Behaviors Towards Green Hospitals In Thailand Environmental Sciences Essay

Thailand has late experienced an economic over growing that has been coupled with rapid industrialisation and urbanisation. This growing has every bit anticipated, caused a important debasement in the huge natural home grounds and resources of this state. Furthermore, natural catastrophes have raised serious concern in the vicinity. With the increasing consciousness of planetary clime alteration and natural catastrophes in the developed universe, environmental protection and energy sustainability have emerged as issues of turning importance. Companies across all sectors try to develop merchandises and patterns with a minimized environmental load, in order to take portion in â€Å" socially responsible † patterns, and to set up their presence as innovators in the freshly formed niche of consumers with ecological concerns. This is besides true for the Healthcare and Tourism industry, where concerns frequently rely on the unity and sustainability of the environment. However, while a figure of surveies exist for the touristry sector, there has been done about no research on green patterns in the infirmary industry. It is gratuitous to state that there is a high demand for infirmaries to prosecute in green patterns due to the big sum of waste generated but besides the theoretic behind the built-in committedness to a balanced coexistence of the patient with his environment in order to prolong a high degree of quality of life and public wellness. Furthermore, infirmaries that exhibit strong involvement in environmental issues and actively take part in eco-friendly patterns have the possible to distinct themselves from other concerns, therefore making a important competitory advantage. There are no surveies up to day of the month that have measured the consumer attitudes towards green pattern in infirmaries nor their willingness to pay, should an environmental policy in healthcare direction is to take topographic point. Aims The intent of this survey is twofold: to research consumer attitudes towards assorted countries of green patterns in infirmaries and consumers ‘ willingness to pay for green infirmaries, and to foretell attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control taking to the likeliness of consumers to actively seek and see green infirmaries. The proposed research and rating survey will take at placing the consequence of different socio demographic features on the bing likeliness to take â€Å" green † health care, but will besides analyze the influence of attitudes, subjective norm and sensed behavioural control on the consumers ‘ purpose to see such infirmaries. Consumers who originate from public sector infirmaries will besides be compared against those from private attention. Methods Ajzens ( 1985 ) Theory of Planned Behavior will be used as a theoretical foundation to analyze the above planned outcomes. Data will be collected with the aid of a structured study questionnaire. The survey sample is anticipated to be ~500 and it will be provided by bing clients of take parting infirmaries. The study will be conducted in the waiting suites of the participating infirmaries, which will be both private attention and public attention infirmaries in Thailand. Assuming that the population of Thailand is M and that M will see a infirmary at one point in their life-time, the survey sample will be divided among the private and public wellness sector. Hence with 250 at each side, the survey sample has been calculated to observe % of a one criterion divergence difference, with a power of 85 per centum and a significance degree of 5 % . This differentiation is made in order to avoid a systematic choice prejudice in the survey sample, since patients of the private sector are more likely to hold a higher socioeconomic degree and therefore either more environmentally led consciousness or a much greater willingness to pay for green tactics. In order to stratify the survey population samples, descriptive statistics will be employed and multiple additive arrested development theoretical accounts will be used to analyse the study instrument ‘s consequences. Use of findings The analyses are anticipated to uncover the true figure of consumers that perceive the country of ‘green infirmaries ‘ as of import. The analytical description of the factors underlying their behaviour will besides be provided and comparings will be made between consumers arising from different wellness backgrounds. It is besides anticipated that the willingness to pay for green health care will be measured by the study instrument, and that this can function as a important managerial assistance in the way of the pertinence and sustainability of such theoretical accounts. Therefore, this research aims to function as an analytical and determination steering tool in the way of greener health care, based on consumer ‘s sentiments. Aim This survey will utilize informations obtained from a constructions study questionnaire directed at consumers of private and public infirmaries in Thailand to find their attitudes and behaviours towards Green Hospitals. The survey ‘s aims are: To research consumer attitudes towards assorted countries of green patterns in infirmaries and consumers ‘ willingness to pay for green infirmaries harmonizing to socio-demographic factors and arising sector of health care used at the clip of the survey. To foretell attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control taking to the likeliness of consumers to actively seek and see green infirmaries in the hereafter. BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW This subdivision reviews the current relevant literature available on the current position quo of green patterns in infirmaries, hence making a background for this survey that will show the current demand for green infirmaries and the current accomplishments made or failures observed in already green health care disposals. This subdivision begins with basic background information on the first green infirmaries ‘ studies on mensural impact, patient satisfaction and organisational features and alterations observed. It incorporates a reappraisal on the consequence of green patterns at the industry degree every bit good as a elaborate reappraisal of countries that are of peculiar relevancy for the pertinence of these policies. It besides includes a reappraisal on published methods for all validated instruments directed at the measuring of consumers ‘ attitudes towards health care, their influential potency and subsequent significance to healthcare direction. This is provided to clarify the power of such an grounds based attack, where consumers ‘ sentiments are valued for the devising of managerial determinations on health care policies. This background is necessary to solidify the importance and cogency of the present survey. Finally, the theoretical background is reviewed. First the theory of planned behaviour is analyzed, which will function as a conceptual model for the mensural variables. Then hypotheses are developed, harmonizing to demographics and attitudes, subjective norms and sensed behavioural control. Already published information towards Green patterns in infirmaries is discussed and analyzed harmonizing to attitudes, subjective norms and sensed behavioural control. Green Practices in Tourism Management Research on the sustainability of tourer direction has focused on the development of environmental rules, translated as codifications of behavior or environmental policies ( United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) , 1994 ; Williams, 1993 ) . The 2nd phase of the application of environmental policies as they translated into pattern has besides been achieved for the touristry industry. The ‘greening ‘ of the operational activities of certain sectors of the industry provide with first-class illustrations of this phase ( World Travel & A ; Tourism Council, World Tourism Council, Earth Council, 1995 ) . Hotel sustainability plans have concentrated on waste decrease, energy preservation, and H2O preservation. More sophisticated rejuvenation plans have introduced the usage of organic nutrients, non toxic cleansing merchandises, and chemical-free plague direction techniques. Besides, emanation decrease in the transit sector has been an activity that environmental tourer policies have concentrated on. Reports on the impact appraisal of the deduction of environmental policies in touristry are nevertheless few, and those focal point on the public presentation of a limited figure of international touristry corporations ( WTTERC, 1993 ) .Hence it is hard to reassign their findings to the wide scope of concerns in the wider health care and touristry industry. Green Practices in Health Contrary to their sibling ( the touristry industry ) , it is widely perceived that infirmaries are really immune to alter, both structurally and culturally. Their constellation, normally in concrete, frequently reflects the pattern of wellness attention and patient populations of past epochs. It is said that, alteration within the infirmary involves piecing the resources needed for high-quality attention, such as optimum usage of edifices, people and equipment, and forming them in a manner that provides high-quality attention ( Healy and McKee, Chapter 10 ) . There is a broad scope of surveies that prove an aetiologic relationship between environmental maltreatment and diseases, such as dioxins and malignant neoplastic disease, pesticide and nutrient and the effects of relentless organic defilers. On the infirmary degree, toxin and mercury-containing medical devices, the broad usage of pesticides in and around infirmaries and the big sum of waste generated are all issues that stress the demand for an environmental policy in health care. It is in other words envisioned that a stiff environmental policy could even be a factor of high quality attention for hospital staff and patients. In the last 10 old ages, there has been singular advancement in waste direction from an environmental wellness position. Hospitals have been placed in the frontline for infective waste direction, decreased chemical usage, advancing usage of healthy nutrients and advancing nurse leading in environmental stewardship. Given besides the seemingly increasing trouble of run intoing turning demand for good infirmary attention, infirmary directors have turned to Green Hospitals for better results. aˆÂ ¦ † About a twelve groups began building â€Å" green † infirmaries several old ages ago, and other groups are now following their lead † the Medical-News study in 2006. Inventions include solar panels, permeable pavement stuff to filter chemicals from rainwater overflow, H2O conserving lavatories, gum elastic floors, eco-friendly systems for disposing of medical waste, latex-free scrutiny baseball mitts, and cleaners without rough chemicals and reclaimable dissolvers. Gary Cohen, executive manager of the Environmental Health Fund, said that although inventions ab initio cost more, they can cut down operating costs over clip ( Landro, Wall Street Journal, 10/4/06 ) . The Luminary Project. ( 2005 ) . Nurses illuming the manner to environmental wellness. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.TheLuminaryProject.org. National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management. ( 2007 ) . About HFM. Retrieved April 13, 2007 from www.hfm.org/about.html Bresnitz E.A. , Beckett W. , Chan-Yeaun M, Craig, T. , Gilman, M. , Harber, P. , et Al. ( 2004 ) . Guidelines for measuring and pull offing asthma hazard at work, school, and diversion. American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care. Medicine Series on-line. 169, 873-881. Retrieved March 22, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.asthmaregionalcouncil.org/resources/documents/GuidelinesforAssessingandManagingAsthmaRisk.pdf Green R. , Hauser R. , Calafat AM, Weuve, J. , Schettlet, T, Ringer, S. et Al, ( 2005 ) . Use of di ( 2-ethylhexyl ) phthalate-containing medical merchandises and urinary degrees of glandular fever ( 2-ethylhexyl ) phthalate in neonatal intensive attention unit babies. Environmental Health Perspectives. 113 ( 9 ) , 1222-1225. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.ehponline.org/members/2005/7932/7932.pdf Health Care Without Harm. ( 2007 ) . How to be after and keep a quicksilver thermometer exchange. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.noharm.org/library/docs/Going_Green_How_to_Hold_a_Mercury_Thermometer_.pdf Health Care Without Harm. ( 2006 ) . Hazards to asthma posed by indoor wellness attention environments: A usher to identifying and cut downing debatable exposures. Retrieved March 22, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.noharm.org/details.cfm? type=document & A ; ID=1315 Health Care Without Harm, News Release ( 2003 ) . New study: 100 % of reacting infirmaries use pesticides in or around installations. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.noharm.org/details.cfm? type=document & A ; id=867. Health Care Without Harm ( n.d.a. ) Food: The issue. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.noharm.org/us/food/issue. Health Care Without Harm, ( n.d.b ) . Medical waste: The issue. Retrieved January 13, 2007 from the universe broad web at: www.noharm.org/us/medicalwaste/issue. Williams, P.W. ( 1993 ) Environmental concern pattern: Ethical codifications of behavior for touristry. Hospitality Trends 7 ( 1 ) , 8-11. World Travel & A ; Tourism Council, World Tourism Organization, Earth Council ( 1995 ) Agenda 21 for the Travel and Tourism Industry: Towards Environmentally Sustainable Development. London: WTTC. World Travel & A ; Tourism Environment Research Centre ( WTTERC ) ( 1993 ) Travel & A ; Tourism: Environment & A ; Development. Oxford: WTTERC United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) ( 1988 ) Environmental scrutinizing. Industry and Environment 11 ( 4 ) , 12-18. – ( 1994 ) Environmental Codes of Conduct for Tourism. Paris: UNEP, Industry and Environment. Ward-Whate, L. , Bloomfield Healy, J. ( 1998 ) Social welfare Options: Delivering Social Services. Sydney: Allen & A ; Unwin. Edwards, N. and Harrison, A. ( 1999 ) The infirmary of the hereafter: planning infirmaries with limited grounds. A research and policy job, British Medical Journal, 319: 1361-3. Mentions Chung, J. W. , and Meltzer, D. O.A Estimate of the C footmark of the U.S. wellness attention sector.A JAMA. 302 ( 18 ) :1970-1972, Nov. 11. 2009 Zhu, H.A First eco-friendly infirmary energy works installed. Epoch Times.A Nov 4, 2009. Clark, A.A Deirdre Imus ‘s mission to green up toxic infirmaries. GreenBiz.com.A Oct. 29, 2009. Gilbert, M.A Washington Co. schools, infirmary traveling green.A The Herald-Mail. Oct. 24, 2009. Hemingway, S.A A new shadiness of infirmary viridity. Burlington Free Press. Oct. 18, 2009 Cole, B.A Wisconsin infirmary saves green by traveling green. HealthLeaders Media. Oct. 5, 2009 Guenther R. Sustainable architecture for wellness: a mentality displacement. Guest column. Health Environments Research & A ; Design Journal. 2 ( 4 ) :3-9, Summer 2009 Dunlop, D.A Healthcare ‘s green enterprise: the healthy infirmary motion. Alternate Health Journal. Aug. 3, 2009 Wu, J.A A Environmental conformity: The good, the bad, and the super viridity. Journal of Environmental Management. June 30, 2009. [ Epub in front of print ] Levy, J. , Funk, P. , and Cheney, K.A A The cogeneration option: salvaging money and the planet.A Healthcare Deisgn Magazine.A May 27, 2009 BaldwinA G. How green was my infirmary. Health Data Management. 17 ( 4 ) :82,84, 86, Apr. 2009 Harris, N. , and others.A Hospitals traveling green: a holistic position of the issue and the critical function of the nurse leader.A Holistic Nursing Practice. A 23 ( 2 ) :101-11, Mar./Apr. 2009 Greene, J. Energy. Online auctions touted as a manner to cut down costs, go green. HospitalsA & A ; Health Networks. 83 ( 1 ) :17, Jan. 2009 Crisp, N. , and Donaldson, L.A Material Health: A Resource Flow and Ecological Footprint of the NHS.A Material Health, 2009 Hackenbrach, J.A A Mandates and available inducements for constructing green health care facilities.A Healthcare Design.A 8 ( 12 ) :16-18, Dec. 2008 Gehant, D.A Hospitals and the environment.A Frontiers of Health Services Management.A 25 ( 1 ) :3-10, Fall 2008 hypertext transfer protocol: //web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/EXTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/0, ,contentMDK:20266329~menuPK:537827~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:502886,00.html Appendix: Outline of the proposed thesis Abstraction Recognitions Vita List of Tables List of Figures Chapters: 1. Introduction†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 1.1. Statement of the Problem†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 1.2. Aims of the Study†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 1.3. Definitions†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 1.4. Background and Setting†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 1.5. Significance†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW AND EMPIRICAL MODEL†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2.1. Literature Reappraisal†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2.1.1. Green Practices in Healthcare and Tourism Management†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2.1.2. Customers†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 2.1.3. Industry†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2.1.4. The Impact of Green Practices†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2.1.5. Areas of Green Practices†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2.1.6. Research Questions†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2.2. Theoretical Model†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2.2.1. Theory of Planned Behavior†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2.3. Hypothesiss Development†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 2.3.1. Demographics and Attitudes†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2.3.2. Demographics and Subjective Norms†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 2.3.3. Demographics and Perceived Behavioral Control†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2.3.4. Attitude towards Green Practices in Hospitals†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2.3.5. Subjective Norm on Green Practices†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2.3.6. Perceived Behavioral Control of Visiting Green Hospitals†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 3. Procedure†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 3.1. Research Design and Subject Selection†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 3.2. Result Measures†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ ..viii 3.2.1. Independent Variables†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 3.2.2. Dependent Variable†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 3.3. Data Analysis†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 4. Consequence†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 4.1. Internal Consistency Reliability†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 4.2. Demographic Characteristics†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 4.3. Green Areas†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 4.4. Correlation of Importance of Green Areas with Demographic Characteristic†¦ †¦ 4.5. Willingness to Pay†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4.6. Hypothesiss aa‚ ¬ † Linear Arrested developments†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4.6.1. Demographics on Attitudes†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 4.6.2. Demographics on Subjective Norm†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4.6.3. Demographics on Perceived Behavioral Control†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 4.6.4. Attitudes, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control on Intention 4.7. Multicollinearity†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4.8. Linear Regressions Split by Hospitals†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 4.8.1. Attitudes by Hospital†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 4.8.2. Subjective Norm by Hospital†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4.8.3. Perceived Behavioral Control by Hospital†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 4.8.4. Forecasters of Behavioral Intention by Hospital†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4.9. Qualitative informations†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 5. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 5.1. Drumhead†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 5.1.1. Research Questions†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 5.1.2. Theory of Planned Behavior†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 5.2. Deductions†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 5.3. Restrictions†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 5.4. Future Research†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ ..

