Building Value Based Healthcare Business Models Essay Example

Building Value Based Healthcare Business Models Essay The task the industries face-?demonstrating value based on a product focus-?is far from simple. For one thing, there are inherent limitations to the value a single drug can bring to the management of complex, chronic diseases, where therapeutic success is determined not only by the molecule but by a combination Of drugs, physician intervention, home assistance, and lifestyle changes. Moreover, providing better health outcomes in exchange for fewer resources means that medications and interventions must be targeted to the right patients. However, personalized medicine has yet to significantly permeate he operating models of the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries. But perhaps most importantly, recent value-based price negotiations have revealed a dramatic lack of trust on both sides of the table. The pharmaceutical industry has often been accused of using its marketing machinery to churn out pills that deliver high margins no matter what value they bring to patients. And the industry perceives healthcare payers restrictions as short-sighted penny-pinching that inhibits access to medicines and curbs innovation. In this climate, agreeing on the definition of value, let lone on the standards of evidence for value, is difficult. And indeed, even as healthcare payers push providers to show evidence of outcome, they continue to steer their spending via strict cost control. As a result, arbitrary price pressures (including forced rebates) are exerted on products in the current portfolio, and it is increasingly difficult to get new products approved for reimbursement. We will write a custom essay sample on Building Value Based Healthcare Business Models specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Building Value Based Healthcare Business Models specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Building Value Based Healthcare Business Models specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The outlook may be muddled, but one thing is clear: Players will need to radically adapt. Medical technology companies will struggle to command a price premium for new technology and will need to develop user-friendly, affordable solutions. And pharmaceutical companies, traditionally product- focused organizations, will need to readjust their processes, all the way from development through marketing, to collect and promote evidence of the value their products provide to the healthcare system. Capturing Value with Patient-Centric Solutions Is there an innovative way to deal with the value challenge? Several companies are embracing patient-centric solutions as an alternative business model to the traditional product focus. These models-?exemplified in the United Kingdom by Pfizer Health Solutions, a division that runs integrated are programs for chronic diseases-?aim to increase quality of life and avoid costly hospital treatments by offering prevention, early diagnosis, and remote care to chronically ill patients. The value proposition for healthcare payers is evident: These programs seek to reduce costs and, in theory, can legitimately aspire to be commissioned by a national health service (think the United Kingdom) or reimbursed by health insurance companies (for example, in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland) or local health authorities (think Italy)-?whether on a per-patient or per-time basis, or using a risk-sharing del. Innovative solutions can be driven by technology such as remote monitoring or e-health applications or by medical understanding of certain diseases-?the distinguishing competencies 2 of medical technology and pharmaceutical companies respectively. Philips, for example, launched its Motivate telekinetic remote monitoring program based on its device tech oenology but provides an integrated service. 1 Austereness, on the other hand, teamed up with Singer Health System in the United States to develop an e-health initiative to reduce cardiovascular disease and improve patient care. Additionally, smaller companies and start-ups are developing a Wide range of services. For example, Tallies, an Italian e-health company, provides telekinetic services to national and local payers, and SSL Telekinetic provides services to health insurance companies in Israel and Germany. Where do patient-centric solutions stand? Of course, providing health solutions is not a new idea, and neither is applying IT in health services. In the past decade, there has been no shortage of ideas on how communications technologies could revolutionize the delivery of health services. Certainly, the hype cycle has gone a full round. Similarly, pharmaceutical companies have discussed services as a possibility for adjacent innovation and life-cycle management every now and then. But the expectations voiced a decade ago remain unfulfilled, resulting in widespread skepticism about whether this time is different. But for several reasons, this time is different. For one thing, the product- based pharmaceutical business model has been under more pressure than ever. Ten years back, sovereign healthcare payers still had money, and the sequencing of the human genome promised to make drug innovation easier, quicker, and cheaper. Neither holds true today. And over the years, market players have learned that patient-centric health solutions are not just another application of information and communication technology-?popular thinking in the midst of the dot. Com boom-?but need viable value propositions for the health system. The learning curve has improved, and examples of patient- centric health solutions can be found in many healthcare markets. A look at more than 1 00 services now offered by pharmaceutical and medical technology companies reveals a continuum that ranges from products to stand-alone, value-based services: Product-related services have evolved straight from the products. Examples include patient adherence programs such as Roachs Motivation, Advice, and Proactive (MAP) Support Program for patients prescribed Conical obesity treatment, Chastenesss interactive online program for asthma patients taking Symbiotic, or Innovators Extract support program for multiple sclerosis patients. In medical technology, the Philips Ambient Experience lets patients personalize their exam room with lights, images, and sounds-?for example, replicating an African savanna, a rainy forest, a robots space journey, or an underwater adventure-?while undergoing diagnostic jesting with the companys devices. ; Adjacent services still use the basic product but go beyond it in their value proposition. Rock?s tell-health project in rural Great Britain to support patients with recurring urinary tract infections revolves around the companys Uriss diagnostic device, and Freshness Medical Cares [emailprotected] program in the United States provides comprehensive patient education for Its home dialysis products. All trademarks cited in this paper remain the property of their respective holders and are used only to directly describe the products or services being provided. ; In addition, there are already examples of truly stand-alone, value-based healthcare services, independent of single product use, along the patient pathway. Pfizer online male health clinic provides anonymous, confidential consultation at the users convenience. Wellheads diabetes manager provides a modular service for supporting medication adherence, clinical research trials, and disease management through the Internet and mobile devices. And Philips combines home-based tell-monitoring with an interactive health platform to promote behavioral change for patients with chronic illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COP). The solutions we examined span all stages of the patient pathway and display different degrees of business model autonomy, yet they all have one feature in common: Patient outcome, not products, is at the heart of the value proposition for customers. The next logical step, for those that heaven done so already, is to split patient-centric service offers from the drug and device business and develop them in a separate business unit. Pfizer Health Solutions is a case in point, as is Johnson Johnson Innovation. The fact that independent value-based healthcare services have started mainly in the area of treatment and monitoring (see figure 1) can be explained by the cost dynamics along the patient pathway: Conventional wisdom says prevention is the best medicine, but commercial reality is that it is the most poorly remunerated, at least in the public sector. At present, even private health insurers are more intent on capturing value at the cost- intensive end of the patient pathway than in prevention, where a business case for a patient-centric solution is much more difficult to make. That may be changing, however. Since the mid-sass, Dutch insurer Achaean has offered n interesting case study proving that integrated healthcare Figure 1 Most independent value-based healthcare services are in treatment and monitor Eng Business model autonomy Distribution and select examples of patient-centric solutions offerings Valuable services 8% Adjacent Proliferated 1% 3% 19% Pfizer care managers to coach patients with long-term conditions Philips interactive platform to monitor and support behavior change among chronically ill patients 12% 23% Roachs home urine tests to detect urinary tract infections 0% Innovators support program for patients being treated for wet age-related muscular generation prevention Diagnosis Treatment Monitoring Patient pathway Notes: The number in each box represents the percentage of offerings identified for each type of service and step of the patient pathway. In each row, a deeper color indicates a greater number of services. Source: A. T. Carney analysis of more than 100 services offered by pharmaceutical and medical technology firms 4 services can be a profitable way to effectively manage diseases-?and we expect the aging of the population, especially in Europe, to drive further adoption of patient-centric solutions. Where Do Patient-Centric Solutions Go From Here? Although the sheer number of services shows a rapidly evolving field, none of the models we analyzed has revolutionized healthcare delivery. A broad deployment of patient-centric solutions is still hampered by powerful barriers, both externally in the health marketplace and internally in the pharmaceutical and medical technology organizations. Among these barriers: misaligned incentives, distrust, and insufficiently developed capabilities (see sidebar: Barriers to Patient-Centric Solutions). Barriers to Patient-Centric Solutions A number of barriers, both external and internal, are standing in the way of widespread adoption of patient-centric healthcare solutions. External barriers Lack of collaboration and alignment. Healthcare is a complex world. Navigating interests from patient to provider to healthcare payer is not easy in the normal conduct of business, let alone when introducing innovative models. Health insurance companies in Germany, for example, tried to introduce disease management programs that largely failed because resident physicians, while essential to the programs implementation, were not involved in their design. 2 No consensus on evidence. In the long run, economic health outcomes of patient-centric arrive models will need to be proved in the same way that drug effectiveness is shown in a Phase Ill randomized clinical trial. But quantifying savings in the real world is more difficult, and studies on health economic outcomes are less amenable to scale than clinical studies: Patients and disease biology across the world are similar, but healthcare systems and their funding rules are not. On high product margins and do not want them to interfere with patient interactions. Misleading incentives for parts of the healthcare system. A shorter focus, combined with tight regulatory control over operations ND balance sheets, severely limits health insurance companies will to innovate. Meanwhile, paternalistic service models are only attractive for new entrants if they yield revenue that reflects the value contributed-?revenue that depends on payers willingness to fund these services. Internal barriers Insufficient patient targeting. Because the value proposition of patient-centric service models relies on a clear health outcome for the patients enrolled, it is crucial to not only target the right patients but also get them actively involved. Distrust resulting in a lack of access to patients. In most countries, pharmaceutical and deiced technology companies are restricted from directly marketing to patients or even pharmacies. Physicians-?and many patients-?still perceive pharmaceutical firms as focused Lack of new capability profiles. Pharmaceutical companies have excellent clinical understanding, but they lack experience in service deployment and design. Managing regular customer communication as part of a distinctive value proposition and not as a duty to drug safety is also new to an organization that is accustomed to molecules as value drivers. For technology companies, deploying local services and managing customer and maintenance immunization is easier, but they lack an understanding of the healthcare systems reimburse resentment schemes. Insufficient understanding of service-based business models in product-based environments. Capability gaps can be overcome with a smart deployment of resources, but the lack of understanding about the features of a service-based versus a product-based business and revenue model is more difficult to overcome. Recent legislation in Germany has abolished incentives for disease management programs, effectively removing them from the agenda. 5 So far, these barriers have prevented greater adoption of patient-centric lotions-?in Europe, less than 0. 5 percent of the more than 70 million chronic patients participate in health service programs (see figure 2)-?and a growing business can only be established once successful innovators clear these barriers. Figure 2 Barriers are preventing the significant adoption of patient-centric services Degree of expectation versus actual population addressed in Europe Today Degree of expectation Over-promise Realistic purport entities Growth Late followers Population at risk (prevention) 70 million addressed Innovators Patients in innovative healthcare niches 0. 5 million Early adopters High-need chronic or ever patients Early majority Chronic patients at risk of developing severe conditions Market development Note: Patient numbers based on chronic diseases in Europe Sources: Gardner; A. T. Carney analysis Technology will speed up the game and force decisions. Data generation, collection, and handling will be faster and more accessible than ever before: ; Healthcare devices will become commoditized. Prices will come down for everything from basic X-ray machines at the point of care in rural emerging markets to home diagnostic equipment in supermarkets. Wireless communication will become standard, including machine-to- aching (MM) communication. The Internet of things will be a reality before the molecules screened in todays pharmaceutical laboratories have been launched. New tools and algorithms will generate insight from data that will direct the health services of the future, as exemplified by SAPs expected applications of its business data analysis tool, HANNA, in healthcare. Collectively, these trends will bring down the technological barriers to entry and create opportunities for new entrants and innovative start-ups to provide new solutions.

