Breast Cancer Essay Example for Free

Breast Cancer Essay In regard to its origin, dynamics and consequences breast cancer can be considered to be the second leading cause of cancer death among US and European women (Smith-Bindman et al, 2003).   Every year over 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and though statistical data remains constant, the issue gets significant psychological and public resonance (Jemal et al, 2004). The overall lifetime risk for American women constitutes 1:8, which essentially means that out of eight females born today, one will receive a breast cancer diagnosis during her lifetime (Ogden, 2004).    Mortality rates are highest among older African American women (American Cancer Society, 2001).   Simultaneously, statistics reveals that diseased woman’s life expectancy decreases by nineteen years. Although medical scientists and practitioners debate on the methods regarding disease treatment and how to diminish the number of breast cancer cases, many public health analysts indicate about an education exigency of young people.   Despite the fact that the younger generations are not aware of the importance of detecting breast cancer early, with the help of teens getting involved and teaching others about breast cancer, more lives will be saved. The educational program developed for young people to prevent, forecast and diminish consequences of breast cancer involves several important aspects.   Primarily, audience should know the essence of the disease, in particular its nature, various risk factors associated with it and methods of its prevention.   Younger generation should be informed about how breast cancer or its first signs could be detected, what constitutes post-diagnosis procedure and treatments of the disease.    However, from the critical point of view, the main objective of such programs is to prevent the appearance of the disease and decrease to the minimum lethal consequences.   This primary concern and emphasis are stipulated with the conditions under which if breast cancer is detected on its early stages, patients have from 78% to 92% survival rate (Ogden, 2004:10). Breast cancer is considered to be a group of undifferentiated cells reproducing under extremely rapid rate in the area of the breast in women.   The earliest changes usually appear in the epithelial cells of the terminal end buds of the breast milk system, where new cancer cells form tumors.   If cancer cell are active, the tumor increases at significant rate and may result in metastasis. Being a complex process in which cells are separated from their initial tumors and supplied trough blood and lymph systems to other organs, metastasis spreads the cancer throughout the body.   According to generally accepted medical practice, if size of a lump does not exceed one centimeter, it is indicated as benign (Hart, 1999), however, in every case adequate medical consultation should be provided. Medical specialists distinguish risk factors for breast cancer that individual can change and those that cannot be affected (Barton, 2005).   Constant risk factors are considered to be being a woman, getting older, having a family history as well as previous breast cancer history, having radiation therapy to the chest area, being Caucasian, getting periods young, usually before 12 years old, having late menopause, never having children and having genetic mutation that increases individual’s risk. There were several studies conducted regarding genetic mutation for breast cancer, and it was disclosed that 3%-10% of breast cancers are related to changes in either gene BRCA1 or the gene BRCA2 (Ogden, 2004).   Simultaneously, younger audience should be taught that along with so called uncontrolled risk factors, there are several factors that can be affected by individual’s behavior. Thus, taking hormone replacement therapy, birth control pills, not breastfeeding, moderate and heavy alcohol drinking, being overweight and not exercising can actually being qualified as risk factors for breast cancer, though not as much important as gender, age and family history (Barton, 2005:28). However, factors mentioned above can be controlled by every woman in order to reduce chances of developing a breast malignancy.   From the practical point of view, cancer risk factors are based on probabilities, therefore proper screening and early detection remain to be the most adequate methods in reducing the mortality associated with breast cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the education process, the main thing that should be emphasized is that the effectiveness of treatment is directly related to the stage on which a breast cancer is detected (Barton, 2005; Ogden, 2004).   The common medical practice indicates that regular mammography screening allows decreasing the mortality of breast cancer by 30% (Hart, 1999:144), which means that every woman should get a yearly mammogram starting from age 40 or even earlier.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the mammography screening, the x-ray picture sometimes detects various substances in the breast, essence, character and nature of which is not recognizable and thus, it may provoke unnecessary worrying of both patient and health professional (Barton , 2005).   Young woman are recommended to have a compulsory clinical breast exam done by a health professional.   In addition, during clinical breast exam everywoman has an opportunity to learn how to conduct self-examination for lumps and shape of the breast. One should not underestimate the value of clinical breast exams or self-examination because 15% of tumors are felt but cannot be detected by regular mammographic screening (Fletcher et al, 2003:1674).   Although a lump in the breast is the most common way women discover a breast cancer, younger women should understand that any changes in a breast require further medical consultation and investigation.   Among the clinical tests that are conducted in modern oncological clinics, some women are a chance to know if they have a chance of getting the disease by simply tracing back cases of breast cancer throughout   the history of relatives. Contemporary oncologists consider the following signs to be those that require immediate attention from health specialist: Thickening or density in the breast or underarm; Ulcerated or inverted nipple; Puckered or dimple skin; Redness or swelling of the breast; A lump near the breast, including the underarm, collarbone and neck (Ogden, 2004:20-22). If these abnormalities have been detected, and it should be specifically emphasized during the education program, individual should get immediate consultation (physical exam) from a health professional, get a mammogram and possibly an ultrasound, and visit a breast surgeon for examination if needed.   Contemporary medicine possesses various treatment techniques for breast cancer, in particular, radiotherapy, toxic chemotherapy combinations, hormonal treatments and prophylactic mastectomies are used to treat early lesions. 