Business information system Essay

1. What might have happened to Apple if its top executives had not supported investment in iPads? If the top executives had not supported investment in pads, the new product will be known by less people. Without investment in iPad, people will not receive the information of new technology. 2. Why would it be unethical for Apple to sell its iTunes customer information to other businesses? The customer’s information is about personal privacy, any company can’t sell customer’s information without their permit. 3. Evaluate the effects on Apple’s business if it failed to secure its customer information and all of it was accidentally posted to an anonymous website. The customers will not trust apple again, and they will not leave personal information on iTunes. This will influence Apple that people will not use apple store for purchasing. If the security problem let customer’s credit card information been stolen, Apple will response for that. 1 Do you agree or disagree that Apple’s iTunes, iPhone applications and iPad applications give the company a competitive advantage? Be sure to justify your answer. Yes, I agree with that. One of the main factors that brought Apple back from near oblivion was its ability to produce, market, and sell IT products such as the iPod, iPhone, and customer developed applications. If Apple’s top executives did not have the foresight to view the MP3 players as a competitive advantage, then chances are the company would not have made a strong comeback in the highly competitive electronics market. People who got iPhone, iPad, they will go to Apple’s store to download and buy the application. Other company can only develop application to Apple; they can’t sell or provide their application to customer directly. This is a big advantage for Apple. 2 Why are data, information, business intelligence and knowledge important to Apple? Give an example of each type in relation to the iPad. Data are raw facts that describe the characteristics of an event or object. Before the information age, managers manually collected and analysed data, a time-consuming and complicated task without which they would have little insight into how to run their business. Lacking data, managers often found themselves making business decisions about how many products to make, how much material to order, or how many employees to hire based on intuition or gut feelings. In the information age, successful managers compile, analyse, and comprehend massive amounts of data daily, which helps them make more successful business decisions. Examples include: Sales date, Quantity sold, Cost, Sales price, Total profit, Shipping address, Customer address, Wireless type, Memory amount, Colour. Information is data converted into a meaningful and useful context. Having the right information at the right moment in time can be worth a fortune. Having the wrong information at the right moment; or the right information at the wrong moment can be disastrous. The truth about information is that its value is only as good as the people who use it. People using the same information can make different decisions depending on how they interpret or analyse the information. Thus information has value only insofar as the people using it do as well. Business intelligence (BI) is information collected from multiple sources such as suppliers, customers, competitors, partners, and industries that analyses patterns, trends, and relationships for strategic decision making. BI manipulates multiple variables and in some cases even hundreds of variables including suc h items as interest rates, weather conditions, and even gas prices. For instance, BI can predict inventory requirements for a business for the week before the Super Bowl if, say, the home team is playing, average temperature is above 80 degrees, and the stock market is performing well. This is BI at its finest, incorporating all types of internal and external variables to anticipate business performance. Knowledge includes the skills, experience, and expertise, coupled with information and intelligence that creates a person’s intellectual resources. Knowledge workers are individuals valued for their ability to interpret and  analyse information. Today’s workers are commonly referred to as knowledge workers and they use BI along with personal experience to make decisions based on both information and intuition, a valuable resource for any company. 3 Analyze Apple using Porter’s Five Force model. Apple’s buyer power was low when it first introduced the iPod since it was first to market with the product. Now, there are many competitors to Apple’s iPod and its buyer power is increasing since customers can choose from many different manufacturers of MP3 players. Apple’s supplier power was high and now it is decreasing since buyers have many choices of whom to buy from. Apple can use environmental scanning, or the acquisition and analysis of events and trends in the environment external to an organization, to analyse rivalry. Apple can use environmental scanning to analyse everything from competitor strategies to understanding new and shifting market trends to determining the strategic placement of Apple stores. Without watching its environment and understanding what its competitors are doing and where the market is headed, Apple will have a difficult time setting its strategic direction, as Steve Jobs determined when he thought he had missed the MP3 bandwago n. 4 Which of the three generic strategies is Apple following? Apple follows a focused strategy. 5 Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its introduction of the iPhone? Apple decreased the power of its buyers and increased its own supplier power by introducing the iPhone. Since the iPhone was the first to market with an internet access, data storage, MP3 player, etc., its buyers had no power and no choice but to purchase the product from Apple. Unfortunately, Apple could not create an entry barrier and soon many other companies began offering integrated cell phones, which increased buyer power and reduced supplier power. 6 Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its customer-developed applications? Apple decreased the power of its buyers and increased its own supplier power by introducing customer developed applications. Since the iPhone was the first to market with an internet access, data storage, MP3 player, which could all accept customer developed applications, its buyers had no power and no choice but to purchase the product and the applications from Apple. Unfortunately, Apple could not create an entry barrier and there are more and more companies offering customer developed applications such as Google and its Android operating system.

