Economics and Prostitution Essay Example for Free

Economics and Prostitution Essay Introduction: The word â€Å"prostitution† has always confused the minds of people for years. Constant attempts to solve this existing problem have not really given any positive results. For some time the problem was obviously ignored by the government as if it completely did not know what to do with it. In the beginning of the XXI century a prostitute has become one of the most ordinary goods that the market can offer. It is also necessary to mention that the demand on prostitution is constantly growing due to several factors worth of separate analysis. Prostitution has always been â€Å"covered† from the eyes of citizens as is has always been unacceptable. Nevertheless, the problem does not disappear and in fact it becomes even more â€Å"sharp† with time. Of course it is easier to pretend like there is no enormous amount of women and men that have no other way to survive but offering sexual services. Basically, the Law of Canada has not done anything good enough to solve the problem in any way, except causing vagueness in the understanding  of what is legal and illegal in terms of sexual services. Prostitution has a lot to do with the economy, as it is not only its â€Å"dark† side but also the potential legal income, which is always needed so much. So what is prostitution? Does it need economical stimulation or should it be completely prohibited or ignored? And should the economical approach be used to prostitution at all? Prostitution is not and will never be a standard job and this is something that is to be never forgotten. 2. Choosing prostitution as a â€Å"career† opportunity? Read more: Reasons for Prostitution The most horrifying thing about prostitution is that it has become not just a way to make money for starving and homeless people but also a â€Å"career† opportunity for the young generation. Why do our children have to grow up with the notion that prostitution is a source of getting money and surviving in this world? The contemporary world lives under certain regularities. A man has to get a job that will provide him or her with a sufficient amount of money in order to maintain a normal living. So if a person does not have enough knowledge to get this or that job he or she always has another opportunity to prostitute himself or herself. Prostitution as a primitive was of making money; it is a problem that prevents the society from its perfection and development. Prostitution is obviously a negative phenomenon, demoralizing the society but is has actually become a â€Å"job† for many men and women and this fact cannot remain unnoticed. 2.a. Definition of prostitution Prostitution does exist and it an unchallengeable fact. It existed since ancient times in different countries, with different social-political statuses. A prostitute is a person who provides sexual services in exchange for money. In other words it is a person who offers sex and gets paid for it. Nevertheless, none of the people providing this type of services are performing a business activity. It is usually believed that prostitutes are women; nevertheless men play an important part in prostitution as an object of high demand, too. Anyhow it is very hard to give a definition to prostitution as a profession, because prostitutes do not pay taxes and do not receive any pension while on retirement. Prostitution is not illegal in Canada and this fact puts it in a very uncertain position in terms of possible â€Å"career opportunities† for the young generation. It is legal to  sell services but it is illegal to buy them – this statement makes many people bewildered. One th ing is certain for sure: prostitution – is an act of selling a person’s body for further sexual services for material compensation. 2.b. Danger of the oldest profession Choosing prostitution as a profession is not rational. Yes, it does bring income and the demand is always high. But what will a prostitute remain with at the threshold of the pension age? This is one of the reasons that many people such as the criminologist Dr. John Lowman argue in favor of its legalization1. Prostitution is considered as a potential source of renewing the budget of Canada. But there are also other reasons for not becoming a prostitute except the tax-pension side of the issue. Many of the prostitutes simply disappear and often become the victims of violence. According to the statistics â€Å"90 percent had been physically assaulted in prostitution and 78 percent had been raped in prostitution†2. Prostitutes do not get the protection the representatives of standard professions do. They can also be the cause of spreading of venereal diseases due to the fact of absence of a proper medical checkup. This â€Å"dangers† put prostitution in the position of the â€Å"risk zone† occupation. No one will argue that choosing an occupation with high risks is not rational at all. 3. Economical approach to prostitution Prostitution is legal in Canada. But it is only formally, because â€Å"pimping and operating or being found in or working in a â€Å"bawdy house† (every place where one or more prostitutes regularly work or where â€Å"indecent acts† are performed) are not†3. Criminal Code sections 210 and 211 forbid â€Å"Bawdy houses† and section 212 foresees responsibility for living on the avails of the prostitution of a person. How should the economical approach be applied to prostitution? Canada’s Justice has put prostitution in a position where is has to be done in certain places without any publicity or in other words it has to respect the moral abutments of the society. If prostitution is to be viewed as a type of â€Å"profession† than it is put on the same level with other taxpayers such as teachers, lawyers and many others. The application of the economical approach means that prostitution has to have a legal status. SO this makes us view prostit ution as a business. A business  activity is an independent activity directed to a systematic income arrival from property use, selling goods, work execution or rendering services registered and stated by Law. So prostitution is a systematic income obtained from rendering a service. Prostitution gets the possibility to exist illegally from the gaps in the Law and the Canadian Law with its semi-legalization does not make it easier to define the status of prostitution in the country. If prostitution is legal than prostitutes have to be 18 years old and have the right to medical and social security. At the same time they have to pay the monthly income tax, which will make the profession less profitable, then it is now. 3.a. Prostitution and economy. The existance of prostitution in Canada still can be explained form the point of the economic approach for Canada has a market-based economy. According to the economic approach both of the sides have to be in profit. Demand gives birth to supply and in this terms prostitution is just the reaction of the high demand of sexual services. So it is about the morality of the society in the first place. Third parties should be completely eliminated from this â€Å"deal†. These third parties, known as â€Å"pimps† or even sex-firms are the ones to be persecuted. Sex-workers have become an integral part of Canada’s society and they even form alliances such as the Sex Worker’s Alliance of Vancouver. The amount of money obtained from prostitution is enormous, so therefore the budget is left without any additional financing. There are only two ways out –either to completely legalize it eliminating street prostitution or to completely forbid it. Prostitution has increased in the last years in Canada. This has a lot to do with the sex-tourists arriving to Canada searching for sexual services. This means that Canada is getting foreign â€Å"deposits† that go to â€Å"nowhere†. Conclusion: Prostitution can be found in Canada’s every corner and especially in its main cities4. Its existance is conditioned by many factors. Canada is offering licensed sex but for some reason the gaps in the law enforcements are so big that it is completely impossible to notice them. In many cases prostitution is the only option of a person and the reaction of the government should not be through the legalization of this option but in the creation of other options of decent money making. The economic approach explains the existance of prostitution because any country is a big market place and is interested in  profit in the first place and Canada in not an exception. â€Å"The communicating law† is not effective anymore. Prostitution needs to be analyzed from every single side and needs a new conception of functioning if functioning at all. The economic approach app lication does not imply that the profit is made on the degradation of the society. And it is obvious that if the sex-workers had education, a place to work and a decent salary they would never have found themselves on the panel and could be their labor would have brought a bigger income for the budget. Canada needs to change the economic approach to the human approach and study everything concerning the prostitution for new.