6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know

6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know 6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know 6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know By Daniel Scocco Whether you like it or not, foreign expressions represent an integral part of the English language (and of many other languages, too). Knowing the meaning and usage of the most used ones is very important. First of all because it will enable you to understand pieces of text that include them. Secondly, because you might also need to use those expressions on particular situations (avoid using them just to sound smart though). Below you will find 6 foreign expressions commonly used in English, enjoy! 1. De Facto De facto is a Latin expression that means â€Å"actual† (if used as an adjective) or â€Å"in practice† (if used as an adverb). In legal terms, de facto is commonly used in contrast to de jure, which means â€Å"by law.† Something, therefore, can emerge either de facto (by practice) or de jure (by law). And what of the plastic red bench, which has served as his de facto home for the last 15 years and must by now be a collectors item? (NY Times) 2. VisVis The literal meaning of this French expression is â€Å"face to face† (used as an adverb). It is used more widely as a preposition though, meaning â€Å"compared with† or â€Å"in relation to.† Its going to be a huge catalyst in moving the whole process forward and it really strengthens the U.S. position vis-a-vis our trading partners (Yahoo! News) 3. Status quo This famous Latin expression means the current or existing state of affairs. If something changes the status quo, it is changing the way things presently are. Bush believes that the status quo the presence in a sovereign country of a militant group with missiles capable of hitting a U.S. ally is unacceptable. (Washington Post) 4. Cul-de-sac This expression was originated in England by French-speaking aristocrats. Literally it means â€Å"bottom of a sack,† but generally it refers to a dead-end street. Cul-de-sac can also be used metaphorically to express an action that leads to nowhere or an impasse. But the code of omerta was in effect for two carloads of fans circling the cul-de-sac to have a look at the house. (Reuters.com) A cul-de-sac of poverty (The Economist) 5. Per se Per se is a Latin expression that means â€Å"by itself† or â€Å"intrinsically.† The mistake it made with the Xbox is that there is no game console market per se; there are PlayStation, GameCube, and Xbox markets. (PCMag.com) 6. Ad hoc Ad hoc, borrowed from the Latin, can be used both as an adjective, where it means â€Å"formed or created with a specific purpose,† and as an adverb, where it means â€Å"for the specific purpose or situation.† The World Banks board on Friday ordered an ad hoc group to discuss the fate of President Paul Wolfowitz (CNN) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 10150 Diminutive Suffixes (and a Cute Little Prefix)How Many Sentences in a Paragraph?

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Assignment - Essay Example Controlling obesity is more about changing one’s lifestyle, incorporating healthy activities in daily routine. So maybe lawmakers need to consider making bicycles and gym memberships cheaper. Besides, it is a universal phenomenon that children are inclined to do what they’re told not to, and considering obesity is on the rise in children aged 2 to 19, it is really not a smart idea to tell them their favorite food items are expensive and therefore call for a rebellion. According to me, taxing pizzas and sodas is unfair to the consumers who are conscientious about their choice of toppings and who actually take time to pick out the lesser of the evils for personal benefit. Even the healthy eaters will bear the brunt of this legislature, if passed, leaving many unsettled consumers. If the government actually is this concerned about peoples well being then they should consider bringing down the prices of healthy commodities. This article very rightly also raises the question of what food items are considered â€Å"healthy† and which ones aren’t and also who decides this. Chips are considered high-calorie, but then again you also have oven baked varieties. It all comes down to making a choice, which should be an individual’s own. References Berr, Jonathan. Daily Finance. "First a Soda Tax, Now a Pizza Tax: The Food Police March on".

Workplace romance Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Workplace romance - Thesis Example Some coworkers may take workplace to be of no interest to them even as others may see their love affair responded to with a high level of defense. Companies and organizations are confused in respect work place romance since they ought to give a free and conducive environment for workers as opposed supposed to creating fear and tension among workers. Another subject of confusion in relation o workplace romance relates to the right organ or department to handle such cases. Some managers feel that such relationships could affect the productivity of the company while others feel that workers are citizens who have rights to socialize in whichever way they like even in the organizational setup. This has seen companies in situations where they have been unable to come with approaches and policies that address office dating. It has become challenging when people from different departments fall in love, for example, the administrator having a love affair with a junior officer in a certain dep artment. Secondly, it has been of less effect when the administrator develops a romantic relationship with his or her secretary, when the same administrator is the one who is in charge of implementing the laid down policies. This paper will discuss different perspectives and opinions of different authors toward work place romance. According to Bytautas, Klenin, Marinescu and Appelbaum (2007), employers have experienced work place relationships for a long time. They indicate that employers are in a position to realize that workers have love relationships with another employee. Bytautas et al. indicate that companies have realized the effects that come with work place relationships. It is has negative effects on production since the respective couples tend to spend their time together thinking of each other instead of concentrating on the delivery of service. Bytautas et al. suggest that work place romance has been a result of an

US Foreign Policy during the Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

US Foreign Policy during the Cold War - Essay Example The foreign policies followed during the Cold War have always been a subject of debate and many books have been written on them. One such book is the Ugly American, authored by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick and set in the 1950s. The book exposes the incompetence of those who shape foreign policy. The novel struck a chord in many Americans who felt that the US was not following the right kind of foreign policies and that the Soviet Union might just get an upper hand in the Cold War. Several foreign policies were formulated and launched during the Cold War. One such policy was the European Recovery Program, known as the Marshall Plan. This plan, the details of which were announced by George Marshall, was meant to restore prosperity and thereby help in the growth of the European Union. George Kennan was the chief architect of the "Containment" policy wherein he called for the "containment of Russian expansive tendencies". He also believed that the poor economy of a country put p ressure on that country to adopt communism. According to Kennan, politics and economics were directly related. Healthy economies would cause the death of communism.