20-year follow-up data from the NSABP B-06 trial (Mirshahidi, 2004:25) have confirmed that radiation therapy clearly decreases the rate of locoregional recurrence in patients who undergo lumpectomy. Usually, radiation treatment is given after, rather than before, chemotherapy (Mirshahidi, 2005:24). Newer radiation techniques include partial breast irradiation, partial breast irradiation and brachytherapy, and interstitial brachytherapy. These techniques are under investigation and, at this point, may be used in the context of a clinical trial (Giap, 2004). Another effective treatment of the disease, adjuvant treatment, is defined as the use of systemic therapy for microscopic metastatic disease after surgical resection of the primary tumor. Chemotherapy and antiestrogen therapy are the two major forms of adjuvant treatment, and patients may be given one or both. A meta-analysis conducted by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists Collaborative Group (Mirshahidi, 2004: 25) showed the benefit of adjuvant therapy in premenopausal and postmenopausal women and in women with node-negative and node-positive disease. Breast cancer can affect almost every individual, however there are certain risk factors according to which one woman has more chances for breast cancer diagnosis.   From the statistical point of view, the lifetime risk of any woman getting the disease is about 1:8, however the lifetime risk of dying from breast cancer is lower than 1:28 (Ogden, 2004). General education about the disease, possible risk factors and various screening and detection methods allow women to notice the disease or its signs before giving it a chance to spread.   Simultaneously, education and enhanced awareness of younger generation regarding a breast cancer reveals new opportunities in preventing the disease, its consequences and diminishing lethal cases. References American Cancer Society. (2001). Cancer facts and figures, 2001 (Publication No. 5008.96).   Ã‚  Ã‚   Atlanta: American Cancer Society Hamid R. Mirshahidi, MD Jame Abraham, MD. (2004). Managing early breast    cancer.  Postgraduate Medicine.  Minneapolis: Oct. 116(4), 23-27 Joy Ogden (2004). Understanding Breast Cancer, Wiley, 2004 Diane Hart. (1999).  Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Plastic Surgical Nursing.  Pitman:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fall.19(3): 137-145 Wylie Burke (2005). â€Å"Taking Family History Seriously†, Annals of Internal Medicine.    Philadelphia: 143(5):388-390 Huan B Giap (2004). â€Å"Accelerated breast brachytherapy: an effective and convenient alternative   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   for selected patients with early-stage breast cancer.† Women’s Oncology Review. Boca   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Raton: 4(4):251-261 Mary B. Barton, MD (2005) â€Å"Breast cancer screening.†Ã‚  Postgraduate Medicine.  Minneapolis:   Ã‚   Aug 118(2):  27-35 Fletcher S.W, Elmore J.G. (2003). â€Å"Clinical practice. Mammographic screening for breast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   cancer.† New England Journal of Medicine; 348(17):1672-80 Smith-Bindman R., Chu P.W, Miglioretti D.L., et al. (2003). â€Å"Comparison of screening mammography in the United States and the United Kingdom.† JAMA; 290(16):2129-37 Jemal A, Clegg LX, Ward E, et al.( 2004). Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer,    1975-2001, with a special feature regarding survival. Cancer; 101(1):3-27

Theories of child development

Theories of child development Describe and evaluate two stage theories of child development Developmental psychologists use theories to formulate hypotheses. There are three main, very broad families of theories related to child development. These are Psychoanalytical Theory, Learning Theory and Cognitive-Developmental Theory. Theories within each of these families attempt to provide developmentalists with comprehensive explanations of just about every facet of human development. Psychoanalytic Theories (e.g. Freud and Erikson) propose that developmental change happens because of the influence of internal drives and emotions on behaviour. Learning Theories (e.g. Pavlov, Bandura etc.) propose that development results from an accumulation of experiences. Cognitive-Developmental Theories (e.g. Piaget and Vygotsky) emphasise the mental processes in development. Freuds Psychosexual Theory is an example of a Psychoanalytical Theory. Freud mainly worked with adults who were suffering from severe mental illnesses and he used his findings to base his work on development. He concluded that behaviour is governed by both conscious and unconscious thought processes and he believed that the libido is the motivating force behind most of our behaviour. One of the main parts of Freuds theory is his idea that a persons personality is divided into 3 parts called the id, the ego and the superego. The id is a persons basic sexual and aggressive impulses. The id contains the libido and motivates a person to seek pleasure and avoid pain. The ego is the conscious, thinking part of a persons personality. One of its main jobs is to keep the needs of the id satisfied. It is also responsible for keeping the three components of personality in balance. Finally, the superego is the part of our personality that acts as a moral judge. When the superego has developed, t he egos task becomes much more difficult. It must satisfy the id without violating the superegos rules. According to Freud, a person experiences tension when any of the three components is in conflict with another. He believed that sexual feelings are vital to personality development however he only believed this because many of his patients had memories of sexual feelings and behaviour in childhood. Freuds most controversial idea was regarding childrens experiences of sexual attraction towards the opposite-sex parent during the phallic stage. He termed these ‘The Oedipus Conflict for a male child and ‘The Electra Complex if the child was female. For example, The Oedipus Conflict states that a male child has sexual feelings for his mother but fears that his father will find out and castrate him. Freud proposed a series of psychosexual stages. He believed that a child passes through each one of these stages. These stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. He believed that during each stage the libido is fixed around a certain area of the body and a major developmental task takes place. For example, in the oral stage, which Freud believed occurred from birth and lasted until the child was one year old, libido is said to be focussed on the mouth, lips and tongue. Freud believed that during this stage the major developmental task that took place was weaning. In the anal stage, libido is focussed on the anus and toilet training takes place. This usually occurs at ages 1 to 3 years old. In the phallic stage, focus is on the genitals (as it is in the genital stage) and this is where the child tries to resolve the Oedipus/Electra complex. Freud thought that the latency period is not really a psychosexual stage as the libido is not focussed on the body during this period a nd therefore, fixation is impossible. Freud went on to state that if an adult is fixated at one of these stages, they will have certain recognisable characteristics. For example, if an adult is fixated at the oral stage they will develop characteristics such as smoking, overeating, passivity and gullibility. According to Freud, optimum development requires an environment that will