Quality Of Service At The Zappos Company

Quality Of Service At The Zappos Company The proceeding paper investigates Zappos.com (Zappos), originally an e-tailing shoe company, which later adopted further merchandise lines. The company was founded in 1999 by Nick Swinmurn with its headquarters currently based in Henderson, Nevada, USA. With a revenue of $840 million in 2007 and a 1500+ employee staff Zappos.com has grown to the largest online shoe store in the world. In July 2009 Amazon.com acquired Zappos.com for the reported amount of $1.2 billion. Currently, the CEO is Tony Hsieh. The company is known for its customer centric business model and its unique corporate culture. In this paper Zappos.com is analyzed via papers and published articles with which various problems addressed are answered. The intention of this paper is to analyze how Zappos.com has leveraged its HR practices to build strategic effectiveness in the past and how can it build its future competitive strength on it. First, Zappos.coms business model is analyzed, second the companies supportive HR practices, third the role of leadership on the development of HR practices, fourth the implications for HR practices caused by the takeover of Amazon.com are addressed and finally challenges and recommendations to support the future business functioning at Zappos.com are addressed. A framework is developed to which parts of the analysis can be linked in order to say to which extent findings influence committed HR practices, the corporate culture and the loyalty business model of Zappos.com. The purpose of this paper is just to analyze the company and to accumulate knowledge. Zappos Business Model A good initial business model starts off with an idea of a good customer value proposition. When in 1999, Nick Swinmurn, walked through a mall in San Francisco, looking for a pair of shoes in his size, his preferred color and style, his unsuccessful search proposed an opportunity to satisfy currently unmet customer needs. When starting to analyze what features have enabled Zappos to build its strong brand position as well as its impressive growth through the past few years (from 2003 to 2007 annual revenue increases 623.7 percent) its good customer value proposition is essentially only a small part in its effective business model. A comprehensive study of Zappos business model will be composed of 4 integral parts (Figure 1). Following the (1) customer value proposition (CVP), the structure of Zappos business model, consisting of (2) the profit formula and the importance of (3) key processes and (4) key resources will be linked to Michael Porters (1985) value chain model in order to enable a detailed analysis on how the e-retailer has become so successful. Figure 1 Business Model One evident potential customer value proposition of Zappos is the offering of an extensive online selection of mainly footwear and a few other extended product lines. Surprisingly this is not how the company defines itself. Calling itself a service company that just happens to sell shoes, handbags and related items (Morris, 2008) more value is placed on providing a high-touch customer service aimed at engendering a customer long-term relationship (OReiley, 2009). Zappos has been a customer centric company since its startup in 1999. The retailer focuses on providing highest service quality, leading to customer satisfaction and consequent customer retention, what essentially can be described as a loyalty business model (http://bx.businessweek.com/zapposcom/). Repeat customers represent 75% of any days gross sales and word of mouth advertising has brought growth to Zappos in overwhelming numbers (Morris, 2008). Zappos first of the ten core values puts the CVP in clear terms: Deliver [a] WOW [customer experience] through service (Zappos.com). How Zappos excels in delivering that CVP will be addressed in the subsequent analysis. Zappos CVP is supported by a profit formula, which establishes how the company wants to earn money. That formula is linked to the products value chain. The primary activities (key processes) have a direct impact on the formula while being supported by support activities (key resources), all driven by the customer value proposition with the objective to deliver value to the customer and be profitable. Nurturing a successful value creation and delivery, Zappos profit model is directly influenced by: Inbound logistics with its link to the supply chain of Zappos offered merchandise (wholesale prices, distribution etc.); Operations which correspond to the cost structure of Zappos vertically integrated warehouse and inventory operations in Kentucky; and Outbound logistics including free shipping both ways, surprise upgrades to overnight shipping (Whitehorn, 2009). Moving further through the primary activities of Zappos value chain, the subsequent function of marketing sales is declared to be comparatively tenuous as current CEO Tony Hsieh explains: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[we] put that money into the customer experience instead (Whitehorn, 2009). Key processes also include a firms metrics and measurements, which Zappos sets based on customer satisfaction indicators, rather than number of order taken (Morris, 2008). Service is a primary value chain activity that deserves some detailed inspection at this point. Being a significant contributor to the cost structure with items like 365-day return policy or a call center staff working 24/7, Service represents the most intense link between Zappos CVP and its profit model and most significantly enables the implementation of its loyalty business model. Service represents how Zappos creates value for its customers (CVP) and most importantly it defines how the company creates value for itself (profit formula); (Johnson, Christensen Kagermann, 2008). Identifying Service as the primary source of value and profit suggests the examination of how the support activities (key resources) are allocated to contribute to Zappos competitive strength. Not only the primary activities, but also Zappos support activities underpin deliver[ing] the Zappos experience to [its] customers (OReiley, 2009). Key resources like procurement channels, technology, equipment and people are illustrated in the value chain as support activities. While careful procurement activities ensure a certain standard of product quality to the customer, its technology, equipment and firm infrastructure are also aligned with Zappos delivery of great customer service (e.g. in-house developed information technology, fast storing and shipping system) (Masha, 2009). Nevertheless, the most essential and valuable key resource of Zappos customer service is its Human Resource Management (HRM). Strategic Human Resource Management, which is the HRMs role is supporting a certain business model and strategy (Wright et all., 2001) plays a crucial role in Zappos effectiveness in the past. How HRM as a key resource and support activity is employed by Zappos to foster its loyalty business model is the next level of analysis. Zappos Supportive HRM Practices Zappos customer centricity leads the company since its startup in 1999. This is embedded in its company culture. Zappos employees live, breathe and operate through ten core values. These particular values create a positive environment in which employees excel to the maximum of their abilities and still have the freedom to express and implement their own initiatives.The company culture creates an environment in which customers receive more than they expect. Nurturing this environment is done through committed human resource practices (article on ccomm hr practices. Zappos Human Resource Management plays a vital role in fostering the initial driver of the thriving environment: company culture. Committed HRM practices reach from recruiting the right employees to rewarding and helping to create