Euthanasia - Immoral Or Human Right Essays - Euthanasia

Euthanasia - Immoral or Human Right? Recent debates over active euthanasia, "killing" a terminally ill patient, in Holland, has risen the question whether euthanasia is immoral or a simple human right. Doctors seem to have no doubt. They made an oath. The definition of Euthanasia depends on whether it is active or passive. Active Euthanasia i only allowed in Holland, and it means that the doctor takes direct measures to put a patient to sleep, whereas passive Euthanasia only involves stopping pill consumption, or stopping treatment. In England, only passive Euthanasia is allowed. Euthanasia touches some of the deepest feelings in human beings. It is the power over life and death, and responsibilities no one wishes to take, have to be taken. This, of cause, leads to the ultimatum, that it is the patients own choice. But can we allow some one to take their own lives? Doesn't this mean that everyone else around the patient have failed, that more could have been done? From the patients point of view, a lot of arguments talk in favor of euthanasia. For one, no body wants to be a burden. If a person has had a car accident which paralyses him from neck and down, and is doomed to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he knows that he will be 100% dependant on the ones that care for him, his lived ones, forever. It can also be mentioned that the life quality of a terminally ill patient, gets reduced a lot. Never being able to walk again, never being able to talk to your children again, never being able to go shopping, swimming, playing, driving etc. must be terrible for anyone. The whole situation only gets worse, if the patient himself, can see that his condition is worsening, and only time keeps his thoughts clear. A third very important point, is pain. If people see a deer, which had been hit by a car, and is in terrible pain, they will kill it, out of pitty. Why shouldn't the same be allowed with humans, if pain reaches a level, where it is unbearable? For these people, who do not have the choice of active euthanasia, self-starvation is the only choice. The doctors view on euthanasia, seems to be overall different. First of all, they have taken their wove, always to assist patients in prolonging their lives, and Euthanasia completely contradicts this. Their approach is "Where there is life, there is hope", so even a person, who has 20 tubes stuck in them, feeding them, breathing for them, there is still life, and who knows? Maybe the future will bring the cure? Euthanasia does mean "Good death", but there can still be no conclusion to a question, whether Euthanasia should be accepted or not. Psychologists, philosophers, doctors and everybody else, will consider this question for all time. My opinion is, that anyone who is terminally ill, should have the choice, but to all rules there are exceptions, and to something as serious as this, there shouldn't be.

Bail Out vs. Bale Out

Bail Out vs. Bale Out Bail Out vs. Bale Out Bail Out vs. Bale Out By Maeve Maddox Reading A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton, (St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York, 2003), I was distracted by the author’s frequent references to the necessity of a pilot’s having to â€Å"bale out† of his aircraft. How odd, I thought, that such a spelling error would slip by in a book of this quality. Surely the expression should be spelled â€Å"bail out.† According to a UK source (The Phrase Finder), the choice between â€Å"bail out† and â€Å"bale out† depends upon one’s way of viewing the act of leaving the aircraft. The person who says, â€Å"bale out† is thinking of the parachuted person as a bundle being pushed out, like a bale of hay, whereas the person who says â€Å"bail out† is thinking of the act of pouring water from a boat. This explanation might make sense if all English speakers agreed as to the spelling of the water idiom as â€Å"bail out.