Breaching the Security of an Internet Patient Portal free essay sample

In August 2000, a breach occurred when an Operations technician applied patches to servers in support of a new KP Online pharmacy refill application. Subsequently, the outgoing e-mail function of KP Online failed and created a dead letter file of outbound messages with replies to patient inquiries that contained individually identifiable patient information (Collmann Cooper, 2007). In trying to clear the e-mail file, a flawed computer script was created that concatenated over 800 individual e-mail messages, which contained personal identifiable. At least nineteen of the e-mails reached their intended destination (Collmann Cooper, 2007). Two members who received the email messages reported the incident to KP. Kaiser considered the breach was a significant incident due to the number of messages sent. As a result, the company created a crisis team to find the cause of the breach. The Kaiser crisis team notified its members and issued a press release three days after the breach. We will write a custom essay sample on Breaching the Security of an Internet Patient Portal or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Major Issues This case study protected sensitive patient information was comprised during the e-mail security breach. The Kaiser Permanente leadership reacted quickly to mitigate the damage of the breach because the company was non-compliant with good information security practice and regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) which established standards for the confidentiality and security of health care information. The advances in technology including computerized medical data has the potential to be breached regarding patients privacy and confidentiality health information. The ANA supports the following principles with respect to patient privacy and confidentiality. Patients right to privacy of health information. The use or release of health information is prohibited without patient consent, as well as, using safeguards for disclosure and storage of personal health information. It is the responsibility of users to follow the guidelines in their workplace set forth to protect the patient and information. This statement gives support to patients’ privacy, which may turn into laws that the ANA would represent and push in congress. Also, it supports the laws and regulations set forth by the HIPAA regulations of 1996 in that it protects and adopted the national standards for electronic health care. It promotes using safeguards for all disclosures and transactions in health information. Crisis Team Member As a crisis team member, it is important to find the cause of the breach. Two key suggestions that should be implemented in the Kaiser IT group. †¢ More interaction with one another during the planning, implementation, and evaluation process †¢ Before the implementation process of a program or a change the IT groups should test the migration site and functions in a test lab. As noted in the case study, the three groups the development group, operations group, and e-mail group worked independently from each other to meet their individual department goals. The following Diagram notes the IT department that manages their prospective component:[pic]Source: Collmann, J. , Cooper, T. (2007). Breaching The Security Of The Kaiser Permanente Internet Patient Portal: The Organizational Foundations Of Information Security. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 14(2), 239-243. As a crisis team member I would develop a plan to have all three groups interact with each other on job functions, each group should have a member represent their prospective group during development/implementation meetings. The member would have the opportunity to give valuable insight to how their group functions will be impacted during the implementation phase. Future Security Breaches Data security is the responsibility of the information system team. Three responsibilities of this team are making sure the data is accurate, protecting the data from unauthorized users, and correcting the data if it is damaged. This includes protecting the system by firewalls, gouging phishing, and protecting data from a hardware or software loss. If Kaiser Permanente did not take steps to quickly resolve the issues within the group and organization they might face a HIPAA violation. HIPAA Violators can be sentenced for up to 10 years in prison and fined up to $250,000 in criminal penalties for failure to comply. In addition, civil penalties can be imposed that include $100 per violation and up to $25,000 per person, per year for each violation (DMA. org, 2002). Course of Action The Course of Action that the administration should take to ensure that KP Online is secure, is improvising precautionary measures that are in place for the health information technology; which make up the HIT trust framework. This starts with an assessment of risk and is carefully applied through the system. Risk management, informs the organization of possible risks, such as natural disasters and malicious software programs. Information security is widely viewed as the protection of confidential information which is similar to privacy, this includes HIPAA regulations. All of these precautions combine to protect information within the HIT. The following precautions affects the healthcare system as a whole; if one or all of the precautions are not followed data and information may be at risk. Conclusion In an age where patients’ information is storage, retrieved, and used, it is essential for all users to follow preventative measures, guidelines, policies, and procedures set forth by their employer and HIPAA to protect the patients’ right to privacy and confidentiality. As technology advances, transitions of IT programs will need to be implemented, unfortunately breaches in healthcare may occur during the implementation. It is important for the organization and administrators to be aware of the risks and if a breach does occur, act promptly to correct the problem. References American Nurses Association. (2012). ANA Ethics Position Statement Privacy and Confidentiality. Silver Springs, MD: Author. Retrieved May 18, 2013 from ANA website. Collmann, J. , Cooper, T. (2007). Breaching The Security Of The Kaiser Permanente Internet Patient Portal: The Organizational Foundations Of Information Security. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 14(2), 239-243. Harrison J. , Booth N. (2003). Applying new thinking from the linked and emerging fields of digital identity and privacy to information governance in health informatics. Informatics in Primary Care Journal, 11(4), 223-8. Retrieved from CINAHL database. HIPAA FAQs. (2002, August 1). Corporate Responsibility Resources For Businesses And Marketers. Retrieved May 18, 2013, from http://www. dmaresponsibility. org/HIPPA/. Rossel, C. L. (2003). HIPAA: An informatics system perspective, Chart, 100(1). Retrieved May 18, 2013 from CINANL database. Saba, V. , McCormick, K. A. (5th Ed. ). (2011). Essentials of Nursing Informatics. Trustworthy Systems for Safe and Private Healthcare (pp. 271-277). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. Wager, K. A. , Lee, F. W. , Glaser, J. (2009). Health care information systems: a practical approach for health care management (2nd ed. ). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Free Essays on Intersex People