an environment that allows for the company culture to continue and strive. HRM is strategically placed in Zappos (SHRM) and people related elements create the core competency of the firm (Wright et al.: Human resources and the resource based view of the firm (2001).) The people management practices are created around the core values and in this way make the most of the human, social and organizational capital. The environment in the company allows for easy creation, integration and transfer of ideas. All employees are constantly in a changing environment due to the type of products they sell and therefore they too become dynamic which leads to their core competency of providing excellent service (Wright et al.: Human resources and the resource based view of the firm (2001).) As a starting point the company only hires people who are both technically and culturally fit (A perfect organizational fit, Samantha Whitehorne.) This is such an important point that Zappos.com fires employees who although technically fit do not fit into their culture. A lot of time and money is invested in the recruitment process, the reason being that employees have a vital role in the success of the loyalty business model. Furthermore, every new employee, regardless of their position in the firm will go through a four week training period in which they learn about the company and how it functions. Normally this involves being part of the call centre to really understand what customers want and need. The underlining message throughout all human resource processes is that the company lives and breathes customer service and everyone is put into this way of thinking. Rewards too play a dominant role in establishing the company culture. They create a positive environment in which employees are encouraged to share ideas on all levels of the company; in addition employees are not afraid to take risks because they are encouraged to take these through the rewards. Rewards can be companywide, departmental and individually driven. A lot of time and money is put into the rewards, which vary from being very simple to big and elaborate. This however is seen as an investment because it improves employee satisfaction and motivation and increases the overall profits of the company. The different forms of celebrations create a positive and constructive environment without putting the employees in a stressful, competitive environment. Many of the rewards are created by the departments and individuals themselves. However Human Resources is still involved in the bigger picture. Ensuring that company goals and progress are shared amongst all employees, creating financing and merchandising rewards appropriate to the customer orientated business model and to ensure that employees feel free to try out new, innovative means of doing business and therefore being rewarded for results and not punished for mistakes. Both the resource based view and the transaction cost theory can be seen in how Zappos functions and remains competitive by heavily supporting there loyalty business model with human resource practices(Masters, JK. Miles, G.: Predicting the Use of External Labour Arrangements: A Test of the Transaction Cost Perspective (2002).) For example call centres are kept inhouse; it is a valuable asset which is frequently used by consumers and requires attentive and dedicated employees. There is continual development of the employee as the company is aware of dynamic capabilities. Every single individual is held accountable for the company culture, it is not only restricted to human resources or top management. Initiatives can be brought forward from any position in the company. The companys culture was established from day one but the human resources department along with all recruited employees is responsible to keep the inspiring, highly motivated, free spirited environment running with its main goal to provide the customer value proposition of exceptional service. With the emphasis of all individuals sustaining Zappos unique environment, an interesting question concerns the role of leadership and managerial influence at the e-retailer, which triggers the following discussion. Role of Leadership on Zappos HRM Zappos.com is one of the leading companies in its industry and since its startup it has seen an enormous amount of growth. From February 2010 on, Zappos.com is expected to grow 30% in the next 12 months. A challenge for Zappos.com is to be able to fulfill new positions that are the result of the growth of the company with skilled and suitable managers. This implicates that especially in this time of growth individual leaders have to be acquired which fit and understand Zappos.com unusual culture. The basis of this culture is founded by the initial owners and persons who joined the company from its early start. The characteristics and vision of the CEO and the manner he positions himself towards the employees still influences the committed HR practices and the corporate culture. Besides defining leadership as the guidance of individual managers and the characteristics of the CEO it can also be seen as the leading role of Zappos.com in its industry. Zappos.com has accounted on all thes e three levels of leadership throughout the company in the development of its HR practices. First, to attract individual leaders and to have a long-term relationship with them, different measurements are integrated into HR practices. Already in the recruitment phase the hiring is rather unconventional. Possible future employees are invited to events outside the office, for instance team building events and happy hours in order to hire them based on different events rather than one job interview. After acquiring an employee, regardless their position, an extensive 4 week customer training follows which contains various courses coordinated by the training, leadership and development department. Zappos.com recognizes leadership potential in every one of its employees, regardless their position. Employees are encouraged and taught to represent the companies culture in everything what they do and say and to be accountable for themselves, actually this one of the key fundamentals. To make sure a long term relationship is also expected from the employees side and that they are com mitted to the company and their work, 3000 dollar walk away money is offered to them after the training program. When looking at the framework (exhibit) acquiring individual leaders mostly influence committed HR practices, since recruitment has to make sure people are hired that fit into the culture. Second, the vision at the manner of working of Zappos.coms initial founders has a major influence on both the committed HR practices and the corporate culture. Todays CEO Tony Hsieh has agreed on an annual base salary of $36.000 in 2009 with which he signals a culture of motivation instead of extrinsic rewards. This stimulates employees to work from intrinsic motivation and HR practices concerning rewards might not be the most important asset for employees. How CEO Tony Hsieh influences the corporate culture of Zappos.com for instance is the way he wrote an open and honest letter to all the employees ensuring their perks would remain the same after Amazons takeover. The positioning of the companies leader towards the employees inspire the corporate culture because by showing honesty and transparency, an open corporate environment is stimulated. When looking at the framework one can say that the CEOs vision on the corporate culture influences HR practices committed. Third, to maintain the leading position of Zappos.com in a fast changing market due to technological and fashion market changes, more HR practices have been developed. Especially the core values are a tool to develop a culture and a mindset to maintain this position. Zappos.coms fourth core value is to be adventurous, creative and