William Faulkner: The Postmodern Perspective

William Faulkner: The Postmodern Perspective Many critics consider William Faulkner a modernist writer, citing the time period between the 1930s and 40s as the era in which he wrote himself into and out of modernism. Indeed, Faulkners novels during these years reflect many of the typical aspects of modernist literature, and it is incontrovertibly innovative and unique. However, Faulkner appears to be doing more than what the Modernists were employing at the time, especially in the context of his experimentation with language. In fact, the great Southern writer appears to more so on the road to Postmodernism in his later works than anything. During this period between the 30s and the 40s what critics call Faulkners modernist epoch his writing also seems to flow with Lacans poststructural theories of language. Beginning with The Sound and the Fury in late 1929, Faulkner begins his journey through the Lacanian Mirror Stage, aware of the linguistic Imaginary. His effort to craft the imagined world of Yoknapatawpha reflects his ea rly Modernist self in Lacans Imaginary order stage, marking his uncomfortable attitude towards his alienation from the South he once knew. Quentin, whom most critics see as a double to Faulkner, is the incarnation of Faulkners attitude, and his multiple appearances in Faulkners novels marks the stage in Lacans process of linguistic development each time. The age ends with the authors fulfillment of the Lacanian journey, with nowhere to turn but back. Absalom, Absalom! and Afternoon of a Cow prove Faulkners acceptance of the impossibility of Lacans Real, highlighted by a writing style which could be characterized as transitionally postmodernist. Faulkners modernist/postmodernist identity crisis between the 30s and 40s occurs during the authors Lacanian development in language and thought, ending with the recognition of literatures inability to break the symbolic ceiling. While it would be incredibly shortsighted and undoubtedly wrong to refer to The Sound and the Fury as underdeveloped and not modern, the novel is nevertheless Faulkners most immature piece of literature in the context of Lacanian development. Here, Faulkner begins his troubles with language as he is initially trapped in the Imaginary stage. John T. Irwin, in his essay on Doubling and Incest in Faulkners literature, suggests that Faulkner created the character of Quentin as an unconsciously double of himself. Irwin purports that Faulkners own comments about the novel support this parallel between him and Quentin, especially his recognition of his own failures in literature and fate to retell the same stories (Irwin 280). While most critics point to Caddy as the focus of the novel because of her role as the absent center, a Lacanian reading of the text implies that the absent center is actually Faulkner himself since he puts so much of himself into Quentin (and some of the other charac ters as well, though it is most prevalent here). Quentins chapter, which becomes progressively more self-reflexive and anxious, reveals Faulkners own worries and discontent with language. It ends with his ultimate alienation from everyone and everything Quentins suicide which is how Lacan explains the mirror stage as ending. Lacan describes the completion of the mirror stage as the formation of the Ego through subjectification, during which a person undergoes a conflict between his or her own perception of the self and the actual self through experience Lacan refers to this result as alienation (Evans 110). Quentin has undergone this discovery of his own reality that which others have defined him to be and his perception of himself. As Irwin suggests, It is tempting to see in Quentin a surrogate of Faulkner, a double who is fated to retell and reenact the same story throughout his life just as Faulkner seemed fated to retell in different ways the same story again and again (Irw in 281). His death signifies Faulkners assessment of his own fate. He predicts literary failure for himself due to the inability of language fully express everything he attempts to convey. This marks Faulkners first encounter with the futility of language, and his first step in Lacanian development. Through this inner conflict, Faulkner associates with Quentin, and other characters like him. Indeed, he puts a part of himself in every character that he creates, but characters like Quentin best serve as literary representations of him when considering his troubles with language. Lacan holds that in the beginningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we exist as part of one continuous totality of being. In this early stage of development, we experience noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sense of difference, and, precisely for this reason, the [subject] has no sense of a separate identityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there is no I and no other, and, Lacan insists, the two concepts come into existence together (Duvall and Abadie 98). Faulkners state at this point in his literary development is such as Lacan defines it. He has no sense of difference between himself and his work, and therefore he meshes himself with Quentin and his other characters. However, his own repressions appear in Quentins thoughts and words, and Faulkner is unaware o f the amount of similarities between himself and the character. Faulkner revised the introduction [to The Sound and the Fury] several times. In its final version, in which Faulkner doubles Quentins own words in the novel: So I, who had never had a sister and was fated to lose my daughter in infancy, set out to make myself a beautiful and tragic little girl' (Irwin 283). It is clearly through his own connection with Quentin that he learns how to connect with this novel, but the relationship that he develops with the character ultimately blurs the line between himself and Quentin. Faulkner can see the gap between language and reality, but he cannot seem to assure the differentiation between himself and his creations. A year later, Faulkner published his next novel, As I Lay Dying, in which he continues the linguistic struggles and development with the Bundren family. As Terrell Tebbetts suggests, each of the Bundren children suffers his or her own issue with language: Cash can only express himself through lists and figures, and though he seems perceptive at the end by explaining what happened to Darl, Cash recognizes Darls problems with language but presumes that they the fault of Darl, not language (Tebbetts 128-130). But it is better so for [Darl]. This world is not his world; this life his life (Faulkner 149). Cash speaks with a perception that is Faulknerian, as it reflects William Faulkners prediction of his own fate. In this novel, he connects most with Darl through their shared discontent with the shortcomings of language. Darls linguistic troubles are the most serious, as he isolates himself through his inability to express his feelings. His problems cause him to lose his identity, repeatedly asking things about himself such as who am I. Early in the novel, Vardaman asks what Darls mother is (Vardaman describes his mother as a fish), and Darl remarks that he does not have one. I havent got ere one, Darl said. Because if I had one, it is was. And if it was, it cant be is. Can it?' (Faulkner 58). Darls concept of language is that it describes reality, and only reality. He perceives that he does not have a mother because she is dead (hence, the was), yet what he really means is that he no longer has a mother. However, he gets so lost in his attempts to conceptualize this that he arrives at the decision that he does not have a mother. As alluded to earlier, these troubles affect his own identity. I dont know what I am. I dont know if I am or not. Jewel knows he is, because he does not know that he does no t know whether he is or not. He cannot empty himself for sleep because he is not what he is and he is what he is not (Faulkner 46). Darl has entered the mirror stage along with Faulkner, and he is thus aware of the conflicts between his own perceptions and the perceptions of others. Darl is highlighting the gap between the signifier and the signified in language, as Lacan calls it. Darl is our brother, our brother Darl. Our brother Darl in a cage in Jackson where, his grimed hands lying light in the quiet interstices, looking out he foams (Faulkner 146). He has been incredibly objective internally, seeing himself in an omniscient, third-person perspective, but this is a result of the inability to reconcile the real him and the him that others perceive him to be (the Lacanian signifier is their Darl, the signified is the real Darl). Therefore, he becomes the best example in the novel of a character that, by passing through the mirror stage and entering the Symbolic Realm, alienates himself completely (even within himself). Darl is also, then, the most connected with Faulkner, since he becomes aware of the failure of language to ever say what one means (Duvall and Abadie 39). Darl reflects what his mother discovered much earlier: words are no good; that words dont ever fit even what they are trying to say at (Faulkner 99). Addie also saw the gap between experience and language, which proves Coras statement that Darl has the most in common with Addie, but her troubles are more connected with the patriarchality of language, and therefore not as connected with Faulkner as Darl. Also, Addies death is another example of what Faulkner sees as the futility of efforts to connect reality and language. Likewise, despite Darls evolution from the Mirror Stage into the Symbolic Stage, his fate commitment to an insane asylum provides more evidence to prove that Faulkner saw no way to prevent these linguistic troubles from alienating and ultimately destroying his characters and himself. Therefore, Faulkner is still undoubtedly a Modernist at this point, as well as underdeveloped in the progression of Lacanian development, because he sees no escape from such a fate at this point. He would say that language is a hindrance more than a help. Darl masters lan guage internally, but he cannot apply it in reality, thus showing the gap between language and experience a modernist idea: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the wholeness of the image threatens the subject with fragmentation, and the mirror stage thereby gives rise to an aggressive tension between the subject and the image. In order to resolve this aggressive tension, the child identifies with the imageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The moment of identification, when the subject assumes its image as its own, is described by Lacan as a moment of jubilation, since it leads to an imaginary sense of masteryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦however, this jubilation may also be accompanied by a depressive reactionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Evans 