACA), the ethical justifications for its creation, and ethical challenges it brings. I Key Features of the Law ACA offers new ways for consumers and providers to hold insurance companies accountable. The most important parts of the law are features described in the following discussion. Because of space limitation, I will highlight some elements of the law that are enacted through 2014 and clearly impact nursing. These selected features include insurance choices, insurance costs, rights and protection, and people age 65 and older. Insurance ChoicesThe intention of the law is to expand health care coverage to most U. S. citizens and permanent residents by requiring most people to have or purchase health insurance (HealthCare. gov, 2012a). Citizens will have a choice of private insurance, employer-paid insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, or state-based insurance exchanges. Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Individuals and small businesses can purchase coverage through these exchanges, with premium and cost-sharing credits available to individuals and families with income between 133%-400% of the federal poverty guideline (in 2011, the overty guideline was $18,530 for a family of three) (Werhane & Tieman, 2011). Businesses with 50 or more employees need to make coverage available, and businesses with less than 25 employees will qualify for tax credits to offset their cost (Kaiser Family Foun dation, 2011). Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP). The ACA produces a new kind of non-profit health insurer, called a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP). CO-OPs are meant to offer consumer-friendly, affordable health insurance options to individuals and small businesses. By January 1, 2014, individuals will be able to buy a CO-OPVicki D. Lachman, PhD, APRN, MBE, FAAN, is Clinical Professor, and Director, Innovation and Intra/Entrepreneurship in Advanced Practice Nursing, Drexel University, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Philadelphia, PA. 248 health plan through the Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Pre-existing condition insurance plan. All covered benefits are available to individuals, even to treat a pre-existing condition. This program offers temporary protection for people with pre-existing conditions until 2014, when insurance companies can no longer deny individuals coverage based on their health status.Young adult coverage. Individuals can add or k eep their children on their health insurance policy until they reach age 26. The law makes it easier and more affordable for young adults to get health insurance coverage. Insurance Costs ACA holds insurance companies accountable. It also helps individuals keep their costs down. Value for individual’s premium dollar. ACA requires insurers selling policies to individuals or small groups to spend at least 80% of premiums on direct medical care and efforts to improve the quality of care. Unfortunately, this does not apply to self-insured plans.Lifetime and annual limits. ACA restricts and phases out the annual dollar limits a health plan can place on most of its benefits. Furthermore, ACA eliminates these limits completely in 2014. Rate review. Insurance companies must now justify proposed rate increases for health insurance. Insurance companies cannot raise rates by 10% or more without first explaining the reasons to the state or federal rate review program. Rights and Protecti ons The ACA puts consumers in charge of their health care, not insurance companies. The following rights and consumer protections are available. Preventive care.Individuals may not have to pay a copayment, co-insurance, or deductible to receive recommended preventive health services, such as screenings (e. g. , mammograms and colonoscopies), vaccinations (e. g. measles, polio, or meningitis), and counseling (e. g. , smoking cessation, weight loss, healthy eating). Doctor choice and ER access. Individuals can choose any available participating primary care provider and they can access out-of-network emergency rooms without prior approval. ACA prohibits health plans from requiring a referral from a primary care provider before women can seek coverage for obstetrical or ynecological (OBGYN) care. People 65 and older. ACA offers eligible elders a range of preventive services with no cost-sharing. ACA also provides discounts on drugs when older adults are in the coverage gap known as the â€Å"donut hole. † July-August 2012 †¢ Vol. 21/No. 4 Ethical Challenges in the Era of Health Care Reform TABLE 1. Views of Liberal Egalitarians vs. Libertarians and Free-Market Advocates Liberal Egalitarians Libertarians and Free-Market Advocates Health care is a fundamental good and access to this good Role of government is confined to protecting the freedom of all allows us to become full members of society. ersons to choose their own goals and means to pursue them. This right to health care must be exercised by removing all People have a right to non-interference. barriers to access. Justice, equality, and community are values. Freedom and personal responsibility are values. Health care is a right. Health care is a commodity. Single-payer system is the solution. Decentralized market mechanisms with personal payment are the solution. Preventive services. The list is significant and begins with an annual wellness visit. Other important preventive services include bone mass measurement; cervical cancer creening, including Pap smear tests and pelvic