Reaction to word crimes

Through the use of social medias and testing, some of the youth and young adults of today have developed a type of laziness when It comes to simple spelling, as well as, grammatical mistakes. Surprisingly, these mistakes have become so common that they have been accepted as the standard. After watching the â€Å"Weird AY† Wantonly video one point was made very clear, that the target audience Is the youth of modern society. This is shown through his use of humor and illustration of modern social media and the poor habits that the youth of today posses.Weird AY† brings up some common grammatical misconceptions that have, unfortunately, become very common throughout society. One example of this is when he talks about the confusion people have with the difference between the use of less and the use of fewer. Through his use of illustration, it is conveyed how less is to be used when referring to a measurable amount, and fewer is to be used in reference to a number of items. AY also elaborates to the audience that the words â€Å"be, see, are, and you† shouldn't be written as single letters and the laziness that goes along with writing those words as single letters Is despicable.Through his song † Word Crimes,† AY projects his view on the literary repose of the modern cyber based society that is the world today. The often use of humor and criticism helps to teach the audience the proper use of grammar and spelling ,as well as, shed light on the ignorance of the English language that some of the youth and early adults of today posses. His use of humor is a very good tool to convey his point and view on the topic of awful English habits that have become apparently more common across society youth and makes his song all the more useful in his favor.

How global warming works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How global warming works - Essay Example Global warming occurs because carbon monoxide and additional chemical emissions become trapped under the ozone layer; as a result, the temperature of the Earth steadily increases. The impact of global warming has been researched extensively, and in addition to the extinction of plant and animal species, the human race itself may one day become extinct. It has been suggested that global warming will have far-reaching consequences for all life on Earth. In observing the possible crash on the environment (the blend of all living and non-living basics in a specified area), the extinction of animals and plants as well as land formations are most important. It is thought that more than 120 species of amphibians have already vanished forever because of global warming. The Golden Toad, for example, which was once mostly found in Monteverde, Costa Rica, was one of the first amphibians to become extinct. This reptile was last seen in 1989. Animals are not the only living organism in danger of extinction-plants are also being harmed by the effects of global warming. Several plant species have been confirmed extinct because of radical changes in weather patterns in a number of areas (Abarbanel p57). The Fern Gully in Jamaica is an... Another example of the way in which global warming affects landscapes and ecosystems is the coral reef. These are important parts of the ecosystems in which they live-the death of a coral reef will in turn contribute to the eventual extinction of countless plant and animal species which live in it. The Pew Centre on Global Climate Change issued a report on February 13, 2004, stating that global warming might very well further contribute to the extinction of coral reefs. The report goes further to state that in areas with large geographic ranges and extremely high latitudes, certain coral species are very vulnerable to the effects of global warming, and that there is no doubt that coral species in these types of areas are affected. Plants and animals are not the only species which will experience the devastating effects of global warming. It is expected that the human race will be even more severely affected. Global warming will have far-reaching and destructive consequences, with famine in areas where the climate has been devastated to the extent that growing food is no longer possible, mass migration of people from significantly affected areas, and perhaps even war. Approximately two hundred million people may be affected if the sea-level rises significantly: Vietnam, Bangladesh, China, India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Egypt are on the top of the list. The consequences of a large increase in sea-level in such areas are likely to be severe: a dramatic change in climate, scarcity of resources in affected countries, and perhaps eventually mass migration of people out of affected countries, leading to scarcity of resources in the

Human trafficking in Utah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human trafficking in Utah - Essay Example Hence, due to this repugnance by the businessmen, there has been the desired by the private and public sectors to work together in an attempt to control and administer the crime. In this gaze, the paper examines on what ways have the private and public sectors can cohesively work closely to reduce the menace that has stood to destroy the name of the city. The public sector of Utah has since been accused of many wrongdoings over the past that includes corruption, bribery and retrogressive policies that did not impact much on the reduction of human trafficking. According Potrafke, (2013), he observed that public confidence and trust has changed significantly in the fight against human trafficking. The citizens will find it easier to report the crime as they are sure that actions would be taken against the perpetrators. The new office of the public sector of the state under the new bureau of the attorney general had recruitment and expanded the workforce both from the private sector and government officials. The society stakeholders, therefore, find an easier way to the public corridors especially the Utah citizens. Another mechanism that has been used by the public sector is to create a different task force within the city of Utah that comprises of private and public personnel. (Farrell & Pfeffer, 2014) observed that having a proper wo rkforce ensured that thorough investigations are taken and prosecution of perpetrators. The two arms of the society provide a wider view of the problem that enables the crime to be reduced. Both the private and public department has been involved in the development strategy of the city of Utah to reduce human trafficking. Utah’s attorney general office has been creative through innovations by the use of modern technology to reduce humanity crimes as the trafficking in persons. They have created web-based within their systems that enables reporting of crimes such as human trafficking.

Human Resources Manager at Shangrila-Hotels International Assignment

Human Resources Manager at Shangrila-Hotels International - Assignment Example Likewise, I find fulfillment in meeting the needs of people who need good service. I believe I am the best candidate for this position. My resume is attached for your perusal. The Front Desk Officer is a crucial job, especially when handling customer service concerns. The FDO,( also commonly known as the Receptionist ) is responsible for representing the company to the public the minute they walk in an establishment especially if it’s within a hospitality industry. The important issue here is that the Receptionist creates a lasting impression on the visitors. There are many openings for a Front Desk Officer internationally. Aside from such  Ã‚   Duties, other duties may also be assigned to the Receptionist as long as it pertains to the receiving of guests. Furthermore, this job entails not only skills in accommodating guests and making reservations but also certain personal qualities that would be endearing to the guests.  

How is the quality of life in Houston, Texas Annotated Bibliography

How is the quality of life in Houston, Texas - Annotated Bibliography Example Houston has a wide range of entertainment joints with quality of products. The products have subsidized prizes through sponsorship by major industries. The city has cultural events that promotes the residents and promote quality health by providing information on the pandemic diseases and how to handle the diseases. It also promotes women and children health care through the social events within the city. The inclusion on entertainments and sports within the city promote unity and a harmonious living that creates an atmosphere of love among the residents. Houston is a city with family atmosphere to behold. The article gives a statistical overview of the Houston indicating a population of 6.2 million. It also gives reveals that Houston has major industries that deal with energy, aerospace and defense and Bioscience. This is clear indicator of Houston being the best place for doing business. The statistics reveal a 6.4% unemployment rate, 3.8% job growth and 5% above the natural average on cost of living. Despite the percentage in unemployment rate, the statistics reveal a growing rate in people indulging in business hence self-employment becomes a key indicator for good life in Houston. Houston economy has a broad industrial base with several sectors including health care. The only city that is home to more big companies than Houston is New York City. Houston is also home to the world’s largest concentration of health care and research institutions known as Texas Medical Center and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which has mission control center. The port of Houston is ranked as the first in the U S in international waterborne tonnage handling. Houston has a reward of life in diverse and affordable real estate. The real estate available varies from a modern loft downtown to a traditional single –family home in the woodlands. The greater part of

Concept Of Reciprocity In Discourse Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Concept Of Reciprocity In Discourse - Assignment Example These morphemes imply some kind of a back and forth movement. ‘Reciprocity’ is also related to feedback, interaction and causality. In a speech situation when a speaker puts across his message, the hearer listens to it and signals that he has heard it. This is the feedback. This takes place constantly between the speaker and the listener, and there is interaction among them. The response of a speaker depends upon what he hears. The speech is a cause and the response is the effect. Hence, there is causality involved in reciprocity. 2. Concept Of Reciprocity In Discourse A speech situation involves a speaker and a listener. â€Å"Reciprocity condition of speech refers to the relation between the speaker and the listener in the process of speech.† ( Bygate, 1987 ) Speech is a reciprocal activity. At this point, it is necessary to differentiate between speech and writing. The way language is organized in speech is different from the way it is organized in writing. In order to speak fluently, a speaker must have grammatical competency which includes knowledge of vocabulary, pronunciation, sentence structure and meaning. But speaking does not mean merely putting together words in a grammatical structure. The capacity to use language appropriately is called communicative competence. It is the knowledge that underlines the use of grammatical competence in communicative situations. Speech situation consists of various factors like topic, purpose, social relations, environment etc. These differ from culture to culture and community to community. In sh ort, â€Å"speaking is not a discrete skill. It overlaps a number of other areas. Structure of conversation is culturally determined.† ( Hughes, R., 2002 ) Now let us look closely at what happens when two people speak. The speaker has a message which he encodes and transmits to the listener through speech. The listener listens to the speech and decodes the message. The listener then responds in the same way, by transmitting a message. Hence, the speaker becomes the listener and vice versa. An individual takes turns at being a speaker and a listener alternately. This is called ‘turn taking’. In a speech event, the participants are face-to-face and the turn-taking is a continuous process. Hence, we see that casual conversations are also organized by rules. People take turns at speaking and listening, they answer questions, mark the beginning and end of a conversation, make mistakes and correct themselves. All this needs some kind of direction and control on the par t of the speakers. People do not say – I have finished now. You can answer my question. Conversations are organized covertly and the organizational principles provide a discreet interactional framework. It is within this framework that reciprocity takes place. â€Å"Reciprocity develops during the ongoing negotiation of meaning between speaker and listener, thus producing a joint construction of communication.† ( Byrne D., 1987 ) Reciprocity involves the use of turn-taking skills, strategies to interrupt and to control the topic, which are necessary to maintain meaningful interaction. During conversations, individuals follow norms like politeness principles and co-operative principles. They also reciprocate each others’ verbal and non-verbal behavior. In a social intercourse, people are obligated to help and not to harm those who help them. Social activity is also reciprocal and ubiquitous. The ability to appropriately reciprocate or compensate a partner’ s communicative response is an essential element of communicative