open-minded, which means risk taking does not have to be avoided. Herewith Zappos.com creates a mindset throughout the entire company. Zappos.com also recognizes the importance of creating a culture of continuous learning via their fifth core value pursue growth and learning in which is stated every employee should constantly challenge and stretch themselves. Due to the focus of Zappos.com on leadership on different levels and integrating this into different HR practices Zappos.com is able to acquire and keep appropriate employees which goal is to grow and learn every day. Also due to these acknowledgements and integrating them into the development of HR practices, Hay Group ranked Zappos.com number 16 at the Top 20 Best Companies For Leadership in 2009. Acquisition by Amazon.com Clash of Cultures? Amazon bought Zappos.com for 850 million dollars. Zappos.com is remaining a seperate entity within the company and has assured employees and the general public that their culture and workplace environment will not change (week in news). Although the companies are both customer centric, the approaches used towards satisfying customers differs significantly. Amazon strives for customer convenience, low prices and large vareity of goods for the customer to choose from. On the otherhand Zappos.com aims for customer loyalty by providing a unique experience with personal contact opportunities between customer and employee (A new lace on life, Tim O ´Reiley.) In addition Zappos.com was a privately owned company and Amazon a public limited company. The ownership structure creates differences in the way that the companies operate and more specifically how human resource practices are placed within each company. It is necessary to analyse the differences and identify to what extent these may lead to potential sources of conflict between the human resource practices. At Zappos.com human resource management can be classified as a strategic partner (chapter 2.) The use of committed human resource practices creates the companies core comptency. As previously mentioned it defines, maintains and help grow the corporate culture. The ten core values create an environment in which employees work to the best of their abilities to satisfy customers. Shortly said the business model is dependent on HR practices. At Amazon HRM is not as dominant, it can be seen as a business partner (Amazon, HR Spectrum eNews.) It is necessary in the sense that it provides the company with strong human capital and it provides assistance to other departments, however it does not define how the company runs the business. We can seperate the two further by looking at the different levels of integration that exist between HR practices and the strategy process of a comapny. Zappos.com has an integrative linkage , there is constant interaction throughout all phases of the strategy process. Communication flows freely from all levels of the business.Every employee has the ability to initiate actions or improve certain aspects of the business. Consistent with the business partner role, Amazon has a two-way linkage. It considers human resources issues during strategy formulation such as ensuring the recruitment of highly skilled employees that fit yith their company strategy. However it is a less dominant role than what HR plays in Zappos.com. (chapter 2 from the book.) From these differences it is apparent that their could be a clash between the two practices. They have different levels of authority, in Zappos.com employees are given the freedom to take risks which affect the entire company. Amazon appear to be more constrained in this.Amazon focuses on efficiency whearas Zappos puts alot of emphasis on giving employees the space to express their creativity in a productive environment. Although Tony Hsieh has promised no change in the company ´s structure it will definitly have to consider the differences and how Amazon could impact the HR practices. Zappos Future Challenges Although the strategic approach of managing human resources has been distinguished as a driving force of Zappos severe competitive position, the planned acquisition by e-retailer giant, Amazon, put forward some potential challenges. The reviewed threat of HRM clash, is only one of the possible challenges in the future business functioning of Zappos. Directional Strategies are strategic typologies for classifying the ways different organizations seek to compete within an industry (Noa, 2008, p.86). With the approved acquisition by Amazon, Zappos continues to strive for growth and decides to pursue an external growth strategy, strengthen its market position through entering new businesses (other merchandise) (Noa, 2008, p.87). While growing, Zappos need to sustain its valuable corporate culture by managing the trade-off between changing human resource knowledge, skills and behavior needs and the upkeep of its successful organizational environment. Zappos will need to constantly educate and motivate its employees to engage inself-directed learning to cope with the new challenges when growing with the company (Noa, 2008, p.295). Growth it not the only challenge encountered in Zappos future business functioning. There is a necessity of appropriate recruitment, training, development and promotion to meet the changing HRM needs in an increasingly dynamic environment. What can be defined as challenge of sustainability describes the current economic changes, changes in demographics and expectations of the workforce, the growing importance of corporate citizenship and legal and ethical issues, has a key influence on the management of HR. Special regard has to be given to manage HR changing needs in companies as Zappos, in which it represents the main source of competitive advantage. Other challenges include the global and technological challenge, which include the HR impact from expanding into international markets and the importance of sophisticated technology in the workplace. Zappos growth strategy has already reaches out into another North American country: Canada (zappos.com). Simply reconstructing similar values and HR practices will not easily reproduce the same valuable organizational environment that exists in the retailers home-country operations. Understanding cultural differences, diverse backgrounds and attitudes is needed to establish a HRM that truly enables international success. Technological challenges emerge when employing technological innovation to leverage knowledge creation and sharing through the firm, which Zappos need to support by adequate and committed HR recruitment, training and motivational rewards. Conclusion The examination of Zappos past effectiveness and successful implementation of the loyality business model has been linked to an ambitious customer value proposition of best service, a strong profit formula and a strategic alignment of key processes as well as key resources. Most emphasis has been given to one specific key resource, namely the committed human resource practices, which serve as a support activity and a strategic element in Zappos loyalty business model and yield final competitive strength. While defining Zappos people, environment and culture as a primary source of competitive advantage, the significant role of leadership in the development of HR practices has been indicated. Concluding on how Zappos has build up a successful business model based on excellent customer service, loyalty and retention and how it continuous to operate effectively, the prior analysis has comprehensively identified one major contribution: strategic human resource management. The aligning of human resources practices and activities to the strategic objectives of high customer service quality, demand a development of committed HR practices, which generate a unique corporate culture and environment and ultimately enable Zappos remarkable competitive strength.