† Apparently some British speakers prefer to â€Å"bale out† boats. Nearly 90 years ago, H. W. Fowler (Modern English Usage, 1st edition, 1926) took a stand for bail: bail is right, bale wrong, in the sense throw water out; the derivation is from French baille, bucket. Fowler made no pronouncement on how to spell the word for jumping out of an airplane, most probably because he hadn’t heard of it yet. The earliest OED citation of bail in that sense is an American source dated 1925. The first citation for â€Å"bale out† is dated 1939. Fowler’s successor Sir Ernest Gowers (Modern English Usage, 2nd edition, 1965) dismissed the relevance of etymology in favor of â€Å"differentiation†: bail out, bale out. The OED says that [the spelling bail] should be used for emptying a boat of water; bale is ‘erroneous’ because the derivation is from French baille, bucket. But, perhaps owing to an instinct for differentiation, popular usage prefers bale both for this and for making a parachute descent from an aircraft in an emergency. The OED now has an entry for bale in the sense of â€Å"To lade or throw water out of a boat or ship with buckets,† but explains its etymology as an â€Å"erroneous spelling of bail.† The Guardian/Observer Style Guide has adopted the spelling bale for both jumping from an airplane and for pouring water out of a boat: bail out a prisoner, a company or person in financial difficulty; but  bale out  a boat or from an aircraft. Other British news sources, however, seem to prefer bail: Daily Mail Incredible story of the Lancaster pilot who bailed out over Germany whose life was saved when a searchlight helped him find his parachute Mirror Bedfordshire plane crash: Photos of wreckage show pilot may have tried to bail out. BBC NZ skydivers bail out over Lake Taupo as plane crashes. Telegraph Amid the 70th anniversary commemorations this summer it can be disclosed that at least 200 pilots died â€Å"needlessly† in 1940 after bailing out over water. Even The Guardian mixes the two spellings in the obituary of Flight Lieutenant William Walker that appears in its US edition: the bale spelling appears in a photo caption and the bail spelling in the article that follows. The UK edition of The Guardian has â€Å"bale out† in the text as well as in the caption, but Walker’s obituary in both The Telegraph and The Independent has him bailing out. Finally, the Ngram Viewer grid shows â€Å"bail out† far above â€Å"bale out† in printed usage. Bottom line: If you don’t have strong reasons to do otherwise, stick to bail for exiting an airplane and for throwing water out of a boat. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating ConjunctionsThe Difference Between "will" and "shall"The Uses of â€Å"The†

Leadership and Management Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Leadership and Management Development - Essay Example The paper tells that most business organizations currently have varied management trainee jobs, which they use to train managers. However, the process is equally hectic with both the trainers and the trainees facing numerous challenges. Despite the numerous challenges, coaching is the most effective way of ensuring the provision of future leaders and managers, the process requires effective consideration with the trainers using particular appropriate theories in selecting and coaching the future leaders in order to achieve the desired success as the discussion below portrays. In 1938, Chester Barnard defined leadership as the ability of a leader to influence the behaviors of subordinates thus persuading them to a particular desired action. Organizational leaders and managers require numerous types of power that they only acquire through professional training and exposure. This validates the need for management trainee in organizations. Through the dedicated coaching, an organization equips the individuals with adequate professional skills besides exposing them to the operations of the company. This way, they acquire the expert skills coupled with adequate experience in the operations of the company. As such, the managers become holistic individuals who will not only influence their subordinates to particular actions but also guide them in the process of effective implementation of the policies. Through the tailored management trainees in organizations, the trainees acquire effective interpersonal skills that enhance their operations in the companies a feature that is likely to enhance their productivity as future leaders at the company. Managers often formulate policies that influence the production process. The process of formulating a policy requires an effective understanding of one’s role at the organization coupled with unparalleled access to the resources of the company.