Classic Airlines Marketing Solution Paper Essay

Classic Airlines Marketing Solution Paper - Essay Example The company generates its revenue from passenger as well as cargo services. The total revenue earned by the company has moved up from $8592 million to $8700 million from the year 2003. Despite the rise in the revenue, it faced a decline in its net income. The main reason for this can be attributed to the rise in its operating expenditure which has moved up by approximately 20% in 2004. This is getting reflected in the annual net profit, as it has dropped significantly from $71 million to $10 million in the year 2004 which is a fall of nearly 86%. The net profit margin ratio of the company has declined from 0.0083 to 0.0011. This means that the net profit margin of the company has declined substantially by 86 % compared to the last year (California State University, n.d.). In view of this, Classic Airlines has planned for a reduction in its costs relating to Operations, Marketing, Sales, Administration and IT. The company has planned for the highest cost-cut in the marketing division. The price of the companys stock at the end of 2003 was $33.20 compared to $28.93 in 2004. The dismal financial performance of the company is getting reflected in the stock price which has fallen by nearly 12.86%. The highest price recorded by the company in 2004 is $36.75, in the month of July. This could be due to highest monthly net income posted by the company in the last month at $160 million. Even though it remained above $100 million mark in July, the following months witnessed a sharp fall in the net income. As evident by the financial statements, the companys revenue peaked in the months of June and July in both the years. The terrorist strike on September 9/11 had a deep impact on the airline industry with most of the airlines reporting dip in profits. This led to an increase in the amount of debt as the company ran into severe losses which had to be financed through external

Social inequality (contrast between UK and Brazil) Essay

Social inequality (contrast between UK and Brazil) - Essay Example Differences in living standards is evident in that there are people who live in luxurious houses while others live in slums, differences in life expectancy can be associated with proper health accessed by the rich and not by the poor, conflict in the society is associated with what Karl Marx referred to as polarisation between classes resulting to a revolution and finally progress will occur in the society in that the rich will inspire the poor to become rich. The conflict perspective of inequality by Karl Marx perceives inequality as one that does not play a useful role in society, Karl argues that all societies have two groups of people the owners of resources to production and the workers, the rich exploit the workers to make more profits through more working hours and low wages, the rich want to maintain the status quo while the workers want to change the existing situation and therefore there is always conflict in the society.2 The functionalist perspective by Davis and Moore perceive society stratification and inequality as one that plays a role in the proper working of society, according to this theory all social systems share certain functional prerequisite which must be met for the society to operate efficiently. One of these prerequisites is effective role allocation and performance and this means that all roles must be filled by those who are best able to perform them and that roles must be performed well by trained individuals. The mechanism that ensures proper role allocation is social stratification, roles are different in terms of importance and therefore there is the need to attach unequal rewards to the role.3 Living standards in the UK are higher than those of Brazil, this is attributed by the fact that the UK is more developed and industrialised; therefore the inequalities in the UK are better off compared to cases of inequalities in Brazil. Higher incomes in the UK are one

Analysis of data handling Essay Example for Free

Analysis of data handling Essay To get an improved understanding of the problems faced in an online retail data handling system I am going to conduct a questionnaire and gain data from some data capture forms. After gaining information from my questionnaire and data capture forms I now have a clear understanding of how a data handling system is implemented for an online retail store. I now know what information will be kept and which will only be temporary. The products and the customer information will be kept permanently. The customer information is kept permanent but can be changed at any point i. e. a change of address, phone no. etc. When purchases are made little data is added to that which is already stored. The invoice brings together customer information and pairs it with product information. The information added to the invoice would be date of purchase; this information would then automatically create an expected date of arrival and the delivery process, transport, dispatch etc. When customer information is gained it is not input by a member of staff. The information is fed automatically from the websites data capture form which is filled out by the customer. The only information input by staff is the stock information as prices calculation delivery date etc is done automatically by the system. They had a WAN, wide area network. Each of the computer terminals could access the same data so that invoices and other information can be viewed at the same time on different computers. They were also able to check credit card details with banks through their WAN. The data system can produce information for both staff and online customers. Customers can view their past orders or there current account details whilst all data can be viewed by staff. They use standard input devices, keyboard and mouse, as there is no need for particular input devices, for example bar code reader, scanner.

An inspector calls Essay Example for Free

An inspector calls Essay After reading an Inspector calls, I am certain it is obvious to any one who reads it that the inspector is not what he appears to be at all. At first you have no suspicions of the Inspector, but as the play moves on it slowly dawns on you that the Inspector might be an impostor. The inspector also has major impacts on some of the characters. He is Priestleys vehicle for his views on social responsibility. He represents social conscience. He has moral dimension. The Inspectors name, Goole, has noteworthy significance. Ghoul has the same sound and its meaning has a great bearing on the play. A Ghoul is an evil spirit To Birling, and his upper class peers; this is an exact analysis of the Inspector. The thought of the Inspector being something extraordinary seems to be briefly confronted by Sheila but it is dismissed just as quickly. Another theory might be that the Inspector represents truth and is not a real person at all but just a representative of justice. I think that this is a very plausible idea and probably Priestleys own thought. He could be a spirit representing the future, the Birlings chance of repent, although only Eric and Sheila recognize this. They are the only ones to realise that they have ruined this girls life and it could be their doings that sent her to this horrible end. The Inspector could also be as real as all the other characters in body and can eat and drink and is solid. I think that the inspector may have gone back in time or there might have been a time slip of some sort to make sure that these people new what they had done. I think there is a possibility that the Inspector could be Eva Smith and just goes back to haunt them. This maybe quite far fetched by I would not rule it out completely, because if it were true then it would explain everything. The main role of the inspector is his forcing role, which he uses to overpower the other characters to admit to their secrets. He appears to the characters to be very rude at times, but this rudeness only adds to the factor at which he can interrogate the characters, and also provokes them admit to their wrongdoings, I know. I had her turned out of a job. I started it. Some characters take longer to acknowledge their secrets than others. They try to hide, but cannot escape from the inspector. For example Mr. Birling, a very stubborn man, who, even when he confesses to his  concealment, believes that it has nothing to do with the death, and believes that he has nothing to do with it at all. Other characters like Sheila and Eric admit and dont try to hide it, and know that they had added to the tragic death of Eva Smith. They know that the inspector is right, and if they hadnt done what they did, then Eva Smith would still be alive. Sheila in particular is very guilty and gets very emotional. The inspector has trouble with getting them all to admit themselves, Inspector, Ive told you before, I dont like your tone.I dont propose to give you much more rope however he knows they had something to do with it, and he knew exactly what that was as well. This may have helped him. The inspector makes his views on social responsibility clear. He believes that we are all responsible for one another and should act together as a community, helping those of us who are less fortunate. Ironically, Mr Birling has the opposite view to the inspector. When the inspector arrives he is discussing business with Gerald and says that he thinks you are responsible for yourself and your family only. Mr Birling is absolutely against the idea of communism. Priestley expresses his views on communism through the inspector demonstrating to the reader how important it is to care for others in your community. In conclusion I think that the Inspector is as real as every one else in the play but I think that he represents justice or truth and is a form of angel or something along those lines. The play can only be understood after it is closely reviewed. I am sure that there will always be a sense of mystery about this play; who was the inspector? What was the Inspector? Will we ever know? His role in the play is forcing to discover the characters terrible secrets and leave them with a lasting impression as well as a lot to think about. Priestley has very strong views on social responsibility which are expressed through the inspector.