How much more is Jane Eyre than just a piece of romantic fiction? :: Free Essay Writer

How much more is Jane Eyre than just a piece of romantic fiction? All the qualities of a typical romantic fiction are certainly found in ‘Jane Eyre’. The usual qualities found in romances are a Hero and Heroine. They can have some tension between them before finally falling in love but something gets in their way, eventually they over come all odds and get to be together in the end. Obviously Jane is the Heroine and Mr. Rochester is the Hero, and as in most romances, the story is told through the eyes of the Heroine. ‘Jane Eyre’ starts off with Jane’s childhood to allow the reader to get to know Jane and sympathize with all her views and feelings. When Jane first moves to Thornfield Hall the romance starts. To build up the tension for the reader Jane is at first denying her feeling. â€Å"it was rather a trial to appear thus formally summoned in Mr. Rochester’s presence† It is obvious to the reader what is going to happen and frustrating that Jane will not admit that she likes him this is very typical of a romance. It follows on conforming to the romance stereotype when Jane admits her feelings but something gets in the way. At first this is Blanche Ingram, Jane is convinced by things people have said that she is going to Marry Mr. Rochester. â€Å"And did I now think Miss Ingram such a choice as Mr. Rochester would be likely to make?† This is providing a barrier against them getting together in the straight forward way of just Blanche Ingram but she also stands to represent looks and class. She is a lot prettier than Jane and this tests Mr. Rochester to see if he is the deep thinking man Jane thinks he is. Also Jane is of a lot lower class than Blanche Ingram and it would have seemed strange at the time ‘Jane Eyre’ was written for Mr. Rochester to chose Jane. This is pushed aside and it seems like everything has started to go right for Jane. Then follows the clichà ©d romantic twist. Jane discovers Mr. Rochester’s wife. â€Å"this gentleman’s wife is still living† Everything falls apart for Jane. She runs away and begins to start a new life till the end of the novel when Jane finds out Mr. Rochester’s wife has died and they get married. â€Å"My Edward and I then are happy† As in all romances it comes to the happy ending to make the reader feel happy and satisfied. These were the ways in which ‘Jane Eyre’ followed the typical romance patterns for general romances. But there is much more to this novel.

Rake’s Progress: Bedlam in Bethlam Essay -- British History, Mental He

Rake’s Progress: Bedlam in Bethlam The human brain is a vast, unexplainable, and unpredictable organ. This is the way that many modern physicians view the mind. Imagine what physicians three hundred years ago understood about the way their patients thought. The treatment of the mentally ill in the eighteenth century was appalling. The understanding of mental illness was very small, but the animalistic treatment of patients was disgusting. William Hogarth depicts Bethlam, the largest mental illness hospital in Britain, in his 1733 painting The Madhouse1. The public’s view of mental illness was very poor and many people underestimated how mentally ill some patients were. The public and the doctors’ view on insanity was changing constantly, making it difficult to treat those who were hospitalized2. â€Å"Madhouses† became a dumping ground for people in society that could not be handled by the criminal justice system. People who refused to work, single mothers, and children who refused to follow orde rs were being sent to mental illness hospitals3. A lack of understanding was the main reason for the ineptness of the health system to deal with the mentally ill, but the treatment of the patients was cruel and inhumane. The British’s handling of mentally ill patients was in disarray. The knowledge of mental illness was very small. Doctors did not understand how to diagnosis or treat mental disorders. They did not understand how the brain functioned and what to expect from people in certain situations. Many symptoms of physical illness today were considered mental illness in the eighteenth century. The constant shaking due to Parkinson’s disease was misinterpreted as a mental condition and treated as such4. These patients were placed into... ...glish Madness. 55. 18. Scull, â€Å"Moral Treatment Reconsidered.† 107. 19. Scull, â€Å"Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† 11. 20. Scull, â€Å"Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† 11. 21. Scull, â€Å"Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† 14. Bibliography Hogarth, William. The Madhouse. 1733. Scull, Andrew. â€Å"Moral Treatment Reconsidered: Some Sociological Comments on an Episode in the History of British Psychiatry.† In Madhouses, Mad-doctors and Madmen, edited by Andrew Scull. 105-121. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981). Scull, Andrew. â€Å"The Social History of Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† In Madhouses, Mad-doctors and Madmen, edited by Andrew Scull, 5-35. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. Skultans, Vieda. English Madness: Ideas on Insanity 1580-1890. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1979. Rake’s Progress: Bedlam in Bethlam Essay -- British History, Mental He Rake’s Progress: Bedlam in Bethlam The human brain is a vast, unexplainable, and unpredictable organ. This is the way that many modern physicians view the mind. Imagine what physicians three hundred years ago understood about the way their patients thought. The treatment of the mentally ill in the eighteenth century was appalling. The understanding of mental illness was very small, but the animalistic treatment of patients was disgusting. William Hogarth depicts Bethlam, the largest mental illness hospital in Britain, in his 1733 painting The Madhouse1. The public’s view of mental illness was very poor and many people underestimated how mentally ill some patients were. The public and the doctors’ view on insanity was changing constantly, making it difficult to treat those who were hospitalized2. â€Å"Madhouses† became a dumping ground for people in society that could not be handled by the criminal justice system. People who refused to work, single mothers, and children who refused to follow orde rs were being sent to mental illness hospitals3. A lack of understanding was the main reason for the ineptness of the health system to deal with the mentally ill, but the treatment of the patients was cruel and inhumane. The British’s handling of mentally ill patients was in disarray. The knowledge of mental illness was very small. Doctors did not understand how to diagnosis or treat mental disorders. They did not understand how the brain functioned and what to expect from people in certain situations. Many symptoms of physical illness today were considered mental illness in the eighteenth century. The constant shaking due to Parkinson’s disease was misinterpreted as a mental condition and treated as such4. These patients were placed into... ...glish Madness. 55. 18. Scull, â€Å"Moral Treatment Reconsidered.† 107. 19. Scull, â€Å"Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† 11. 20. Scull, â€Å"Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† 11. 21. Scull, â€Å"Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† 14. Bibliography Hogarth, William. The Madhouse. 1733. Scull, Andrew. â€Å"Moral Treatment Reconsidered: Some Sociological Comments on an Episode in the History of British Psychiatry.† In Madhouses, Mad-doctors and Madmen, edited by Andrew Scull. 105-121. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981). Scull, Andrew. â€Å"The Social History of Psychiatry in the Victorian Era.† In Madhouses, Mad-doctors and Madmen, edited by Andrew Scull, 5-35. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. Skultans, Vieda. English Madness: Ideas on Insanity 1580-1890. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1979.