Socialization is learning to be human. Following the movie I watched in class about intersex people I’ve learned that fitting into society is not always easy. For interesex people Just finding out who they are is whole challenge with in one self. There are people waling around every day that look like you and me who are born intersex. Intersex people or Hermaphrodites are people born with both the male and female sex chromosomes and cannot be distinguish as either male or female. When we look in the mirror it is clear-cut that we are either male or female. For some people it is not that simple. Someone Like Max, Tammy, and Patrick who were born with an unknown sex has to live a life of sometimes pain and uncertainly not knowing where he or she belong as part of society. Form many years when we think of something like this we vastly assume of a carnival freak or a side show act on TV. There are thousand of people born a year that are intersex Because of discomfort brought to them many are ashamed and hide who they really are. One example is brought to us by both of the first two characters in the movie Max and Tammy. At the age of 21 they both find someone who see them as a female so right away they jump into marriage. Not even trying to find them selves someone who they can feel comfortable with but rather taking a life partner as face value because they feel that they might not have a second chance at it. Only knowing those two stories told by both max and T ammy I can just imagine how many other jump into the same situation. I mean it’s hard in society for a person who was born with one sex to find a significant other no less a intersex person. Society hasn’t really talked about this subject much because it is basically kept a secret among the people born like this and their families. But one thing is for sure it probably wouldn’t be accepted with open arms either. Let’s just look at history gays and lesbians are still ha... Free Essays on Intersex People Free Essays on Intersex People Socialization is learning to be human. Following the movie I watched in class about intersex people I’ve learned that fitting into society is not always easy. For interesex people Just finding out who they are is whole challenge with in one self. There are people waling around every day that look like you and me who are born intersex. Intersex people or Hermaphrodites are people born with both the male and female sex chromosomes and cannot be distinguish as either male or female. When we look in the mirror it is clear-cut that we are either male or female. For some people it is not that simple. Someone Like Max, Tammy, and Patrick who were born with an unknown sex has to live a life of sometimes pain and uncertainly not knowing where he or she belong as part of society. Form many years when we think of something like this we vastly assume of a carnival freak or a side show act on TV. There are thousand of people born a year that are intersex Because of discomfort brought to them many are ashamed and hide who they really are. One example is brought to us by both of the first two characters in the movie Max and Tammy. At the age of 21 they both find someone who see them as a female so right away they jump into marriage. Not even trying to find them selves someone who they can feel comfortable with but rather taking a life partner as face value because they feel that they might not have a second chance at it. Only knowing those two stories told by both max and T ammy I can just imagine how many other jump into the same situation. I mean it’s hard in society for a person who was born with one sex to find a significant other no less a intersex person. Society hasn’t really talked about this subject much because it is basically kept a secret among the people born like this and their families. But one thing is for sure it probably wouldn’t be accepted with open arms either. Let’s just look at history gays and lesbians are still ha...

Self Reflective Course Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self Reflective Course Concept - Essay Example A brief recap on the old concept of business that dictates the main essence of establishing a business is to maximize profits. These old concept discouraged organizations against social responsibility as the accountability of the social responsibility on the part of the organizational profit could not be viewed. It is on these basis that the new concept of business was entailed which necessitated that the business carries out its activities, becomes socially responsible and maintains its customers. This was a crucial aspect for various business ventures as most of them sustained the business venture with confidentiality and loyalty from their customers. The aspect of Social responsibility can never be over-emphasized in any organization. Sir Immanuel Kant a deontologist suggested that in order for people to act morally they must act from positions of duty. He also added that it is not the various action consequences that make them either right or wrong, but the intensions or rather motives of the person carrying them. Deontological ethics refers to the ethical normative stance that determines how moral an action on the adherence of the rule and finally rules. To the business organization morals are determined by what is generally right. Aspects of giving consumers the right product quantity, disclosing enough information about the various goods and services, giving quality products are all issues covered in deontological ethics. Teleological ethics touches on morality that dictates the moral obligations and duties and distinguishes it from what is desirable or good. Ethical egoism can generally be referred to as the position accorded to the agents of morals. Those at positions that necessitates their exercise of morals. These are determined by what is in their own self interest. Their relationship to business ethics is that they all contribute to the topic on ethics and guide the ethical profession Teleological ethics touches on