An Electronic Medical Record

An Electronic Medical Record An Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a digital record of a patients medical history and test results. A record which is kept digitally allows for ease of transfer between physicians and readability, not relying on the old system of papers which need to be physically transferred, or at best, faxed between offices. EMR systems have existed for a number of years already, yet many hospitals and physicians still rely on paper records. However, a complete EMR system is complex, facilitating transfer of information between connected systems whether or not they are part of the same organization rather than being simply a flat file on a desktop with data entered. Many employees and physicians resist change and privacy issues are often at the forefront of concerns dealing with electronic media. This paper discusses the impacts of implementing and operating an EMR and some of the difficulties which may arise that health care providers cite as reasons not to go digital. Introduction The world of medical technology today abounds with news of breakthroughs and innovation using the latest science and techniques. Technology allows us to perform operations and treat patients in ways not thought possible just 20 years ago. The field of medical information systems however is lagging far behind the rest, with many medical records and communications between physicians still accomplished via paper. Why is there such a disparity between the procedures of performing medicine on patients and the way the records of the procedures on those same patients are kept? In this world of international travel where one can travel halfway around the globe in less than a day, should the medical records of the traveler not be able to arrive digitally if he or she needs it while out of the country? Implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) across the country and interconnecting them with the rest of the world, unfortunately, is a long and intensive process. Converting over to an EMR may adversely affect daily operations and increase risk if the proper steps are not taken. The cost may be prohibitive, costing up to $7 million for a 200 bed hospital. However, long term benefits outweigh the investment. Estimates show that implementation of an EMR system could save hospitals from $142 to $371 billion a year, increase the efficiency and reduce errors (Venkatraman, Bala, Venkatesh Bates, 2008, p.141). The planning and execution of the plan requires the support of both the management and the doctors and nurses who will be using the system on a daily basis. Accessibility For a system to be considered useful, the various components and interfaces must be accessible. In a study by Ilie, Slyke, Parikh and Courtney (2009), individuals often select the method of information entry and retrieval which is most accessible. The basis for these actions can be described using the least-effort model (p.218). Essentially whichever method is easier or more familiar is the method preferred. Hospitals and doctors offices have, for years, used a paper records system. The advantages of paper charts are that the charts are placed near each patient and allow for free form notation. Converting over to an EMR system requires training and convenient placement of terminals for physician and nurses. The most convenient may be placing a terminal in each office and station, in or just outside each patient location, or allowing portable units for information entry and retrieval; but implementation of this may not be within the budget or timetable. In instances where accessibilit y of terminals were not convenient, it was found that physicians and nurses fell back to documenting on paper charts and then later on reentering the data online (Spetz Keane, 2009, p.342). To reduce the tendency of users falling back on paper, strategic planning is required in choosing a system which is user-friendly and in placement of units for retrieval and entry of data. Accessibility also means the ability to retrieve needed information about a patient from locations where he or she does not have a previous record. In a world where EMR systems (which can interface with each other) are the norm, travelers would not have to worry that something may be overlooked simply because previous medical records were not available. In addition, cases where medical records were wiped out due to disasters and backups were not available, treatment of patients can become very difficult. After Hurricane Katrina, many physicians did not have medical records for patients needing emergency treatment; often the patients were themselves in no condition to answer questions or simply did not know enough to give meaningful answers (Brooks Grotz, 2010, p.73). Even when a hospital or doctors office installs an EMR system, thought should be given to how portable the data is. Due to the many different vendors available, EMR systems may or may not be able to transfer data effect ively. If a patient moves and requires treatment in another location, an incompatible EMR interface may require that the records be printed out and manually transferred to the new location, effectively negating one of the primary benefits of storing the information electronically. Benefits There are many benefits to implementing an EMR system, both tangible and intangible. One benefit, as mentioned above, could be the ability to share the information between different locations easily. Another benefit which is important to management but often takes time to realize is monetary, in the form of savings from increased efficiency and reduced errors. Increased efficiency also may translate to increased patient satisfaction, leading to increased business and reputation. Most people think of reducing the amount of paper used when a system migrates to going digital, but paper is a comparatively cheap medium though it takes up a large amount of space. On the other hand, take the case of the radiology department. The film used has to be specially prepared prior to use and it requires special equipment both to take the image and to process for viewing. Moving from hardcopy radiological images to one produced and stored digitally reduces both costs and facilitates transfer of images (Ayal Seidmann, 2009, p.45, 47). In the case study of the rural hospital, a number of systems were implemented to try and improve efficiency. The vision was to create an integrated IT system with an electronic medical record (EMR) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE). (Spetz Keane, 2009, p.338). Combining these two would make it possible for the patient to receive tests and treatments by the hospital, then the prescription would be relayed to the pharmacy electronically. The nurse would be able to scan the wristband of the patient and the labels on the prescriptions to verify the correct medicine goes to the correct person. A part of the system which had been implemented in the first month was a bar-coding system for supplies resulting in a decrease of patient care units running out of supplies due to improved inventory control (Spetz Keane, 2009, pp.338-340). The reduction of errors is also a key concern and the use of electronic records and a central database reduces the chances of duplication and mid-identification. As cited by Venkatraman, Bala, Venkatesh and Bates (2008) in their introduction to their paper, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1999 shocked the nation by reporting that as much as 98000 people die in hospitals every year due to medical errors. These errors are also said to cost hospitals as much as $29 billion every year. Many costly mistakes might have been prevented if physicians had better information available or were not mislead by incorrect information, for example getting the wrong charts for the wrong person. In the process of proposing an EMR solution, the most common way is show benefits using monetary values and time/productivity savings. However, there are intangible benefits which are not so easily identified or measured. A desirable factor sometimes overlooked is increase in satisfaction, both for the customers and for the physicians (Ayal Seidmann, 2009, p.49). The ability to process results quickly affects the views the public has of the hospital or office and faster processing allows physicians to accomplish more. One of the most frustrating parts of health care is the wait necessary: patients waiting to be seen or waiting for doctors to diagnose the tests, doctors and nurses waiting for tests to be run or film to be developed. A byproduct of increasing the efficiency of processes is reduced frustration and improved satisfaction. After all, a patient at a hospital with an unknown problem should not have to wonder what is taking so long in addition to whats wrong with me? Implementation Once the decision has been made to acquire an EMR system, the next step is to decide which to use. Many medical technology and software companies are offering EMRs with many different specifications. Would a complete integrated system be better than a modular system? Are there partners requiring the ability to interface with the system? What is the degree of technological sophistication of the users? These questions and many other need to be addressed in deciding what type of EMR system would be the best fit. One key note in the implementation of a EMR system is that there is always a learning curve involved. Expect productivity to fall upon initial deployment with an increase in productivity once users are familiar with the system. A temporary decline of as much as 50% could be expected initially with productivity ramping back up to pre-implementation levels by six weeks, although some organizations required at least a year (Brooks Grotz, 2010, p.81). Often this period of decreased efficiency is what many users complain about: they cannot document as fast as they used to, they have to stop often to respond to system alerts, equipment is not working (possibly due to incorrect settings or improper use). Training for users of the system is thus an important part of the implementation plan. Enough time must be set aside for learning the system and support must be available if needed. Privacy Where terminals were placed is often important to the privacy of patients. In a case where an EMR system was implemented in a rural hospital, nurses and their managers had given input on locations for installation of computers and scanning cabinets. Once the nurses started using the system, however, issues of privacy came up. Some of the rooms were multi-bed and with only one computer, the nurse sometimes had to talk across one patient to get information from another (Spetz Keane, 2009, p.341). Obviously another method needed to be implemented to prevent violation of patient confidentiality; however such changes are not easily accomplished, especially if the system is already in place. Developing a policy for accessing the system is also paramount to protection of patient privacy in addition to business and financial records. There are several types of access levels available to a system as potentially complex as an EMR. The most obvious are access to medical and financial information. Also included are access to configure the hardware and software, especially the granting of permissions for other users to access various parts of the system. Imagine for example, the nurse who may need to collect financial or insurance information and enter it such that the billing department can access it. What if this same privilege inadvertently gave access to hospital financial records also? Also if an extranet is setup to interface with insurance companies for billing, how much access should they have? If policies are not set up correctly, insurance companies may be able to access records on patients under other insurance companys policies (Wilcox Brown, 2005, p.47). Past employees also need to have access to the system terminated and a policy should be in effect as to what a reasonable timeframe for access termination. Wilcox and Brown (2005) suggested that normal terminations, such as retirement, resignation and employee transfer, should be within one day and urgent terminations, such as a status change of an employee under hostile circumstances such as a firing, suspension, or other disciplinary action or any time there is reasonable cause to suspect that a user may try to harm or misuse data or system resources, should happen within an hour. Medical identity theft is now becoming more of a concern due to the abilities of hackers to access electronic systems. Just as someone could park outside a store and wirelessly tap into the credit card authorization process, someone could attempt to intercept communications between hospitals or even between departments within a hospital. Kieke cites a study by the Federal Trade Commission that states that medical identity theft accounts for 3 percent of identity theft crimes (Kieke, 2009). The theft may be used to fraudulently obtain health care services, file false claims, or attempt to secure drugs (Kieke, 2009, pp51-52). Once the identity has been compromised, it may be sold and resold multiple times, costing the patient time and money to clear the claims and establish their own identity again. Conclusion In many ways, implementation of an EMR system will be beneficial to hospitals and doctors offices. The degree of implementation is dependent on the requirements of the particular establishment. Specialized hospitals and many doctors offices do not require the whole gamut of software to run, often a subset or certain key modules would suffice. However, the ability to organize and display medical data in a meaningful way which follows some type of standardization and the ability to transfer records to other locations in times of need should be a requirement of any EMR implementation. Along with the technology needed comes a need to look at the human requirements behind using the system. The users, doctors and nurses in particular, are important to the overall success of any implantation. Not addressing issues which arise from this set of users may render the whole implementation moot.

Postmodern Poetry - Confessional Poets Essay -- essays research papers

Postmodern Poetry - Confessional Poets With World War II finally over and a chapter in history written, the next chapter is about to begin. The twentieth century brings with it a new literary movement called postmodern, where poetry is "breaking from modernism" and taking on a whole new style Within postmodern poetry emerge confessional poets whom remove the mask that has masked poetry from previous generations and their writings become autobiographical in nature detailing their life's most intense personal experiences, therefore becoming the focus of their work. Considered to be the "mainstream of postmodern poetry" confessional poetry did not hit its peak until the late twentieth century. Confessional poetry is in direct contrast to the poetry of William Butler Yeats. Yeats poetry, Romantic in nature, depended on symbols and images to convey his themes. Confessional poetry is very direct and conveys the inner most feelings of the post modern poets. The twentieth century brought forth many confessional and post confessional poets who appeared to be embarking on unmarked territory. Confessional poets Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Theodore Roehtke and post confessional poet Adreinne Rich all dealt with taboo subjects. Their life held an intensity of personal experience that became the focus of their work. Confessional poetry does not simply touch upon emotion. Confessional poetry allows emotion or looks at emotion through an examining eye rather to drive poems, permeating each poem with an air of necessity, the necessity of conv eying and aiming to understand emotion through confession. Postmodern poet, Robert Lowell's poetry really captures the true essence of confessional poetry by sharing his own raw emotions with the reader. The mask that once was placed upon the influence of the symbolist, Eliot and Pound, Lowell removes. The speaker of his poems is unequivocally himself. Lowell does not spare himself in his poetry. In his poem "Man and Wife" he deals directly with his own marriage. The reader gets grotesque glimpses into his marital life. He begins "Tamed by Miltown, we lie on mother's bed." And later tells how "All night I have held your hand,/ as if you had/ a fourth time faced the kingdom of the mad-/ its hackney... ...bsp;The thing itself and not the myth. Diving deep into the inner most recesses of her self, exploring the wreck of her own life, Rich feels compelled to map the geography of her self. Rich declares in a forward to her poems "with the failure of patriarchal politics" and "to be a woman at this time" is to know extraordinary forms of anger, joy, and impatience, love and hope. Poetry, words on paper, are necessary but not enough; we need to touch the living who share†¦ our determination that the sexual myths underlying the human condition can and shall be †¦ changed. Rich's work is personal, intimate and confessional. Confessional and post confessional poets clearly chose to write about subjects that were taboo. That took their private lives and deep inner thoughts and made them public. Confessional poets took the baton from the moderns such as Yeat's and Eliot and took poetry to another whole level. They opened up their heart, mind and feelings to a society that was able to relate.