Cover Bands :: essays research papers

Is the cover a good thing or a bad thing? Are there any cover songs that you have heard and have grown to like more than the original? Perhaps there are songs that you have heard and have later come to the realization that it is indeed a cover song. This is the case for me. However, my feelings on cover songs vary depending on the particular instance. I think the cover is a good thing now days. There are many new songs that I have heard and have later realized that it is a cover song. I probably would have never heard the original song if it wasn’t covered. On the other hand, in the 50s when rock and roll was building a foundation for itself, I believe that cover songs were a bad thing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I would like to explain why I believe that cover songs are now a good thing. â€Å"Behind Blue Eyes† covered by Limp Bizkit is a song that I would have never heard had it not been covered. The Who originally recorded this song in 1971. Limp Bizkit is an alternative band that many younger people have great interest in. Many people my age are not as interested in what is now called â€Å"Classic Rock† as they are in alternative music. Therefore, this song would have never been heard if it wasn’t for Limp Bizkit. Another good example of a song that has been covered is â€Å"Simple Man† by Shinedown. This song was originally recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1973. This is another example of a song that younger generations would not have heard if it wasn’t covered by Shinedown. However, a person may ask â€Å"Is it fair for the original artist if one of their songs is covered?† I believe the answer to this question is yes. M any artists that have covered songs have also had their songs covered. This causes a never-ending loop of music that seeks different genres of music and also people of different ages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other hand, I believe that cover songs in the 50s were a bad thing. These songs were covered for different purposes than they are today. Race was the primary issue as to why many songs were covered. Perhaps the key song for rock and roll that has been covered is â€Å"Rock Around the Clock† originally recorded by Sonny Dae and His Knights in 1954.

Pschological assessment Essay

Section A Write an essay on the process you would follow in developing a psychological assessment measure. Discuss the steps that you would take in this process, including how you would choose items for your test, how you would evaluate the reliability and validity of your test, and the issue of establishing norms. Discuss the theory comprehensively and illustrate your understanding with an example or examples. Introduction The process of developing a psychological test is a complex and lengthy one. ( Foxcroft & Roodt, 2001) but aspects related to the planning of a psychological test are not always sufficiently emphasised and sometimes not mentioned at all ( Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 1997). When the test is to be used in a multicultural context, attention needs to be paid to the cultural relevance (and potential bias) of the test right from the planning and design phase instead of only being sensitive to cultural aspects from the item writing phase onwards. Also given that we do not have a long history of developing culturally appropriate tests applicable to diverse groups in South Africa, test developers need to grapple with basic issues such as what methods of test administration might be appropriate or inappropriate for certain cultural groups and what language to develop the test in, for example. More time needs to be spent in the planning phase exploring and critically considering test design issues. Planning phase The first and most important step in developing psychological measures is the planning phase. Planning involves writing out the skeleton of what one aims to achieve. Careful though needs to go into deciding on the aim of the measure, defining the content of the measure and key elements of the test plan. a test plan consists of the following aspects: (a) specifying the purpose and rationale for the test as well as the intended target population, (b) defining the construct (content domain) and creating a set of test specifications to guide item writing, (c) choosing the test format, (d) choosing the item format, and (e) specifying the administration and scoring methods (Robertson, 1990). Specifying the aim of the measure The first step is to state the aim of the measure, the construct I will use and how the outcome will be used. If I am conducting this study in South Africa I will also need to mention that the measure will be used in a multicultural society. I would need to elaborate on what I mean by multicultural by highlighting the context. I would state the age of the test takers and their educational status. The information concluded above is important because it may have an impact on the test specifications and design. I would need to state whether the test would be paper-based or computer-based. When that decision is made I would need to consider whether the test-takers are familiar with such tests. The test takers may underperform on the evaluation because they are not proficient in the instrument of measure. This may impact the validity of the study to be conducted. I would also need to ascertain whether the test will be administered individually or in a group setting. Because psychological constructs are brewed in western societies, the emphasis is on individualism. When working in a multicultural society, however, it is important to consider the norms of the society I would be working in. In some cultures, for example, the group identity is valued over the individual identity. This could have an effect on the content of the measure. Defining the content of the measure Here I need to figure out what I want to measure and why. This will show me what to focus on during the other steps. A working definition of the construct is needed. This includes identifying exactly what I aim to get out of this research study. To do this I need to embark on a comprehensive literature review. I will see how my topic has been investigated in the past and spot the gaps. I can now make the decision on whether I am conducting a new study or adapting an existing study into the South African context. Later I will need to make the same decision on the instrument I will use for data gathering. Since I would be working in South Africa, I need to decide on whether separate norms should be developed for test takers from advantaged and disadvantaged schooling backgrounds and/or for urban and rural areas. I would assemble a team of content, language and cultural experts to scrutinise the content being developed. Nell (1994) states that  language is a critical moderator variable of test performance. If the test taker is not proficient in that language, it is difficult to ascertain whether poor performance is due to language or communication difficulty or that the test-taker has a low level of the construct being measured. I would produce the test in a bilingual format and specify the source language. Work would need to be done to ensure that the construct is meaningful for each group. Developing the test plan (specifications) Once the construct to be assessed has been defined and operationalised, a decision needs to be reached regarding what approach will be employed to guide the development of the test content and specifications. Decisions will be made regarding the format to be used (open-ended items, forced-choice items etc.), how they will be scored (objective or subjective tests), and whether time limits will be imposed. The language and cultural experts are once again needed during this step. Sometimes psychological constructs, conceptualised in western society, do not have a known equivalent in African discourse. For such constructs the translated version would need to explain the construct in a way that is closest to the English meaning. This will require more time for the African language test taker. The test specification should eliminate the possibility of construct bias. The format therefore needs to be standardised for a