Causes of the 2007-08 Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Causes of the 2007-08 Financial Crisis - Essay Example Due to this the mortgage originators had lesser incentive to motivate them to take careful underwritings (Chapra, M., 2009). The economy of the real estate industry was affected seriously by the step. With these kinds of effects that the real estate industry had on the economy of the world, it is quite evident that real estate industry is an economic to reckon. More attention was accorded to loan volumes rather than loan quality as banks fought to increase their investment opportunities hoping to maximize their profits as a result of the economic crunch (Torres, 2010). In Greece alone, investors became reluctant to do business or even finance the Government deficits (Torres, 2010). With the decline in the confidence in government, falling by around 10% in many countries, it became very evident that the masses were discontent with the short term measures that were being taken by governments to try and solve the situation (Torres, 2010). The effects of the meltdown were felt quite deep down the social ladder. Starting at the top with the banks not trusting one another and the interbank credit being anemic, the unequal economic incomes affected the wage growth in countries where it would have been justified by the productivity

An Islamic Film Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Islamic Film - Movie Review Example â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss† is a remarkable film by Ken Loach. The film appeared before its audiences in the year 2004. Being a romantic drama by nature, the film had enough material to glue its audiences to the theatre seats. But the most essential part of the film is its critical reception and volley of controversy, which the story of the film evoked. At the outset, the film, â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss† might suggest about the generation gap where the older generation is unable to comprehend the feelings, sentiments and conventions of the younger generation; but a deeper insight of the film enables its audiences to understand that the director of the film, Ken Loach is actually trying to break many set conventions and stereotypes imposed by the society upon the young minds (Icon Film Distribution Limited, â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss†). Clare Stalder in the seminar paper bearing the title, â€Å"Ken Loach’s Ae Fond Kiss – A Multicultural Romeo and Juliet Story† desc ribes that â€Å"When Ken Loach’s film, Ae Fond Kiss came to the movie theatres in 2004 review announced it as â€Å"a multicultural Romeo and Juliet† story or a â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† like plot. In Clare’s words, â€Å"The motif of a forbidden relationship and tragic, impossible love because the lovers come from a different cultural or family backgrounds is a popular theme that has been entertaining and fascinating readers for centuries† (Stalder 2). But this is not all; there are layers of interpretations when one truly focuses the insight into the multiple dimensions the theme of the film tries to evoke. Behind a forbidden love and hindered union of the couples from different culture, is a strong Islamic faith and fanaticism shown quite a number of times in the film. This essay intends to discuss the various Islamic issues inherent within the community and culture, which gets reflected through the film and gives it a religious dimension as wel l. AE FOND KISS: A FILM WITH RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL DISCOURSE Ae Fond Kiss is definitely a film that shares multicultural discourse and the issues, which might evolve from a relationship between people from different cultures. But the plot of the film, as framed by Paul Laverty, also presents issues of Islamic society, their perceptions and thought processes, which are integrally related with their customs and religion in the film. It is quite evident that the plot of the film, â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss† presents the religious issues in a very subtle way and the subtlety of the presentation is so intriguing that only through an in-depth focus on the intricacies of the plot would enable its audiences to find out the actual issues from religious paradigm that was developing the conflict inherent within the plot and pushing it to move forward and further. A tight lipped focus on the plot of the film would reveal that the protagonist of the film is a Muslim. Casim Khan is a Glaswegian D J. He is from Pakistani origin and belongs to a Muslim family that is very staunch in the religious matter and is very devout. Casim’s father and mother, Tariq and Sadia have decided to settle off their son and with this vision they have arranged a marriage of their son with his first cousin Jasmine. Casim seems more or less reluctant with the arrangements. He feels this as a conventional part of his life and accepts the marriage. But the twist of the plot appears when Casim, played by Atta Yaqub, meets and falls in head over heels love with Roisin, who works as a part-time music teacher at the school where Casim’s sister studies. Roisin, played by Eva Birthistle, is an Irish catholic. They meet and fall in love and for the celebration of their love, Roisin books a small holiday for the couple, a recluse and a small escape. The real controversy and following conflicts arise within the plot of the film at this juncture. Casim’s parents turn against him and his re lation with Roisin. But it was already decided between them that they would go to any extent for making their relation successful and would wait with all