satisfy the unique needs of each period. Freuds Psychosexual Theory has been praised because it provides a psychological explanation for mental illness and it emphasises the importance of experiences in infancy and early childhood. It also highlights the importance of the childs earliest relationships with their caregivers. It suggests that a childs needs change with age, so parents and caregivers must continually adapt to the changing child. Eriksons Psychosocial Theory supports Freuds Theory. Erikson (1963) was a neo-Freudian which means that his ideas were built on the strengths of Freuds Theory but he attempted to avoid the weaknesses. Erikson proposed that personality develops in eight psychosocial stages over the course of the lifespan. He believed that personality develops through eight life crises across the entire lifespan. A person finishes each crisis with either a good or poor resolution. The theory also provided psychologists with a number of helpful concepts (e.g. id, ego, superego, unconscious etc) and many o f these terms are not used in everyday language and not just in psychological theory. Freud is often credited with the invention of psychotherapy, which is still practiced today. However, there are many theorists that disagree with Freuds ideas. For example, Baldwin (1967) states that one of the main criticisms of Freuds work is that it focus upon our thoughts and feelings, which presents many methodological problems. Baldwin goes on to comment on the fact that many of the terms that Freud uses (e.g. id, ego etc.) have not been operationalised. Operational definitions of the key terms are vital to a scientific theory as we need precise definitions in order to test the theories properly. This therefore means that the theory is not falsifiable. Freuds theory has also been criticised because of the evidence it presents. As stated earlier, much of the support for Freuds theory came from his own patients, who he used as case studies. He mainly chose to study women as he saw them as being inferior and this meant that his theory displays some very patriarchal issues and can be viewed as being very negative to women, something which feminists have argued for years. Piagets Cognitive-Developmental Theory is used to emphasise the mental processes in development. Piaget (1974) believed that all children seem to go through the same sequence of discoveries about their world, making the same mistakes and arriving at the same solutions. A scheme is an internal cognitive structure that provides an individual with a procedure to use in a specific circumstance. This is a main idea in Piagets model. Piaget believed that each of us starts life with a small repertoire of sensory and motor schemes, such as looking, tasting, touching, hearing, and reaching. As we use each scheme it starts to work better. Piaget proposed 3 processes in order to explain how children get from built-in schemes, such as looking and touching, to the complex mental schemes used in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Assimilation is the process by which we use a scheme to make sense of an event or situation. The complementary process is accommodation, which involves changing the sc heme as a result of some new information acquired through assimilation. Through accommodation we improve our skills and reorganise our ways of thinking. Equilibration is the process of balancing assimilation and accommodation to create schemes that fit the environment. Piagets research suggested to him that logical thinking evolves in four stages. During the sensorimotor stage, from birth to 18 months, infants use their sensory and motor schemes to act on the world around them. In the preoperational stage, from 18 months to 6 years, children acquire symbolic schemes, such as language and fantasy, which they use in thinking and communicating. Next, is the concrete operational stage, 6-12 year olds begin to think logically and become capable of solving problems. The final stage is the formal operational stage. Here, adolescents learn to think logically about abstract ideas and hypothetical situations. Piaget believed that each stage comes from the one before it, and each involves major restructuring of the childs way of thinking. Research has confirmed that the sequence of stages is fixed and that children progress through them at different rates. Conservation studies, such as those carried out by Ciancio et al (1999) and Sophian (1995), have generally confirmed Piagets observations. Although it does seem as though younger children can demonstrate some understanding of conservation if the task is made very simple, most children cannot consistently solve conservation and other kinds of logical problems until at least the age of 5. However, Boyd and Bee (2008) state that preschoolers are a great deal more cognitively sophisticated than Piaget thought. Boyd and Bee believe that children, as young as 2 and 3, do appear to understand that another person sees and experiences things differently than they do. This therefore suggests that Piaget may have been wrong about some of the ages at which children develop certain skills. However, Bringuier (1980) counter-criticises this by recognising that the age ranges of each of the stages were always meant to be approximate. Piaget may also be wrong about the generality of the stages. For e xample, Boyd and Bee (2008) suggest that most 8 year olds show concrete operational thinking on some tasks but not on others, and they are more likely to show complex thinking on familiar rather than unfamiliar tasks. This therefore suggests that the process of child development may be a lot less stage-like than Piaget first suggested. Piatelli-Palmarini (1980) and Turiel (1996) go on to further argue this point by suggesting that it is very difficult to provide evidence for Piagets theory if the behaviour he suggests is very rarely, if ever, consistent with actually happens. This theory helps to explain how children of different ages think about and act on the world. Piagets research findings have been replicated in nearly every culture since his work was first published in the 1920s. Therefore, not only did he formulate a new theory which forced psychologists to think about child development in a new way, he also provided a set of findings that were impossible to ignore and difficult to explain. He also developed innovative methods of studying childrens thinking that continue to be important today. Feldman (2004) states that the question of how a child moves from one stage to another has been discussed between many critics of Piagets theory. For example, Gruber and Voneche (1977) and Karmiloff-Smith (1992) believe that Piagets stages should not longer be considered by theorists because they are unnecessary. However, Piaget knew that the stages he proposed would have to be modified. Feldman (2004) attempted to present a contemporary version of Piagets stages that he hoped would work better to express Piagets vision of what the stages are intended to represent. Feldman went on to state that a child may not actually behave in ways consistent with the principles of the operating system or overall set of cognitive structures of his or her stage. Feldman (2004) suggests that Piagets idea of equilibration has caused much controversy