variety of cultural groups or it should at least include items that will be considered easy, moderate and difficult by all groups. Although these steps follow after each other, I will need to go backwards and forwards to ensure content and construct validity. Item writing The second step is item writing. Once the test specifications have been finalised, the team of experts writes or develops the items. The trend in South Africa has been to simply adapt an already made test to accommodate South African test takers. This is not necessarily the easier option. Firstly, concepts are not always understood in the same way in different societies. For example, the term depression is sometimes taken to mean with  very sad in some societies. It is therefore important to ensure construct validity even for an English test given to English mother tongue speakers of a different society to that of the tests’ origin. If the assessment measure will be administered to children, face validity will be ensured through the use of big writing, use of colour and drawings. The length of the items should also be considered. With every step of items writing reliability is ensured. Reviewing the items An item bank is then developed and items reviewed in terms of whether they meet the content specification and whether they are well written. Items which do not meet the specifications are removed from the bank before it can be used to generate criteria-referenced tests. The team of experts should focus on both content validity and indicate whether the items are from stereotyping and potential bias. The experts will then return the item list with recommendations. They will need to be re-written or revised. Assembling and pre-testing the experimental version of the measure Items need to be arranged in a logical way. Since we are dealing with a multicultural society, we need to ensure that the items are balanced and on appropriate pages. The length of the items in each category needs to be finalised. For long problems based items, time adjustments need to be made. A decision would have been made with regards to whether the test is paper-based or computer-based. The appropriate apparatus needs to be made available. The  Pre-testing the experimental version of the measure The test items have to be administered to a large group of examinees. This sample should be representative of the population for which the eventual test is intended. This will be the norm group. Items analysis phase During this phase items are checked for relevance. Again we see if each item is reliable and valid to the study. The characteristics of the items can be evaluated using the classical test theory or the item response theory. At the item level, the CTT model is relatively simple. CTT does not invoke a complex theoretical model to relate an examinee’s ability to success on a particular item. Instead, CTT collectively considers a pool of examinees and empirically examines their success rate on an item (assuming it is dichotomously scored). This success rate of a particular pool of examinees on an item, well known as the p value of the item, is used as the index for the item difficulty (actually, it is an inverse indicator of item difficulty, with higher value indicating an easier item). The ability of an item to discriminate between higher ability examinees and lower ability examinees is known as item discrimination, which is often expressed statistically as the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between the scores on the item (e.g., 0 and 1 on an item scored right-wrong) and the scores on the total test. When an item is dichotomously scored, this estimate is often computed as a point-biserial correlation coefficient. IRT, on the other hand, is more theory grounded and models the probabilistic distribution of examinees’ success at the item level. As its name indicates, IRT primarily focuses on the item-level information in contrast to the CTT’s primary focus on test-level information. The IRT framework encompasses a group of models, and the applicability of each model in a particular situation depends on the nature of the test items and the viability of different theoretical assumptions about the test items. Revising and standardizing the final version of the measure Once the qualitative and quantitative information has been gathered, the test is administered to the large sample for standardization. All the items that were found to be unclear are simplified. Vocabulary and grammar is corrected. Split-half reliability is assessed. The translated version is checked through back translation (into the source language). The items are finalised for the test. The final database is used to check on reliability  and validity. The administration and scoring instruction may need to be modified. Then the final version is administered. Technical evaluation and establishing norms The items can be analysed using the item response theory. The characteristics of each item may be represented graphically be means of a graph which relates an individuals’ ability score with their probability of passing the items. Items with large variances are selected. The scores obtained by the norm group in the final test form are referred to as the norms of the test. To compare an individual’s score with the norms, their raw score will be converted to the same kind of derived score as that in which the test norms are reported (e.g. percentile ranks, McCall’s T scores etc). Publishing and ongoing refinements A test manual is compiled before a measure published. The manual should make information on the psychometric properties of the test easily understandable. It will be updated from time to time as more information becomes available. Section B List the steps that should be followed in the adaption of an assessment measure for cross-cultural application and briefly explain what each step means. 1. Reasons for adapting measures  Cross-cultural assessment has become a sensitive issue due to specific concerns regarding the use of standardized tests across cultures. By adapting an instrument, the researcher is able to compare the already-existing data with newly acquired data, thus allowing for cross-cultural studies both on the national and international level. Adaptations also can conserve time and expenses (Hambleton, 1993). Test adaptation can lead to increased fairness in assessment by allowing individuals to be assessed in the language of their choice (Hambleton & Kanjee, 1995). 2. Important considerations when adapting measures The test can be compromised if there are problems between the test takers and the administrator. The administrator should therefore familiar with the culture of the test-taker. They cannot take it for granted that the test taker will be exposed to the format of the test. This could lead to the score representing a lack of skill with regards to the format of the test instead of measuring the construct being assessed. Some languages, like isiZulu, require more time to be spent reading therefore would require more time to complete. 3. Designs for adapting measures Before selecting an assessment instrument for use in counseling or research, counselors and researchers are trained to verify that the test is appropriate for use with their population. This includes investigation of validity, reliability, and appropriate norm groups to which the population is to be compared. Validity and reliability take on additional dimensions in cross-cultural testing as does the question of the appropriate norm group. The instrument must be validly adapted, the test items must have conceptual and linguistic equivalence, and the test and the test items must be bias free (Fouad, 1993; Geisinger, 1994). Two basic methods for test adaptation have been identified: forward translation and back-translation. In forward translation, the original test in the source language is translated into the target language and then bilinguals are asked to compare the original version with the adapted version (Hambleton, 1993; 1994). In back-translation, the test is translated into the target language and then it is re-translated back to the source language. This process can be repeated several times. Once the process is complete, the final back-translated version is compared to the original version (Hambleton, 1994). Each of these adaptation processes has their strengths and limitations. 