exams; colorectal, prostate, and diabetes screening; influenza, pneumonia, and hepatitis B immunizations; and many other services. There are other services and features in the ACA that could be discussed, but we will now move to discuss the ethical justifications for the ACA. The controversy it has created in the eyes of individuals with a free-market or libertarian view will be compared to those with a liberalegalitarian outlook. Ethical Justifications for the ACA Since 1986, the Emergency Treatment and Labor Act has prohibited hospitals from refusing acute care to any ndividual who could not afford to pay (CMS. gov, 2012). â€Å"Consequently, $100 billion of care annually is ‘costshifted’ onto patients who can pay, almost all whom are insured. This shift raises the average annual health insurance premium roughly $1,000 for every insured family† (Crowley, 2009, p. 10). This lack of distributive justice for the insured is one reason why insurance is being mandated in ACA. It is equally unfair to mandate that all citizens have insurance if insurance is not affordable, as this could cause significant harm to individuals and families already struggling financially.Therefore, the ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence are supported by the features of Affordable Insurance Exchanges and the development of Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans. Ethical reasoning for health care reform has relied primarily on distributive justice as justification for change, specifically due to lack of access to care for the underinsured and uninsured (Lachman, 2009). According to the U. S. Census Bureau, 46. 3 million people in the United States were uninsured in 2008 (ProCon. org, 2012). The United States is the only developed nation in the world hat does not guarantee health coverage. Table 1 offers a comparison of views of persons who support distributive justice, see health care as a right, and therefore want a single-payer system with those individuals who want to continue the free-market system. â€Å"To single-payer advocates, the primary goal of health policy is ensuring that everyone can obtain some minimal level July-August 2012 †¢ Vol. 21/No. 4 of health care† (Sade, 2007, p. 1429). Making access to health care widely available permits individuals to be fully functioning members of society and the moral ommunity (a group of people drawn together by a common interest in living according to a particular moral philosophy). On the other hand, Americans who are libertarians and free-market advocates mostly look beyond the natural (genetic) and social (upbringing) lottery that places some at a disadvantage and instead look to the individual’s free will and personal responsibility for actions (Callahan, 2011; Pariser, 2012; Trotter, 2011). They believe health care is one of the many options from which to choose to improve the ir lot in life. Their belief in personal responsibility can make them unsympathetic o people with unhealthy lifestyles for whom they would ultimately have to spend their insurance dollars. They also resent having to fund treatments they personally would not choose (e. g. , transplants, mechanical ventilation for person in persistent vegetative state). Though many wealthy individuals support health care reform out of benevolence, they do fear the loss of freedom which is central to their value system. However, two additional factors drive change for health care reform — significant cost and quality problems. In 2007, health care expenditures totaled $2. 2 trillion, 16. 2% of the U.S. economy. Health care employs more than 14 million people and is the largest industry in the United States. Of the 193 WHO member states, the United States is ranked first in per capita health care expenditures ($6,719) (ProCon. org, 2012). The present health care system is not giving the utility f or the dollars spent. This cost problem is a reason that ACA has a focus on physicians counseling individuals on end-of-life options. It found that about 30 percent of Medicare dollars are spent during the last year of life, and half of that is spent during the last 60 days. In 2009 dollars, Dr.Gordon calculated, that amounts to $70 billion a year, much of it spent on futile care that prolongs suffering (Brody, 2009, para 20). Unfortunately, politics initially got in the way in 2009 with the â€Å"death panel† jargon and this counseling was dropped from ACA; however, this end-of-life options counseling was incorporated into 2011 Medicare reimbursement for health care providers (HealthCare. gov, 2012b). 249 Ethics, Law, and Policy WHO (2011) statistics also indicate the money spent is not putting us at the top of the list in quality outcomes. The infant mortality rate for the United States in 2009 was even deaths per 1,000 live births, ranking the United States 43rd among WHO nations. Rates for Sweden, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Iceland are all half of the United States rate. Quality is a focus of ACA in the preventive realm and with quality measurement. Two essential principles of the ACA are that: 1. Provider reimbursement for health services is based, in part, on the relative quality and patient experience of the care provided. 