Gender Issues in Art History and Production

Gender Issues in Art History and Production Describe How Issues of Gender Are Important to the Production of Art and the Writing of Art History Feminism has given new and important insights into the production of art and the study of art history. It has not only helped us to discover the work of neglected women artists but has also given us a new approach to the study of art as a whole. Feminists built upon the earlier insights of Marxism. Traditional art history holds that works of art are the creations of individual genius – that they are forms of self- expression – but Marx argued that art is a product satisfying a demand, supporting the ideology of the ruling class. Part of that ideology included the subjection of women, who tended to be depicted in a subordinate role. These are the kind of arguments that Rozsika Parker and Griselda Pollock put forward in their book Old Mistresses: â€Å"Art is neither pure nor neutral. It is, as we have shown, an ideological practice, secured within power structures† (Parker 157). Power structures are not just those of sexism, they are also those of racism and class distinction; and thus feminism is closely bound up with the social history of art. With respect to gender distinctions, it seems clear that â€Å"femininity† and â€Å"masculinity† are to some extent social constructs. They are behaviour traits learned in childhood to satisfy the demands of society. Feminists have shown that the individual artistic â€Å"genius† is not a universal phenomenon but rather a feature of western art since the Renaissance. In other parts of the world, and in Medieval Europe, artists were often anonymous craftworkers. In the Middle Ages, both men and women worked at producing beautiful objects for the Church: illuminated manuscripts, carvings, embroideries. There was no distinction between â€Å"art† and â€Å"craft†, which was a distinction that arose during the Renaissance. The twentieth-century saw a partial end to this rather artificial division between â€Å"art† and â€Å"craft†. We have not yet seen â€Å"the death of painting†, but it is now rivalled in importance by other media. This rise in the status of the crafts has tended to benefit women artists, since women have always been closely involved with craftwork. The development of abstract art in the twentieth-century owes something to women’s k nowledge of the abstract patterns on textiles and embroidery. Sonia Delaunay and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, for example, were both fashion designers as well as painters (Chadwick 271). The split between â€Å"art† and â€Å"craft† which arose during the Renaissance was furthered by the new interest in the biographies of individual artists, as distinct from anonymous craftworkers. Vasari wrote a series of Lives of the Artists. The artist, unlike the craftworker, was expected to know about the rules of perspective and about history and the classics, which provided subjects for paintings. This kind of knowledge was usually denied to women, who had a restricted access to education, and this helps to explain why there were few female artists in the Renaissance – although artists’ daughters sometimes learned to paint, and there are examples of aristocratic lady artists, such as the painter Sofonisba Anguissola and the sculptor Properzia de Rossi. A myth developed that the true artist must be a temperamental â€Å"genius†, a rebel, a bohemian – as exemplified in the career of a painter like Caravaggio – and this meant that women’s work was not taken seriously, because a bohemian lifestyle would have been deemed inappropriate for a woman (Parker 99). Thus, because of restricted opportunities and the prejudices of society, it came about that no women were deemed to belong to the ranks of the â€Å"great artists†. Not surprisingly, feminists debunk the myth of the â€Å"great artist†, although it is also true that feminist art history itself still relies heavily on the biographies of individual women artists and seeks to demonstrate that their work has been undervalued. Germaine Greer makes the important point that overemphasis on â€Å"great artists† detracts our attention from the myriad of so-called â€Å"minor† talents: â€Å"The seven wonders of the world are not the only things worth looking at† (Greer 150). Indeed, artistic taste is something very personal, and the gallery visitor may find that she or he prefers the work of a â€Å"minor† painter to that of a far more famous name. â€Å"Great artists† are usually seen as innovators – Caravaggio’s use of dramatic light and shadow, for example – while â€Å"minor† artists are thought of as their followers. There are many examples of women as innovators: Sofonisba Anguissola helped to develop the new form of the domestic â€Å"conversation piece†; Rosalba Carriera popularised the new medium of pastel; Angelica Kauffman helped to introduce the Neo-Classical style to England; Helen Frankenthaler developed a new staining technique for producing abstract paintings. It may be true, however, that – until recently – women’s work has tended to be conservative rather than innovatory, and Germaine Greer provides a possible reason for this: The fact that so many gifted women strangled themselves in archconservatism is not some sort of secondary sexual characteristic working its way out, as if women are with necessity born with corsets on the mind. It comes of the very insecurity that these women felt upon entering into competition with men who seemed to have made all the running so far (Greer 131). There were also barriers to prevent women from competing with men in the first place. For example, women were usually excluded from art academies in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and denied the chance to copy the nude, which was the basis of the most prestigious art form, that of â€Å"history painting†. Women’s social lives were also restricted. Griselda Pollock points out that Baudelaire’s â€Å"flaneur† who wanders the streets of Paris is a male figure – a woman would not have been able to roam freely in this way (Pollock 70-72). This limited the subjects available for women to paint, and helps to explain why the Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot concentrated on domestic interiors. In order to visit the Paris horse market for her painting The Horse Fair, Rosa Bonheur had to disguise herself as a man (Parker 37). Women’s restricted opportunities meant that they tended to concentrate on â€Å"lesser† genres like portraiture and still-life. But the idea that there is a hierarchy in painting is now completely discredited, because there is obviously no link between the subject of a picture and its aesthetic quality. The flower paintings of seventeenth century Holland – many of which are by women – include some of the most beautiful works of art ever made. The academic hierarchy of genres broke down in the later nineteenth century, as Parker and Pollock explain: When avant-garde artists rejected academic theories and hierarchies, they took up the hitherto less prestigious fields of portraiture, landscape and still-life. Women could and did take full part in avant-garde movements based in these, for them, familiar areas of art (Parker 35). Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt, for example, were important in the new movement of Impressionism. The subject of gender and the visual arts also includes the ways in which gender roles are depicted. Up until the end of the eighteenth century, the male nude was probably more important than the female nude as a subject for art. One only needs to think of Greek sculpture and Michelangelo. But the female nude was also important, and these female nudes tend to depict women in a humiliating way, as objects of male fantasy. Carol Duncan argues that even the distorted nudes of avant-garde Modernism such as Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon continue this way of portraying women into the twentieth century (Duncan 47-52). She is certainly correct to point out that it is strange that modern art, which is often said to move way from representation, still contains a surprisingly large number of female nudes. John Berger has demonstrated that the nudes in â€Å"old master† paintings often bear a surprising resemblance to the nudes in modern advertising images and porn m agazines (Berger 55). Berger points out that the nude is essentially dehumanising because â€Å"a naked body has to be seen as an object in order to become a nude† (Berger 54). It seems that Kenneth Clark, a traditionalist of the old school, would agree with Berger to some extent, since Clark writes of Manet’s Olympia that â€Å"to place on a naked body a head with so much individual character is to jeopardize the whole premise of the nude† (Clark 225). This rather dehumanising quality of the nude is, however, a quality that Clark admires, because he sees the nude as a vehicle for expressing a sense of ideal form, divorced from life to some degree; whereas Berger and the feminists are interested in showing how art reflects and constructs the attitudes and injustices of society. Paula Modersohn-Becker’s famous nude Self-Portrait of herself was an important and original contribution because of the individuality she gave to her features, subverting the whole tradition of the nude. Feminist artists seek to actively change society, and one of their achievements has been to draw attention to the stereotyped gender roles which appear in art, advertising and the media. Barbara Kruger’s famous print entitled Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face draws attention to the fact that the male gaze can be a means of expressing dominance or hostility, a form of harassment. Cindy Sherman photographed herself in poses derived from stereotypical advertising and media images of women. Sylvia Sleigh painted a series of pictures showing male nudes in the kind of poses usually given to women, to demonstrate their absurdity. (The above examples from Kruger, Sherman and Sleigh are taken from Chadwick, chapter 13). Yet women’s art is concerned with much more than issues of gender and sexism. It may, indeed, be a mistake to consider women’s art as separate from men’s because it risks placing women’s art in a separate category, a kind of â€Å"ghetto† area. Works of art themselves have no gender. In this Postmodern era we should now do more to stress the individual contributions of individual women artists, who are much more than just representatives of their gender. Works Cited Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 1972. Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art and Society. London: Thames Hudson, 1996. Clark, Kenneth. The Nude. New York: Doubleday, 1959. Duncan, Carol. â€Å"The MOMA’s Hot Mamas.† Art Journal Summer 1989:47-52. Greer, Germaine. The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and their Work. New York: Farrar Strauss, 1979. Parker, Rozsika and Griselda Pollock. Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology. London: Pandora Press, 1981. Pollock, Griselda. Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism and the Histories of Art. London: Routledge, 1988.