4. Bias analysis and differential item functioning Another issue that must be considered in cross-cultural assessment is test bias. The test user must ascertain that the test and the test items do not systematically discriminate against one cultural group or another. Test bias  may occur when the contents of the test are more familiar to one group than to another or when the tests have differential predictive validity across groups (Fouad, 1994). Culture plays a significant role in cross-cultural assessment. Whenever tests developed in one culture are used with another culture there is the potential for misinterpretation and stagnation unless cultural issues are considered. Issues of test adaptation, test equivalence and test bias must be considered in order to fully utilize the benefit of cross-cultural assessment. 5. Steps for maximizing success in test adaption Hembleton (2004) summarised nine key steps that should be addressed when adapting or translating assessment instruments. 6. Challenges related to test adaption in south Africa A disadvantage of adaptation includes the risk of imposing conclusions based on concepts that exist in one culture but may not exist in the other. There are no guarantees that the concept in the source culture exists in the target culture (Lonner & Berry, 1986). Another disadvantage of adapting existing tests for use in another culture is that if certain constructs measured in the original version are not found in the target population, or if the construct is manifested in a different manner, the resulting scores can prove to be misleading (Hambleton, 1994). Despite the difficulties associated with using adapted instruments, this practice is important because it allows for greater generalizability and allows for investigation of differences among a growing diverse population. Once the test has been adapted, test equivalence must be determined. Reference Foxcroft, C.D. & Roodt, G. (2009). An introduction to psychological assessment in South Africa. Johannesburg: Oxford University Press Hambleton, R. K. (2001). The next generation of the ITC Test Translation and Adaptation Guidelines. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 17, 164-172. Hambleton, R. K. (2004). Issues, designs, and technical guidelines for adapting tests into multiple languages and cultures. In R. K. Hambleton, P. F. Merenda, & C. D. Spielberger (Eds.), Adapting educational and psychological tests for cross-cultural assessment (pp. 3-38). Mahwah,NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Van Ede, D.M. (1996). How to adapt a measuring instrument for use with various cultural groups: a practical step-by-step introduction. South African Journal of Higher Education, 10, 153-160.

Personal Ethics

Personal Ethics In day to day living we all face challenges and have to make decisions that affect our lives and the lives of those around us. These decisions are made based upon a person’s ethics, morals and values in which help to define a person’s character. In this paper this author will define her own personal morals, ethics and values and explain how they relate to her nursing practice. Loyalty, passion, motivation and inspiration will also be discussed in this paper Merriam Webster describes ethics as â€Å"the principles of conduct that governs an individual or group. Ethics are personal and are actions one takes on himself. Morals on the other hand are usually set up and passed on by society. Morals are not necessarily one’s own. Morals can be explained as write or wrong behaviors or actions. Values according to Merriam Webster dictionary help to promote sound functioning and strengthen society. We learn values or the things that are important to us fro m our families or other people that may be influential to us.As this author reflects upon her own personal ethics, morals and values it is important to know what brought me to the place that I am now. This author has many passions and one of the greatest is a passion for life. That is what brought me to the nursing career that I have grown to know and love. A personal decision was made many years ago in my own life to help others and to always try to prevent harm to myself and others.As my grandfather lay dying I watched nurses treat him and my family with so much dignity and compassion that I knew from that moment 15 years ago that I would spend the rest of my life as a nurse and would treat others with the same compassion and respect that we were given, I knew that was who I wanted to be. I found motivation to achieve this goal through my children. It was important for this author to be a good role model and teach my children that they could achieve any goal they desire if they wo rk hard and stay motivated.This same motivation is used daily in my nursing career as well. I consciously think about how and why I became a nurse and never want to lose that drive, or compassion that got me to where I am today. Inspiration is often found from my family to continue to care for others and their families, however; one of the biggest inspirations I can think of is when I have cared for someone’s loved one and after doing so am told how grateful they are that I am a nurse and that I took care of them. Having a positive effect on my patients’ lives is very motivating.There are times in nursing where patients die no matter what you attempt to do and this can damper a nurses inspiration so it is important to find what does inspire you so that you can look back on that inspiration when needed. Loyalty is also important in many aspects. Loyalty for this nurse is important at work not only to the facility that employs me but also to the team that I work with. Ha ving loyalty produces trust in our team which in turns makes for a safer environment for our patients. At the same time loyalty is found for my family and God.If a nurse is aware of his/her own individual moral compass this may allow them to understand the needs of patients better. A nurse may be faced with a patient that has different religious believes than the nurse but this should not in any way affect the care the patient receives. The nurse should assist the patient in practicing what is comfortable for the patient to ensure the patients’ needs are fully met. The same thing applies for cultures that differ from our own. Some cultures prefer that the man of the house make all medical decisions.The nurse should be aware of this and address the situation with respect so as not to offend the patient or the family. Doing so may help the family to trust the nurse and her clinical judgment more. Our own personal values, morals, or ethics should never hinder the care that is gi ven to a patient but at times it does get in the way. I have heard nurses and doctors voice that a patient was nothing but a drug addict because he had tattoos all over his body. Therefore pain remained unaddressed with the patient because the patient looked different than the staff caring for him.This patients morals may have been different from the staffs, but in no way should have hindered his care. The same thing has been said about patients who come in the ER that have rotted teeth. The staff always assumes that the patient is a meth addict and treats them differently, sometimes hatefully. It may very well be that the patient is just poor, had bad oral hygiene, or maybe was just born with bad teeth. These patients all too often are made to suffer with pain as well because the doctor refuses to medicate because he/she feels the patient is a drug addict.We all come from diverse ethical backgrounds that were taught to us by family, friends, teachers and others that are deemed impo rtant in our lives. Every individual should have their own ethical standards but they work best when we strive to do well and not harm others or ourselves with our ethical believes. We can always strive to raise the bar for own ethical believes, standards, and morals while at the same time respecting others. Reference Weber, S. (2009). The Moral Compass of Nursing. Advance for Nurses. Retrieved from http://advanceweb. com/Article/The-Moral-Compass-Of-Nursing. aspx