between theorists with many making efforts to interpret, clarify, critique and revise the concept. Feldman goes on to say that Piaget himself was not satisfied with the way that equilibration explains in detail how the transitions between the stages take place. Piaget (1975) tried to discover an elaborated version of equilibration so as to better capture movement from stage to stage within his theory. The main problem with equilibration is that it lacks a lot of detail. Most critics seem to agree that it is correct, but it leaves many unanswered questions. When equilibration processes are contrasted with structures as a whole, lots of problems arise for the theory. According to Siegler and Munakato (1993) the equilibration model forces us to choose to accept unrealistic transitions that occur from stage to stage or to abandon the idea of structures as a whole. However, if this was to happen, some o f the theorys major claims would be abandoned. Feldman (1995) went on to adapt Piagets theory. In doing so, he adapted it in such a way that the equilibration process would continue to play a central role in cognitive structures, but it no longer has to carry the burden of stage transition alone. The Information Processing Theory supports Piagets Theory. This uses the computer as a model to explain intellectual processes such as memory and problem-solving. It suggests that there are both age differences and individual differences in the efficiency with which humans use their information-processing systems. This theory can be used to explain Piagets Theory. Case (1985) states that this is a neo-Piagetian theory which expands on Piagets Theory rather than contradicting it. However, Boyd and Bee (2008) state that Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory goes against what Piaget proposed. Vygotsky stated that complex forms of thinking have their origins in social interactions rather than in the childs private explorations, as Piaget thought.

The Next Generation Of Recycling Bins English Language Essay

The Next Generation Of Recycling Bins English Language Essay For many years people have practiced recycling. In old times, where resources were less abundant than today, people would be more conscious about reducing, reusing and recycling. On the other hand, people nowadays dont even bother to stop and think about what is going to happen once all raw materials on Earth are gone. They dont realize that once it is all used up, there will be no way to get some more anywhere else. What happens when people dont recycle is that all the recyclable products that are thrown away go straight into landfills altogether with other waste, and then it is all eventually lost. There is, however, a small part of the population who does contribute to the recycling process, but it is just a minority, the other part of the population either doesnt realize the significance of recycling or they just dont care. This small minority that helps recycling things includes some companies and important people. They have been trying to get more and more people involved in the recycling process. Even channels for children have created projects to motivate kids and teach them about the significance of recycling. For example, Disney Channel has its own project called Friends For Change, where they have the main goal of teaching kids how to help and care about the planet. That is very important because kids will grow up to be more conscious about the environment. On the other hand, older people are more complicated to convince or persuade that recycling is very important. Simple things have been created in order to help people recycle and motivate them to do it in their own houses, so they dont even have to go anywhere else to recycle because these recycling containers can be place in their kitchen or anywhere they want. There are many different designs with lots of different features. These bins have diverse purposes depending on what people are looking for. There are certain containers that include two compartments, one for recyclable products and the other one for other wastes. Other bins contain different compartments labeled so that each recyclable material can be placed on separate places. Some have pedals, so people dont have to use their hands to open up the trashcan; others have sensors so that the lid opens up automatically. Even though the containers sound like a great deal, it might not be that good of a deal because people have been complaining about the containers being too small, or too expensive, or too fragile and easily broken. A solution to this problem is to design and create a new improved container that will be made of stainless steel to make it more resistant and durable, that will contain larger compartments to place the trash or recyclable items, that will include an infrared sensor lid opener, and that will have a longer warranty period. Today in the United States, Americans use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year. At one time, aluminum was more expensive than gold. Thats not even including the 50 billion disposable plastic water bottles Americans use a year. That makes up almost 20% of the composition in an average dump. Bottles and cans are some of the easiest items to recycle but yet Americans still have trouble recycling them. Call it laziness or ignorance about the subject, but there should be more efficient advances to allow recycling bottles and cans easier for Americans. Most raw materials are resources that cannot be created or formed by human beings. That means the amount of these raw materials that exist in the planet are limited, and once they are used up completely by people, there is no way to produce more. This is why it is so important to think wisely when it comes to recycling or just throwing away valuable materials into the trash. For many years, it has been difficult to educate peopl e the significance of recycling, and these attempts have been unsuccessful because only a minority of the population has been contributing to the recycling process. The lack of care for the environment is just going to turn the world into a huge landfill. America has always been the place where everyone wants to come and live, but with statistics such as these soon there wont be anything but landfills. With that said, saving the environment should be a very important objective for Americans. Technology today is extremely advanced, yet there isnt any technological advance to sort out bottles and cans more efficiently. The recycling process in America today offers each household a pair of recycling bins to recycle plastics/glass bottles, empty soda cans, and other containers that are later recycled after a long process of separating wastes according to their composition. Every week, workers pick up these bins and take them back to the facility to sort the items in the bins, but the bottles and cans that are thrown in the trash by people, do not get recycled. These recyclable items make it to the landfills and take up valuable space that could be used for other waste. Most public places such as schools and shopping malls today have designated trash bins for glass/plastic bottles and aluminum cans, which really help the process of recycling. Yet people still dont always place those recyclable