Homeless People Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem of homelessness in America is growing dramatically. It's a problem that can strike anyone when you least expect it. Therefore you should address this as a major crisis that affects our society. I feel as Americans we should come together to create solutions to end a growing epidemic of homeless people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statistics show people living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless. Economically they are at a higher risk of losing what little they already have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. They are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. They are approximently 40% of people who are homeless. In rural areas the largest group of homeless people are families, single mothers, and children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a 1998 survey of 30 cities, it was found that the homeless population was 53% African-American, 35% Caucasian, 12% Hispanic, 4% Native-American, and 3% Asian (U.S Conference of Mayors1998). The ethnic makeup of homeless population varies depending upon geographic location.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Homelessness and poverty are closely linked. Poor people commonly are unable to pay for housing, food, child care, health care, and education. Choices must be mad when only their income covers some of these necessities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poor employment opportunities for a large number of the work force increases poverty. Falling incomes and less secure jobs which offer fewer benefits leads to additional financial strain on already financially burdened people. The connection between impoverished workers and homelessness can be seen in homeless shelters, many of which house significant numbers of full time wage earners. A survey of 30 U.S cities found that almost one in five homeless people are employed (U.S Conference of Mayors 1998). Thus, for many Americans, work provides no escape from poverty and homelessness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fewer public assistance is another reason of increasing poverty and homelessness. Until it's repeal in August 1996 the largest cash assistance program for poor families with children was the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The elimination and cut ... ...nd services are important and needed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a lot of things that can be done at shelters and other service agencies that is greatly appreciated. For instance filing, sorting clothes, cutting vegetables, etc. Let them know how you can help out and for how long.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some possible tasks are: working at a shelter, helping build or fix up houses or shelters, food drives, reading to the homeless, and just by involving others to help out too.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While the efforts are being made in volunteer work, material help is needed also. The end to homelessness is a long road. In the meantime, homeless people and people running the programs need help every day. Some items that would be great to donate are: clothing, household products, support a homeless person of family, raise funds for a program, give directly, help homeless contact loved ones, and encourage your job to hire homeless people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Efforts to ensure jobs that pay a living wage and have good benefits, your help and others, affordable housing, and access to health care will bring and end to the problem of homelessness.