My Sports Movie :: Sociology Essays

My Sports Movie I believe that one of the most important things to keep in mind about sports/athletics is that no ones experience is the same. There are many different perspectives that complicate the subject and there is no real clear-cut answer or solution to any problem. But it is always important to bring the issues to the surface where they can be discussed and debated in the hopes of reaching better grounds with a compromise. So, in writing a movie script, I would try and include several different perspectives from people with varying personalities. I would also have to take and expand on my own experiences. Though my exposure to athletics and the questions surrounding society and women have been limited, I think that what I have been made aware of is similar and relevant to the issues today. My movie would follow a small group of high school students and their varying experiences with the athletics in their small school. Cathy is a junior and was the first girl to try out for and join the wrestling team. She is a very involved with sports and school activities in general. She's on track and field and does several academic extra curricular activities as well. But after joining her high school wrestling team, and cutting her hair short, she is picked on and called a dyke. In actuality, she is in a long-term relationship with a male track and field teammate. Mae is a senior and a self-described feminist. She plays on the girl's varsity softball team. She too gets called a dyke, but she doesn't get it as bad as Cathy. Mae is also very involved with her academic school activities. Larry is a sophomore and the heir to the Macky Mini-Mart chains. He joined the school's track team to appease his mother. Track and cross-country come easy to him. His older sisters were track stars and his mother is the coach. Halfway through the season however, he quits and joins the newspaper. All the guys pick on Larry and call him a queer because he is soft spoken and seemingly uninterested in everything including team sports. Adette is the editor of the school newspaper. Adette is not involved in any sports and in fact, failed most of her gym classes, but her best friends just happen to be Cathy and Mae. The trouble starts in the middle of senior year; Adette is demoted to sports writer after running a scandalous issue.

What is an American :: essays research papers

What is an American? Finally someone says it right !!! You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American. So an Australian dentist wrote the following to let everyone know what an American is, so they would know when they found one. An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans. An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses. An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God. An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person's pursuit of happiness. An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes. But they also welcome the least. The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2002 earning a better life for their families.

Possible Extra Terrestrial Life

Benjamin Hastings April 10, 2013 Did Someone Move in Down the Street? An Exploration of Possible Extraterrestrial Life in the Universe, Perhaps Our Own System Other life in the universe just makes sense. Think about it, there are trillions of other stars in existence in our universe, and most of those stars have satellites, and those satellites have satellites. There are literally hundreds of trillions, if not more, planets or planet-sized satellites orbiting stars. To think that none of these could have life on them is just to be naive.If it happened to our planet, out of hundreds of trillions of them out there, it can happen to another, and another. We can’t be alone; distant, maybe, but alone is just too far-fetched a theory. Belief in extraterrestrial life dates back quite far, even back to ancient society. â€Å"Regarding the existence of other worlds, the ancients of both Greece and rome were deeply divided. Arguing affirmative were the Epicureans, so called after Epicu rus (341-270 B. C. ), who developed certain ideas that had originated with Democritus and Leucippus two centuries earlier. Among the theories that we today consider most modern are†¦ hat life exists elsewhere in the universe†¦ Modern though these ideas may seem to us, they all indisputably date from antiquity†¦ † (Crowe- 3) We aren’t the first people to think that life must exist elsewhere, we’ve simply brought the thought back into popularity. But where could life be sustained? Bacteria have been observed to endure extreme conditions â€Å"in environments with very high or low temperature and where conditions are very acidic or very alkaline. † (Fix) Principles such as this suggest that â€Å"the search for life in the solar system should not be confined to the most benign environments. (Fix) Research and discoveries by Dr. Gene D. McDonald in Siberian permafrost showed that â€Å"single-celled organisms such as bacteria, archaeans, and f ungi repair cellular damage for tens of thousands of years – and perhaps many times longer—after being frozen solid. † (Hart) This is incredible when considering the damage the organisms sustain while being frozen; â€Å"even when all life processes appear to have stopped, processes that affect life do not. Organisms frozen in soil continue to be bombarded by radiation from elements within the soil itself.And at any temperature above absolute zero, all molecules vibrate a little. Thus, cells' DNA and other important molecules continue to sustain life-threatening damage. For organisms to remain viable for long periods of time, they must somehow maintain a minimal level of molecular repair. † (Hart) A breakthrough such as this suggests that if bacteria on Earth could survive temperatures this low, then certainly organisms outside of What we consider to be the inhabitable temperature zone could certainly adapt and survive on distant moons or dwarf planets.Mar s, the fourth and last Solar terran planet, could hold, or have held, life on its surface. Recent study of an ancient meteorite strengthens this theory. â€Å"The meteorite†¦ is made of igneous rock that solidified about 4. 5 billion years ago at the time that Mars formed. About 3. 6 billion years ago globules of carbonate minerals were deposited in cracks in the rock. The carbonate minerals may have been deposited when liquid water seeped into the cracks. The impact of an asteroid or comet on Mars 16 million years ago ejected the rock from Mars into interplanetary space.About thirteen thousand years ago the rock fell into the Antarctic ice fields as a meteorite. † (Fix) This meteorite was carefully studied for two years, revealing several different types of evidence of primitive life on the red planet. â€Å"Another piece of evidence was the discovery of inorganic compounds like iron sulfides that can be produced by bacteria and other terrestrial organisms. The most dr amatic evidence, however, is tiny structures in the carbonate globules that resemble microscopic fossils of ancient terrestrial bacteria. (Fix) Life may be closer than we think, but it also may have died out eons ago when the liquid water on the surface of Mars seemingly refused to stay in liquid form any longer. Titan, or Saturn VI, the largest Moon of Saturn, and second largest moon in the Solar System, seems promising for handling life. While being much cooler than our own planet, again, organisms that live there could adapt to the temperature, as well as atmospheric pressure it sustains; a pressure of 1. 6 bars, 60% than greater that of Earth. Titan’s atmosphere brings interesting points to itself because of its composition. Titan's air is predominantly made up of nitrogen with other hydrocarbon elements which give Titan its orange hue. These hydrocarbon rich elements are the building blocks for amino acids necessary for the formation of life. Scientists believe that Tita n's environment may be similar to that of the Earth's before life began putting oxygen into the atmosphere. † (Hamilton) This means that life on Titan has a potential to begin as it did theoretically on Earth, or could even have already even begun in very early stages, although these organisms would have to be highly resilient if they are anything like us. Titan's surface temperature appears to be about -178 °C (-289 °F)†¦ scientists believe lakes of ethane exist that contain dissolved methane. Titan's methane, through continuing photochemistry, is converted to ethane, acetylene, ethylene, and (when combined with nitrogen) hydrogen cyanide. The last is an especially important molecule; it is a building block of amino acids. † (Hamilton) Europa, a moon of Jupiter, is another highly considered candidate for life. Its surface is covered completely by a shell of ice, cracked and scarred by tidal forces deep beneath.The moon’s tidal forces â€Å"raise and low er the sea beneath the ice, causing constant motion and likely causing the cracks we see in images of Europa's surface from visiting robotic probes. This â€Å"tidal heating† causes Europa to be warmer than it would otherwise be at its average distance of about 780,000,000 km (485,000,000 miles) from the sun, more than five times as far as the distance from the Earth to the sun. The warmth of Europa's liquid ocean could prove critical to the survival of simple organisms within the ocean, if they exist. (Harvey&Burdick) This ocean, thought to span globally â€Å"with more than twice the volume of Earth's seas,† may have deep hidden secrets, â€Å"with conditions that might not be completely alien to some forms of life on Earth. Under its frozen crust, Europa may harbor the key ingredients required to create a habitable environment. † (Harvey) Europa’s closer, though still very far distance from the sun, along with what may be hidden in its ocean, make it p ossibly a better candidate for life within our own star system.One great physicist, Stephen Hawking, believes the possibility of life outside of our planet is too great to ignore. He jokes that â€Å"Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare. † Although he is very fond of the theory of extraterrestrial beings, he does warn us heavily about them. â€Å"We should be careful if we ever happen upon extraterrestrial life†¦ Alien life may not have DNA like ours: ‘Watch out if you would meet an alien. You could be infected with a disease with which you have no resistance. What we normally think of as ‘life' is based on chains of carbon atoms, with a few other atoms, such as nitrogen or phosphorous†¦ we can imagine that one might have life with some other chemical basis, such as silicon. † (dailygalaxy. com) Life to him seems undeniable in other parts of the universe, but he does suggest logically that it just may very likely not b e like us. This theory is to be respected, because many planets and subterran objects may fall in every planetary guideline to support life, just not in the way we see it in ourselves.Life must exist elsewhere, whether it be out neighbor, next door or down the block, or whether it be outside of our closely knit family of planets, moons, asteroids, etc. It could host similar structure to our own, or be composed differently, and therefore could survive completely different conditions from our own. Simply put, it may be considered to be foolish to completely ignore the possibilities of any terran planet to sustain life, because life is almost certainly out there somewhere, and it may be the in last place we think to look. Works Cited Crowe, Micheal J. The Extraterrestrial Life Debate 1750-1900.Cambridge UP. 1986. Print. Fix, John D. Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2008. Print. Hamilton, Calvin J. â€Å"Views of the Solar System: Titan. † solarviews. com. Solarviews, 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Hart, Stephan. â€Å"Bacteria: Survival in Siberia† astrobio. net. Astrobiology Magazine, 2002. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Harvey, Samantha and Autumn Burdick. â€Å"Solar System Exploration. † nasa. gov. NASA, 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Stephen Hawking on the Possibility of Non-Carbon-Based Extraterrestrial Life. † dailygalaxy. com. The Daily Galaxy, 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 14