bottles and cans into those bins and they dont get recycled. In order to help the consumers recycle more efficiently, different types of containers for recyclable items have been developed. These developments make recycling much more convenient and assessable for the consumer. The consumers dont even have to leave their homes in order to recycle; it is just a matter of buying one of those containers. The problem is that some are expensive, some are very fragile and therefore easily broken, and some are just too small. More people in the world would recycle if only these recycling containers were built more for the consumers everyday use. Recycling is already a difficult task for many, so when a company produces a recycling device, it absolutely has to be exceptional. If not it would definitely discourage people from recycling. A simple example is the Neu Home 16-Gallon 2-Section Recycle Bin, which is a two-compartment recycle bin that holds 16 gallons/60 liters (8 gallons per compartment). It is made of stainless steel with plastic pullout buckets. It has a 30-day warranty and it is sold for $96.54. According to customer reviews, it is too expensive and not resistant at all, it is easily dented, and it is too small. The Plastic/Aluminum Recycling Center is another example. This container has superior quality, it is durable and it has unique disposal openings with recycle symbols and product labeling for clearly identification. It separates and stores recycling/trash material for easy removal and lower maintenance. It has a 55-gallon capacity (each compartment has a 27.5-gallon liner). It is sold for $240 plus $95 for shipping. Even though it is a good container and it seems resistant, the price is too high; therefore, people wont buy something that expensive. There are no reviews available for that contain er. Another example and one of the more advanced bins that there is for sale is the iTouchless 16 Gallon Recycling Containers with Infrared-Sensor Lid Openers, which holds 16 gallons/60 liters total and comes with two 8-gallon inner plastic buckets, one for trash and the other one for recycle. It works using the latest sensor technology, lid opens automatically and it remains open when your hands are 6 from the sensor. It brings open/close buttons for manual operation. It runs on 4 D-size batteries or optional AC-power adaptor. It has a 1-year manufacturers warranty and it is sold for $89.98. According to customer reviews, it is too fragile and easily broken because the lid is made of plastic, and the containers are small. In order to solve the problem of recycling and the containers, all of those models mentioned above should be improved by developing a new container that contains some of the pros of those already existing containers, and of course getting rid of the cons. First of all, the container cannot be made of plastic because it will be too fragile and it would probably break. It will have to be made of stainless steel bolts and hinges to make sure it is more resistant. The design can still have two buckets to store recyclable items, but instead of being capable of holding only 8 gallons per compartment, it will be made bigger so that it can hold at least 12 gallons per bucket (it cannot be made too big either because then it wont be feasible). The pedal mechanism can be removed because it can be easily damage or broken, so instead, the infrared-sensor will be kept so that it can open automatically. Each compartment will be properly labeled in order to identify where the trash and where the re cyclable items have to be placed. The device will work using the 4 D-size batteries or the optional AC-power adaptor. The container will have to include at least a 1-year warranty and an optional extended warranty. Ultimately our goal is to encourage recycling by developing this new and improved recycling container. By improving these recycling containers and developing one that is more efficient, people will be more motivated to purchase this type of recycling bins to recycle in their own homes. When people read bad reviews about products, they are less likely to buy it than when they read good comments about the product. Its just natural to not want to purchase a product that other consumers have negative encounters with. If the product is developed well, consumers get motivated in purchasing the improved container and in turn will start recycling more and fewer materials would be wasted. This would also reduced the size of the landfills and ultimately keep America a cleaner place. As a result, the benefits would not be only for people, but also for our environment because it would make the recycling process more effective. Feasibility Our idea to make a more productive and efficient recycling bin will be a feasible idea once we explain our reasoning in the following paragraph. For the already existing products we have described earlier in this essay, we will take the pros from those and what consumers have reviewed as best qualities about those recycling bins, and we will make something that is efficient in many areas that existing products lack. One of the problems with already existing models is the size and weight of the recycling bin. Our newly designed model will be made with high quality stainless steel, in a 12-gallon container, which will hold two compartments. The dimensions of this product will be approximately 36x 34.5 x 21.75 and it will weigh around 24 lbs; which will make it easier to handle. As for materials, most of the bin will be made from stainless steel as mentioned before and other features will include infrared-sensor. No plastic will be used because it has already been known to be too fragile and consumers were not happy with it. The cost of our product will be competitive with existing models. The cost of manufacturing the bin will be $92.50 and it will be sold on the market for $100.90. As for the installation of the product, the recycling bin will come already built in the box and all that will be needed to do is unwrap the packaging, install batteries or connect to AC power, and place in desired location for best accessibility. For best customer satisfaction, we have also decided to include one-year product warranty, therefore if there are any malfunctions the product will be fixed at no charge or replaced fully if needed. In addition, we will require consumers to take necessary measures to keep the recycle bin clean, especially around the infrared sensor area so it continues to work properly for years to come. It will also guarantee that if product is bought with battery power that it does not waste battery energy and will continue to work with one set of battery for at least one year, this in the long run will save the consumer expenses. This modern and advanced recycle bin will be best suited for an everyday household, where parents can also encourage and teach kids the importance of recycling. Given that the bin is sensory powered it will be easier for younger kids and for the elderly to operate the product since no foot-pedal mechanism is required, and will have a tightly shut lid that releases no odor and will work very silently to not be distracting. Conclusion Recycling saves the planet in many ways, for example, it reduces the amount of waste that is placed in the