Why are some countries in debt?

Why are some countries in debt? What impact does it have on development? What is debt? On an international scale, debt is the owing of money from one country to another or an international organisation as a result of previous borrowing because of need. Why are some countries in debt? Countries can be in debt for different reasons: 1) Trade deficit When a country's imports are worth more than a country's exports, the country loses money and therefore it is forced to borrow money from other countries or international organisations to try and cover the losses. 2) Natural disasters and tied aid After a natural disaster, a country may become dependent on the aid of another country for a short period of time. However sometimes the aid given is tied aid where the country receiving aid may have to pay back the money given (possibly with interest). They are therefore in debt to the donor country/organisation. 3) Money mismanagement If a country mismanages their use of money (most likely through the government) and spends money unnecessarily while taking out loans to cover the cost, the country can end up in debt. The effect of debt on development When a country is in debt, a majority of the money it generates is used to pay back money to the donor country. This means that there is little money being invested into the social infrastructure of the country, so healthcare and education levels remain the same or get worse overall slowing down or sometimes even reverse developing a country as literacy rates may fall and not enough money could be invested in improving healthcare. Ways of solving debt problems Cancelling debt – What are the advantages and disadvantages? Advantages – The advantages of cancelling debt are that it can allow a poor country to start investing the money it gains into its development/ social infrastructure rather than paying back debt to developed countries. This can overall help to fight poverty and reduce the development gap. In 2005, Zambia had $4 million of debt cancelled and in 2006 it had enough money to pay for free healthcare for millions of people living in rural areas, improving the quality of life. In Tanzania, money saved from debt cancellations allowed the government to abolish primary school fees in 2001. As a result, the number of students that go to primary school doubled. These examples show that by cancelling debt, it allows money to be invested in education which can lead to more people getting jobs, overall contributing to a country's economy, improving the GDP and by investing in healthcare, the life expectancy and infant mortality rate can also decrease. Summary: -a country can invest in its development -It reduces poverty and can reduce the development gap -examples include Zambia and Tanzania Disadvantages – Although cancelling debt can help a country to develop, there are also some disadvantages. Firstly, the donor country loses a significant amount of money which can slightly damage its economy. Developing countries which have had their debt cancelled could start taking out more loans, in the hope of having debt gained from that cancelled as well (This however is unlikely as eventually developed countries will eventually see when a country is not worth giving money to and in a time of crisis, nothing will be given) When a loan is taken, the money should be returned and if it is not, it could give the country which did not pay back, a bad reputation. Summary: – The donor country loses money – Countries could take out more loans – A loan should be paid back if taken in the first place Debt for nature swaps Deforestation largely takes place for economical needs of a country to try and pay off debt. A debt for nature swap is an agreement between a developing nation in debt and one or more of its creditors. In a debt for nature swap, the country or organisation owed money, writes off an amount of debt in return for a certain amount of environmental protection. They were first established in the 1980s in the attempt of solving two problems with one agreement: 1) to minimize the debt of developing nations and 2) to minimize the environmental destruction that frequently takes place in developing countries. A company called WWF (world wide fund for nature) which cooperates with countries such as UK and USA has helped to structure and design many debt for nature swaps. In 2008 they helped to structure and facilitate one of the largest debt for nature swaps in Madagascar's history in which 20 million dollars was committed to preserve the country's rich biodiversity. Also in 2008, the USA reduced Peru's debt by $25 million in exchange for conserving its rainforests. Debt for nature swaps are extremely beneficial because they not only cancel the debt of a country allowing them to invest in development, but it helps to protect the environment and conserve some of the world's rainforests. This makes it better than just cancelling debt.