Start Up Decisions and Adjustments Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Start Up Decisions and Adjustments - Coursework Example First, the business purchased the Green Theme Furniture for the business at $4,000 as opposed to the used furniture that whose cost was $2000 and the auto four high capacity espressos for $6000 as opposed to a two-cup espresso machine whose price was $3000. Such decisions came with an added cost as well as an added advantage; for instance, though the four-cup espresso maker was expensive, it was 30% faster than the two-cup espresso, thus guaranteeing fast and effective while serving customers, and therefore, lowering the demand for a large number of servers. In addition, the green theme furniture choice was aimed at attracting a wide variety of customers. Our business is located in a busy street, which includes businesspeople, students, and staff. Therefore, the furniture is supposed to fit their status and act as an attraction to many customers. In staff recruitment, we started with two managers, but later on added one more because the cafe opened on weekends. Six servers were hired and each was paid $7.75 per hour, however, their salaries were increased to $9.00 per hour as an effort of motivating them and avoiding the high turnover rate. The managers were paid $650 a week; however, their wages were increased to $670 to maintain them and reduce the rate of quitting. The prices of coffee were as follows, the small cup at $2.00, medium cup at $3.00 and the large cup went for $4.00. With the above prices, business was favorable and our customers suggested that our prices were great; however, there were long queues due to demand. The management decided to offer coffee in three different sizes as a means of product differentiation, whereby, this service differentiated our cafe from the rest by catering for all kinds of customers. In advertisement and promotion, the business preferred only newspaper for a start in order to minimize on costs. The operations decisions included opening hours, which raged from 9am to 9pm as from Monday to Saturday; however, the managem ent wished it had changed the opening hours from 9am to 8am in order to serve the ‘early birds’. If this decision had been made early enough, the cafe would have made some extra income. Nevertheless, there was no need of an insurance cover at first, as it was expensive; but with time, it will be considered. The business decision to purchase organic coffee was a tough one, as it is expensive compared to normal coffee. However, for the sake of our customer’s health, we had to compromise. Nevertheless, the prices should have changed due to the high price of organic coffee. Therefore, the small coffee cup increased by one dollar as the medium one increase by 50cents while the large cup remained the same. These changes are aimed at increasing revenues, while at the same time considering customers’ affordability; hence, the prices are not too high. Final modification on the business plan The main aim of this cafe business is to attract, satisfy, and retain custo mers, as they are the key to the success of business. The more customers the cafe retains, the more profits it accumulates. Therefore, the business is determined to maintain its position as the cost leader and still offer unique services, as strategies of attracting customers. The customer survey reports rate our customer satisfaction at 57%, which is somehow favorable;

Meaning of Life and Australian Cultural Identity Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Australian Cultural Identity Essay â€Å"From separate catastrophes, two rural families flee to the city and find themselves sharing a great, breathing, shuddering joint called Cloudstreet, where they begin their lives again from scratch. For twenty years they roister and rankle, laugh and curse until the roof over their heads becomes a home for their hearts. † (Winton, 1991) Tim Winton’s critically acclaimed novel, Cloudstreet is a masterful tale of love, meaning and heartbreaking tragedy that speaks strongly of a post war Australian society that was essentially rebuilding itself after years of political upheaval and financial struggle. Good Morning/Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman. I am a representative of the National English Curriculum board and today I am here to demonstrate to you how Cloudstreet is authentic and believable, and as Marieke Hardy suggests: â€Å"It is Australian. Reading it felt like coming home. † Throughout Cloudstreet, there are numerous concepts that portray the Australian cultural identity; and the theme of religion and spirituality is especially prominent and appealing. The concept of luck, Aboriginal spirituality, and the search for the meaning of life, are all Australian ideas that Winton expertly portrays. Spirituality can be defined as â€Å"a concern for that which is unseen or intangible; as opposed to physical or mundane. † (Greenberg, 2008) It encourages a sense of peace and purpose within an individual and promotes a feeling of belonging. Additionally, religion can be defined as â€Å"the belief in, and worship of a superhuman controlling power. † (Religion) Both concepts are widely integrated into the core of the novel and are depicted through the Australian notion of luck. Luck, which some would argue has long been etched into the Australian consciousness as a common working class superstition, is, whether they are conscious of it or not, a form of religion for both families. The Pickles family, most notably Sam, rely on the â€Å"shifty shadow of God† (p 12) to warn them about future events, while the Lamb’s simple game of â€Å"spinning the knife† (p 53) acts as their metaphorical life compass. â€Å"The Lucky Country† (Horne, 1964) is a phrase that originated from a book of the same name written in the 1960’s, and since then, has gained widespread popularity and thus, been attached to the Australian culture for a long time. Winton has cleverly examined this historical background to incorporate an accurate facet of the Australian identity into the novel and its characters. Also related to the concept of luck, is the fact that after Fish drowns, Oriel, once a devoted and â€Å"god fearing† Christian, begins to question her faith and the reliability