2. Information about that comparative quality and patient experience will be publicly accessible. Quality and patient satisfaction will be rewarded by ata from hospital comparison required by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems for Medicare patients. â€Å"The implications of Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) regulations for hospitals are clear — FY2013 implementation at 1% of base DRG payments, rising to 2% by FY2017† (Acton, 2012, para 2). Hospitals will have to earn it back by achieving and maintaining high quality and positive patient experiences. T his consequential focus in the patient care experience supports the autonomous choice of the patient for hospitals and physicians. Ethical Challenges of ACA Legal ChallengeBefore discussing three key ethical challenges health care providers will face, the legal challenge before the Supreme Court needs to be addressed. This challenge determined if the ACA requirement to purchase health insurance violates Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the U. S. Constitution: Congress shall have the Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and the general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States†¦ (Werhane & Tieman, 2011, p. 83)The argument against this mandate is that the government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. However, every working person is required to pay into Social Security and Medicare. The counter argument is that these are government-mandated and governmentrun programs. This argument ultimately could support a Supreme Court decision of only a government-run singlepayer system, an action libertarians and free-market advocates oppose. Second, there are requirements for car insurance for drivers, and flood insurance for persons ho live within authorized distance from a possible flood plain. Because all people will need health care at some point in their lives, the argument could be made that insurance should be a requirement so as not to burden the moral community with the costs of those who do pay for insurance (Hamel & Nairn, 2011). 250 On June 28, 2012, the U. S. Supreme Court endorsed most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the contentious individual mandate that requires most Americans to obtain health insurance. In a 5-4 decision, the court said the federal government has he power to fine Americans who do not ac quire insurance because it is considered a tax (Jaslow, 2012). Electronic Medical Records The requirement for electronic records could generate a significant ethical challenge for privacy and confidentiality. Unfortunately, the $20 billion for health information technology from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) did little to change the current HIPPA privacy paradigm (Crowley, 2009). Furthermore, it is likely patients will carry their personal health records in their own electronic devices or retrieve them through the Internet.A transformation in rural health care is likely through telehealth and telehomecare. These innovations will bring expertise to patients to facilitate the best choice in their treatment decisions. The challenge will be to assure informed consent and confidentiality in this expanded digital age. Chronic Disease Management Individuals with chronic illness benefit significantly from palliative care services, not just at end-of-life care but througho ut the disease progression. The ACA focus on chronic disease management is best exemplified by this phrase: â€Å"An integrated care approach to managing illness hich includes screenings, check-ups, monitoring and coordinating treatment, and patient education† (HealthCare. gov, 2012b, para 1). Feministic ethics, with its focus on managing the particulars of any person’s situation, celebrates this personalized service to individuals who must manage illnesses often for many years. In her book, Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education, Nell Noddings (2003) argued that a morality based on rules is inadequate. She contended this approach loses the richness of the moral dilemmas people face, and nly situational and contextual knowledge of the individual can help resolve the moral quandaries of life. Shaping Health Care Policy According to the Code of Ethics for Nurses, provision 9 (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2001), nurses have an obligation to  "work individually as citizens or collectively through political action to bring about social change† (p. 25). This responsibility to shape social (health care) policy calls for nurses to voice concerns about the meaning of the rejection of the individual mandate for society. The libertarians and free-market advocates reinforce a caricature of American individualism and weaken a sense of responsibility for oneself and fellow citizens†¦It neglects one side of the equation, forgetting that we are not only individuals with the freedom to choose, but also members of society called to uphold a common good. (Hamel & Nairn, 2011, p. 94) continued on page 245 July-August 2012 †¢ Vol. 21/No. 4 Ethics, Law, and Policy REFERENCES continued from page 250 Therefore, nurses and nursing associations have the ethical challenge to stand firm for patients and ensure the long-term sustainability of our health care system.Nurses need to advocate for the people without a voice — t hose discriminated against because of health status and lack of insurance. Conclusion ACA has provided a forum for debate about not only health care insurance, mechanisms to maintain financial stability of its systems, and strategies to ensure access to millions of people, but also has contributed to defining American society’s values. It is easy to argue against the individual mandate impingement on choice and freedom. 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