21 Gleb Andorin gazed at Namarti through half-closed eyes. He never liked the man, but there were times when he liked him less than he usually did and this was one of those times. Why should Andorin, a Wyan of royal birth (that's what it amounted to, after all) have to work with this parvenu, this near-psychotic paranoid? Andorin knew why and he had to endure, even when Namarti was once again in the process of telling the story of how he had built up the movement during a period of ten years to its present pitch of perfection. Did he tell this to everyone, over and over? Or was it just Andorin who was his chosen vessel? Namarti's face seemed to shine with malignant glee as he said, in an odd singsong, as though it were a matter of rote, â€Å"Year after year. I worked on those lines, even through hopelessness and uselessness, building an organization, chipping away at confidence in the government, creating and intensifying dissatisfaction. When there was the banking crisis and the week of the moratorium, I-â€Å" He paused suddenly. â€Å"I've told you this many times and you're sick of hearing it, aren't you?† Andorin's lips twitched in a brief dry smile. Namarti was not such an idiot as not to know what a bore he was; he just couldn't help it. Andorin said, â€Å"You've told me this many times.† He allowed the remainder of the question to hang in the air, unanswered. The answer, after all, was an obvious affirmative. There was no need to face him with it. A slight flush crossed Namarti's sallow face. He said, â€Å"But it could have gone on forever-the building, the chipping, without ever coming to a point-if I hadn't had the proper tool in my hands. And without any effort on my part, the tool came to me.† â€Å"The gods brought you Planchet,† said Andorin neutrally. â€Å"You're right. There will be a group of gardeners entering the Imperial Palace grounds soon.† He paused and seemed to savor the thought. â€Å"Men and women. Enough to serve as a mask for the handful of our operatives who will accompany them. Among them will be you-and Planchet. And what will make you and Planchet unusual is that you will be carrying blasters.† â€Å"Surely,† said Andorin with deliberate malice behind a polite expression, â€Å"we'll be stopped at the gates and held for questioning. Bringing an illicit blaster onto the Palace grounds-â€Å" â€Å"You won't be stopped,† said Namarti, missing the malice. â€Å"You won't be searched. That's been arranged. You will all be greeted as a matter of course by some Palace official. I don't know who would ordinarily be in charge of that task-the Third Assistant Chamberlain in Charge of Grass and Leaves, for all I know-but in this case, it will be Seldon himself. The great mathematician will hurry out to greet the new gardeners and welcome them to the grounds.† â€Å"You're sure of that, I suppose.† â€Å"Of course, I am. It's all been arranged. He will learn, at more or less the last minute, that his foster son is among those listed as new gardeners and it will be impossible for him to refrain from coming out to see him. And when Seldon appears, Planchet will raise his blaster. Our people will raise the cry of ‘Treason!' In the confusion and hurly-burly, Planchet will kill Seldon and then you will kill Planchet. You will then drop your blaster and leave. There are those who will help you leave. It's been arranged.† â€Å"Is it absolutely necessary to kill Planchet?† Namarti frowned. â€Å"Why? Do you object to one killing and not to another? When Planchet recovers, do you wish him to tell the authorities all he knows about us? Besides, this is a family feud we are arranging. Don't forget that Planchet is, in actual fact, Raych Seldon. It will look as though the two had fired simultaneously-or as though Seldon had given orders that if his son made any hostile move, he was to be shot down. We will see to it that the family angle will be given full publicity. It will be reminiscent of the bad old days of the Bloody Emperor Manowell. The people of Trantor will surely be repelled by the sheer wickedness of the deed. That, piled on top of all the inefficiencies and breakdowns they've been witnessing and living through, will raise the cry for a new government-and no one will be able to refuse them, least of all the Emperor. And then we'll step in.† â€Å"Just like that?† â€Å"No, not just like that. I don't live in a dream world. There is likely to be some interim government, but it will fail. We'll see to it that it fails and we'll come out in the open and revive the old Joranumite arguments that the Trantorians have never forgotten. And in time-in not too much time-I will be First Minister.† â€Å"And I?† â€Å"Will eventually be the Emperor.† Andorin said, â€Å"The chance of all this working is small. This is arranged. That is arranged. The other thing is arranged. All of it has to come together and mesh perfectly or it will fail. Somewhere, someone is bound to mess up. It's an unacceptable risk.† â€Å"Unacceptable? For whom? For you?† â€Å"Certainly. You expect me to make certain that Planchet will kill his father and you expect me to then kill Planchet. Why me? Aren't there tools worth less than I who might more easily be risked?† â€Å"Yes, but to choose anyone else would make failure certain. Who but you has so much riding on this mission that there is no chance you will turn back in a fit of vapors at the last minute?† â€Å"The risk is enormous.† â€Å"Isn't it worth it to you? You're playing for the Imperial throne.† â€Å"And what risk are you taking, Chief? You will remain here, quite comfortable, and wait to hear the news.† Namarti's lip curled. â€Å"What a fool you are, Andorin! What an Emperor you will make! Do you suppose I take no risk because I will be here? If the gambit fails, if the plot miscarries, if some of our people are taken, do you think they won't tell everything they know? If you were somehow caught, would you face the tender treatment of the Imperial Guard without ever telling them about me? â€Å"And with a failed assassination attempt at hand, do you suppose they won't comb Trantor to find me? Do you suppose that in the end they will fail to find me? And when they do find me, what do you suppose I will have to face at their hands? Risk? I run a worse risk than any of you, just sitting here doing nothing. It boils down to this, Andorin. Do you or do you not wish to be Emperor?† Andorin said in a low voice, â€Å"I wish to be Emperor.† And so things were set in motion. 22 Raych had no trouble seeing that he was being treated with special care. The whole group of would-be gardeners was now quartered in one of the hotels in the Imperial Sector, although not one of the prime hotels, of course. The gardeners were an odd lot, from fifty different worlds, but Raych had little chance to speak to any of them. Andorin, without being too obvious about it, had managed to keep him apart from the others. Raych wondered why. It depressed him. In fact, he had been feeling somewhat depressed since he had left Wye. It interfered with his thinking process and he fought it-but not with entire success. Andorin was himself wearing rough clothes and was attempting to look like a workman. He would be playing the part of a gardener as a way of running the â€Å"show†-whatever the â€Å"show† might be. Raych felt ashamed that he had not been able to penetrate the nature of that â€Å"show.† They had closed in on him and prevented all communication, so he hadn't even had the chance to warn his father. They might be doing this for every Trantorian who had been pushed into the group, for all he knew, just as an extreme precaution. Raych estimated that there might be a dozen Trantorians among them, all of them Namarti's people, of course, men and women both. What puzzled him was that Andorin treated him with what was almost affection. He monopolized him, insisted on having all his meals with him, treated him quite differently from the way in which he treated anyone else. Could it be because they had shared Manella? Raych did not know enough about the mores of the Wye Sector to be able to tell whether there might not be a polyandrous touch to their society. If two men shared a woman, did that make them, in a way, fraternal? Did it create a bond? Raych had never heard of such a thing, but he knew better than to suppose he had a grasp of even a tiny fraction of the infinite subtleties of galactic societies-even of Trantorian societies. But now that his mind had brought him back to Manella, he dwelled on her for a while. He missed her terribly and it occurred to him that missing her might be the cause of his depression, though, to tell the truth, what he was feeling now, as he was finishing lunch with Andorin, was almost despair-though he could think of no cause for it. Manella! She had said she wanted to visit the Imperial Sector and presumably she could wheedle Andorin to her liking. He was desperate enough to ask a foolish question. â€Å"Mr. Andorin, I keep wondering if maybe you brought Miss Dubanqua along with you. Here, to the Imperial Sector.† Andorin looked utterly astonished. Then he laughed gently. â€Å"Manella? Do you see her doing any gardening? Or even pretending she could? No no, Manella is one of those women invented for our quiet moments. She has no function at all, otherwise.† then â€Å"Why do you ask, Planchet?†** Raych shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. It's sort of dull around here. I sort of thought-† His voice trailed away. Andorin watched him carefully. Finally he said, â€Å"Surely you're not of the opinion that it matters much which woman you are involved with? I assure you it doesn't matter to her which man she's involved with. Once this is over, there will be other women. Plenty of them.† â€Å"When will this be over?† â€Å"Soon. And you're going to be part of it in a very important way.† Andorin watched Raych narrowly. Raych said, â€Å"How important? Aren't I gonna be just-a gardener?† His voice sounded hollow and he found himself unable to put a spark in it. â€Å"You'll be more than that, Planchet. You'll be going in with a blaster.† â€Å"With a what?† â€Å"A blaster.† â€Å"I never held a blaster. Not in my whole life.† â€Å"There's nothing to it. You lift it. You point it. You close the contact and someone dies.† â€Å"I can't kill anyone.† â€Å"I thought you were one of us, that you would do anything for the cause.† â€Å"I didn't mean-kill.† Raych couldn't seem to collect his thoughts. Why must he kill? What did they really have in mind for him? And how would he be able to alert the Imperial Guard before the killing would be carried out? Andorin's face hardened suddenly, an instant conversion from friendly interest to stern decision. He said, â€Å"You must kill.† Raych gathered all his strength. â€Å"No. I ain't gonna kill nobody. That's final.† Andorin said, â€Å"Planchet, you will do as you are told.† â€Å"Not murder.† â€Å"Even murder.† â€Å"How you gonna make me?† â€Å"I shall simply tell you to.† Raych felt dizzy. What made Andorin so confident? He shook his head. â€Å"No.† Andorin said, â€Å"We've been feeding you, Planchet, ever since you left Wye. I made sure you ate with me. I supervised your diet. Especially the meal you just ate.† Raych felt the horror rise within him. He suddenly understood. â€Å"Desperance!† â€Å"Exactly,† said Andorin. â€Å"You're a sharp devil, Planchet.† â€Å"It's illegal.† â€Å"Yes, of course. So's murder.† Raych knew about desperance. It was a chemical modification of a perfectly harmless tranquilizer. The modified form, however, did not produce tranquillity but despair. It had been outlawed because of its use in mind control, though there were persistent rumors that the Imperial Guard used it. Andorin said, as though it were not hard to read Raych's mind, â€Å"It's called desperance because that's an old word meaning ‘hopelessness.' I think you're feeling hopeless.† â€Å"Never,† whispered Raych. â€Å"Very resolute of you, but you can't fight the chemical. And the more hopeless you feel, the more effective the drug.† â€Å"No chance.† â€Å"Think about it, Planchet. Namarti recognized you at once, even without your mustache. He knows you are Raych Seldon and, at my direction, you are going to kill your father.† Raych muttered, â€Å"Not before I kill you.