landfills, and therefore it lowers the pollution that those landfills create. Also, it reduces the amount of energy that it is used because it takes more energy to process new materials than already used materials. This is why recycling is so important and it is necessary that people start being conscious about our environment. They have to get used to the fact that everybody must start recycling if they want to conserve the planet. Thats why devices such as recycle/trash containers have been created, so that people can have the commodity of recycling in their own houses. As it was already mentioned, this containers need to be improved in order to satisfy peoples needs and that way more people will be motivated to buy this type of product for their homes. They need to be made resistant, durable, bigger, and they need to keep the advanced features as the infrared sensors so that it will automatically open. Future improvements with more technological advances could also be made to improve the recycling container. Even new types of containers can be developed. For example, in the future, it might be possible to develop a container that is able to automatically separate plastics from metals. It could have a metal detector so when it detects metal it places cans to one side and then when it doesnt detect metals, it can place plastics to the other side. Of course, it would only work by placing one item at a time. Another future improvement would be a container that is able to recognize recyclable from non-recyclable items, so that it would place regular trash in one side and recyclable products in another side. That would be even more complicated and it might not be feasible, but it would definitely help the recycling process because people wouldnt even have to place stuff in different compartments, just one compartment and the container would do the job of sorting the items out. People have already being working on designing new prototypes that are much more advanced and that have been made using the latest technology. Obviously, these devices are not for sale because they would be extremely expensive, so they are just prototypes for now. An example of one of these sophisticated devices is the Barcode Recycle Station, in which there are four bins, one for each type of recyclable material. When you scan an unknown item, the appropriate container will open up automatically. This prototype is an illustration that clearly shows that it is possible to make big improvements using the more advanced technology in order to develop better containers to help and motivate people to recycle. With new technological advances every day, it is likely that someday more efficient and affordable recyclable containers will be developed, allowing the standard recycling bins of today to be revolutionized to be capable of separating bottles from cans and recyclable products from tr ash that are being thrown into a bin. The use of stainless steel bolts and hinges instead of plastic, a larger compartment to store items, and a longer warranty for the recycling container would improve Americans mentality on recycling. These simple improvements to the trash bin would make America a much more efficient and environmentally friendly place to live.

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OF MICE AND MEN A novel by John Steinbeck Two Youngs, George e Lennie were going to Soledad to work in a farm. The two mans were friends for a lot of time. Lennie wasn’t sane, but he was a good guy and a strong worker: George looked after him. They were fleeing from an other farm in Weed, where Lennie caused umpteenth trouble because of the strange manias of Lennie who liked touching everything soft: he touched the dress of a girl who thought he wanted to maltreat her. Lennie and George had a dream: an own farm where they can do everything that they want to. In the new farm they knew the other worker and the con of the owner, Curley, a typical picker of quarrels: he was neurotic for his stature and Lennie was high. Soon they knew his wife too who, unhappy for her marriage, wandered around the farm to speak with someone on the sly and for her habit she didn’t have a good reputation. Candy, a worker of the farm, knew the projects of the two Youngs and he asked them if he had been able to join them because he had some money for the indemnity of an incident on work. George, Candy and Lennie made a pact and they foresaw that by a month they would have had their farm. Lennie liked touching the soft things and he spent a lot of time stroking some little dogs. A day, when he was in the stable where there were the dogs, while other people were playing in a different part of the farm, came into the room Curley’s wife who didn’t know Lennie’s character. Lennie told her about his pleasure in touching soft things and her let him to caress her hear. The man was seizing her by hear brutally. She was howling. He shook her accidentally, he broke her neck and she died.

Far from the madding crowd’ is set in the late 1860s to the early 1870s :: Free Essay Writer

Far from the madding crowd’ is set in the late 1860s to the early 1870s in Wessex, a fictional county based heavily on Dorset. Far From The Madding Crowd Thomas hardy was born in 1840 in Dorset which is located near Dorchester. Hardy's first important novel was Far from the Madding Crowd in which he successfully adapted to a traditional form to his own purposes, slightly changing it in the process. His novel states the importance of man's connection to, and understanding of, the natural world. The story is set in an agricultural rural community. He viewed the industrial revolution as a major threat to the communities he loved. The main character in this novel is a shepherd who is called Gabriel, this gives off a very pastoral mood in the novel. The plot develops complications when Bathsheba has love for three different men. Gabriel Oak who is the shepphard embodies Hardy's ideal of a life in harmony with the forces of the natural world. Throughout the entire novel there are unusual twists and turns and in the end Bathsheba ultimately marries Gabriel, whom she had turned away so long ago. In the story of all Thomas Hardy’s novels, both love and fate play major roles. In the first chapter we are introduced to Gabriel oak. He is a young sheppard. The main incident starts when Gabriel is walking in the countryside and he sees a wagon travelling down the road, and sees this young attractive woman is sitting on top if it. The Waggoner comes to a halt when they reached the gatekeeper and they had to pay a fee of three pence but the woman refused and only offered two pence. Gabriel stepped forward and paid the gatekeeper the rest of the fee and he insisted to let the women pass. ‘Far from the madding crowd’ is set in the late 1860s to the early 1870s in Wessex, a fictional county based heavily on Dorset. The village where Gabriel oak lives is in a small rural community. Many people such as Oak liked to hold onto their traditional views and values. Nowadays many of these views would be considered conservative and possibly outdated. Oak being a Shepard is very significant because it links back to the bible, so there are a lot of religious and biblical references in this novel. Most people went to church on Sunday. Church was very important. We learn that Gabriel Oak goes to church but doesn’t take it seriously. Hardy uses rural dialect to bring the minor characters to life, this gives them some personality. ‘Higgling matter’. Even though it is a winter’s day it is described as