of believing in God. When Fish is resuscitated, but only â€Å"some of him comes back†, (p 32) both she and Lester are emotionally forced to abandon God and Christianity and instead, turn to luck, hard work and the idea that â€Å"life and death, was all there was,† (p 65) in order to endure their circumstances. This draws on the common â€Å"Aussie battler† tradition, of which a working class person overcame challenging situations through perseverance, faith and steadfast determination. In terms of the Australian cultural identity, Winton has again taken an important and recognized historical Australian idea and shaped it to evoke feelings of familiarity and intimacy between the readers and the characters of Cloudstreet. The frequent appearance of the â€Å"Blackfella† is yet another example of how the Australian cultural identity is portrayed through examination of Aboriginal Spirituality. However, in many scenes throughout the novel, the blackfella signifies both Christian and Aboriginal spirituality through allusion and comparison. For example, he is likened to Jesus by walking on water and again when he produces a never ending supply of wine and bread in Quick’s car. This comparison is particularly effective as it symbolises the â€Å"coming together† of Christianity and Aboriginality, which was a particularly delicate Australian issue during the time period of the novel, due to Aboriginal marginalisation and the rise of Christian ideals. Essentially, the Blackfella acts as a reminder of the original religion inherent to Australia and its development, during a time when social and political change was overtaking that of its native beliefs. The â€Å"Blackfella† also acts as the conscience of the characters when they have lost their way or their family unit is threatened. This can ultimately be seen when he leads Quick back to Cloudstreet after he runs away to the country, knowing that Quick feels secretly lost without his family, and needs them to feel fully alive. He also persuades Sam not the sell the house and states that â€Å"you shouldn’t break a place. Places are strong and important,† (p 406) referring to not only the house and its tragic Aboriginal history, but also to the fragile families who live inside it. In doing so, he ensures that the families stay whole and together, which is an important and dominating religious value for Aboriginality and Christianity, both during the time period of the novel and in our modern Australian society. Consequently, the â€Å"Blackfella’s† role in Cloudstreet is a significant contribution to the novel’s relevancy to the Australian cultural identity. The Australian cultural identity is also illustrated in Cloudstreet through the spiritual symbolism and personification of the river, and its connection to the character’s search for the meaning of life. This is particularly significant for Quick Lamb, who, is spiritually linked to the river in a number of ways. The river acts as a place of peace, purpose and belonging for Quick. Connecting with his mother when they go prawning, glowing after fishing in the country, and most importantly, falling in love with Rose Pickles, are the most significant spiritually defining events that Quick experiences while on the river. Through realising just how symbolically important the river is to him, Quick finally understands the true meaning of his life, and gains a feeling of belonging that allows him to finally shed his self-degrading title of â€Å"the lost lamb. † (p 310) Australia is a country that values the water. Geographically, we are surrounded by it, with most of our population residing close to the shores. As a result of this, the water is seen as a common gathering place, from which one cannot easily escape nor regard as irrelevant to the Australian way of life. Winton has taken this idea and incorporated it into Cloudstreet, to emphasise and promote a relevant part of Australian culture. Finally, the river’s spiritual and religious connection to Fish Lamb is perhaps the most important concept of the novel. After Fish drowns and has his soul ripped into two separate pieces (spiritual fish and physical fish), the river that he so desperately longs for, essentially becomes his gateway to the spiritual world; to the place where he belongs. It is not until the end of the novel when Fish is finally free to reunite with the water that he is truly whole again. â€Å"I burst into the moon, sun and stars of who I really am. Being Fish Lamb. Perfectly. Always. Everyplace. Me. †(p 424) For many, water in Australia is culturally considered to be the blood of the country; a place of cleansing and rejuvenation. Likewise, for Fish, the river embodies the epitome of the spirit of Australia in the form of life giving water. Although his life was initially taken by the water, it is eventually returned to him when his physical self re-joins his spiritual self. In conclusion, Winton flawlessly encapsulates the cultural identity and spirit of Australia in Cloudstreet through symbolic representations of luck, Aboriginal spirituality and the search for the meaning of life. The characters’ connection with religion and spirituality resonates strongly with the reader and successfully evokes feelings of belonging and familiarity that confirms Cloudstreet is indeed a classic Australian novel. Bibliography Associates, R. Q. (2008, September 16). Ideology in Cloudstreet . Retrieved 2013, from www. englishcurriculum. com. au Cloudstreet Notes. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring: http://www. sydneyhometutoring. com. au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Details-Cloudstreet-notes. pdf. Dot Point Notes Cloudstreet. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring : http://www. sydneyhometutoring. com. au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Dot-Point-Notes-Cloudstreet. pdf. Greenberg, N. (2008, October 8). Retrieved 2013, from Can Spirituality Be Defined: http://notes. utk. edu/bio/unistudy. nsf/935c0d855156f9e08525738a006f2417/bdc83cd10e58d14a852573b00072525d Horne, D. (1964). The Lucky Country. Penguin Books Australia. Religion. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Google Definitions: https://www. google. com. au/search? q=religion+definition Winton, T. (1991). Cloudstreet. McPhee Gribble.