† He rose from his chair. There should be no problem at all in this. Andorin might be taller, but he was slender and clearly no athlete. Raych would break him in two with one arm-but he swayed as he rose. He shook his head, but it wouldn't clear. Andorin rose, too, and backed away. He drew his right hand from where it had been resting within his left sleeve. He was holding a weapon. He said pleasantly, â€Å"I came prepared. I have been informed of your prowess as a Heliconian Twister and there will be no hand-to-hand combat.† He looked down at his weapon. â€Å"This is not a blaster,† he said. â€Å"I can't afford to have you killed before you accomplish your task. It's a neuronic whip. Much worse, in a way. I will aim at your left shoulder and, believe me, the pain will be so excruciating that the world's greatest stoic would not be able to endure it.† Raych, who had been advancing slowly and grimly, stopped abruptly. He had been twelve years old when he had had a taste-a small one-of a neuronic whip. Once struck, no one ever forgets the pain, however long he lives, however full of incidents his life is. Andorin said, â€Å"Moreover, I will use full strength so that the nerves in your upper arms will be stimulated first into unbearable pain and then damaged into uselessness. You will never use your left arm again. I will spare the right so you can handle the blaster. Now if you sit down and accept matters, as you must, you may keep both arms. Of course, you must eat again so your desperance level increases. Your situation will only worsen.† Raych felt the drug-induced despair settle over him and that despair served, in itself, to deepen the effect. His vision was turning double and he could think of nothing to say. Raych only knew that he would have to do what Andorin would tell him to do. He had played the game and he had lost. 23 â€Å"No!† Hari Seldon was almost violent. â€Å"I don't want you out there, Dors.† Dors Venabili stared back at him with an expression as firm as his own. â€Å"Then I won't let you go, either, Hari.† â€Å"I must be there.† â€Å"It is not your place. It is the Gardener First-Class who must greet these new people.† â€Å"So it is. But Gruber can't do it. He's a broken man.† â€Å"He must have an assistant of some sort. Or let the old Chief Gardener do it. He holds the office till the end of the year.† â€Å"The old Chief Gardener is too ill. Besides†-Seldon hesitated-â€Å"there are ringers among the gardeners. Trantorians. They're here, for some reason. I have the names of every one of them.† â€Å"Have them taken into custody, then. Every last one of them. It's simple. Why are you making it so complex?† â€Å"Because we don't know why they're here. Something's up. I don't see what twelve gardeners can do, but-No, let me rephrase that. I can see a dozen things they can do, but I don't know which one of those things they've planned. We will, indeed, take them into custody, but I must know more about everything before it's done. â€Å"We have to know enough to winkle out everyone in the conspiracy from top to bottom and we must know enough of what they're doing to be able to make the proper punishment stick. I don't want to get twelve men and women on what is essentially a misdemeanor charge. They'll plead desperation, the need for a job. They'll complain that it isn't fair for Trantorians to be excluded. They'll get plenty of sympathy and we'll be left looking like fools. We must give them a chance to convict themselves of more than that. Besides-â€Å" There was a long pause and Dors said wrathfully, â€Å"Well, what's the new ‘besides'?† Seldon's voice lowered. â€Å"One of the twelve is Raych, using the alias Planchet.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Why are you surprised? I sent him to Wye to infiltrate the Joranumite movement and he's succeeded in infiltrating something. I have every faith in him. If he's there, he knows why he's there and he must have some sort of plan to put a spoke in the wheel. But I want to be there, too. I want to see him. I want to be in a position to help him if I can.† â€Å"If you want to help him, have fifty guards of the Palace standing shoulder to shoulder on either side of your gardeners.† â€Å"No. Again, we'll end up with nothing. The Imperial Guard will be in place but not in evidence. The gardeners in question must think they have a clear hand to do whatever it is they plan to do. Before they can do so, but after they have made it quite plain what they intend-we'll have them.† â€Å"That's risky. It's risky for Raych.† â€Å"Risks are something we have to take. There's more riding on this than individual lives.† â€Å"That is a heartless thing to say.† â€Å"You think I have no heart? Even if it broke, my concern would have to be with psycho-â€Å" â€Å"Don't say it.† She turned away, as if in pain. â€Å"I understand,† said Seldon, â€Å"but you mustn't be there. Your presence would be so inappropriate that the conspirators will suspect we know too much and will abort their plan. I don't want their plan aborted.† He paused, then said softly, â€Å"Dors, you say your job is to protect me. That comes before protecting Raych and you know that. I wouldn't insist on it, but to protect me is to protect psychohistory and the entire human species. That must come first. What I have of psychohistory tells me that I, in turn, must protect the center at all costs and that is what I am trying to do. Do you understand?† Dors said, â€Å"I understand,† then turned away from him. Seldon thought: And I hope I'm right. If he weren't, she would never forgive him. Far worse, he would never forgive himself-psychohistory or not. 24 They were lined up beautifully, feet spread apart, hands behind their hacks, every one in a natty green uniform, loosely fitted and with wide pockets. There was very little gender differential and one could only guess that some of the shorter ones were women. The hoods covered whatever hair they had, but then, gardeners were supposed to clip their hair quite short-either sex-and there could be no facial hair. Why that should be, one couldn't say. The word â€Å"tradition† covered it all, as it covered so many things, some useful, some foolish. Facing them was Mandell Gruber, flanked on either side by an assistant. Gruber was trembling, his wide-opened eyes glazed. Hari Seldon's lips tightened. If Gruber could but manage to say, â€Å"The Emperor's gardeners greet you all,† that would be enough. Seldon himself would then take over. His eyes swept over the new contingent and he located Raych. His heart jumped a bit. It was the mustacheless Raych in the front row, standing more rigid than the rest, staring straight ahead. His eyes did not move to meet Seldon's; he showed no sign of recognition, however subtle. Good, thought Seldon. He's not supposed to. He's giving nothing away. Gruber muttered a weak welcome and Seldon jumped in. He advanced with an easy stride, putting himself immediately before Gruber, and said, â€Å"Thank you, Gardener First-Class. Men and women, gardeners of the Emperor, you are to undertake an important task. You will be responsible for the beauty and health of the only open land on our great world of Trantor, capital of the Galactic Empire. You will see to it that if we don't have the endless vistas of open undomed worlds, we will have a small jewel here that will outshine anything else in the Empire. â€Å"You will all be under Mandell Gruber, who will shortly become Chief Gardener. He will report to me, when necessary, and I will report to the Emperor. This means, as you can all see, that you will be only three levels removed from the Imperial presence and you will always be under his benign watch. I am certain that even now he is surveying us from the Small Palace, his personal home, which is the building you see to the right-the one with the opal-layered dome-and that he is pleased with what he sees. â€Å"Before you start work, of course, you will all undertake a course of training that will make you entirely familiar with the grounds and its needs. You will-â€Å" He had, by this time, moved, almost stealthily, to a point directly in front of Raych, who still remained motionless, unblinking. Seldon tried not to look unnaturally benign and then a slight frown crossed his face. The person directly behind Raych looked familiar. He might have gone unrecognized if Seldon had not studied his hologram. Wasn't that Gleb Andorin of Wye? Raych's patron in Wye, in fact? What was he doing here? Andorin must have noticed Seldon's sudden regard, for he muttered something between scarcely opened lips and Raych's right arm, moving forward from behind his back, plucked a blaster out of the wide pocket of his green doublet. So did Andorin. Seldon felt himself going into near-shock. How could blasters have been allowed onto the grounds? Confused, he barely heard the cries of â€Å"Treason!† and the sudden noise of running and shouting. All that really occupied Seldon's mind was Raych's blaster pointing directly at him and Raych looking at him without any sign of recognition. Seldon's mind filled with horror as he realized that his son was going to shoot and that he himself was only seconds from death. 25 A blaster, despite its name, does not â€Å"blast† in the proper sense of the term. It vaporizes and blows out an interior and-if anything-causes an implosion. There is a soft sighing sound, leaving what appears to be a â€Å"blasted† object. Hari Seldon did not expect to hear that sound. He expected only death. It was, therefore, with surprise that he heard the distinctive soft sighing sound and he blinked rapidly as he looked down at himself, slackjawed. He was alive? (He thought it as a question, not a statement.) Raych was still standing there, his blaster pointing forward, his eyes glazed. He was absolutely motionless, as though some motive power had ceased. Behind him was the crumpled body of Andorin, fallen in a pool of blood, and standing next to him, blaster in hand, was a gardener. The hood had slipped away; the gardener was clearly a woman with freshly clipped hair. She allowed herself a glance at Seldon and said, â€Å"Your son knows me as Manella Dubanqua. I'm a security officer. Do you want my reference number, First Minister?† â€Å"No,† said Seldon faintly. Imperial Guard had converged on the scene. â€Å"My son! What's wrong with my son?† â€Å"Desperance, I think,† said Manella. â€Å"That can be washed out eventually.† She reached forward to take the blaster out of Raych's hand. â€Å"I'm sorry I didn't act sooner. I had to wait for an overt move and, when it came, it almost caught me napping.† â€Å"I had the same trouble. We must take Raych to the Palace hospital.† A confused noise suddenly emanated from the Small Palace. It occurred to Seldon that the Emperor was, indeed, watching the proceedings and, if so, he must be grandly furious, indeed. â€Å"Take care of my son, Miss Dubanqua,† said Seldon. â€Å"I must see the Emperor.† He set off at an undignified run through the chaos on the Great Lawns and dashed into the Small Palace without ceremony. Cleon could scarcely grow any angrier over that. And there, with an appalled group watching in stupor-there, on the semicircular stairway-was the body of His Imperial Majesty, Cleon I, smashed all but beyond recognition. His rich Imperial robes now served as a shroud. Cowering against the wall, staring stupidly at the horrified faces surrounding him, was Mandell Gruber. Seldon felt he could take no more. He took in the blaster lying at Gruber's feet. It had been Andorin's, he was sure. He asked softly, â€Å"Gruber, what have you done?† Gruber, staring at him, babbled, â€Å"Everyone screaming and yelling. I thought, Who would know? They would think someone else had killed the Emperor. But then I couldn't run.† â€Å"But, Gruber. Why?† â€Å"So I wouldn't have to be Chief Gardener.† And he collapsed. Seldon stared in shock at the unconscious Gruber. Everything had worked out by the narrowest of margins. He himself was alive. Raych was alive. Andorin was dead and the Joranumite Conspiracy would now be hunted down to the last person. The center would have held, just as psychohistory had dictated. And then one man, for a reason so trivial as to defy analysis, had killed the Emperor. And now, thought Seldon in despair, what do we do? What happens next?