115) While Faulkner would not have known the psychological theories of Lacan, the characters of Quentin and Darl seem to fit the characterization of these issues well. However, these two characters are unable to come to terms with their image. While the end of Quentins chapter does not end with his suicide, we learn later that he takes his own life because he foresees no escape. Likewise, Darls uncontrollable laughter at the end of As I Lay Dying is his moment in which he has the opportunity to identify with one part of his fragmented self but proves unable to do so. Darls problem is also left unsolved, as his internal self argues within, demanding an explanation for his false triumph. They are both aware of their precarious states with language. Additionally, the mirror stage is where the subject becomes alienated from itself, and thus is introduced into the Imaginary order. Clearly both characters have entered this stage and find themselves completely alienated from themselves and the w orld. Terrell Tebbetts claims that Vernon Tull is the only character in the novel that can come to terms with this problem, resorting to the constant use of like in his descriptions and an employment of similes while talking (Tebbetts 130). Tebbetts is misled, however, because Tull is actually a Modernist character. By using similes to draw comparisons between things he is attempting to define, he is still grasping for the ideal that Modernists spent their careers trying to reach. Instead, a Postmodernist would take advantage of language rather than constantly highlight its failures (as I will discuss later). Tebbetts believes that Vernon Tull is Faulkners way of saying that the way out of the problem is acceptance, but the solution is more complicated than simple recognition. Besides, characters like Darl, Addie, and Quentin all understood the gap between language and reality, which drove them to their own forms of alienation. As I Lay Dying also features a level of intended humor that is classified as dark, or black, humor. One of the best examples of dark comedy in the novel is when we find Addie Bundren propped up on a pillow in order to watch as Cash constructs her coffin. Then [Addie] raises herself, who has not moved in ten daysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦She is looking out the window, at Cash stooping steadily at the board in the failing lightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He drops the saw and lifts the board for her to see, watching the window in which the face has not moved (Faulkner 28). This moment evokes immediate laughter because Cash, the oldest child of the family, seems like a proud pet retrieving its catch of the day for his master. Likewise, everyone sees the grotesque and gaunt figure of Addie rise as if from the dead in order to view her burial chamber and then return to her former position, seemingly in approval. Even more dark comedy lies in Faulkners intended criticism of the other characters views toward each o ther. Every character that makes a negative comment about another is later shown to be hypocritical, being strange and quirky in his or her own way. Elements of Faulkners early novels, especially As I Lay Dying, show that the author was on the road to self-reflexivity and metafiction. Much of the Addie chapter, through its hypercritical look at the failure of language, is self-reflexive because it is actively commenting on the words and ideas presented in the novel, yet the self-conscious elements seem only present through implication. Faulkner never reaches his potential (or becomes fully aware of what he was doing) with the element of self-reflexivity until Absalom, Absalom! and Afternoon of a Cow. In his novels until then, Faulkner also had a preoccupation with what Modernists referred to as the attempt to make it new, trying to experiment with literature and attempting things unseen before. He is first in the Mirror Stage, looking at the traditional novel with its content, form, mimetic philosophy of language, and decides that he needs to break from tradition. Then he enters the next stage the Symbolic and attempts to creat e new and modern literature. While in this stage, though, he realizes the futility of language, and that everything he attempts fails. Faulkner repeatedly tries to achieve literary transcendence, but all he writes is merely a symbol of what he truly intends. It is not until Absalom, Absalom! that he not only accepts his state and failure, but he knowingly plays with the postmodern techniques and ideas. In the novel, Faulkner uses language to do what Lacan says it does reflect the condition of the alienated subject, the fractured self (Moreland 47). Nothing Faulkner attempts attains the literary transcendence for which he has been searching, and so he realizes this, comes to terms with it, and makes fun of this problem. Faulkners movement through the Lacanian linguistic progression led him prematurely to postmodernism. While he thought he was being modern by experimenting, he was actually employing many elements that surpassed the realm of modernism. As I Lay Dying was his first clear transitional work, in which it marked a road from modern to postmodern literature, as the novel hinges between the two genres itself (although, as mentioned before, it should be classified as a modern text if it must be categorized. Faulkner resists many of the modernist techniques and philosophies, but his break from the movement was not clean, as he continued to inscribe them. Patrick ODonnell agrees with this, aware of the presence of transitory texts: Yet, there are moments in the works of the high-modernist authors I have mentioned that work beyondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that rupture its bonds (ODonnell 34). His example from Faulkner is the way in which some of his novels attempt to shatter the connectionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦bet ween attempting to transcend the past, and being condemned to repeat it (34). This struggle with the past no longer seems to be an issue once Faulkner writes Absalom, Absalom! although it had been a focus of his earlier novel, The Sound and the Fury. ODonnell agrees that the later works of William Faulkner present more significant breaks from modernism, suggesting that Go Down, Moses is actually a postmodern rewrite of Absalom, Absalom! (36). However, Faulkners work after that became much more conservative, reverting to the modernist tendencies which he displayed at the beginning of his career. Even a quick reading of Absalom, Absalom! in comparison to Faulkners early novels reveals large differences between the styles. Much like his presentations of characters in previous novels, Faulkner puts elements of himself into his characters; however, in this novel, he purposely employs a self-reflexive concentration in order to create metafiction. It is here that Faulkner stops concerning himself with epistemology and instead with ontology. Faulkner operates the text differently in Absalom, Absalom! in the way that he exerts absolute control over every aspect of the story and creates a commentary on language and fiction. ODonnell refers to Faulkner not as the author of the text of Absalom, Absalom! but as the unseen drop that falls into a pool of water and gives rise to a series of ripples, borrowing from Quentins own words in the novel (Weinstein 31). In other words, he becomes the catalyst for the things that naturally occur. Faulkner puts enough of himself into the novel that e verything he has put into place takes over for him. From this, he no longer stresses or frets over the futility of language; instead, he allows it to take over. The metafictional aspect of Absalom, Absalom! lies in the unique structure and writing style. Unlike his previous endeavors, Faulkner dares to tell a story within the story a story about storytelling. The act of telling a story is artistic because the narrator imposes his or her own will upon it, and it is therefore subjective as well. Previously he is unaware of the subjective nature of language, and now he not only accepts it, but he employs it as well (his primary narrator has a subjective viewpoint unlike what he has done previously). His approach in this novel allows him to have fun with it, thus achieving postmodern status and completing his Lacanian development. Examples of the metafictional aspects in the novel appear most often during the sections focusing on or narrated by Quentin and Mr. Compson. In chapter four, Mr. Compson tells his son, people too as we are, but victims of a different circumstance, simpler and therefore, integer for integer, larger, more heroic and the figures therefore more heroic too, not dwarfed and involved but distinct, uncomplexà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦author and victim too of a thousand homicides and a thousand copulationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Perhaps you are right. Perhaps any more light than this would be too much for it (Faulkner 90). This is perhaps the most problematic examples of metafiction in the novel because of its focus. While, indeed, it involves Mr. Compson commenting on literature through criticizing a story, it is also taking a Modernists perspective. Faulkner, through Compson, is calling for a return to myth, arguing that the mythological stories of the past are uncomplex and do not suffer from the ambiguity tha t plagues modern literature. This focus on the importance of myths is a common concentration of modernist writers, as is the call to use these stories and make them new. Likewise, Compson seems to be hinting at the significance of this declaration and its symbolism rather than being direct about his point, and implication is the Modernists way of implementing metafiction. The only redeeming factor of the speech lies in his final words, using perhaps to signify his uncertainty, therefore offering a postmodern, skeptical perspective and rejecting absolute truth. The fact that the characters are actively telling the story of Sutpen and commenting on it at the same time is somewhat postmodern, as it is including and drawing attention to the author within the story. There are also times when the narrative from a character goes on for such a long time that the reader forgets who is telling the story, and at this point, the presence of Faulkner as a narrator begins to become more evident. It is also then that comments such as the speech from Mr. Compson take on new and deeper meaning, as the reader begins to associate Faulkner with these ideas more so than the characters. Another more complicated example of metafiction appears again in chapter four, as Mr. Compson says: We have a few old mouth-to-mouth tales; we exhume from old trunks and boxes and drawers letters without salutation or signature, in which men and women who once lived and breathed are now merely initials or nicknames out of some now incomprehensible affection which