Free Essays on Your Childs Self Esteem

Children are said to be the future. They are going to be our future prsidents, teachers, lawyers and doctors. Children must develop not only physically but mentally, cognitively, socially and emotionally. According to Dr. Paul Chance’s article, † Your Child’s Self-esteem†, a child needs a high self-esteem to be successful in the future. Self-esteem is a smaller part of what ism called self-concept. Self concept is defined as the sense of self that includes self image which is one’s view of self and self esteem. Self-esteem is what a person views as his or her self worth. In this article there are several different psychologists that have done studies ranging in ages from birth to about the age of 6 over various periods of time. Dr. Chance mentions a study done of two girls, Alice and Zelda. Alice is age five and a kindergarden student. According to her teacher, Alice is making excellent progress and in her opinion one of the brightest in her class. Alice is very confident and quick to participate in classroom activities. Although considered independent, when she feels failure is imminent, Alice is quick to ask for help to prevent it from happening. However Zelda, age six, is the complete opposite of Alice. Zelda is in the first grade and her teacher considers her to be one of the children making the least progress in the class. Zelda seldom participates in class and when called upon, she’s quick to respond with an â€Å" I don’t know.† She doesn’t partake in group activities and often is noted to be on the sidelines, watching instead of interacting. Zelda is more dependant and waits for people to offer to help her rather than do it herself. Dr. Chance states in the article that the differences between the two girls are emotional and motivational development. Alice is more self confident and considered by many an optimist. To her success and happiness are achieved people who strive to get to that point. Zelda, however ... Free Essays on Your Child's Self Esteem Free Essays on Your Child's Self Esteem Children are said to be the future. They are going to be our future prsidents, teachers, lawyers and doctors. Children must develop not only physically but mentally, cognitively, socially and emotionally. According to Dr. Paul Chance’s article, † Your Child’s Self-esteem†, a child needs a high self-esteem to be successful in the future. Self-esteem is a smaller part of what ism called self-concept. Self concept is defined as the sense of self that includes self image which is one’s view of self and self esteem. Self-esteem is what a person views as his or her self worth. In this article there are several different psychologists that have done studies ranging in ages from birth to about the age of 6 over various periods of time. Dr. Chance mentions a study done of two girls, Alice and Zelda. Alice is age five and a kindergarden student. According to her teacher, Alice is making excellent progress and in her opinion one of the brightest in her class. Alice is very confident and quick to participate in classroom activities. Although considered independent, when she feels failure is imminent, Alice is quick to ask for help to prevent it from happening. However Zelda, age six, is the complete opposite of Alice. Zelda is in the first grade and her teacher considers her to be one of the children making the least progress in the class. Zelda seldom participates in class and when called upon, she’s quick to respond with an â€Å" I don’t know.† She doesn’t partake in group activities and often is noted to be on the sidelines, watching instead of interacting. Zelda is more dependant and waits for people to offer to help her rather than do it herself. Dr. Chance states in the article that the differences between the two girls are emotional and motivational development. Alice is more self confident and considered by many an optimist. To her success and happiness are achieved people who strive to get to that point. Zelda, however ...

Peter Singer and John Rawls on Utilitarianism

Peter Singer and John Rawls on Utilitarianism Utilitarianism, in whatever form and context, is the belief that the rightness or goodness of an action, rule or principle should be holistically judged based on its assumed ramifications.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Peter Singer and John Rawls on Utilitarianism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For utilitarians, an action, rule, or principle that is good must produce pleasure, happiness, contentment or welfare to the concerned individuals, implying that they view what is right as that which optimizes one or more of these variables. Utilitarianism is both a teleological and consequentialist ethical theory as it does not only presupposes that each action, principle or rule must be judged on whether its end result maximizes good, but also assumes that the ramification of an action, principle or rule is the only criterion to judge whether it is right or wrong (Waller, 2010). The present paper purposes to present the viewpoints of two contemporary philosophers, namely Peter Singer and John Rawls, as regards utilitarianism. Among contemporary philosophers, Australian moral philosopher Peter Singer stands out as a major advocate of preference utilitarianism. Singer is ardently committed to the perspectives that ethics must reflect how life is lived, and that â€Å"†¦the consequences to be promoted are those which satisfy the wishes or preferences of the maximum numbers of beings who have preferences† (The Tablet, 2012, para. 2). The philosopher, who refutes the claim that humans should be more valued than animals, argues that it is only morally and ethically right to aggravate the preferences (desires) of others if by so doing we provide capacity for others to satisfy their preferences.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, actions, rules, and principles must neve r be judged on their simple pain-and-pleasure consequences; rather, they must be judged on account of how they influence or affect the interests and preferences of all those concerned (The Tablet, 2012). Philosopher John Rawls (1921-2001) was known for his persistent and often harsh criticism of utilitarianism, particularly when it comes to social and political justice. One of the most popular views of Rawls was that â€Å"†¦each person has the same indefeasible claim to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic liberties, which scheme is compatible with the same scheme of liberties for all† (Yonehara, n.d., p. 13). His second viewpoint revolved around the fact that social and economic inequalities in the world are progressed to gratify two situations: â€Å"(1) they are to be attached to offices and positions open to all conditions of fair equality of opportunity; (b) they are to be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged members of society (the difference princip le)† (Yonehara, n.d., p. 13). Consequently, it is obvious that Rawls viewpoints go against some of the basic tenets of utilitarianism – presumably to maximize good to the greatest number of people and to suggest that people are responsible for all the outcomes of their choices (Waller, 2010). Based on the above, John Rawls, in my view, provides the most convincing argument that deals with fair equality of opportunity for all and equal basic liberties for all, rather than promoting the consequences which satisfy the wishes or preferences of the majority as proposed by Peter Singer. If Singer’s viewpoints are to be withheld, the claim that condemning minority groups to slavery will produce the greatest utility of happiness to the majority will hold true in line with utilitarianism.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Peter Singer and John Rawls on Utilitarianism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However , we all know that slavery is wrong in spite of its outcomes because it tramples on basic liberties of those involved. Consequently, we shouldn’t engage in slavery even if utilitarianism theory assumes that such engagement may produce pleasure, happiness, and contentment to the majority or the greatest number of people. Reference List The Tablet. (2012). Preference utilitarianism. Web. Waller, B.N. (2010). Consider ethics: Theory, readings, and contemporary issues. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Yonehara, M. (n.d.). Utilitarianism and Rawls. Retrieved from scienceweb.tohoku.ac.jp/special/gcoeis2010/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/T31-Yonehara.pdf