Porters Diamond Of Competitive Advantage :: Business Economics

Introduction Since its publication in 1990, Michael Porter's book The Competitive Advantage of Nations has attracted much consideration. The main analytical tool of the book is the diamond of competitive advantage (figure 1). This model is based on four country specific "determinants" and two external variables. Porter's four determinants and two outside forces interact in a "diamond" of competitive advantage, with the nature of a country's international competitiveness depending upon the type and quality of these interactions. However, because it is fundamentally a home-based model of international competitiveness, the diamond theory is criticized by many international business scholars. Dunning , and Rugman  ¬,  ¬Ã‚ ¬ point out that the influence on competitiveness of two-way foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign government influence and interference on trade and investment have been neglected. Rugman and Collinson have also evaluated the model and identified eight areas for commen t. This essay will look at Rugman and Collinson's criticisms of Porter's model, focussing on three major areas: the role of FDI, foreign government influence and Multi National Enterprises (MNEs), before looking at developments to Porters diamond with country specific examples. RUGMAN'S AND COLLINSON'S CRITIQUE OF PORTER'S DIAMOND The eight areas identified for comment and evaluation namely: the model is limited by being based on ten countries, which are either industrialised or a member of a triad; the Government is of critical importance, and has been neglected by Porter; chance although critical, is difficult to predict or guard against; Porter's model must be applied in terms of company-specific considerations and not in terms of national advantages; Porter delineates only four distinct stages of national competitive development; Porter contends that only outward FDI is valuable in creating competitive advantage, and inbound foreign investment is never the solution to a nation's competitive problems; reliance on natural resources is viewed by Porter as insufficient to create worldwide competitive stature; the model does not adequately address the role of MNEs. FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT FDI tends to focus on opportunities in the same continental region. This often reflects attempts by multinationals to build up regional networks starting near their home base. A major conceptual problem with Porter's model is due to the narrow definition he applies to FDI. Porter defines only outward FDI as being "valuable in creating competitive advantage" and that inward FDI is "not entirely healthy" . He also states that foreign subsidiaries are importers, and that this is a source of comparative disadvantage .