sound to us like Sanskrit or Chocktaw; we see dimly people, the people in whose living blood and seed we ourselves lay dormant and waiting, in this shadowy attenuation of time possessing now heroic proportions, performing their actsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦impervious to time and inexplicable. (Faulkner 102-103) Faulkner, once again through the mouth of Mr. Compson, is commenting on the state of literature, but more importantly, the uncertainty that literature creates as it all returns to mythology. As he suggests, we as readers have to realize that every story that is told is merely a representation of another, and each is also a mere representation of reality. This also gets back to Faulkners problem with language it never says what you want it to mean. However, it seems now that he has arrived at a fix for this problem The character of Judith, when discussing the story, remarks that words are mere scratches without meaning but it doesnt matter that it is so (Faulkner 131). This differs from the perspective of earlier novels characters because Judith both comes to terms with the meaninglessness of language and decides that it is no longer problematic for her. When asked if she wants Miss Rosa to read the letter, Judith replies, Yesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Or destroy it. As you like. Read it if you like or dont read it if you like. Because you make so little impression, you see (Faulkner 130). Clearly Judith recognizes the futility of language, but she also overcomes the problem, caring not whether Rosa reads the letter or not, because it will not make much of a difference either way. According to Tebbetts, Postmodernists see human attempts to describe and establish truth not only as futile but even as destructive (Tebbetts 131). In other words, if language is strictly symbolic, then it cannot lead us to truth . This comes from a poststructuralist view that truth is a transcendent signifier and does not exist (Lewis 96). The novel embraces this, and Faulkner no longer struggles with the uncertainty of language. Some critics see the novel as having a pattern of uncertainty, which is visible through its use of words like perhaps and maybe. Faulkner had been rejecting this in his earlier novels, but he is finally embracing it here. Faulkner also chooses to utilize the metafiction to inform the reader about his Lacanian journey with language. Lacan says that when the individual is able to split and repress a part of itself, it enters the symbolic realm. The subject becomes aware of its absent center but is driven by desire to fill the void of absence. For Sutpen in Absalom, Absalom! Faulkners momentary stand-in for the duration of this story his enlightenment moment occurs in Chapter Seven, when he is turned away at the planters house (Duvall and Abadie 47). Faulkner, looking back on the past, looks at Sutpen in his Mirror Stage and shines light on his own. Before this moment, Quentin says that Sutpen was no more conscious of his appearanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ or of the possibility that anyone else would be that he was of his skin (Faulkner 185). At this point, Sutpen has evolved into the Symbolic Stage, just as Faulkner does in his earlier novels. Faulkners style in the novel is more oral than literary, and the novel flows through thoughts and character dialogue that often seems like Faulkner himself is orally relating the story to his listeners. Critic Conrad Aiken agrees, calling his unique style grossly overelaborate and grammatically annoying (Aiken 135). However, Aiken claims that this proves Faulkners Modernist streak, which is, as proven thus far, shortsighted since Absalom, Absalom! is the authors most postmodern book. What he achieves through this style is the defamiliarization of language, blurring the boundaries of literature. It is these lengthy, seemingly never-ending sentences in the novel that reflect Faulkners aims. Likewise, he also enacts a tactic of delayed disclosure through this approach, starting a section of a story and abruptly stopping to digress onto something else. This way in which he withholds the points and meaning of his sentences, information about characters, and the continuations of half-finis hed stories is essentially Lacanian. A characterization of Faulkners novel as either modern or postmodern requires understanding of what it means to be a postmodern piece of fiction. Postmodern literature is often perceived as a reaction to Modernism, which numerous authors, poets, and scholars worried was becoming increasingly too conventional and traditional. Likewise, they often saw Modernism as an elitist form of writing, since it was usually difficult and obscure. They cited the many complex literary references as a source of this, and suggested that Modernism was catering only to the highly educated because of these references. Postmodernism, in response, frequently involves pop cultural references, including those to other postmodern works, popular art, television shows, politics, well-known historical occurrences, and movies. Postmodernism is also often jumbled with fragmentation, but the use of fragmentation is much more severe than in Modernism, as there is sometimes no clear plot, characters sometimes seem po intless, the story is broken up and confused (often beyond repair). This extreme level of fragmentation is often used to make the point that literature is often more about what is under the surface, and that knowledge of a novels plot does not guarantee that a reader has gotten all meaning from the work. Even Faulkners avant-garde nature and separation from Modernism does not develop into what postmodern literature is known for. In order to answer the question of where Faulkner falls in the spectrum of modern and postmodern literature, one must turn to scholarship that identifies obvious postmodernism and determine if Faulkner lives up to the standards. Barry Lewis, author of Postmodernism and Literature, provides a great description of postmodernism as it applies to literature. He purports that the literature that best falls into this category was written between 1960 and 1990, and that anything before is transitory (Lewis 96). He suggests that the most important elements of postmodernity are temporal disorder, pastiche, comfortableness with fragmentation, looseness of association, paranoia, vicious circles, and language disorder (95-105). Likewise, Lewis also brings Jacques Derridas concept of play as a postmodernism technique. Instead of the modernist quest for meaning in a world of chaos, the postmodern author denies, often playfully, the possibility of meaning (98). As a result, the postmodern novel is often a parody of the modernist quest. Within Faulkners works, there are elements of each of these characteristics, but they all seem to appear faintly and fleetingly. For example, temporal disorder is overtly obvious in The Sound and the Fury because Faulkner blurs the line between all time past and present are hard to distinguish. However, as Lewis would agree, Faulkner does not achieve the degree of disorder associated with postmodernist fiction. Instead of recognizing that history repeats itself and that there are definite concrete moments in time, Postmodernists rather make all time vague and parody other works obsession with time (98). Faulkners Quentin in The Sound and the Fury would have been very Modernist in this category, since his preoccupation with time is ultimately part of what destroys him. However, Absalom, Absalom! removes this worry completely, being completely unconcerned about the passage of time since it does not matter. In fact, the novels structure, constant ly shifting tenses between present and past ever so seamlessly, is postmodern. Therefore, some of these postmodern qualities appear in the novel, but others do not. Another important aspect of postmodern literature that Lewis points out is pastiche, which literally means to combine and paste together multiple elements. Pastiche, then, arises from the frustration that everything has been done beforepostmodernist writers tend to pluck existing styles higgledy-piggledy from the reservoir of literary history, and match them with little tact. This explains why many contemporary novels borrow the clothes of different forms (Lewis 99). Although there are some critics who suggest that this is part of Faulkners repertoire, arguing that he employs this in Absalom, Absalom! there does not seem to be enough evidence to prove that he is actively making the novel parodic. Indeed, there are clearly elements within the story that suggest that Faulkner had the classic Southern gothic novel in his heard while writing it, such as the final conversation between Shreve and Quentin at the end: Now I want you to tell me just one thing more. Why do you hate the South? I dont hate it, Quentin said, quickly, at once, immediately, I dont hate it' (Faulkner 395). Quentin, who often represents Faulkner, may be repressing something, and it very well could be a shared feeling of Faulkner; however, there has not been enough legitimate evidence or scholarship to prove this relationship. Therefore, the novel is not a parody, which hurts its chances at being classified as a postmodern novel. Modernists treat fragmentation and subjectivity as existential crises a problem that must be solved, which their literature attempts to do. Postmodernists, however, believe that this issue is insurmountable, and the only reactionary action that is worthwhile is to play with the chaotic tendencies. In postmodern literature, playfulness becomes the major focus, thus making any order or incontrovertible truth highly unlikely. Faulkner, at least in his early works and Absalom, Absalom! does not seem to venture very deep into this playfulness. Indeed, there is definitely a presence of this in Absalom, Absalom! but it never reaches the extremeness that other major postmodern works achieve. Compared to a work like Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five, Faulkners fiction does not stand up in terms of where it falls on the modern/postmodern scale. The first chapter of Vonneguts book begins by saying, All this happened, more or lessIve changed all the names. I really did go back to DresdenI went back there with an old war buddy, Bernardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Vonnegut 1). The author blurs the line between where his influence ends and where the narrator (who is, in other words, understood to be separate from the author) begins. The first chapter seems more like a preface by the author, or a later comment on his novel that should come after the text; instead, Vonneguts first course of action is to set himself up as both the author and narrator. It is clearly postmodern because he is forthright about it instead of implying the blurred line. I would hate to tell you what this lousy little book cost me in money and anxiety and time. When I got