Sun catcher marketing plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sun catcher marketing plan - Term Paper Example We at Sun Catcher aim to address marketing, and its organization as other vital company functions, say human resources and finance. It was thus imperative that we studied our competitors and their organizations in order to find the challenges they faced in marketing. The challenges included; performance of transactional and tactical tasks by marketing managers rather than their main activities, lack of clear responsibilities and roles within the marketing departments when compared to other functions, selection of external marketing agencies due to relationships rather than tangible performance, repetitive and data intensive marketing activities performed due to lack of information and resource sharing mechanisms, and finally constrainment and stretching of internal marketing talent pool due to minimal specialized professional marketing strategies and training (Wittemen 2). To avoid these pitfalls, Sun Catcher aims to give marketing its executive role by aligning its cost structures to the business model and strategy (Wittemen 2). We aim to do this via allowing the marketing executives to strategize internally and come up with opportunities for economies of scale. This will align market potential with resources. We also aim to apply lean principles by aligning and integrating marketing processes with an aim of increasing efficiency. Investment in technology is also a must if we are to figure out where to make investments in marketing sensibly. This includes use of customer resource management (Wittemen 2). The establishment of effective and flexible structures that segment the marketing department into transactional, strategic, external and internal functions which clarify the activities of each member is vital for sun Catcher’s survival (Wittemen 2). Sun Catcher has several contingency plans in case an emergency, event, or new information becomes available to us. While Sun Catcher would wish not to be befallen by an

The competitive advantage of the Country Singapore using Porter's Essay

The competitive advantage of the Country Singapore using Porter's Competitive advantage and the Diamond factors - Essay Example We also find out in this study that, though the country has a natural small land area, the country capabilities and efficient and effective use of information technology has more than compensated for its present international position in the shipping and sea transportation industry. The country position and image has been further enhanced through electronic government that has transformed public services. This paper examined the competitive advantage of Singapore using Porters competitive advantage of nations. Porter tries to solve apparent puzzle of a country's competitive advantage, or why one country is more competitive than the other through the attributes of his competitive advantage of nations (Porter 1990).These constitute the essence of his notion of competitive advantage. Porter (1990) echoes an important question in which he provides a succinct answer. For example, "why does a nation achieve international success in a particular industry Porter argues that, the answer to this question lies in four broad attributes of a nation that shape the environments in which local firms compete and promote or impede the creation of competitive advantage." (1990:71). ... The first part of the paper examined Porter's competitive advantage of nation, the second part of the paper looks at this competitive advantage with respect to Singapore. The last part of the paper provides a brief finding conclusions and recommendations. 1.1 Porter's Competitive Advantage of Nation-Porter's Diamond Porter's essential task in his ground breaking tool was to explain why a nation would succeed in a particular industry and not in another. In the words of Porter (1990), "in global competition, firms from any nation can gain scale economies by selling worldwide" (Porter 1990:71). To the researcher, which nation's firms will do so Thus, to Porter, a range of new explanations for trade has been proposed. One is economies of scale which give the nation's firms that are able to capture them a cost advantage that allows them to export, but however this theory are fraud with gross weaknesses (Porter 1990). Porter in his ground breaking work of (1990) postulates that a nation's competitive advantage can be deduced from his four attributes of competitive advantage. These attributes include include (1) factor conditions, which he defines as: "The nation's position in factors of production, such as skilled labor or infrastructure, necessary to compete in a given industry." (Porter 1990). The second attribute in Porter's competitive advantage of Nations is the demand conditions. Porter (1990) refers to this as the nature of home demand for industry's product or service. The third attributes of Porter's competitive advantage of nations focuses on related and supporting industries, which according to Porter (1990) refers as: "The presence or