The Fundamentals of Macroeconomics

Before being able to grasp what economics has to offer it is important to understand the terms and concepts that are frequently used in economic. This paper will consist of two parts, part one will explain six terms; gross domestic product (GDP), real GDP, nominal GDP, unemployment rate, inflation rate, and finally interest rate. Part two will consist of describing how three economic activities, such as purchasing of groceries, massive layoff of employees, and decrease in taxes. There will also be a few different examples that affect government, households, and businesses.(Part one)Start by describing the six economic terms.Gross domestic product (GDP) is the most used economic measure when it comes to determining the value of goods and services that are produced in a given year (Colander, 2010). There are four categories to GDP's consumption, government spending, investments, and net exports. The GDP reflects the total amount of both goods and services that were bought and sold, and there for can measure a country standard of living. It does not account for any goods or services that they may have in other countries.Real gross domestic product (RDP) is the final value that is given to a product or service based on the current economy. This type of GDP adjusts with the price levels in order to produce a more accurate number. Nominal gross domestic product (NDP) is the gross domestic product without taking into account inflation and can be misleading because appear to be higher than it really is because it has not been adjusted for inflation. Unemployment rate is the amount of people that are not employed and are looking for work. This reflects only the people who are ability to work, willing to work, and are looking for employment.Inflation rate is a level price of goods and services increasing. Inflation causes the value of the dollar to decrease meaning that people have less purchasing power. The increase in this rate is usually calculated annually, but can a lso be requested monthly.Interest rate is the percentage charged on loans and is charged annually. The higher the risk the borrower is the higher the interest rate this could be because of past experiences, late payments or not paying at all. If the borrower is low risk, then the interest rate will be low.(Part two)There are many activates that affect businesses, household, and government economies, here are three and examples of how purchasing of groceries, massive layoff of employees, and decrease in taxes. The purchasing of groceries by customers controls supply and demand. When the economy is good customers buy more there is greater chances of businesses making a profit, and when the economy is in a recession customer buying power is low. The recession and customers not buying groceries businesses will have to lay people off.The purchasing of groceries also affects the government because the government receives sales tax on the purchase of these items. A massive layoff of employ ees will cause the unemployment rate to go up, and when people have been layoff they purchase less and collect unemployment. This affects businesses because demand of products and services are down, and they are not making as mush product as they once did. The household is effect with no money coming in they cannot pay their bills, or supply what the family needs to live. The government is affected because the people that were laid off are collecting unemployment from the government.Decrease in taxes happens sometimes when the government has to intervene to slow down or try to reverse a recession. The government uses this policy to lower taxes to get people more money to spend so businesses can make products. When a business is producing products they are able to buy their workers and hopefully be able to hire more workers to help meet demand. With the decrease of taxes the government will have less money coming in for schools, to fix the streets, etc.Economics is a constant cycle p eople have to work to make money to buy things that the household needs. Businesses need workers to produce products  or services, which they are paid to do. The government relies on the taxes from workers, and businesses. Whenever money is spent there is going to be someone at a loss and someone at a gain, but it seems to always to come around full circle.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Automotive Industry

TEAM 1| COMPANY| Aziz| Ford Motors| Manyano| Daimler| Magally| Toyota| Anvesh| Tata Motors| Executive Summary Automotive Industry is one of the biggest economic sectors in the world and the impact they have to the communities in their best practices has a huge advantage promoting corporate social responsibility. We looked and discussed various issues of CSR in the report not limited but including: Investing in the Future, Technology Drives Change Electric cars, Materials and Workforce Implications. Global Automotive IndustryThe global automotive industry involves the manufacture and sales of automobiles and other retail activities, such as gas-station retail and the sale of car parts. The industry’s yearly growth rate is expected to exceed 5. 5% from 2010 to 2015, reaching a value of more than $5,132 billion by 2015, according to research from MarketLine. The industry is a leading employer throughout the world, with 9 million people involved in making 60 million vehicles, or 5 % of global manufacturing jobs. Indirect employment from automotive activity is fivefold, representing 50 million jobs connected indirectly to the auto industry.Regional Market Share * US vehicles sales and production account for around 40% of the global automotive industry, according to Global Automakers, whose members have contributed close to $45 billion to US automotive activity. The investment represents 300 facilities and employment for around 80,000 people with a combined yearly payroll of $6 billion. Leading US manufacturers include Ford, General Motors and Chrysler Group. * The European automotive market is led by production in Germany, Italy and France. In the EU, the industry employs 2. million people directly and almost another 10. 