Acid Rain Essay -- Environment Environmental Science

Acid Rain "Acid Rain," or more precisely acidic precipitation, is the term used to describe rainfall that has a pH level of less than 5.6--a pH of 7 being neutral. This form of air pollution is currently a subject of great controversy because of the damage it does to the environment and property worldwide. For the last ten years, this occurrence has brought destruction to thousands of lakes and streams in the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe. It also leads to the deterioration of buildings and statues by reacting with several minerals. Acid rain is formed when oxides of nitrogen and sulfite combine with moisture in the atmosphere to make nitric and sulfuric acids. These acids can be carried away far from its origin. The two primary sources of acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO2), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas released as a by-product of combusted fossil fuels containing sulfur (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). A variety of industrial processes, such as the production of iron and steel, utility factories, and crude oil processing produce this gas. Sulfur dioxide can also be emitted into the atmosphere by natural disasters or means (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). This accounts for ten percent of all sulfur dioxide emission, coming from volcanoes, sea spray, plankton, and rotting vegetation. Overall, 69.4 percent of sulfur dioxide is produced by industrial combustion. Only 3.7 percent is caused by transportation (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). The other chemical that is also chiefly responsible for the make-up of acid rain is nitrogen oxide. Oxides of nitrogen is a term used to describe any compound of nitrogen with any amount of oxygen atoms. Nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are all oxides of nitrogen. These gases are by-products of firing processes of extreme high temperatures (automobiles, utility plants), and in chemical industries (fertilizer production) (Phamornsuwana, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/9111/DOC.HTML#SPECIFIC). Natural processes such as bacterial action in soil, forest fires, volcanic action, and lightning make up five percent of nitrogen oxide emission (Phamornsuwana, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/9111/DOC.HTML#SPECIFIC). Transportation ... ...emits nitrogen oxide, automobiles and coal-fired electric utility boilers (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). What humans can do, as citizens, to reduce sulfur and nitrogen dioxide emission is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Car pools, public transportation, or walking can reduce tons of nitrogen oxide emissions. Using less energy benefits the environment because the energy used comes from fossil fuels which can lead to acid rain. For example, turning off lights not being used, and reduce air conditioning and heat usage. Replacing old appliances and electronics with newer energy efficient products is also an excellent idea. Sulfur dioxide emission can be reduced by adding scrubbers to utility plants (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). An alternative power source can also be used in power plants to reduce emissions. These alternatives are: geothermal energy, solar power energy, wind energy, and water energy. Bibliography .Sarn Phamornsuwana (1999). Causes, effects and solutions of acid rain. Retrieved 9 Feb. .Shayne Farnham (1999). Acid rain: Meteorology independent study. Retrieved 27 Mar.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber report Table of Contents Introduction 3 Historical events of Carbon fiber 3 Properties 4 Applications 4 Conclusion 5 Bibliography 6 Introduction There are a lot of new materials that has emerged and been used by engineers and scientists such as Aerogel, Metal foam, Bioplastic, Carbon fiber, Graphene and others. This is helping engineers build all new types of machines and instruments such as touch screen mobiles, automobile sensors, computers, planes and a lot more.This report will focus on a certain material called Carbon fiber. This material is being used lot due to It Is properties, for example Carbon fiber is five times stronger than steel and weighs three times less. Most cars use steel for body parts but imagine replacing steel with carbon fiber that would open a whole new road for car industries. The report will discuss some historical events and background information about carbon fiber. Also, it will focus on carbon fiber properties and two applications for It.H istorical events of Carbon fiber In the late 1800s Thomas Edison carbonized bamboo and cotton to produce filaments for his light bulbs Oohnson. n. d. ). In 1958 Roger Bacon created high performance carbon fibers at the Union Carbide. His method was to heat strands of a material called rayon (artificial silk) until they are carbonized, but this method proved to be inadequate because the resulting fibers had only carried 20% of carbon and the properties of it were Inefficient, such as low strength and stiffness (â€Å"Carbon (fiber) ,n. d. † ).In the early 1960s the process of Carbon fber was developed by Dr. Akio Shindo at Agency Of Industrial Science and Technology of Japan, which improved carbon fiber and contained 50% of carbon (â€Å"Carbon (fiber), n. d. In 1963, the properties of carbon fiber were acknowledged, such as high strength, by W. Watt, L. N. Philips and W. Johnson at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, Hampshire (â€Å"Carbon (fiber), n. d. † ). In the early 1960s, engineers began applying carbon fiber to aircraft because of it Is properties like high strength and light weight.The results of using carbon fiber In this area made aircraft much lighter, faster and also heat resistant due to the aircraft Itself and atmospherically (Johnson, n. d. ). 1 OF3 Between tne years a IYBU, Caroon TIDer was manuTacturea to De given to tne ilitary and also was produced to be used in sports such as NASCAR and Formula 1 to make the vehicles lighter and faster Oohnson, n. d. ). In the early 21st century, the manufacturing of Carbon fiber had expanded greatly through Asia, Europe and the United states, because the industries had been requesting Carbon fiber, industries such as sports and aerospace Oohnson, n. . ). Properties Carbon fiber is a material that belongs to the family of polymers. It is made with an extremely thin strings of carbon (like hair) that are twisted, then the strings are oven together to make it look like a piece of fabric. To make the shape of the fabric- carbon permanent is to place it over a selected mold or any shape that is desired and then it is covered with a stiff liquid resin or liquid plastic. Finally, it dries up to maintain the selected shape (Deaton, n. d. . Carbon fiber has a lot of amazing properties and characteristics, such as high strength and high rigidity, even though it is relatively light; it is like the property of steel's strength and the lightness of plastic combined in one material. Also, Carbon fiber resists fire and heat because the aterial itself reflects heat competently if it is in a condition of a dense layer, which leads us to the matter of expansion due to heat; this material has a low expansion to heat unlike steel.Comparing steel to Carbon fiber, steel has a low corrosion resistivity which means it is more susceptible to rust unlike carbon fiber that has a high corrosion resistivity (â€Å"Carbon fiber characteristics, n. d. † ). Carbon fiber can abso rb vibration, in other words a good vibration damping (Kiron, n. d. ). which opens a door to set or attach carbon fiber to moving machines or automobiles. Moreover, Carbon fiber appears in x-ray vision thus it cannot be stolen or for any illegal activity. Also, in a medical view, Carbon fiber is being used to support limbs or injured knees but this study is still to be researched Oohnson, n. . ). Applications Carbon fiber can be used in so many ways; it can be customized for customer's desire. In this section two applications will be discussed which are automotive and military. Carbon fiber is used for automobile racing and styling, for example car parts such as the hood (bonnet) for it is heat resistivity, trunk, lip, fender, car rims (wheels) nd much more to make the car lighter, faster, able to absorb vibration and more attractive. In addition, if the car is lighter it means that less fuel will be used.Also, the bodies of motorcycle racing which are called fairings are made out o f Carbon fiber; these fairings are especially designed for racing. Exhausts (mufflers) are also made out of carbon fiber for both cars and motorcycles for carbon's fiber heat resistivity and sound. Carbon fiber not only plays an important role in the racing world but also will play in the normal daily world in cars (â€Å"Carbon (fiber),n. d. † ). Carbon fiber is used in the military; it is used in planes, tanks, military cars, missiles even soldier's personal gear such as a helmet, boots, rifles, armor other equipment.Less weight means less energy and faster movement whether if it is a vehicle or a human. Of course there is a lot of information for using Carbon fiber for military reasons, but it is classified, only shallow information is given to civilians Oohnson, n. d. ). Conclusion 10 sum up, tne nlstory 0T Caroon TIDer was 01scussea ana looked Into tnrougnout tne years of development and the people who played an important role in the history of his material were introduc ed. Also, the family of the material was identified and the making of Carbon fiber was explained thoroughly.Carbon fiber has outstanding properties such as high rigidity, strength and low weight. To add, Carbon fiber has been widely used in applications such as automobiles and military. These two examples are two of many applications that are being used for carbon fiber in everyday life. Although carbon fiber can be very expensive, it is still used in many industries. Engineers can use Carbon fiber in many designs in various applications hat can be used for people such as modern bicycles, cars, baseball bats, fishing rods and much more.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-based_lifehttp://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy/carbon-fiber-oil-crisis.htmhttps://www.thoughtco.com/uses-of-carbon-fiber-820394https://www.thoughtco.com/applications-of-carbon-fiber-820384http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/http://www.christinedemerchant.com/carboncharacteristics.htmlhttps://ai tracing.com/