Pfizer Company: A Presentation of Strategic Context

Pfizer is the number two largest biomedical and pharmaceutical research and development company in the world, boasting in excess of fifty Billion dollars per year in gross revenues. While the recession has hit many companies, the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals sector has remained not only relatively insulated, but in addition to that the forecasting models for growth predict a profitable future. Pfizer has had its share of growing pains, a cause for reduction in gross revenues comes primarily from a growth strategy to acquire another large biopharmaceutical company, yet net retained earnings have continued to increase at a rate of six percent annual average each year over the last three years. After Pfizer’s acquisitions of Wyeth they saw a substantial increase in operating profit margins due to increased efficiencies between the two companies. Pfizer has recently acquired a biopharmaceutical company named Wyeth. By purchasing Wyeth which specializes in vaccines, Pfizer has broadened their customer base by expanding their product line. This business practice aligns with Pfizer’s current pro-growth Strategy. It is clear, in most part; Pfizer’s business Strategy aligns with the wild wild west model of Industry Ecosystems. Pfizer if a relatively fast growing company, in an industry that thrives on making fast and furious technological discoveries, and they have a very high rate of customer retention due to patent protection. Pfizer has many competing technologies in the market place for such diseases as cardiac health, mental health, and infectious disease treatments. Their drug Lipitor is by far the highest grossing drug the company currently has on the market. Cardiac disease is the most common and fatal disease that Americans face. Lipitor functions by lowering low density lipids (or fats) in the blood stream thus promoting cardiac and circulatory efficiency and health. Pfizer’s patent on Lipitor is set to expire in November of this year which would potentially result in reducing their total revenues for that drug significantly because other companies could then introduce a generic substitute. The net effect of Lipitor’s patent expiration on Pfizer’s bottom line could be a reduction as large as ten percent of total gross revenues. Pfizer would be expected to retain approximately twenty percent of users which equals four percent of Pfizer’s total Gross Revenues. Some customers ill continue to use Lipitor, for example: those patients whose insurance does cover name brand medicines or patience of physicians that reject writing prescriptions for generic substitutes. This problem is a perfect example of one of Porters Key strategy principals that Pfizer follows, analyzing and protecting a threat of substitute products. How Pfizer addresses the problem is how they exercise his strategy. The current estimated retail cost of Lipitor is around one hundred and seventy dollars per month depending on the prescribed dosage. After November of this year it is very possible that we could see a generic substitute on the Wal-Mart four dollar list. Part of Pfizer’s Business strategy has been to launch legal battles for patent protections and extensions longer than the November 2011 date, which would result in a prolonged period of increased earnings and profits. To continue with an analysis of strategy, Pfizer uses both a combination of the resource based view in conjunction with the industry investment prospective. An example of this would be Pfizer’s acquisition of Wyeth which catered to a much broader and diverse section of the drug market. The resource prospective would say that Pfizer already has massive research and development capabilities, drug production and manufacturing systems, and well established distribution channels for its already long list of products, making Wyeth a fit for the company’s growth and expansion strategies. What is different from the resource based view and supports the industry investment strategy is that Wyeth is a leading researcher, developer, and provider of vaccines, which is a very lucrative industry in and of its self. The numbers of users for vaccines are much larger than for a specialized product such as Lipitor, yet vaccines still have patent protections that help drug companies keep prices high. These two companies merged together have much greater and sustainable competitive advantages than either one by itself. One of the resources that will help to fend off threats to their product lines is their pooling of resources for their in house legal team. As new products emerge from the research and development scientists, their joint capacity to protect their drug assets and keep products in the hands of the end users will inevitably eep other drug companies from capitalizing on the opportunities to produce generics. Some of the more rare and inimitable products are the ability to produce huge financial gains for Pfizer if they pass through all the stages of FDA screening protocol. Some areas Pfizer is currently investing research and development dollars are, DNA specific drugs, new small molecule compounds, Stem Cell therapies, Amino Acid therapies. DNA specific drugs have huge potential for Pfizer because many side effects can be prevented, allergies can be detected, and a shorter time line for approval to the FDA can result from better drugs. New small molecule compounds are useful because they tend to have fewer side effects which equal fewer liabilities and risk for the producer, and can be easier to develop and manufacture. Stem cell research also opens up a great deal of opportunity for drugs that work well on the cellular and molecular level, but can even be toxic or fatal in the human body. The method of drug delivery is many times the largest hurdle in getting an effective drug to the reaction site to produce the desired effect. Finally, and quite possibly most interestingly there are over three hundred and twenty know amino acids. Our human bodies produce or utilize only twenty four of them. Many of the reaction mechanisms on the molecular level can be imitated or recreated by unnatural amino acids meaning that we may see a huge increase in effective drugs with decreased side effects by utilizing these products. In conclusion Pfizer has acquired a great addition to its company with Wyeth as part of its pro-growth business strategy. It is clear that they have used a combination of both resourced based and industry based strategy. By tapping into a broad mass market via a new product by a new company Pfizer will have a clear competitive advantage over companies like Merk and Novartis. Pfizer is definitely leveraging their human resource assets to prevent substitute products from entering the markets. I believe that by exercising these strategies Pfizer can prevent slipping into the creative destruction life stage of a company.