5 million indirectly, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. The region produces more than 17 million vehicles a year, representing a quarter of overall global production. * Overall, Japanese market share fell around 4 % year-on-years to just under 35% in August 2011. Japan holds around a 45% share in both the compact car and compact crossover markets, and 48% in the mid-size car market, according to a Kelly Blue Book report AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY CSR ISSUES|Human Rights| * Commitment to HR and the UNGC, respect human rights delineated in the International Bill of Human Rights * Ensuring that HR and WC are met throughout the supply chain * Vehicles have to meet high quality and safety standards before being available for the public * Companies have to be committed to educational and health programs and work close with governments and NGO’s in this direction| Labor Standards| * Rejection of forced labor and child labor * Rejection of discrimination in employment and occupation * Low-Cost Labor and bad working conditions in developing countries * The manufacturing of vehicles is concentrated in developing countries due to the cheap labor and unskilled workers * Respecting the freedom of associat ions and unions * The companies should consider the flexibility and stability of employee’s job security when they shift from well-trained, high-skilled work force to low skill and wages job| Environment| * Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHS) * Developing advanced vehicle technologies * Hybrid vehicles and advanced diesel * Reducing the environmental impact of the plants * Reducing the impact of waste by recycling the products * Commitment to decrease global water use * Providing road safety in developing countries * The objective of these projects is reducing car accidents * Trainings aimed at increasing usage of seat belt and helmet * Ensuring that Green Supply Chain Management incorporating ecological aspects into the whole value chain| Anti-Corruption| * Expanding of automotive industry in BRIC countries, as well as Indonesia, Mexico and other developing countries * Auto companies may be vulnerable to bribery demands by custom clearance, government officials and third party agents * Transparency * Introducing mandatory online training courses for employees with focus on ethics, conflicts of interests, gifts and favors|COMPANY RANKINGS BY CSR ISSUES(10 is the highest rank)| FORD| DAIMLER| TATA| TOYOTA| Human Rights * Commitment to the UNGS * Product safety * Educational and health programs  | 8| 10| 3| 5| Labour Standards * Low-cost labor and bad working conditions * Respecting the freedom of trade unions * Rejection of forced labor| 8| 9| 2| 7| Environment * Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHS) * Reducing the impact of waste by recycling * Developing advanced vehicle technologies| 6| 8| 3| 7| Anti-Corruption * Transparency * Vulnerability to bribery demands by custom clearance * Providing training on ethics and gifts   | 7| 6| 2| 6| TOTAL| 29| 33| 10| 25| Rankings explanation TOYOTA Toyota deserves a medium ranking within their labor in Human Rights for two main reasons. First, two years ago Toyota had a big issue with product safety.Cons umers complained about situation but Toyota did not take responsibilities. After investigations were done, Toyota understood the big mistaken they have made and finally apologize to its consumers. Second, Toyota as s group has not signed the 10 principles of the UNGC. Particularly in China, Toyota has not respected workers in different factories. At the same time, there has been different complains in regards to the lack of respect towards labor unions. As mentioned previously, Toyota is one of the leaders for the development of friendly environmental innovative technology TATA Tata in general has poor performance regarding CSR issues discussed. There are many problems in all areas.Though environment sustainability drive is in the core business plan of Tata motors and CSR is incorporated in their article and memorandum, it is strongly recommended that monthly reports to be shared with public and also the ways how they measure GHG and other gases emission and what steps they are taki ng in future to reduce water and air pollution. Finally though Tata is transparent company in her act and it’s a visionary company, but in few instances employees of Tata found involved in some unethical trade practices just to get benefit out of it, i. e. in singur land acquisition case it is claimed that Tata motors are involved in bribery to west Bengal government machinery. Also in big government tenders or military purchases Tata motors involved in bribery to get that order. Tata is signatory to UNGC but there is no means to control and check anti-corruption reputation of Tata. DAIMLER Daimler gets a high ranking in human rights and CSR pillars implementation.Promote Daimler’s sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda in every country they have operations is by serving as liaison to UN Global Compact; organize Daimler’s annual Sustainability Dialogue to increase visibility as a leader in CSR and exchange ideas on innovation and environ mental stewardship, strategies for community engagement, and CSR in the supply chain.? Support EAPP sponsorships and events by ensuring compliance with corporate regulations, i. e. draft sponsorship agreements, oversee communications initiatives, monitor progress, and ensure contract provisions have been carried out as agreed upon; Daimler, the owner of Mercedes-Benz, admitted to paying tens of millions of dollars of bribes to foreign government officials in at least 22 countries. The company said it had now reformed the way it did business. FORD Low ranking on environment and high ranking on human rights.Working with industry companies, governments to establish effective frameworks for reducing GHG emissions; In Europe since 1995, Ford has reduced CO2 emissions from passenger cars by 31 percent Ford-Firestone issue happened in 2000 when Firestone recalled 6. 5 million tires, mostly original equipment on Ford Explorer, the world’s top-selling sport utility vehicle. The lack o f safety in supply chain – a report by the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights said that a 21-year-old worker lost three fingers in a stamping machine at one of Ford’s suppliers in China and was inadequately compensated. Ford continues making and marketing its SUV line vehicles which are fuel-thirsty. Conclusion Investing in the Future: Automakers have announced billions in â€Å"green† investment in the US, Europe and BRICs industries.But despite that huge investment a rebound in sales management appears to concerned management hence the slow pace of green about the rebound’s permanence. Technology Drives Change: The pace of vehicle technology change is accelerating. Vehicles are changing in response to consumer taste and expectations, higher safety standards, and the drive toward a low-carbon future. Greening of automotive transportation should focus the three sectors: Hybrid and electric cars, materials and electronics. Electric cars: The most noteworthy change is the re-emergence of the electric vehicle. The development of alternative forms of energy storage (primarily batteries) is rapidly progressing as is the case with the new Mercedes Benz E-class electric car.Materials: The focus on green supply chain management will make vehicles lighter for improved fuel economy is a major driver in the development of automotive materials and forming. Workforce Implications: Today’s auto industry workers need systems thinking. That means that individuals must possess the soft skills that enable cross-cultural communication, collaboration and teamwork. Production and skilled-trades workers must adapt to an increasingly fast cadence of new product, process and technology introductions. Many of the workers displaced? from the auto sector will? need to transition to alternate occupations and we recommended that companies be flexible and provide stability to this issue particularly where there is a high practice of â€Å"contra ct workers†. Bibliography