Employment Benefits Comparison

Employment Benefits Comparison Introduction Employment benefits are the advantages which employees get from various organizations. These benefits act as incentives for workers to perform better for their own benefit and for the benefit of the organization.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Employment Benefits Comparison specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Employments benefits differ from organization to organization and they change with time. Most of the benefits offered to workers in 1980’s and 1990’s  ­ are not the same as those offered today. Some of the benefits offered to workers by their employers from the year 2000 up to now are almost the same or have not changed much. Most benefits offered to employees by 1980’s have been completely eliminated by most governments and only few employment benefits offered over two decades ago are still being offered to workers today. Various bills have been passed to protect the w elfare of workers to make sure that organizations offer various benefits to workers. These legislations include: The medical bill of 2003, Employee Retirement Income Security Act, Employees Retirement Income Security Act and Family and Medical Leave Act. Some of the employment benefits include: Health care and welfare benefits, Retirement and retrenchment benefits, family benefits, financial benefits, leave benefits, family benefits, flexible working benefits, housing and relocation benefits, employee service benefits and business travel benefits besides others. Most of these benefits have been introduced recently and in 1980’s they were non-existent. Organizations in majority of countries offer these benefits to their workers and indeed the Organization for Economic Co-corporation and Development (OECD) countries are leading in ensuring that workers get their employment benefits.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help y ou! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Healthcare and welfare benefits Healthcare and welfare benefits were offered by organizations in the 1980’s to help employee manage their healthcare and that of their dependents. Most organizations today cover the full cost of healthcare of the employee while in some organizations the cost is shared between the organization and the employee. Currently many healthcare benefits have emerged, for instance some organizations today offer healthcare and welfare benefits which focus on child wellbeing and fertility such as contraceptive coverage, infertility treatment and in-vitro fertilization and this could not happen in the 1980’s and 1990’s (2011 Employment Benefits, 2011). In the1980’s, limited benefit indemnity medical plan and free of service plans were offered to employees. This allowed each employee to compare various providers of healthcare services and then choose the one they liked most . But now very few organizations offer this kind of healthcare benefits to their workers. Currently, firms with high staff turnover or those with high number of part time workers are likely to offer mini-med-health plans to reduce the cost they are likely to incur in case an employee falls sick (2011 Employment Benefits, 2011). Most employers these days offer benefits such as mental health coverage, accidental death insurance, long term care insurance, hospital insurance and intensive insurance to their employees. A good employee-employer relationship is needed to attract and retain employee talent. Some of the benefits particularly these healthcare and welfare benefits are made to nurture such a productive relationship between employers and employees (2010 Employment Benefits, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Employment Benefits Comparison specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In 2003, Medicare bill was e nacted which led to the creation of Health Savings Accounts (OECD Employment Outlook, 2003).This bill helps employees to save money on a tax free basis for future qualified medical and retirement healthcare cost. About one third of institutions, firms and companies offer these accounts to their workers. Contribution to these accounts is maybe by the employee, employer or both of them. In addition 20% organizations today offer health reimbursement arrangements to their employees. This is aimed at contributing money to the health saving accounts so that the employees can use the money to pay for their health care services. Retirement savings and planning benefits Every organization has its own retirement benefits which cover certain amount of years which are offered to help workers plan for their future lives. Retirement and retrenchment benefits became a common object in the 1980’s and up to now these benefits are offered by organizations across the globe. There are various ty pes of retirement plans offered to employees. Some of them include: Defined contribution retirement plans and Roth 401(K) retirement plan which are two common plans nowadays (2010 Employment Benefits, 2010). Other retirement plans are the traditional defined benefit retirement pension plan and cash balance pension plans which were prevalent in the 1980’s and 1990’s (OECD Employment outlook, 1994).These two are not common in many organization these days. Supplement executive retirement plans (SERPs) are non-qualified plans that offer benefits above those covered in other retirement plans. These SERPs are authorized under the Employees Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More About ten years ago organizations offered financial planning benefits such as individual investment advices and retirement preparation advice. Although these programs do not contribute to employee’s income, they can help employees plan their retirement benefits wisely. However few organizations offer these programs today. On the other hand, phase retirement program is currently offered to employees which involve reduction of schedule or responsibilities for workers who are about to retire. This retirement plan helps employees to ease into retirement while passing on their valuable knowledge which they have accumulated over the years to other employees. Although retirement savings, planning benefit and defined benefit pension plans are old retirement plans they are still offered today. Most of these retirement benefits have not changed very much since the year 2000(OECD Employment outlook, 1998). Financial and compensation benefits Certain group of employees get financial and compensation benefits which help them deal with monetary transactions conveniently. Most of these benefits were non-existent in 1980’s but are common in many organizations today. These benefits include: Membership in credit unions which offer low interest rates on loans, which offer loans for emergency and disaster assistance while others offer no-interest loans for non-emergency situations. Provision of life insurance for dependents, accident insurance, accelerated death benefits, and assistance in case of terminal disease such as cancer are other benefits workers enjoy nowadays especially those in OECD countries (OECD Employment Outlook, 2003). Commuter benefits are offered to offset the cost workers incur as they move from one play to other while carrying out operations of their companies. These include transport allowances, on-site parking, parking subsidies, carpool subsidies. Other recent developments include some organization offering spending accounts, auto-insurance programs and company –owned vehicles to their employees. Education assistance to employees such as career development benefits are important as they both benefit the employee and the employer since the employees have a chance to expound their knowledge and this leads to creation of a better workforce which is a benefit to the employer. Undergraduate and graduate education assistance as well as education assistance to members of employees families are other benefits offered to workers (2010 Employment Benefits, 2010). Most organizations offer monetary bonuses through various ways. Some lay out a criteria which when met by the employees, they will receive more compensation, incentive bonuses, promotions and this leads to high performance. Other incentives include: sign-on bonuses for new workers, retentions bonus for workers who stay in the organization for a considerable period and lastly referral bonuses which are offered to workers who refer and encourage new members to be p art of the organization. In addition some organization recently have been able offer technology services and discounts to their employees such as business cell phones, personal computers, iPads and internet connections and these benefits helps employees cut down the associated costs of such services (2011 Employment Benefits, 2011). Leave benefits Leave benefits include paid time off plan which includes traditional vacation time, sick leave or personal days. Paid vacation plans these days are offered by most organizations to full-time employees which can be inform of cash-out option or a paid vacation leave donation program. Other leave benefits include paid personal leaves and floating holidays whereby employees receive payment on their leaves (2010 Employment Benefits, 2010). Personal days may be used as birthdays, for religion purposes or as mental health days. Most companies now offer these leave benefits because they recognize that there is need for employees to have time-off w ork for purposes other than vacation and illness. Floating holidays are recent development in the employee’s benefit list whereby workers are given certain amount of days of their choice during the year to use for holidays. Other leaves include paid sick leave whereby employees who are sick are paid and this protects the employees from loss of income when they are sick. Some organizations offer stand-alone sick leave plan while others provide a paid sick leave donation program to their employees. Family and Medical leave act of 1993 ensures that every employee has a 12 weeks unpaid job-protected leave for a year if the employee, his/her spouse or child has a serious medical condition. Although the act doesn’t require the various public and private organizations to pay for the leave some organization pay for the leave (OECD Employment outlook, 1999) Military leaves, leave for new parents, paid paternity and maternity leaves are other leaves which have been offered by va rious organizations since 1980’s. Indeed maternity and parental benefits were introduced in the 1980’s and the companies offering them have increased greatly since then. However long-term parental benefits nowadays are restricted to the OECD countries (OECD Employment outlook, 2003). A few organizations today are even able to offer paid adoption leaves to their employees, paid time-off to serve on board of a community group, paid time off for volunteering, paid and unpaid sabbatical program and paid time off for group vacation. Other employment benefits Other employment benefits include family friendly benefits, flexible working benefits, employee service benefits, housing and relocation benefits and business travel benefits. Under family friendly benefits, most organization nowadays are able to provide dependent care flexible accounts to their employees where money is set aside which can be used later to care for the employee’s dependants. In addition some orga nizations offer child care benefits to their employees such as child care emergency, adoption or foster care assistance and child care referral services whereby a portion of companies today allow their workers to bring their babies to work on regular basis. This reduces the cost which is incurred by employees when they access services such as non-subsidized child care or back up child care services. Dependent care flexible account can be used by employees to offset cost of elder care. Other family friendly benefits include back up elder care benefits, geriatric counselling, assisted living assessments and elder care in-home assessment (2011 Employment Benefits, 2011). Employee service benefits offered by companies include provision of language skills and work/life balance benefits. Globalization is happening fast in today’s world and has prompted people of diverse cultures to move from one part of the globe to another. As a result workforce and customers of many organizations consist of people with various levels of language proficiency. Due to this many organization organize for foreign language classes for specific group of employees. On the other hand work/life balance benefits are also offered by organizations today in many OECD countries. Many organizations provide quick access to food and beverages by having automatic vending machines near work place. Banks and Post offices are likewise near workplace and this reduces time workers spend moving to use various services and this optimizes their performance for the benefit of the organization (2011 Employment Benefits, 2011). Housing and relocation employment benefits have existed since time immemorial but recently they have been modified to suit the needs of workforce in many organizations today. Most organizations offer one-time permanent relocation whereby companies offer one time simple relocation lump sum payment. Others offer local visit assistance or house hunting trips to employees, spouse rel ocation assistance, down payment assistance and temporary relocation assistance. However housing and relocation assistance have declined over the last few years. Business travel benefits offered by companies today include travel expenses and additional pay to the employees involved in the travelling (2010 Employment Benefits, 2010). Conclusion Employment benefits have changed over the years since 1980’s through 1990’s to the present day. Various employment benefits have declined and in some countries they have been completely eliminated. For instance labour market leaves existed in some countries in the 1980’s such as Belgium but they declined in the following years and in Denmark they were eliminated by 1999 (OECD Employment Outlook,1999). In most countries, employment benefits allocation in Human Resource budget is fixed or marginally flexible hence job seekers are selective in choosing their employers and are likely to work in those organizations which offer fringe employment benefits. Employment benefits are meant to improve employee’s performance, attract new personnel to an organization and improve employer-employee relation for the benefit of any organization. Governments of various states have passed various bills which act in favour of employees in both private and public organizations to make sure they get various employment benefits. Almost all organizations offer some kind benefit to their employees with big organizations offering more benefits to their employees. The kind of employment benefits offered by organizations depends on their size and workforce. For example a company with high proportion of part-time workers will chose to offer benefits which are suitable for such kind of workforce to cut down the cost spend on employment benefits. References 2010 Employee Benefits. (2010).Examining Employee Benefits in the midst of a recovering economy.pp.1-92.Retrieved from: https://www.shrm.org/ 2011 Employee Benefits. (201 1). Examining Employee Benefits Amidst Uncertainty, society for human resource management. pp.1-92, Retrieved from: https://www.shrm.org/ OECD Employment outlook. (1994).Work-force ageing in OECD countries. Retrieved from: oecd.org/ OECD Employment outlook. (1998). Displacement and Job Loss: The workers concerned, pp.1-34, Retrieved from: oecd.org/ OECD Employment outlook. (1999).Recent labour market developments and prospects, Special focus on the quality of part-time jobs, pp.1-33, Retrieved from: oecd.org/ OECD Employment outlook. (2003). Towards More and Better Jobs Benefits and Employment, Friend or Foe? Interactions Between Passive and Active Social Programmes, pp.1-65, Retrieved from: oecd.org/ OECD Employment Outlook. (2009).Is work the best antidote for poverty?. pp.1-46. Retrieved from: oecd.org/

AP Spanish Literature and Culture LITERARY MOVEMENTS Essay Example

AP Spanish Literature and Culture LITERARY MOVEMENTS Essay Example AP Spanish Literature and Culture LITERARY MOVEMENTS Paper AP Spanish Literature and Culture LITERARY MOVEMENTS Paper and feminist literature vanguardismo avant-garde movements of literary experimentation; includes the surrealist movement (concerned with dreams and hallucinations); Pablo Neruda, Dragà ºn, Lorca teatro del absurdo with the belief that human existence has no meaning or purpose, these works are intentionally ridiculous, showing man in an illogical, incomprehensible world yet still carrying a meaningfull message; dialogue includes clichà ©s and word games; Dragà ºn Generacià ³n del 98 a group of novelists, poets, essayists, and philosophers active in Spain at the time of the Spanish-American War; criticism, ideals, creativity; included Miguel de Unamuno (religious themes), Antonio Machado (personal and universal themes) costumbrismo a literary interpretation of local everyday life and customs (19th century); romantic interest in extravagant expression + realistic, precise focus on a particular time and place; preceded (and led to) both Romanticism and Realism barroco a 17th-century cultural and artistic movement that was the evolution of ideas and themes formulated during the Spanish Renaissance; included culteranismo and conceptismo; Gà ³ngora and Quevedo in Spain + Sor Juana in Mexico romanticismo in response to neoclassicism, this movement focused on the beauty of imagination, the irregular nature of human spirit, and the natural world; Rima LIII (Bà ©cquer), En una tempestad (Heredia) Siglo de Oro period from 1942 (Christopher Columbus, end of Reconquista) to 1659 characterized by a flourishing in Spanish arts and literature that included romantecismo and barroco; Don Quijote, Garcilaso, Gà ³ngora, Quevedo neoclasicismo movement in which writers looked back to figures such as Garcilaso and Quevedo and were inspired by classical ideals; later prompted a negative reaction from romanticists, who were themselves criticized by realists

Hacker Gary McKinnon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hacker Gary McKinnon - Essay Example For instance, an adequate firewall of effective security program could have prevented the hacker from his attempt. He was able to hack the NASA and the Department of Defense computers so easily because he was so conscious about his presence in these networks. For instance, the security measures were lower than expected by him. One cannot imagine blank passwords in computers with high ranking status. But within US Military and NASA computers, there were a number of computers with blank passwords. Besides, there were ‘Administer’ status computers with no password. In short, the lower than expected defensive measures attracted Gary McKinnon to be a regular presence within the US Military and NASA computer network. The following security measures could have been done to stop the hacker. First of all, installation of regularly updated Firewall or other security programs can keep hackers away from accessing computer networks. Gary McKinnon’s regular presence within the US Military and NASA computer network proves the ineffective security system which is unable to detect and prevent hackers. So, the installation of effective Firewall and other security programs is most important. Entering the computer network, the hacker was able to access almost all the data without any restriction. Richard Gissel points out that Gary McKinnon the notorious hacker was able to have the privileges of a administrator within the computer network (Gissel, 171). This fact proves the ineffectiveness of security measures within the network. Besides, the regular updating and changing the passwords could have prevented the hacker from re-entering the network with ease. The hacker made use of early morning and late night to hack the network. This proves that security verification in early morning and late night is not so effective to restrict the

Speech Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Speech - Personal Statement Example According to Coleman, this culture began back in 2007 when a group of enthusiastic computer programmers and hackers began organized internet attacks on organizations or individuals who acted contrary to the societal expectations. I particularly noted with interest how anonymous graduated from internet to street based protests. The culture developed from social to political activism and even went further to activism against individuals1. Pervasive anonymity is perhaps the most notable element of this cultural phenomenon. I concur with Coleman that, it is difficult to predict the future trends of anonymous since the culture propagates spontaneously by taking advantage of emerging technology. I however found it difficult to synthesize the ethical issues regarding this anonymous cultural phenomenon. This is because we need global whistleblowers that are always alert on objects of societal oppression. On the other hand, their actions may not be justified since there are diplomatic channels in which societal issues can be addressed. It is difficult to discern the ideological consistency of their actions. How such a culture functions ethically and logically is perplexing. However, it is at least obvious from Coleman that anonymous would heavily retaliate to anyone threatening their